He’s known as Father Anton to his teammates—the brooding, sexy captain of the NHL’s Chicago Blaze has a reputation for…not having a reputation. Just like his diet and sleep routines, celibacy is part of Anton Petrov’s on-ice mojo. Or so they say. Anton stays mum on the subject. If the world thinks he chooses to abstain from sex, so be it. Better that than the truth getting out: there is a woman … woman he burns for, but he can never have her. She’s his teammate’s wife, after all.
Mia Marceau is finally on her own. Now that she and her husband are living apart, she’s finding the peace she was desperate for. She spends her days in classes and late nights bartending, making her own way in the world at last. After what she’s been through, as long as her husband leaves her alone, she doesn’t plan to rock the boat. He still has the power to hurt those dearest to her, and she can’t demand a divorce with such a high cost.
A chance encounter with Mia has Anton hoping for a shot he never thought he’d get. And while she’s drawn to the intense, serious hockey center, Mia’s leery about playing with fire. That’s all Anton has ever known for Mia, though—a living, burning desire that won’t be denied—no matter the cost.
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I loved this book. So much so, I already have the next book in the series queued up on my iPad.
This is a new series by Brenda Rothert and DAMN did she start it off with a bang! I mean I was like WTF did I just read after I finished this story. I wish I had me an Anton because the love he has for Mia is true love that does not die but grows each day for the person and that person will do anything to keep that love.
Anton is the Captain of The NHL Chicago Blaze team and he is known as the celibate one because he is not a man whore like most of the guys and he does not have a wife or girlfriend. He stays focused on his team and playing and secretly he is in love with his teammates wife and will do anything to have her.
When his teammate and his wife separate Anton takes his chance and tells Mia how he really feels about her and how he would love to take care of her and treat her how she should be treated. But Mia is scared of her soon to be ex husband because he has made threats and he is a mean man that will stop at nothing to hurt her and the ones she loves. But she is tired of being scared and living in the shadows and decides to give Anton and shot and what comes out of this story is something phenomenal and amazing and it makes it a must read and a one click for all you romance sports readers!
Great new series by Brenda!
Follow the story of Anton, he’s a twin, his brother is Alexei, they both play hockey but on different teams. Anton is the quiet twin, he’s got himself on a sex hiatus since he met his team mates wife, Mia. He finds her absolutely beautiful, and he wants her but he will never do anything with a married woman.
Mia is struggling, her husband or as she wants him to be her ex. She’s had enough of his cheating & manipulating ways. When she see’s Anton and his brother enter the bar she’s working she panics, she doesn’t want her ex to know where she is.
They develop a friendship, and he’s there to help her through this rough spot. Follow their story, see her struggles and fall in love with Anton in the process! 5 hockey stars for this one!
This book was amazing! Brenda did an amazing job. I loved the friends to lovers aslow burn feel of it. Anton and Mia were perfect together and I loved reading the build up to their relationship. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series.
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Not only is this book cover TO DIE FOR…the story behind all of that gorgeousness is absolutely PHENOMENAL! Wow! Brenda Rothert blew my mind and checked all of my emotional boxes with her latest release! is the first book in a brand new sexy sports romance series, , and I couldn’t have asked for a more EPIC start! Anton and Mia were EVERYTHING! Mia has so many demons and Anton wants nothing more than to chase them all away, but it’s not going to be that easy. This forbidden romance had me turning the pages faster and faster, begging…no yearning for their happily ever after. With enough romance and angst to keep you on the edge of your seat, this sexy and emotionally driven love story will have you longing for more of this world!
:
Amazon → https://amzn.to/2UGSn2n
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Kobo → https://bit.ly/2QZxKMK
Apple Books → https://apple.co/2S5c03E
A tale of a love worth waiting for – no matter how many obstacles are in the way. Anton truly knows the meaning of ‘love is patient.’
Anton is such a good person and Mia is so smart and kind and is working through so much crap in her life.
Such a sweet story!!
Well….Dayummmm, will you just look at this cover!!! Lord have mercy…it is HAWT!!!
First off I want to say that I love..LOVE sports themed books and then to add in that the read is about a Hockey player.. Then I am in heaven!!! I love me sum HOCKEY!!! #GOSTARS!!! LOL
Anton is one fun, angsty, emotional, very sexy and even at times I wanted to throw that Kindle across the room kind of read!!! haha Sooo worthy of those 5 STARS!!!
So Anton is the brooding, sexy captain of the NHL’s Chicago Blaze!! And ladies, he has a twin brother! secretly hoping his story is next!! The twins are on different teams but sooo competitive.
Mia is a bartender and is avoiding her estranged husband which is a hockey player as well and y’all, this is where you need to stay calm, count to ten and don’t throw those Kindles across the room..lol Gahh I hated this man!!! grrr…lol see I am still pissy about him..haha
One evening after a game, the two hot sexy-twin hockey players come to the bar where Mia is working. Anton recognizes her and remembers a chance encounter a few years ago at a party. He has always been smitten with her but he would never try to come between another hockey players marriage. You know…Bro-code and all!!
Anton is shocked to see Mia working at a bar when she is married to a hockey player. Mia begs Anton to not tell her husband where he has seen her. Anton makes promises and then realizes that the woman he has yearned for over the last several years is now possibly a free woman..what are the chances??
Yess ladies, this is where I am going to stop. Go pick up Anton on release day and get lost in this Feels kind of read!! Sooo good! Thank you for another great read Brenda Rothert!!
can’t wait to read the rest of the sexy hockey players.
4
This was a quick paced read and a second chance for Mia. She’s had a very rough life, and Anton is just to person to help her heal. He’s willing to wait for her and do whatever needs to be done.
This romance isn’t all candy and flowers, but there’s a HEA in store and I loved the roller coaster of a ride.
Brenda Rothert can write a hockey romance like nobody’s business, and, truly, the books in her FIRE ON ICE series are still some of my favorites of hers. Now, Brenda is giving us more hockey heroes to love with the release of ANTON, the first book in her new Chicago Blaze series.
Anton is pretty much everything that a book boyfriend should be. Besides all the usual attributes, he’s got to be one of the most loyal guys that I’ve seen, and Mia is one lucky lady. And, even though she’s got a ‘past,’ she is fierce, and I really enjoyed seeing her grow into herself. These two are definitely poster children for #couplegoals, and their story is, by turn, sexy, affirming, and exciting.
Fans of sports romance, fans of Brenda’s books, and, heck, fans of sexy Russian skaters will love this book. And, lucky us, it’s almost like there are two Antons, because his twin brother, Alexei, another sexy Russian hockey player, is getting his own book very soon. In the meantime, though, as an avowed Brenda fan, I say go out and get yourself a copy of this book. Anton’s waiting, and he is not to be missed.
Reading Anton was like coming home after a long time away. I forgot how much I enjoy sports romances, especially when there’s a bit of thrill. I don’t know if Anton is officially considered a thriller, but for me, that’s what it felt like. The stakes were HIGH for these characters; like, their livelihood and lives were on the line.
You are probably thinking there’s loads of sex due to the cover, that is not the case. Anton is a delectable slow-burn romance. BUT, I do wish there was more action to fill the void, not sex-action, but kicking-the-asses-of-characters-I-want-to-punch-type-action. Because seriously, I wanted to punch my freaking Kindle. And not because this character was poorly written, but because they were so well-written, I became genuinely angered.
I really enjoyed Anton! I love all of the characters, minus the one I want to punch.
Random Thoughts:
There’s an old guy. He’s going to make you laugh. A lot.
Such a breath of fresh air for the main dude not being a egotistical cocky douche bag. FINALLY.
A heroine with a sense of humor and a foul mouth. I love her.
Climax lacked a bit. Definitely some missed opportunities.
Favorite Quotes:
“The measure of a man is in how happy his woman is. You can take that to the bank.”
“I’ll have sunshine comin’ out my ass.”
This was a good book. It went by quick but that didn’t take away from the story. Poor Mia had a rough go at life and was married to a jerk named Adam. Anton was the best, he really was a saint and waited patiently and tried to do this right by Mia. They had a strong chemistry and waited until things settled down some from her divorce before pursuing anything really romantic. I did like how Mia slowly got her backbone and Anton was strong for her when she couldn’t be. Overall great read.
I loved Brenda Rothert’s Fire On Ice series, so it was a no brainer for me to dive into her newest hockey romance about Anton Petrov, captain of the Chicago Blaze and all-around good guy. Anton is an atypical professional athlete – one who his teammates call ‘Father Anton’ due to his strict regiment and clean living lifestyle. There’s a litany of reasons why Anton thrives on structure and routine, and while his teammates give him shit for how he chooses to live, there’s not much that can throw him off his game, except for maybe a certain beautiful woman who’s owned his heart and his body since he first met her almost three years ago. The problem with his feelings, though, is the fact that Mia Marceau belongs to another man, her husband of eight years, who just so happens to be one of Anton’s teammates.
The life that Mia Marceau envisioned when she said ‘I do’ is definitely not the life she’s living; at 29 years old, she’s separated from her husband, working at a bar, and attempting to finish her degree all on her own with very little money. In her mind, the strong, confident, and independent woman she was is no longer present due to her estranged husband’s abuse and neglect and finding herself again, amidst the pain, the heartache, the self-doubt, and the bitterness is a battle, but it’s one that Anton is going to help make happen.
The fact that Anton doesn’t cross the line while Mia is still married proves just how honorable he is and the way things play out between Anton and Mia – their friendship, their growing connection, his ability to know exactly what to do and say to make her see herself as he sees her – makes everything about him that much sweeter and it makes the payoff in the end everything I wanted and needed it to be.
Anton’s Uncle Nix is a great secondary character. I love his interactions with Anton and his twin brother, Alexei, and as ornery and foul-mouthed Nix is, once Mia is in charge of his care, readers get to know the other side of Nix and how the bond he created with Mia helped them both.
There are quite a few hockey hunks’ stories I’m eager to read, but the one I’m hoping to see soon is Anton’s brother. He needs to be put in check by a sassy and sweet heroine who gives as good as she gets!
4 Poison Apples
Anton is captain of a NHL team. He is known for not having women around but the truth is he is in love with Mia. Mia is his teammate Adam’s wife. Mia is separated from Adam due to his abuse of her. Adam refuses to give her a divorce. Anton has a chance meeting with Mia and they become close as friends. This book was a great read with a good plot and plenty of steamy times.
3.5 Stars
When I read the blurb for this one, I was intrigued and not sure how the author would pull it off. Would there be cheating or not? Personally, I don’t mind reading about it (it’s fiction). But behold, Father Anton lives up to his celibate name. Mia has been dealt a hard life and is struggling to make ends meet and to better herself to have the life she deserves. My heart broke for her in all ways from her marriage situation to her grandpa, and through it all is Anton. He’s sweet and swoony and determined to be there and be patient for her. I’ll be honest and say that I expected much more from this one and felt the potential was there, it just lacked the execution I was hoping for. Overall, I did enjoy the story and Uncle Dix was definitely the highlight of the story for me. His and Mia’s banter was the best.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
3.5 stars but for over editing the content and yet in other instances it rambles. Interesting plot and characters just sorry editing, others would be a 4.5
I really hate to say it about any book, but I did not like this book. It got the point where I had to skim through the last few chapters.
I could not get with Anton lusting after his teammates wife for 2 years. I don’t care if his teammate cheated and was an all around douchebag. It was creepy, cheesy, and unrealistic. The romance or relationship that forms between Anton and Mia was not believable in the slightest and I felt no romance. They went on one date in the book and it happened at the end of the book.
I was provided a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.
A very touching romance.
If only people like Anton still existed..
Anton is the first book that I have read by Brenda Rothert. I received a free copy of Anton from a Facebook group I belong to and I really loved it. Who doesn’t love hot hockey players. Anton is the first book in the Chicago Blaze series, and I am sure that I will read the others. I loved the characters and the bittersweet moments in the book. I could not put the book down. Anton is the story of Anton Petrov, captain of the Chicago Blaze hockey team and Mia Marceau, the estranged wife of Anton’s teammate Adam Marceau, who has a secret of her own. The first time that Anton sees Mia, he knows that he wants to have, but cannot she she is married to his teammate. Anton changes his lifestyle, because no one measures up to Mia and gets the nickname Father Anton. Fast forward several years, Mia leaves Adam, returns to school to earn her undergraduate degree and works as a bar tender. Mia would file for divorce from Adam if she could afford one, he froze all their joint accounts. By chance, Anton shows up at the bar when Mia works and is surprised to see her. He starts driving her home when he is in town. Anton is responsible for the care of his Uncle Dix, and continues to chase away the nurses that Anton hires. After the last nurse quits and the agency informs Anton that they will not send any more nurses to him, Anton offers the job to Mia. I loved the relationship and interaction between Mia and Uncle Dix. Anton finds a lawyer willing to take on Mia’s divorce case. I was a wonderful story and I loved the storytelling of Brenda Rothert. I love how she resolved all the issues that seemed to keep Anton and Mia apart. Could not out the book down. Amazing story.