A brooding hockey hunk learns to embrace life—and love—from a single mom who takes the world one puck at a time. “Kelly Jamieson is my go-to author for hockey romance.”—USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport Big move . . . Jodie’s motto is “Don’t wait for the perfect moment—take the moment and make it perfect.” And that’s just what she decides to do when she moves to Chicago with her … to do when she moves to Chicago with her two-year-old daughter. Now all Jodie needs is a place to live, and her best friend’s boyfriend has just the answer.
Big stick . . . Nick Balachov has zero interest in socializing, partying, or flirting right now. It’s not that he doesn’t like women. He loves them. It’s just that hockey, casual hookups, and hanging out at home are enough for him these days. Now Nick has a big problem—because the woman living in his empty coach house is a major distraction.
Big deal? The more Nick tries to keep his distance, the more Jodie needs him—around the house, that is. First he helps with the snowstorm, then the power outage. Nick even finds himself trying to impress her little girl. What the hell is wrong with him? Jodie represents everything Nick doesn’t want. But maybe she’s just what he needs. . . .
Praise for Big Stick
“Oh, the feels! Big Stick is a sexy romance that will leave readers begging for the next in the series. Kelly Jamieson has me hooked.”—Tracy Goodwin, internationally bestselling author of Ice Hot: A New York Nighthawks Novel
“Kelly Jamieson’s characters fly off the page. I wouldn’t kick grumbly hockey-hottie Nick out of bed—even if he did pass out on accident. One-click Nick and Jodie. You won’t be disappointed.”—Tricia Lynne, author of Moonlight & Whiskey
“I enjoyed the plot. The hockey scenes are well written. It was easy to visualize what was happening on the ice. Big Stick was a perfect addition to the Aces Hockey series.”—Diane’s Book Blog (five stars)
USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson’s epic Wynn Hockey series can be read together or separately:
PLAY TO WIN
IN IT TO WIN IT
WIN BIG
FOR THE WIN
Don’t miss any of Kelly’s captivating reads:
The Aces Hockey series: MAJOR MISCONDUCT • OFF LIMITS • ICING • TOP SHELF • BACK CHECK • SLAP SHOT • PLAYING HURT • BIG STICK • GAME ON
The Bayard Hockey series: SHUT OUT • CROSS CHECK
The Last Shot series: BODY SHOT • HOT SHOT • LONG SHOT
The standalone novel: DANCING IN THE RAIN
This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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This story has a nice blend of hockey and interpersonal interactions between Nick and Jodie. As the series has moved on I have appreciated that there is steam but it is definitely reduced to where we get more of the characters and their back story. Wonderful characters- Little Zyana was a real cutie!
This book another in the series has Jodie moving to Chicago after her partner got married to another hockey player on the team, that story was a few books back. Now Jodie along with her two-year-old daughter is looking to move out of the apartment she has been living in with the married couple. Before any of that happens she meets mister personality Nick Balachov, who also plays for the team and has shown up to the party. She notices after a while that he is outside while everyone else is inside. Speaking to him she understands because he is an ass, jerk, and rude just to name a few. When she can’t find a place Hallsy, Nick’s teammate asks if Jodie and her daughter could move into his carriage house in the back since it has been vacant for three years. First Nick says no but then he agrees and slowly finds himself liking having someone to talk to. He is still a jerk at times but when a winter storm comes in and shuts everything down he takes in both Jodie and her daughter to his big house. This is where he begins to open up about his past and they begin to get to know each other. Just when everything is going well. He gets freaked out when watching Zyana, Jodie’s daughter. He doesn’t want to run from the two of them but for him, that is all he knows. Can his friends bring him back and will she take him back? Read this wonderful story and find out. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at http://www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Good story. Where the broody athlete comes out of his shell and isnt so much of a beast as he portrays. Jodi is a single mom to zyana an adorable two year old girl and moved into his coach house on the property after following Kendra her business partner from NY. Nick seems rough and gruff around the edges but it is just his self imposed punishment after suffering tj loss of his parents and then his long time best friend and brother, Aleks. They start slow despite obvious attraction and he comes out of his shell. And she learns it’s mostly a protection mechanism from losing so many loved ones.
Enjoyable. Loved the little girl, although at times she seemed older than a two year old. Not much hockey in this book. But overall, a worthwhile read.
Nick plays hockey and that’s all he’s interested in. Addie, a struggling single mom moves into his guest house. He helps her with her struggles as she develops her business and she helps with the emotional death of his brother. Her daughter is adorable.. A good story of two people coming to terms with life.
Love her books.
I received a copy via Netgalley and voluntarily left a review and all opinions are my own.
Having never read a book by Kelly Jamieson, I really didn’t know what kind of fictional world I was jumping into. All I knew is that I love me some hockey hotties and I was ready to “bed down” with a man who could grab my heart and shake it both on and off the ice. It wasn’t long into “Big Stick” and I was charmed and enamored by both Nick and Jodie and ready to experience all the ups and downs of their new explosive and fragile relationship. If there was ever a hero and heroine that needed someone to love and have their back, it is these two!
Nick Balachov is the epitome of tall, dark, and silent and had me wanting to delve deep beneath the surface and find out who had wounded this hero enough where he didn’t want to have any kind of relationship with anyone but his team and even that was limited. His story sat heavy on my heart and I couldn’t wait for the bubbly and vibrant Jodie to crumble those walls surrounding him and show him that love can heal all wounds. Add in her adorable little magpie of a daughter and Nick’s heart doesn’t stand a chance!
Jodie first comes across as a carefree woman who has never had any hardships in life but you soon realize that is not true. She is positive, loving, and kind regardless of the circumstances and is a strong heroine who knows her own mind and goes after it with a gusto whether a man is by her side or not. There was nothing that I didn’t absolutely love about this character from her strength, her love for her daughter, to her ability to see underneath Nick’s surly attitude to the wonderful man underneath.
Kelly Jamieson delivers a touching, heated romance that shows no matter your past, your future can still be bright and filled with love. I highly recommend Big Stick for a love story that will stir your emotions and leave you attached to some extremely hot hockey players. I cannot wait to go back to the beginning and discover more about the Aces Hockey and fall in love with more characters penned by Kelly Jamieson.
Loved this super sweet story
This time around we get Nick and Jodie’s story. Nick is the loner of the Aces team and prefers staying home refurbishing old furniture than going out to party. Jodie’s a single mom to an adorable little girl that moves to Chicago to be near her only family, her BFF and business partner. These two do not hit it off at first. Nick does take a bit to get used to but once he opens up- watch out! He has his reasons for the way he is and those add depth to his character. This is an enjoyable series and I like each book a little more than the last.
This was a pretty good read. The writing flowed well for the most part, but there were a few chapters that I felt dragged a little. This was the first book in this series that I’ve read, and at times all the names were a little overwhelming. Nick and Jodie were good together for the most part, but I did get annoyed at Jodie’s attitude toward Nick when he tried to help her. She didn’t NEED a man, if she had one, it was because she WANTED one. Okay, but when the man goes out of his way in a blizzard to make sure you and your kid make it home and don’t freeze to death, I would be a little more grateful. Also, she calls him a coward because he didn’t want to take a chance. I can’t imagine the emotions that a guy would go through when he dates a single mother. She might not NEED him, but I don’t think she would like it very much if he didn’t want anything to do with her daughter either. It was just a hard situation for me to relate to I guess. I did like that Jodie helped Nick through some tough times, and made him see that everything wasn’t his fault. Zyana was a cute character, and she did add to the story. The ending was sweet, and I liked their HEA.
I voluntarliy reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
Big Stick is a fabulous all-the-feels romance, which takes the time to touch on some tough subjects, but does so in a way that feels so very real. That Kelly Jamieson is able to bring laughs, heartache and love in one book—and do it so flawlessly—is a particular kind of gift, and one which I am grateful to receive. Highly recommend not just this book but this ENTIRE series!
Great story, I absolutely love this series by Kelly!
Meet Jodie, she just moved to Chicago to be close to her bff and run their adult specialty company! She’s also got an amazing 2 year old daughter Zee, who when she meets Nick thinks he’s a giant and she’s some what afraid of him!
Nick has a lot of baggage himself, and Kelly address’ the most important issue in hockey today in this story and I commend her for bringing attention to this! Watch Nick as he struggles with his feelings for Jodie & Zee, and the demons that plague his mind.
Amazing story don’t miss this one, Kelly you rocked this one! 5+ hockey pucks for this story!
This is another great hockey romance book from Kelly Jamieson. I love all the books in this series The Aces is not just an NHL team they are a family. I really enjoyed Nick and Jodie’s love story it was definitely a slow burn, there was an attraction but Nick just wanted to be left alone and she thought that he was an ass. Spending time together, getting to know each other really showcased his good heart. He had a soft spot for her young daughter Zyana, how can you not love a man who is so caring for kids. This is a well-written book with great characters and a great addition to this series.
In this seventh book in the Aces Hockey series, Nick isn’t really interested in doing much to develop a relationship with anyone outside of his teammates. It’s not so much that he is anti-social — it’s just that he’s got a lot on his mind, especially as the anniversary of losing someone is upon him. When he begrudgingly goes to a team party, he ends up meeting Jodie who is everything he isn’t — friendly, talkative, and just nice to everyone. Nick isn’t interested, at least at first.
Jodie has moved to Chicago for the sex toy business she runs with her friend and co-owner Kendra and it’s time for her to find a place of her own to let Kendra and her hockey player boyfriend have some privacy. When someone suggests to Nick that Jodie needs a place and would be perfect for the empty carriage house on his property, he’s not really eager for Jodie to move in, but he goes along with it.
What follows is the slow takedown of the emotional walls Nick has erected around himself. Through Jodie’s care and understanding, he realizes a lot of things, including the fact that his feelings for Jodie are growing and that they could have so much more. I really liked how Jodie melts Nick’s cold heart and how they come to rely on each other.
There weren’t any huge surprises in Big Stick, and I did like these two characters, especially how Jodie uncovers a side of Nick that even he didn’t know he had. I did find the beginning a bit slow for my taste, but other readers may feel differently.
I liked Nick’s interactions with Jodie’s daughter Zyana and in spite of his sometimes gruff attitude, I did like how Nick interacted with her throughout the story. It showed he really had a heart after all.
Overall, Big Stick had some really nice moments and is a low drama sort of contemporary romance where conflicts are resolved fairly easily to get to the HFA or HEA if that is what you are looking for.
An ARC was provided for review.
This book broke my heart for Nick, he was still suffering after the death of his brother so he doesn’t really want to socialize with others but he does care for his friends so when he is invited over to help celebrate one of their birthdays he goes just wishing that time went faster. At said party he meets Jodie and he did not make the best impression and later on there was some humilation (yeah hoping you want to grab book) Jodie is someone you will love, she is loyal and great a mother and even though these two are not looking for a relationship, forced proximity allows them to get to know each other and get rid of their first impressions and the rest my friends is lovely..Enjoy!
4 Stars
Big Stick is the seventh title in the Aces Hockey series. I was quite eager to read this story as the heroine was first introduced in Max and Kendra’s story Slap Shot.
Nick Balachov is a complex and enigmatic character. He’s a broody, gruff, standoffish and at times grumpy individual. His outward appearance hides a gentle giant. Although he may be a bit of a loner, he is also incredibly kind , caring and compassionate. He’s had a life of heartbreak and loss, and has quite a few demons surrounding his grief that he needs to face in order to find happiness.
Jodie, is a successful, independent business woman. She’s strong and resilient, incredibly intelligent and resourceful. She’s a single mother by choice, not circumstance. She made an informed decision, knowing that she wanted to be a mother, and set out to achieve her goal. She’s optimist, kind, caring, patient and above all a wonderful mother.
Jodie, Nick and Zyana’s story is an emotional and poignant story full of ups and downs, with strong themes of family, friendship and love. It’s a sexy, engaging and slow burn romance, that I thoroughly enjoyed and I cannot wait for more of the Aces Hockey series, and will be eagerly awaiting future additions to the series.
I just adore all of her books. The hockey theme and the romance are fantastic. They are characters I’ve come to enjoy.
Another fallen hockey hunk! This time we get Nick and Jodie’s story. We got introduced to Jodie and her daughter in book 5 when her best friend and business partner, Kendra fell in love with Max.
I’m such a sucker for little kids in romance books that I was hoping for their story. It did not disappoint. I loved Zyana, she was so stinking cute. And there is nothing hotter than a guy with kids.
They had a rocky road ahead of them. Nick has isolated himself and Jodie has already resigned to not finding a forever guy. Despite the obstacles in their path, I enjoyed their journey.
There is hints of the next book and I gotta say, it sounds like we will be getting a hero that is ready to settle down. That makes me excited. I love a hero that goes after what he wants.