In the game of love, winning is harder than it looks. River Baldwin is sexy as puck.Carved abs, strong muscles. His talent with his hockey stick elevates him to godlike status. He’s also in trouble.The center for the Brooklyn Cobras has a PR crisis only I can solve.But he’s arrogant, stubborn, and used to getting his way—all things that make my job harder.His attitude should drive me away, but … harder.
His attitude should drive me away, but instead, attraction sizzles between us.
Somehow, while I try to salvage his image, I fail to defend my heart.
Can I risk letting the cocky player who dominates the game into my heart?
Or are the moves River is using on and off the ice going to leave me defenseless and alone?
Note: Defenseless Hearts is a standalone sports romance that will give you all the feels. It’s filled with scorching banter, sexy scenes, and several laugh-out-loud moments. No cheating. No cliffhangers. Guaranteed HEA.
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This was such a great follow up to Intercepted Hearts and I loved getting to know River and Sam! Get ready for some bad boy fun with River and get ready to swoon!
I found this book to be a very enjoyable read with the great storyline and well created characters! As I turned each and every page River and Sam pulled me right into their journey as it unfolded!
This is the 2nd book in this awesome series and is River and Samantha’s story. River has a reputation as the bad boy hockey player, and Sam work for a PR company that is sent to redeem his image. This is a beautifully written story which is sweet, entertaining, fun and steamy, which had me totally hooked throughout this engaging page turner. I highly recommend for all readers.
Hockey god takes a fall
I love inst-lust/love and I love sports romances, and this book brings it! River Baldwin is a hot shot young hockey star who unexpectedly needs the services of a high-powered public relations firm. Namely Sam Loren. Except Sam isn’t the gristly veteran PR expert River and his agent are expecting. Sam is an up and coming beautiful young woman with a lot to lose by falling for River’s charm. There’s sparks a plenty the minute River and Sam meet! I loved them!
Oh my gosh, I loved everything about this book! Sam is an uptight control freak and River is a spoiled hockey player. Together they are so hot! The banter between these two is perfect. She is his anchor and he is her wings. I didn’t want this story to end.
“It’s hard to resist a bad bot who’s a good man.” From Defenseless Hearts
Defenseless Hearts is the second book in the Playing for Keeps series which can be read as a standalone or as the second book in the Playing for Keeps series. Defenseless Hearts is told in the first-person point of view of the hero and heroine and is a workplace, sports romance.
River is an up and coming hockey player who is loving the party lifestyle and living up to his bad-boy image until a party lands him in a public relations nightmare and he is assigned a PR representative which he does not feel like he needs a babysitter until Samantha walks in a changes River’s life. After a bad break up last Valentine’s Day, Samantha has given up on love and sworn she will never date another client until her heart has a different mind of its own when she meets River Baldwin.
I was excited to meet River after being introduced into him in his brother Hudson’s book Intercepted Hearts. River is fun and carefree and I love how he managed to get Sam to break out of her break up a slump. I can not wait to read more novels by Mika Jolie.
I’m finding that I really enjoy this series. Sure, we have a cocky pro athlete in River and the woman who’s tasked with getting him out of the doghouse in Sam, but then everything is turned on its ear. River is attracted but doesn’t want to admit it, so he tries to irritate Sam out of working with him. Sam is begrudgingly attracted but has been burned before and isn’t going to let another cocky man use or twist her for kicks. The push and pull of their attraction and whether or not Sam will give in to River’s determined drive to be more than professional acquaintances makes for an entertaining, enjoyable story. If you’re looking for a quick read without OW drama or bs, this author will definitely deliver.
Another amazing read in this series!
’It’s hard to resist a bad boy who’s a good man.’
When hockey star, River Baldwin, finds himself in the middle of a scandal, he’s forced to hire a public relations company to help bail him out. He’s certain there is no need for it, and once he meets the fiery, defiant and bossy woman who will be cleaning up his brand, he really doesn’t want it. Except that there’s something about Samantha Loren that intrigues him and he soon finds himself fighting just to get a date with her.
Sam has a past experience that taught her a life lesson she won’t soon forget. She’s extremely smart and when the situation required it, she was able to unload some real zingers on someone and still maintain her classy composure. I loved that most of those zingers were cut loose on River.
River was the bad boy in the family, something that differentiated him from his twin brother and he embraced all that the lifestyle entailed. He’s definitely sowed some wild oats. On the outside he was all play hard, on and off the ice, but underneath he was sweet, fun, and caring. I loved that he was persistant in having something more with Sam. For a bad boy his heart was very much on the line.
’That special fire – the one that’s only ever stoked when I’m on the ice – is blazing hotter than ever, and it’s all because of this mouthy, feisty know-it-all who thinks she can order me around.’
This isn’t an insta story, except for attraction. As the story progresses this has a slow unveiling of emotion between Sam and River. While River was definitely on board a lot sooner, Sam keeps him at arm’s length. We do have some push and pull, from Sam obviously, but it fit the storyline and didn’t consume her character.
The pace here was fast, including some amazing on ice scenes for those who love the sport. And if you don’t, it doesn’t consume the story. The chemistry between Sam and River was tangible from the first moment they met and grew with each consequent meeting and texts. Secondary characters are few and do not weigh heavily on the story but we do get a look at Hudson and Natalie from Intercepted Hearts which I loved.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and can definitely be read as a standalone.
4.5 stars
I love a hockey romance. River is the hot identical twin of Hudson (from Intercepted Hearts). He has a bad boy reputation and tends to say what is on his mind. Samantha is the PR fixer sent in to help his image. She is a beautiful, confident woman who refuses to be intimidated by River. Reading about River getting knocked over by love was a lot of fun for me. Samantha learns that his public image is not all there is to this hot hockey player as she falls for the whole package.
The chemistry between these two is undeniable, and the result is some very hot times. I really loved this book. I loved the hero’s vulnerability. I loved that he was willing to take whatever Samantha would give him. There is nothing hotter than a big, strong hockey god brought to his knees by love. I definitely recommend this one for anyone who likes sports romance and a hot bad boy who is really a good man.