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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A well written and easy to read story. I found myself pulled into this story without even realising it. I enjoyed reading about the characters and the storyline was interesting and very enjoyable. A very good story and edition to the series.
Mika takes us on another Baldwin journey, this time accompanying the unabashedly bad boy River Baldwin on a trip through the trials of romance, a flourishing hockey career, bad press coverage and how to deal with a female, who is as strong as he is, with such strikingly similar traits, which she sees as being completely different. Sam Loren is a PR agent who is trying to prove herself at her Dad’s agency, whilst trying to regroup herself after a bad experience with a former boyfriend, who happened to be a sports star.
Fantastic short story with enough drama and backbone to hook you into losing a couple of hours.
Defenseless Hearts by Mika Jolie is the second book in the Playing for Keeps series by Mika Jolie and can be read as a standalone. It’s a charming sports romance with a bad boy hockey player in need of a reputation fix. Enter Samantha, Sam. River is gorgeous, cocky and stubborn. Sam is smart, determined and full of sass. River is not too happy about Sam and does not feel like he needs her help. But their chemistry is undeniable and they are professionals, right? Such a fun and charming read.
Happy reading!
Defenseless Against Love
Defenseless Hearts is a slow burn love story with sizzling friction. River and Sam are both strong willed and passionate beings. Their early interactions are skewed by preconceived notions. Although, the attraction between them is instant, yet unwelcome. Their sparky, magnetic verbal sparring ratchets up the sexual tension. The more time they spend together, the more their walls start to crumble…leaving their hearts exposed. The result is an impenetrable love that needs no defenses!
River comes across as your typical bad boy jock. Sam is a professional, sometimes uptight, public relations guru. When Sam is hired to help River recover from a scandal, sparks fly. No matter how hard Sam tries to fight it. Great story and an easy read. I read it in one sitting.
Learning to trust again is difficult at best, but obtainable. This is something Sam is learning. She’s having a hard time putting her past behind her and with good reason. Not learning from her past can cost her a job she’s worked very hard to get and is excellent at it. In the first book, we meet Hudson, River’s twin brother, and superstar quarterback brother. We get River’s story and how the media portrays him to be the black sheep. Not like he makes it hard for the press to do so!
River, the superstar hockey player, threw a party, and the consequences are dire to his career. His agent hires Sam to help salvage River’s reputation. Upon meeting each other, they have preconceived notions of each other as you follow their journey to getting to know each other and finding out what they thought they knew is all wrong.
It was a joy to get to know River, finding out there is more to River than what you see in the tabloids. This story was so engaging I finished this in one sitting. I would love for there to be another book in the series!
A well written, smooth flowing story that easily held my attention. River made his appearance in his brother’s story –
Intercepted Hearts. This bad boy has landed in trouble, and needs help. Samantha isn’t impressed with River, though she is ready to tackle his PR nightmare with skill and finesse. I liked Sam with all her edges and facets, a strong woman who doesn’t expect the attraction the blossoms between her and River. This pair had chemistry to spare. This book was a one sitting read.
Totally amazing! River and Sam’s chemistry is off-the-charts, though Sam refuses to believe it.
She doesn’t date her PR clients.
Especially one the likes of River Baldwin, center and captain of the Cobras Hockey team.
The man is sexy, she’ll give him that. Charming. Infuriating. Sexy…wait, she already thought that.
River is attracted to Sam. But she can’t seem to admit it, much less accept it. When a charity event leads to a gala in order to preserve River’s image, the chemistry can no longer be contained. Will one kiss change her mind? Or will it tear them apart forever and be game over for their attraction?
There’s no need to defend anything about this book. It stands all on it’s own. This is the second book in the Playing for Keeps series. This book focuses on” the other twin”as they are often referred to, the bad boy so to speak. Well that isn’t necessarily always the case. Let’s face it we’re all individuals with different styles. We all have the ability to stand out in our own ways and be our own person. When you do people notice. When you’re in the public eye people also feel they have a right to intrude on your life and pass judgment without all the information. Privacy doesn’t seem to exist. Now pair that with a strong women trying to make her own way in a male dominated profession. You have to watch your every move because again people judge. Are you too emotional, are you unprofessional, are you too uptight, are you too demanding, are you too difficult to work with, do you dress too provocatively or are you too strict, too flirty, not flirty enough the list is endless for women that are trying to accomplish something.
This is a story that addresses all of the above. River, is the other twin, successful hockey player who loves life hasn’t followed the career path of his brother and father. He is not really into what the tabloids think of him. However, this is so much more to him than what the public sees. Sam, is a strong, smart, successful woman breaking into a male dominated profession. She’s been given the job of rehabilitating his persona. However, both have preconceived ideas of each other. Let the sparks ensue. What they learn though is first impressions aren’t always accurate. Now how to navigate the waters is where this story shines. It brings real issues to the forefront while keeping it interesting, fresh, current and sexy. It shows you the different opinions of what men and women find captivating.
I read this book in one sitting. It’s a fast read and held my attention the whole time. I wish it was longer. Along the way we got to meet up with characters from Intercepting Hearts and I’m hoping there may be another book to follow. Don’t worry it’s is a standalone but once you read this book you’ll want to go back and read Hudson’s story. So I guess you can say my heart was defenseless while reading Defenseless Hearts and I enjoyed every moment!
River and Sam’s story was fun and sweet. I love River’s persistence and Sam’s feistiness. Mika Jolie penned a great sports romance that focused on the characters and the development of their relationship outside of the game. It’s a great read and I recommend it to people who enjoy athletes who are tenacious with big hearts. The heroine is strong willed and independent. You will definitely enjoy theIr chemistry.
I loved this book! The chemistry between River and Samantha was off the charts. River is the kind of H I love in a book….gruff, bad boy image with a heart of gold. Sometimes in life when we have a bad experience in a relationship we guard on our hearts fiercely….but just like in this story when we find our soul mate the wall come tumbling down.
This is book two of Playing for Keeps series about the Baldwin twins. In this book it involves River the “bad” twin who really doesn’t care what people think of him and speaks what’s on his mind. He’s also a hot hockey player who gets into trouble and needs some PR help to clean up his imagine. That brings in Sam a PR agent to help and oh by the way, she’s a female. She has major trust issues and wants no part of him. She’s tough and bossy vs River who has all the confidence and is very persistent. And man oh man do they have chemistry!
“Love sucks. Sometimes it feels good. Sometimes it’s just another way to bleed”. I enjoyed Jolie’s quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
So can River break down Sam’s walls or will she stick to business?
I loved this book and hated to see it end.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my review.
At the end of Intercepting Hearts, I started counting the days until River’s book would be released. I needed the “bad twin” in my life!!
River is not a bad guy, even though he’s constantly portrayed that way. But he needs a fixer. Enter Sam, a fierce PR phenom, who will turn his reputation around.
Sam and River broke my heart but were so amazing I couldn’t put their story down. I couldn’t sleep until I hit the end of this book. This series is amazing. Mika Jolie is quickly becoming an auto one click author for me.
I loved how River found his happily ever after. We’ve met him in the first book of the series and I was looking forward to this book.
He’s an up and coming hockey player and as a young man he likes to party and be in the centre of attention but sometimes that’s not a great idea. Like many celebrities, he finds himself in a scandal that his pr will help to clear his image. But what happens when the bad boy falls for the forbidden fruit?
Samantha has a past that she doesn’t want to repeat but love has a way to make them forget everything but what they really want in life. Their banter and moments had me laughing and feeling sad at times but most of it, had me hoping for their love and I wasn’t disappointed.
Looking forward to more books by the author.
Perfect
River and Samantha’s story is sweet and funny. Their interaction and chemistry is scorching.
This is the second standalone in this series, and it is just as good as the first one.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
River is the twin brother of Hudson who we met in Intercepted Hearts, Book One of this Duet. While Hudson is the star quarterback for the Kings in the NFL, River is a star center hockey player for the Cobras. He is a “Bad Boy” while Hudson is the “Good Boy. ” River is a bit of a Playboy, just casually dating his way thru the female population until he gets involved in a scandal. His manager hires Samantha, a PR consultant, to fix his image. She is sworn off men after dating a client and having it end on a disastrous Valentine’s Day the year before. River is immediately attracted to her and tries to convince her to change her mind.
The Insta -Love is quite palpable and the heat radiates from my kindle! River was such a likeable and overall good guy and I loved Sam’s spunk and independence. Watching these two navigate their feelings was so entertaining to see. Catching a glimpse of Hudson and Natalie was a treat, too.
The book ends with a HEA and the two epilogues were wonderful. This was a perfect partner to this Duet and I can’t help but hope we might get their sister Brooklyn’s book! FIVE PUCKED STARS!
There is nothing better than a hot hockey hunk as the hero in any book unless you throw in his twin, a star football player. River is the star of this show he’s the captain of the Cobra’s, hot, handsome, and the leading scorer. Sam (Samantha) is a public relations expert called in to take the focus off some bad publicity River is getting. Having been burned once she has vowed not to get involved with a client. Attraction and chemistry are off the charts from the first meeting of these two. River has a reputation of a bad boy and a player but Sam finds the real man. I loved their love story it put a smile on my face, there is some angst, lots of simmering steam, but mostly a feel-good story. It doesn’t get any better.
River is a successful hockey player whose on ice performance has been eclipsed by his off ice antics. He has been told he needs to repair his reputation and that means hiring someone to lead the charge so he will agree even if he doesn’t like it.
Sam is confident and determined that their relationship will remain strictly business as she isn’t looking for love or a relationship and definitely not with an athlete. She won’t back down from a challenge and gives as good as she gets which is exactly what River needs.
The interactions between them are entertaining, the chemistry intense but it seeing how River’s character evolved as he realized that Sam is all he could want or need that you will remember.
Defenseless Hearts is book two in the series. I really liked it. River is Hudson’s brother from the previous book!! I loved River and Sam. They had an instant connection from the beginning. They had great chemistry and were just perfect together!
Sam is gun shy when it comes to dating, especially a bad, boy athlete since her previous one, broke her heart. Then she’s hired to manage a bad boy hockey player and this is their story. River, who likes to show the world he’s a bad boy, but is he really? Great chemistry, drama, sweetness, a slow burn and a sweet HEA makes this such a great story to read. Once you start it, you won’t want to put it down. A must read for lovers of sports romance books.