New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg is back with an all new second-chance, standalone hockey romance.
At first, the request seemed simple—sign a new athlete to the agency.
Then I found out the new athlete was none other than the most wanted man in hockey today: Hunter Maddox
Gifted. Sexy. At the top of his game. And the only man who has ever broken my heart.
If signing him will help … has ever broken my heart.
If signing him will help save our family business, I’ll swallow my pride and do what’s asked.
But when it becomes clear his uncharacteristic antics off the ice are a hint of something deeper, keeping things strictly professional between us becomes more than complicated. But I know better than to cross that line.
I’ll never date a client. Not even for him.
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Win the Stanley Cup and do it before time runs out.
Not a small feat, but it’s what’s motivated me since the start of my career.
And time is running out.
Enter Dekker Kincade.
Feisty. Dogged. Damn gorgeous. The one I let get away.
I have no idea why she’s traveling with the team, but hell if resisting her is going to be easy.
But I have a job to do, and I refuse to lose sight of that end game. Even if she confuses me. Even if she sees parts of me I’ve hidden from the world.
I can’t lose focus. Not even for her.
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Outstandingly Good!!! This book was everything that I’ve come to expect from this amazing author. I don’t even like sports romances unless it’s a racing sport, but I have to say this book might have just changed that. I loved everything about this book. K. Bromberg not only made me fall in love with a sports romance, but with the characters and their whole story. Hunter and Dekker’s story is full of feels and I mean FULL. It is a breathtaking, emotional journey with lots of sizzle between the pages. Oh the hotness between these two was super hot and super sexy. Their story captivated me from the very beginning and I loved them both from the start. I connected immediately with both of them and fell into their story before I knew what had happened. Every string to my heart was pulled during this read. Have a box of tissues close by because you’ll need them. I laughed, cried(omg, did I cry), and swoon hard over this story. This is just the start to a new series and I’m just totally excited to see what K. Bromberg has in store for us readers with the rest of the books in this series.
Don’t miss out on this one. Go ahead and one-click this one. I promise you won’t regret it.
Happy Reading Everyone!!!!
What an amazing and emotional roller coaster. Bromberg excels at the hurt teddy bear characters and the ladies that don’t take their crap and love them for them.
Dekker and Hunter have history that evolves and is a huge player in their journey, and was absolutely beautiful and frustrating at the same time. And of course I read this during “that” time ladies so my throat was caught the entire time due to the emotions Bromberg is so amazing at bringing through. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss this one!
Second chance Sports romance! u2063
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What a start to a new series! u2063
Dekker and Hunter are everything! Their chemistry is electrifying, you can feel it between them on the first meet, there’s this easiness between them, and the banter despite the hurt still there. u2063
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Hunter Maddox is hot flirty and cocky, and it seems he is carrying so much anger but Dek knows something is causing this and she cares too much to let him spiral out of control and throw away his successful career. u2063
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This story will have you laughing at the banter ,crying with the emotions and melting at the romance! u2063
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Already can’t wait for the next sister !u2063
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Hard to Handle is book one in K. Bromberg’s new Play Hard series, which centers around four sisters trying to save their family’s sports management firm. I was pleasantly surprised by how touching it is.
First up is Dekker, the oldest sister. She is assigned to recruit Hunter, a star hockey player who also happens to be her ex-lover. Before she can convince him to sign with the company, though, she must figure out why the previously level-headed and respected captain is suddenly volatile.
Hunter was the main draw for me in this story. He’s a tormented hero – a walking emotional landmine. It’s painful to observe sometimes, but the author makes it easy to empathize with him. I just wanted to hug him throughout. Dekker is so perceptive and protective. I loved her compassionate heart. While Hunter is doggedly fixated on winning the Stanley Cup, Dekker is equally tenacious in trying to break down his walls. I enjoyed their tension, flirting, and chemistry.
There is a lot of focus on Hunter’s turbulent relationship with his parents and his brother. That’s really the heart of this story for me and what makes it so impactful, but the series is supposed to be about the four sisters. Not enough time is spent establishing their individual personalities or their relationships between each other. Hopefully, we’ll see more of that in future books. If the other books in the series are anything like Hard to Handle, I expect lots of emotion and passion. * I received an early coy to voluntarily read.
When I heard that K. Bromberg, one of my favorite authors, writing another series (which are also sports romance) you have no idea how excited I was!
Hard to Handle is a second chance / hockey romance and is the first book. This book series is about 4 sisters – Lennox, Brexton, Chase & Dekker. They all work for their dad, Kenyon Kincade, at the Kincade Sports Management. One day he assigns them that each of his daughters have to sign on new Sport athletes to the agency. First up is his daughter Dekker.
This book is about Dekker Kincade, the oldest daughter of four. She has to sign on a new athlete. The athlete is no other than NHL hockey player Hunter Maddox. The problem is they had a fling a few years ago…
Dekker is a feisty, beautiful woman who knows what she wants. But she also closed off.
Maddox is a gifted hockey player and at the top of the game. It really doesn’t hurt that he is one good looking guy. But his uncharacteristic antics off the ice are a hint that something is off.
I just love the development of their relationship and how they open up to each other.
Hard to Handle is definitely one of my favorite reads so far in 2020. It has so many emotional moments where I couldn’t stop crying which I didn’t expected at all! I had so many feelings while reading this book and I just couldn’t stop reading it. I was done within a few hours when I usually need like 2-3 days to read a book.
I recommend to everyone to read this book! ASAP! And the best thing is that we will get three more books!
I got an ARC provided in exchange for a honest review.
You know if you’re up at 3 AM reading a book, it’s amazing. I couldn’t get enough of these characters, and I was sucked in from the first page. Kristy writes in such a way that allows readers to feel the emotions coming off the page and makes it so you are invested in each and every character.
Hunter is broken. He feels guilt, jealously, and every other negative emotion. He is in self destruct mode and nothing seems to be pulling him from his funk.
Dekker is a no nonsense, independent, professional sports agent. She never puts herself in a position to get hurt and keeps her emotions wrapped up tight.
This is a second chance romance and watching the hurt, betrayal, and lack of communication right itself was one wild, emotional ride. These two have such a strong connection that even they can’t fight it at times.
I went into this expecting a fun, sports romance, but I got that and so much more. The other characters, the back story, and the struggle to overcome the past made this one of my favorite books this year. I can’t wait to see where Kristy takes this series next.
– An Arc was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.-
Hard to Handle was simply fantastic. The kind of book that keeps you reading one more chapter until it’s two in the morning and you have tears streaming down your face at the incredible ending. I was absolutely not prepared for how emotional this book would get. It’s a combination of sports romance, enemies to lovers and second chance tropes. This is the first book in this series of 4 sisters.
Dekker’s family owns a sports management agency and needs to sign Hunter Maddox. They send her because of her past connection with him. Hunter is losing it. He’s having a rough time and no one really knows why. Dekker showing up throws Hunter. There is so much anger and hurt feelings between them. All of their encounters in the beginning are volatile. Dekker eventually begins to break Hunter down and figure out what’s going on with him. Hunter’s story was unexpected and heartbreaking. He is dealing with some major guilt and difficult family problems. They both are struggling to figure out how love can fit in their life. Each of these characters apart were wonderful, but together, they were absolutely incredible. The relationships between the 4 sisters was so realistic and I cannot wait for the rest of the books in this series.
I think this is my favorite book from K. Bromberg. It was an emotional, heartbreaking sports romance that I won’t soon forget. Simply incredible. You absolutely need to read this one.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dekker is one sassy woman and does not take crap from Hunter. They have a past and I love the conflicting emotions that play here and with Hunter. Their chemistry is undeniable and you could feel it simmering in the background. There’s lots of emotions here that make the story much more real but it’s also fun and sexy.
It’s been some time since I’ve read a Kristy Bromberg story. So when I saw she was writing a new sports romance, I just had to give it a go!
Hard to Handle follows the story of Dekker Kincade, sports agent and Hunter Maddox, Captain for the New Jersey Lumberjacks.
Kristy can write some great witty banter between lead characters and Hard to Handle does have some good banter between Dekker and Hunter. There are some real cute scenes together with a splash of angst sprinkled in too.
I would rate this story and solid 3.75 out of 5. I would of liked to have read some more details to Dekker and Hunters back story with regards to their “friends with benefits” relationship. It was all implied, but it would have been nice to have some flashback scenes. I also have to say I did find the romance aspect to this story slightly lacking and found it a bit slow for me to begin with for me.
However, what’s great about this book is Hunter. What a great character he is and not afraid to show his emotions. Although at the top of his game in the NHL, emotionally he is in turmoil and has been for years. Hunter is dealing with a lot of guilt and sorrow due to what’s happened in the past and I really did feel for him. All he wants is the love and respect from the most important people in his life. Some scenes were written exceptionally well and so heartbreaking, which is another great Kristy trait. My lip wobbled a few times during these particular scenes. He and Dekker make a good team and with her guidance and support, our beloved Hunter overcomes his grief.
Hard to handle is the first book in the Play Hard series, so another three books to come that will focus on each of Dekkers sisters.
Oh my aching heart! K. Bromberg brought all the feels in Hard to Handle. It’s funny, emotional and beautiful. Two strong personalities fighting their own demons find their way back to one another in this beautiful second-chance romance set in the hockey world. The characters are strong-willed but their chemistry is undeniable making it impossible to stay away from each other. My heart broke repeatedly for these two but Bromberg healed it bit by bit in this stunning story. Hard to Handle is the first in a new series featuring the Kincaide sisters and Bromberg starts it off with a bang. Don’t miss it!!! 5 stars
I’ve read several stories by K. Bromberg and each time the writing is fantastic. Hard To Handle was a great story that I enjoyed. I thought the story was good. The approach to how the character we brought together was interesting. There were a lot of emotions to the story especially at the end. The ending definitely packed a punch. While I enjoyed the story it wasn’t one that blew me away. It was a story that stayed in the middle of the road for me until the end. Overall, it was a story that I enjoyed but not a favorite.
Hard to Handle, is the first book in the Play Hard series. This title introduces us to the Kincade sisters who all work with their father as sports agents. I love a sports romance, particularly featuring hockey and this title is unique, engaging and entertaining. Hard to Handle is an angsty and emotional, enemies to lovers, second chance romance.
Hunter Maddox is an intriguing and complex character. He’s an alpha and talented hockey player, captain and face of the NHL team that he plays for. He begins to spiral out of control, the guilt, anger and demons from his past affecting everyone around him and his behavior both on an off the ice.
Dekker Kincade is sassy, feisty and strong. Whilst driven, and determined to succeed and do her job as a sports agents, she’s also incredibly compassionate and caring.
The chemistry between this pair is undeniable, their interactions are full of up and downs and fueled by sexual tension.
Dekker and Hunter’s story is an intense, passionate story full of poignant, somber and tender, moments that are sure to pull at your heart strings.
I will be eagerly awaiting the next Kincade sister’s story.
K Bromberg is the queen of damaged alphas! A second chance sports romance with a feisty sports agent and the only man who has ever broken her heart. Click click!
Wow! This book! Loved it. It was so much more than I was expecting. This book has two of my favourite things, hockey and second chance romance. What I didn’t expect was all the feels. I wasn’t ready for this deep emotional roller coaster these characters would go through and a love story so real and raw. This book is everything!
K. Bromberg’s writing is everything I love. Descriptive with well developed, relatable characters and a storyline that keeps me engaged and turning the pages.
Dekker is one of four daughters that works for Kincade Sports Management. She is sent by her Dad to sign hockey legend Hunter Maddox. She is well aware of their history and refuses to let her heart get involved. Dekker has some thick skin! She is a strong woman that won’t let love and her past feelings for Hunter get in the way of business. She puts up a good fight but eventually passion, love and a heartbreakingly beautiful connection between these two wins out in the end.
Hunter is a hockey player who has been through a lot. He is working through his issues but is struggling on the ice and off of it. He is a cocky, flirty flawed man with some emotional scars holding him back.
K. Bromberg has written a fantastic first book in the Play Hard Series with all the heart, heat and emotion I’ve come to love out of her books. I am looking forward to the rest of the Kincade sisters in their books to come.
*ARC received in exchange of an honest review.
This might be one of my favorite sports romances ever. I felt all the feels in this one – the tension, guilt, hope, passion. It was incredible!
Hunter Maddox is a hockey phenom at the pinnacle of his career. He has one goal – win the Cup. His time is ticking to achieve his goal and he won’t stop at any cost to get this done – even if it costs his reputation and friendships.
Dekker Kincade is a feisty and determined sports agent. It’s up to her to help save the family agency and that means addressing what never was with Hunter Maddox. I loved Dekker – she was every bit the type of heroine I need in a book. Stubborn, tenacious, smart. Her character made this a no-brainer 5 star for me.
Get your tissues out for this one. It’s so worth the read!
Hard to Handle is a fantastic read in the new series Play Hard. I have a feeling it just may become my new addiction as we get to know the Kincaid family a little better and learn more about each sister. This is Dekker’s book and her second chance with Hunter. Hunter is so angry and is struggling under the weight of everything. He lashes out and is an amazing hockey player. When you get to know Hunter you understand why he is the way he is. Your heart just aches for him and the pain he puts himself through. You see the changes in Hunter the more time he is around Dekker. Dekker is a tough cookie and holds everything close to her. I love the push Dekker gets from her sisters and her father when it comes to Hunter. Dekker and Hunter burn so hot. I love their chemistry and just the way they bring out the best in each other. They help heal each other too. I loved this one so much. I couldn’t get enough of Dekker and Hunter. I can’t wait for more of the Play Hard series to come.
Emotionally overwhelming. Sinfully sexy. Hard to Handle is K. Bromberg at her very best. It’s a breathtaking and soul deep story of two tortured souls perfect for each other!
Hunter Maddox is on way to break all the records of NHL and take his new team LumberJacks to playoffs. But he is not the dedicated and motivated team captain anymore. He is playing like a demon and his actions off field are getting difficult to manage. Volatile. Reckless. Angry. And Dekker Kincade needs him to sign up to their agency. But they have a past. That is full of passionate nights and rapid escapes. Can she get Hunter back to his former self? What is eating away Hunter? Will Dekker survive the casualties?
No one can write broken alphas like K. Bromberg. This is her strength and she played to it excellently. Hunter Maddox is a gorgeous and charming man. But he is drowning in shame, guilt and endless heartache. He is driving himself to the level of insanity and physical exhaustion trying to prove himself to his parents who really don’t care about his success and achievements. My heart was shattered into so many pieces for him. Such an amazing man with loyalty, devotion, talent and protectiveness..and it hurt to bad to see him getting lost in darkness.
Dekker is his perfect healing touch. A fierce woman with no nonsense attitude, Dekker is a perfect balance of hard and soft. She isn’t afraid to call Hunter out when he is running from his issues or hides them under anger. At the same time, she is also full of love and care and compassion for this beautifully broken man. She has own issues about commitment and abandonment. Their chemistry is nuclear hot. But their connection goes so much beyond explosive sex. It was an angsty journey where my heart ached so deeply for them. The writing was so much more than perfection. I felt every heartbreaking, infuriating and swoonworthy emotion.
Hard To Handle by K. Bromberg has claimed a part of my heart. The steamy pleasures. The heartaching emotions. The tension filled story line. An unforgettable and epic sports romance!
Received ARC for honest review
5 Stars!!!!
Wow just wow I got all the feels from Hunter and Dekker’s story it was amazing!!
Dekker is a sports agent she works hard and that’s about it but when she is given a assignment to recruit someone it’s going to cause old feelings to resurface,
Hunter is the star player in the NHL yet he currently hates his job, he is trying to please everyone else and make his family proud but he is burnt out, only problem is he cannot and does not want to accept that.
When Dekker walks back into his life things are going to come out but can he deal with them head on and start living his life for himself again?
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the author prior to release and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first time reading this author and this is a brand new series, To be honest I did not know what to expect but I love sports romances and this is very much a sports romance. But its also very emotional and I wasn’t expecting that. I am quite honestly amazed at this story and the author’s talent in telling such a deep and emotional story.
This story stars Dekker Kinkade. Her father owns a sports agency and his agents are his four daughters, Dekker, Chase, Brixton, and Lennox. The agency is in trouble as this agent, Preston, has been stealing their clients so Dekker is tasked with stealing his client, Hunter.
Dekker and Hunter had a casual sex only thing 3 years before but when they started catching feelings they broke up and have not had much to do with each other since. That is until Dekker gets this new assignment and travels with the team.
Hunter is a problem child for his team. He is out of control and wild and his team wants the Cup and he is not helping them do that. The truth is his family issues are hurting him and he is starting to hate hockey and the stress he is under is huge. He really needs Dekker and I loved watching Hunter and Dekker together. My favorite part of the story is when they both realise how much they mean to each other and they form a deep and real connection.
I absolutely adored both Dekker and Hunter and this story was amazing. If you love a good sports romance that is also emotional then you will love this story. It definitely is not light reading but a story with a lot of heart.
K Bromberg has delivered an exciting first chapter in a steamy and emotionally riveting new series with Hard to Handle- a second chance, enemies to lovers romance chock full of complex characters and sizzling chemistry. This exciting new Play Hard series centers on four sports agent sisters- LOVE that angle- as their father plays a little client-matchmaker under the guise of helping them take over the family business with some calculated client poaching.
In Hard to Handle, the story focuses on Dekker and Hunter. Hunter is a hotshot (see what I did there?) hockey player in the NHL, putting a lot of pressure on himself and his team to win the Stanley Cup- an accomplishment that he has a lot of professional and emotional investment in. He’s got some major attitude issues and is notoriously hard for his agent to wrangle, but Dekker’s father charges her with coaching him to their firm. But his attitude isn’t the biggest issue, because Hunter is also her ex, and he broke her heart. Can they stay professional? Can Dekker get through to him? Can she protect her heart?
I loved Dekker straight away- I always love when authors create powerful, accomplished women who can still be nurturing and kind- they don’t have to be crass ball busters to be strong and liberated. Hunter, I’ll admit, I didn’t like him at first- we got such a limited window into his behavior and attitude early on, and his interactions with others didn’t sell me on him at all. I could tell he was committed and passionate, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure he had much depth or heart. I was wrong- so wrong.
The chemistry didn’t land for me right away, nor did I feel super connected to the characters early on either – in part, because I really didn’t like Hunter at first, and in part because of the pacing- we had some world building to do early on. The banter was cute at first, but I wanted to move past that phase to real connection, and I was beginning to feel frustrated by our characters for not evolving. The storyline really pivoted for me, though,once our two characters started to connect more authentically, as we see them start to reconnect as professionals, as friends, and ultimately as lovers. I felt like I could finally see the true Hunter as both Dekker and Hunter started to open up to one another- we learn just what has contributed to the Hunter we see now, about Dekker’s holdbacks. At this point, I could not turn the pages fast enough! As the rest of the story unfolds, I was struck by what second chance really meant in this story- this romance isn’t about giving the other person another chance- it’s about giving yourself one. Dekker and Hunter are standing in their own way- Hunter so terrified of someone seeing his true self, and Dekker so terrified of the feelings that make her vulnerable. After being so closed off for much of the exposition, KB just cracks her characters wide open- and then I really felt with and for them.
And, just when I was all comfortable in my feelings, K Bromberg delivers an emotional powerhouse of a conclusion. My heart felt like it was cracking in places, but at this point our characters have done the work with each other- and they are able to show up for each other emotionally. After my more lukewarm feelings about the early story, I wasn’t expecting to feel so emotional about the end of this journey, particularly Hunter’s arc, nor was I expecting the bittersweet aspects of the epilogue paired so affectionately with a super dreamy and adorable culminating scene to leave me feeling all the warm fuzziness and tenderness for these characters. Slow start aside, the ending was pure magic- and made be go and one-click the next in the series. Looking forward to the next sister to poach her man!