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.
***
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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Get ready to have your emotions run the gamut and fall in love with Hockey’s MVP~ Mad Dog Maddox. Decker is the one person who scared and scarred him the most, the one who ran before he could and now 3 yrs later she is back. Emotions run high and so does the back and forth between Dekk and Hunter, making this book an addictive read that I read in less that 4 hours. Blurry eyed and sobbing at the end of this beautiful and raw story that has my favorite sport~ Hockey I fell and I fell hard for the MVP turned Hard To Handle struggle with demons that have toured him for 16 years. Dekker, fights hard to get her priorities straight For her it’s a matter of business or her heart and making sure one does not cross into the other.
Passions run high with the Hunt for the cup ramps up the adrenaline in this story to fulfill a promise made, Maddox and Dekker’s relationship is key.
For me, Hunter’s story broke my heart, but in the end I was left with a smile that was worth high sticking I got through out their story. Perfection, now I want more!
This book broke me! Miss Bromberg the book of 2020! Hunter and Dekker were everything I needed and more, prepare to cry, laugh, get mad, but most importantly fall in love with these two beautiful souls! The author deserves the Stanley Cup for this story!
Hard to Handle is the true definition of a love story. It was passionate, soul-stirring, heart-rending and truly beautiful. This second chance sports romance ticks all the boxes and scores every goal. The pull and chemistry between Dekker and Hunter ignites off the pages and sparks directly to your heart and soul. As drama builds and emotions overflow you are captivated and gripped to the pages as these two work their way to a love so overpowering that there is no way of stopping it. An absolutely beautiful love story that will have you enamoured by these two.
Never disappointed with a K.Bromberg book. Grabs you from the start, and you get invested in the story. There’s all the usual roller coaster emotions you expect, so be prepared, read the synopsis get reading, you won’t be disappointed!
I can’t wait to read about the other 3 sisters in this series.
Another fantastic Book!
Stephanie Says:
Hunter & Dekker grab hold of you from the first page. The angst. The desire. The push & pull. The longing.
I fell in love with this emotionally charged relationship from the start.
They snatch every single heart string you have & keep you on your toes, only to twist & turn in a way that you don’t expect.
Rating: 5 Hockey Stars
Dekker is such a badass but underneath it all she could not forget the one moment that she regretted. 3 years ago she felt herself falling. Instead of giving in to what her heart needed, she ran.
“I’m an emotionally unattached girl. It’s easier this way. It prevents the hurt of knowing it’s going to end badly.”
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3 years ago he should’ve told her to stay. He should’ve told her how they could’ve made it work. But he let her walk away.
I empathized with Hunter from the first page & wanted to figure out what was going on with him. I knew his story would gut me but I didn’t expect this.
“I know how it feels to hope and want and dream. . . and then to live that dream but at so many costs.”
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Do not hesitate to grab this amazing 5 star read, Hard to Handle. K Bromberg has never disappointed & she doesn’t start now!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you K. Bromberg & Valentine PR.
A second chance love story wrapped in a hockey sports romance that I couldn’t put down! Hard to Handle is now my favorite K. Bromberg romance – it’s THAT good.
Hunter Maddox is a pro hockey player who’s been on a tear as his team inches toward their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Only his recent play is fueled by anger and desperation and is starting to tear his team a part. He’s a man who’s been burdened for half his life due to a tragedy that would be hard to move on from for anyone.
“I’ve lived my life with one goddamn goal since the accident, one goal since being traded to the LumberJacks two year ago, and now with time running out, it’s the only goal I can focus on. It fuels the anger that’s always been there but has now surfaced. The guilt that owned me but now eats at me.”
Dekker Kincade is a sports agent who’s placed in an uncomfortable position by her father as she’s tasked with convincing Hunter to leave his current agent and sign with her. The only problem is that Dekker and Hunter have a past, and one she regrets running from all those years ago.
“I’m busy wondering how I’m going to make a man, who despite aggravating me in all other ways, devastated me sensually and brought out an explosive sexuality I never really knew I had, come over to Kincade Sports Management.”
Second Chances and the Right Timing
Hard to Handle was a moving second chance romance but was really so much more. I loved how this story wasn’t simply a matter of two people finding each other again, but really explored why they didn’t work in the first place. It made me think about whether there really is such a thing as good timing when it comes to relationships. You might find a partner who’s perfect for you but what if you meet them at a time in your life when you (or he/she) is not ready for forever?
As you get to know more about Dekker and Hunter, you come to realize that they are perfect for one another and hope that they can get the timing right this go around even though they both have struggles to work through.
Dekker doesn’t let anyone get close to her heart and he doesn’t do relationships but the lines began to blur three years ago in their hook up arrangement and those feelings coming roaring to the surface the instant they reconnect three years later. Yet there’s still doubt whether the other person could feel the same so why risk getting your heart broken when it’s easier to keep it casual or walk away?
Both Dekker and Hunter have to learn to trust love. That you are deserving of love and that love can overcome loneliness without always ending in pain.
One of the best moments for me in this book is when Hunter calls her out on her need to distance herself after they have sex. He’s basically calling her out on her fear of commitment. I also loved the snowball scene as it was the perfect backdrop to Hunter finally lowering a barrier and sharing some of his feelings. This book really shows how the right person can see through your personal struggles and help you open your heart so that it can begin to heal. Both served as that person for the other in this book, but Dekker especially for Hunter.
They also had great moments where their ribbing on each other created great sexual tension. I only wish we saw that tension explode into another sexual tryst or two along the way.
Hard to Handle is a perfect standalone book but also sets the stage for what is sure to be a fantastic book series centered around all four Kincade daughters. Each daughter is a sports agent with Kincade Sports Management but they couldn’t be more different from each other. We only have a few run ins with the sisters, but I cannot wait to read each of their stories as they maneuver in a male dominated world.
K. Bromberg’s books never disappoint in giving strong characters who are able to rise above circumstances or a damaged history to finally claim the love of another who completes them in the most perfect way. Her stories dig deep, so you have no choice but to fall into her book world from start to finish. I appreciate her talent so much and can’t recommend this book enough.
*Thank you to K Bromberg for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Check out this review and all my romance book reviews and romance book lists on my book blog, She Reads Romance Books: https://www.shereadsromancebooks.com/
Advanced Readers Copy
Title: Hard to Handle
Series: Play Hard #1
Author: K. Bromberg
Publisher: JKB Publishing
Edition: Kindle
Amount of Pages: 360
Genre: Sports, Contemporary, Romance
Cliffhanger: [ No (hide spoiler)]
HEA/HFN: [ HEA (hide spoiler)]
Cheating: [ No (hide spoiler)]
Triggerwarnings: [ No (hide spoiler)]
Love Triangle: [ No (hide spoiler)]
Insta Love/ Insta Lust: [ No (hide spoiler)]
Single Parent/Kids/Pregnancy: [ No (hide spoiler)]
Date Read: 21-06-2020 – 22-06-2020
Favorite Quote: I knew that the minute I laid eyes on him. I knew that there was going to be a casualty in all of this. And most likely, it was going to be my heart.
Review:
Hard to Handle is a enemies to lovers and second chance romance in one. There is great banter, hot and steamy moments, and lots of depth and character development. Everything you know we’ll have in a K. Bromberg novel.
What is this book about:
This book is about hockey star Hunter, and sport agent Dekker. They had a fling in the past that ended abruptly when Dekker walked away. Forward a few years later Dekker’s father, the owner of the agency asks Dekker to bring in a client. And ofcourse that client just had to be Hunter. Dekkers hopes that this time she will be able to keep things professional and not fall for him, perhaps that their attraction towards each other has died out. That ofcourse isn’t the case. Their attractions and spark is as alive as ever.
Both Hunter and Dekkers are struggling to overcome their anxieties and past. The question is if by doing that they can grow together or grow even further apart.
What did I like/love:
I love the depth Kristy infuses into her stories. I love how she shows that it’s not just woman that struggle with anxiety and stuff but men as well. She all handles is very realistically and while Hunter could be a real asshole, I couldn’t help but feel for him. My heart broke over how he was ( and is being) treated and how he thinks and feels about himself. When he showed what drove him to his decisions and what made him who he is, just broke my heart.
Dekker annoyed me at times because I felt like allot could have been avoided. She caused most of her pain herself by her actions and assumptions. The reason I think it hit me most is because I am like that as well. It was great for her to realize that and grow from there. The fear of being hurt shouldn’t keep you from living and loving. I loved that message.
As always the world building was good and there where great supporting characters.
What did I dislike/hate:
/
Rating:
4 I loved it Stars
I enjoyed this book! It did take me a bit to get into. I found it to be quite the slow burn. However it picked up and I was unable to put the book down. What I wasn’t expecting was the emotion in the book. It gave me so many feels! This book hit some of my favorite tropes to! Sports, second chance and enemies to lovers. I am also excited to get Dekker’s sisters books! I would definitely recommend this book!
Received an arc for an honest review.
No one can write damaged alphas like K. Bromberg
Hard to Handle is a second chance sports romance between a feisty sports agent and the only man who has ever broken her heart, hockey phenom Hunter Maddox.
Don’t miss this downright sexy and emotionally charged standalone summer read.
AVAILABLE NOW
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Loved this sports romance! It’s a second chance that pulled at all my heartstrings. This is the first in a new series of a family of sports agents which consists of Dekker, her dad and her 3 sisters. To help the business Dekker’s dad decides they need to draw in new clients one at a time. He tells Dekker she is to sign Hunter Maddox, this is to be his year. Dekker and this hockey player have a bit of a history that ended 3 years ago out of fear. From this moment I couldn’t get enough of their banter, sexual tension, and chemistry!!! Can’t wait for the next book!
Wow! I received an ARC version of Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg, and I loved it. This book is full of passion, pain, forgiveness, and acceptance – not acceptance of others but acceptance of yourself. After a tragic event, Hunter must learn to live through is guilt and self-hatred. In walks Dekker, the one woman who made him feel. Both Hunter and Dekker have shielded themselves from the possibility of getting hurt, but what happens when they lower their walls? I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers, especially if you like a good sports romance.
4.5 Stars
K Bromberg brings us a fabulous new series of Sports Romance and this first book is a great start. A second chance romance full of angst, challenges and healing. Sizzling character chemistry that will have you cheering them on.
Hunter is the captain of his NHL hockey team. Working very hard for everything that he has, but lately his love for the game has dwindled. He is distracted and his drive to be the star is fading. Trying to fight his internal emotional battles alone is only digging the hole deeper. Until the one that got away is suddenly in his face front and center.
Dekker love her job working for the family sports management company and she is damn good at it too. Always up for the challenge when it is given. She finds herself headed after the one man she can’t forget. Will she be able to keep her heart and emotions tucked away in the box, while she tried to do her job?
Will Hunter find the love for the game again? Can Dekker bring on the new client and keep her heart intact?
Excited to see where the series take us next!
*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***
I love Kristy’s writing. Hard to Handle is an enemies to lovers, second chance, hockey sports romance and let me tell you, Kristy sure knows how to make you FEEL while you read. I felt joy, laughter, anger, heartache, love, and everything else. The story is angsty, full of strong female characters, tons of sexual chemistry, and sexy alpha males. I also love that she adds in plenty of details about the sport she’s writing because she makes it more real, but not boring by droning on and on. I also liked the slow buildup between Dekker and Hunter. All in all, this was a wonderful read!
Sports, second chance, enemy to lovers all wrapped up in this amazing book by K. Bromberg. It gives all the feels.
Dekker and Hunter love to hate each other. Hunter is a pro hockey player living in the past because of his loyalty to his brother. Dekker’s dad wants to be his agent so he sends her after him.
They’ve got a past where she walked away, he torn because of his family. There is so much passion in this book. I loved their banter and their intensity. I loved them learn to trust each other and how they fell in love.
It wasn’t an easy path but as Hunter opens up to Dekker and she challenges him to be honest with himself…. it’s so beautiful!!
Hard to Handle is the first book from K. Bromberg that I have read. I’m not a sports person, but I love sports romance. I love reading and following Hunter and Dekker’s story. I found this enemies to lovers romance entertaining and a joy to read. I look forward to reading book 2 from the series.
j’ai passé un super moment avec Dekker et Hunter, j’adore le monde du hockey et leur relation à la je t’aime, moi non plus est vraiment intense. Impossible de le lâcher avant de savoir :
– 1 -> comment les choses vont se terminer entre eux
– 2 -> est ce qu’elle va réussir à l’attirer chez KSM
– 3 -> est ce qu’il va gagner cette satanée Stanley Cup
J’ai donc dévoré les pages pour savoir ce qui nous attendait, j’ai adoré leur relation et j’ai vibré avec eux (et pleuré un peu…) en vivant certains passages vraiment intenses !! Une très chouette histoire, je suis maintenant curieuse des autres soeurs de Dekker !
K. Bromberg flawlessly delivers perfection in this heartbreaking, passionate, and beautiful story. Everything about this book is what I look for in a true love story. From start to finish.
Kathy Coopmans
USA Today Bestselling Author.
4.75 stars
This is the first book in The Play Hard series and Ms. Bromberg definitely comes out swinging. It is a combination second chance romance with an enemies to lovers theme that will have any reader vacillating between emotions. Hunter grew up with a taskmaster of a father who thought he could do nothing right as opposed to his twin who seemed to hang the moon and stars and when tragedy struck, Hunter was left with feelings of guilt. Dekker is the oldest daughter of the owner of KSM Management firm. She also did not have an easy time growing up as she lost her mother at a young age and had to raise her three sisters. Her firm represents athletes and is currently in the market to recruit Hunter to leave his current representation and join KSM. Dekker has mixed feelings about bringing Hunter on as they had a bumpy past relationship. Can Hunter learn to love himself and see himself the way Dekker does? Will Hunter and Dekker be able to forge a new relationship and have the happily ever after they both deserve?
Hard to Handle is a second-chance, hate-to-love sports romance, and the first installment in the Play Hard series. The series will follow the Kincade sisters who all work for their father’s company, Kincade Sports Management. First up is Dekker.
***
Dekker is the oldest sister and a pseudo-mother to her siblings since their mom died when Dekker was a teenager and their father was running KSM. She’s always taken on a lot of responsibility, so when her father comes to her and asks her to help save their company by recruiting a star hockey player, she can’t say no. Even if it is her ex-friend-with-benefits.
Hunter Maddox is an incredible hockey player and captain for the Lumberjacks, a smaller NHL team that’s hung all their hopes for a Stanley Cup on him. He’s under a lot of pressure, at work and in his personal life, and it looks like it’s finally getting to him. His recent unusual behavior and bad attitude (off the ice and on) are starting to get the attention of management, his coach, and the players he’s supposed to lead.
In order to ultimately recruit Hunter, Dekker begins traveling with the team and is determined to keep things 100% professional. Hunter thinks she’s just checking up on other clients, and since he needs to focus on winning the cup, he’s determined to resist her.
***
Ugh. All the feelings. This was such an emotional, funny, sexy story.
A strong female in a male-dominated field, Dekker’s feisty. She’s doesn’t take crap from anyone – including Hunter – but she’s also really empathetic and relatable. She has a super complicated relationship with her sisters, but bottom line: they’re family, and they have each other’s backs. I adored the scenes (and spreadsheet notes) where Dekker reports back to her family on the status of recruiting Hunter. They were just bright, hilarious moments that balanced out the heavier moments.
Not gonna lie, Hunter’s past and how he’s still living it and letting it control his present is… heartbreaking. He’s super stubborn, and a bit of an alpha-hole at times, and his refusal to accept help (hell – accept that he needs help) fuels a lot of the angst in the story. But that just makes his growth and his eventual ability to let Dekker in and make peace with his past even more satisfying.
As always with a K. Bromberg romance, Dekker and Hunter have great chemistry – but not just in the bedroom. For two people who have a lot of walls to keep people out, we ultimately see them really communicating with each other and learning to trust and let love in.
Another frickin fantastic book by K. Bromberg. Second Chance romance. Love that hockey Romance. The story and characters just drag you in and want to read more and more could not and would not want to put it down it’s so fabulous. Can’t wait to read about the other sisters.