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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Not my first read by the author, I have read all her books and she is one of my top favorite authors, that said you know I dived into this with everything I had. And boy did I go for a ride, a ride I have always wanted! So happy this is going to be a series (but this can be read as a standalone)
To begin with I want to say that this is a heavy doze of ENEMY-TO and with the right reasons. We have a hero that not only is broken but also trying to just DO IT ALL but everyone has a breaking point…and a heroine that went into something only to come out brokenhearted by herself, not sure of her feelings, but when she does realize it and her father sets her on the one person she can not tell her true feeling to…well you will be in for quite a ride with these two. Lot’s of bickering, tension, SEXUAL tension, passion, hurt and love. You know when two people you look at them and just know that they would be amazing together if they’d get their heads out of their asses? Well, that’s these two!!
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Romance:
Steamy:
Triggers: NA
Standalone/Series: Book 1 of Series
Type: All Tags on top of this page!
Recommended: HIGHLY
4.25 stars– HARD TO HANDLE is the first instalment in K. Bromberg’s contemporary, adult PLAY HARD erotic, romance series. This is thirty-two year olds, professional hockey player and New Jersey Lumberjacks team captain Hunter Maddox, and sports agent Dekker Kincade’s story line.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Hunter and Dekker) HARD TO HANDLE follows the second chance romance and relationship between professional hockey player and team captain Hunter Maddox, and sports agent Dekker Kincade. Hunter Maddox is all about the game of hockey including the drive for the Stanley Cup. With his contract up for renewal Hunter comes face to face with his former ‘friends with benefits’, sports agent Dekker Kincade, the woman who walked away three years earlier and broke his heart but there is more to Dekker’s appearance than a friendly hello. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Dekker and Hunter and the potential fall-out as Dekker struggles between head and heart, and Hunter’s current attitude is affecting everyone both on and off the ice.
Dekker Kincade and her three sisters work for their father’s KSM agency, and Dekker’s current assignment is to procure professional hockey player Hunter ‘Mad Dog’ Maddox but Dekker knows that to face Hunter Maddox means to potentially lose her professionalism in the face of lust, love and the man who had stolen her heart. Hunter Maddox is slowly spiraling out of control. A once, well oiled, self contained hockey machine, Hunter’s antics in public and on the ice hide a deeper, emotional fall-out that he keeps hidden to himself. Angry at the world, Hunter begins to take out his frustrations on his teammate, his family and the woman he loves.
The relationship between Hunter and Dekker is one of second chances: a rekindling romance that was destroyed by Dekker’s need to run, something she continues to do with each encounter with our story line hero. Dekker is the one woman whom Hunter is unable to forgive but the woman he knows has stolen his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to the Kincade sisters: Lennox, Chase, Brexton, and their father Kenyon Kincade; Maddox’s parents Gary and Carla Hunter, his brother Jonah, agent Finn Sanderson, and several members of the team: Callum Withers, goalie Katzen , Frankie, Maysen and Coach Junger.
HARD TO HANDLE is a story of family, relationships, struggles and love. A story of sibling rivalry, parental control, loss, grief, guilt and acceptance. The premise is emotional and real; the characters are edgy and dramatic; the romance is provocative and intense.
This book one fricking amazing!! K Bromberg writes sports books soooooo well I just love them!
This was a story that needed to be told and I’m glad they spoke to one of my favourite authors to bring it to light.
Hunter & Dekker brought a book packed full of tension lust love & regret, Not only with each other but with life in general and they navigate their way through it.
Dekker is kick ass! I love her strength & ability to stand on her own two feet but to know when to step https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3418696464 back and read situations.
Hunter, He is a hockey player who is finding things difficult at the moment and needing to find the right people to be not only by his side but behind him too. I wanted to slap him sometimes he overstepped the mark several times but is he going to find someone who lets him know where the lines drawn and not to cross it?
I cannot wait to find out the rest of the stories from the other sisters! I’m excited for this series xx
Hunter Maddox is an NHL star who has gone from league superstar to loose cannon whose play and behaviour has become so unpredictable his team is thinking of cutting him after the season.
Dekker Kincade is a high-powered sports agent whose family firm is struggling. Dekker’s father sends her to try and poach Hunter from his current agent. But the past Dekker and Hunter share makes it complicated: they were both left heartbroken after the end of their affair a few years earlier.
Hunter is a broken man. While he has reached the pinnacle of his sport, all he has ever really wanted was love from his family. A tragic accident tore his family apart when he and his brother were teens, and he continues to blame himself for it. His parents had always favoured his brother, but it got much worse after the accident. As a result of all the years of emotional abuse from his parents, refuses to believe he is worthy of any of anything good – including love.
Hunter is falling apart as his brother’s health worsens and the end of his life approaches. His only goal is to win the Stanley Cup while Jonah is still alive to see it. But he is burned out. The constant cruelty from his father has worn him down. And living his entire life for Jonah, not giving himself any room to live for himself has begun to catch up to him.
Dekker is the only person in his life to look past his behaviour and see the good person underneath. Though she doesn’t know exactly why Hunter is so troubled, she finds herself wanting to help him work through his pain not because she wants his business, but because she truly cares about him. Hunter, finally realizing he is burning out, takes a chance and starts to let her in. Starts to trust her. And then realizes he loves her.
Hunter is beautifully broken. Fate has dealt him a cruel hand, but he has managed to keep going. And Dekker is so strong, you know she will always be there to support him. She even discretely confronts his father and calls out his years of cruelty to Hunter, letting him know she would never let it happen again. She will always protect Hunter.
I LOVED this book. There are plenty of teary moments, including moments of breathtaking cruelty by Hunter’s father. It’s a very raw story, but when the bittersweet “happily ever after” finally comes about, it’s so worth all the tears. You want to read this book if you need a good cry, but you’ll leave it with a smile.
This book gutted me. But then put me back together. A second chance romance that had every feeling pouring out of me. Hunter, what can I say? He’s so broken and hurting and needs some true love. Decker is Hunter’s salvation. They had a short fling 3 years ago that Dekker ended because she could no longer do the friends with benefits. But now she is thrown head first back into Hunter’s life. Hunter is on his way to breaking every hockey record. But his angry, obnoxious outbursts may be the end of his career. Dekker’s father sends her to sign Hunter to their agency. But old feelings come screaming to the surface for both of them. I loved these two. I cried for these two. I laughed at these two. Their romance was not all roses. But it was special indeed. As always, Ms. Bromberg created such a gripping, heartwarming love story. This is the first book to what I know is going to be another fantastic series.
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.
4.5 ‘Skill. Stick. Finesse’ Stars!
ARC provided via Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review.
By now, I already know that K. Bromberg always knows how to start a series with a bang. This one was no exception! I love me a hot sportsman and I believe we are getting four new ones from Kristy in her new Play Hard series. I am definitely not complaining! The woman knows how to create complex and lovable characters, how to build the tension and chemistry between the couples and how to bring all the emotions. Hunter and Dekker have that and so much more, so get ready to fall in love with them and this whole new crew!
Hard to Handle is the first installment in Bromberg’s Play Hard series. These books will be focused on four sisters who have now the mission to help save their father’s sports agency (Kincade Sports Management) by getting a new client each. The first one is Dekker and she is supposed to sign Hunter Maddox, the most wanted man in hockey and the man who happened to broke her heart years ago. But these two people are a bit broken and it’s not easy for them to reunite again. Sparks fly, heartbreaking drama builds and the emotions run high. Will these two get their second chance?
My soul knows that love always ends in pain and loneliness.
Can I just say I freaking love K. Bromberg? Ever since she gave us Colton, I’ve been ready for more sportsman to love. Kristy is one of the authors that writes the most wonderful broken heroes and Hunter was perfection. He starts showing his asshole self but when you start peeling all those layers that protect his heart, it’s all pure sweetness inside. He has so much weight on his shoulders and so much guilt, it was impossible for me not to love this broken man. I loved getting to know all his facets and how Dekk is the one that brings him back to life when he most needs it. And Dekker is just as amazing. Also broken, a successful business woman and afraid to love this man so much, but she is strong and has great people around her to support her. These two just know how to bring the best in each other.
Fuck if I don’t feel invisible strings tying me up in the biggest fucking knot I’ve ever seen or felt before.
One that has her at the goddamn center of it.
And I always say this but second-chance romances are probably one of my favorite troupes in romance. And trust me, Hunter and Dekk bring it on. The tension, the angst, the chemistry and the emotions are all over the place. Overall, an amazingly developed relationship. I just loved this couple! They know to balance their crazy lives, the drama around them, their families and the building of their relationship. Both afraid to love each other but it’s so clear they have so many feelings from the very start and they just belong together. After everything, I am so happy they got their HEA.
“No more tears.”
“Just tomorrows.”
His smile returns. “Just tomorrows.”
Therefore, I am rating Hard to Handle with 4.5 STARS because this hate to love, second-chance romance was the perfect way to start the Play Hard series. I already love all these characters and this couple completely stole my heart. I loved seeing them together, their beautiful connection and how they support each other. It was very emotional but that is what I expect from Kristy and she did a brilliant job. I loved Hunter and Dekk and how their relationship developed. I simply cannot wait the rest of the stories in the series. Highly recommend!
I have been a K. Bromberg since the Colton (Driven series) days. She has proven to her readers that she can be versatile but also consistent. She writes books that keep you intrigued and on the edge of your seat while reading.
Hard to Handle is a little bit of all of my favorites – sports romance, second chance romance, and enemies to lovers romance. K. Bromberg has a HAT TRICK with this book. (yes a hockey reference!).
Dekker and Hunter are no strangers. They had a “friends with benefits” relationship just some fun…until feeling began to creep in and they both panicked! Three years have gone by and their thrust into another relationship. Sports agent (Dekker) looking to sign an NHL star (Hunter).
K. Bromberg graces us with a slow burn romance that starts as a smolder and quickly turns into an inferno. They both deny what’s happening for so long but there are a lot of obstacles in their way. Family and business concerns, emotional and personal concerns for both of them that may make it impossible to reconnect as they would like to.
Once again – I love the characters, I love watching them grow, support each other selflessly – they are characters you cheer for and cry for (and yeah – there were some tears!). I am looking forward to Dekker’s sisters books coming because I know that K. Bromberg will again, offer a great read.
The official blurb for this title gives you just an inkling of what the story is about, and seriously, you can go into this blind and still enjoy the heck out of it. If I had to pick three things I loved most about this book, they would all have to do with relationships–the one between Hunter and Dekker, the one between Hunter and his brother, Jonah, and the one between Dekker and her sisters. All three were complicated to a degree and for different reasons. Without giving anything away, the one between the main characters, naturally, mostly has to do with the second chance that was before them, but it was more than just romance because that wasn’t just what their relationship was about. Then there was the one with Dekker and her three sisters, which had me curious because they clearly had their respective issues amongst themselves, but their love for their father and wanting to successfully continue his legacy is what brings them together. I confess, however, that it was Hunter’s relationship with Jonah that brought me to my knees. My heart was just…yeah. The pain in my chest and the tears in my eyes couldn’t be stopped. I won’t say why. Just read Hard to Handle. Seriously. The sooner, the better. Five-plus stars.
Hard to Handle is the first novel in Kristy’s Play Hard Series of interconnected standalones. The focus is around four sisters who work at their family Sport’s Recruitment & PR Agency. The heroine of the story Dekker Kincaide is tasked by her Father with the responsibility of recruiting the NHL’s best Hockey player who also happens to be her previous lover from 3 years prior. Hunter Maddox is that player, a bit of a hot head on the ice, but is hot commodity with fans, teams and representatives a like.
Hunter drives this novel for me, his story line is one that over takes the other aspects of the novel. He has his demons and has been fighting with them for many years. Now with the Stanley cup in his sights things are overwhelming Hunter, his family hang up’s are raging war with his mind and heart. Hunter comes across as an arrogant, cocky and egotistical; but underneath it all is a damaged man. Dekker is the woman who can break his walls down and help heal the wounds that have been left open for the last 15 years of his life.
Dekker is a likeable character but as Hunter dominates the book, you don’t really get to learn all that much about her so the connection is lacking a little there for me. I liked the potential in the relationship with her sisters and their Father; however I do feel she was the perfect match for Hunter.
The romance elements of the novel didn’t click for me until almost half way through when one playful snowball fight cemented the deal for Hunter and Dekker in my mind. I thought the story line between Hunter and his Father was impactful; but what really stood out was Hunter’s bond with his brother Jonah. There were some beautiful moments in the book between these two brothers that captured my heart and Kristy’s writing really stood out here to showcase the emotion needed to really resonate.
Overall I enjoyed Hard to Handle, a little slow to start on the romance and a lack of depth to the heroine. Perhaps some flashbacks of the couple or some earlier chapters on their previous relationship 3 years ago may have reinforced that connection? I definitely enjoyed it enough to read more in the series.
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.
I absolutely loved this book!
Do not be intimidated by the 76 chapters. While it’s not a quick read, it flows perfectly and before you know it, it’s over. This book ran the whole gamut on emotions, I had all the feels reading this and fully submerged myself with these characters.
Hunter Maddox is breaking hockey records left and right and he is on track to bring his team to the next level: The Stanley Cup. But somewhere along the last few months there seems to be a hitch in his step… almost like he is derailing.
Dekker Kincade has been tasked with trying to steal Maddox as an agent. But they have a steamy past. And once they cross paths, their connection picks right back up where they left off.
But both Dekker and Maddox have trouble letting people all the way in. But in order to move forward and help each other, they will need to let down their walls.
So what happens? You’ll definitely need to one-click this now.
K. Bromberg brings this enemies to lovers, second chance sports romance story to life! Hard to Handle is the story of Hunter and Dekker, a sports agent and a professional hockey player, who have a past. There is so much amazing chemistry between the two of them along with a strong, yet emotional storyline, especially between Hunter and his brother! This story had all the feels and I really enjoyed it!
Don’t miss this downright sexy and emotionally charged standalone summer read.
4.5 STARS
NO SPOILERS!
Hard to Handle was a sweet, sexy, swoon-worthy, emotional, and entertaining standalone enemies-to-lovers, second chance sports romance, as well as a fantastic start to the Play Hard series!
I really enjoyed the storyline, and I loved K. Bromberg’s prose. She took me on a romantic yet tragic journey in Hard to Handle, and it was very unexpected in a lot of ways. Hunter and Dekker, mainly Hunter, had a lot to deal with and work through, and it was pretty difficult and frustrating at times. I’ll admit, there were some aspects that I didn’t care for, but others made up for them in a big way, especially the last several chapters. Hunter and Dekker’s story was heartbreaking and emotional, but incredibly beautiful and heartwarming at the same time. It was a must read romance from K. Bromberg, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about Dekker’s sisters in the books to come.
The characters were wonderful. I truly loved Hunter and Dekker. They were far from perfect and had their flaws (as we all do), but I loved their personalities, even though they were sometimes extremely stubborn and argumentative. Hunter and Dekker had fiery chemistry together, and I enjoyed most of their banter and interactions with each other. Sometimes Hunter and Dekker’s conversations/arguments were repetitive, which got a little annoying after a while, but luckily I enjoyed how their relationship progressed throughout, and I was especially elated with the conclusion.
Hard to Handle was a must read standalone enemies-to-lovers, second chance sports romance, and a fabulous way to kick off the Play Hard series of interconnected standalones. I loved Hunter and Dekker’s sweet, sexy, emotional, swoon-worthy, and entertaining second chance love story, and I can’t wait to see what K. Bromberg has in store for the rest of the Play Hard series!
An incredible start to a new standalone series that I’m now hooked on…can’t wait for more!
Four sisters helping their father run Kincade Sports Management…this first book is the oldest sister’s story. Dekker is sent by her father to woo a client away from the competition…no easy task, which is only complicated by the fact that client is the only man to get close enough to her to break her heart! But there’s always two sides to every story, and we find out things aren’t quite that black and white.
Hunter Maddox may be a hockey god and seem like life has given him everything he could want, but his anger and lashing out suggests something completely different.
When Dekker vows to help Hunter with whatever is eating at him from the inside out, professional lines become blurred and her heart is once again put on the line.
This second chance/enemies to lovers hockey romance has tons of slow burn and heat as their chemistry is volatile in and out of the bedroom!
The book had me completely wrapped up in so many emotions…a tortured soul whose story is so heartbreaking that I was in tears! Devastation to a happily ever after told in such a beautiful and captivating way, my heart was invested from the first word to the last.
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.
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All the book has to say is K BROMBERG! I AM IN! Ms Bromberg knows how to write words that makes your heart beat! Hunter and Dekker warms your heart… their story and their chemistry jumps off the pages! MORE PLEASE!
4.5 stars! Hunter is mine!
I have a lingering headache that won’t go away because of this story, but I have no regrets! I loved it. Dekker and Hunter take you on a roller coaster that will have your emotions all over the place. Some parts had me crying hard. My heart constantly clenched. It was angsty, heartbreaking, beautiful, and I loved it.
I won’t get into the plot, as it needs to be experienced, but make sure to have a case cover for your kindle (you’ll need it) in case you want to throw it because there were times I wanted to slap some sense into them. Lol. Don’t forget the tissues for this amazing story of second chances, forgiveness, and selflessness. You’re going to need them! You get that slow burn goodness with heart clenching moments that K. Bromberg knows how to deliver. I cannot wait for the rest of the Kincade sisters to get their own books!
OH MY 5 STARS! This is beyond a One-click! K. Bromberg has created another amazing Sports Romance that will knock you out of the Arena. Hunter Maddox is all that and more. I fell head over heels in love with his Witt and Charm and all his broken pieces. He has completely met his match in Dekker Kincade. When you read a Bromberg book it’s so hard to let that character go. They stay with you. You root for them, they become part of you in all the best ways, all the feels, all the emotion. I cannot wait to see which sister is next they are going to be fun! !!!