I’ve been texting the wife I lost, the woman I loved beyond measure . . . Now someone else has answered back.
Gunnar Bond is broken.
Three years ago, he lived through the car crash that took his wife and twins away from him—though “lived” barely describes his current state. Giving up professional hockey, going off grid, and drinking himself into oblivion are his coping mechanisms. Another is … oblivion are his coping mechanisms. Another is texting his dead wife about his days without her. Therapeutic? Doubtful. Crazy? Definitely. But those messages into the ether are virtually the only thing stopping him from spiraling to even darker places.
Until someone texts back …
Sadie Yates is losing it.
Suddenly guardian to a little sister she doesn’t know and a misbehaving hound she’d rather not know at all, she’s had to upend her (sort of) glamorous life in LA and move back to Chicago. The nanny has quit, the money’s running out, and her job is on the line. The last thing she needs is her sister’s hockey camp counselor, a judgmental Viking type, telling her she sucks at this parenting lark. Thank the goddess for her sweet, sensitive, and—fingers crossed—sexy text buddy who always knows the right thing to say. In the same city at last, they can finally see if their online chemistry is mirrored in real life. She just needs to set up a meeting …
A ruined man who claims to have used up all his love is surely a bad bet, but Sadie’s never been afraid of a challenge … even if this one might shatter her heart into a million pieces.
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Man Down couldn’t be a more appropriate title here. Gunnar, the hero’s life was shot down three years ago, so he has good reason to still feel like a broken hearted man. I certainly felt emotionally gutted and grieved right alongside him after learning his sad story. He may appear to be living and breathing from the outside now, but inside he’s definitely still bleeding out in total despair and deep, dark sadness. It takes Sadie, the sweet, sassy, sympathetic leading lady, to rescue him and put him back on the path of life and healing love. It will take time and determination though to get him fully on the road of recovery. Yeah, it seems to be all about baby steps for this giant, alpha protective, teddy bear hearted, knucklehead, mountain man of professional hockey player muscle.
Sadie’s had more than her fair share of hard luck past, as well. She takes a lot on the chin and soldiers through, even when it’s emotionally painful. Tough, resilient, with a marshmallow heart, she was a light in Gunnar’s darkness. I did, however, find her character somewhat of a doormat at times. Take the smex without strings situation. It had me lowering my head and shaking it in shame for the sisterhood, folks. She wanted and deserved better in this avid romantic at heart’s opinion. Honestly, I was geared up for a completely different response from this sassy lady. Sure, it aided and abetted the set up of scorching, steamy lust to falling in love progress between these two, but I wanted Gunnar to have to get down on his knees and really work more for it and for her. Instead, she usually made things pretty easy for him.
Make no mistake, I really enjoyed this riveting, relationship angst story line. Ms. Meader seems to always make a way to interject lots of great back and forth banter, sizzling hot chemistry, and perfect for each other main couple connections and drama.
So listen up! Hands down..I think if you want to score an entertaining romantic read, you should consider letting Kate Meader make your day. Whether it be in the kitchen, on the hockey rink, fire station, or court room, she always has great romances going on. You owe it to yourself to check out all her series: Hot in the Kitchen, Chicago Rebels, Hot in Chicago, and Laws of Attraction. She seems to nail it perfectly each and every time. You’ll see that description often in my reviews of her books, because, well, I find it worth repeating, my fellow romance book loving friends.
Title: Man Down, Series: Rookie Rebels (Book 3), Author: Kate Meader: Pages: NL, stand-alone but part of a series, prof hockey player hero, relationship angst, still loves deceased wife, tragic loss hero, sweet, sympathetic, sassy, likable but doormat at times heroine, a couple graphic very smexy scenes late in book, baggage of her own heroine, may not be romance safe for some due to strong feelings for deceased wife, tragic loss of children, couldn’t put it down, hot/sexy bookcover! Rating: 4.5 stars
Book 1 – Good Guy (Levi & Jordan), 7/30/19
Book 2 – Instacrush (Theo & Elle), 12/10/19
Book 3 – Man Down (Gunnar & Sadie), 7/28/20
Book 4 – Foreplayer (details not yet available)
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, or PR firm.)