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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This book will not be for everyone. It is heavy on the grief and definitely a tear-jerker. However, there is hope within the tears and lots of happy sighs by the end. Well-worth the read.
CW: grief (lots of it), death of wife and children (off page, but recounted).
I waited a week after I bought this book to read it. I knew it was going to be emotional, both from the blurb and from the peeks we got of Gunnar in the previous books in the series. I didn’t read any previews nor did I read any reviews..which I usually don’t anyway.
The beginning wrecked me. Reading Gunnar’s texts to his dead wife hit me hard. I’ve read sad books before, but something about those texts just got to me. Once Sadie joined the narrative, in text form, I was intrigued by her. Because would any of us have texted Gunnar back? Or would we have blocked the number and moved on with our own lives? Be honest.
I really liked Sadie. I was blown away when I read that people those she was a doormat and had no backbone (I do read reviews upon completing a book). I saw her as a caring, brave woman who escaped a jerk of a father, built herself a life and business and reached out to a man in pain. She could have pushed back every time her sister was a freaking brat, but she took the high road. She never has a woe-is-me attitude, either. I’ve called out many a character for being wimpy doormats. Sadie isn’t one of them.
As a couple, Sadie and Gunnar were a mixed bag for me. Their IRL meet-cute wasn’t that cute, nor was Gunnar’s reluctant attraction to her. It was definitely a weird blending of two worlds, but somehow, it worked. And all those cameos were perfect. While we got a glimpse of most of the Rebels organization, past and present, only a select few had a meatier role. And Meader picked and incorporated them to be used with maximum effect.
Not to get spoiler-ish, but the ending was what it needed to be. If you’re reading this review before the book, don’t let that scare you. But remember it after you’ve read the last page and see if you agree. Anything more or less would be a disservice to the characters, past and present.
I am so glad I’ve been bingeing on light and fluffy before I read this one because it’s deep and angsty. Gunnar’s grief, wow. Shed buckets of tears. And Sadie, while she frustrated me at times, made me sympathize with her situation. The best of this series so far.
Gunnar is a man in hiding and in pain. He is barely existing and the only way for him to keep moving is to text his dead wife. Then someone answers. Sadie is trying to break into design in the fashion world. She lands a job as an assistant and a new phone number that belonged to someone else. She reads the text messages and decides to respond. Kate Meader definitely demonstrates that what we portray online is sometimes more of who we are in real life. When Sadie has to uproot her life to take care of her estranged younger sister and finally meets Gunnar, things get interesting. You will laugh. You will cry. You will cheer. You will call both of them names. But you will definitely enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Man Down is the third book in Kate Meader’s Rookie Rebels and this one will definitely tug on the heartstrings as readers Are introduced to the emotionally damaged, yet totally loveable Gunnar bond. A story detailing the unforgivable cruelty that one person can inflict on another and the coping mechanisms that keep someone from going crazy. Gunnar is certainly a unique character and his story is well worth taking dome quiet time to absorb yourself in his heart wrenching, but gripping tale. Kate Meader has definitely outdone herself with this latest book, and I can’t wait to see what she gives her readers next!
“I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review”
OMG, this book. My new favorite of 2020…good luck trying to unseat it, future me’s TBR…
Many years ago, when my kids were still babies, my husband was killed in an accident at work. For five or six–seven, maybe?–years after that I went to a survivor’s weekend seminar with other people who had similar losses (I went until my nephew was born and my brother and sister-in-law decided to have his birthday celebrations that weekend each year, since it was a long weekend–otherwise I would probably still be going, honestly). As I read Gunnar’s story, I kept thinking of one woman I’d met at that seminar–she had lost her husband and all six of her children when the small plane they were flying in crashed. The only reason she hadn’t gone too was because the plane was too small. It was a birthday treat for one of the kids, and she’d volunteered to stay behind–and then of course ended up being left behind.
So, yeah. Gunnar’s story made me think of her. All. Book. Long. The soul crushing loss. The guilt. The how-can-one-person-possibly-move-on-from-this?-ness of it all. Because Kate Meader made me feel everything I felt when listening to that woman tell her story all over again. I honestly couldn’t put it down (except for the two times I had to put it down, just for a few minutes…because, yikes. Too. Many. Feelings) until I got to see Gunnar make it through to the other side–because he had to make it there. If he could, then anyone could, gosh darn it.
(Yes, I know he’s fictional. But still, he gave me hope!)
i loved that Ms Meader was able to not only make me cry in this book, she made me laugh too. So. Much. (And not always because of “Instacrush” Theo Kershaw…although a lot of it was thanks to him. Superglutes will never *not* make me laugh, I’m pretty sure) There might also have been a healthy amount of swooning as well. And some clothes lust–can Sadie make me a custom dress too, please? (And boy, did I feel for Sadie’s issues with her sister–I am so glad my kids are past that age!) I loved that there weren’t easy fixes for everyone’s problems here, and that the end of the book shows them working toward a new HEA–even though it’s not the one they necessarily thought they’d have–with a newfound sense of optimism.
And that epilogue–sigh.
As with the other series books, you don’t have to have read them to enjoy Gunnar and Sadie’s story. If you have, though, chances are that you’ve been all but chomping at the bit to see Gunnar get his life back on track…and you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t, though…? Well, don’t blame me when you find you have to go back and read Theo’s story. And by that point, you might as well just start with Levi’s. I mean, really… 😉
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Gunnar Bond is so very broken. After losing his wife and twins in a terrible car accident 3 years ago, Gunnar has been living the life of a hermit, avoiding contact with everyone. He spills his most intimate secrets, and exposes his pain to his dead wife by texting her phone number. But Sadie Yates ends up with Gunnar’s wife’s old phone number. She starts receiving the texts and eventually she replies. They develop a weirdly intimate relationship over text, lasting many months.
Sadie is dealing with her own heartbreak: a father who ignored her in favour of his second family. -The same father who ended up jailed for running a ponzi scheme. But the daughter he chose to focus on while he ignored Sadie is now all alone. With a father in jail, the only family she has is Sadie, her estranged sister.
I loved watching both of these characters grow. Gunnar grows from an angry, bitter widower into someone who understands that his grief is normal, but that moving forward with life is also okay. Incorporating the family he lost into the fabric of his life, while beginning a new chapter doesn’t mean he loved them any less. He realizes that if he loves Sadie enough, he will learn to love himself again, so he can be the man she deserves.
Because Sadie lost her mom at a young age, and her father ignored her for most of her life, she short-changes herself. She doesn’t demand what she needs from the people she cares about, and lets people walk all over her. As her relationship with Gunnar grows, she learns it’s better for her to stand up for herself and hold those she loves to a higher standard: they need to treat her with respect if they want to be in her life.
The epilogue in this book almost brought me to my knees. Make sure you have a box of kleenex nearby. Gunnar realizes that even though his family died, he is still alive, and it’s okay to move on. Letting go doesn’t mean he loved them any less. And that epilogue… oh my heart…
Man Down is a gorgeous, heartbreaking, wonderful read! I’ll definitely be reading more of Kate Meader’s books!
4.5 stars
Knowing the themes of this book going in, I knew it was going to be a huge departure from the breezy, wholesome lightness of the last book, with Theo and his ridiculously bright and sweet self. But this story is a beautiful surprise. A story about grief and coping mechanisms and serendipity, and most importantly of hope.
Life has handed a crap hand to Gunnar, and he’s finally starting to move on from the worst moment of his life, thanks to his unexpected guardian angel, Sadie; but he doesn’t quite want to let go of the pain and guilt, which makes him feel connected to his lost loves. How he navigates this next phase of his life, thanks to his team and Sadie, all while Sadie has her own storms to deal with, is handled with care and sensitivity, but also with the joy that is so characteristic of Sadie. The depiction of his grief is real but never trite. Their text exchanges are bittersweet and heartbreaking and poignant, their in person interactions sexy and electric. Gunnar is swoony even when he’s being all grumpy damaged guy who wants no love.
Even as their growing connection and Sadie’s sunny disposition helps him through his grief, the author never presents love as the heal-all solution. While giving importance to it, Sadie never has to play second fiddle to Gunnar’s past, which can so often be a drawback of this trope. The Rebels, old and new, as usual bring laughter and sense of family to the proceedings, a true balm to the soul.
It’s so difficult for me to find the right words to use for writing this review. I’ve actually been thinking about what to write for the last 12 hours! This book was beautifully written. I knew that it would be an emotional book to read, with Gunnar dealing with the loss of his family, and I truly thought I was prepared, however, I wasn’t. The way that Kate Meader writes this story is so well thought out. She handles the topic of grief and loss in a manner that is truthful and although I cried (a lot) I still LOVED the story!! Kate Meader adds humor in appropriate places and writes circumstances that could actually happen, which makes the story believable and relatable. Gunnar & Sadie are 2 amazing characters that make a phenomenal couple. This book was AMAZING and very well worth the read. Reading about previous & future characters was also a LOT of fun!! I’m a huge hockey fan and I enjoy reading stories like this. I love how she has created a universe that is realistic and fun! Everyone should pick up this book and read it, you won’t be sorry!!
After the heart wrenching loss of his wife & kids, Gunnar’s clings to the last connection he has to his family- text conversations he sends to his late wife’s phone. When Sadie Yates acquires Kelly’s phone number & is there to listen, for the first time in years he feels a spark of life again. I was moved & pulled into the story by his touching texts to his wife and loved that he & Sadie came into each other’s lives via those texts.
From the heartfelt messages Gunnar Bond sends his dead wife in the beginning of the book to the soul mending epilogue, “Man Down” was a doozy of an emotional roller coaster. You may need a Kleenex or two reading this book, but a fun supporting cast of friends & teammates keep the theme from getting overwhelmingly somber.
Man Down is hockey romance at its best. Not only does it have a great plot, it has plenty of laughs and tears too.
Gunner is mourning but slowly getting his life back on track after the death of his wife and young children. He still texts his wife’s phone with his innermost thoughts. It seems to work as therapy for him, until he’s stunned when someone finally responds to him.
Sadie is a talented designer in Los Angeles who is paying her bills as an assistant to an Instagram influencer. But, she gets dragged back to her hometown of Chicago when her estranged father is convicted of embezzlement and she becomes the guardian of her 12 year old sister. She also begins to text the stranger who keeps sending messages to his dead wife on her new phone. The two never exchange names, but continue to confide in each other.
Once back in Chicago, Sadie finds herself both attracted to and infuriated with Gunner, who is helping out at her sister’s hockey camp. It takes a while for both of them to realize that the person they are attracted to is the same person they’ve been texting. And then they have to set aside their preconceptions of each other, and themselves, to see if they can make any kind of relationship work.
Sadie and Gunner have a deep connection, both via their text exchange and in person. Their chemistry sizzles on the page, and their banter is fantastic. Meader is a pro with quips on and off the ice. While this book is a stand alone, I also loved cameos from some of my beloved Chicago Rebels. Sometimes I actually believe they are my favorite hockey team!
If you love a good hockey romance with some humor and tears thrown in, Man Down should be your next read.
Charming, sassy, and heartfelt!
Man Down, the latest novel in the Rookie Rebels series, is a slightly more emotive tale about the grieving, shattered Gunnar, who’s still struggling to come to grips with the loss of his entire family three years prior and whose only solace is the texts he receives back from a stranger with his wife’s old cell number, and the feisty yet frazzled Sadie, who may finally meet the man behind the phone who has been the one glimmer in her chaotic, everyday life.
The writing is sincere and seamless. The characters are patient, wary, and supportive. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, friendship, family, self-discovery, grief, attraction, tender moments, awkward situations, forgiveness, misunderstandings, and steamy romance.
What more can I say, once again with Man Down, Meader has proven that she is not only one of the best writers of contemporary romance stories that are witty, light, and bursting with sexual tension, but also emotionally compelling ones too.
4.5 Stars
This book has so much emotion packed in with heart. I’m not gonna lie Gunner’s back story had me ugly crying. My heart just absolutely broke for him. You can feel the emotion and pain bleeding all of the pages from Gunner. This book is also about hope because it’s a beautiful thing to witness Gunner finding that once again. I enjoy those Rebels so it’s always great catching up with previous characters. Then you have Sadie. Man is she on her own emotional rollercoaster, but in a whole different way. Which makes Sadie and Gunner’s connection that all the more special coming out of the storms they both face. This book also had humor that did have me laughing. I mean when you have Theo popping in and out nothing but laughs are a given. I would highly recommend this book!
Gunnar and Sadie are emotional, heartbreaking and beautiful. The road to recovery is a difficult one but to begin this journey you have to want it.
I am such a fan of Kate’s characters but these two may just have hit my favorites list ! Loved it .
Gunnar is a broken man. He has been texting his dead wife’s phone just to feel something, anything. He is not expecting a response.
Sadie is on the verge of losing her mind. She has just become a guardian to a pre-teen sister who she doesn’t even know. A drama queen boss that wants her 24/7 and now a stranger is texting her phone.
Sadie soon realizes that the man on the other end of these texts is a very broken soul. She makes it her mission to brighten his day however that she can. Sadie has never backed down from a challenge even if she might loose a piece of herself in this relationship.
~~Michele McMullen ~~
Beautiful and poignant Kate Meader’s Man Down is a story of hope at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Haunted by his past and yearning for a future Gunnar Bond was broken but not irreparable. Kate Meader in her winding logic managed to find a way to join together a group of people with missing pieces making them whole again. Sadie was kind, witty and tried her hardest even at her lowest points. Gunnar and Sadie were fixers and despite their scars these two big-hearted characters reached beyond their sorrow to help others, which in itself was an admirable trait but was extremely likable as well. Out of their individual tragedies these two were able to bring each other out of their protective shells and their journey toward each other and happiness made for a wonderful romance. A great secondary cast rounded out this story.
Kate Meader’s writing is sensitive and mindful without being overprotective of her portrayals. Bad things may happen but this author guides her work with kindness and humor for stories that are unmistakably her own and never superficial. With a nice twist on the frenemies trope Ms. Meader kept this story interesting and her readers invested. In Man Down Kate Meader adds another couple to her Rookie Rebel’s roster that readers will find it impossible not to fall in love with!
*I was given an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.*
*While part of a series this book can be read as a stand alone.*
My heart cracked and melted a little! Gunnar’s story was just gut-wrenching and straight to the guts. A heartbroken hero who might find a second chance at love without really looking.
How could I not be loved by this man who sent messages to his deceased wife? Writing about his days and how deep he was sinking every day, missing her and his kids. Raw, heartbreaking and honest. Putting the world aside and avoiding people. Living in his own world and having a hard time to move forward.
Until the moment someone responded to his messages, talking about his days and listening to his pain, starting to develop a bond. The virtual world seemed to be right for him and helped him in a way to make his days better, maybe a little crazy and unreal.
But when the virtual met the real world, would they be able to explore their online chemistry?
Sadie was fierce, independent and not asking for help. Definitely not a damsel in distress and Gunnar could be dangerous to her heart if she let her guard down.
It was almost doomed from the start with no happy ending. If my heart didn’t crack a little with these two… the author delivered a poignant journey filled also with so much love and hope.
This book was amazing, I loved it so much! It is an emotionally charged story of a man struggling to get through life one day at a time and the woman who will eventually bring him back to living. Gunnar and Sadie meet in a most unconventional way and their relationship develops just as unconventionally. It’s sad, fun, sexy, and heartwarming. These characters will touch every spot in your heart. Don’t miss this one! I highly recommend it.
Y’all I was just not prepared for this emotional ride.
I mean, I read the blurb. And I’ve read the entire series so far. So I should have known, right?
Nope.
Kate Meader completely outdid herself with this heartbreaking – no – heartwrenching tale of love, loss, and the resurrection of Gunnar Bond.
It was lovely. Literally my thought as I turned the last page — just…lovely. Never mind that I had just spent the majority of the book having my heart bruised, battered, teased, and titillated – a veritable rollercoaster ride of emotions that left it feeling raw and aching only to have it all swept away by the sweet beauty of the ending and the overwhelming rightness of Gunnar and Sadie.
I absolutely adored these two. Sadie’s heart as big as the world, and her unsinkable spirit won me over immediately. How many punches can a heroine take and still get up and do the right thing by the people she loves? This woman was extraordinary. And broken, wounded Gunnar. The unsinkable alpha male whose heart and body and mind fought each other throughout most of this entire story. Watching him heal and come back to life was just a beautiful thing. It was impossible not to love them – from the unorthodox way they met, to the tenuous friendship they formed, to the moment they realized that resistance was futile because there was never anything more right than the way they loved and cared for each other.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all smooth sailing. In fact, there’s hardly any smooth sailing. Ms. Meader handled the gravity of the storyline very respectfully and with a loveliness that sometimes took my breath away. There is a brutal beauty to a man reconciling that his life will never be what he expected it to be, and the woman who helps him realize that it’s not over. I can’t emphasize enough just how beautifully this was written.
I also loved the secondary storylines. I enjoyed the honesty of Sadie and Lauren’s relationship. I might even have liked a little bit more resolution to their story – but that’s not a complaint because I really was satisfied with what I got and happy with their healing relationship. I also loved getting more time with that scene-stealing devil, Theo Kershaw and the rest of the Rebels family. Books like this one are the reason sports romance is one of my all-time favorite tropes. There’s a team/family love story threaded into every romance and I will never get enough of it.
It was so good. So compulsively readable and so wonderfully rewarding. It was tragic and redemptive and I loved every punch delivered, and reveled in every balm it placed upon my heart. Buckle up – this one’s going to hurt a little. But it’s worth every minute.
4 1/2 STARS!
Emotionally breathtaking! With the third book in her Rookie Rebels hockey series Kate Meader brings the emotion and heartache like a pro! When a hockey player at the top of his game has his heart torn out by the loss of his family, he’s got a lot of healing to do.
Gunnar Bond gutted me. He’s such a nice guy, and to watch him hurt in the manner that he does even three years after the death of his family is heartbreaking. It was heartwarming to see him slowly start to come back into himself after meeting Sadie and joining the life of hockey again.
Sadie Yates is a fun character. You know she has a good heart when she inquires about the welfare of the guy who she can tell is pouring his heart out to someone … only she’s the one getting his messages. I enjoyed seeing them make their way towards each other and seeing her family heal as well.
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance but with so much more depth and realness included. Always great characters, amazing story lines and down right good hearted people all the way around.
It’s sexy. It’s Inspiring It’s moving. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, emotional, sexy, and a red hot romance. That. Brings. All. The. Feels. Where the characters navigate their hearts through all the twists and turns, and the ups and downs required to reach a HEA. MAN DOWN was an exceptional read! If you want to get lost in a story (and series) I highly recommend this one.
Gunnar Bond has been wallowing in his grief, and pain for the last two years after losing his family. Over the last eighteen months he has been texting his dead wife, when suddenly someone answers. As these two start communicating with each other they find comfort and hope in each other.
Sadie Yates is also in her own private world of pain, seemingly lost and searching for her place, with a low paying, demanding job as an assistant to a social influencer. A self-serving, demeaning father that is going off to prison, leaving her in charge of a step sister, who doesn’t know her and hates her.
These characters were fantastic. I loved their texting and their meeting and connecting. As things unfold, there is great animosity and banter that is super entertaining between them. I loved watching the heat and need grow between them. I laughed, cried and rooted for Gunnar and Sadie. I loved this story of healing, growing and opening of their hearts and letting love in. This story kept me glued to my kindle.
The author’s talent for combining blazing hot scenes with genuinely moving romance ensures that the story is as intense and sensual as it is emotional. Happy reading!
Received a early copy for a honest review.