Must Love Dogs… and Hockey

Lilly’s life has down in flames, at least her professional life. Fired again from another job in the same field she is now looking at never working again in the hospitality field. This is all going through her mind of course as she has no job and no prospects for one either.
Hockey player Easton is still feeling new to the team that traded for him and he has not opened up to any of the other players. He has been getting a lot of lip from the coach and he is tired of hearing it. Home form a road trip, he enters his apartment complex only to see a woman stepping into an elevator and the dog she has been caught on the outside of the door. With the dog being straggled he rushes to the door and is able to disconnect the dog from his leash. The woman comes downstairs and gives Easton the dog running out of the apartment complex.
Lilly has begun walking a dog for money and while at the dog park her dog is being jumped on by another dog. When the owner of that dog comes over, she is surprised at how good looking he is, but is still upset with him about allowing his dog to be off its leash. Easton thinking that Lilly is very attractive tells her that he has just gotten the dog named Otis and it is not until much later that she finds out what happened in order for him to get the dog. Later that day he asks her if she would be willing to watch his dog for three days because he has to go out of town. She agrees. It is after this that she decides to start a dog walking business and Easton helps her as much as she will let him.
This is not a fast romance story. Though they both like each other the author makes this a slow build-up and as they become more into each other both of their pasts are becoming a problem. Each has to work through them in order to have a future. The issues that she deals with especially with Easton’s coach is something that is not tolerated anymore and I am surprised to say when I played sports in the early to mid-seventies some of those practices were allowed. Of course, not now but even then, as a teen I thought what the coach was doing was wrong but none of us said anything. I am glad for all of the issues that were talked about and for the wonderful story about these two characters. Another good Kelly Jamieson book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at http://www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Really nice! I had a good time reading this book, I liked the plot, the relationship between the characters and their friends. This author is really gook. I recommend this book

Love, laughter and happily ever after has gone to the dogs. Jamieson steps up her sense of humor and it aptly steals the show. Must Love Dogs…and Hockey, gives emotion a bit of a breather from the seriousness of life and puts reader in touch with the lighter side of heart that needs a reason to smile.

As usual, Ms Jamieson doesn’t disappoint. She writes some of the best hockey romances that are out there and this one is no different. She captures the players and the team camaraderie and dedication. Her female leads are not meek and mild, they have dreams of their own. Easton and Lilly were no different. They each had their own issues and problems to deal with, and a relationship of any kind wasn’t in the cards. Who knew that they were meant for each other and that Otis would be the catalyst to get them together, especially with the circumstances that brought Otis and Easton together. And, as a bonus, we have a whole new team to root for!

Kelly Jamieson’s hockey novels are some of my favorites out there. I was excited to learn that we have a whole new team to love now as well, the New York Bears! This is the first in the new Bears Hockey series and it was a great way to start!

Easton has recently been traded to the New York Bears, so while he’s trying to settle in to a new city and deal with all of that, he’s also learning his new teammates and how to navigate his coach, who is causing Easton all sorts of headaches. On his way back to his apartment one day, he ends up saving a dog and in the meantime the woman who was with the dog, abandons him and Easton is left to care for him. Needless to say, Easton’s life doesn’t exactly lend itself to easily caring for a dog, but he’s drawn to the little guy that he calls Otis.

Lilly is trying to rebuild her life. She’s recently been fired from her job, and while it wasn’t her fault, she knows it’s better to move on and try to start again. She’s been through a lot in the last few years and she doesn’t have the support of her family and friends that she wishes she did. She decides she’ll try her hand at a dog walking business and hopes that this will start her on a new path.

When Easton and Lilly meet at the dog park, it isn’t the greatest first meeting since Otis isn’t the most well behaved of dogs and he isn’t very nice to the dog Lilly is walking. After learning that Lilly walks dogs, Easton pleads with her to take Otis when he goes on his next road trip. She agrees and it turns into a a more regular thing. Not only that, but Easton and Lilly start to feel a pull toward one another. They’ve both had their share of loss and neither are looking for a relationship, but will their connection be too much to overlook?

I really enjoyed these two characters and I liked how they supported one another and were there for one another. They seemed to really understand the other person and while they were both scared, they decided the leap was worth it. They both found exactly what they needed in the other and in little Otis!

I’m looking forward to what’s to come in this series if the end was any indication!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Must Love Dogs…and Hockey is the first book in the Bears Hockey series. It’s a Contemporary Romance with a Hockey trope. This book starts out really slow and about midway it grabs your attention and then like a flash you are at the finish line. The dog, Otis is the star of the show and for this to be a short story it’s an all around sweet with no drama story. I give this book a 3.5 stars rating.

Lilly’s life right now is the dumpster. She has been fired from her job, her reputation in her hospitality profession has been wrecked and so she falls back on her love of dogs and starts walking them to make ends meet. Lilly is optimistic that thing will workout eventually and just bides her time when walking her friends dog at the park and it gets attacked. Did things just get worse? It turns out he’s in desperate need of my dog services and he can pay, I need the cash so we make a deal.

Easton is a professional hockey player for the New York Bears and his coach is a major pain and he’s not helping with my anger issues. I’ve taken in an abandoned dog with issues of it’s own but I think I have enough problems already.
My new dog, Otis, gets into an altercation with another dog at the park and I get to meet the pretty chick who happens to walk dogs for a living. She’s good with Otis, I need someone to walk him and this gives me a reason to see her again. But she keeps turning me down…
Neither of us want or need a relationship at this time. But when you’re not looking, they steal your heart and demolish your I’m not looking for love…

“You’re everything. Everything I need. Everything I want.”
Look at that cover. I mean, it’s so sweet you could melt. And so is this book, sweet, easy, and cute. I’m giving it a 3.5 and rounding it up to 4 because I really enjoyed Kelly Jamieson’s writing style. This was the first book of hers I read, and it won’t be the last.

“Lilly.” He groans and drags his mouth over my jaw. “I’m a mess.”
“We’re all a mess.”
“I want to be with you. But I don’t want to drag you down with me.”
I really liked Easton. I mean, I recently became a fan of hockey romance, so it was easy to see I’d love the hot hockey player. I liked how he tries to play it cool with everything, like he’s not getting attached to anything or anyone, but we all know that’s not how it works. I also enjoyed the locker room camaraderie between him and the other players. And mostly I enjoyed how wonderful he is with Otis.

“He’s been my rock and my anchor. My home. My love.”
Lilly felt real. I mean, the girl who gets fired over something she clearly didn’t do, and decides to fight back. The girl who is broke and owing money, but who knows she needs to try and follow her heart. And mostly, the girl who really is a fighter and chooses to believe stuff will work out somehow if you only do your best. No, it doesn’t always work like that, but it certainly can.

“It’s so easy being with someone who gets you, who knows all about you and likes you anyway. But it also makes me feel exposed. Like she knows my biggest weaknesses. It scares the shit out of me.”
Their meet cute is a dog meet cute. Meaning, they meet when their dogs sort of attack each other at the park. He notices she’s beautiful, she notices he’s hot, physical stuff. He hits on her and is not shy about what he wants. She recently became unemployed and is walking another person’s dog, and he needs someone to walk Otis. So that’s that, she’ll take care of Otis when he’s off playing hockey. All their relationship evolves from there, and I know I mentioned it, but it’s so cute! Plus, the sex is kind of hot too.

“I am falling in love. I am falling like the snowflakes outside, like leaves in the autumn and petals in the summer. Like stars that you make a wish on. I know what I wish for. I wish for him.”
I’ll just say that both of them have issues. Trust issues, grief issues, stuff in the past that prevents them both from just letting go. And I totally get that, but it didn’t seem enough for me.

Easton’s issue may be a hard one, but it felt too uncomplicated. I didn’t feel what he’d been through as much as I think I should have. It didn’t help that I felt like he was being a coward and hiding behind the stuff in his past to justify his inaction in the present.
Ultimately, I felt like the book was missing something because their issues didn’t have enough depth, and so I couldn’t fully connect to either of them, and that’s a major thing for me.

“I want you too.” He smooches my lips softly. “I want us.” Another kiss. “I want it all.” Kiss. “With you.” He meets my eyes. “Only you.”
I loved the end, though. I loved that they could finally talk, find common ground and get their HEA. It’s heartwarming when nice people who’ve been through stuff finally catch a break, in a very rom-com style. They both wanted to be loved, and needed someone to love them.
And of course, puppy bonus points for Otis.

You can’t go wrong with hunky hockey players & cute dogs! I really enjoyed watching Easton & Lilly slowly fall for each other when the last thing they want is attachments. Everything evolved at a nice pace & Otis the dog was an adorable scene stealer. Kelly Jamieson is a new to me author & I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.

Read: 11/14/2020

Must Love Dogs…and Hockey was the first book in the Bears Hockey series by Kelly Jamieson.

Easton Millar was a professional hockey player for the NHL team the New York Bears. He was recently traded and known for his temper.

Lilly Evans was in between jobs and filling in as a dog walker until she found her next opportunity.

The book began with a harrowing scene with Otis – I still cringe and am near tears when thinking about it – but Easton came to the rescue and the two bonded for life. Otis, the adorable fun loving puppy then stole the show.

Jamieson introduced Lilly to Easton and Otis and the connection was immediate. The common bond was Otis but the adults had chemistry as well. Neither were looking for a relationship so it was a slow burn with the friendship as the foundation.

While Jamieson developed the friendship, she simultaneously began unraveling the broken – and sometimes sad – pieces of Easton and Lilly’s lives. Although the story was fiction, there were similarities to recent events that brought real life into the storyline. Some were tragic events while others were based on having a moral compass for doing what’s right and not remaining silent. No spoilers so no elaboration, but it was both an enjoyable and thought provoking read.

True to form, it was well written, well developed and Jamieson displayed her Hockey knowledge within the plot, providing additional depth and dimension to the storyline. She also provided a teaser into the next book, You Had Me At Hockey, which showed promise for another enjoyable and fun book.

This was such a cute book! I really enjoyed it a lot! I will say, I was worried about it because of the cover. The cover made it look like a Hallmark channel movie. Nothing against Hallmark channel because I love those movies. But I do not like reading those types of books.

This book was most definitely not hallmark channel appropriate, it was sexy at times and I laughed and cried. There was some deep shit in here.

When Easton talked about the bus crash, it made instantly think of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus crash in 2018. I’m not sure if that was done on purpose because there were a lot of similarities between the two. But my heart broke and I cried like a baby!

The abusive coach thing also got to me. It reminded me of something recently in the news about an abusive coach. I think maybe it was last season. I can’t remember but I do remember this being in the news.

Racism was in this book for a hot second but I like how it was handled. The coach calling one of the teammates the N Word and Easton fighting back to stick up for his teammate. These are things that happen all of the time and it should never be ok! Sometimes when people read books or watch tv shows or movies they think none of this actually happens in the real world, but a lot of the time, it does!