Can an idealistic dog lover teach a jaded hockey player new tricks? “Kelly Jamieson is an auto-buy for me.”—Carly PhillipsLilly: My life is like the love child of a train wreck and a dumpster fire right now. I’ve been canned, my professional reputation is shredded, and now I’m walking dogs to make ends meet.But I still believe everything will work out. Somehow.Then a dog at the park attacks my … Somehow.
Then a dog at the park attacks my friend’s dog. At first, I’m ready to give the owner hell—but it turns out he’s in desperate need of doggie daycare. I figure, why not? I love dogs and I need the cash.
Too bad his cocky bad boy attitude annoys me. He’s too damn cute for his own good. And I’m not talking about the dog.
Easton: My coach is riding my ass and I’m not handling it well. When I’m saddled with an abandoned pooch, my teammate thinks a dog will keep my temper in check. I think I have enough problems already.
But when my new dog gets into a tussle that leads me to meet a smoking hot chick who knows how to handle the rascal, I start to think pet ownership isn’t all bad. At least it gives me an excuse to see Lilly again. . . .
Neither of us are interested in a relationship. First they steal your bed, then they steal your heart. And I’m not talking about the dog.
USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson’s epic Wynn Hockey series can be read together or separately:
PLAY TO WIN
IN IT TO WIN IT
WIN BIG
FOR THE WIN
Don’t miss any of Kelly’s captivating reads:
The Aces Hockey series: MAJOR MISCONDUCT • OFF LIMITS • ICING • TOP SHELF • BACK CHECK • SLAP SHOT • PLAYING HURT • BIG STICK • GAME ON
The Bayard Hockey series: SHUT OUT • CROSS CHECK
The Last Shot series: BODY SHOT • HOT SHOT • LONG SHOT
The standalone novel: DANCING IN THE RAIN
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4.5 Stars for Must Love Dogs….and Hockey
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I was intrigued, I love dogs and I love hockey so this book was always going to be on my radar and I was not disappointed, this story ticked my boxes and I was captivated from the first page to the last line. What a great start to the new Bears Hockey Series featuring the New York Bears professional hockey team. This is book one and it’s Easton Millar and Lilly Evan’s story.
What’s not to love about a professional hockey player who just a little bit bad!!, well Easton is that man and let me tell you I fell hard and fast, he is totally swoon worthy and he made me laugh, what more could I ask for…. well Lilly really ups the anti and pulls this story together, she gives as good as she gets, she is sassy, witty and when the chips are down she steps up. I loved this couple so big.
Both Easton and Lilly have a past they would rather forget, they both have baggage and their journey is a bumpy one but love isn’t always easy and this couple know that true love is worth fighting for….
What else can I say apart from, if you love dogs & Hockey you will love Easton, Lilly and Otis’s journey. Looking forward to more from The Bears Hockey players.
This book was cute, sweet and fun. I thought Lilly and Easton came across as very realistic. They were each struggling with big issues in their life and I felt that made them quite relatable. It was easy to feel that zing zipping back and forth between them and I found their banter clever. All together, a very likable romance. I am freely posting a frank review.
MUST LOVE DOGS …AND HOCKEY is the first instalment in Kelly Jamieson’s contemporary, adult BEARS HOCKEY erotic, hockey, romance series focusing on the members of the New York Bears professional hockey team. This is professional hockey player Easton Millar, and former hotel hospitality manager Lilly Evans’ story line.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Lily and Easton) MUST LOVE DOGS…AND HOCKEY follows the building romance and relationship between professional hockey player Easton Millar, and former hotel hospitality manager Lilly Evans. Easton Millar has no idea what to do with the dog he rescued from a near elevator mishap until coming face to face with a woman who is willing to dogsit…for a price. Lilly Evans is struggling to make ends meet in the aftermath of being fired for blowing the whistle on a business scam but when professional hockey player Easton Millar begs Lilly to look after a stranger’s dog, our heroine discovers that doggy daycare may be the career path she never knew she wanted. When no one comes to claim ‘Otis’, Easton finds himself falling for both woman and dog, a fall that is threatened as Easton’s professional hockey life slowly spirals out of control. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Easton and Lilly, and the potential fall out as the past threatens to overwhelm our story line hero.
Not all is well in Easton’s professional career as his team endures the physical and emotional abuse of a coach who is unable to see beyond the almighty ‘win’. Pulling from recent real-world accounts in both professional and junior A hockey, Kelly Jamieson weaves a heart breaking tale of loss, betrayal and abuse as Easton must come to terms with what happened in the past, and take the first step in stopping the racism and abuse in both amateur and professional sport. Lilly Evans’ own life is on a downward spiral: her wayward father is embroiled in a midlife crisis; her grandmother got caught up in a time-share scam; Lilly is currently suing her previous employers; she is in debt with the possibility of losing her home; and she has been blacklisted from the hotel hospitality industry.
The relationship between Lilly and Easton begins as a business arrangement when Easton hires Lilly to look after Otis, the dog he rescued from a potential accident. Lilly doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure but a few afternoon lunches and coffees quickly grows into something more. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Lilly’s roommate Carlin, and several members of the Bears Hockey Team- Jamal Jordan aka Jammer, JBo, Owen Cooke aka Cookie, Goose, Larry, Russ, Igor Barbashev aka Barbie, Wendell aka Wendy.
MUST LOVE DOGS… AND HOCKEY is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; of loss and acceptance; of racism and abuse. The premise is emotional, heart breaking and captivating; the romance is seductive and flirty; the characters are energetic, colorful and fun.
I adored this book! it was sweet and sexy, Otis definitely stole the show! one of the best books I’ve read from this author.
What can I say about this book, it was so well written, you will fall in love with the characters, and of course add in dogs and hockey and you’ve got a hat trick here! 5 amazing pucks for this one!
We meet Lilly, she’s just lost her job, again. She’s gotta find something soon because there’s only so much rent she can expect her roommate and best friend to cover for her. While walking her neighbors dog, she thinks maybe she can walk dogs for a living when all of the sudden, she runs into a hot guy, Easton, with an out of control puppy. The instant attraction these two have is off the charts.
Easton saved this pup and now he’s stuck with it. Not what he needs on top of dealing with his nasty coach of this team he’s been traded to in New York. How will he take care of the pup when he’s on road trips? When he comes across Lilly, he’s insanely attracted to her. When he finds out what she’s thinking of doing, he asks her if she can watch his new dog Otis while he’s out of town.
You will fall in love with these two, and Kelly takes on one of the toughest topics in hockey right now and does an amazing job with it! Kudos to Kelly! Grab this one asap!
4 Star review of Must Love Dogs & Hockey (Bears Hockey #1) by Kelly Jamieson
I was intrigued with the premise of this book and couldn’t wait to dive in to Must Love Dogs & Hockey. This was a well written romance which had me invested in the story from the first to the last chapter.
The chemistry between Lilly and Easton sizzles and as the intensity grows you could feel the heat. Neither of them were looking for a relationship and yet that is what happens. I loved Easton, this bad boy is swoon worthy, he made me laugh and smile and ticked the boxes for me. I also loved how Lilly gave as good as she got; she was sassy and feisty and even when the chips were down, she stepped up. The banter was witty, add in hockey, a dog and you have an entertaining story.
They both have baggage and this book is about confronting the past, accepting it and learning to trust in one another. Their journey is a rocky one but the love they will find at the end is worth it.
I loved Otis, he really brought Lilly and Easton together and they became a family. If you like dogs and hockey,then Must Love Dogs & Hockey is the book for you.
I received a copy of this book, through the publisher via NetGalley
Easton is trying to go under the radar with his calculator, but he is finding it difficult. Now he finds himself with a dog and a job that are at ends with his care.
Lily is between jobs, finding it better to be with the furry floppy eared customers was easier than the human kind, when she crashes into Easton and his new found pet.
This story is not just about love and Hockey, it is about acceptance, patience and letting your heart go.
Both Lily and Easton have to learn to trust one another for their love to grow along with Ottis and make them a family.
A perfect fill for a hockey starved fan like myself who does love dogs! A binge worthy read for 2020!!
Must Love Dogs…and Hockey is a fabulous start to the new series Bears Hockey. I loved Lily. With everything Lily has goes through you cheer her on when she decides her new job. Lily loves dogs and it really shows throughout this one with all her new ideas. There are small sparks starting to fly when it comes to Easton and Lily. I love their slow burn as they get to know you. Easton is so caring when it comes to Otis (the dog). You feel Easton change when it comes to Otis. Easton fights his demons, and less then nice couch, you get to know him and why he is the way he is. Lily and Otis seem to calm him so. If you love animals and hockey then look no further then this one. I really can’t wait to get to know the men of the Bears more.
Otis is da bomb! He’s an absolutely adorable, but badly behaved pup that brings Lilly and Easton together when he tries to make friends with the dog that Lilly is walking. Easton ended up with Otis by accident and isn’t quite sure how to take care of him, especially since he’s a pro hockey player who is frequently out of town on road trips. When his attempt to find Otis’ owner fails, he figures he’ll need to give the dog up, but he’s growing quite attached and quickly figures out that Lilly, who knows a lot about taking care of dogs, can help him out. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s very attracted to her.
These two are so cute together. Although Lilly is a hockey fan, she’s not star-struck, and thinks Easton is pretty cocky, but as she gets to know him through Otis, she sees the good guy underneath. Neither of them is looking for a relationship, but somehow it finds them anyway and they can’t deny their pull toward each other. Easton has suffered immense loss, making him wary of giving his heart, while Lilly has been professionally devastated and is trying to reinvent herself while still holding on to her natural optimism. Together, they bring out the best in each other. This romance was both heartwarming and sweet while still pulling on the emotions. If this is the start of a new series, I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next one. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Author Kelly Jamieson is one of my favorite hockey writers…but then throw in a rescue dog and an incredible slow-burn romance and…HAT TRICK!
The dog park “meet cute” where Lilly and Easton meet is great! Easton’s backstory is heartbreaking and tragic, yet makes him the focused and infuriating hockey player he is. Lilly has some craziness in hers as well, but again…they wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for what she went through. Both characters are admirable and strong and it was perfect the way Author Kelly Jamieson blended them together.
I LOVED Otis! He added so much to this romance. The other characters (friends, hockey players, family members) were perfect additions as well, and I enjoyed the relationships and side-storylines about them. The humor was so “in real life” type humor, which made me feel a personal connection to this dual POV read. The “life lessons” in this read were wonderful as well…
“I always wanted to travel and learn new things. But real life got in the way. And then one day you realize…if you don’t do it now, you never will. And in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.”
The beginning of the book moved a little slowly, but nothing that would turn me away. It was still very enjoyable, just slower paced. However, it really picked up and when I realized I was getting to the end of the book, I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to see how it ended, but I wanted to put it down because I didn’t want it to end! I loved the epilogue and can’t wait to see what the next book in the Bears Hockey series brings! 4.5 puppy paw prints!
If you love dogs you HAVE to read this book. Otis will capture your heart and not let go. He is just so darn adorable!! It’s no wonder Lilly and Easton fall for him!
I really enjoyed this book and getting to know Lilly and Easton. It wasn’t my favorite book but it kept me reading; wanting to know what happened next. It was a slower read and took some time. However it also kept a smile on my face. I loved that Lilly was just an average gal with a mountain of personal issues because she chose to do the right thing. I loved how she pushed Easton and made him think.
Easton wasn’t perfect and he bothered me at times, especially for not being brave enough to do the right thing. But I also understood he had a wall of his own to climb. I was proud of him for sticking up for his fellow teammate and for finally doing the right thing.
These two were perfect for each other. I liked how they didn’t immediately jump into bed but got to know each other. It was the perfect slow start. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series now. *I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.*
You had me at dogs and hockey!
Must Love Dogs…and Hockey starts out so different with hockey player Easton Millar rescuing a dog after an incident with an elevator and ends up adopting Otis. Easton runs into Lilly Evans at the local dog park walking Otis even though he is clueless about taking care of a dog but when he tells her that he has to go out of town, she volunteers to take care of Otis.
Easton and Lily start as friends, but their attraction starts to grow when they open up to each other which takes time which makes for a good romance. Must Love Dogs…and Hockey is the first book in the Bears Hockey Series and I’ve already preordered the next book You Had Me at Hockey.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was super cute and I loved this couple. I also loved that Otis, the dog was a big part of Easton and Lilly’s story. He had a huge personality and was the glue that kept these two anti-relationship people together.
Now usually the anti-realationship characters are not my favorite. However, Kelly Jamieson wrote this couple in a way that avoided what I don’t like about them, mainly not getting to see them together very much. This was the opposite. We got really good couple time with these two and they were just genuinely fun characters to read about.
I also really loved how this ended. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I highly recommend this for when you are in the mood for a really cute story.
My new favorite Kelly Jamieson novel. Amazing start to a new series-perfect blend of cute, sexy, funny and serious moments. I loved the unlikely trio of Easton, Lilly and Otis. Easton and Lilly had chemistry from the start and watching them find their way to each other was a very satisfying journey. I can’t wait for another visit to the Bears Hockey team (especially after the epilogue.)
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC received via NetGalley.
Must Love Dogs and Hockey by Kelly Jamieson a five-star read that brings everything together. This is number one in the Bears Hockey series and I can’t wait for number two, this series has started so well, I can’t wait to get to know all of the characters so much better. This was just a perfect distraction, the perfect escape I needed right this moment. It was so absorbing that I could feel the freshness of the ice, the slobbery kisses that Otis likes to share. Easton has such amazing depths that will suck you in to the deepest recess of your heart, he is like an iceberg, you get the arrogant tip, but there is so much going on below the surface that you don’t notice. Lilly was just someone who had that inner strength that pushed her so hard, she feels the weigh of the world on her shoulders but has something that wont allow her to share it, but honestly I think she is so much stronger than she could ever imagine.
Dogs + Hockey… what’s not to love?
I love how Lilly doesn’t immediately fall for the charming and attractive hockey player. She is tough and isn’t the annoying, giggly girl that falls head over heels for the guy. She pushes back and doesn’t have time or the patience to dealing with someone flirting with her.
Easton has a pup land in his lap due to weird circumstances and this dog just melts my heart on how attached he is in no time .
My first opinion was that Lilly makes Easton off his “game” which turns his come ons into cheesy lines but more they talk the more I notice he is just a tad awkward. It is kind of cute that made me crack a smile and shake my head at him.
Lilly and Easton have some struggles in life that seems to help them relate to each other more to form a more secure friendship/relationship. This brings them together yet causes their strain at the same time.
There was a couple inconsistency that threw me off and dialogue is a bit repetitive but the story to me felt strong and kept me intrigued.
When I got to the Epilogue, I felt it was missing the end. It just suddenly dropped off. Maybe that was the author’s way of trying to open up into maybe another book after this to continue but I really felt there could have been more to complete that still would have brought you interest in continuing to another book. This part was just slightly disappointing.
I honestly struggled to decide to give this a 3 or 4 star review based on the negatives in this book. I felt 4 stars because overall even with the couple things that bothered me, I was hooked on this book.
Overall I really enjoyed this storyline, there was a lot of enjoyable adventures with these two along with the other great character.
I received this ARC by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The opinion given is mine alone and not influenced by anyone else.
The title of this book made me want to read it – and I enjoyed it, but it would have been better for some content editing. That said, Easton is a fabulous character – and Otis – oh my word, Otis; I fell in love. I also loved how Easton treats him. The obnoxious coach is stomach-churning and so well-written> And then there’s Lilly, dog walker extraordinaire, with whom Otis falls in love and who is the voice of reason in this book from the start. It’s a fun read with great banter and even greater characters, and a fabulous ending, and it’s definitely worth your time. Oh, and the hockey parts are really exciting in places!
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily.
Easton and Lily’s story is heartwarming and sweet. I loved watching their bond grow. They both are going through some things in life and watching them open their hearts and learn to trust each other was touching.
This is story of standing up for what you believe in and for others, of opening your heart, and of love. It’s a sweet story that will warm your heart.
“Being brave isn’t the same as not being afraid. It’s just deciding…something else is more important.”
Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review
With my beloved Canes out of the Cup finals (sad face) I am having to get all my hockey love from my books.
And hockey and dogs? Let me at it!
Lilly and Easton’s story is just cute from word one to the last. An if the hockey hottie isn’t enough to keep you keen, then add some adorable pooches, and if you are like me, you will find yourself smiling throughout.
It’s been a while since I have read a hockey book by Ms Jamieson, however I knew what I was going to get a cocky player and a feisty leading lady. And she did not disappoint.
I am looking forward to more of the Bears in the future. Please don’t make me wait too long.
There are a few things I’m a sucker for: any dessert made with apples, snarky banter, hockey romances, and romances involving dogs. This book gave me 3 out of 4!
Easton and Lilly meet in the park via dogs…one that she’s walking and one that he saved (literally saved its life) and was now stuck taking care of. There’s an immediate attraction, though Lilly sees him as kind of an ass, so she fights it. We see their relationship grow and change throughout the book.
Easton is a little broken and insecure and comes with some significant baggage. His backstory was heartbreaking! I felt for him from the very beginning. Lilly has some baggage of her own and is struggling with being unemployed and her finances. I enjoyed seeing them each help the other through their issues while really not knowing they were doing it. Their relationship was sweet and steamy!
Overall, this was a cute and quick read (less than 24 hours.) This was my first book from Kelly Jamieson and I’m looking forward to checking out some of her other hockey romance series!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.