USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novel in the sexy Tulsa Thunderbirds hockey romance series.Where do you go once you’ve hit rock bottom?With his world already in shambles, Andrew Nash’s life plummets even further after a freak accident on the ice exposes his deepest secret. Still unsure if he should ever return to the game he’s devoted his life to, the future … life to, the future Thunderbirds captain knows he isn’t quite ready to throw in the towel. Meeting a talented and sexy artist changes everything for Drew.
But Ravyn Penn’s past is darker than his, and her wounds cut deeper. Drew’s looking forward, but Ravyn is stuck dwelling over a life that leaves her guilt-ridden and full of regret.
Drew’s a fighter, and he knows they need to claw their way out of the past—together—even when the future promises no guarantees. But can Ravyn let go and blindly trust him—taking a rite of passage through the darkness—to find the life they both deserve?
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The books in this series just keep getting better and better! (Just wait until book 5… the best one yet!)
4.5 stars
Drew Nash is already facing some challenges and the whole world is now privy to his secret. He has been struggling and in a dark place, but his friends and team mates are determined to kick his butt and get him back to living his life. His newest challenge is a woman in his support group. Her appearance is quite vibrant, but she would like to shrink into the background and keep people away. Ravyn Penn is in an even darker place and has more issues than Drew…and really has limited support.
They have a passionate encounter, but then she shuts him down. He chases, she resists, then lets herself get caught. But she is all about getting physical and not being emotional. She is guarded and depressed. She has secrets, guilt, shame, regret, and poor coping strategies. But eventually Drew begins to start chipping away at her walls and getting her to slowly open up.
Both have been broken and in desperate places. Both have closed themselves off and tried to hide. She especially is a runner, and he also has been avoiding making a big decision. She doesn’t like him pushing, but at the same time secretly likes he cares. They make each other feel alive. They challenge each other. He encourages her to unlock her secrets and wants to help her heal. She’s not used to anyone really caring that much or wanting to be with her.
They both are flawed and fighting demons. But is it easier to fight with a partner?
This is not a quick or easy process. Her issues are harder to deal with. But gradually Drew begins to get in there and help her believe and trust. He just wants to help her deal with her past in more positive ways so she can move on, hopefully with him. It was interesting seeing these two who were totally not looking for love unexpectedly fall into such a connection and realize that maybe they could actually hope for something more out of life.
Drew was so sweet, patient, and protective of her. He was really her knight-in-slightly-dented-armor, but he was determined to break down her walls and keep her in his life.
Ravyn was fragile and plagued by guilt, loneliness, and unhappiness. But she had an inner strength and the potential to thrive with support and understanding.
They seemed opposite in some ways, but were alike in others. They had great chemistry and I loved seeing them become more attached. Even though they were a bit addicted to each other it was healthier in that they were also a support, sounding board, and cheerleader when needed.
I enjoyed this installment and liked this couple. It was told in dual points of view. Many of the series characters made appearances from previous stories and I enjoyed catching up with them. I really liked Ethan “Huggy Bear” Higgins and I am looking forward to his story in Rain Dance. And a new team mate was introduced near the end and it sounds like he might bring more drama the Thunderbirds way.
This was a story of finding love, hope, and healing when least expected. They had potential to fall deeper into distress if they could not be pulled out of their darkness. These two had challenges and struggles, but they weren’t quite as debilitating when they had someone to lean on. They needed to not be afraid to fall or break, and to believe that someone would be there to catch them if they did.
I felt like Catherine Gayle took a very current and sensitive subject and spread light on it. She educated in a gentle way, but made her points. The dedication of this book touched my heart because I was equally inspired by the person she dedicated it to. I applaud her for taking on this subject and doing her part to increase awareness and show that it does not have to stop life and love.
**I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I am so happy to finally get Drew’s story. His fate was so unknown at the end of the last book and I was very worried about him. Kudos to Catherine Gayle for giving readers that kind of a cliffhanger that had us all waiting with baited breath to find out what was going on with him.
When we last saw Drew, he had been cut in the throat by a skate blade during a game and announces to Zee that he is HIV positive because Zee was trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. He contracted the disease from his cheating ex-wife. His teammates did not know this about him until this fateful event. Drew is not sure he wants to return to hockey because he is worried about what could happen if something like that ever happened again, not to mention he is just trying to mentally deal with living with being HIV positive. He holds his breath every time Zee gets tested hoping he still comes up negative each time. Drew has such a loving family who fully support him and his teammates and friends all want him to come back and play, but being HIV positive has definitely changed his outlook on things.
Drew attends a weekly support and it is there where he meets the beautiful Ravyn. Tattooed, pierced and sporting lavender dreadlocks, she is not the typical woman Drew is attracted to but he sees in her a kindred spirit and is immediately drawn to her. They strike up a conversation, which then becomes a hookup, but it slowly turns into something much, much more.
I am so happy Drew finally found peace and someone to share his big beautiful loving heart with. It took him a long time to get to a place where he could start to think of loving his life and having love in his life again. Luckily he was able to help heal Ravyn and get her to that same place so they could enjoy life and love together.
Such an emotional read. Great addition to the Tulsa Thunderbirds series!