Cocky, man whore, player…. Those are all ways I have been described by the media and countless women. Are they accurate? Possibly. But, that’s all I let the media see of me, Brian Kelly, defensive player for the Indianapolis Eagles Hockey team. I have no intentions of settling down and changing the media’s perception of me. I can’t tell if women are after me for my bank account, the status symbol … symbol of being with a professional athlete, or if they really want me for me. Then I meet her. The one woman who doesn’t let my charm affect her or cause her to jump directly into my bed. Can I possibly change my ways and settle down?
Grounded, selfless, giving…Those are all the ways my family and friends have described me. Are they right? Possibly. But, I’m so much more, and need some passion and excitement in my life. My best friend is moving on and I want that someone special to share all that life has to offer. Let it be known that I, Kinley Williams, want the right someone special. So why did he have to crash into me? The one man who is so clearly wrong for me. Then again, he doesn’t seem like anything the tabloids claim him to be. So is he really all that wrong?
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A woman who’s ready to settle down meets a man who appears to be allergic to the condition. A man who’s tired of the puck bunnies and wants someone real meets the one who just might tame him. When they both get the chance to build something it’ll take a lot more than knowing how to play the game to get them to their ultimate score.
With an alternating point of view we get greater insight into both Kinley and Brian. Both people are ready for the next phase in their romantic lives but aren’t sure if their person is really out there. A coincidence of mutual friends brings them both together and their connection was apparently immediate…though you wouldn’t know it from Kinley’s view. At least not until she seemingly contradicts herself later in the scene’s wrap-up. Inconsistencies like that didn’t bode well for the rest of the story for me. Their connection begins something neither wants to end but distance and lifestyles may become too much for them to overcome so they decide to hold off on pursuing anything beyond the platonic connection.
Honestly, though, that’s all Kinley’s decision. Brian merely agrees to go along with that until he can wear her down and prove that he’s in it for her, for the long haul. I enjoyed Brian’s character more than Kinley’s. There was something a bit more genuine and determined about him that charmed me more than Kinley’s avoidance and hesitance.
I felt that the first half of the book was quite juvenile and superficial in writing style. It was difficult for me to get into the story and I honestly skimmed so much you’d think I skipped whole chapters. And truthfully? I didn’t miss out on anything. Everything read more like a teenager’s journal or diary entry. Once things became intimate, however, the punch was there. Though it really only packed a punch when the sexy times were being described. Otherwise the writing style still had the same ho-hum feeling of meh. Curse words added to the inner dialogue as well as during moments of intense exclamation in bed seemed thrown in so it wouldn’t feel like I was reading a YA author trying on a New Adult genre for size. The characters’ voices were also interchangeable. Though they experienced different things I couldn’t find much of a noted difference between the way each spoke. Neither of their personalities really shone through consistently.
I will say, though, that when their dramatic conflict came I didn’t really expect it. Not in the timing, but what actually happened. It was maybe third on my list of possibilities for conflict and one I shrugged off near the beginning when the exposition was detailing what to expect for each as individual characters. But to my surprise, it was handled quite well. I was impressed the way the author handled the emotional recovery. While there were things about the situation that bothered me as well as using so many timeline fastforwards, there wasn’t a way to wrap the book up in the few pages the author left herself to finish the story satisfactorily.
Despite all that, their ending was sweet and well-earned. Their supporting cast was definitely supportive and I wouldn’t mind reading their stories as they come out. I liked the story but am far from loving it. This is my first book by this author and I’m on the fence about seeking them out for more. They did tackle deep issues as well as effectively kept the story mostly light and happy so they do have a few things going for them that I commend.
In this book two of the Indianapolis Eagles series we follow defensive hockey player Brian Kelly. One of the biggest man whore’s on the team. Brian wants more and is tired of the life he is living. Yeah he has it all… women, fame, money and more women, but it isn’t enough anymore. When he goes to vacation in Alaska with his teammates he meets Kinley Williams and she rocks his foundation. Not only is Kinley hot as hell but she is sweet and has a thirst for life that pulls me to her. Except for one problem she lives here and I live too far away and Kinley isn’t the type of woman who goes for a one night stand, not that one night with her would ever be enough. Only problem is I don’t know if I can walk away from her now or ever. What an amazing read. Kinley and Brian are so perfect together. I love how their relationship was a slow burn. The characters were so well developed and I loved how Scott and Becca returned into the story as well because I feel in love with them in book one: Just Say Yes. This is one series that I will be returning to over and over again. Definitely a must read!!!
Usually this author’s books go straight to my heart and just do a number on me, unfortunately while I liked the story and all that happened, for some reason I couldn’t connect with them. I read it and it wasn’t a bad read it just fell kinda flat. I love that there are carryover characters to connect with but these two while full of passion and heat just didn’t do it for me. It isn’t a bad read and while there are some things that would normally have me bawling like a baby it didn’t happen. I realize I’m in the minority here and since this authors books are normally a straight up win for me I will most definitely read more of her work.
This is the second book in the Indianapolis Eagles series. There are some events in both books that overlap (occurred in both books, but told from different points of view) but it’s done in such a way that you would not be lost if you hadn’t read book 1. That being said, I highly recommend reading the books in order, because events in book 2 contain spoilers for book 1, Just Say Yes.
Kinley is best friends with Becca, from book 1. She, too, is a nurse, from Alaska. She is a smart, independent woman, that has had no luck with relationships. Brian is a teammate of Scott’s, and has always been a player. He finds his outlook changing, but isn’t quite sure what to do with that.
This book, despite an instant connection between the main characters, is a slow-burn. They take their time, and I find that very refreshing. The relationship seems very real, because of that. They get to know each other before jumping into bed, and the relationship seems stronger for it. There are lots of issues for them to work through, and they might not have been able to get through them otherwise.
The connection between the characters was beautiful and pure. I totally enjoyed this book, just as much as I did Just Say Yes. There are some spots that brought out the tears, and were tough to get through because of that, but it just made the book that much better, in my opinion. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone that is enjoys sports romances, and is maybe looking for something that is a little different paced than most of what is on the market today. It was a great read, that I thoroughly enjoyed!