A second chance may be just what James Steele needs… I might be one of the older players on the Arizona Vengeance, but I like to think that also makes me one of the wisest. Or at least I used to.Turns out, I’ve been a bit selfish. I’ve been married to hockey and my team for years, which hasn’t left much time for my actual wife, Ella. Now I’m juggling a separation I never wanted, the pressure of … of being a single dad to our teenage daughter, and the career I sacrificed it all for. While my game on the ice might be on fire, the game in my personal life is clearly lacking, as evidenced by the fact I just saw my wife on a date with another man. If I have any hope of saving the family I love, I need to re-prioritize, and fast. So it’s time for me to get back to fundamentals, just like I did when I learned how to play hockey. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and romancing my wife is a challenge I am very much looking forward to. Time to put on my game face, because I’m in it to win it.
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A marriage in crisis. One arrogant hockey player not willing to give up on his marriage. A wife who feels like an afterthought and strong enough to realize she has to make her self a priority and not continue to be an after thought.
Romance doesn’t stop just because you got married. It also matters that both people in the marriage are heard and that their feelings are important. There is a reason you marry someone but you also need to remember why you fell in love with them.
Jim Steele found out that hard way that when you stop giving priority to your wife you lose her. To took guts and strengths for Ella to kick Jim out and separate. Losing Ella and seeing her start to date another guy forces Jim to face some tough truths.
I really wasn’t sure that Steele could do it. He had to rewire his brain to make sure his family is his first thought and hockey second. He had to show that he was all in all the time and not just when it worked for his hockey schedule.
This story also shows the love of a family that isn’t always blood. We see how a community loves you and accepts you all the while helping you be a better version of yourself. This is one of the things I just love about Hockey Romances. The team is a family. They are there to help pick up the pieces and cheer you on with your success. Sawyer Bennett does this amazingly well.
This was a 5-star read for me. We don’t get many marriage in trouble romances, but I love them. I like the added layer of the characters knowing each other so deeply and having to fix what is broken.
Jim Steele is the second line left winger on the Arizona Vengeance and his hockey game is on fire…..too bad his marriage is also on fire and quickly going down in flames. It’s been six months since his wife, Ella, asked him to move out. She feels he puts more time and effort into everything else except her and their 13 year old daughter, Lucy. To say this was an eye opener to Steele is an understatement…..especially after he sees Ella out on a date with another man. This kicks Steele’s butt into gear to after what he really wants most in the world….his wife and daughter!
Ella is cautious at first but decides to give Jim a chance to try and win her back. As Jim starts the wooing process, Ella starts to see signs of the man she first fell in love with. Just when you think these two are going to find their way back to each other, real life gets in the way. It will take a huge leap of faith for these two to find their happy ever after again but they finally do.
I just loved Steele. He deep down really loved his wife and daughter, he just didn’t realize that he wasn’t showing them that anymore. I really enjoyed watching him woo Ella. It was fun and flirty and gave you all those good feels. Overall I really loved this story of second chances and loved their happy ending.
Another in the Arizona Vengeance series, although as always a standalone, this book was an interesting turn for me. Instead of “finding and chasing” a romance and HEA, this time one of the hockey players, Jim Steele, is separated from his wife and daughter. They had been married for 14 years, and Ella is feeling very neglected, so much so, that she told Steele to “get out.” As someone long married, I related to this book very easily. Both Steele and Ella were strong characters ( and loved 13 yr old daughter Laura ) but Steele has realized after 6 months of separation that he wants to win back his wife. Ella is not convinced and Steele has his work cut out for him. Figuring out how to meld work life and family life is something many married couples face, and as always Sawyer Bennett gives us a strong story with wonderful, thoughtful, mature characters. I Loved It!
This book is so cute! I love how he wins her back and their sweet daughter helps! Such a sweet story filled with hope!
Jim Steele is a dedicated hockey professional. He takes his career seriously and knows he has to work harder because he’s getting older. What he doesn’t anticipate is that after years of making hockey #1 in his life, his wife would ask him for a divorce.
Ella wants a man who puts her first, not second after his career. She’s even dating, or at least trying to even though she still has feelings for her husband.
When Steele decides he is going to woo his wife back, it’s game on.
I really liked this story. It’s a bit different in that the love relationship is already established, but Jim Steele does an amazing job of wooing! (although I can’t imagine any man saying or thinking “heart of hearts”). There’s no extra curricular activities during their separation (except for each other) and this is just a sweet story of a man who really loves his wife. He just has to realize that taking care of his family means taking care of his wife too, and not just financially.
This is a story about career versus family and the line between them. It’s also a story of what is important and the sacrifices made in the name of love. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story and found myself relating to Jim’s dilemma of wanting to be the best at hockey and keeping his family together. It’s a love story all the way.
A complementary copy was provided. This is my honest review.
Jim Steele plays on the second line for the Arizona Vengeance. Riding high on the success of the Vengeance, Steele is not fairing so well in his private life – separated from his wife and struggling to maintain a relationship with his teenage daughter. Steele is fueled to actively try and repair his marriage when he sees his estranged wife out on a date.
Told in dual POV, the reader is able to get insight into Steele’s relationship with Ella – where their relationship failed; Steele’s determination to actually fix the issues; and Ella’s skepticism that things will actually change.
Steele and Ella have off the charts chemistry, they burn up the pages – their love for each other and their daughter is strong. Will they be able to find a way back to each other?
I enjoyed this installment in the Arizona Vengeance series – it was an entertaining, easy read, and, as always, I enjoyed hearing more on the other characters within the series. Advanced copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I love a second chance romance. And this one is a marriage in crisis. Steele loves his wife but he put his hockey career ahead of his wife and teenage daughter. He thought things were ok. Little by little Ella pulled away and decided she wanted more. So they separate. Only Steele doesn’t like seeing her with another man. So he decides to win her back. I love watching him work out in his head how to go about this. It wasn’t easy and I wasn’t sure they were gonna make it. This series just keeps getting better.
This book is a little different as it’s about second chances between husband and wife. Jim Steele is in need of a reality check and Ella his wife is giving him one. She won’t be invisible anymore. It’s not that he wants anyone else he’s just not showing her he wants her. Steele wants back in his family so he pulls out all the stops to prove he’s changed. I loved this book, Jim stalking Ella on a date, the puppy, and even the screaming about the misunderstanding that their daughter helps with. So good.
Love the Arizona Vengeance series. This book is part of a series, but I suppose you could read it as a stand alone. Jim Steele and his wife Ella are the stars of this book. Yes, they are married, so this is a good book to show what married couples go through. It’s not always a bed of roses and sometimes your job just gets in the way. I have to admit that I wanted to slap Ella a few times and then other times I was like, “yep, I get ya girl.”. I was more of a Jim fan throughout, so I was rooting him on and giving Ella the evil eye. Dual point of view. No cliffhanger.
Jim Steeles story is the perfect addition to the Arizona Vengeance series and I really really enjoyed it!
With marital issues and a child, Jim has had a difficult time! But his wife more so. The way hockey took over their marriage and Jim not paying her enough attention she has sought friendship elsewhere! Jim may be a caring father however he still loves his wife and daughter and will do anything to have them back!
This book was heartbreaking to be quite honest and I honestly just wanted a happy ending!
Needless to say the words written were wonderful and Ms Bennett really gave their story so much heart!
Jim definitely has some big decisions and the support and advice from all on his team is extraordinary!
Steele (Arizona Vengeance #9) by Sawyer Bennett. We first get to really know Steele in Kane. They embarked on a spying expedition on Steele’s wife when she was on a date. High School sweethearts with over 13 years of marriage Steele’s wife put him out over 5 months ago. Now Steele realizes the errors of his ways and wants his family back. Seeing James trying to win his wife back was quite the journey, a journey I truly enjoyed going on. Ella felt invisible to her husband. She loved him and their sex life was off the charts but she was tired playing second fiddle to his career. As with the previous stories in the series we get to catch up with the rest of the gang plus get a sneak peek into the next book. The ladies in the series are quite the cast of characters. A sisterhood like no other. A truly enjoyable story of second chance love and Steele definitely pulled out all the stops in order to get his family back. Heck any woman who has been married for a long time and feels neglected by their spouse would love to be romanced back into love again. Steele had me hook line and sinker. I would take him back. Wish my husband could learn a lesson or two from Steele. A 5 star read for me.
Steele is book 9 in the Arizona Vengeance series about Jim and his wife Ella. They have been separated for about 6 months at the start of the book. Ella had asked Jim to leave when she had enough of him choosing non-mandatory hockey practices and his friends over their family and daughter. It took him a bit to come to his senses and he decides to work on changing and making his wife and daughter a priority. I really enjoyed this second chance romance and seeing Jim work on changing and realizing how much Ella did and how much he took her for granted. This was a sweet book to continue the series. I can’t wait for the next one.
Man, am I a sucker for a great sports romance and what better way to appease my soul than with another hottie from the Arizona Vengeance! This is the ninth book in this series and with this story comes a man on a mission to win back his wife.
Oh, how I loved Steele and Ella’s story of second chances. Steele was sweet, determined and eager to win back his wife. Ella was sassy, knew what she wanted and refused to settle for anything less! These two were addicting and so darn swoon-worthy together that you can’t help but inhale this story.
If you love a beautiful, heartwarming, second chance sports romance that will leave you so in love with this couple…….then you definitely want to read this book!
One of the best and swoon worthiest second-chance romance book I’ve read!!
As we knew from the previous book Jim and Ella separated on her wish. When she decided to move on and date again, Jim got his eyes opened and started to fight for her, to win her back!
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Oh my lord, I absolutely loved their book!! Jim gave his all in winning Ella back, and not only in material things. More like in the sentiment ways. Absolutely swoon worthy!!!
And Lucy played a great role in there.
As always, the other players, or say the rest of the big family, make their appearance, and I truly enjoy ‘seeing’ them. I also appreciate how the author gives a short ‘re-cap’ of how the couple’s met, so each book can absolutely be read as a stand-alone!!
*5 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book. I was really excited for this, after the little glimpse we got previously in Kane. I haven’t read. book before where the hero is trying to win back his wife. This was a fabulous story.
I was hooked right from the word go, and its an easy and fast read. Both main characters were likeable, and there was plenty of family time included with their daughter as well. Also some fun moments with our favourites from the Vengeance of course too.
I really liked the ease and flow of this one, and really don’t have much else to say apart from the fact that I just loved it and highly recommend it.
Jim and Ella Steele have been having martial struggles, and Ella finally declared they needed a separation. This was such a heartfelt, insightful second chance romance! I loved getting both their inner thoughts, especially Jim’s epiphany when he realizes just what he was about to lose. It’s sexy, it’s lovable, and it made me fall in love with him so hard! And Ella deserves everything she wants in her marriage. I really enjoyed getting her thoughts, her doubts, and her emotions. It all felt so real. And Lucy was the perfect teenage angsty daughter. This book was perfect!
Steele is the 9th book in the Arizona Vengeance Series and is a second chance romance. James “Jim Steele” and Ella have been married for a while now, High School sweethearts. Things just got stale. Steele has been out with the guys and not attending to his wife. He was caught by surprise when Ella asked him to move out.
You can’t say that Steele doesn’t learn from his mistakes! He is doing all the right things and is willing to fight to win her back.
We got to see his sexy side as well as the family side of him. It was great to catch up with the friends and family from the Arizona Vengeance team players. Each of these books in this series can be read as standalones but of course you will get more out of these books by starting back at book 1.
Steele was another enjoyable book within this series. Jett Olsson’s story is next.
I really loved this second chance romance! It was a story that definitely pulled at my heartstrings. The story was the perfect mix of sweet and steamy. The author did a wonderful job in creating these characters and making us fall in love with them while they went through their ups and downs. My favorite part is that it wasn’t your typical second change. Jim Steele is trying to win back his wife. That is a storyline you don’t often see so I loved the fresh storyline. I was definitely rooting for them the whole time! The author did a great job with the writing. I was engaged with the story the whole time. Steele is definitely a must read!
4 ’s!!!!
Steele has spent his whole life living his dream of playing hockey. Emma was Steele’s high school sweetheart, whom he married and took along with him on his road to the Pros. Emma knew what she signed up for & was o.k. with it, but after having their daughter, Lucy, it seems that the only one who’s life changed because of their daughter was Emma. Steele continued to play hockey (which is fine), but choosing to spend your free time hanging out with your teammates instead of your wife & child? Ahhhh; just….no.
Emma had decided that she’d had enough and told Steele to move out. Now, in Steele’s mind, he was doing everything right, because he was taking care of his family financially, making sure Lucy could attend any college she wanted, and giving them everything they needed……except for his time.
When Emma decides to move on & start dating again, that’s the wake-up call Steele needs to realize that he really has lost her. He’s now made it his mission to try & win his family back, But with Lucy not really enjoying her “weekends with dad” & Emma moving on, is it too late to make amends?
This is a cute, second-chance romance. It’s a quick read, with all the characters you love from the prior books in this series. Very enjoyable!
Loved this second chance romance.
So if you read Kane’s story, then you have probably been clamoring for Steele’s story as I have. I adore second chance romances – it’s my favorite trope and this one does NOT disappoint.
Jim Steele was prepared to let his wife, Ella go when she asked for a separation. That all changes when he sees that she is actually moving on with someone new. Now I wanted to kick Jim in the butt for taking so long to fight for his marriage, but once he did – all bets were off.
Jim’s character was very real and Ella’s character was very conflicted. There were real reasons why she asked Jim to leave and Jim needs to do some soul searching to figure out why and how to move forward.
I loved the romance, the steam, even the conflict as it wasn’t an easy way back into his marriage. And the whole crew making cameos was great and it is always a treat to get future glimpses into their lives.
This was an anticipated read and Sawyer Bennett does not let me down, once again. Totally loved this book and love this Vengeance team!!
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.