Saturday, May 31, 2014

{Romance Review} On the Surface (In the Zone #1) by Kate Willoughby

{Romance Review} On the Surface (In the Zone #1) by Kate Willoughby

On the Surface (In the Zone, #1)
NHL player Tim Hollander lost his temper one time and threw a water bottle at an abusive fan. After "Bottlegate," he's traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he'll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.

Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who's never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim's autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.

Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can't get her to see beyond what's on the surface, they'll never last longer than a single season… (Blurb via Goodreads)
{Details} ebook, 272 pages. Published April 14th 2014 by Carina Press. Source: Netgalley. ebook provided in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Kate Willoughby and Carina Press.

{Rating} 4/5 -- I really liked it!

{Review}
"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" (page 1, line 1)
Fun and sexy and romantic. I liked Erin. She's a girl who is compassionate, sweet, and caring but she is also fierce and protects those she cares about with all that she has. I thought Tim was great, he's kind and honorable and has a great sense of humor. And I liked them together.

The storyline was fun and flirty with the real ups and downs of life, of career changes and challenges, of how the pain from past relationships impacts the present. I liked that their relationship felt real, they disagreed, they talked, they resolved things like adults. And the ending? Perfect.

I even liked the stuff about hockey - and I'm not a fan of sports - because Willoughby brought us the excitement of the sport and the real commitment the sport requires from the athletes. I look forward to reading other books in the In the Zone series.

No comments:

Post a Comment