May 2018 – Page 5

* Review * SHUTDOWN PLAYER by Jami Davenport

Shutdown Player by Jami Davenport
Series: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey
Published by Cedrona Enterprises on April 27, 2018
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After a brief marriage to an unfaithful, gold-digging wife, Jared Roderick is looking for the perfect good girl, and he thinks he’s found her. Sweet, quiet, prim Stephanie Clarke is exactly the woman he wants and nothing like his cheating ex. Now to convince a reluctant Steph they were meant to be together.

Steph has had enough of men controlling her life from her preacher father to her abusive boyfriend. She wants to regain the innocence she lost and ignore the ugliness of her recent past. She’s not the pure and sheltered virgin Jared is looking for and fends off his advances despite the sizzling chemistry between them.

Jared is as determined to win Steph over as he is to win hockey games; but when his fantasy becomes tarnished, does he have the strength to skate the distance?

With the next book in the Seattle Sockeyes hockey series, we get Jared & Steph’s story. We’re familiar with them both from previously in the series, so the story flows well even from the start of the book. We get to see check in on some of our favorite previous characters along the way and watch Jared & Steph finagle their way through difficulties from their past still haunting them and seeing if they can overcome it all to be the support each other needs to move forward in a relationship. It wasn’t my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed it and it was a solid read!

Jared “Hot Rod” Roderick might still be feeling the pain from his recently ended marriage to a cheating gold-digger, but he’s not one to serial date or remain single for long. He loves being half of a relationship, so he’s setting his sights on finding the woman of his dreams. A sweet and loyal good girl … and he thinks he’s just met her!

Stephanie Clarke is doing whatever it takes to make ends meet while she picks up the pieces of her stomped on life. She recently got away from an abusive boyfriend and wants to turn her life around to be more of the person she truly wants to be instead of the things he coerced her into becoming. She’s far from the innocent angel that Jared is looking for, but he’s such a nice guy that she figures what can it hurt if he doesn’t know her past for just a little while.

* Review * UNWRITTEN by Rachel Lacey

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Unwritten by Rachel Lacey
Series: Rock Star Duet #1
Published by Rachel Lacey on May 1, 2018
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Pop sensation and Hollywood star Katherine Hayes has worked hard to maintain her squeaky-clean image. But with nude photos going viral on the internet, the ensuing smear campaign threatens to ruin everything.

A chance meeting with a handsome college professor—who’s adorably clueless about her identity—is a rare break from the stress. But when shocked recognition dawns in his eyes, her survival mechanism kicks in. She can’t simply let him walk away to add grist to the rumor mill.

Josh Randall has already loved and lost his soulmate. Yet when he witnesses Kate in a vulnerable moment, he can’t deny the pull between them. Even though he believes down to his bones that true love doesn’t come twice in a lifetime.

A no-strings fling sounds like the perfect solution. But Kate never expected Josh to see the woman hiding behind the celebrity—or that the paparazzi would catch on to their sizzling passion so quickly. Making it hard to keep their tangled emotions from tearing their hearts apart when it’s time to say goodbye…

Sweet, sensual and electrifyingly real! With the first book in her brand new Rock Star Duet, Rachel Lacey dazzles us with the story of a down-to-earth pop star facing ugly scandal and a harsh past coming back to bite her when she least expects it. As if he was sent to her at the time she was going to need him most, she meets an unbelievably kind soul of a man that she just instantly connects with. She’s hesitant to trust anyone with her secrets, and he doesn’t think love can strike twice, but the two of them together sparkle in a magical way that just works. It felt a little long as I was reading it, but the drama was spaced well throughout to keep our attention, and the characters were easy to become enthralled with. Detailed descriptions of settings and feelings left the picture painted in our mind as we traveled this trying path with Kate and hoped against hope that she’d get that happy ending she so richly deserved. Loved it!

Pop star Katherine Hayes has worked unbelievably hard to reach the top in her career. She adores her fans, and loves the work that put her on top, but fake nude pictures being spread across the internet are threatening to tank her career! She’s anxious to set the record straight and get out from under this ugly cloud, but just when it seems things are on the right track, surprise after surprise pops out of the woodwork to derail her progress!

College professor Josh Randall has no idea who Kate is when he meets her during a walk through Central Park. They strike up a conversation and really enjoy each other’s company, but once she’s outed as a superstar, he backs away. Lucky for him Kate is persistent and insists that he have dinner with her to let her apologize for pulling the wool over his eyes. Josh lost the love of his life two years ago, and he knows he’ll never feel that way about another person again … but when Kate suggests a two week fling while she’s in New York, how can he resist this gorgeous dynamo??