Friday, March 18, 2016

2 stars--Hawke (Cold Fury Hockey #5) by Sawyer Bennett

Just look at that cover. Lordy! That is one serious #Covergasm.

I was all excited about starting Hawke. I enjoy Bennett's books and, hello, hockey playing hottie. Woo! But my first thought when I finished this one? Damn. Apparently I read a totally different book than everyone else did. Hawke. Well it has an AMAZING cover. And that was my favorite thing about it.


The quick of it is that Hawke and Vale were hot and heavy in college. They had a terrible break--she dumps him harshly and out of the blue-- and for the past 7 years they've had no contact. Now though? They've found themselves working for the same hockey team--he's a player and she's on staff--and having to deal with each other and everything that happened in the past. A bumpy ride...it's gonna be complete with undeniable attraction, resentment and secrets finally coming out in the open.

Things started on rocky ground for me with two very immature college kids who were in love and party, get wasted, fuck and basically rinse and repeat and then have an out of the blue and cruel break up instigated by the heroine. I had no connection to them--that's just not a lifestyle I can understand at all--but they were young and I was holding hope that when things picked back up years later I'd have more of a connection to them. That...didn't really happen.

Okay so these two when they're adults. I actually liked Hawke more than I expected. While he still enjoyed tying one on he at least had grown up and was pretty reasonable about things. He's what kept me reading, actually. I still had some issues with him but as the book went I liked him more and more. Vale, though, I just never meshed well with her. Everything about her is theatrics. She reacted purely on emotions and never stopped to think or be rational which drives me crazy. She'd just fly off the handle at everything and can't say I was impressed with her. She broke up with him all those years ago and acted like HE was the one who was an asshole and had done her wrong (he hadn't).

"Well, let's go sit you in an ice bath," she says as she turns back to wash her hands at the sink.

"No fucking way," I growl. "Those things are torture and my balls will go into hibernation until next summer. Just an ice pack will do."

Vale chuckles without turning around to look at me. "Okay. Just an ice bag. I'll be right back." 
"Feeling adventurous?" he asks before scraping his teeth along my skin.

"Always with you," I tell him with naked honesty. "Always."

"That's my girl," he murmurs, and then his hands are everywhere."
 There were some funny moments between them and a couple sweet ones but overall I didn't really get their attraction to each other, either, other than they were hot and once upon a time had been in love so had that connection. But belief in their relationship...not so much.

The heat was there but it also icked me out quite often. These two have been apart for 7 years. They don't really know each other, she's engaged for a chunk of the book, he's had random hook ups for years and they...just have sex with no condoms and to quote the heroine... "I can't find it within me to even question the haste by with we just had sex with no protection." SERIOUSLY?! And this was the norm for them. Never a real discussion about it just endless unprotected sex. So unsexy to me. Have a little respect for yourself and the person your with. Goodness.

Anyways. There's tension, a time of reluctantly getting along, theatrics on the heroine's part, blaming of the hero for something he had no control over and then another ridiculous break up by the heroine which proved once again that she'd not changed at all over the years--
--because that's what rational adults do. Erms. A little discovery fixes everything but I just had no faith when closing the book that they'll actually stay together. So lackluster characters, no connection, absurd behavior/reactions...just didn't do it for me at all. Others seem to love it though so seems I'm missing something with this one. *shrugs*

Off the ice, elite defenseman Hawke Therrien enjoys his fair share of booze and good times. And why shouldn’t he? He’s worked his way up from the minor leagues and made himself a star. The only thing Hawke misses from that life is the pierced, tattooed free spirit who broke his heart without so much as an explanation. She’s almost unrecognizable when she walks back into his life seven years later—except for the look in her eyes that feels like a punch to the gut.

Vale Campbell isn’t the same girl she was at twenty. As crazy as she was about Hawke, her reckless behavior and out-of-control drinking were starting to scare her. She had to clean up her act, and that would never happen with Hawke around. Cutting him loose was the hardest thing Vale ever had to do—until now. Because she’s still crazy about Hawke. And if he could ever learn to forgive her, they just might have a future together.

  
*covers link to Amazon

Challenges: Pick Your Genre (contemp) | New to You (series) | Pervy Girl | Goodreads

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