Tuesday, March 10, 2015

[Kame's Review]: "Game Play"

Game Play by Lynda Aicher
Publisher: Carina Press (February 16, 2015)
Series: Power Play, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance -- Sports

One night, one time, nothing more. That's all it was supposed to be. They'd agreed their first night together would be their only night together—and Minnesota Glaciers defenseman Dylan Rylie was fine with that. Giant hickeys and claw marks on his ass had never been his style, even if the very memory of Samantha Yates's merciless sexual energy gets him hard within seconds. He needs to focus on getting a better contract, not mind-blowing orgasms.

One night, one time, nothing more. Fresh off representing the US at the Games and with nowhere else to play, Samantha gave in to one night of frantic passion with the Glaciers' brawny hotshot. She couldn't get hurt—not if she controlled the outcome. And she planned to leave Minnesota soon, anyway. She didn't expect to be recruited to coach Dylan after they'd gotten down and dirty.

When brutal on-ice workouts lead to kinky locker room sessions and "one night" falls by the wayside, Samantha insists on keeping things casual, despite Dylan's quiet hope for more. But when Dylan goes down—hard—and his career is in jeopardy, Samantha is the first one by his side. What will it take to keep her there after he's healed?



Where to Buy*:
More Info:


Kame's Review:


Samantha Yates’s hockey career is over, not due to an injury but the fact that she just doesn’t have a place to play on a serious competitive team anymore. She has played four years at college, even earned a silver medal at the Olympics however the desire to compete is still strong. Her life was hockey, now she must move forward and find her new purpose in life. Sam is invited to a fundraising hockey event which highlights Olympians and professional hockey players from the Glaciers. She watches hockey all the time and Dylan Rylie is a cocky defenseman that Sam knows she could beat, and that day she decided she would for the whole event to see.



He leaned toward her to be heard over the music. “I hear the steak is great here.”

“You’ve never been here?”

“Nope.” He glanced around. “Never had anyone I wanted to dance with.”



Samantha has a very hard time finding value in herself now she is not a hockey player. And that makes her resent hockey and people who are able to still play in serious competitive situations. It made her bitter, and for the first part of the book this bitterness just consumed her. Dylan has a goal of getting a contract out of the end of this season, he is focused, watches video, makes notes, and listens to his agent.  I was sad to realize his agent is all he has, that and his image. He works very hard to cultivate the image he thinks he needs to get the attention and the contract.  When Sam and Dylan met there was an attraction, but neither wanted to take the time to pursue, each too consumed with their own issues to see they were the perfect match. To me the initial sex scenes lacked emotional connection, it was straight hookup sex; I was at the point where I almost abandoned this book when there was an event that caused them to each acknowledge the connection and from that point forward it was a different book for me entirely.  Sam and Dylan let down their defenses and a relationship that blossomed.



“Cheers. And thank you again for the help.”

She clinked her bottle to his. “It’s been my pleasure, Mr. Rylie.”

He lifted a brow, his bottle suspended inches from his lips. “Mr. Rylie?”

“It’s better than Pretty Boy.”

He inclined his head. “Maybe…Samantha.”

“Sam,” she insisted. “Everyone calls me Sam but you. Why?”

His smile grew as he studied her. “Sam is the woman who kicks ass on the ice and fights for everything she’s achieved.” His expression softened somehow and he reached over to thread his fingers with hers. “That’s a pretty awesome person, but I think Samantha’s even better. She’s just like Sam but has this kind of vulnerable side too that’s really nice when you let her out.”




I want to point out that this isn’t like any hockey book I have read before, there is a lot of hockey in it. I am not an ardent fan of hockey - my extent of knowledge is when the puck goes in the net it’s a goal. I am sure there are some important details that were lost on me. As their relationship progressed the hockey took more of a back seat, and I think this is where the characters really grew and started to be ones I cared about. Actually I started to care about the whole team, and their friends. This is the first book in new series and I am hoping the next book in the series picks up where this one left off and we get to see more of the current hockey season, and Sam and Dylan.


4 STARS! 


~ * ~ * ~

Kame received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.

*Note: The quotes used belong to Lynda Aicher; Kame and TBQ's Book Palace do not claim them.

~ * ~ * ~



Thanks for the review, Kame! :) Sounds like the start to a great series! 

Have you read Lynda Aicher before? Do you have a favorite of hers?



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


Photobucket

  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

4 comments :

Red Iza said...

Not yet, but this one looks good, thanks for sharing :)

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

I have not read Lynda Aicher before.......thanks for the introduction Kame! Looks like a fun read.

Sharonda said...

I havent read her before, but I love that the story turned around for you, thats always a good thing ;)

KAMEBookReview said...

Thanks everyone - I am hopefully going to get book 2!