Author: Kelly Jamieson
Publisher: Loveswept
Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: Amazon
Type: Novel in a Series
Provided by Publisher
Blurb: Duncan Armstrong may be an NHL star, but he’s a country boy at heart. His ultimate fantasy is going home with the Stanley Cup, not a gold-digging airhead who aspires to be a trophy wife and nothing more. Newly single and hoping to enjoy a night out with his teammates, he ends up hitting it off with a down-to-earth waitress who’s a complete breath of fresh air—until Duncan learns that she’s a part-time model. He tries to forget about her, but their sizzling chemistry has him coming back for more.
Amber is working hard to put herself through school, and has zero interest in dating a professional athlete. She’s seen firsthand how fame and fortune can mess with their heads—her father’s brilliant football career ended in a firestorm of addiction and infidelity. So Duncan’s attentions immediately have her on the defensive. Still, there’s something different about him. And once she stops trying to freeze him out, irresistible temptation turns into all-consuming passion.
Review: I’m all about these Chicago aces hockey players, and this book was just as great as the previous ones in the series. This time, we got the story of Duncan Armstrong or Army to his teammates. He’s proven himself to be a loyal brother and incredibly sweet as such, but in this book we get to meet Duncan the man. And while he may prefer Duck Dynasty to foreign films, he’s smart enough to know when he’s being used. Which is why at the onset of the book he’s dumping his model girlfriend, Melissa.
Amber Johnson might work at a sports bar but she has no intention of dating a professional athlete. She’s getting her degree and is fiercely independent. Her part-time work as a model plus her waitressing job don’t pay the big bucks, so she’s got lots of student loans to pay off as soon as she gets a job, but she’s excited about it. She wants to make Chicago a better place and she’s got big plans. Dating Duncan is not what she intended to do, but he’s just so sweet and unassuming that she keeps forgetting that he’s a public figure. He’s fun and she’s been missing that in her life.
But when their relationship gets outed and her past comes to light, will he still be interested?
These two worked well together, and I really was cheering them on. Unfortunately, their insecurities were a perfect match as well–she didn’t want publicity and he didn’t want to feel used for his money. Things happened that triggered each of their issues, and it took some time and thoughtful development to work it out. Kelly used their characters in such a positive way, highlighting his wanting to help her paired against her need to prove she could take care of herself; his desire to want to be cared about for himself and her realizing that was a touch point for him. The reader got to see how they worked together to find compromises.
Sizzling hot action on and off the ice makes this a great read! Thanks so much!
