As a fan of sports-themed romances and the sexy athletes that play in this exhilarating world, I'm thrilled to introduce you to the hot-shot hockey star teeming with sensuality and the good girl trying to stay that way. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Perfect Sense by Amanda Cowen, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour. In honor of this first installment in the Perfect series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a Kindle e-Reader too!
He’s gorgeous.
He’s reckless.
And he’s every woman’s dirty fantasy in the state of California.., except one… Quinn Ashby.
Recent graduate of Penn and top of her class, Quinn is whip smart, ambitious and interning as the new marketing coordinator for the Bexley Bruisers American Hockey League team. The last thing she needs is to waste her time on guys…especially one as lethal to her focus as Cash Brooks.
But once the bad boy hockey star tempts her into his world, threatening her professional future, she’s forced to decide whether to let him into her heart…or to leave him behind forever.
He’s reckless.
And he’s every woman’s dirty fantasy in the state of California.., except one… Quinn Ashby.
Recent graduate of Penn and top of her class, Quinn is whip smart, ambitious and interning as the new marketing coordinator for the Bexley Bruisers American Hockey League team. The last thing she needs is to waste her time on guys…especially one as lethal to her focus as Cash Brooks.
But once the bad boy hockey star tempts her into his world, threatening her professional future, she’s forced to decide whether to let him into her heart…or to leave him behind forever.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
As a reader who enjoys sports-themed romances I always celebrate a new addition to the genre. With this tale of a bad boy with a very dark past and a good girl struggling to stay that way readers are taken on a very rocky journey that's only just beginning with this series starter. While there's much to recommend this book there's also a bit of roughness to the narrative and a few issues with the heroine that left me frustrated but still enjoying this story on a whole.
Quinn had a rough childhood with an alcoholic mother struggling with a mental disorder and a father more concerned with appearances than dealing with the problems. It forced her into growing up far too quickly, thrust into the role of an adult, where her main goal was being perfect in the eyes of her father. While her sister was allowed to live her life as she saw fit, Quinn lived a life according to her father. She pushed her dreams aside to become the daughter he dreamed of and there were still many times where it didn't satisfy him. He always seemed to find fault with her and she simply responded with a smile, letting him walk all over her and use his disappointment to crush her spirit. It's not until she meets bad boy hockey player, Cash, that she finally starts living. Being with him brings out her wild side, makes her more likable as she becomes less judgmental. She becomes more vibrant in his presence and I found her more sympathetic as she opened up to Cash. It's too bad that her father's negative feelings regarding love have tainted her outlook on love and constantly have her doubting Cash. I had hoped that Cash would've given her the strength to live her own life but ultimately readers are left hanging as to her HEA.
Cash too has lived a life full of loss and it's left him bruised, battling addictions and desperate to find a purpose beyond hockey. While he's still at the top of his game his off-the-ice actions are putting his career in jeopardy. Fear, anger, and grief combine to make him self-destructive and have left him with a reputation he can't seem to shake. It's a reputation of being a partying womanizer who everyone loves to hate for all his fights on and off the ice. Though he loves giving his fans what they want he's tired of living a lie. The moment he meets Quinn though he finally feels alive, no longer needing his vices just to feel something. Though they're complete opposites they fit together perfectly as she gives him a reason to be a better man while he lets her embrace the wild side of life and do what she's always longed to do. Cash has had a lot of tragedies in life that he feels responsible for and which had me aching for him. With so much loss he's closed himself off and kept many of his secrets hidden. It puts his relationship with Quinn in doubt but it's understandable as he's tired of being manipulated and used by others. He came to depend on Quinn but the constant push and pull between them kept me on edge as I felt she didn't treat him as I thought he deserved. He gave her so much, loved her so much, that it hurt me when she inadvertantly hurt him. Throughout most of the story he flashed sexy and snarky smiles with subtle dirty talk that had me drooling, but it was his rare tears and introspection that completely won me over and had me wanting to hug him. He's the reason I kept reading, despite my frustrations with Quinn, and is the reason why I'll come back for the next installment as his struggles haunt me still.
This story was a bit rough around the edges with a narrative that sometimes felt clunky. Quinn too left me frustrated as she let her father run her life, along with her new boss who let his inappropriate feelings belittle her further. I desperately wanted her to fight for herself, and for the joy she found with Cash, but that time isn't yet. The secondary characters were an entertaining bunch from her wild and over-the-top sister Lyndsey to Cash's hockey friends/teammates Louis and Fisher who support him despite everything he's done. While the romance between Cash and Quinn felt like a tug-of-war at times, it was also sweet and sexy, as seen through their numerous encounters that were also playful and ultimately brought out a relaxed and carefree side to Cash. The hockey scenes also showed a carefree Cash, showed a joy for the sport that means so much to him, in vividly depicted and exhilarating action scenes. Despite the quibbles I had it's Cash that makes this story! He's a complex character who exudes sexiness but who's broken inside and it's clear that at any moment he'll shatter. He has a lot of baggage weighing him down and by the end of the story everything comes to a head in a heartbreaking cliffhanger. Readers will find much to debate about in this tale, but it's a compelling read that pulled me in the moment I first saw Cash and I look forward to seeing how the ramifications of his secret play out in the next installment.
Quinn had a rough childhood with an alcoholic mother struggling with a mental disorder and a father more concerned with appearances than dealing with the problems. It forced her into growing up far too quickly, thrust into the role of an adult, where her main goal was being perfect in the eyes of her father. While her sister was allowed to live her life as she saw fit, Quinn lived a life according to her father. She pushed her dreams aside to become the daughter he dreamed of and there were still many times where it didn't satisfy him. He always seemed to find fault with her and she simply responded with a smile, letting him walk all over her and use his disappointment to crush her spirit. It's not until she meets bad boy hockey player, Cash, that she finally starts living. Being with him brings out her wild side, makes her more likable as she becomes less judgmental. She becomes more vibrant in his presence and I found her more sympathetic as she opened up to Cash. It's too bad that her father's negative feelings regarding love have tainted her outlook on love and constantly have her doubting Cash. I had hoped that Cash would've given her the strength to live her own life but ultimately readers are left hanging as to her HEA.
Cash too has lived a life full of loss and it's left him bruised, battling addictions and desperate to find a purpose beyond hockey. While he's still at the top of his game his off-the-ice actions are putting his career in jeopardy. Fear, anger, and grief combine to make him self-destructive and have left him with a reputation he can't seem to shake. It's a reputation of being a partying womanizer who everyone loves to hate for all his fights on and off the ice. Though he loves giving his fans what they want he's tired of living a lie. The moment he meets Quinn though he finally feels alive, no longer needing his vices just to feel something. Though they're complete opposites they fit together perfectly as she gives him a reason to be a better man while he lets her embrace the wild side of life and do what she's always longed to do. Cash has had a lot of tragedies in life that he feels responsible for and which had me aching for him. With so much loss he's closed himself off and kept many of his secrets hidden. It puts his relationship with Quinn in doubt but it's understandable as he's tired of being manipulated and used by others. He came to depend on Quinn but the constant push and pull between them kept me on edge as I felt she didn't treat him as I thought he deserved. He gave her so much, loved her so much, that it hurt me when she inadvertantly hurt him. Throughout most of the story he flashed sexy and snarky smiles with subtle dirty talk that had me drooling, but it was his rare tears and introspection that completely won me over and had me wanting to hug him. He's the reason I kept reading, despite my frustrations with Quinn, and is the reason why I'll come back for the next installment as his struggles haunt me still.
This story was a bit rough around the edges with a narrative that sometimes felt clunky. Quinn too left me frustrated as she let her father run her life, along with her new boss who let his inappropriate feelings belittle her further. I desperately wanted her to fight for herself, and for the joy she found with Cash, but that time isn't yet. The secondary characters were an entertaining bunch from her wild and over-the-top sister Lyndsey to Cash's hockey friends/teammates Louis and Fisher who support him despite everything he's done. While the romance between Cash and Quinn felt like a tug-of-war at times, it was also sweet and sexy, as seen through their numerous encounters that were also playful and ultimately brought out a relaxed and carefree side to Cash. The hockey scenes also showed a carefree Cash, showed a joy for the sport that means so much to him, in vividly depicted and exhilarating action scenes. Despite the quibbles I had it's Cash that makes this story! He's a complex character who exudes sexiness but who's broken inside and it's clear that at any moment he'll shatter. He has a lot of baggage weighing him down and by the end of the story everything comes to a head in a heartbreaking cliffhanger. Readers will find much to debate about in this tale, but it's a compelling read that pulled me in the moment I first saw Cash and I look forward to seeing how the ramifications of his secret play out in the next installment.
My rating for this is a B-/C+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Amanda Cowen can be found eating cupcakes, singing off-key, or watching a good RomCom when she isn’t trapped on her computer writing stories and delighting her imagination. She has been writing since the ripe age of twelve about ponies and princesses in brightly colored duo-tangs with metallic pens. Thankfully, she now has a Mac with a keyboard where she can write about love, sex and relationships. She is an “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fanatic, a hater of roller-coasters and a country music junkie. She lives in Thunder Bay, ON where the summers are short and the winters are long.
Her next Contemporary Romance/New Adult Fiction novel TAINTED (The Wyatt Series #1) will be available in Summer 2014.
Amanda would love to hear from her readers.
WEBSITE: http://www.amandacowen.com
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6913682.Amanda_Cowen
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