As the man-of-honor in the most anticipated sports wedding of the year, Jameson O’Connor has a problem. He needs a date. But his best friend, who is also the bride-to-be, keeps scaring them away. On accident.
Through the course of planning the bridal shower, shopping for wedding gowns, and hosting bachelorette parties, Jameson finally meets a girl who can hang. Or so he thinks. When he meets Regan Turner at a basketball game, Jameson has no idea she’s hockey royalty.
Because of her upbringing, Regan is through with hockey players and wants no part of them. She assumes Jameson is an athlete because of the company he keeps. But she likes him. And Jameson is persistent. He won’t take no for an answer.
Jameson likes the sporty blonde, wears her down with his charms, and Regan will be his date to the wedding. No matter how much convincing it takes to get her there.
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It's a whirlwind romance readers get to be a part of as a hard working videogame creator finds himself drawn to the daughter of hockey royalty. From start to finish emotional ups and downs, obligations and desires, weigh on this appealing couple to keep their HEA in doubt while I rooted for them every step of the way.
Introduced in the first installment of the Face-Off series, Jameson's been Charlie's best friend since their days in foster care. It was them against the world and they vowed that they'd make something of themselves one day. Years later and they're still tight-knit, even with Charlie's engagement to a hockey star, and Jameson's ready to do his duty as Man of Honor at her upcoming wedding. Seeing her happiness is infectious, and amongst all the chaos of wedding planning, he finds himself drawn to a tiny bundle of energy who challenges him. Meeting Regan catches him off guard as he's never thought of having a relationship before but being with her has him thinking of the future. His dedication to work though puts their future in doubt and has him making big changes that brought this romance to a cheer-worthy conclusion. Jameson's a delicious hero who would clearly do anything for his friend. He's willing to embarrass himself and take a ribbing from the hockey players who inhabit their world, which endeared him to me. When it comes to love though he's torn between striving for success and his happiness. It's a common conflict in real life and I'm happy to see it addressed here as it gave this story a relatable dose of realism.
Regan's the kind of heroine you can see yourself hanging out with. She's not overly girly, enjoys sports, and is more comfortable in casual attire than glamorous garb. She's well-liked, outgoing, with a personality that's similar to Charlie. That's probably part of the reason why Jameson's first attracted to her, while her interest in gaming and ability to forgive his numerous cancellations for work further intrigues him. Regan loves hockey and is proud of her father's accomplishments but it's clear she longs for more when it comes to her career. She wants something just for herself instead of it being because of her pedigree and her rocky relationship with Jameson furthers her desire for change. Through all of the ups and downs in her steamy relationship with Jameson, Regan remains an immensely likable heroine who stands up for herself even when tempted by his unrelenting sensuality. Though Jameson was the star of this story, Regan was an enjoyable highlight who was more than a match for him.
Readers looking for a fast-paced romance with bits of humor and lots of sexiness will get just that with this fourth installment in the Face-Off series. Time together for this couple amounted to play in and out of the bedroom as well as interactions with characters from the previous books in this series. Those interactions were charming, brought a smile to my face, and made Jameson even more likable. Heartfelt talks balanced with scorching and clandestine encounters kept me invested in the relationship between these two appealing personalities while rooting for them to work past their issues to get their HEA. Fans of sports romances will find this a pleasant addition to the genre and will have them seeking out the previous installments in this series and greatly anticipating what Ms. Quinn crafts next.
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
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