A hockey star who likes to live on the edge finds his career, and his life, in shambles after driving drunk in this hockey-fueled romance that depicts the emotional journey to sobriety. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Alexei by Brenda Rothert, along with my impressions of it, then add this fifth installment in the Chicago Blaze series to your bookshelf!
Alexei
I guess the party’s over—for now.
When I wake up in the hospital after a DUI car crash, my new NHL team owner gives me an ultimatum – get sober or get packed for the minor leagues. So I talk the talk and go to rehab. I plan to breeze through, get sprung in 30 days or less and hit the road with my new team, the Chicago Blaze. All I have to do is charm my attractive, uptight rehab group leader into thinking I’ve changed—how hard could it be?
Graysen
I see right through Alexei Petrov.
My calling to save addicts from themselves before they self-destruct is deeply personal. Alexei’s hot and successful, sure. But he’s not okay, and he’s got a lot of work to do before graduating from my group. No one’s ever tested my boundaries like he does, though. I fight my desire and keep things professional, because the stakes couldn’t be higher—it’s not just my job that’s on the line, but also his life. The deeper we fall, though, the more he makes me question the mantra I live by: never trust your heart to an addict.
EXCERPT:
I must have one hell of a hangover. My alarm sounds like it’s underwater and my eyelids feel like they’re covered in concrete.
I try to tune out the alarm blaring from my phone. When it doesn’t work, I try to reach over to my nightstand and grab the phone, but my arm won’t move any easier than my eyelids.
Maybe it’s not a hangover. Am I knocked out on the ice right now? They may have to cart me off with a stretcher because there’s no way I’m gonna be able to stand up. If Mason McAllister knocked me out, I’ll jump that fucker’s ass as soon as I can stand, though. He’s a winger for Toronto, and he’s had it out for me since he found out his sister took me home after a game up there last year.
“I volunteer to give him a bath,” a female voice says.
There’s a chuckle and another woman says, “Get in line.”
Well shit. Two female voices means this is the morning after a threesome, and from the way my head’s pounding right now, that’s two more women than I feel like dealing with right now.
I open my mouth to speak, but all I can get out is a grunt. And then, finally, after what feels like a fucking year, my eyes slowly crack open. The bright light shining in my face makes me squeeze them closed immediately.
“Well, hi there,” a woman says. “It’s good to see you awake.”
I force my eyelids open again, squinting at her. She’s middle-aged, with graying hair and a warm smile. I mean…she’s not un attractive, but she’s quite a bit older than I usually go for.
Fuck. I must’ve gotten really hammered last night. I hope I was good in bed.
When I try to sit up, I can hardly move. This is the worst hangover I’ve ever had. Maybe it’s alcohol poisoning. Or maybe someone slipped something in my drink and fucked me up. Whatever’s going on, I just want to get the hell out of here and go sleep this off at home. There’s no way I can make it to practice this morning.
“Go get Dr. Harvey,” the middle-aged woman says to the one next to her.
I notice they’re both wearing pale green pajama tops and pants, kind of like scrubs. It hits me all at once—I’m in a hospital. The beeping wasn’t from my alarm, but from the machines I’m hooked up to.
That’s all I can make out so far. And since I can’t remember how I got here, my first instinct is to frantically check and see if all my body parts are still attached. But I’m still so groggy and slow that nothing’s moving as fast as I want it to.
“Alexei, you’re at Austin Memorial Medical Center,” the woman left in the room says to me. “My name is Sherrie and I’m a nurse here.”
When I try to speak, my throat is so dry I can’t make the words come out. Sherrie holds a cup with a straw up to my mouth and I take a sip, clearing my throat.
“You were in a car accident,” Sherrie says. “You’ve been in a medically-induced coma for around seventy-two hours now. The doctors wanted to give your body time to rest.”
I clear my throat again, using all my energy to get two words out. “How…bad?”
Sherrie smiles. “I’ll let the doctor talk to you about that. Just try to relax for now.”
My hospital bed is stationed at a slight upward incline, and I turn my head to survey my surroundings. It’s a regular old hospital room, almost every surface either beige or white. There’s a dry erase board with my name written on the top in blue marker, and the date scrawled beneath it is four days after the last day I remember.
A tall doctor with short dark hair comes into the room. “Alexei, I’m Dr. Harvey. How are you feeling?” “Tired,” I admit.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
After meeting Alexei Petrov in his brother Anton’s book I knew his story was going to be intense...and it definitely was. In dealing with his sex and alcohol addictions some hard truths were revealed throughout the story that kept readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Alexei may start off with a carefree attitude about his kind of fun, but when his career and his future are put in jeopardy he knows he must put in some hard work to truly reach HEA. Along the way he has his strong-willed counselor Greyson giving him the strength to deal with his past while keeping their burgeoning attraction on the back burner.
Alexei is always the life of the party...and getting more and more out of control. The night he crashes into a barn, discovers he’s way over the legal limit, and loses his place on his hockey team because of severe injuries is an eye-opening experience that means the party’s over. It’s off to rehab for him, rehab for his body and mind, and while there he learns things about himself that make him a better man in the end. It’s a journey that’s difficult, and Alexei doesn’t always sound heroic, but by the end he’s accepted his imperfections and made amends to those who needed it. Alexei is clearly a charmer at the start but has used those charms for far too long to keep his real feelings at bay, with him facing the truth about himself though I found him at his most attractive and he slowly endeared himself to me with each turn of the page.
Greyson Wells is a cool, calm, collected heroine who’s a great support to others which leaves her heart open to pain. After a childhood dealing with her father’s issues, and now her mothers, she’s closed herself off. She may not be interested in relationships right now, but the moment she meets Alexei her heart starts to race. She knows it’s wrong though and early on set boundaries to keep his recovery in the forefront of their actions. They lean on each other as friends, but nothing more is acted on until months later which left me counting down the chapters until they finally crossed that line...and at times it slowed the story down to a crawl. Despite that small quibble I liked this heroine. She was smart, honest, and didn’t take crap from Alexei, she made him think and forced him to stop laughing off life. She pushed him and I was cheering her on as she helped him become a better man.
The issue of addiction takes up a large part of this story and the author definitely didn’t sugarcoat things. She depicted characters with vivid realism, imperfections and all. Alexei’s therapy group were an intriguing blend with some individuals you’re clearly meant to like and know will succeed while some will stay stuck in a dangerous cycle. These scenes are intense at times and it’s where a lot of interactions occur between Alexei and Greyson as they slowly become friends. They both open up their hearts and it’s a sweet foundation for their much later romance. It’s a romance that’s ultimately a slow burn, one that I wished had progressed faster, but one that was steeped in realism and that needed to move slowly in order to flourish. I enjoyed seeing Anton, and Mia again too, and how much he clearly loves his brother and their reconnection warmed my heart. From the first page to the last this was a book that captivated me while introducing readers to a man made all the more admirable for embracing his imperfections. It’s about acceptance and unconditional love, and though not much hockey is played, it’s a fine addition to the Chicago Blaze series!
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE CHICAGO BLAZE SERIES:
AUTHOR INFO:
Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.
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