ARC Review: ‘The Romance Line’ by Lauren Blakely
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Romance Line
by Lauren BlakelySeries: Love and Hockey #2
Published by Self-Published on October 2, 2024
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: eArc
Pages: 500
Source: the author
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Performed with duet narration by Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin!
The first rule of handling PR for a hockey team? Never hook up with a player.
That shouldn’t be a problem since the last man on earth I want to give an image makeover to is our goalie. He’s infuriatingly hot, famously grumpy and lives to spar with me after every game. But shining up his rough edges is my path to landing the promotion I desperately need, so I grit my teeth and do my job. No matter how hard he makes it (especially with that sexy smirk and cool blue eyes.) As we travel from pose-with-a-pet photo opps to cuddle-a-kitten fundraisers, we bicker like it’s foreplay. Turns out it is. Because as I get to know the man behind the broody iceman exterior, it’s me that melts–right into his arms as he devastates me with a kiss that turns into the hottest, most forbidden night of my life.
Only once turns into every night as Max shows me how much he wants to take care of me. His possessive touch makes me feel adored for the first time in my life.
But the man is entirely off limits and I can’t risk my job for more of those soul-deep kisses.
Because the only thing worse than hooking up with a player is falling head over heels for him.
The Romance Line is an interconnected standalone in Lauren Blakely’s Love and Hockey series. Lauren has a talent for writing emotional stories for her characters, and that’s what Max and Everly’s story was to me. It tugged at my heartstrings while also making me smile and root for these two characters who initially disliked each other but ended up falling in love as they worked together closely.
I loved Every’s character and how take-charge she was not only with her job but with her life too. She was dealing with trauma and grieving someone she loved dearly in her own way. She was definitely a strong character, even though at times she didn’t think so, and she had a great group of friends who were there to support her along the way. I loved how determined Everly was to make a better image of Max, but she also respected his boundaries on what he was willing to share. Her growth in this story was moving and inspirational.
I loved Max’s character too, who was a grumpy goalie to the public eye, but privately, he was such a sweet and caring soul. Seriously, any guy who fosters kittens/cats and loves to give back to the community wins over my heart and I loved reading that side of Max. He even surprised Everly when she found out the real him. He had some understandable trust issues after what happened with his last relationship, but I loved how he finally started to trust in the end, especially when it came to Everly. However, he did drive me crazy with how he reacted toward the end of the book when it came to Everly and what he thought she was doing when it came to her job promotion. In the end, though, both characters realize what they need to fix the issue between them, and I loved how they got their happily ever after. what happens
This was another great installment in the Love and Hockey series, and I hope Lauren doesn’t stop writing sports romances. I love how she not only writes an unforgettable HEA story for the characters, but she writes scenes of the hockey player playing hockey with his team. Here’s one who will gobble up those scenes, and every time, it makes me want to go to a physical hockey game, which I plan on doing again this year with my family.
Overall, I give this book four stars and can’t wait to read more books in this series from Lauren Blakely.
Single/Dual POV: Dual POV.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s an interconnected standalone in the Love and Hockey series.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I recommend it to readers who enjoy a Hockey Romance where two people find love unexpectedly with one another in their workplace, even though it’s forbidden at first. =)
What to Expect:
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🏒Hate to Love
🏒Forbidden Love
🏒Workplace Romance
🏒Grumpy vs. Sunshine
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About Lauren Blakely
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
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