REVIEW ~Alex by Sawyer Bennett~

Title: Alex

Author: Sawyer Bennett

Series: Cold Fury Hockey #1

Release Date: October 14, 2014

My Rating: 5 Stars!

USA Today bestselling author Sawyer Bennett scores big-time with the first novel in a sexy new series hot enough to melt the ice.

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers.

Sawyer Bennett keeps winning my heart with her books, and Alex is no exception. I'll be upfront, up until this book I had taken a hiatus from sports related books, for the most part. I thought I had read them all. Boy was I wrong. Only because this book is SO much more than that. This book holds humor, love, and a story line that will captivate you from beginning to end. 

Alex is a world class jerk. He knows it, his fans know it, his teammates know it. Everyone. Yet, even from page 1 there was something about his character that drew me to him. I didn't think he was a total loss. Certain characteristics I learned from being in his head eluded to there being much more of this hunky hockey star than to be believed. Enter Sutton Price. I'm convinced she has magic powers. When her and Alex are teamed up on a drug abuse awareness program all bets are off. She is literally what heroines aspire to be. A tough, no holds barred badass, with a heart made of gold. She may have come from a tough background, and still deals with her problematic father, but she holds herself and others to standards that we all should. Thus, why Alex gets away with nothing in her presence. He's finally gifted with someone who just wants him, not the star hockey player, and who can accept him faults and all without trying to change him. That in and of itself allows Alex to let down the guard he holds so tightly. And while they both bring something to each other's world, along with the hot sex, they find themselves falling deeper than they ever intended. 

This book is simply fabulous. Alex revealed his true self to everyone, made peace with the past. And while it seems that Sutton did all the teaching, Alex actually had a few moments of his own, bringing Sutton out of her shell, and into the limelight. I really couldn't handle the two of them together. It was so incredibly adorable I just wanted to girly scream. The perfect blend of sweet, sexy, and seduction. Sutton and Alex are one of those couples that's a true forever match. It was probably within the first few chapters that they just clicked. And while my heart may have been shattered at one point during this book, I picked it back up and enjoyed every single page. I will say that along with the humor and romance, this book also brings home a very strong subject matter. Flawlessly the author has woven in a depth most books don't reach. End of story - this is an absolute must read for me!

Happy Reading!

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

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REVIEW ~Game for Marriage by Karen Erickson~

Title: Game for Marriage
Author: Karen Erickson
Series: Game for It #1
Release Date: January 11, 2013

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

He’s going in deep to make her his…

Struggling artist Sheridan Harper never imagined she’d spend a sizzling night with Jared Quinn, the smoking-hot star quarterback of her local professional football team, the San Jose Hawks. And she’s even more shocked when Jared’s publicist offers her a proposition: a fake marriage to keep Jared out of the gossip mags. Being that close to Jared would be too tempting, so to protect her heart, she insists on secretly including a clause forbidding sex between them.

Jared just wants to keep his starting QB job and keep it in San Jose. His reputation as a ladies’ man has landed him in the headlines one too many times, but there’s something about his kind, passionate new wife that tempts him beyond reason. Any sort of intimacy between them is completely forbidden, but as their bodies fall in deep, will their hearts follow suit?

*Raises hand* I'm game for marrying Jared Quinn!! Pretty please? No? He's already married to the stubborn and amazing Sheridan with whom he is head over heels in love with? Fine *sulks in corner* That's probably for the best though, Sheridan and Jared are a super adorable couple. Game for Marriage included all of my favorite things: hot football players, even hotter sex, a marriage of convenience and a couple with every obstacle thrown at them. From the first scene with Sheridan and Jared I could not wait to travel their story with them.

"To go from giggling and giving each other grief to heated, passionate lovemaking in mere seconds was a heady rush. One she liked to indulge in again and again..."

~Sheridan

Jared is literally every woman's dream guy. He's hot, built, a football player, and despite his current man-whorish image he seems to be one of those "good ones" we always hear about. He's sweet and caring, and trips over himself to satisfy his new wife in every way possible. Sheridan is just as giving, and she is such a prideful woman but, when it really counts she can set it aside for the greater good. These two meet and within 8 hours are hitting the sheets. But when Sheridan flees after their rendezvous she never expects to see Jared again. So imagine her surprise when Jared's publicist offers Sheridan everything she needs to keep her late grandmother's storefront open and live a better life in exchange for a year long marriage to Jared. Sheridan realizes she can sacrifice a year of her life if it means saving her studio and helping Jared get his image back on track. The two agree to a no sex clause in their contract... and well you can guess that it doesn't last too long. While they try to head to the no-sex clause they must find a way to make their marriage believable to the world around them. Interestingly enough a married life isn't as hard as they imagined.

"He wanted to drag her back into that big bed and make love to her again. So they could shut themselves completely off form the real world and focus on what really mattered. Each other."

~Jared

Sheridan and Jared go from lust to a marriage of convenience to admiration for one another and then finally allow themselves to love. They didn't fight it very hard, they were actually very forthcoming in their feelings. The problems arise with outside forces being a pain in their asses. I think there is only one way to properly convey my feelings about this book so here are my reactions to it, in order: Wow that's hot, Oh really? This can't end well, Well they are kinda cute together, Awww, Yes!, Oh shit, Hell, This is going to be BAD!, *sad face*, Best friend to the rescue, You both are stubborn little shits, *fist pump*, *happy dance*, The End :). Truthfully, I couldn't foresee where Game for Marriage was going to take me. What I was given was a hilarious, sweet, steamy book that I couldn't put down. 

"I promise to love and honor and cherish you forever, Sheridan Quinn. Having you in my life has made it brighter, better. Complete. I'd be lost without you, baby. You gotta know that."

~Jared

Karen Erickson truly has a gift. I have read many of her other books, including her Monica Murphy books, and have loved every single one of them. She creates a stories, characters and worlds that draw you in and keep you hooked until she's ready to tug on your emotions. Sometimes she's a little rough with the tugging, but this book was more on the heartwarming side rather than the angsty side :) So, yes I definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for Willow and Nick's story (hehe these two have some major pent up passion to burn through). I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Karen for gifting me a review copy of Game for Marriage I truly enjoyed every bit of it!

Happy Reading!

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