Tuesday, August 3, 2021

The Love Chirp {a review}

 


A new hockey romance series? Yes please! You know I'm going to be all over that! The Love Chirp is the first, full length, book in the Metros Hockey series by Crystal Perkins, and it is now available. If you are a fan of second chance romances, friends to lovers, and/or a little bit of forced proximity, then go download this book.

The NHL has added another team to the league, and they are headed to Seattle. The Metros are preparing to start their first season, and the arena is almost finished. Neal "Rock" Roquemore has been acquired by the team from New York, and he's not happy about it. How could his team give up on him? Why couldn't someone else have been chosen? Then when he sees what is happening with the arena in Seattle, he is quite vocal about his likes and dislikes. Well this causes the public to start talking, and soon there is a PR issue happening. Rock now has to go meet with the firm, who is handling the design and build, in order to save face. Shortly after arriving to the meeting, Rock is introduced to everyone. It is there that he sees Sarai and Rock finds out that she is the architect. Sarai is the one who he will need to work with to change the outcome of publics opinion on the building. This shouldn't be an issue, they've been friends since they were babies, and yes they were once in a relationship, so it's no big deal. But Sarai and Rock haven't truly given up on each other, they haven't moved on, and this could be what brings them back together.

Second Chance and Friends to Lovers are two of my favorite tropes to read. Add in the NHL aspect, and it is almost a sure fire winner. I'm automatically going to read it, and there is a very good chance that I'm going to fall hook, line, and sinker for the story/characters/setting. That was the case with The Love Chirp. I loved that Neal was brought back home due to the league expansion. I loved that he was vocal about his likes and dislikes of the new arena. I loved how he and Sarai were brought back together. I absolutely loved how passionate Sarai is about her work, and how she's gone after her dreams. I enjoyed reading their backstories, and seeing how close their families are.  I appreciated seeing familiar faces pop up from previous series. When Ryan and Chloe Griffin appeared I was so dang giddy. Then other names were thrown in, and it just brought me back to when I binge read the Griffin Brothers and Corrigan & Co series. I loved all of those books! Now seeing as this was the first full length book in the series, there were a lot of characters introduced.  But that is just setting up for future stories, and so I can appreciate that. It did make it a bit confusing at first, especially since 3 of the other characters were Sarai's brothers, and all their names start with the letter S. So I found myself re-reading occasionally to fully wrap my head around things. I will say that I didn't fully understand why Sarai was getting the hate (and threats) that she was. That seemed a bit excessive, but then it makes me think back to when the Minnesota Vikings were building their new stadium. They received a lot of flack for that, but I would certainly hope that the architects and designers were not being threatened in any shape or form. (I will say to this day I think it's an ugly design and I miss the Metrodome.) Back to the story though, that aspect was just a little unbelievable for me, and so that wasn't my favorite. Yes I can see how it brought the two back into each others lives, but it just seems like there could have been more drama/suspense/intrigue regarding it all. I really feel that the stadium design, and all the excess that was being put into the building, was pushed to the back of the story, and it was a forgotten plot line at times. It seemed as though the family/friends/neighbor storyline was getting more of the push. Which makes sense. Especially when the storyline about the moms was being discussed. My heart was hurting for Rock and Sarai.  Flash forward a bit, let's talk about the big dramatic moment! That I loved. Absolutely loved how it all played out. Yes, I was surprised for a moment, but it was the chance to see how these two would react and respond. And the grand gesture (if you will) that happened with it all, so good. Then with how it ended, just yes. Oh how I smiled. 

Crystal Perkins has intrigued me with yet another series, and I cannot wait to see how the Metros Hockey series progresses. I'm also hopeful to see other "familiar" faces pop up again.

If you are a fan of hockey romances, then make sure to add The Love Chirp to your TBR!

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,
Laura 


Neal "Rock" Roquemore earned his bad boy image with fights on the ice, and indifference to relationships off of it. When he's traded to the new hockey team in Seattle, he's not happy to be back in his hometown. He's even less happy when a recording of him criticizing elements of the new practice facility goes viral. Especially when he finds out the architect is the only woman he's ever loved...and walked away from.
 
Sarai Redlin watched the love of her teenage life walk away from her ten years ago, and she's never forgotten the pain he caused her. Now, when she's finally achieving her professional dream, Neal's back and ruining everything for her again. This time, she's older and wiser, and she's not going to fall for him again...and there's no way she's going to undo all her hard work just because he doesn't like it.
 
With the media and fans rallying against Sarai, Rock has no choice but to work out a compromise with her for the building design and amenities. A week on the island they both love might change everything for them again, but reality will eventually hit them hard once they're back in Seattle. Can their love survive this time, or will they have to learn to live apart once and for all?


Download your copy today!


Add The Love Chirp to your Goodreads HERE!

Don't forget to check out The Ice Prince, which is the prequel to the Metros Hockey series!








Meet Crystal Perkins


Crystal Perkins has always been a big reader, but she never thought she would write her own book, until she sat down in 2014 and did it. She's now published over 40 books, and has been featured in several anthologies as well.

She lived in Las Vegas for over a decade, where you could find her running author events and winning bookseller. After moving to ND for over a year, she’s back in Vegas again. When she's not reading a few hundred books a year or chasing after her grandson, you can find her watching hockey (Go Knights Go!) and trying to find the perfect shade of lipstick. A mac and cheese connoisseur, she travels the world looking for the perfect version, while attending book conventions and signings as a cover for her research. Poutine research is also conducted regularly on her trips.

Crystal loves hearing from her readers, so please feel free to send her an email, Facebook message, or Tweet! She's also on Instagram, where you can see her monthly reads!

 
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