I'm back with yet another new hockey romance novel! Off-Season by Jami Davenport is the sixth book in her Scoring series, and it is now available! So let's take a trip to Seattle, where Andy is just finishing up his rookie season with the Seattle Sockeyes, and he's making plans for the off-season.
Andy and his team had an amazing season! No, they didn't win the Stanley Cup, but they made it pretty far. That last game was rough though, and afterwards, Andy was given some hard truths. Now here it is the off-season, and Andy just wants to escape to the woods for some alone time. How difficult can it be to go camping in an RV? Who cares that he has zero experience, he can figure it out! Except that is where it all starts to go south. After arriving to the campground, Andy is attempting to back in his trailer. Except he's never done this before, and that is showing based on the fact he is about to crash. Thankfully Kennedy is at the campsite right next door, and she is a very experienced camper. After all her job is to do PR for her family's RV brand. So she's done it all, and is very confident in her skills. She offers a helping hand, and gets Andy's RV all settled in. Even though he's a grump the entire time. Kennedy isn't letting that put a damper on her time though. Things keep going wrong for Andy, and each time he finds himself at Kennedy's door obtaining assistance. As time goes on, Kennedy and Andy are spending more time together. With that time, comes sharing of their lives, and Andy slowly beings to open up about his struggling relationship with his family. All is going great between Andy and Kennedy, a bond is being formed, and the attraction levels are quite high. That is until Andy's teammates track him down. That changes the entire dynamic, and the relationship between the two begins to shift.
I went into Off-Season with extremely high hopes. Hockey romance is the best thing ever, and it is my happy place. I lead with that because something was off with this book. Not only did it take me a lot longer to read than normal, but I didn't feel the connection between Andy and Kennedy. I really enjoyed Kennedy's character, and she is an amazing woman. She has traveled all over the world, often times on her own, and she is the brand ambassador for her family's RV company. She knows her stuff, and she is more than willing to teach others what she knows. She is a giving person. She is the sunshine in this grumpy/sunshine romance. Then there's Andy. He's obviously the grump in this trope. Andy comes across as someone who is better than you. He's above you. He can do it all on his own, he doesn't need any help or guidance. Which is why he received the hard truths that he did at the end of the season. He's really just an ass, and even knowing his history, that didn't change my thoughts towards him. He isn't a likable character. Or at least not from my perspective. There wasn't a redeeming moment with him that had me flipping my thoughts. The saving grace of this book, and the reason I gave it 3.5 stars on Goodreads, is the storyline between Andy and Gage. These two are teammates on the Seattle Sockeyes team, as well as half-brothers. But there is an issue between them, and they do not get along for a variety of reasons. THAT captured my attention. The romance with Kennedy was a nice distraction, but I really would have loved to have dove deeper into the relationship between these brothers.
So, did I like the book? Yes, kind of. I liked Kennedy. I liked the setting. I liked the tension between Gage and Andy, and everything that was unfolding there. Would I re-read it? No I wouldn't. But to be fair I rarely re-read books, so there's that. However there are books that I am open to re-reading in the future, and this one doesn't fit the bill.
Do I recommend Off-Season? Yes, yes I do. As I've said before, just because a book doesn't vibe well with me, doesn't mean that it won't for another person. That is why ratings are so subjective. How I feel about a book, or what I took away from a book, isn't going to be the same for you.
Should you choose to read Off-Season, please come back and fill me in on your thoughts. I'd love to chat about the book, the characters, and all that jazz. Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts. I appreciate you stopping by.
Laura
Andy
I just ended my rookie year with the Seattle Sockeyes in a win-or-go-home game, and we went home. I played a big part in that loss thanks in part to my lack of team play. It's time to lick my wounds, re-examine my role, and come to terms with demons I've been avoiding for too long. I buy an RV and take to the wilderness for a little solitude and lot of soul-searching. Just me, my dog Bones, and nature. There's one problem. My campsite neighbor is a too-cheerful, busy-body camp host. She brings out the worst in me, but I can't stop thinking about sharing a sleeping bag with her.
Kennedy
As a brand ambassador for a large RV manufacturer, it's my job to make sure everyone is enjoying their camping experience. Usually I'm quite good at fixing problems and assisting campers until I meet the hot, grumpy hockey player next door. He claims he wants to be left alone; but after one look at his lost expression, I'm certain that's the last thing he needs. To complicate things, we have chemistry, the kind which blazes past all misgivings and singes everyone in sight.
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About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami’s new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo’s Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an honor bestowed on the year’s “most engaging” authors based on an average page completion rate by their readers.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She’s a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it’s the most beautiful place on earth.
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