Hard Fall is the name of the first book in the series, and this one sucker punched me. You see we start off the book by meeting Lauren, Ben, Hadley, and Weston (Wes). Lauren and Ben are getting married, and Hadley and Weston are part of the wedding party. Ben and Lauren think they'd be good together. Yet when they first meet, Wes says a stupid thing, and then that just riled Hadley up, and she voiced her opinion. She did not hold back. THAT was their introduction. Flash forward 7 years. Ben and Lauren went out on a date night, while the sitter had the kids at home. The unimaginable happens. Wes rushes to their house to confirm the news, and Hadley immediately flies in from New York. Their best friends were now gone, and the lawyer just told them that they've been given custody of the kids. So not only are Wes and Hadley grieving, but they've been thrusted into the parenting world, and have to care for these two kids who are missing their parents like mad. Forced proximity + enemies to lovers + opposites attract = a fun combination for a romance novel. Oh, and you better believe there is drama as well. Drama from both Wes and Hadley, and big time drama from Ben's parents.
If you know me, you know that I freaking adore hockey romance. I mean my shelf on goodreads shows that I've read 120 hockey romances. Yes, 120. I have a problem, okay not a problem, a preferred sport within the sports romance genre. You may also know that not every one of those books has vibed with me. There has been the occasional book that just didn't sit right for various reasons. That was honestly the case with Hard Fall. Now don't get me wrong, I liked the concept of the story. I had tears running down my face from time to time. I also enjoyed the setting, and the trope. I also enjoyed the relationship that Annalise had with Lars. Then there was all the flash back scenes with Ben and Lauren, and the letters that they left behind. Oh the tears. So I enjoyed all of that. I even enjoyed the drama that the grandparents brought. My problem was with Wes and Hadley. I didn't like them individually, and I really didn't like them as a couple. Wes would constantly egg Hadley on, and then she'd go off on him. Yes, he was purposely provoking her, and it was annoying and immature. Then there was Hadley. All she could really think about was her job, and her grief. She couldn't see that Wes was also grieving, and he also had a job to do. She picked apart every little thing that Wes would say, and she would then get angry with him. It was over the top and not necessary. Both of these characters were quite immature given their ages.
Hard Fall had such potential, in my mind, given the found family/unexpected parents storyline. Even with the enemies to lovers aspect and the forced proximity setting, there was potential. Yet because of my dislike of Wes and Hadley, the book ended up falling a bit flat. So let's talk my rating. I gave it 3.5 stars on Goodreads. As I sit here collecting my thoughts, and writing everything out, I'm still going back and forth on that rating. I can't say I would go higher, but for me, Hard Fall is somewhere in the 3 to 3.5 star range. Book ratings are are so personal. Personal in the way that it is how the book spoke to us the reader. So while I gave it a 3.5, it might be a 4 or 5 star read for you. It's all in how you connect with the story, the characters, the setting, the flow of it all, that determines your feelings on the book.
Now, Hard Fall was the FIRST book in the series. Am I going to let this book affect my thoughts on future stories? Absolutely not. You see Lars has his book coming next, and I am really intrigued by that. I could feel a connection to him when he would appear with Annalise. I am wanting to know more about him, and how his HEA will happen.
Thank you for taking time to read my long winded thoughts about Hard Fall. I appreciate you taking time to read what I wrote. Regardless of my opinion on the book, I hope that if the teaser speaks to you, that you'll take the time to read the book for yourself. You may connect with it differently than I did.
Laura
The St. Louis Mavericks are having the best season in team history. On pace for a pro hockey record, the unexpected death of their captain and star player knocks them off course in ways they never expected.
Weston
My world was turned upside down the day Ben Whitmer died. Best friends since junior hockey, Ben was like a brother to me. My voice of reason and a grounding force on and off the ice. But as heartbroken as I am, I don’t have the luxury of grieving his loss.
Not only do I have to hold our team together, I was named guardian of the two young children Ben and his wife left behind. Well, not just me—me and his wife’s best friend, Hadley. We’ve been left with the impossible task of deciding which of us will raise the kids, but there’s no way I’m letting that uptight ball buster have them.
Lines are drawn, but they begin to blur as I find out there’s more to Hadley than I thought. A lot more.
Hadley
I can’t take the place of my beautiful best friend in her children’s lives. But I love them so fiercely that I’ll do whatever it takes to raise them the way their parents wanted.
Wes Kirby is an obnoxious womanizer, and I won’t let him take Ben and Lauren’s children from me. Deciding to temporarily live together in our friends’ home, we attempt to provide the kids stability while we figure out which of us is better suited to raising them.
As we learn parenthood together, my enemy Wes slowly becomes something different. Something more. And I’m left wondering not only if I’m enough for the kids, but if Wes and I are enough to last.
About the Authors
Brenda Rothert was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From hot hockey romance to steamy romantic suspense, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She's a lover of Diet Coke, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.
For all the latest on Brenda and her books, join her Facebook reader group, Rothert's Readers.
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she's called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She's never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she'd probably choose the west coast.
A typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat can usually be found scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) - traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible.
Kat's been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article--a review of a rock concert--for $10 in 1985. Since then she's been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles.
As you can guess from her Las Vegas Sidewinders series, Kat loves hockey and occasionally writes articles about her favorite team, the Florida Panthers. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There's something enticing about hockey players and romance...
