4.5 out of 5 stars!
"Can’t stay off the ice. Oh, I (definitely) knew it. Can’t stay off, and when you can’t physically get back on, you lurk around the edges like a ghost." - Jamie
Jamie's trying to move on with his life since his pro hockey career came to an end. With a future semi-barely planned out he continues to be the Bobcat's PT. He has strict rules set for himself and to keep him from getting off track. That includes never, ever dating hockey players, he used to be one he knows how they are!
Only when a famed rookie with a British accent saunters into his life. . .Jamie may have to rethink his rules. An old shoulder injury may just be the thing to bring the two opposites closer together. But Bowie's career is on the line and the season is about to start! Can Jamie get Bowie back out on the ice in time? Or will judgements be questionable. . ?
"He probably hated Monsters, Inc. Or worse still, never watched it. Dismissed it as childish nonsense. Oh, my (Gosh), what if he’d never seen Shrek?!" - Bowie
This is honestly my first Hockey Romance, and I loved it! The writing styles flowed into one another seamlessly and helped to bring the two male leads to life! With depth, character development, and healing arcs!
Even if you're not a big fan of sports you know of them and what they are. We forget that those big names we see plastered all over social media and more are actually people. I hear coworkers talk so nonchalantly about this team trading in A for B. Excited about what B can bring for the team and potentially winning this or that.
I know this is a work of fiction, but you get to understand how B really feels about moving and being constantly traded. Bowie is a famous Rookie even though he's been in the game for years! He hopes this will be the last time he's drafted. Hockey is life and he wouldn't trade it for anything! But staying in one spot for a long while, what would that mean or look like for him?
"Why was it so satisfying watching this giant, incredible, intellectual man lose his cool? I wanted to stop. Really, I did. But the rush of endorphins. . ." - Bowie
I knew from this line forward we were going to have so much fun banter! Jamie's a very serious grump and Bowie our beautiful, c*cky, sunshine! I laughed so much with the dialogue between them and their monologues regarding one another. Dual POVs helping to really showcase just how much they're "not" catching feelings for one another. I also desperately want to have a movie night or a hundred with Bowie!
One of the themes of this book is major injuries in sports that result in a careers being shut down. I could relate a lot to the characters and their fears. How everything was handled and written was fantastic. Getting to see the inside view of the sport and the not so fun side. I loved coming full circle with things and Jamie's drive to ensure no one else ended up like him. Katie stepping in to give him a hard dose of sage wisdom and a reality check. Yes, Katie was a favorite of mine!
Check TWs. This book does handle depression and trying to overcome said depression. Language is present throughout the entire book especially when Jamie's trying to cope with Bowie. Cultural differences that I so enjoyed, Bowie being a Brit in America. Hangovers and throwing up.
Bowie so enjoys making everything d*rty, innu*ndos galore! Listen, when you have someone, you can get fun reactions out of, it's very difficult to stop! This is a SLOW burn; s*xual tension romance and you will be frustrated on multiple occasions. I absolutely LOVED their museum visit that resulted in hilarious consequences that continued to trickle throughout the book. We do get spicy MM action. Age gap romance, opposites, and more!
For me, I felt like in some areas their inner monologues were a little too long. I'm sorry, especially toward the end of any read when things are about to be healed, wrapped up, concluded, etc. I want to get there! I understood the inner monologues and the dilemmas because I teared up multiple times with this read but I just wanted my babes to have an HEA! They do have an HEA and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!
First read from these two authors and I loved it! Want to read more from them as separate authors and more of their collabs! I do believe Rowan's story is next and I'm so there!
Enjoy the hockey romance with healing arcs, great banter, cute nicknames, and so much more! Don't forget to give the authors some stars!
Rookie Recovery: Bobcat Boys, Book 1
4.2 | 1,675 ratings
Price: 29.66
Last update: 12-27-2024
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Top reviews from the United States
Rae_ShutUpandBookUp!I need a movie night with these two immediately! "Monsters, Inc." first!
Dena Scute read
sueCute but problematic
aqj ❤️????Grumpy/Sunshine, Soul Healing, and Sizzling Chemistry
SinduSweet, grumpy/sunshine hockey romance!
Sindu
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2024
Rookie Recovery is an adorable, slow burn hockey romance between newcomer Archie Bowman and his PT, Jamie Sullivan. Jamie is ready to move on from the hockey world. It's too painful for him to remain on the fringes of a place that used to be his whole life. But when the recently traded, Archie, walks into his life, he causes his carefully controlled life to go up in flames.
"Nothing else mattered in that moment, because the PT— my new PT— was none other than the so- hot- I- probably- imagined- him dream hunk from the bar last night. There he was. A flashing beacon of supermassive American sex appeal. Real. So very real."
Archie is homesick and struggling to find his place in his new city and his new team. He fakes his confidence and puts on a brave face, but deep inside he's just looking for a sense of belonging and doesn't want to be forgotten. The connection he feels to his doctor is instant and not one he's willing to let go off. Once they start blurring the lines of their professional relationship, it's inevitable that their friendship turns into so much more.
"He gaped at me as if he, a physiotherapist, had forgotten what the male anatomy was supposed to look like, and I was providing his deprived brain with the revision it so desperately needed."
The cutesy nicknames, snarky banter, fun adventures and the ease and comfort these two have with each other, made this book so much sweeter than I expected it to be. Watching their friendship build with each new interaction really set the tone for what their relationship would be like. And when they finally took that step forward, it just added on to that solid foundation.
"The sheer gravity of his presence reeled me in, and I couldn’t help but be drawn into his orbit."
This book not only has an adorable main couple, but it also introduces us to future couples whose stories I'm excited to read! But until then, I'd recommend checking out this fun, grumpy/sunshine romance between two people who are just as obsessed with hockey as they are with each other.
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