Best of the series IMO! ( )

I have enjoyed all of Sawyer Bennett's Cold Fury Hockey novels and this one was no exception. The story is great and the characters are so real that you truly care about what happens to them. The writing style is one I thoroughly enjoy. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. ( )

Sigh. Zack. I love you Zack. Kate is perfect for you and I have a girl crush on her. Great book, great series, great author. ( )

4.5 stars! My fave book in the series!! ( )

“Oh, God. I’m going to start hyperventilating.” Yep, that was me every time Zack and Kate had ‘moments’ together.

I love Hockey Boys and Sawyer Bennett knows how to spin a perfect story that is full of heart. This novel picks up at the end of Garrett. Do you need to read Garrett first? No. Do I think you need to read Garrett first? Why of course, YES! Zack our Left Winger is a broken man. Kate is a glass is always half full gal that falls gracefully into Zack and Ben’s lives. Grief is always a touchy subject especially when the story revolves around unfinished business that death stripped away. Ms. Bennett weaves her story through the eyes of both characters as Zack attempts to deal with the healing process. Yep, I use the word ‘attempts’.

Zack was one of those characters where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hug the stuffing out of him or kick his butt. Grief mixed with guilt makes for ugly feels bedfellows for him. Comparing my real life examples of this type of male reaction to Zack – I totally believable character for me. I had worries about Kate. She was strong and understanding; maybe a bit too good to be true. But, even bright as sunshine Kate has her tipping point. I was proud she made the decision she did – not a doormat.

All my favorite scenes revolved around Ben, Zack’s son. Kate builds such a great relationship with him while respecting Zack’s boundaries of keeping memories alive. And Sutton makes appearances reminding me why I loved her in Alex. (Haven’t read Alex? Go get that book too.) I didn’t have a least favorite part. Okay, well maybe when I wanted to knee Zack in the nuts, but that’s the journey we needed to see him take.

If this is going to be your first Sawyer Bennett book, this is a good one to start on to find out why she is one of my favorite authors. As always, she delivers a well-crafted story that flows squarely to a satisfying ending. (I didn’t want to kick his butt anymore.) And #IwanttheGoalie
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