I love to try holiday romance, but to be honest, I find that the majority I try just don't do it for me. I've found some super great holiday reads, buI love to try holiday romance, but to be honest, I find that the majority I try just don't do it for me. I've found some super great holiday reads, but I go in a little wary. Jennifer Snow is a new to me author, and I love a hockey hero so I gave it a try and hooray, I liked it! It's not necessarily super-holiday, but hockey is prominent and it's a well done best friends to lovers trope.
Asher Westmore is thirty and has two more games until he plays in his 1000th career NHL game. With an older brother also in the NHL who has reached this milestone, Asher is a wee bit competitive and can't wait for the game to come. Asher has been battling a bad knee and it's getting serious. Cortisone shots and constant pain killers are not helping. He knows he is taking way too much pain medicine, but he just needs to make it a few more games before he can give his knee a rest. Unfortunately - that rest comes too soon. Before he can cross the 1000th game, his brother, who plays on an opposing team, knocks into him hard during a game, and his ACL is torn. Asher gets rushed to surgery and is looking at six to ten weeks of recovery.
His best friend of the past ten years is named Emma. She is a former professional snowboarder who was also badly injured, ending her career right before she was supposed to leave for the Olympics. Emma is now a physical therapist and has just been accepted into a PhD program all the way in Florida (they live in Denver). Asher is not only her best friend, but a best friend with benefits. Whenever Asher is in town - they end up sleeping together. Emma secretly loves Asher - and Asher secretly loves her - but they are too afraid to admit to the other their true feelings. When Asher gets hurt, Emma isn't sure she wants to leave Denver, and Asher to go to school. Will they ever tell each other they are in love???
Asher is this big, sweet, super sexy guy who adores his best friend. I think the author does a nice job portraying their BFF status. It felt very realistic! They have sex pretty early in the book, and sometimes that can halt the sexual tension in a relationship, but not here. The author shows their progression from hot banging, to hot love-making throughout the book and it's paced well. There is enough conflict with Emma struggling with her decision to go to Florida and Asher's injury to keep the story and their relationship going.
Their family is involved in the book a lot too - Asher has a lot of siblings and Emma has a sister who was a bit bitchy at times, but felt sisterly and maybe coming from a place of love too. Asher's interactions with his brothers is well one - and we had a bit of bitchiness on that side too, as Asher and his older brother as both so competitive when it comes to their hockey careers....I liked to see them work out their stuff.
This book was a lot sexier than I was expecting - I guess based on the cover I wasn't sure if it was going to be fireside snuggles or rip off your panties sex. It was the latter and I give it a penis thumbs up.
I enjoyed this author's voice - looking forward to reading her more regularly.
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