Lovely book with great characters, but a few flaws.

We meet our MCs - BJ and Gus, who hate each other in the beginning, or at least Bj hates Gus because he is the type of man like her last boyfriend, who left her broken and with baggage. Then their relationship slowly develops and goes from nemesis to enemies with benefits, and maybe even friends.

In the end, both of them realise they have fallen in love with each other. But the ride contains a lot of sweet, spicy and funny moments and a few visits to the ER.

I listened to it on Storytel, and I have to tell you the reading was wonderful. Amazing work by Andi and Jacob. The writing is also lovely and makes you fall in love with it. It's a short listen so a person can consume it in a day.

Bj is a cute, and determined young woman, who was deeply cut by a man in her teen years, since then she hates his type - the famous hockey player, unfortunately for her - Gus (shortened from August) is exactly that.

But Gus is also totally different from her ex. He is sweet, caring, and funny, and melts your heart along with your panties. He chases his dreams but also cares for the people around him - his family, friends, Bj. He had a great relationship with his mother, and their interactions made me laugh out loud.

I really enjoyed the book, however, I had a few problems with it, hence the 4 stars rating.

I felt the sex scenes were lacking passion and chemistry. They were promising in the beginning, but overall they felt too rushed, especially for a ✨spicy✨ romance. The thing that bugged me the most was the brother-son. I just hated it. I hate surprising kids, and this ruined the experience for me, mainly because I kept wondering if they were ever going to tell him who his real mother was, and what would happen then. And the last thing that frustrated me was the lack of a proper epilogue. Gee, give me fast forward a few years, I want to know what happened with them, how did their relationship develop.

Anyway, in the end, the book was lovely, and I certainly enjoyed reading it.

( )

The star of the show is about to be cut down to size by one fiercely determined woman. He's a shot caller on the ice and an ace scorer with the ladies, but his ego leaves a lot to be desired. Gus has a lot to learn about women and Bo St. James knows how to get the job done. If there's a thin line between love and hate, these two stepped over a long time ago. A winning fight to the finish!
( )

Toni Aleo lights the lamp with MISADVENTURES OF A ROOKIE. Malibu Suns hockey player, Gus Persson, is not used to being turned down. Sun’s ice girl/sports therapist, Bo St. James, has no problem shutting down the cocky defenseman, or does she. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for adult audiences.

I loved MISADVENTURES OF A ROOKIE. The characters were likable and well developed. I appreciated the similarities between Bo and Gus’ mother. I loved the banter between Bo and Gus. I enjoyed the conversations with Gus’ parents. Many of them were highly amusing; others were serious. Gus is a great guy. He is not what Bo expected. The characters go through a lot in this story. It is understandable why Bo is initially weary of Gus. The two have amazing chemistry and grow throughout the novel.

The plot was skillfully executed. There are some wonderful life lessons and viewpoints throughout the story. I found all the ER visits interesting. The ending was perfect. MISADVENTURES OF A ROOKIE had a different feel then Toni Aleo’s Assasins series and Bullies series, but I loved it as much as I do her other novels. Fans of Toni Aleo will not be disappointed. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. ( )