This was a fun, simple, diverting romance. It was a true 3. I enjoyed the read, it served its purpose. I like hockey romances, and I like surprise pregnancy storylines so this one worked for me at the trope level. Briggs was too perfect. He was a reformed bad boy, but instead of reforming into a man he reformed into a perfect man, there to be or do whatever his woman wants him to do, living for her and their baby, possessed of a group of male friends who sit around and talk about their feelings and how they can be better mates for their women. My problem is not that this is unrealistic, it is, but I like unrealistic in my romance. My problem is that this sounds awful to me. First, who wants to live up to being worthy to be the mate of a paragon? Second, I grew up in the 70's and 80's when women twisted themselves into knots to be perfect in the opinion of men. It was toxic and agonizing for me and the women I knew, and at very least it was joyless. I have no wish for men to suffer that. To me that is not the fantasy, it's not sexy. Also, there are many misused words, shifts in tense, and other grammar and syntax errors. I never expect perfect prose when I read romance, but I also don't expect a first draft. ( )

This sports romance was truly a treat that I devoured. Briggs is a famous hockey player that has had a few bad years and he has been truly trying to get his life back in order but the media just won’t let that happen. He endures a lot of betrayal especially from those that are suppose to support and love him. When more bad news is dropped his way in order to preserve his image and stay out of trouble he goes away for a few days where he meets Maddison. Briggs is instantly taken with Maddison and they have an intense connection yet they keep their true identity’s a secret because Maddison has a secret of her own and Briggs likes the fact that he can be real with her. Maddison and Briggs are steamy and attracted like no other, but when Maddison walks away Briggs wants to find her he just doesn’t know how. Months later they run into each other but so much has changed and Maddison is pregnant and was lied to so her anger is unexpected for Briggs until he gets the truth. Another one of Briggs person lets him down but he has an amazing group of friends that lift him up and are always there for him. As Briggs and Maddison try to navigate this new situation can they keep things just friendly for the sake of Olive or will their intense chemistry be more than they can take? These two are perfect for each other but when Maddison’s secret comes to light will it tear them apart or can they fight for their love? Briggs family were truly awful and I wanted to see him go off on them especially his dad and brother, but when Maddison stands up for him that was awesome. Seeing Briggs with his daughter stole the show every single time and had me swooning.This group was such a great supportive group and I can’t wait for Graham’s story. He made me laugh and I know his book will be just as great. ( )

Briggs and Maddison made the perfect match. She made him a better man. And I loved watching the way he loved on her.

The interactions with the hockey guys and Baby Olive were hilarious. It was like watching Three Men and a Baby.

This book was a bit better to me than some of the others in the series because it was a bit longer and we were able to go a little deeper with this couple. Their obstacle was pretty substantial, but the way they handled it was beautiful. I didn’t think I would like the situation that was between them, but it ended up working out. Both Maddison and Briggs remained sympathetic and I was rooting for these two to work things out. ( )

4 stars

I'm not usually a fan of sports romance. However, the blurb of this book made me take a chance. I'm glad for that because this book was a very nice surprise. I enjoyed the characters. Even the secondary characters made me want to dive deeper.

My only reason that it didn't rank higher was because of the way things panned out with Briggs family. Especially, his brother. It just felt messy and underdeveloped. ( )