Hip Check

by Deirdre Martin

Martin has returned to her New York Blades team and another romantic entanglement.  This time Esa Saari is the hockey star embroiled in excitement.  He has found himself suddenly the guardian for his young niece.  Both are grieving the loss of Esa's sister, but little Nell seems more capable of continuing to behave responsibly through her sadness.
Esa's solution is to hand her off to a nanny.  Any nanny will do, just so long as his bachelor behavior remains uninterrupted.  Fortunately for Nell, Michelle Beck is used to working for the rich and famous.  Her take charge attitude will assure Nell of a loving, safe home, while forcing Esa to man up. 
What starts out as a bumpy ride, predictably smooths out over the course of the hockey season.  If you have been of fan of Martin's previous books in the Blades series, this is an enjoyable continuation to the series. 

Any man of mine

by Rachel Gibson

Forgiveness is often hard to come by. Autumn has had nearly six years to come to terms with the way Sam LeClaire, hockey great, broke her heart and left her alone and pregnant. Since the paternity test, he's been an alright dad, but by no means stellar. One conversation changes his view on his own behavior.

Sam has always known that his behavior was reprehensible. He's never felt bad about most of it either. He also never realized how much of an impact his actions had on his child. Sam sets out to put as much effort into fatherhood as he does with hockey. If he happens to realize that the biggest mistake of his life was not having a wild fling in Vegas, but rather walking out on his bride in a callous, heartless manner, then so be it.

I read this in an evening. Autumn and Sam are not the most well-rounded characters, but Gibson manages to make their story ring out with the force of a plexiglass rattling check into the boards nonetheless.

Icebreaker

by Deirdre Martin

Hockey's hardest hitter is being charged with assault for an on ice hit. Lucky for him the league has hired an attorney who's just as tough in the courtroom as he is on the ice. Sinead and Adam are both known for their single-minded dedication to work. Can these two intense individuals relax enough to open their hearts when the time is right? It's a fast paced, steamy romance from an author who has proven time and again that she knows hockey as well as she knows flirtation.

Nothing but trouble

by Rachel Gibson

Gibson returns to her hockey theme with another star athlete in the Chinooks organization. This time it is former captain Mark Bressler. Now out of the hospital and facing a life off the ice Bressler's on ice persona has found its way into his daily life. No longer the cheerful man he once was, Mark must learn to accept that his independence is temporarily gone.
Along comes personal assistant Chelsea Ross. Chelsea has put up with some very challenging celebrities, so Mark should be no problem. Unfortunately, she needs the money. The two butt heads frequently until they discover a mutual attraction. Suddenly, the magnetic pull becomes very difficult to resist.

True love and other disasters

True love and other disasters by Rachel Gibson

OK, you noticed that my last post was a textbook. Even librarians are allowed brain candy once in a while.

This was a sweet story of love between a hockey player and the trophy bride who inherits the team he plays for. Like many paperback romance novels, it was pretty predictable. However, I'd previously read others by the same author and it was nice to see a reappearance of some familiar characters, like Jane, Vlad and Darby.