Donovan Locke is notorious in the league as a vicious enforcer, but his anger has become a problem for teams, leading to trade after trade. He doesn’t connect with his teammates, and doesn’t engage with anything off the ice. His time in Portland might be his last chance to maintain his hockey career if he can’t find a way to manage his emotions on and off the ice. His coaches see promise in him, if they can keep him contained and get him to engage with his teammates. But this is his last chance before the league cuts him off.

Dr. Livia Cross was hired to monitor team performance, but also to focus on determining what it will take for Locke to be more predictable on the ice. She is an athlete herself, having experience playing hockey and studying physical performance and psychology intensively throughout her career. She knows she has her work cut out for her with Donvan, and is willing to bend some of the team rules in order to help him in a way that will see results.

When their meetings begin breaking down Locke’s walls and he starts trusting her, the lines blur between work sessions and personal business.

This was one of those stories that just felt easy to read from start to finish. I had been in a bit of a reading slump, and found myself able to continue this faster and in longer sessions than anything else I had been reading lately. It was a solid, slow-burn romance, with a little bit of emotional tension and baggage keeping things moving early on, and progressed just how I hoped it would as the story continued. And once those sparks started flying, it was hard to keep them contained!

I had an audio copy and listening to the story also helped keep the pace moving at a good clip. The narrators, Alistair Haynesbridge & Samantha Summers, did a good job bringing the characters to life. I had not listened to either before and I enjoyed both of their voices. There were a couple moments that pulled me out when the name of an Oregon town is mispronounced by one of the narrators, but those not familiar with the area probably won’t notice a difference.

Overall, this was a fun workplace, hockey romance with close quarters and a secret romance. The repeat characters made it easier to connect with a story with a character as closed off as Locke. Livia was easy to like with her calm, collected outlook, but Locke took a lot to open up and get to know. Locke may have some heavy things to deal with from his past, but this left me feeling refreshed and ready to read more. It was just what I needed to spark my reading self again.