Crazy Thing Called Love: Molly O'Keefe

by - Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Add to Goodreads        Buy: Nook/Kindle

Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism. No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out. Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.

Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project. It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around. He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them. This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.
Kim's Rating:
4 out of 5 Stars

Kim's Review:
The Unrepentant Bad Boy of the NHL comes face to face with The Ice Queen (aka his ex wife and love of his life) 14 years after their divorce


This book ended up being a much deeper story than I thought it was going to be. I have to admit at first, I really disliked Maddy. She had major walls up, was horrible to Billy, was very self absorbed, and focused on her career. Billy was obviously broken and had serious anger management issues sending him in a downward spiral both personally and career wise. But bad boy Billy had such hope in him when he had the chance to work with Maddy 14 years later doing a makeover for the TV show she hosts. It was apparent he never got over her. And she was so cold to him...

But as the layers are unraveled on both of their characters you start to see the hurt, the scars, the need for protection and the loss of faith and hope. She pushed him away, he pushed her to remember the good parts of their past. He had to deal with anger, his failing career and family issues. I got invested in their journey to find themselves and find a way to interact with each other. 

"No, Billy. You...you just absorb me. You need me and you suck me in until there's nothing left for me. You always have. I don't believe you anymore. I have no more faith in us. I have nothing."

As a rule Billy did not believe in fate, but having her come back into his life when it was at its very darkest, that seemed important. Like something he shouldn't ignore. Something he didn't want to ignore.

...love had never been the problem for them. It was the stuff that came with it.

There was drama with the TV show, publicity, and other characters that threatened any kind of reconciliation with them. The farther in the book I got, the more I liked Billy and started liking Maddy. The Ice Queen started to melt. 

Past events are revealed in flashbacks throughout the book. You get both Billy and Maddy's POV and also the POV of his niece in a few parts. This story touched on rough childhoods of neglect and abuse, loss, redemption, and finding the courage to believe again. It was a heartwarming story about finding Love, Hope, and Faith. 

This is the 3rd installment of Molly O'Keefe's Crooked Creek Ranch series. I have not read the others, but I want to read book 1 Can't Buy Me Love now that focuses on Luc and Tara Jean who are Billy's close friends in this book. 

Thanks to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this book prior to it's publication date of January 29, 2013
Tammy's Rating:
3 out of 5 Stars

Tammy's Review:
"...love had never been the problem for them. It was the stuff that came with it."

I would say that statement pretty much sums up the entire story.  Billy and Maddy were sweet together, and I enjoyed their story.  It started out a bit slow for me, but about half way through it picked up and I started to connect with the characters on a more personal level. Flipping the pages quickly to see if they could figure out their differences and make things right. 

This book was filled with drama that fueled their love and attraction for each other. Once married and divorced for 14 years these two found their way back into each others lives. Neither was the same person they remembered and they had to overcome these differences. Maddy wanted nothing more than to leave the past behind her and Billy wanted the exact opposite. They had to overcome their past, her tv show, his reputation, and family. 

I know a lot of people had issues with Maddy, including Kim, but I actually liked her and got why she was such a ice queen as Kim has called her. Billy screwed up majorly when they were married, and Maddy lost herself  and who she was in him and his career. When they divorced she picked up the pieces and rebuilt her life. Leaving behind all that was Billy and their tornado of a marriage. She didn't want to give that up to him again, but she found she couldn't stay away. He was her best friend, the man she loved with all her heart and still loved. How do you keep your self safe from that? Well you appear to be cold and unmoving. She does warm up through out the book, has inner fights with her self on why she shouldn't love him again, and she even sets a no kissing rule (while they could have sex she didn't want the intimacy kissing offers.) Maddy grew on me, maybe because I know what it is like to harden your heart to protect yourself, but I found I liked her and I loved watching her struggle with love and overcoming her fears to grab what was sitting right in her reach the entire time.

Billy made a great hero. He grew up in an abusive situation, accomplishing his dream of becoming a famous hockey star. He was rough around the collar, and his solution to life and the tough decisions he had to make was to fight his way out of them.  He has loved Maddy in some form since she was 10. She is wrapped up in his past and he wants her to be wrapped up in his future even more. Through the book we watch Billy grow and make different decisions to the obstacles that start poppoing up in his life. he is no longer running, no longer fighting but facing them head on and he plans on making sure Maddy is there facing them with him. He isn't letting her go a second time, she is his family after all. Billy's heart and soul belongs to her.

Molly is a new author to me, so for a first read I was not disappointed. I would definitely read something by her again. I really liked her characters, especially the secondary characters in this book.  Molly gave us multiple point of views and she intermixed the past with the present without any confusion.

I was provided with this book from the publisher for free via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

You May Also Like

0 comments