Release Blitz: GRIZZ: Sawyer Bennett and Bill Keenan
July 7, 2026
Grizz McAvoy is the most electrifying player in professional hockey…and the most volatile. He’s got a wicked shot, a hair-trigger temper, and spent his childhood surviving his father's cruelty. Off the ice, he's a PR catastrophe, racking up fines, burning through handlers, and daring the New York Vipers organization to do something about it. He’s built his entire identity around one principle: winning solves everything.
But winning can’t silence the past trauma that haunts him when the arena lights go dark.
Daisy Turner was fired from a top style magazine for asking questions powerful men didn't want to answer and exposing hypocrisy in the world of high-fashion. She's looking to salvage her career as a journalist by scraping together a second chance as Grizz's new media handler. Fearless in her own right, she carries scars from a betrayal that taught her trust is a currency she can't afford to spend freely.
From their first combustible meeting, Grizz and Daisy collide in a battle of wills neither is prepared to lose. She challenges him, and he can't look away. What begins as mutual provocation becomes far more dangerous when the walls between professional and personal start to crumble, and the wreckage of Grizz's past threatens to destroy the one person brave enough to see through his rock-solid armor.
Grizz is a scorching, emotionally charged hockey romance about two people who were never supposed to fall for each other, and the bruising, tender, inevitable collision that happens when they do.
Grizz is a phenomenal hockey star, but he’s also antagonistic, aggressive, opinionated, surly, growly, unfiltered, and hyper-focused on winning. He doesn’t care about politics and propriety. So now he’s the bad boy and social PR nightmare for the New York Vipers, and the owner is getting more demanding. So the owner hires Daisy Turner to reel him in. She’s a very strong-willed, determined, investigative reporter who just got fired for her blunt honesty and truth-telling. She’s not afraid of intimidation or a challenge.
And she loves to push and challenge him. But surprisingly enough, he kind of likes that. No one else stands up to him except for his best friend and sister, and so it’s refreshing to see someone who doesn’t kiss up to him or be intimidated. She’s determined to get everybody what they want and need, but she’s got to have Grizz buy into it. And slowly he’s starting to appreciate what she has to say. He also enjoys a bit of hate-kissing and their pent-up sexual attention. But they both know that that’s a very, very bad idea. They are both on redemption tours and need to make this a success to help their careers.
And she loves to push and challenge him. But surprisingly enough, he kind of likes that. No one else stands up to him except for his best friend and sister, and so it’s refreshing to see someone who doesn’t kiss up to him or be intimidated. She’s determined to get everybody what they want and need, but she’s got to have Grizz buy into it. And slowly he’s starting to appreciate what she has to say. He also enjoys a bit of hate-kissing and their pent-up sexual attention. But they both know that that’s a very, very bad idea. They are both on redemption tours and need to make this a success to help their careers.
Their interactions are antagonistic and volatile professionally and personally. Their chemistry is undeniable, and they can’t seem to stop the pull and combustion. Their secret no-strings casual fling seems to be becoming a distraction and kind of shakes things up for both of them.
I enjoyed the parts where Grizz's walls came down, and he shared some of the hard issues he was dealing with. He’s built up big walls that have kept most people out, but she seems to find a way to puncture them and get down to the real man in his core. And that’s a whole lot scary for him.
I have to admit that I felt like the last part of the book felt rushed, and part of the conflict was resolved easily, and the ending was very abrupt. Like I was sitting there looking for another epilogue or a link to another epilogue. I guess we’ll get more of these characters in the next book, which is going to be about the team owner, but it still just surprised me.
Grizz McAvoy is at the top of his hockey career, but his volatile temper on and off the ice has him in hot water with his team. In order to help clean up his image, they have hired a handler to manage his appearances.
Daisy Turner is picking up the pieces of her journalism career after being fired for asking tough questions. Though being a media handler isn’t her dream, nor does she have sports experience, she is up for the challenge in the hopes that the visibility will lead her back to the fashion world.
When they meet, they discover that they are a perfect challenge for the other. No one pushes back on Grizz when he is at his worst, but Daisy doesn’t back down. They are both working on their professional images and as they work closely together the sparks fly and chemistry flies in private as well. Though neither wants a relationship, they find a no-strings balance that seems to work for them. Until the strings start tangling.
What I really loved about this story was Grizz’s struggle with his father. Their relationship is fraught with challenges. Dementia and memories play tricks on Grizz, as he is pressured to have sympathy for a man who never showed him any grace as a child. And the worst part is that his dad doesn’t remember any of the tough times, and has manufactured picture perfect vignettes that Grizz has to listen to while knowing the truth. As Daisy comes alongside Grizz in these moments I loved the way she helped him navigate the ups and downs of dealing with his father’s care.
My biggest surprise in this story was the speed at which the ending happened. I enjoyed the interference that led to the final interactions between Daisy and Grizz, but I ended feeling like there were still lose ends to tie up in their situation. I did enjoy the bits we get from the Vipers’s owner to introduce him, as he will be the MMC in the next book and hope that we see some of the story threads that aren’t fully solved addressed as well in the next book.
I had the pleasure of listening to an audio copy of the book. Lance Greenfield and Lucy Rivers gave fantastic performances as Grizz and Daisy and I enjoyed listening to the personality they added to the characters.
I look forward to continuing this series as we get to know more players and see more from the owner as well.
Sawyer Bennett:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).
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Bill Keenan:
Bill Keenan played hockey at Harvard University from 2005 to 2008 and professionally in Europe from 2009 to 2012. After completing his MBA at Columbia Business School, he worked for two years in Deutsche Bank's investment banking division. He currently serves as COO of Graydon Carter's Air Mail.
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