| Title | : | Grinder (Seattle Sharks, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 |
| Publication | : | First published July 5, 2016 |
We’ve been friends since we were kids, and I love his daughter like she’s my own, so what’s the easiest solution to help Gage out? Move in and be his live-in nanny for the season. As far as she goes, the arrangement is perfect. But her drop-dead-sexy father? Frustrating on every possible level.
There is a thick, professional line drawn between us by his own hand, and despite understanding the terms, my body is practically begging him to cross it. Our chemistry is off the charts, but one misstep, and we could hurt the one person we love most. This game is all-or-nothing. Can I risk my heart on a guy who is known for the shut-out, on and off the ice?
Grinder (Seattle Sharks, #1) Reviews
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Beware of Spoilers!
Star Ratings:
Heroine (Bailey): 26yrs old – 2/5
Hero (Gage): 27yrs old - 2/5
Plot: 1/5
Grovel: none
Cheating: technically none
HEA: yes with baby
Triggers: H is a manwhore and h has to listen to him have sex with OW
Average score: 2/5
Best Line: “I deserve a lot of things, like a man who’s willing to risk his heart for what we could have together.”
Worst Line: “Fuck, I loved sex. I adored women. I fucked a lot of women. Then they left.”
Personal Review:
The only reason I decided to read this book is because I am really into single dad romances right now. However, I should have read the reviews better because the author decided to treat us with not only a sports manwhore but one who has feelings for the h (who happens to be the live-in nanny and they have been best friends since childhood) and brings women home to fuck loudly.
We are treated to scenes of H fucking OW multiple times, the OW leaving in the morning (and his 3 year old daughter witnessing this) and the H being turned on by the h only to go out and fuck another woman.
Random Ramblings:
•So the H parades his fuck-buddies around his 3 year old daughter and the h whom he has feelings towards and the icing on the cake?...the h has the joy of hearing the OW screams of ‘pleasure’
•On a more positive note, the H did stop sleeping with OW when finally admitted he was in love with the h
Overall Feeling:
Special message to Bailey and Gage:
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Spoilers ahead 2.5* rounded up because Lettie was a sweetheart
Gage returns to hockey after shoulder surgery. His ex left him for a rival player leaving his daughter motherless,he hires his friend Bailey to be his nanny. Gage's focus is on hockey and his beautiful daughter with no room for anything except maybe random hookups. He didn't foresee how much Bailey would change bus life.
If I could delete the first 20 % of this book I'd have really enjoyed it, unfortunately in that first part Gage has his hookups at home in his house where Bailey sees what's going on. When she first kissed him, even though he thought they couldn't be together, he didn't want anyone else but that first 20% made an impression on me that I couldn't forget. He'd been burned by his ex and seen too many failed relationships that he didn't want to try again nor did he want anymore kids.
Bailey has wanted Gage for years, seeing his parade of bunnies and having one actually try to belittle her in their kitchen was just a bit too much. Even with the women that have passed through she still wants him and tries a couple times when she realizes he wants her back. I'd have liked her to have more of a backbone and for her not to be the one pursuing the relationship so much but eventually Gage got it together
They go back and forth for a while with Gage fighting the attraction for his daughter's sake. Gage comes to realize how much he loves Bailey and doesn't want anyone else but a choice he made causes trouble resulting in a separation between them then my very favorite thing happens.
A bit of OW drama from his ex but she too eventually grew sensible and disappeared
I didn't like how Gage handled the vasectomy issue,knowing how much Bailey longed for a family but all in all(ignoring the first 20%) I enjoyed this one. Gage's daughter was a sweetheart!
“I don’t need a mommy. I have a Bailey.”
Lettie to her mom (all the awwws) -
5 'Grinder' Stars.
Sometimes I don't always feel like writing reviews so I just read a book and give it the stars that it deserves I was going to apply this to Grinder as well. But I can’t hold myself back on this one and just have to write a review it is that fantastic.
Gage is the Grinder for the Seattle Sharks. A year ago he tore his shoulder and his wife left him with their two year old daughter Lettie. Now let me tell you something. Lettie is the real star of the book, she is the icing on the cake.
Bailey has just finished university and hasn't found a job yet as Bailey and Gage are childhood friends she steps in as the nanny. They live together and feelings start to emerge. They try to fight their attraction and I get their reasoning behind it because of Lettie as she has suffered enough what with her mother up and leaving her.
In the end though sparks fly and I love them together as a couple. Gage had fears that he needed to battle. The reason why they had problems in moving forward with their relationship was understandable. This is a realistic reason and an important one and as a hurdle it is hard to overcome. You shouldn't have to give up your dreams but I understood both POVs on this.
Honestly I have no idea about ice hockey although there are some teams in Germany I'm pretty clueless but it was explained well who did what and it wasn't boring bonus.
For a debut novel by Ms. Whiskey this is an amazing read I can only recommend it. I get wait for the next one to come out. A very promising, addictive series.
I know that some of my friends will have a problem with him because he brought puck bunnies home when his love interest was his nanny and that Bailey also had feelings for him. What bothered me more was that his daughter experienced the puck bunnies leaving the morning after. Please hide your ingressions from your child. Some role model you are. There is also some o/w drama with the ex-wife. -
For a couple who were supposed to be best friends, I saw very little connection between them. If they hadn't of mentioned that they'd been friends since they were kids, I would've thought they only knew each other for as long as she was his kid's nanny.
The hero has no self control and even by the end I had trouble believing he loved her, much less trusted her. And she was just...well, kind of pathetic. -
4.5 Stars!!!!
Why are hockey players so darn sexy??!!!!!
Gage McPherson is a single dad with an adorable little girl. He is also Seattle Shark’s best Grinder, until his shoulder was shattered last season in a game. After getting his heart broken by his daughter’s mother he has real trust issues. His whole world is hockey and his daughter and he only trust 2 people with his daughter and that is his mother and childhood best friend, Bailey.
Bailey & Gage have been friends since they were very little, since there mothers are also good friends. Bailey loves Gage’s daughter Lettie as if she was her own. Bailey becomes Lettie’s live in nanny for the season to make his training and traveling for games easier because he doesn’t like to be away from her for very long.
There is a thick, professional line drawn between Bailey and Gage but that doesn’t mean their chemistry isn’t off the charts. Gage is determined not to cross that line since it could affect his daughter’s happiness.
Seriously, Hockey players sound so yummy!!! Any book I have ever read with a hockey player is sexy as hell!! This book is no exception and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.
My favorite line in this book was “Man, if looks could kill, I would have been in a chalk outline.”
This book was sweet, funny, a little angsty and super HOT!!! -
3.5 Sugary sweet stars
I’ve been seeing this book trend on Amazon for sometime and decided to give a new author a go. The book was okay but I’m not sure the writing style is for me. The book is highly descriptive and there’s tons of inner monologue. I prefer dialogue based books and I found myself skimming some pages until I found conversations between two people.
I like the nanny / boss trope. I’m a sucker for single Daddys and who doesn’t like to read a sports romance around the super bowl time. Husband watches the game and I read my “sporty” book.
I think I would have liked this book more in audio format because I tend to like more descriptive based books via audio, but I’m limited to what is available in Audio Escape and sometimes Kindle Unlimited.
There wasn’t anything outstanding about the book, but there wasn’t anything bad about the book. It was a decent read to pass the time. -
No thanks. DNF because genius Gage BRINGS HIS ONE NIGHT STANDS HOME. A LOT. Sure, it’s before he admits his feelings for Bailey, but really? He’s got a young daughter (and three year olds don’t speak like this kid did, but okay)!!!! Even if we want to say he’s not a scumbag for doing that to a woman he cares about, he’s putting his kid at risk to get some! Dude, you’re a hockey player. Go to a hotel or something. Quit being a crappy father with this game.
I’d rather not read about some selfish manchild who can’t keep it in his pants or away from his kid. It’s a nope for me. -
Lettie was incredibly articulate for someone as young, she was endearing, bright and engaging but her written vocabulary was not a realistic depiction of a three year old.
I abhorred the constant parade of one night stands. Yes, heroes might tend to be notorious players. He lacked finesse and the ongoing slew of women after the two main characters meet was grossly disrespectful.
There is no emotional entanglement in his...liaisons and they are not romantically involved but the ‘promise’ of Bailey as his romantic interest, my personal preference is the Hero refrain from engaging in mattress acrobatics with several someones in the course of the story.
Even if they might not technically be ‘together’, a little restraint might demonstrate self-control. He erased the thought of sleeping with Bailey out of his system by sleeping with half the female population of Seattle and leaving her to deal with them in the morning as Lettie his three year old, was having breakfast in the same room.
Gage’s behaviour was inconsistent with a man whose daughter was a priority.
Bailey was pitiful and spineless. Her role was of domestic help. He might be attracted to her but he was obviously attracted to all the other random women he'd constantly bring home. They were certainly treated with more respect than doormat Bailey. He clearly stated he was never going to compromise for her. -
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
Loved this book , my first from this author but I totally am going to read the rest .
Such a wonderful story, friends to lovers , hope , adversity, following your dreams , love and passion.
The best is in this book , and so much more . -
3.5 Stars
This was an enjoyable KU. -
4 Intense & Passionate Gage and Bailey Stars
I think I've just discovered another hockey series to follow. I do have a weak spot for those NHL hotties!
This book kicks off the Seattle Sharks series and this book is about Gage McPherson and his best friend since childhood, Bailey. Gage has a 3yr old daughter, Lettie, and an ex girlfriend from Hell. The ex took off leaving him with their baby daughter when he suffered a career threatening injury. She found another guy and attached herself to him instead. Bailey steps in as Nanny to Lettie. She adores both of them. She wants Gage desperately. He starts to see her differently but there are reasons he is reluctant to pursue a romantic relationship. And therein the drama begins.....
This was a good story that kept me turning the pages. It's sexy and fun but it's also pretty sad and tangled in places. Good writing and character development, especially Gage's character.
So, why not 5 stars? Two reasons. Firstly, I think it's hard to write children into stories and in this book , Lettie broke my heart and then made me smile at times but she seemed to be incredibly articulate for someone so small. But she is very cute.
Secondly, at the start, Gage hooks up with puck bunnies on a couple of occasions. Both times at the house where they are all living together. It is not graphic at all . There is certainly no intimacy or emotion suggested in these....er.....liaisons. He and Bailey are not romantically involved at that point but they are attracted to each other. It's a purely personal preference that I prefer my Hero to not be engaging in shenanigans with anyone else in the course of the story. Once he is with Bailey, he is loyal to her.
I think this is a really strong start to a promising series. Excellent secondary characters and Bailey and Gage had a lovely ending -
4-4.5 Stars
Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!!!!
OK, so first things first, A LOT of my safety gang GR peeps did NOT like this book for reasons that I totally understand but for me and thankfully because of those GR friends, I knew what to expect going in! Yes,the start of book was not looking promising for me either BUT what I did love that kept me going was the inner thoughts/turmoil that these two had going on internally and for that reason I was falling in love/lust with BOTH Gage and Bailey, Lettie goes without saying, lol!
So the story starts out rough but the interactions between Gage and his daughter and Gage and his best friend/nanny, Bailey and most importantly the interactions and dynamics between all THREE of these characters was awesome and heartfelt and I truly believed it all despite the rocky start.
I am going to go one step further, I was squirming in my seat at the sexual chemistry that was going on between Gage and Bailey and holy hell, it was HOT and that was even before they actually got "together" and once they did I loved every bit if it.
The storyline was intriguing and engaging and kept my interest from start until finish. There was a couple of minor issues I had with both of their behavior at the latter part of the book but all in all, I loved it! I cannot wait to read the rest of the series because the secondary characters were just as interesting and amazing, PLUS I want more of Gage and Bailey and the rest of their adorable family! -
This book was Ok, I mean I liked it, it just was kind of..... annoying in a way? Let me explain.
You have a hot hockey player whose heart has been crushed by his ex-wife, who left him and their daughter when he needed her most. Then you have his nanny, who is also his best friend, who is in love with him. He is also in love with her. This story should go smoothly. Nope.
I get the heartbreak. I truly get it, however there is a time to move on and get the hell over it. That is what I got annoyed with. Gage and Bailey go back and forth about crossing lines (that they technically already crossed MULTIPLE times already) and it gets a little repetitious. Also I think Bailey came on a little too strong with the baby thing.
I did love Gage's daughter though. I wonder if she's going to grow up to be a major pain in the arse in the future lol. She may be cute now but puberty is a B---- lol
Fast, fun, and rather quick read. I say try it. I'm planning on reading the second book when it comes out. -
This one fell a bit flat for me. It was very cliched and I could see what was coming a mile off. Didn't like the way the H took the h for granted. Not my cup of tea, sorry!
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DNF
He is an ass
I can’t stand him
She is a doormat
Well NO -
Ovaries explode
Ok... so I read Samantha’s other series and I just couldn’t get into this players, but this one... holy smokes! I am in love with Gage and Bailey!!! Definite hotness and such a great story!!!! Must read -
I’m beyond obsessed with hockey romances. Give me a long ass series with them??? I’m sold.
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This was a nice, light, quick friends to lovers story. Gage is a single dad and NHL hockey player. Bailey is Gage's BFF who becomes his daughter's live in nanny. I enjoyed the story of the most part but I was not impressed with Gage's and his flaunting of the puck bunnies he brought to his house for sex while Bailey and his daughter were home. It would have been more tasteful if he did this discreetly.
Other than that issue I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to what Samantha Whiskey writes Next! -
See my full review here:
https://readinaflash.wordpress.com/20... -
A good KU read. Could have had a little bit more relationship building between the characters, but it was still decent.
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French & English reviews
Pour continuer dans mon binge-reading de tous les livres des hockeyeurs de Samantha Whiskey, j'ai décidé d'enfin lire le premier livre de la série sur Gage =D
Et sans surprise, j'ai adoré : c'est léger, sexy mais aussi avec du drama (MAIS SON EX QUEL CAUCHEMAR !! La journée d'anniversaire m'a tuée !!) et du angst (mais toutes les bonnes romances ont besoin d'un peu de drama ><)
Et puis, qui ne craquerait pas pour un papa poule ??
Et bien sûr cet épilogue qui m'a fait fondre <3
Bref, comme toujours avec cette série, des romances feeling good et sexy avec des hockeyeurs tous plus attachants les uns que les autres <3
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To continue in my binge-reading of all the hockey players books of Samantha Whiskey, I decided to finally read the first book in the series with Gage =D
And unsurprisingly, I loved it : it's light, sexy but also with drama (HIS EX WHAT A NIGHTMARE !! The birthday day scene killed me !!) and angst (but all good romances need drama ><)
And then, who wouldn't fall for a loving daddy ?
And of course this epilogue made me melt <3
In short, as always with this series, a feeling good and sexy romance with hockey players all more endearing than each other <3 -
Gage and Bailey had been Best friends for years and when Bailey moves in with Gage and his 3 year old daughter to help taking care of her, sparks fly between Gage and her. But of course everything don't run as smotly as might be wished. It was okey to listen to but I just didn't feel the connection between the two and the issue in the end just ended to smoothly. Like he didn't want it one second ago and then just like that everything changes? Meh not really my thing
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I liked it but it felt a bit rushed and forced
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Gage needs a nanny. His childhood friend, Bailey, agrees to help out until she decides what to do with her life.
Not long enough. The author attempted to explain the whirlwind romance by using the MCs as childhood friends. It didn’t work for me. This story felt too short given the issues that were being addressed in Bailey and Gage’s relationship. Towards the end, things began to conveniently fall into place.
It’s a cute story. It’s short. HEA. -
Chapter 3 and I think i’m out. This book is not for me. We have hockey player Gage who has employed Bailey to be his nanny. It’s a classic setup. bailey with her joint arts degree lying unused, waxes lyrical about how much she loves being a nanny whilst she cooks for the hero and makes doe eyes at him.
What annoys me?
Gage parades a string of puck bunnies through the house whilst Bailey remains pure and chaste.
The puck bunnies are dimwitted and mean. Bailey is snooty and judgy back. I hate slut shaming. Bailey is like an old grandma admonishing Gage, pointing out that he wouldn’t want his daughter to grow up having one night stands.
Jeez, why on earth not? There is absolutely nothing wrong with a one night stand. This book reads like it’s from the eighties. I hate that ‘grab my pearls’ attitude. It just tweaks my feminisms buttons.
And as for a three year old who speak in complete sentences with a full grasp of all her tenses? My six year old doesn’t speak as well as she does. -
1.5*. Nothing to do with the parade of puck bunnies. These supposed best friends left me cold. This just didn't do it for me. the only relationship that was portrayed with some depth was the one with the H and his daughter. Everything else was just words...and annoying. Had to skim it in parts.
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The definition of “well this was a book.” Other than some not great gender-roles stuff (“I lost some man points for tearing up”) there wasn’t really anything wrong with this book. There was just nothing memorable about it. I forgot I was reading it two or three times. After setting it down for 48 hours I had forgotten the plot entirely, mixing it up with another MF hockey I read last week. It was just... fine.
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Hockey Hotness
I seem to be in a hockey mood lately and this did not disappoint. More time off the ice than on but a great romance with well developed characters.
