| Title | : | Home Game (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 366 |
| Publication | : | First published January 29, 2019 |
I’m down to my last dollar.
I live day-to-day in a world that doesn’t care.
Despite my bad luck, I’m a fighter.
I never give up. I never stop trying.
Ryan Parker's wealth and generosity, sets him apart from anyone I know.
Yet, I don’t trust him.
It’s nothing personal. I trust no one.
But when my bad luck takes a turn for the worse, one person shows up.
Ryan Parker.
I do not understand why he bothered because the guy has enough of his own issues to deal with.
But I don’t have a choice.
I need him. It’s a matter of survival.
His friendship changed everything.
It changed me.
I started to believe in myself.
I allowed myself to trust.
And for the first time, in a long time, I felt my heart beat again.
In the game of love, winning is harder than it looks.
I don’t know the rules.
I don’t know how to win.
But I’ll play my heart out until the whistle blows.
Home Game.
Home Game (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #2) Reviews
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She was my best friend, my lover, my everything. I wanted to marry her, give her babies and show her the world.
Our main characters, Ryan Parker (26) is a hockey player who has been traded to the Vancouver Wolves and Zobenia “Zoey” Petrik (20) is a homeless girl, struggling to even make the barest minimum. Under some dire circumstances, Ryan decides to help out Zoey and suggests she move in with him. While Ryan struggles with bonding with his teammates and Zoey is given the opportunity to get back on her feet, a very sweet slow-burn romance blossoms between the two.
Initially, I had thought that Max (the hero from the first book) was THE PUREST cinnamon roll ever, but I’m officially passing that title onto Ryan now. Ryan was boyfriend material through and through – a hero in every sense of the word. He’s so kind, sweet and selfless. He was such a real guy as well; I loved his struggle with loneliness and his attempts in trying to bond with his team even though they were hellbent on ostracizing him. It’s nice to see heroes go through real struggles, ya know?
AND I LOVED Zoey so much! Her development as a character was truly the highlight for me. She starts off very prickly and difficult to get along with but when she finds solace in Ryan, we get to see her vulnerability and how much she actually needed constant reassurance. Seeing her transform from being a timid girl to a much more confident young woman made my heart burst with joy. I couldn’t help but cheer her on as she slowly discovered more about herself – her love for IKEA and decorating was too cute!
Ryan and Zoey were two halves of a whole, so damn perfect for each other. Their IKEA dates and movie nights GAVE ME DIABETES. SO SO CUTE. Their slow-burn romance and them constantly denying their attraction to each other gave me life. They’re definitely a couple you know will be happy long after their book has been written! I rarely ever cry happy tears, but this book managed to make me BAWL for these two cuties.I could handle abuse. Ignorance. Pain. But someone coming to my defense was my kryptonite. It brought me to my knees and made me weak. Tears mingled with my wet face while I worked to pull back all that emotion that was coming out of me.
I really loved how this story touched on the power dynamics between a very wealthy hero and a dirt-poor heroine. The constant struggle between Ryan wanting to purchase things for Zoey and Zoey feeling like she owed him, coupled with the humiliation of being homeless, was so realistic. Money can be a touchy subject, so I commend the author for doing such a brilliant job at adding complexity and depth to their romance. Even though it ultimately became a misunderstanding between the two, I love that Zoey was given the space to be independent and empowered.
Honestly, it was a pleasant surprise to find that nearly all my problems in the first book were IMMENSELY IMPROVED in this installment. (Hooray for the dual POV and less melodrama!) Odette Stone is clearly an author that knows how to improve her work and I can say with confidence that she’s slowly becoming one of my favorite authors! I love her writing style; it’s so captivating and it just flows so well! While the story has many serious themes in it, there were many well placed injections of humor too.“You know that horror movie, where the scary dead chick crawls out of the TV and kills people?”
I looked up at her. “Yeah.”
“She’s in your bedroom.”
I also love that we got to see a bit more of the other members of the Vancouver Wolves. Mica was the bomb! (I’m technically cheating as I’ve already read his book, which is the next installment, and I can firmly attest to his awesomeness…) I love his bromance with Ryan and how he became a reliable friend for Zoey. Also, I know there are readers that aren’t a fan of OM/OW drama, but I personally enjoy it, so just a word of warning… I hope Jensen (the OM) gets his own book!
My main criticism is that the ending felt too obvious that it was setting itself up for the next book. I would’ve liked a heartier epilogue instead. There were other minor things that could’ve been better, but I don’t want to nit-pick, I’m already looking forward to rereading this book.
If you’re looking for a snuggable sports romance with ALL THE FEELS, I highly recommend this one! The books in this series can also be read as standalones!
Rating: 4.75/5 -
THIS WAS SO FREAKING GOOD!!!!! I'm honestly obsessed with this entire series and I think I gave every one five stars. This one has the sweetest hero ever and I just was obsessed. Ryan is a professional hockey player and all around good guy. He meets Zoey in a cafe and she helps him out with her taxes. Zoey freaks out that she's late, so he gives her a ride to a church she needs to go to. He quickly realizes that Zoey is homeless and missed the cutoff to stay at a shelter for the night. Ryan offers for Zoey to stay with him and the two strike up a friendship, even though Zoey finds it hard to accept help from anyone. The relationship between Zoey and Ryan was so sweet and I just loved how close they grew to one another. Ryan never saw Zoey as a burden and he just wanted the best for her. Zoey was such a strong heroine and I loved her journey of getting on her feet while trying to ignore her feelings for Ryan. Her story was so heartbreaking and I just wanted her to be happy and find her HEA with Ryan. Every book in this series does have a suspense aspect where there's a villain, which I actually like! The plot gets a little intense and I'm kept on my toes. I absolutely adored this book and couldn't recommend this series enough!!
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4 stars
I'm such a sucker for sports romances, hockey specifically, and when I saw someone mention this book on a booktube video I knew I had to check it out. I've never read anything by this author and this is book 2 of a series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone.
I adored Ryan and Zoey's story. Ryan is such a sweetheart and Zoey has such a tough shell, but inside she's soft as well. This had a unique premise which I loved, and I'm intrigued by some of the other players. I see that the next in the series is Mica's book and I'll be getting to it soon! This one was worth the read and I'm so glad I picked it up. -
Ryan and Zoey gave me all the feels. Home Game is honestly just a sweet hockey hero romance with a smidge of angst. Zoey is homeless and struggling. Ryan is a huge hockey start that’s new in town, and is also struggling.. in his own way. They need each other but don’t know it yet.
So essentially this story is girl helps boy. Boy saves girl. They unexpectedly click and fit. Banter, banter, banter. Swoon, swoon, swoon. Roommates. “Just friends.” Slow burn romance ensues. Sigh. I can’t with these two. Such a great read, with such a great cast of characters!
Honestly if you enjoy sports hero romance, then you will love this read. It fits into the classic mold, but also has the unique voice of Odette Stone, which takes Home Game to the next level. Loving this authors work so far and can’t wait to see what she gives us next!
https://instagram.com/p/BtJ1dcllz-b/
^fan edit on IG!
AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON & KINDLE UNLIMITED!
*ARC -
I am between 2 and 3 stars for this book. I round it up to 3 stars. In my opinion, Puck Me Secretly is still my favorite. Home Game is confusing.
I do not like the flow of the story. It seems between 1 scenes/ plot to another, there are things missing in the middle. So I have to guess or to glue it together myself. The bonus epilogue is.... not great. I want sweet epilogue but what I get is soft porn bonus epilogue.
I like Ryan. He is, despite the confusing story, he is kind of sweet. I do not like the push and pull between Ryan and Zoey. Its too much and most of the push and pull does not contribute to the story. It is sometimes frustrating.
Overall I do enjoy this book OK mostly due to Ryan. He is such a sweet big bear.
3 stars -
Okay so at first I was super into this. The concept was interesting, with our punk female lead being homeless and needing help. Enter the rich professional athlete with a heart of gold. It started off cute, but it just started to feel… young. I don’t know why zoey had to be an uneducated, petite virgin. It felt like I was reading about a 16 year old, not a 21 year old, so when the sex scene happened at the 90% mark I was actually a little uncomfortable. The questions she was asking mid sex (What do we do now? Where does this go?) along with some clunky, juvenile dialogue made me start to think of these two twenty somethings as that obnoxious middle school couple who always has their hands in each other’s sleeves.
Also, I never want to hear about IKEA again. The second IKEA is mentioned, it doesn’t stop being mentioned. I about lost my mind when they named the cat IKEA. -
Vancouver Wolves Hockey Series
Puck Me Secretly ➟ 3 stars
Home Game ➟ 1.5 stars
The Penalty Box ➟ not going to read
High Risk Rookie ➟ not going to read
Book: The Home Game
Rating: 1.5 stars
Summary
A chance encounter at a random café causes Vancouver hockey player, Ryan Parker, and current homeless twenty-year old, Zoey to meet. After Zoey ends up helping Ryan with his computer trouble, he offers her his card in case she ever needs anything. Zoey was never planning on using it however after an attack that lands her in the hospital all she has is Ryan. Soon enough, Ryan offers to let Zoey stay with him until she is back on her feet. But that’s it. They are just friends. But would that really stop them from secretly falling for each other anyways?
Review
Well, this was disappointing. I didn’t love the first book in the series, but I had hopes this would be better, it wasn’t. Not even close. The only reason I didn’t DNF was because of how quick I was flying through the book.
↳Plot. I have no idea what I just read. I wish I was joking when I say that but so much happened in this book I am not even sure what the plot is. Even though I have only read two Odette books, I feel like this might be the way she likes to write her books; she likes to have so much going on at once to keep it action packed and interesting, but it really backfires. Mostly all the complaints I had in the first book of this series, can be implied to this one. To be honest, it would have been one thing if she wanted to add a lot of plot points but to add so many and then resolve them so poorly is the real crime. I just could not take this book seriously, adding (more like trying) thriller aspects towards the end of the book was also just unnecessary. So, in all the plot was a hot mess!
↳Characters. I did not like any of the characters. There is not even a single time in this book were I thought the characters were interesting. Ryan was dull and Zoey was dull. It’s also the fact both of them were grown adults but were acting like children around each other; some of their actions in this book were so ridiculous that I can’t even describe. In all they were just boring and unmoving. I also feel like I don’t know their personalities that well. Maybe, it was just because I did not care but the only personality traits, I felt like they had was Ryan being a hockey player while Zoey was homeless.
↳Romance. The romance in this book felt so dumb to a point it felt comedic. I just could not believe what I was reading. This was just a whole miscommunication fest; I never realized how much that bothered me until reading this book. One of the weirdest slow burn romances I have ever read. Also, this reminded me way too much of
Fever, another book I did not like which have the same story – rich boy saves poor girl. I am guessing I don’t really like that trope. But anyways, I just never felt Ryan and Zoey’s chemistry. They were like friends who could not tell each other they liked each other; like 90 percent of this book is both of them falling for each other but instead of telling each other, they just act foolish. Also, the OW and OM drama was so unnecessary I can’t even.
↳Ending Thoughts. In conclusion, I did not like this book at all. I don’t think I will continue on with this series. I just don’t think Odette is a writer for me. -
I don't usually go for sports romance but my dear friend
Sanzida recommended this book to me and said I would like it, so I tried it.
Surprisingly, it was so much better than I expected and I am glad I read it. Thank you, sweetheart for the recommendation. 🥰🥰🥰
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The heroine in this book is so sweet and so lovable that I wanted to find her in real life and give her many many hugs and kisses. Her painful life, her innocence and her vulnerability mixed with her strong character, her smartness and her good heart make Zoey a very likable character.
Zoey lost her father and mother in a tragic accident when she was 6 and then went to foster care, which wasn't a good experience for her. Finally, when her foster dad assaulted her, she ran away, stabbing him with a knife. He wasn't dead.
*********************************************
When Zoey met our hero, Ryan, she was homeless and living in the shelters and if there was no place in them, she was sleeping in 7/24 open diners.
Ryan is a hockey player and he has just been transferred to a new team. He needs to work a lot to be accepted by his new team mates. He hasn't been in a serious relationship for 3 years because he was busy and he never felt about a woman that she was the one.
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The story of Ryan and Zoey first begins with Ryan helping her and she slowly learns to trust him and accept his help. After a while, both of them start to have feelings for each other but Ryan tries to do his best not to break her trust. (She is a virgin, by the way).
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There is a long separation (8 months) and during that time, Zoey learns to stand on her own feet and Ryan gives her that time to be sure that she really wants him because she loves him, not because she needs him. Still, he suffers a lot.
Zoey, on the other hand, doesn't understand why Ryan sent her away and she is too upset. I think Ryan could have handled that transition process in a better way but he couldn't.
During that time when they were apart, Ryan's friend arranges a blind date for him once, seeing he is a mess but even though he agrees to meet her, he doesn't feel anything about that woman. Still he kisses her before he sends her home and I didn't like it.
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All in all, it is a very emotional and sweet book with some hot scenes. However, I will never understand how a virgin has a magical first time... is it really possible?
*********************************************
The writing of the book is really good. It makes you feel. That's why, I am planning to read the other books in the series.
Ryan motioned for me to get back on the elevator. I stood behind him and stared at his huge back while emotions flooded my entire body. I could handle abuse. Ignorance. Pain. But someone coming to my defense was my kryptonite. It brought me to my knees and made me weak. Tears mingled with my wet face while I worked to pull back all that emotion that was coming out of me.
***
“Be patient with him.”
“I’m not impatient. I don’t know what I am, but it’s not that.”
“The guy is like a flag twisting on a pole. He just needs to sort himself out.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “What pole is that?”
“You’re the pole.”
***
There’s a warning on the Viagra commercials about calling your doctor if your erection lasts longer than 4 hours. I had a constant hard-on in Zoey’s presence to the point that I was in pain. I wondered, on more than one occasion, if I should consider this a medical emergency.
***
I wanted Zoey to trust me and come forward and share what was bothering her. We’d come a long way since our first days, but there was still a part of her she shielded and held back from me. And I wanted to know her, all of her. Which made little sense because typically, the inner workings of the female mind had never been my concern.
***
“Whatcha reading?”
“A book called Capitalism and Freedom.”
“Is that for class?”
Her smiled widened. “For fun.”
“Economics isn’t fun.”
“Says you.” -
Puck Me Secretly - 3.75 stars
Hook My Heart novella - 2.75 stars
Home Game - 3.75 stars
Well, I'm gonna be completely on the level here, I was left less than impressed by the novella that proceeds HG. It was a pleasant surprise how much improvement there was in the storytelling for this 3rd installment of the Vancouver Wolves series(technically book 2, as HMH, is a novella). Home Game turned out to be such a sweet & tender unexpected budding friendship that gradually evolves into a slowburn.
It may not be every romance reader's cuppa, but considering the situation of what was going on with Zoey when they met & were getting to know each other, I liked for a while the feelings that were developing between them were purely friendship. No rushed inner monologues 'waxing poetic' of insta-love or lusty fantasies. Then when feelings & attraction start coming into play, a solid amount of it stems from emotional affection & respect.
Fair to say, you're probably wondering now why not 4 stars or better? After a few occasions when Zoey & Ryan do begin testing the waters, Ryan has a heart to heart with his mother(his mother gave him clarity by putting into words exactly why he was struggling with his conscience when it came to Zoey.) & albeit good intentioned, he accidentally puts his foot in his mouth So while the majority of HG I was thoroughly invested & enjoy it, this portion on the flip side for me was one big eye roll. -
DNFing at 44%
Considering I’m not even half way through and I’m already bored and heavily skimming… I don’t see a point in continuing.
I liked the couples first encounter and thought the setup of a professional hockey player helping out a homeless girl sounded super unique and interesting… but not much else was working for me after that.
I wasn’t really vibing with Zoey and I found her to be super childish. She was supposed to be 20 and it felt like I was reading about a skiddish 15 year old. And even though I kind of liked Ryan, he wasn’t enough to keep me invested.
There was a lot of petty drama being added in and I honestly didn’t care for anything that was going on. Felt like a very basic high school feeling sort of sports romance and I don’t care to put myself though 200 more pages of it. -
I had so much hope for this and the first half of this was great, but that third act breakup... 🤮 get that shit out of my face.
🏒 professional ice hockey athlete hero
🏒 heroine who's homeless
🏒 forced proximity
The premise sounded so interesting: She helps him with his taxes in a cafe because she's good at accounting, she misses her deadline to enter a shelter, he feels bad (rightly so) and offers her his place to crash. He gives her his card before she leaves but she doesn't want any handouts from him. Days go by. She gets attacked one day (Trigger warnings for assault & stalking) and he gets called to the hospital because she had his card on her. She temporarily moves in with him and things start from there.
But they're both pretty immature and don't communicate well, and the second half sucked ass. Wished this was better because the potential was there. -
Get it here:
Amazon US *
Amazon UK
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I know that normally, just because it is a hockey romance, I’m going to enjoy it but this series is REALLY good. I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that the storylines are so different.
Zoey was such a badass character. I really was digging how she came off one way but was really so complex and had so much more to her then what she projected. And Ryan…..YES PLEASE!!! Perfection!
These books have the hockey romance I am looking for but also so much more with the action/suspense. -
"Home Game" was a very fun-to-read sports-related (hockey) book. I loved both Ryan and Zoey. Their chemistry was push and pull in a slow burn to sizzling hot. Zoey has had her share of hard times and down on her luck. Their meet-greet was so cute and I enjoyed every minute of their interaction. And just when things are looking pretty dark for Zoey, Ryan takes over as her Knight in Shining Skates and saves the day. There are some really funny lines of dialogue, shopping sprees to IKEA that are such fun to read. And everything would have been just perfect if that ending would have been just a chapter longer. Needed a little more of the happy-ever-after good stuff!
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4.5!!
this was SO fun but the third act breakup was ,,, tedious -
Cute Hockey Romance
Young 20 year old homeless heroine and mid 20's millionaire hockey player..
Ryan and Zoey was the cutest couple.I loved the dynamics between the two of of them.
The IKEA shopping and decorating was cute to read and I loved how Zoey was a fan of all things IKEA.Her cat was even named after the store.
Mica's book is up next which I read prior to this one and loved that one too! -
This was quite a nice hockey romance. Hot hockey player befriends young homeless woman. They formed a genuine friendship, although there was attraction always underlying the friendship, on both sides.
I did like the respect that Ryan showed to Zoey. He genuinely cared about her, as well as wanting to *ahem* get into her pants. But I got a little tired of all the roadblocks and delays to the relationship. It felt a little forced at times.
I liked that there was some actual hockey in the book, too, and some real interactions between players etc. It's annoying when you read a sports romance and there's no actual sport. But that wasn't the case here.
This was a 3.5 star read for me till I got to the epilogue, which was a disappointment, as it seemed to be just a setup for the next book, about Mica. Oddly, it was followed by a 'bonus' chapter or second epilogue, which I just plain disliked, because it was almost like reading porn. Just, no. Turned me off and I wished I hadn't read it. Not necessary, and it didn't fit the tone of the rest of the book. It made me take off the half-star, actually. Oh well. I guess I'll read Mica's book when it's out, anyway. -
Erm...
Same old same old, hockey star, romance, bad people who are trying to do bad things, etc.
But hey! I still liked it a lot, both main characters were lovable to a fault. Such cuties, insecure and good people, and the friends were so good as well. This one didn't have all the action the previous book had, but instead it has all the feelings, it was so good to read!! And one thing I want to remark is how well the time is used in this books, the writer doesn't rush things, she gives the story and the characters time, unlike some others that happen in a two weeks period of time.
But can we talk about how much I hated Bianca, please??? OMG, she made my blood boil. And why oh why we don't get steamy scenes until towards the end and then the writer wants to make up for lost time but it's all a bit too much? (Yep, I'm talking about that no-needed last scene, thank you!)
There was no SWAT in this one, only normal police. I kinda missed them. -
This was a great improvement especially compared to the first in series.
Thankfully Home Game features a dual Pov, I loved reading whatever was going through Ryan’s mind. I’m truly adoring Odette Stone at this point and I’m loving her heroes.
Ryan was a kind and caring male protagonist like Max from book 1.
This book isn’t anything too dramatic. It’s fluffy and sweet, but it’s also a slow burn romance, which lets the romance stew and develop rather nicely. -
Ikea bu kitaba sponsor mu olmuş acaba 😏
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Jā jā jā, skrullējiet tālāk, vēl viens hokeja romāns.
Hokejists un bezpajumtniece.
Ļoti cēls, sociāli atbildīgs mīlas stāsts.
Tīri labi patika attiecību iztirzājums, dinamika starp abiem varoņiem - ka nav veselīgi dibināt attiecības, ja abi nestāv vienā līmenī. Nevar viens būt glābējs, un otrs mūžam pateicīgais. Šoreiz trešā cēliena škiršanās iemesls bija ļoti reāls un racionāls.
Protams, netrūka te pikantu momentu, un mazliet hokeja - ļoti patika knifiņi kā savākt komandu savā pusē. Bet visiem klasiskajiem romančika elementiem te pāri skanēja dažas ļoti svarīgas un fundamentālas notis. Cik daudz mums ir dots, un cik maz mēs to apzināmies. Daudziem tiešām dzīvē nepaveicas, un tā ir viegla taka, kurai padoties. Materiālo lietu vērtība, tas, ka tu vari atļauties, nenozīmē, ka tev ir jāpērk 10 000 sūdiņu no Pepko.
Esam pieraduši pie autobusu smirdīgajiem bomžiem, bet tā jau ir galējā fāze, gana liels ir neredzamo bezpajumtnieku skaits, kuri cenšas palikt virs ūdens, bet visu laiku nākas peldēt pret straumi.
NHL krievus laikam ļoti mīl, jo šis ir jau trešais romāns, kur labsirdīgā savedēja loma uzticēta krievam. Es to norakstu uz "mistisko krievu dvēseli", kuru baro mistiskā valodu nesaprašanās. -
This was just as good and addicting as the first book!
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The story of homeless zoey and hockey player Ryan. Ryan meets Zoe in a coffee shop when he is failing to do his accounts. She helps him and he ends up hiring her to do his book keeping.
I really enjoyed this story and couldn’t put it down. I loved that Zoey was a survivor and that Ryan was so kind-hearted. The two both seemed lonely and lost until they found each other. It was a sweet story.
Why only three stars?
Well, there were a few things that weren’t for me.
Initially Zoe is so vulnerable and innocent. She felt more like a 14 year old than here 21 years. It just felt a bit wrong. Zoey is almost too vulnerable. In the beginning she hero worships Ryan and would do anything to make him happy. This didn’t sit well with me. Luckily the author acknowledges this and we get a really nice character development with Zoey as she becomes stronger. In general though I felt she was a wounded bird. I prefer a stronger heroine with more banter.
There was a big gap in their relationship. 8 months! That felt too long to me personally. It just made me sad. Especially when it was all based on a lack of communication.
Bianca the PA was too evil. She just wasn’t believable and I felt that Ryan should have worked out her game earlier on. I feel the author could have been far more subtle with her character.
The proper hot bits don’t really get going until 90%. I didn’t quite get the feels with this. I always felt Zoey was too vulnerable and it was all sweet, virginal innocence until the last chapters where it ramps up into mild erotica. Just a bit jarring.
But I did enjoy it. I loved the IKEA references. I will read the others. -
This was sweet. How often do you get a homeless heroine?
There's a lot of fights. For such a sweet and tender hero, I found this kind of annoying.
There's also a part where Mica buys a television for the heroine twice, so you know, editing and continuity issues.
I actually felt like the power dynamic between a rich hockey player and the random homeless woman was really well done. Thanks to his mom. Additionally, I would really really love to read about Krista and was glad there was some kind of friendship for both protagonists to give this breath. -
Welp, I stayed up all night reading this. Meaning I literally could not put it down.
This was the most beautiful story. I was sobbing 13% in and so many times throughout. Zoey and Ryan’s romance is one of my new favorites. Ryan may be the sweetest hero I’ve ever read about.
I’m a huge fan! Can’t wait to read more in this series. -
I loved this plot! A homeless girl and a hockey star...seriously? Who would think that would work, but it sure did. Her character was brilliant, and he was to die for. This one really worked for me and I enjoyed the whole thing. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.
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Home Game was such a cute romance! It follows Zoey and Ryan, a famous hockey player, who meet in a coffee shop when Zoey watches Ryan struggling with accounting stuff on his computer. She leans over, offering to help him. They end up parting ways due to Zoey rushing off. Ryan follows her, realizing she's homeless and has nowhere to stay due to the shelter being closed for the night. Ryan invites Zoey to spend the night with him. Before she leaves, he gives her his card and tells her to call him if she needs anything. Well, that ends up being sooner than she thought because Zoey ends up getting mugged and beaten on the street, and Ryan's number is the only contact number the hospital has. Despite not being used to having help, Zoey quickly realizes that Ryan's offer to stay with him temporarily is better than the streets. And so begins some of the slowest burn, forced proximity sexual tension I've ever read.
Zoey and Ryan's relationship was so cute! This story was friends to lovers-ish in a way, because they formed a close friendship before it turned into anything physical. I loved watching them realize they were attracted to each other because they were SO good together! The conflict between Ryan and his hockey teammates was a good side plot, and I loved how Zoey's presence actually helped Ryan improve his relationship with them.
Zoey absolutely blossomed from the beginning of this book all the way to the end. The conflict towards the end was believable, and I enjoyed seeing Zoey stand on her own two feet. She deserved an HEA after all the hell she'd been through. Meanwhile, watching Ryan struggle with his feelings with Zoey was equally satisfying. This story was the definition of what it means to be crushing hard on someone, lmao.
I enjoyed the author's writing style once I got into it. Sometimes, it did feel like her writing was almost too simple, to the point where it felt like stuff wasn't fleshed out enough. However, I kept reading, things made more sense and I actually went on to appreciate how straightforward her writing was. I am intrigued by this series now and will definitely try the next book!
TROPES: sports romance (hockey); forced proximity/roommates; friends to lovers; rich H; hero kind of saves heroine; cutesy vibes; Canada-based; found family-ish
TRIGGER WARNINGS: homelessness; graphic violence; abuse by a foster parent; mention of child loss (not between H/h, very small scene) -
4.2 ⭐️ 2.8🌶
So this one caught me off guard!!! I’ve never read a sports romance with a plot like this and I really enjoyed it!! It was nice to see something way less generic and hasn’t been done a million different times.
Ryan is our hero character in the book who takes care of Zoey after something extremely traumatic happens that has her needing to rely on someone for care.
When I say this book gave slow burn, I mean it gave SLOW BURN!!!!! It had me just on the absolute edge of my chair being like “any minute now” and every time I thought it was gonna happen someone would snatch the bacon from right in front of my face. But let me tell you, when I finally got that bacon, it was scrumptious.
Such an enjoyable hockey romance, so many lovable characters and an overall great read!!! Can’t wait to read more by Odette!!! -
This is a sweet and lightly angsty romance. The heroine, Zoey, is homeless and down on her luck when she meets Ryan Parker, the newest addition to the Vancouver Wolves hockey team. He’s sweet and generous, and despite not having time for anything other than training, he can’t help but feel like he needs to help the sweet Zoey.
One thing I loved about this slow burn romance is that Ryan is genuinely not attracted to Zoey at first. He helps her out of the kindness of his heart, not because he wants anything in return. Of course, after a while he realizes that she’s a bombshell, but that’s beside the point.
I loved the Canadian setting of this book! While it’s the second in a series, the couple from the first book are barely even featured, and I really didn’t feel like I was missing anything from skipping that story. That said, I might go back and read it, since I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
The only thing I found annoying about this book was the lack of communication between Zoey and Ryan really created a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache. The separation between the two of them, while it does make sense on a certain level, it wasn’t necessary to have it be done in such a painful way. The book still would have been angsty and heart-rending without that somewhat contrived separation towards the end of the book.
All in all, because of my annoyances with the latter half of the book, this ended up being a 4-star read. -
OK so this one was even better than the first one. But I think that's in part because I went in super excited to keep reading this series and I knew what to expect from the authors writing style. But then again it could have been because of Ryan and Zoe.
Zoe was one of those characters that I instantly liked and felt protective of. And I loved that Ryan felt the same way but he still had reservations and everything happened organically.
Ryan was just perfect. He was so sweet and caring and he consistently put Zoe first. Even if he wasn't great at communicating why he was doing things. And I loved the addition of Mica as a secondary character. I already have his book downloaded and ready to go. So I'm off.
