Title | : | High Risk Rookie (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #4) |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | - |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
Number of Pages | : | 383 |
Publication | : | First published January 2, 2021 |
The moment I heard about Levi Ziegler, I had a bad feeling in my gut.
As a seasoned sports agent, I just knew he was going to be trouble.
But despite my reservations, as a favor to the GM of the Vancouver Wolves,
I agreed to sign this young, wild player as a client.
One reckless night,
One terrible mistake,
and suddenly my entire world,
and everything I have worked for,
is on thin ice.
Thanks to my rookie.
I shouldn’t work with him professionally,
because I can't seem to keep my hands off him.
The more tangled our lies get,
The more complicated our relationship becomes.
Can I figure out how to get him signed with the team,
while keeping him out of my bed and my heart?
He's a high risk rookie, and
he's a liability I can't resist.
High Risk Rookie (Vancouver Wolves Hockey, #4) Reviews
-
3.5-4 stars
I’m frustrated. I’ll be honest, I love this series so much and Odette Stone just does it for me but this book did not. There were so many loose ends. For one, Krista’s family is absolutely terrible. Like I wanted to scream. I wanted to slam my kindle down at how abusive they were and we never got resolution for it. Krista should never talk to her family ever again.
Also, Levi’s backstory was so short. I needed more. I wanted to know more about him. He’s 22 and we never find out how old Krista is, just there is an age-gap that’s discussed from time to time but how much? Also there’s like 3 whole different sub-plots going on at once and while im fine with that, I need them all to wrap up properly and not abrutly. Also, I needed there to be more...steam? I don’t know. This book just fell short for me in so many ways and that makes me sad because I love this series. Also I need Odette to mention the other players and their love stories because I was so attached to them. We get to see Charlie and her man but that’s it, and they barely have interaction with each other.
The saving grace for this book and why it was rounded up to four stars was that Levi and Krista have an awesome chemistry. I loved how much Levi was there for her. Man, he was so soft. I love how much Krista broke down and wasn’t too afraid to lean on Levi. I just wish we got more, so much more. This might be my lowest rated Odette Stone book yet and I’m bummed about it. -
I am obsessed with this series and have given most (if not all?) books five stars. This one was such a good ending!! This book was so fun and was a forbidden romance with a sports agent and a rookie hockey player. Levi has been playing in Europe and wants to earn a spot on the Vancouver Wolves team, and he knows that Krista is the key to getting there. Krista wants Levi as a client because she is determined to make it as one of the most successful agents in the business. What they don't count on, though, is getting drunk in Mexico and waking up married. To save her reputation, Krista knows they have to keep their marriage quiet. She hires a lawyer and is doing everything she can to get Levi on the Vancouver team. I loved their chemistry and how hard it was for them to stay away from each other. Levi was such a swoony hero and I loved how protective he was over Krista. I really loved Krista, though, and how successful and determined she was. She wasn't going to let anyone stop her from getting what she wanted and she knew she could get Levi on the team he wanted to be on. And the friendships she and Levi formed with people on the team were just so cute. I definitely recommend reading this series in order because you get to see so many past characters and it just feels like catching up with old friends. I loved this book so much and I'm so sad it's over!
-
My only issues are the main character's lack of fortitude regarding her immediate family and ex. 7 of 10 stars
-
4 stars
What a way to end this series on a high note! Krista and Levi's book is one of the best in the series IMO. Krista is the no-nonsense sports agent we've seen through this series and Levi is a rookie in his early twenties who's out of control. Krista is sent to sign Levi and get him on track. If anyone can whip him into shape, she can. He is so much more than she bargained for. And in the best way possible. I loved Levi and Krista together. Levi was the best and I loved how much he loved and cared for Krista. He would do anything for her. Even though Krista went through a lot in this book, I was so happy with how her story ended up. -
High Risk Rookie is a really high risk for me to read. And the bet is... not paying off as expected. Don't get ne wrong, this book is OK.
My only complain is too much drama. Especially from Krista.
Her attitude toward Levi, hot and cold really gets into my nerve. For someone who works at high pressure industry, she seems can not make up her mind. Her attittude toward her family is also.... too much drama. She knows her family is shit and yet she is asking for their shitty treatment.
Levi, meanwhile is just hovering in the background. He is a hero who is not sure what to do, except being brooding.
Overall, this is not a bad read nor very good read. It is just OK read.
3 stars -
3.25-.5 stars
The element of Krista’s family nearly ruined the book entirely. I’m not saying it’s 5 stars read without them, BUT had her family been completely absent from the story, HRR had potential & my star rating would’ve very easily been 4 stars or better. They were absolutely awful to her. They are the kind you do not see or speak to ever - EVER- again & you would be completely justified. Seriously, it would be the appropriate decision for her own mental health. They were THAT bad. They have no decency whatsoever to be remorseful. She sort of defends herself once, but she doesn’t stick to her guns & continues allowing their behavior. Krista’s so headstrong & feisty otherwise, which makes it all the more maddening she’s a doormat just for them.
Honestly, - even putting my disdain for them aside - there were more than enough plots elsewhere, so her family contribution to the whole truly was unnecessary. To be frank, OS kinda overdid it with plot devices generally speaking. I don’t wanna say having multiple plots is a flat no-no, but so many like HRR has tends to create more loose ends & plot holes resulting in what feels a bit of a lack in cohesion for the overall story. That said, I would be much more amenable to look past at least a few of the rest without the inclusion of her family.
One of those things, albeit sort of silly & not all a deal breaker, gradually drove me nuts is we never learn Krista’s age. It’s an age gap romance & it’s regularly mentioned Levi is just 22, but not a peep about her age. People react to their age difference & it just taunts my curiosity 😂. She has her own established sports agency, so I’d think she was 30 at the very least, but truly idk, dammit 🤷♀️😂. A couple of others…Sometimes I also would’ve appreciated more of a breather before the next drama unfolded. At times it felt a little like rapid fire…hot, cold, hot, cold, etc. I wish we had gotten little check ins with other Wolves series couples besides Mica & Charlie. It kinda weird Rory doesn’t pop up more when it comes to team stuff for the Wolves. Her dad is grooming her to the gm if I remember correctly.
After all of that. Believe it or not, I did enjoy Krista & Levi together. Their chemistry was actually pretty good. It was sorta cute how much he liked her bossiness & it was a turn on for him. I also loved when push comes to shove they had each other’s backs. Even with its flaws, HRR was an improvement over the previous book in the series. -
2 (maybe 2.5) stars. I rambled way too long in this review, just a heads up haha.
As I was reading this I was desperate to give it 3-stars, but it just never got better for me and in fact, got worse. I like Odette Stone, I think her books 'Home Game' and 'The Penalty Box', books 2&3 of this series, which I rated 4 stars each are why because honestly haven't loved anything of hers since so I may need to reassess my hype around her new releases.
First things first, big pet peeve so I'm just going to get it out of the way...how the fuck old is Krista?! Levi's age is mentioned in like the first sentence of the book, but in all 383 pages, Krista age is not mentioned once or even alluded to with context clues like 'I was X years old when I started my business' or 'I graduated from college X years ago' NOTHING. Yet they mention she's 'older' and her mom decries their 'age gap'. Levi is 22 years old, a veritable baby, so this woman with an established business trying to make the Forbes list I have to assume is at least 30, right?? I don't know! She could be some girl boss genius and she's 28 and the age gap isn't a big deal or she could be 35... like there are literally no clues. So long story short, that was annoying and focused on enough that we really should know her age.
This book left me feeling frustrated in general. Krista was a borderline TSTL heroine, her family is truly awful, I still feel like Odette Stone doesn't really hit the nail on the head for sports romance and there were loose ends that were never wrapped up.
So first, Krista... this woman was constantly contradicting herself. I'm all about a little cat-and-mouse, will they or won't they, tension building, but KRISTA... for example said, "I needed to move forward in a professional capacity only..." and then literally sentences later on the same page he tugs her into bed and cuddles her and she's like 'bemused' and says "Thanks." LIKE GIRL FUCKING 'FISH OR CUT BAIT' as Mica told you to do. This kind of scene happened like 10 times. She's constantly saying and thinking "we need to be professional", but then one second later he pokes her and she's making out with him. Seriously, there was no coercion or seduction, which then I could understand her capitulation, but she just automatically folds. Then Levi waits for her full consent which she withholds even though she doesn't want to, and leaves saying "we'll talk in a few days". She said that sooo many times and it got really repetitive and annoying. It would have been nice to see her stick to her ground and for them to only get physical once she was ready to go farther than a kiss because there were way too many scenes of her being super contradictory, wishy-washy, and unprofessional. The unprofessionalism really annoyed me because she's a big deal, she's a female sports agent in a male-dominated field that *spoilers* literally loses it all for this guy, which okay, that happens, but it was so sad that he has zero repercussions and she is shunned (which is a reality of our society, I know), I just feel like she should have fought way harder to protect herself.
Krista's family... omg. Her mother and sister were so cruel to her it's unreal. *spoilers* Krista's sister, Helene, had an affair with Krista's boyfriend of 2-years and then when he wanted to end it so he could stop cheating on Krista she deliberately gets pregnant. WOW, you'd think Krista's mom, Bea, would be on her side, show a little compassion for the daughter who was wronged, but nope, not even a little bit. In fact, Helene never even apologizes. Yet Krista still loves these people and tries to goes to Helene's baby showers and holidays where her sister and ex are in attendance and it always goes horribly wrong with people berating and belittling Krista and making her leave. She was cornered in rooms by her ex, slapped by her mom, berated by her family. Her ex won't leave her alone and is very stalker-y yet her family believes she's in the wrong and trying to lure him away from Helene because she's "jealous"... Y'all the DELUSION of her mom and sister is crazy. The entire book any interaction with her family was abusive and showed no compassion, love, or respect for Krista from any of them, yet, *More spoilers* at the end, Krista is attacked by her ex and we assume that her family now knows they were in the wrong and apologizes, but that's not shown at all or even alluded to, HOWEVER, in the epilogue, Levi mentions he's planning their huge wedding with Bea, EXCUSE ME, no... that woman is the worst excuse for a mom on the planet. We were not shown any redemption at all, but I'm supposed to be like, 'Aww, yay, her mom likes her now'?? How?? Why??
Now moving on to Levi. For being some crazy, off-the-rails, problem child he was the epitome of cool, calm, and collected. I really thought his partying, winsome ways would be a bigger plot element, but no that stopped immediately. His only issue was with a horrible prospective player Brody, who he fought with a lot, yes, but deservedly and anyone with a brain would've seen Brody was always instigating and placed the blame at his feet.
A sports-related comment that really annoyed was when Levi said, "I stood alone in a room filled with other hockey players, and I didn't recognize a single face. In Europe, I knew most of the players in my league. Here, I didn't know anyone." You expect me to believe a professional hockey player (in Germany, but still), who lived and grew up in Canada until he was 15 (only 7 years ago) and is now back in Canada hoping to join a Canadian team hasn't watched any hockey?? He doesn't recognize or know who ANY of these players are? That's insane, 5-year-olds would know who every player in that room was and what their stats are, I find it super hard to believe a professional hockey player knows nothing about hockey players in the biggest league in the world...but okay.
I've said in other reviews of Odette Stone's hockey books that I feel like she misses out on one of my favorite aspects of sports romance: the team. The camaraderie, the friendships, the enemies, all of it. She focuses too much on the couple and not the fact that the player is integrating into a new team and meeting and interacting with a lot of people. This is also a great way for authors to get readers excited about the next books because you can't wait for ____'s story. But Odette just keeps having brand new players join the team whereas if she had introduced us to the team at all she could just draw on established characters. In this book Mica and Charlie are heavily featured so that's nice, but what about the players we met in books 1&2? We didn't interact with them at all. So not only is it nice to get excited about players who might have books in the future, but it's great for fans to get to check back in with previous characters.
I feel like there were loose ends that were never tied up, namely Brody. He's on the Wolves, and at the very end we find out *spoilers* Levi is joining the Wolves, how's that going to work out? They hate each other, Brody is a douche and a horrible person. And like I mentioned before there was no resolution with Krista's family so no all these sub-plots: their abuse towards her, her ex, just didn't feel resolved.
Overall, I think I had too high of expectations for this book. It was the first release of 2021 I was anticipating so it made it more of a let down that I didn't love it. I looked at the reviews and there's a sea of 4 and 5 stars so others obviously didn't have the same hang-ups as me. It just wasn't an enjoyable read for me, unfortunately. -
3.5 ✨
It was good but I really dislike how this author feels the need to break every single couple up for weeks or month at the end of the book then get them back together.
Every book, same thing. It’s predictable, we all know it is coming and I just don’t like the temporary split. There’s no need for it at all.
I also didn’t like the female mc in this book. I actually liked her as a side character in all the other books in the series. But for her own book the author changed her personality and basically turned her into something else entirely…. I mean she literally changed her story. In book 2 she says she just broke up with her bf who had a kid and missed his kid. But in this one she had a cheating ex with no kid lol PLUS The way she let her entire family treat her was ridiculous bc she had a “didn’t take shit from anyone” personality in every book only to let them literally insult her and ruin her life lol.
In addition to this, this is a 4 book stand alone series and all the characters are friends so they’re all in each book however, the author reuses so many names its confusing. In book 2 there was a stalker named Terrance and in book 4 there was a PI named Terrance? In book 3 there was a killer named Andrew and in book 4 there was a bestfriend named Andrew? There are literally millions of names in the world yet the author keeps reusing the same ones and confusing things. -
I started to read this series in 2019, and a year and some months later the latest book comes out. It was a really long wait and it was an entertaining read but I forgot most of the other characters, I know they were important in other books but I don't remember why, so please Miss Odette, don't take too long with the next. Thank you! 🥰❤
With that out of the way I really enjoyed this, I don't know why Levi is so attractive to me, I can't pinpoint what, maybe he's a little bit of a bad boy but still. I liked Krista as a female character, she was strong, bossy and smart, she handled her shit and she solved every issue with confidence and she's a cougar here. GOALS! The only thing I can't excuse her from is not cutting ties with her family, they were toxic as hell.
Did I think the: "I can't be with you but I still end up in your bed" trope was tiring? Yes, yes I did, that's why the 4 stars, I think they should have been exposed earlier so we could pass that, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it because I did.
Lovely stuff. 🥰❤ -
Unfortunately my least favorite book in this amazing series. The rest of the series will be among my favorite sports romance. Just not this. I didn't care about Krista or Levi.
Rating 2 stars 🌟 -
3,5 / 5
-
Way Too Much Going On
It was a very busy book. Krista was so damaged, and not in a good way. It made her character unbelievable and unlikable. How are you this tough as nails agent, that can control big bad hockey players, but get push around and disrespected by EVERYONE in your family? I like my heroines tough, and Krista disappointed me. Then you have multiple “possible” bad guys, and an unnecessarily long and convoluted storyline. So much going on. At times I got so frustrated with the characters’ stupidity that I wanted to stop reading. I don’t enjoy seeing bad decision after bad decision. Was left disappointed with the resolution of the story. Overall, not my favorite of this author’s books. -
DNF at 76%. I just couldn’t keep going. I tried so hard to like it because I loved the previous books in the series, but I simply couldn’t. I loathed Krista and the mind games she kept playing with Levi. And why did he keep coming back for more? Seriously, you’re a hot, young hockey player and you’re going to take that mental beating from an older woman?! Speaking of older women, it was never mention how much older Krista was, but cougar-action disgusts me.
All that on top of the choppy way/instruction manual-style the writer uses, it was a pretty horrible read for me. A waste of time I can’t get back. -
I received an ARC for this book and I am so glad I did. The author sucks you in and you become invested in the characters quickly. When I read her books, this one included, I feel like I could read so much more about the couples! I loved how protective Levi was. Levi comes to Krista's rescue when dealing with her family. I seriously wanted to smack a few of her family members. I do wish Krista had her moment of putting them in their place. If I had to say if anything was missing from this book it would be that, my wish for her to go off on them. Krista is a strong character and I wanted her to have that shinning moment against her family as well. Love this series, I hope there will be more books for it.
-
3.8⭐️ 2.5🌶
Honestly I don’t have many thoughts on this book, it overall was a pretty decent read. Levi sounded hottttt so I was here for that and it was a hockey romance. Not a book to remember though! -
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
Lots of tension, passion and a devious enemy thrown in , just how I like my books.
Really great story and the characters are perfect with an edge to them as well as spectacular chemistry.
Brilliant series that keeps to interested.
More soon please! -
I wasn't too sure about this one as it started. Krista has always come off as a ball buster and Levi, he didn't come across good at the start at all. But the more that I read, the more that I ended up liking both characters. I got why Krista tried to keep Levi at arm's length, women are judged differently, especially if their career is considered "men's" work. I felt bad for Levi that he kept getting pushed aside. I was also stunned at how each time Mark asked Levi to step up and do something he did, even when it was the hard thing to do. I really loved how as things went on Krista realized Levi always had her back, something she needed, something her family didn't. And what a family that was! Krista needs to get rid of them all for her own sanity.
I really liked how this one ended, that despite going through tough times, both Krista and Levi know exactly where they stand with each and can live their lives happy. -
Author Odette Stone has give her readers a well written, action-packed sports romance filled with suspense, a bit of mystery, undeniable chemistry, unexpected twists and turns, sexual attraction, a touch of angst, LOL moments, and a guaranteed HEA.
I volunteered to review an advance reader copy of this book. -
Loved the hero but disliked the heroine.
-
2.5 stars ⭐️ This story turned out to be disappointing. I was really excited for Krista’s book because she’s such a badass and had been such a solid presence since she appeared in the series. I started the book liking both her and Levi, but that eventually changed.
I felt like Krista got too careless and lost the spunk that made her Krista. The author really shattered her and gave her way too many low moments. I understand wanting to show that there’s a soft side behind all the steel and spunk, but you don’t have to completely grind a strong and beloved character to ash to prove that. This is also lowkey an issue I had with the entire series in that the ladies always start off badass in the early chapters, but then five chapters in when the guys step in, they become sort of like doormats to the heroes. With Zoe’s book it was still manageable. With Charlie it was terrible because Charlie just turned into water and lost every fire once she had to marry Mica. With Krista though, I hoped that would be different. I mean, Krista was the agent in earlier books that swooped in and saved the day when all else failed; she had every situation under control. She was smart and sharp and didn’t take nonsense from anyone. But here in her book, she was constantly making wrong, emotionally-driven decisions, just to regret them later. I couldn’t find the Krista smartness or confidence in this character, and it sucked.
Going further, I honestly couldn’t feel sympathy for her when the ax fell and her career crashed and burned. She knew better. She’d worked hard for over a decade to build a strong reputation and a reliable agency. And then a guy comes in, and she just throws all of that away. And this is pretty tricky because it IS a romance novel so there ought to be relationship between the H and h. Yet, because of the storyline, each time she told herself she’d stay away from Levi because doing otherwise would destroy both their careers, and then caved in to his advances in the next breath, I was just so disappointed in her. So when she basically lost everything as a result, I didn’t feel sympathy. Rather I felt she had it coming and was a lesson she should learn.
For her family, those people were absolute trash. Goodness. Her mother was a disgusting person and I’m not even going to get into her sister. They treated her like CRAP and each time, they still claimed to be right???!!! When her sister came to her office after Krista lost all her staff, and told Krista it was karma for Krista cheating with Eduard (FREAKING EDUARD!), I was prepared to give this book one star! You cheated with your sister’s boyfriend, got pregnant for him, told your sister it was what she deserved, and then when he starts cheating on you with some unknown woman, you have the guts to whine about it to your sister and even try to lay blame on her?? Argh. I was sooo mad! Worse, her family was never handled. They never apologized for being trash humans and never ate their horrible words.
For Levi, he was a cool character, I liked him a lot of the time. He was just too immature sometimes and it really irked me. Like bro, why did you keep the freaking wedding tape??? His reasoning hardly even made sense when there was so much at risk. Why didn’t you tell Krista about it? It was also annoying how he kept claiming he wanted to play hockey badly, yet kept pursuing his agent, knowing fully well that if they got caught he would lose the chance to play hockey. Besides, he knew her career was at stake and that that was partly why she was refusing to sleep with him, yet he kept pushing.
One other issue I had (here, and with the entire series) was the lack of camaraderie between the teammates. I think that’s one of the reasons sports romance is fun. We get to know the whole team—or most of them—and the friendship/banter between them on and off the ice is a part of what makes the books heartwarming. So far, the players in the series don’t have relationships with each other. Rather, the teammates are just faceless guys who act like rivals or jerks to each other most of the time. It would’ve been great to see that friendship here so we could’ve really understood and empathized with Levi’s reluctance to leave the Wolves team when he was kicked out.
There were also plot threads that were left untied, like Levi’s history. He HAD mentioned an issue with his agent that antagonized them to each other but that was never explained. Why Brody was house sitting the coach’s house was never explained, and so on. Sometimes, the book felt haphazardly woven.
In the end, Krista and Levi’s relationship was cool but I think I would’ve preferred this book more if Krista had been paired with a mature hero who didn’t pull her to acts of immaturity and recklessness, but complemented her and made her a stronger woman. -
After devouring the first three books in the series I couldn’t wait to start this one. We met Krista in book two and I immediately had a crush on the no nonsense take charge heroine. She was bestie material.
This book started out with a bang. I was immediately consumed by all things Levi. He’s really a perfect hero (this whole series has the best heros ever) and my girl crush on Krista never waned. Not once did I want to put the book down and take a break, but toward the end I started feeling a lost connection of sorts. It took me a minute to figure it out, but ultimately I didn’t feel the chemistry with this couple as I did with Ryan & Zoe’s or Mica & Charlie’s books. While I loved each character, the plot, the writing I just felt there was too much pushing and not enough pull.
For fans of Mica he plays a pretty significant role on this book and he was perfect.
Narration 5 stars. I’ve really come to love these narrators. Before this series I’ve never listened to them before
Note* originally I was going to rate 3 stars, but I really loved the book I just wished the connection between the H/h was more. -
Krista and Levi have some serious chemistry. It's hard to say no to your accidental husband when he's a sexy hockey god who wants nothing more than to get you into his bed. Or take you against a wall, or a dark corner. But Krista knows that if she gives into Levi or anyone finds out she accidentally married her rookie client then both of their careers would be on the line.
I loved Levi! Sexy & supportive of Krista. Krista on the other hand...I hated how she let her mom and sister talk to her and kinda just rolled with it so as not to cause anymore friction. Other than that, this was a fun sexy listen that kept me captive the whole time. -
I think I would have liked this one more if she was allowed to leave her toxic family and not try to keep being a part of their lives. It is more than fine to cut out your family when they do nothing but sh*t on you and blame you for things that aren't your fault -- OH and slap you. So, annoying that amazing Krista wasn't allowed to cut them out.
-
2.2 ✨
Krista's family was so horrible and stupid and idiotic I actually hate them so much and Krista was so strong and amazing in the other books and you expect me to believe she would let that behaviour slide over here?
Honestly 2 stars are for Levi he's amazing love him. Better than Mika and Mark, maybe Ryan too. He's so perfect. I FELT BAD FOR HIM THOUGH, Krista was sooo annoying. -
4.5
I really enjoyed this one! A great accidental marriage, hockey romance. -
I loved reading Krista’s love story after seeing her in previous books. Levi was such a fun hero, and I loved how head over heels he was for Krista. I 100% recommend this especially to hockey romance lovers!
Disclaimer:I am a part of Odette Stone’s ARC team. This in no way affects my review or rating. -
This physically pains me to write because I was such a big fan of the other Vancouver Wolves books, but this one just fell short of expectations for me.
I understand Krista’s bossy and controlling nature but most of the book is just her battling her emotions and pushing Levi away. There are only so many times you can read “this can’t happen” or “our relationship needs to stay strictly professional” before the repetitiveness becomes downright obnoxious. The two main characters spent so much time in a battle against their sexual attraction. I felt that the reader didn’t really get to see very much beyond that to really understand or feel the love that they eventually end up sharing. I mean Levi never does end up revealing what happened with his previous agent and his girlfriend. Also, Bea, at the end, is conspiring with Levi to help plan a big wedding. I was so confused. When did Krista’s family issues miraculously get resolved? They were monsters towards her! I just don’t understand.
It was simply a lot of instinctive protectiveness and explosive sexual attraction but I wanted something deeper and more meaningful like I felt with the other couples in this series.
I did, however, really like that Mica and Charlie made a lot of appearances, but that was one of a few things that kept me reading.
Overall the book just left too many things murky and unresolved. I had hoped for a lot more from Krista.
Also, side note, Krista is battling her attraction partially because of the age difference and I know Levi is 22 but how old is Krista? Did I miss that?