If he hopes to keep his place on the team, pro hockey player Blaine Olsen can’t afford any more scandals. He’s vowed to keep his name out of the headlines and focus on his game but then he meets Alex, the adorable fan he spots in the crowd at his game. Alex is more than aware of who Blaine is and his reputation; despite the obvious attraction, he’s determined to resist. But Blaine is persistent and the more he gets to know Alex, the more he’s convinced he’s finally met someone who can see past the playboy persona - someone who makes him want to change for the better. Now he’s just got to get Alex to see that all while trying to keep his game on track so he can steer clear of the trading block.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the Chicago Thunder universe! Blaine and Alex were adorable together. I loved how Alex made Blaine work for it when they first met. Blaine was not used to that but he rose to the challenge and his pursuit was fun to read. The cheesy texting was delightful!  I liked seeing Blaine let his guard down for a change, allowing Alex to see what a good guy he was. He was very supportive of Alex and quite respectful of their power/financial imbalance. He wanted to help and did what he could without overstepping, I appreciated that.

There was also a fair amount of hockey content (which isn’t always a given even in a hockey romance) and I loved that Alex was a fan of the game/team and not just some unsuspecting guy who got caught in the crosshairs of a pro-athlete. I think that helped him bond with Blaine. It was also fun getting to know Blaine’s teammates, there were a lot of entertaining secondary characters in this one. Blaine’s brother, Elliot, was my favorite, I loved him so much and hope he gets a book of his own eventually! In the meantime, I look forward to continuing with the other books in this universe!