Defending Hayden by L.P. Dover

The Carolina Cougars keep fighting for love as the Second Chances series from bestselling author L. P. Dover continues! In Defending Hayden, a damaged football star teams up with the only woman who can take the pain away.

No one’s tougher than Carolina Cougars linebacker Derek McLaughlin. But when a fatal car accident claims the life of his girlfriend, Derek finds himself caught in a destructive spiral of drugs, alcohol, and meaningless sex. But not even a string of one-night stands can ease the hurt. Football is all he has left. Then fate leads him back to the scene of the crash, and into the arms of a kind, gorgeous woman who sees past his façade to the man he once was... and can be again.

When a chance roadside encounter brings Derek into her life, veterinarian Hayden Hunter isn’t fooled by his bad attitude: All bark and no bite, he’s hiding a wounded heart beneath that gruff demeanor. And Hayden wants to be the one to kiss it all better. Soon they both find that a dose of passion is potent medicine. But when a hidden enemy lashes out at Hayden, Derek steps up to do what he does best: put his body on the line in the name of love.

Book 7
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
Fantastic read that was hard to put down. Derek McLaughlin is a linebacker for the Carolina Cougars who turns to alcohol, drugs, and screwing around after his pregnant girlfriend is killed in a car accident. He’s gone away for a while to try to figure out his life and when he returns, he forces himself to visit the scene of the accident, which is where he runs into the intriguing Hayden. Hayden Hunter is a veterinarian whose life pretty much revolves around work. She can’t believe it when the sexy football player, Derek, shows interest in her, but she’s willing to give things a go. When odd things start happening at Hayden’s work, she realizes that someone is out to get her and Derek’s only focus is protecting her at all cost.

This is definitely an emotional read and the author does a phenomenal job keeping you reading with just the right amount of mystery and romance. I also love that we get a glimpse of some of the characters from other books in this series. This can be read as a standalone, however, this entire series rocks so I definitely recommend checking the other books out too. The writing is great and I love that I didn’t want to put it down once I started reading!


Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
Defending Hayden can be read as a standalone or within the series. Ms. Dover does an excellent job of explaining previous events that it doesn't feel like a full retelling of the past plots but just enough that you could read as a standalone; of course, reading the entire series is always better.

Derek was finally past his bad boy ways while he was in a relationship with Brianna. When the accident ripped her and his unborn baby from his life, he hit rock bottom. The last thing he wanted was to be playing for the Carolina Cougars. Walking away from it all, he escaped to Wyoming to get himself together. Two months wasn't long enough to move completely past what happened, but he had to get back to the team, knowing football was all he had left.

Hayden is veterinarian and good at what she does. She's a year out of a relationship that ended in the loss of a friend and a cheating ex. She isn't looking for a new relationship, but when she runs into Derek at every turn, a new friend isn't out of the question. Can Derek move past what he lost and onto what could be his future? Will Hayden be able to keep her heart from getting crushed?

I love this series; every book is instantly a page turner. I love the complexity of Derek's character. Even though the plot wasn't a shocking twist, I still couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next.

I can't wait to read more about Jax!

Also Available in the Second Chances Series

Book 6
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out our Catching Summer post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey, she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white-water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.

Dover has written more than twenty novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her stand-alone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

Connect with LP

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7) by L.P. Dover to read and review.