Talk Hockey to Me by Kelly Jamieson

They can resist their attraction... until their hearts rocket them across the blue
line.

Hunter

Timing. Hockey careers are made or broken on it, and mine has taken exceptionally broken road. I'm not a star. I'm a grinder, I work hard, and I'm finally at the point I can put the past behind me and get the fat, long-term contract I deserve.

But my agent—the man who stuck by me through every crash and burn—has had a heart attack. I need another agent now, or my one chance for the good money will slip through my fingers. Kate's a rookie, but she loves the game like I do, so I pick up the phone. And I wonder if she remembers that one night in Cancun as vividly as I do.

Kate

Hockey. All my life I've lived it, breathed it, played it. Now it's my business. As an agent, I'm tied to my phone at all hours, but nothing prepared me to hear Hunter's voice. The last time I saw him—three years ago—there was a lot of bare skin and horny hormones involved.

I've handled it all in my short career—sexism, harassment, being broke, being laughed at. Resisting the attraction between us should be easy. Until it isn't. And Hunter's past shakes his confidence hard enough that he could make the worst decision at the worst possible time...

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Bears Hockey series!
For book one, Must Love Dogs... and Hockey, click HERE.
For book two, You Had Me At Hockey, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Kate loves her job. She’s good at it and loves her clients. But starting out, she didn’t love her job. She had to work through bad business, poor co-workers, and misogynistic ideology. Now that Kate has struck out on her own, she truly wants to make it, not only for her clients, but for herself.

Hunter is an amazing hockey player. He has his quirks, but he has worked very hard to get where he is. When his agent has a sudden heart attack, Hunter worries that he’ll have to find another agent. Hunter is in a critical year – a contract year – and he will have to fight for what he wants.

Hunter and Kate have always been friendly. They knew each other years ago... their history is somewhat complicated, but now that they are both adults, entrenched in their careers, they can move past it and be professional... right?

These two have great chemistry. They have history, which helps create a sense of friendship before the business aspect of their relationship develops. Kate wants to help all of her clients, but Hunter most of all. His past trauma has held him back long enough.

Can Hunter see past the trauma to heal enough to take a chance? Has Kate ruined her chance to be with Hunter and ruined her reputation in the process? This was a great story with cute characters that you can relate to. I enjoyed it a lot and can’t wait for more books!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is the third book in the series, and although it definitely involves the Bears, it has so far concentrated on men who were on a fatal coach crash as teens and how it has affected their hockey futures. I would highly recommend that you read them in order to be able to gain the full richness of the storyline.

Hunter suffered no physical injury on the coach, but it has affected his life deeply. It delayed his transit into the NHL and his attitude to others is always to avoid getting too involved. He would, however, have to admit that Kate was always the one who got away – so when he needs an agent, he turns to her. Kate never understood just why her best friend in college turned his back on her, but now they are working together, and the attraction is still bubbling...

There was much to enjoy about this book – the incidents which Kate had to resolve for her clients added some of the humour. I did, at points, feel that there was an awful lot of in their heads conversations, and sometimes descriptions of simple tasks which didn't lead to anything seemed unnecessary, but that said, I romped through it. I loved how Jake and Easton, and their girlfriends, were key to Hunter moving forward. It was essential that Kate had the strength of character to pull it off and give them a chance at a much happier future, which they both richly deserved.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

No actual hockey was involved in the writing of this book. This story does involve hockey players and a sports agent.

Hunter and Kate went to college together back in the day. Freshmen at the same college, played on the collegiate hockey teams and, in their senior year, their respective teams won the National Championships. A trip to Cancun, a drunken night on the beach, and a goodbye note was all it was meant to be.

Both Kate and Hunter look back at their friendship over the years and realize that there were a lot of missed opportunities and "if onlys" had taken place that could have made their drunken one-night stand a more permanent relationship back then. But it didn't. Now, Hunter needs an agent and Kate doesn't know if she can be the agent that Hunter needs. She knows that she will do the best she can for him, but what she can do for him may not be what he thinks he needs.

Hunter finally opens up to Kate about his PTSD from a bus crash in his teens that killed several of his friends and teammates the year he was looking to enter the NHL draft. He admits the reason he doesn't want to play for the Bears hockey team is because two of the current players were also on the bus that day. He can't face them or the memories seeing them every day might bring up.

This book explores PTSD and how it not only affects the person experiencing it, but the family and friends of the survivor. Understanding that PTSD is not only from physical wounds, but also mental anguish is key to understanding how to acknowledge someone's pain.

Hunter reaches out to his therapist after Kate does something that he explicitly tells her not to do, and after his therapist talks to him, he realizes that Kate's love for him never wavered in that all she wants is to help heal him and allow him to be the best he can be.

 

 

USA Today bestselling author KELLY JAMIESON is the author of more than forty contemporary romance novels. She writes the kind of books she loves to read—sexy romance with heat, humor, and emotion. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white), and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey.

Connect with Kelly

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Sweet Heat Readers

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Talk Hockey to Me (Bears Hockey #3) by Kelly Jamieson to read and review.