Minor
league player Stone Dumelin lost his younger brother when the Titans’ team
plane went down. He never expected the phone call that followed.
After a shoulder injury put my NHL career on ice, I resigned myself to the fact
I’d never see my way out of the minor league again. As my career faded, my
estranged brother’s star shot into orbit as the first line left winger for the
Pittsburgh Titans. But when the team’s plane crashed returning home one night,
his light was snuffed out, and I was given the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now I’m in Pittsburgh, playing for the Titans, and face-to-face with my dead
brother’s ghost at every turn. His locker, his legacy, his persistent and
annoyingly gorgeous attorney who won’t stop contacting me about his estate,
even though I’ve demanded she leave me alone.
Harlow Alston would be extremely appealing if she wasn’t so aggravating.
Only…that’s a complete lie. She pushes all the right buttons for me, and as
much as I want her to quit pestering me about Brooks’s estate, I find myself
intrigued by the fiery redhead who can’t take no for an answer. And the more I
learn about Harlow, the more I find she might be the key to understanding who
Brooks really was, and who I want to be.
I’ve got a second shot at a career I thought I’d lost and the opportunity to build
something real with Harlow, but can I find strength to move forward or will my
past dictate my future?
Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Pittsburgh Titans series!
For book one, Baden, click HERE.
Book
2
Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
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Books ~ B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo
Audiobook (US) ~ Paperback (US)
Big Dog Books (Sawyer Bennett)
Avid
Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance, Sports
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger
warnings.
Stone is getting a second chance at being in the NHL. However, he isn't sure if
he's getting that chance because of what he can bring to a team or because of
his family tragedy. Stone isn't going to let his family come between him and
playing again. When he finds himself being dogged by an attorney after his
brother's death, he isn't happy. In fact, he wants her to leave him alone. He
doesn't want anything to do with his brother's estate at all. He knows that his
mom and dad will want it all and he is done with them.
Harlow can't believe her best friend is gone. Having gotten to know him over
the years, she knows that he has a lot of regret when it comes to his
relationship with his brother. Harlow is asked to do the unthinkable – make
sure that Stone reads his brother's journals. She knows it's going to be a
battle when Stone comes barreling into her office, all smoke and hot air.
What follows is a fantastic friendship that can only be described as
blossoming. You get to see each of them figure out whether or not they can
truly be friends – or more – and you get to see Stone's brother's life through
Harlow's eyes instead of his terrible parents' eyes.
I wanted to see more happen to the parents. It seemed like they got off too
easily. However, the other aspects of the book were great! I can't wait to see
more from this series. You won't be disappointed. This book makes you believe
in friendship and redemption after all. The characters are well developed,
strong, and able to show vulnerability, they have their own lives, and are able
to co-mingle each of their lives to become one. I really enjoyed this story.
Mary
Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Can I say how much I love the Pittsburgh Titans series? I do and I'm only on
book two of what I hope to be a seven to eight book series. The way Sawyer
Bennett can craft original stories, and add hockey to the mix, is amazing.
Stone Dumelin is a man in pain. Not the physical pain from playing hockey, but
the emotional pain that comes from being raised by manipulative parents and an
estrangement from his younger brother. He loves his younger brother, Brooks,
but somehow, they both have let their father's comments and innuendos create a
divide between them. And the pain of that estrangement is magnified when the
plane carrying the Titans hockey team crashes and Stone loses any chance of
reconciliation.
Stone's heyday in the majors is done, he's battling it out playing minor league
hockey, his parents have ignored his grief, and if it wasn't for his aunt, he
would truly be alone. Now, an unexpected offer from the Titans has him back
playing in the majors and all he can think is that it's a pity offer, people
will think he's trying to take Brooks’ place and will find him lacking.
Harlow Alston is also grieving Brooks’ death. The pair had been neighbors for a
couple of years and have helped each other stay on the sober path. She's never
met Stone, but she knew that Brooks adored his brother, even if he couldn't
tell Stone his truth.
Stone's emotional baggage creates obstacles in his life in Pittsburgh, and that
includes Harlow. Once he realizes that Harlow was a good friend of Brooks, he
realizes that getting to know her will also allow him to know his brother.
What starts out as friendship has the potential for more, if only Stone can
work through the layers of emotional abuse caused by his parents.
Ruthie
– ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in this series – I would recommend that you read Baden
first, as it will give you a good grasp of the task that faces this newly
assembled team. If you are a fan of the Arizona Vengeance series, you will know
the catastrophic event that led to the Titans being a newly formed team.
This story runs pretty much concurrently with Baden, giving us Stone's
story. His brother, Brooks, died in the plane crash, and now Stone has been
called up from the minors to join the team. As we learn more about the
relationship between the brothers, we also understand more about Stone's
demeanour. Adding to Baden's insight into the team being rebuilt, now we are on
the ice with the front line. We learn no more about Coen's mindset... and that
is so tantalising!
I loved that Harlow had so many of the answers; having been Brooks’ closest
friend, she has a lot of ability to support Stone, and yet was sensitive enough
to be patient and consistent for him. It was also great fun that her dog, Odin,
made Stone work for the friendship that he nearly blew on day one. What was
even more perfect though, was that Harlow was not without faults, and was
prepared to be open about them.
The combination of hockey, romance, and dealing with the loss of an estranged
brother make this book both exciting, passionate, and emotional. I highly
recommend it.
New
York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author SAWYER BENNETT uses real life experience to create relatable stories
that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy
romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just
about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to
life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her
very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty
dogs.
If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, click HERE to sign up
for her newsletter.
Sawyer also writes general and women’s fiction under the pen name S. Bennett
and sweet romance under the name Juliette Poe.
Connect with
Sawyer Bennett
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ TikTok ~ Website ~ Goodreads
Facebook Group: Sawyer Bennett's Never Ending Party
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Stone (Pittsburgh Titans #2) by Sawyer Bennett to read and
review for this tour.
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