Coen by Sawyer Bennett Release Blitz

Coen Highsmith was a league star, but he lost more than his team the day the Pittsburgh Titans’ plane crashed. Can he be saved from his downward spiral of guilt and regret to become the man he once was?

I had it all—a successful hockey career, the respect and adoration of the fans, a rotation of beautiful women warming my bed, and a feeling of self-worth and contentment with the direction of my life. But that all changed the day the team plane went down, taking my only chance of redemption with it. Now I’m left with the daily reminder of all my failures and my inability to correct them.

My new teammates are tired of my attitude and following my suspension, I hole up in a mountain cabin to get away from all of it. The isolation is exactly what I need to get out of my own head, and I’m beginning to think I could be content in this quiet forever.

Tillie Marshall isn’t the type of woman who would usually catch my attention, yet she manages to do so for all the wrong reasons. I’m here for the peace and seclusion but the quirky artist is hell-bent on destroying that by cutting down the trees that separate our properties so she can open a pottery studio. If it’s a fight she wants, it’s a fight she’ll get. I have the money and the time and no issues bringing her down through the court system. While I see flashes of steely determination within her, I’ve found that being a jerk comes naturally these days and she won’t be hard to intimidate.

Unfortunately, that gorgeous and somewhat odd neighbor who has been causing me grief is creating another type of feeling within me. And once that spark is lit, Tillie displays a faith in me that for the first time since the crash I desperately want to believe. Now it’s time for me to step up and become the man—no, a better man than I once was.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Pittsburgh Titans series!
For book one, Baden, click HERE.
For book two, Stone, click HERE.
For book three, Gage, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
Big Dog Books (Sawyer Bennett)

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is one of the stories I have waited on, Coen was one of the three who were not on the fatal flight where all of the Pittsburgh Titans team died. Now he is left with guilt and turmoil that has left him feeling despair, dragging him down a rabbit hole that he did not know if he deserved to be rescued from.

Tillis is the new neighbor he literally runs into on one of the trails and soon he learns that she wants to remove some trees to make a road and destroy part of his peaceful haven. What he doesn't realize is Tillie, those trees, and a woodland creature might save him from himself and the hell he has decided he belongs.

While this story is heartbreaking, it is also filled with emotions that will have you laughing and crying because this author knows how to pull at your heartstrings. Once I started reading, I did not want to stop. I cannot wait to read the next one, bring on Drake.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Coen Highsmith has struggled since the plane crash that took the lives of his best friends and members of the Pittsburgh Titans hockey team. His anger issues have gotten him suspended from the team and thanks to his friend Stone, Coen has found peace at his late brother's cabin in the Pennsylvania woods.

The longer he's there, the more Coen is able to heal, to start to come to terms with the plane crash and the loss of his friends. His only problem is that he's carrying a hurt so deep that he's unable to forgive himself for betraying one of his friends. His inability to make things right makes Coen believe he's not worthy of being on team or playing hockey.

Things begin to change for Coen when his new neighbor, Tillie Marshall, moves in next door. Tillie has the ability to see through Coen's BS and go toe-to-toe with him over the most trivial of things. The only real problem is that Tillie wants to cut down the trees between their properties. Coen doesn't want the trees cut down – he needs his privacy.

As Tillie learns more about Coen and the issues that he has faced since the plane crash, she can't help but fall for the man behind the gruff exterior.

All that may be moot if Coen can't face his demons surrounding the crash or his overwhelming guilt he feels for being unable to right a wrong.

Sawyer Bennett has done an amazing job of creating the world of the Pittsburgh Titans and I can't wait to read the next installment.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and it is really the one that we have been waiting for... Coen has been impossible to deal with ever since the crash, but finally he gets his chance to both redeem himself from his bad behaviour and recover from the pain of not being on that flight.

Coen has been spiralling for months and finally has decided to hide away in the mountains. He is in avoidance mode, but it is safer than previous options. He is staying fit, but not expecting to ever play hockey again.

Then he meets his new neighbour, Tillie. She is the light to his dark, and yet she too has suffered loss, and has a completely different way to look at the future. Unfortunately, when her plans include removing some trees between their properties, they are at loggerheads. The legal complications notwithstanding, these two are attracted to each other big time. It is lovely to see Coen facing his demons and finally we find out just why he has been so very difficult since the crash.

I loved the openness of Tillie and how she brings Coen back to life – it was a pleasure to read from the very first page. I was convinced that he just needed a chance, and thankfully, Sawyer Bennett knew just how to write his perfect story.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Tillie is a dreamer. She's a dreamer with a down-to-earth outlook on life. With the death of her parents, her love of the arts, and great friends, she knows where she wants to go and how she's going to get there.

Coen is trying to figure out how to move forward after the death of his best friends. With extra guilt hanging over him, Coen is drowning in guilt. Coen knows that leaving hockey behind won't be easy. Now that he's bought a cabin, Coen is starting to gain more perspective on the world and his life.

When Tillie and Coen clash over some trees that separate their land, both will stop at nothing to get the other to agree to terms. Tillie is hilarious with her attempts and Coen is just downright broody. These two are very different, and yet, opposites attract.

It's a fun story of finding yourself, forgiveness, love, and friendship. It was well done with strong characters all around. You won't be disappointed.

 

 

 

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 Coen (Pittsburgh Titans #4) by Sawyer Bennett to read and review.

Season's Change by Cait Nary

A veteran hockey player and a rookie can't get away from each other—or their own desires—in this sexy, heartfelt opposites-attract hockey romance.

Olly Järvinen has a long way to go. He’s got a fresh start playing for a new team, but getting his hockey career back on track is going to take more than a change of scenery. He’s got to shut his past out and focus. On the game, not on his rookie roommate and his annoyingly sunny disposition—and annoyingly distracting good looks.

All Benji Bryzinski ever wanted was to play in the big leagues, and he’s not going to waste one single second of his rookie season. Yoga, kale smoothies and guided meditation help keep his head in the game. But his roommate keeps knocking him off track. Maybe it’s just that Olly is a grumpy bastard. Or maybe it’s something else, something Benji doesn’t have a name for yet.

Olly and Benji spend all their time together—on the ice, in the locker room, in their apartment—and ignoring their unspoken feelings isn’t making them go away. Acting on attraction is one thing, but turning a season’s fling into forever would mean facing the past—and redefining the future.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

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

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Season's Change is the debut in the Trade Season series, as well as appears to be the author's debut novel. Congratulations, Cait Nary.

First things first, I struggled at the beginning for several reasons, which I'll state below. But as you can see by the five-star rating, once I overcame the hurdle, I was effectively hooked until the last word. I started the novel at bedtime, deciding to read a handful of chapters, struggled a bit but was curious, and ended up finishing at almost 5 am. This review is written while I'm dog tired.

Shout out to all the PA locations from this Pennsylvanian. I got a good chuckle from that, especially with Duncannon as one of those places. The funny ribs about DC and Virginia as well.

Olly is struggling, mentally and emotionally suffering, having been traded after a series of murky events the reader isn't privy, (the gist is there but not truly). Olly fears making a home for himself, truly connecting with the team, feeling as if there is a constant anvil over his head where he will be kicked from the team or his teammates will reject him. He's an emotional ball of constant turmoil and angst, hurting and angry.

I need to state that Olly isn't a difficult to relate to character. I applaud Nary for the characterization, as it was flawlessly executed. Realistic. Where the characters are subject to the human condition, their actions and reactions befitting the personalities they were given, versus acting out of character to propel the plot. This is definitely a character-driven novel, and Olly stays true to character during his journey.

Rookie and new roommate, Benji is a strong influence, a calming presence for Olly. Steady and protective. Perpetually in a chill mood, always friendly, always understanding, always attempting to "heal" Olly. Benji has his own demons with his family, but he shows a healthy way of slaying those demons.

The dynamic between Olly and Benji was lovely. The friends/teammates/roommates-to-lovers, hurt-comfort, with a slow-burn journey from reluctant roommates to true friends to lust-fueled lovers. The pacing on the connection (friendship and romance) was just right, which is what kept the pages turning all through the night, which is why I handed out a rare five-star rating, despite the issues I had with the novel itself.

Season's Change was a hockey romance, and I felt both the romance and the hockey were realistic and engaging. There was a snarky, French-speaking side character in particular that I'm positive returning readers are ravenous to read. I do recommend to fans of those genres, but please note the cons below.

The struggle was real. That sensation that you're missing something that happened previously, as if you were dropped smackdab into the middle of book three, where I actually checked to make sure this was the debut in a new series, and discovered it was the author's first book. That settled me down some, but it didn't erase the confusion until I was halfway into the novel.

Most of this confusion centered on Olly, where past events are talked "around" more than explored. I understood the need for Nary not to do a massive info-dump, as well as attempting to create a bit of a mystery surrounding Olly's past, but it only led to disinterest and confusion. The reader has a front row seat via Olly's narration, to where he becomes an unreliable narrator by somehow closing his mind off to events. I battled through it, knowing eventually all the pieces would be unveiled, but there were still much missing from the overall puzzle of what caused Olly's mental and emotional struggles. It didn't need to be a mystery with so much angst and emotional turmoil. Olly needed the reader in his corner, not frustrated with the evasions. I didn't believe this was executed well, even if it was a solid plot point.

Another factor that created the "am I missing a previous book?" sensation was due to name-dropping. I am no hockey expert, so I just rolled with that info, but I wasn't sure who all these random names belonged. If they were actual hockey players, characters from other novels, or whatnot. The names were dropped all over the place, to where I couldn't keep up, no matter the role in the novel, they were named, and I was missing a reference. I finally just catalogued (mentally) who the small grouping of actual side characters were and just glossed over those random names to avoid any confusion.

This is a hockey book, and I appreciate that there was a strong focus on actual hockey. Not a romance novel using hockey as a plot device that got left to the wayside. There was a ton of hockey, hockey references and influences. Did I understand all of it? No. As I said, I'm not a hockey enthusiast, but I appreciated the authenticity.

Season's Change was an average length novel that read long. I can appreciate a long novel when the scenes produce character building and connections between characters, but there seemed to be a ton of redundancy that effected the flow, slowing the pacing down to molasses. If the reader wasn't emotional invested in the lives of the characters, I could see how they could become disinterested, as it did become tedious in parts.

 

 

CAIT NARY lives in Virginia with her husband and a very anxious German Shepherd. Neither of them gives her too much grief when her writing alarm goes off at 5:30am.

If Cait isn’t writing, trying a new muffin recipe, or running on a trail somewhere, she is probably shouting at the Philadelphia Flyers.

Connect with Cait

Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Season's Change (Trade Season #1) by Cait Nary to read and review.