Mister Hockey

July 1, 2017
Jed West is a star hockey player who doesn't date fans. Librarian Breezy Angel is arguably Jed's biggest fan, and they wind up in bed before she manages to tell him that.Jed isn't just gorgeous, but also an extremely talented player and the captain of the Denver Hellions. He comes to Breezy's rescue as a special guest at her library's summer reading program, and then, after her Super Reader costume rips, he saves her from being caught with her pants down. In the ensuing chaos, she makes a hasty getaway, accidentally stealing Jed's jacket. When he goes to her house to retrieve it, he winds up staying to repair a leak in her ceiling, to answer questions during a surprise visit from her mom and grandma, and then to act out fantasies he doesn't realize she's had about him. As they get to know one another, their chemistry only grows. Unfortunately, Jed is also wrestling with the fact that a concussion he sustained while playing left him with headaches and double vision. His concerns about his health and career are especially personal: his brother took a similar hit playing football in high school, had a seizure on the field, and was changed forever after having a blood clot removed. He doesn't want to end up a bitter, broken man like his brother, but Jed isn't sure who he'd be without hockey. Meanwhile, Breezy's branch of the library is merging and she's being laid off. Eventually the truth about Breezy's fandom comes out of the closet--literally. Will Jed bend his rules for their relationship? A lukewarm story with sexy parts hot enough to melt ice.

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Starred review from August 1, 2017
Just breathe. That's what librarian Briana Breezy Angel tells herself when the coach for the Denver Hellions calls to tell her he won't be able to speak to the group of kids and their parents Breezy has assembled at the Rosedale Branch Library. Fortunately, Breezy's sister Neve has come up with a last-minute replacement. But when Breezy finds out that Neve has brought Jed West, aka Mister Hockey, to talk to the kids about summer reading, she nearly hyperventilates. After all, not only did Jed land a place on Cosmo's Sexiest Men in Sports list but, unbeknownst to him, Breezy has been secretly crushing (and fantasizing nightly) about Jed ever since he first skated onto the ice. Riley launches her Hellions Angel series with this addictively readable sports romance written with a deliciously zesty sense of humor that will have fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips cheering. Not only is Riley a pro at creating compelling characters but the chemistry she crafts between her curvy librarian heroine and her sexy but sweet-to-the-core hero is so red-hot that readers will need to don hockey gloves (asbestos lined, natch) while turning the pages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)