Catch Back In Play (Power Play, #2) Produced By Lynda Aicher Presented As File

emotionally charged romance is the story of Scott and Rachel, Meeting at the wedding of Scott's hockey teammate who happens to be a good friend of Rachel's brother Rock, there is a spark of attraction between them that sets things in motion, even as they both know that Rachel is only in town for a week on holiday and that this can just be a temporary fling.
But when Scott takes the brave step of opening up about his drug dependency, Rachel is in a unique position to help him, with hopes that there is the possibility of something more permanent in the works.
With so much on the line and Scott's hockey career in jeopardy, will the steps Scott takes bring him and Rachel closer together or ultimately push them apart

In my mind, a successful author needs to be able to really get into the heart and mind of a character and examine everything from their standpoint how they feel, how they react, what their needs and desires are.
This deep point of view isn't easy to achieve and takes skill and practice, Ms. Aicher has accomplished this in spades with this story about Scott and the reality of a hockey player on the edge, He's had a knee injury that is no longer treatable in any manner except drugs, he's at the end of his contract's lifetime, and he's getting old in hockey playing years.
Yet, he's not willing to give up his sole reason for being just yet, He's made past decisions, unwise ones, that have started to haunt him, Reality is a slapshot in the face as Scott faces the crossroads of his future, Enter Rachel. A warm, friendly, loving woman who sees the man Scott is or at least, the parts he wants to share funny, caring, strong, dependable, He makes spending time with him fun and sexy and everything she could possibly want in a man, Just being with him stirs her senses,

'Heat flushed through Rachel, her body a lightning rod of desire, Every touch of Scott's hands or lips ignited another rush of sparks that vibrated over her skin and sunk into her core, She was lost in the sensations and didn't want to be found, '

Their love scenes are steamy and passionate but also come with some surprises, As Scott realizes that what he wants with Rachel is more than a week long fling, he must take a hard look at his life and comes to the conclusion that to make things more than temporary, he'll have to come clean in more ways than one.
Trusting her with his secret vice takes more courage than he ever thought he had, especially when it first must come with the realization that he has a problem.
I really loved the way Scott's whole being was presented to the reader his self discovery of his addiction was a huge part of the story and the ups and downs he goes through as a result were equally heartbreaking and eventually hopeful.
Though we also get to see things through Rachel's

eyes, it is Scott's that really tell the tale,

The other interesting thing about this story was that unlike the first in the series, Game Play, which featured a lot of on ice action, this one was about hockey behind the scenes.
Agents, coaches, up and coming players, team dynamics, politics, money the backbone of the sport is laid bare in all its sometimes ugly truths, I found this to be quite fascinating, a real behind the scenes look at what goes on in the off season and how the drive to succeed for some players like Scott can overshadow the health and welfare of the players.
Scott's teammates play an important role in the story as he is reminded that his decisions ultimately affect his friends and family too, This was a sexy, deeply emotional and well told story of a man, his demons, and the woman who is willing to stand by his side.
stars.

Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review,
Note: This post appears on the Straight Shootin' Book blog : sitelink me/pQyOxik
For Minnesota Glaciers captain Scott Walters, skating on a bum kneeand selfmedicating to keep skating on itis all part of the game.
That the painkillers he's eating prevent him from having meaningful relationships is just one more sacrifice in a lifetime of them, Hes worked too hard to let his image be ruined by injury or dependency, so he hides the pain and fakes the resta girlfriend would only complicate matters.


High school teacher Rachel Fielding never needed a man in her life, but she also never intended to grow old alone, When she meets Scott while visiting her brother, shes intrigued to find herself wanting him in her bed, For hours at a time, as often as possible, Scott is a giver, and just the memory of his attentions is enough to drive her crazy, Anything longterm is out of the question, thoughthe pills she finds in Scott's house indicate he's struggling with a lot more than growing older in a young man's game.


When what starts out as a whatthehell weeklong fling turns into Scott and Rachel exploring each other outside the bedroom, Rachel hesitates, But Scott asks for her support to break his addiction, and hearing him admit his secrets has her ignoring her own rulesuntil he breaks her heart.
With the Glaciers refusing to renew his contract and his future with Rachel uncertain, Scott has some big decisions to make and a lot to proveespecially to himself.

.STARS I ENJOYED IT

This is my first time reading Lynda Aicher and I would be very happy to read more by her.
This is a book that based on the cover alone one might think is a fluff piece but it really is more, The leading man, Scott, is a pro hockey star but due to atimes knee injury he has turned to self medicating in order to keep himself on the ice.
The medication he takes is all "game legal" but that doesn't mean that it isn't addicting,

Our leading female, Rachel, is a high school teacher who meets Scott at a wedding, They are drawn to each other but don't immediately pursue anything, Scott knows that the drugs he takes affects his relationships and Rachel doesn't do long distance relationships, Against both their better judgements they do finally begin dating, knowing that it won't lead to anything long term,

While this book is a contemporary romance, it does deal with a much more series matter, drug addiction, I was impressed with how that subject matter was handled in the story, A lot of romances would skim over the ugliness but this book gave an authentic feel to what it would be like for a couple in the beginning of a relationship who have a very real issue laying between them.


I was impressed with Rachel because she, for the most part, came across as very mature in how she dealt with Scott and his addiction.
She didn't give knee jerk reactions but rather took a breath and responded in a way that wouldn't cause Scott to put up walls, It was refreshing. Scott had a lot to deal with because he knows that he can not continue playing if he's an addict, but can he continue to play if he's not That's the big question, as well as, is playing worth the risk of his health and relationships.


I feel this book was well written and kept me interested, There were a few things that I felt could have been done better, One is that I would have really liked there to be more actual hockey in the story, I wanted to read a hockey book and this book involves a hockey player but almost none of the story has hockey in it, Another is that I felt things toward the end were too blatant is how they happened, After Scott and Rachel's argument/breakup, the things that they said to each other in the heat of their argument came back to them again by other people.
For example, Rachel tells Scott that she couldn't handle that he made the decision to return to hockey without even discussing it with her which makes her believe that he isn't concerned with a partnership between them.
Then later Scott's sister tells him that the real reason his fiancee broke off their engagement was because he kept making decisions without consulting with her first and she didn't want a marriage that wasn't a partnership that statement was an "ah ha" moment for Scott making him rethink what Rachel had been trying to say to him.
To me, that is too blatant a tactic to lead this couple back to each other, If his sister knew this information, why in the world would she never have mentioned it before It's been likeyears or something, why now all of a sudden out of the blue bring it up except to be used to get Scott and Rachel back together.
There were several of those types of things for both Scott amp Rachel and it was too obvious and didn't feel authentic, These couple of issues were what kept me from giving the book a higher rating, but I still really enjoyed the book, I will probably now have to read the first book in the series and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book.
I will also check out other books by this author,

If you are looking for a sports themed contemporary romance with a bit of a heavier subject matter, you should check out Back in Play.


ARC graciously provided by Carina Press in exchange for an honest review Un tome étonnant et touchant, . . Rare sont les romans qui abordent ce genre de questions, à savoir les "dessous" du sport à haut niveau, les souffrances physiques engendrées au quotidien, les choses pas joliesjolies que les sportifs sont parfois obligées de faire, et cette addiction aux médicaments dont souffre le héros.


Scott est loin des héros auxquels la romance nous a habituées, C'est un être faillible, qui trébuche à de nombreuses reprises, J'ai aimé que l'auteur s'aventure sur ce terrain peu commun, qu'elle nous présente un héros avec des faiblesses, en souffrance, en pas un mâle en pleine possession de ses moyens.
Son parcours le rend touchant, la romance est sensible et émouvante encore une fois, on sort des sentiers battus avec ce livre et c'est tant mieux !
J'aime beaucoup cette saga car les héros qui nous sont présentés ne sont pas des héros comme les autres.
Alors que le premier tome nous montrer une femme dans un milieu d'homme, The Team Addiction nous fait découvrir Scott , un hockeyeur qui souffre atrocement de toutes ses années sur la glace.


Quant à Rachel, ne vous fiez pas aux apparences car elle n'est pas qu'une simple prof de maths, elle sera pleine de surprises et sa rencontre avec Scott pourrait donner un nouveau tournant à leur vie

Chronique complète
sitelink blo Rating:.

I thoroughly enjoy Aicher's writing, and her handling of not only the hockey parts, but also the real life parts, Addiction is a serious subject, and Aicher handles this with kindness and understanding.


I don't like that Rachel said what she did towards the end, but I can't stand a man who makes decisions without consulting his SO.
Seen that too many times and experienced it personally in unhealthy relationships,

I will continue with the series because these characters are so compelling,

You don't hear much about this author, but she has serious skill, I read this book in a day and really enjoyed it, Why It is an adult story with adult situations for adults and you'd never get this from the cover, the title or the synopsis,

What I want to remember about this book:
The really good characters, They are adults both in their early to mid thirties, Life hasn't been all they expected it to be, Both want more and see time just slipping away, How many times have you known of people where this is the case, It is such a tough thing to view, We all think we have all the time in the world and then one day we don't, Now what This is the story about the "now what, "

This has hockey as an backdrop, but it is so much more, It is about the dark side of hockey that we don't hear much about, What happens to that star atorwho is nowand on the downward slope of a sports career What if he has injuries he is trying to hide so he can have another year and a chance at the BIG championship This is that story.


I read this because it has a sports theme and because I really like this authors writing, This really is more than what I was expecting, It's about faith in your fellow man, It's about hitting bottom and working your way to the top, It's about making tough decisions about your life and going against the comfortable and heading off into the unknown, It's about having the courage to live life, take chances and loving yourself for making good, but tough choices,

This writer has serious writing skills, She can create these great characters, develop a story and the backdrop so seamlessly and pull our emotions in slowly and completely, She is really good and I'm just amazed more people aren't touting her skills,

The price is good at, It is well worth it,

Now for a few things that could have been better:
There were minor editing issues, I don't normally comment on these, but I can't giveStars when these exist,

Like I said before, this is a more serious read and you just don't get that from the cover, the title or the synopsis.
Doesn't do this book justice, May pull people in, but may not be the people you really want to target with this book, Someone wanting something simple with a bit of skate time thrown in, will be a bit disappointed at the emotion and detail found in this book.
The marketing for this one looks hot and steamy, which is true, but it is so much more, My opinion only.

This is the second book I've read by this author and it will not be the last, I really like how she weaves a realistic, emotional story, I especially liked how hockey played out here and there will be another in the series, I'm thrilled. If you haven't read this author before, this would be a great book to start with, It stands alone, but doesn't have to, The first in the series is good too!

Happy Reading!

Overall Rating,Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book TitleStars
Writers Voice,Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development/Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine/Stars
Story / Background Story Development/Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing”.
Stars
EndingStars
Worth the ChiliStars,on Amazon
Smexy HEAT Rating Mild to Steamy
pages

First sentence: Music rolled through the room on a beat that had a majority of the drunk hockey players swarming the small dance floor, hips gyrating, arms swinging, hapless of who they were hitting.


Last sentence: He had no doubt, that together they'd get through everything life threw at them,

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Carina Press Harlequin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, .