Contemporary Romance
Bellevue Bullies #2
Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!
This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it’s my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I’m good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine—no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother’s weekend. Innocent enough, I guess…until I see her. She’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It’s hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore.
***
I don’t lose. I can’t. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win.
We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It’s not easy. Love isn’t something you can control. It isn’t like a puck that can be handled by a stick. No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants.
Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don’t know if there is a way to score, especially when you’re being Clipped by Love.
Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
After reading Jude and Claire's story I couldn't wait to see who would be next. I was really excited to find out that Jayden was next. I really liked him in Jude and Claire's book he seemed like a great guy and he is. What I didn't expect was Baylor, this girl had me wanting to wrap her up in a hug one moment and smack some sense into her the next. Baylor is a very driven and intelligent young lady. She and her dad are so close and have such a strong relationship. It was wonderful to see. I just kept waiting for Baylor to see and believe in herself the way Jayden and everyone else that loved her did. I am a Supernatural fan so the references to the show and characters was fun for me to read.
I loved Jace and Markus. Jace is a great little brother to Jude and Jayden as well as a true friend to his team mates. Markus surprised me with being Baylor's closest friend. He is really interesting and I hope he gets his own story someday. He would be awesome to read about.
I know some people will be opinionated about Baylor and her dad's choice for her long term goal of playing in the NHL. I personally thought it was a great goal and would love to see any qualified woman get her chance to play professional in the NHL. I admired Baylor's drive and commitment to make her dad, who was also her coach proud. I was happy to see Baylor start to find a balance between living her life and working for her dream because in the beginning she was so focused and stressed about being the best that she was missing out on real life experiences of friends, family and love.
My favorite quote between Baylor and Jayden has to be "Why is it a constant competition with us?" from Baylor and Jayden answers, "'Cause it's us, and I wouldn't want to compete against anyone but you, Baylor Irene Moore." They both bring out the best in each other in all aspects of their lives and that is the real secret to how they work. This could be my third all time favorite Toni Aleo book. I still have to say Taking Shots which was the first book I read will always be my all time favorite and Empty Net will always be my second but Clipped by Love will have to join them as one of my favorites that I will go and read again and again.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.