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lmrivas54's review against another edition
5.0
As I’ve been reading this series, I’ve often wondered if there would be a book about Alexei. He’s mentioned a lot, as he’s Anton’s twin, and he’s been portrayed as a very talented hockey player, but with drinking problems. He’s often embroiled in some fight, always related to his drinking, so I was glad to finally read his story.
I loved that the problems in his relation with Anton are presented, so we get into it deeply. Anton is hard-working and methodical, we saw that in his book. He didn’t get the natural ability for hockey like his twin Alexei did, so he made up for it in hard work. I had read that he resented Alexei for having the natural ability but wasting it by drinking and partying too much. Now in this book, we read the other side of the coin!
In this book, Alexei partied too much and ended up in the hospital. He was also released from his hockey team. The owner of Anton’s hockey team, the Chicago Blaze, makes him an offer he can’t refuse; if he fixes his drinking problem, he can join his team. With no other choice but to get into rehab, he goes unwillingly. He just doesn’t believe he has a drinking problem, it’s just that he likes to party, right?
In therapy, he makes new discoveries, finds a lot of hidden truths in his soul, he finds friends, and he finds love. It’s a beautiful love story and I loved his girl.
Dr. Graysen Wells is the daughter of addicts. Her experience is what took her in the route of counseling addicts to help them overcome their habits. She’s very guarded with her heart and has a conflict falling in love with a patient.
The author’s treatment of Alexei’s addiction and Graysen’s heart is delicate and beautiful. Alexei’s negation of his problem feels real, and Graysen’s kind and giving heart feels just like what Alexei needed. This couple was made for each other and there was a lot of caring and consideration between both. As always, I love this author’s stories because there’s a little bit of angst with a lot of love and sweetness. In this case, there’s a little darkness because of the subject theme and it added spice to a lovely story.
I loved that the problems in his relation with Anton are presented, so we get into it deeply. Anton is hard-working and methodical, we saw that in his book. He didn’t get the natural ability for hockey like his twin Alexei did, so he made up for it in hard work. I had read that he resented Alexei for having the natural ability but wasting it by drinking and partying too much. Now in this book, we read the other side of the coin!
In this book, Alexei partied too much and ended up in the hospital. He was also released from his hockey team. The owner of Anton’s hockey team, the Chicago Blaze, makes him an offer he can’t refuse; if he fixes his drinking problem, he can join his team. With no other choice but to get into rehab, he goes unwillingly. He just doesn’t believe he has a drinking problem, it’s just that he likes to party, right?
In therapy, he makes new discoveries, finds a lot of hidden truths in his soul, he finds friends, and he finds love. It’s a beautiful love story and I loved his girl.
Dr. Graysen Wells is the daughter of addicts. Her experience is what took her in the route of counseling addicts to help them overcome their habits. She’s very guarded with her heart and has a conflict falling in love with a patient.
The author’s treatment of Alexei’s addiction and Graysen’s heart is delicate and beautiful. Alexei’s negation of his problem feels real, and Graysen’s kind and giving heart feels just like what Alexei needed. This couple was made for each other and there was a lot of caring and consideration between both. As always, I love this author’s stories because there’s a little bit of angst with a lot of love and sweetness. In this case, there’s a little darkness because of the subject theme and it added spice to a lovely story.
taniamg's review against another edition
4.0
The troubled hockey player meets his person in the most unexpected place. Graysen was very professional and compassionate but there was something about Alexei that rugged at her. Alexei was troubled and had his demons but couldn’t help falling for the doctor. It wasn’t easy and it was uncommon but they were what each other needed especially Alexei. He still couldn’t believe that the beautiful therapist chose him. It was great seeing him mend his relationship with his twin brother and it was great catching up with all the others.
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Infertility, Vomit, and Death of parent
thatbookishbrunette21's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this addition to the Chicago Blaze series. Alexei and Grayson were both great, complex characters who were truly relatable and I enjoyed getting to know them and watching their relationship develop as they move from therapist/patient to romantic partners. The connection between them was undeniable and evident from the start and only strengthened as they both opened up to each other.
This was a slow burn romance with a touch of the forbidden given the therapist/patient start to their relationship and while this does not necessarily seem like one that would work, Brenda Rothert handled it respectfully, tastefully, and with sensitivity.
I do wish we could have spent more time with Alexei and Grayson once they got together but otherwise I really enjoyed this book. This was a heartfelt, humorous and passionate story that I definitely recommend. Although it can be read as a standalone, I definitely recommend reading the other books in this series as they are just as great.
This was a slow burn romance with a touch of the forbidden given the therapist/patient start to their relationship and while this does not necessarily seem like one that would work, Brenda Rothert handled it respectfully, tastefully, and with sensitivity.
I do wish we could have spent more time with Alexei and Grayson once they got together but otherwise I really enjoyed this book. This was a heartfelt, humorous and passionate story that I definitely recommend. Although it can be read as a standalone, I definitely recommend reading the other books in this series as they are just as great.
bjehl2's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this 4 stars because while he may have needed to wait 9 months for a relationship she needed to wait 2 years. She definitely would have lost her license to practice.
tita_noir's review against another edition
1.0
Felt very insubstantial. The romance was perfunctory. The hero's issues felt glossed over. The entire pace of the book felt fast forwarded. Overall this is pretty forgettable.
catwithbooks's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Ich liebe diese Reihe einfach.
Nicht nur unterhaltsam und humorvoll. Sondern auch vielseitig was die Charaktere angeht.
Ich mochte die Thematik hier. Ein ernstes Thema und trotzdem ist die Lockerheit nicht verloren gegangen.
Alexei und Graysen mochte ich beide von der ersten Sekunde an. Alexei ist so ganz anders als ich dachte. Ich hatte einen typischen Draufgänger mit jede Menge Sprüche erwartet, aber auch wenn er versucht hat seinen Charme spielen zu lassen, ist es ihm nicht geglückt.
Graysen habe ich als sehr sympathisch und empathisch empfunden. Sie hat immer genau die richtigen Worte gehabt.
Natürlich dürfen Alexeis Teamkamerade nicht fehlen und ich habe mir das Lachen nicht verkneifen können. Die Teamkameraden sind allesamt unterhaltsam und deren Frauen peppen das Ganze einfach toll auf.
Ich hoffe noch auf weitere Teile.
Nicht nur unterhaltsam und humorvoll. Sondern auch vielseitig was die Charaktere angeht.
Ich mochte die Thematik hier. Ein ernstes Thema und trotzdem ist die Lockerheit nicht verloren gegangen.
Alexei und Graysen mochte ich beide von der ersten Sekunde an. Alexei ist so ganz anders als ich dachte. Ich hatte einen typischen Draufgänger mit jede Menge Sprüche erwartet, aber auch wenn er versucht hat seinen Charme spielen zu lassen, ist es ihm nicht geglückt.
Graysen habe ich als sehr sympathisch und empathisch empfunden. Sie hat immer genau die richtigen Worte gehabt.
Natürlich dürfen Alexeis Teamkamerade nicht fehlen und ich habe mir das Lachen nicht verkneifen können. Die Teamkameraden sind allesamt unterhaltsam und deren Frauen peppen das Ganze einfach toll auf.
Ich hoffe noch auf weitere Teile.
redhairedashreads's review against another edition
3.0
When Alexei wakes up in the hospital after a DUI car crash he is given an ultimatum - get sober or get packed for the minor leagues. Rehab ends up being a lot harder than he expected and makes him realize the truth about himself, he is an alcoholic. It helps that his therapist is beautiful and he can’t stop thinking about her.
Alexei is Anton’s brother and has been in trouble from the beginning. He parties hard, slacks off, and doesn’t realize how his life was spiraling out of control. Going to rehab opens his eyes to how addicted he really is and how much it has affected his life. I liked Alexei but even though we got a lot of emotion from him he never really clicked for me, which was a little disappointing.
Graysen was an interesting woman. She had a troubled childhood and used it to fuel her need to help people. She is a control freak who has problems opening up to Alexei, especially because he is an alcoholic. I liked her but I feel that we didn’t get enough of her side of the story for me to truly fall in love with her. I was really expecting to learn more about her once they became a couple but that didn’t happen. Also there was never any outcome from her mother visiting her. She made that out to be a big deal and yet nothing came out of it, so that felt like an unfinished piece of the story.
Overall, this was still a good story and a good addition to the series. I just didn’t connect to these two as well as I have with previous couples. I still liked them both but wish we had more development with them as a couple, instead of all the time skips.
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Alexei is Anton’s brother and has been in trouble from the beginning. He parties hard, slacks off, and doesn’t realize how his life was spiraling out of control. Going to rehab opens his eyes to how addicted he really is and how much it has affected his life. I liked Alexei but even though we got a lot of emotion from him he never really clicked for me, which was a little disappointing.
Graysen was an interesting woman. She had a troubled childhood and used it to fuel her need to help people. She is a control freak who has problems opening up to Alexei, especially because he is an alcoholic. I liked her but I feel that we didn’t get enough of her side of the story for me to truly fall in love with her. I was really expecting to learn more about her once they became a couple but that didn’t happen. Also there was never any outcome from her mother visiting her. She made that out to be a big deal and yet nothing came out of it, so that felt like an unfinished piece of the story.
Overall, this was still a good story and a good addition to the series. I just didn’t connect to these two as well as I have with previous couples. I still liked them both but wish we had more development with them as a couple, instead of all the time skips.
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.