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jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
See my thoughts at:
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2016/10/women-and-anger-in-romance.html
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2016/10/women-and-anger-in-romance.html
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
2.0
Loved the neurologist/he Cory player dynamic but the writing style didn’t work for me. Too much outside took away from the H/h.
ironskin's review against another edition
4.0
An autobuy author for me, this untypical hockey romance was so satisfying and complicated and real feeling. Also the way she writes is just such a pleasure to read— descriptive without feeling unnecessary
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
2.0
Loved the neurologist/he Cory player dynamic but the writing style didn’t work for me. Too much outside took away from the H/h.
karolinaz's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
troyennhorse's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who had to stop watching football after I saw Concussion, I really loved that CTE played a role in this story about a neurologist and an okay hockey enforcer. I adored Helen! Her practical way of looking at the world was a nice break from the more emotion-driven heroines that are more popular in contemporary romance. Adam was a great counterpoint and his personal struggle with who he was outside of hockey was interesting. I do wish we'd gotten a more complete character arc for him, but it is realistic for him to still be figuring things out. Their individual arcs were compelling and their personalities fit well together, but the fights between them were hard to sustain and there were a few rushed beats that made it hard to buy in fully to the romance. They've barely started dating, refuse to even call it that, and then they have a massive fight about his future which felt out of place. This conflict is resolved in one conversation where they decide to move in together. I wanted more conversation between the characters about their very real issues before we dove straight for the happy ending. That said, the humor was great and I adored these characters so I plan to re-read it and other books by Ruby Lang in the future.
emmalita's review against another edition
4.0
After enjoying Acute Reactions so much, I quickly moved on to Hard Knocks. I enjoyed Hard Knocks so much I am now 1/3 of the way through Clean Breaks. I forced myself to stop reading and write this review.
There is a lot I like about Ruby Lang. She turns a mean phrase. Her romances are both realistic and romantic. She doesn’t invent bizarre stratagems to keep her MCs apart, she uses completely relatable fears and insecurities to keep them apart and then brings them back together without (so far) grand gestures. Problems are not solved at the end of the book, but they are made manageable.
In this entry to the Practice Perfect series, Helen is a neurologist and Adam is a hockey player. For reasons, they end up on opposite sides of a debate about a hockey arena and the long term affects of head injuries. This is a slow burn romance. They spend much of the book apart, but they have great chemistry and banter.
This isn’t truly an enemies to lovers story. They aren’t ever truly enemies. The roadblocks are their fears about what they might lose in the future and what they don’t have control over. They get together and separate a couple of times, and I wish Lang had lingered on them a little more as a couple.
As a person who has been accused of being complicated many times, I appreciate that Lang’s characters are complicated. They are amazing and a mess all at once.
There is a lot I like about Ruby Lang. She turns a mean phrase. Her romances are both realistic and romantic. She doesn’t invent bizarre stratagems to keep her MCs apart, she uses completely relatable fears and insecurities to keep them apart and then brings them back together without (so far) grand gestures. Problems are not solved at the end of the book, but they are made manageable.
In this entry to the Practice Perfect series, Helen is a neurologist and Adam is a hockey player. For reasons, they end up on opposite sides of a debate about a hockey arena and the long term affects of head injuries. This is a slow burn romance. They spend much of the book apart, but they have great chemistry and banter.
He ignored her. “To sum up, I’m a sophisticated gentleman with urbane and practical tastes and you’re a Pop-Tart.”
Helen sat back and marveled. “You know, the problem with you is that you’re smarter than I’d like you to be.”
“I think that might be your problem, not mine.”
This isn’t truly an enemies to lovers story. They aren’t ever truly enemies. The roadblocks are their fears about what they might lose in the future and what they don’t have control over. They get together and separate a couple of times, and I wish Lang had lingered on them a little more as a couple.
As a person who has been accused of being complicated many times, I appreciate that Lang’s characters are complicated. They are amazing and a mess all at once.
cassandradula's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
wawa_m's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how to explain why I liked this story so much, but I did. Shrug.
seshathawk's review against another edition
4.0
I had a nine-hour flight from Germany to Atlanta and Ancillary Mercy didn't sound appealing. I bought this book a few weeks ago, after it was reviewed on Reading the End, and a nine-hour flight seemed like a good time to try it out. And although I wasn't entirely enamored of the book, it's much better than some of the romances I've read lately.
There was something about this book that felt really fresh and realistic and honest. It was never cheesy. It was even practical! For starters, even though the hero and heroine hooked up pretty quickly in the book, it was treated as a fun sexy time that they both enjoyed (although some quirks followed that hookup), not as an amazing sexy time that has linked them together for life. Even when they keep crossing paths and continue to be intrigued by each other and attracted to each other, they don't instantly want to commit to each other. Their relationship developed over time, which I love, and it developed in a way that felt realistic to me, which I also love. I loved that Helen dealt with her own problems and that Adam let her.
Something else that I loved about this book was Helen, and how the book in many ways felt more like it was about her journey as a character than about the romance itself. She's full of fears and she's in denial. She's angry at everything. Her father is dying and she, as a neurologist, desperately wants to find a way to fix him, or just keeps hoping that the problem will go away, rather than address it directly. She takes out her fear and anger on the people around her--her family, her friends to some extent, and Adam, the hero.
I read it in its entirety on the plane (with plenty of time leftover) and really enjoyed it. I don't think there was anything in particular I disliked about the book that kept me from giving it five stars; something about it just didn't pack quite the punch I wanted. But it was a sweet, realistic romance, which I am always here for.
There was something about this book that felt really fresh and realistic and honest. It was never cheesy. It was even practical! For starters, even though the hero and heroine hooked up pretty quickly in the book, it was treated as a fun sexy time that they both enjoyed (although some quirks followed that hookup), not as an amazing sexy time that has linked them together for life. Even when they keep crossing paths and continue to be intrigued by each other and attracted to each other, they don't instantly want to commit to each other. Their relationship developed over time, which I love, and it developed in a way that felt realistic to me, which I also love. I loved that Helen dealt with her own problems and that Adam let her.
Something else that I loved about this book was Helen, and how the book in many ways felt more like it was about her journey as a character than about the romance itself. She's full of fears and she's in denial. She's angry at everything. Her father is dying and she, as a neurologist, desperately wants to find a way to fix him, or just keeps hoping that the problem will go away, rather than address it directly. She takes out her fear and anger on the people around her--her family, her friends to some extent, and Adam, the hero.
I read it in its entirety on the plane (with plenty of time leftover) and really enjoyed it. I don't think there was anything in particular I disliked about the book that kept me from giving it five stars; something about it just didn't pack quite the punch I wanted. But it was a sweet, realistic romance, which I am always here for.