powerofkisses's review
1.0
I hate myself. I hate that I didn’t DNF this when she killed the pregnant lady. I hate myself when I didn’t DNF once there was the dad and his friends were talking. I hate myself even more when the dead pregnant lady was a SA victim. I hated it all and I wish I could press erase of this book.
lisaluvsliterature's review
5.0
I really connected with this main character. I'm totally with her on not wanting to accept what "my league" is. It sucks, but maybe I have to. I know unlike Lindy, I'll never be lucky enough to have a hot hockey player turn out to be the guy I meet and fall in love with, and who falls in love back with me. But enough about me, let's talk about how good this story was. It was a page-turner. I really liked both characters, they were just real, and while I totally connected with Lindy, Victor was a bit of a mystery, but a good guy, even with how his life had been and the way he felt about women to start. There was a death of a side character what seemed really early in the story, and not one I would have seen coming. But that character's back story ended up being an integral part towards the end, that I see how the author tied it all together. I really like that we were able to get our two main characters falling in love enough before the end that the final obstacle or issue of the book was Victor's secret/past issue coming up to be faced. I liked that it wasn't some kind of wrench in their relationship. In some romances that just seems like how the author adds that last bit of drama, and I actually like it more like this book when it happens. I really enjoyed this one, and hope to go back and read the others in the series as well.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
giulia_arg's review
Another meh book for me.
I liked the writing but i feel like the storyline wasn’t fully developed!!
I liked the writing but i feel like the storyline wasn’t fully developed!!
catwithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
redhairedashreads's review
4.0
Belinda “Lindsy” Boring is a shy NHL concession stand worker who has never been kissed. Her life consists of working, reading, and crushing on a hockey player who will never know her. But when they accidentally meet everything changes for both of them.
This book was both heartbreaking and heart pounding. Victor has worked hard to be in the NHL and he doesn’t like that his game is slipping. He is being blackmailed and it is starting to affect his game so much that they are talking about removing him from first position. Victor is a hardworking man who has had a terrible past that won't let him go. It takes meeting Lindsy to make him realize that he wants a family and to get over his past. I really liked Victor, especially since he was so sweet and supportive of Lindsy and her choices. He never pushes her to do things that she isn’t ready for.
Lindsy is a shy woman who loves sports. She is a huge Chicago Blaze fan. I loved how supportive she was when Victor told her about his past abuse and that she didn't push him to talk about it before he was ready. Nor did she push for physical contact until he was ready for it. She was just the perfect partner for him. I also really enjoyed the relationship she has with her father. They were so close and you could just feel the strong family bond between them. Also his friends were great as well.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was Lindsy’s friend Ari. She just kept pushing Lindsy to have sexual encounters with people she wasn’t even attracted to. She wasn't supportive of her friends' feelings to wait for someone who she actually wanted to have sex with. Ari just felt like an abusive friend who is trying to pull others down into her negative atmosphere, which is why I didn't like her. Luckily, she doesn’t have a lot of page time with her.
Rothert really knows how to write emotional stories that really tug at your heartstrings. I felt both sadness and love throughout this book and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Trigger Warning:
- Child abuse, discussed
- Sudden death of a side character
- Grief
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
This book was both heartbreaking and heart pounding. Victor has worked hard to be in the NHL and he doesn’t like that his game is slipping. He is being blackmailed and it is starting to affect his game so much that they are talking about removing him from first position. Victor is a hardworking man who has had a terrible past that won't let him go. It takes meeting Lindsy to make him realize that he wants a family and to get over his past. I really liked Victor, especially since he was so sweet and supportive of Lindsy and her choices. He never pushes her to do things that she isn’t ready for.
Lindsy is a shy woman who loves sports. She is a huge Chicago Blaze fan. I loved how supportive she was when Victor told her about his past abuse and that she didn't push him to talk about it before he was ready. Nor did she push for physical contact until he was ready for it. She was just the perfect partner for him. I also really enjoyed the relationship she has with her father. They were so close and you could just feel the strong family bond between them. Also his friends were great as well.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was Lindsy’s friend Ari. She just kept pushing Lindsy to have sexual encounters with people she wasn’t even attracted to. She wasn't supportive of her friends' feelings to wait for someone who she actually wanted to have sex with. Ari just felt like an abusive friend who is trying to pull others down into her negative atmosphere, which is why I didn't like her. Luckily, she doesn’t have a lot of page time with her.
Rothert really knows how to write emotional stories that really tug at your heartstrings. I felt both sadness and love throughout this book and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Trigger Warning:
- Child abuse, discussed
- Sudden death of a side character
- Grief
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
lenoreo's review
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/05/15/victor-by-brenda-rothert/
3.5 stars — This is a case of a book being almost perfect for me, but failing to get out of its own way in certain areas. Like seriously, I know lots of people are tired of this trope, but I still gravitate towards it — so the book didn’t need to work very hard. And so many aspects were just spot on and I loved them!! BUT…then there were some little things.
Let’s start off with the good! In general I thought Lindy was pretty sweet, and someone I could easily connect with. I know that won’t be the case for most people, but I understood her need to please and not make waves. I loved how she was there for people, and how 99% of the time she wasn’t judgey (we’ll get to the 1%). I thought her friendship with Ari was a bit odd, but eh…it was nice to see her have a girlfriend to hang with.
Victor was actually pretty sweet too. I know the blurb gives him a manwhore vibe, but honestly? For the stereotype of a hockey player, he was actually pretty mild. I mean, maybe it was because of everything he had going on with him, but I just didn’t feel it that hard. He had a lot of work to do in the self-reflecting zone, but he got there with some help from his teammates. One thing that I absolutely ADORED about him is that he proactively confided in Lindy about his secret…I really loved that.
And I ADORED their meet-cute! That whole scene where they’re talking in the arena just made my heart tippy tap. I didn’t even completely mind that he friend-zoned her…he was pretty confused. And I enjoyed them hanging out and getting to know one another. I feel like I missed out a bit on their make out sessions — it was mentioned in passing, and sometimes I find those first kissing scenes more fun than the actual steamy scenes, but oh well.
So what went wrong? A bunch of little things.
1. They were both HORRIBLE when they got jealous. Just not attractive at all. Lindy behaved very out of character when she girl shamed the beauty contestants (implying they weren’t smart, etc). And Victor…*shakes head* He was almost controlling.
2. There was also Victor’s implication that Lindy is too good and is *worth* more in terms of sex/relationships than other girls.
3. There were some very serious moments/topics in this book that would have been great if they’d been explored in depth. As it stands though, they were super glossed over and felt thrown in for…shock value? I don’t know. Either give them their due and importance, or leave them out.
4. Lindy’s Dad and his friends were dicks. And not just dicks, homophobic dicks. I get that perhaps Ms. Rothert was supposed to be showcasing South Side Chicago blue collar folks or something, but I was not impressed. Especially since Lindy wasn’t internally cringing over the things they were saying. That group could have been endearing, but it completely fell flat.
*sigh* Those were the biggest. It’s *super* too bad, because without those things, I bet this would have been my fave in the series. As it is, I’m not sure if I’m going to round up or down. *womp womp*
3.5 stars — This is a case of a book being almost perfect for me, but failing to get out of its own way in certain areas. Like seriously, I know lots of people are tired of this trope, but I still gravitate towards it — so the book didn’t need to work very hard. And so many aspects were just spot on and I loved them!! BUT…then there were some little things.
Let’s start off with the good! In general I thought Lindy was pretty sweet, and someone I could easily connect with. I know that won’t be the case for most people, but I understood her need to please and not make waves. I loved how she was there for people, and how 99% of the time she wasn’t judgey (we’ll get to the 1%). I thought her friendship with Ari was a bit odd, but eh…it was nice to see her have a girlfriend to hang with.
Victor was actually pretty sweet too. I know the blurb gives him a manwhore vibe, but honestly? For the stereotype of a hockey player, he was actually pretty mild. I mean, maybe it was because of everything he had going on with him, but I just didn’t feel it that hard. He had a lot of work to do in the self-reflecting zone, but he got there with some help from his teammates. One thing that I absolutely ADORED about him is that he proactively confided in Lindy about his secret…I really loved that.
And I ADORED their meet-cute! That whole scene where they’re talking in the arena just made my heart tippy tap. I didn’t even completely mind that he friend-zoned her…he was pretty confused. And I enjoyed them hanging out and getting to know one another. I feel like I missed out a bit on their make out sessions — it was mentioned in passing, and sometimes I find those first kissing scenes more fun than the actual steamy scenes, but oh well.
So what went wrong? A bunch of little things.
1. They were both HORRIBLE when they got jealous. Just not attractive at all. Lindy behaved very out of character when she girl shamed the beauty contestants (implying they weren’t smart, etc). And Victor…*shakes head* He was almost controlling.
2. There was also Victor’s implication that Lindy is too good and is *worth* more in terms of sex/relationships than other girls.
3. There were some very serious moments/topics in this book that would have been great if they’d been explored in depth. As it stands though, they were super glossed over and felt thrown in for…shock value? I don’t know. Either give them their due and importance, or leave them out.
4. Lindy’s Dad and his friends were dicks. And not just dicks, homophobic dicks. I get that perhaps Ms. Rothert was supposed to be showcasing South Side Chicago blue collar folks or something, but I was not impressed. Especially since Lindy wasn’t internally cringing over the things they were saying. That group could have been endearing, but it completely fell flat.
*sigh* Those were the biggest. It’s *super* too bad, because without those things, I bet this would have been my fave in the series. As it is, I’m not sure if I’m going to round up or down. *womp womp*