Review: “Second Shot with #76” by Piper Rayne

Series: Hockey Hotties #5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: April 19th, 2022

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My mom always said you don’t get a second shot at making a first impression. I’ve remembered that my entire career. Especially since I’m one of the few black men who play professional hockey.

I’m calculated and respectful in the way I speak to my coaches, the owners, and the media. I’ve never taken a risk… until her.

I could blame it on the fact that for once I pushed away the pressure of my career for the ocean waves, the sand, and good times with my new teammates. But those are excuses because the minute I saw her at the airport, something lit up inside me and the best week of my life was spent with her in my bed.

After our week in paradise, we said goodbye, exchanged phone numbers and both assumed that unless one of us was flying through the other’s city on the opposite side of the country, our vacation fling was over.

Then one night after practice I see her. She’s here. In my city. Telling me she moved here for a job. If that’s not fate tell me what is.

I’ve never wanted a second shot more than I do this time, but she’s determined to leave what we were on the island we left behind.

 

While not my favourite of the Hockey Hotties series, I know that a lot of people would enjoy this one. There were definitely parts that I did like, but there were also some choices that I didn’t. As a fan of the original three Hotties, I was really curious to see how Piper Rayne would add three more hot hockey players to the roster and I absolutely loved Warner and Imogen in Sneaking Around with #34 and I am very much excited to see what happens with Kane and Jana in Offside with #55, especially with the teaser and information drop we got at the end of this one.

Let me start with what I did like about this book. I loved the bromance between Cory, Warner and Kane. I loved the friendships and camaraderie that these guys share as players on the same team. It’s been consistent since the first book and I cherish these scenes more than I can explain. I am really loving Kane Burrows. We got to see him in action in Warner’s book and that was fun, but in this one we get to see more of him and he’s such an interesting character. And while we’re on the subject of Kane, I loved whatever we got of Jana. I wish we got more, but I know she gets to tell us her whole story in the final book and that’s fine with me. I loved the idea she had for Cory and Ande and how to hype up their relationship so as to protect Cory’s slightly tainted image. I did love how friendly and generous Cory was with his time when it came to fans, that really made me like him a little more.

My biggest grouse with the book was the secondary plot line and the decision made by the sisters. It made me feel icky and the whole time, I wanted someone to undo everything that had happened. Plus, I didn’t feel the connection between Ande and Cory. I wonder if reading the novella, where they first met, would have helped? I know that a lot of that relationship was rough because of what Ande had decided to do, but it still felt forced from both sides.

All in all, I think I went into this book expecting something else and came away not feeling fully satisfied. But that doesn’t mean this book won’t work for others!

Thanks to Valentine PR for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.