Icing by Kelly Jamieson

Summary from Amazon:

     Duncan Armstrong may be an NHL star, but he’s a country boy at heart. His ultimate fantasy is going home with the Stanley Cup, not a gold-digging airhead who aspires to be a trophy wife and nothing more. Newly single and hoping to enjoy a night out with his teammates, he ends up hitting it off with a down-to-earth waitress who’s a complete breath of fresh air—until Duncan learns that she’s a part-time model. He tries to forget about her, but their sizzling chemistry has him coming back for more.

     Amber is working hard to put herself through school, and has zero interest in dating a professional athlete. She’s seen firsthand how fame and fortune can mess with their heads—her father’s brilliant football career ended in a firestorm of addiction and infidelity. So Duncan’s attentions immediately have her on the defensive. Still, there’s something different about him. And once she stops trying to freeze him out, irresistible temptation turns into all-consuming passion.

 

My Thoughts:

     Icing is the third installment in the Aces Hockey series but it is a stand-alone novel.  I have not read the other two books and had no trouble getting into this one or any confusion about the plot.

     Amber is a pretty good female lead as she is strong, hardworking and independent but she obviously has issues from her past.  Once she meets Duncan she is very charmed by him but when she finds out he is a professional athlete she pulls back but he is so charming she has trouble staying away.  We aren’t clued in until later exactly what from Amber’s past makes her leery of professional athletes but it is obvious that this is a BIG issue for her.

     Of course, Duncan has his relationship issues as well due to the fact that most of his exes used him for his money and notoriety.  The problem is that he is intrigued by Amber and can’t wait to get to know more about her but her secretive ways and stubbornness make that nearly impossible!

     It took me a few chapters to get into the story due to a few choppy parts in the writing but overall I did enjoy this one!  As mentioned, Amber is a good, strong female lead-no giggly, dopey girls here-and Duncan is such a great guy you want them to work out their crap. 

     There were a few phrases that kept getting repeated so many times I got really annoyed (if I hear “boo” one more time…).  There was also one time in the book where several pages were devoted to detailed play-by-play of a hockey game and it seemed a bit much to me.  I am not a huge hockey nerd and I understand there is going to be some in there and I am fine with this but this was too much. 

     All in all, this was just an okay book for me.  The characters were good but sometimes cheesy and the sexy parts weren’t all that sexy.  And to be a bit shallow and judge a book by its cover-the cover creeped me out a bit.  I think the series has potential but as this is book #3 I am not sure if I will continue reading it. 

3/5 stars*

*I was given an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.