Hawke (Cold Fury Hockey #5) by Sawyer Bennett (Review)

Hawke

(Cold Fury Hockey #5)

by Sawyer Bennett

The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team proves that love is a power play. As Sawyer Bennett’s New York Times bestselling series continues, the league’s most notorious party animal gets blindsided by the one that got away.

Off the ice, elite defenseman Hawke Therrien enjoys his fair share of booze and good times. And why shouldn’t he? He’s worked his way up from the minor leagues and made himself a star. The only thing Hawke misses from that life is the pierced, tattooed free spirit who broke his heart without so much as an explanation. She’s almost unrecognizable when she walks back into his life seven years later—except for the look in her eyes that feels like a punch to the gut.

Vale Campbell isn’t the same girl she was at twenty. As crazy as she was about Hawke, her reckless behavior and out-of-control drinking were starting to scare her. She had to clean up her act, and that would never happen with Hawke around. Cutting him loose was the hardest thing Vale ever had to do—until now. Because she’s still crazy about Hawke. And if he could ever learn to forgive her, they just might have a future together.

Hawke and Vale's story starts off like any typical young couple, interested in partying and hanging with friends, totally in love with one another, only when Hawke is getting ready to leave to play in the NHL Vale cuts all ties with him.

I had cut ties with him as a means of punishment—both to him and myself—but after a few weeks of reasoned thought, I knew I had made a mistake. I missed him so damn much and I had to believe that he knew I didn’t mean it when I told him I didn’t love him. Surely he knew that wasn’t really me. Surely he understood that people don’t just love one day, and the next it’s gone.

Fast forward seven years and Hawke is in for a shock when Vale walks back into his life as part of the athletic staff of the Cold Fury.

Second, the fact that even after all this time and all the bitter feelings, I still fucking feel something for her. I’m not sure if it’s an unrelenting longing for what we had, or the fact that I feel terribly sorry for what she’s going through right now. Hell…it’s probably because she’s still the hottest goddamn woman I’ve ever known despite how much she’s changed over the years, but it’s irking the hell out of me that I’m affected like this.

Now lets get real here Hawke was not a saint while Vale wasn't in his life but she was definitely the one that got away, I do not feel that he had the right to be all high an mighty but that's how he came off at times, it was a defense mechanism I'm sure.

Val has been dealing with a lot, not only with the reason she broke up with Hawke, but, she is dealing with other very serious problems that requires her to work two jobs so that she and take care for a family member. My heart really broke for her it was a lot for one person to take on all by herself especially since she was so young.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Hawke and Val, but I have to say that I like Val's character more than Hawke's and that's on me, it has nothing to do with the writing or the way he came off, I just didn't connect with him like I had with other members of Cold Fury. 

Her voice cracks and my heart aches over the misery in her eyes. “I know what you think…that last night was just a hookup, some ‘random’ to get our rocks off. But it wasn’t like that for me. I was all in, and whether you believe it or not, you’re the only man I’ve ever let into my body without protection.”

Hawke is the fifth book in the Cold Fury Series but it can be read as a standalone...but seriously it's a great series so you really should read all of the books.  If you enjoy second chance romances this is the perfect book to check out.

Hallowed Destiny -- Forged by Darkness (Chattanooga Supernaturals #3.5) by Candace Blevins (Review)

Hallowed Destiny -- Forged by Darkness 

(Chattanooga Supernaturals #3.5) 

by Candace Blevins

It’s been a year since Destiny was abducted by sick demon worshipers. They intended to use her as a human sacrifice, and they’d already carved evil-looking symbols all over her body when she somehow managed to escape.

She turned eighteen two weeks ago and was finally able to get the first part of an extensive tattoo started on her chest. It would take a while, but she’d eventually cover every horrible, evil scar with something beautiful.

Tonight is Halloween — the one-year anniversary of her abduction — and she’s determined to return to the woods where she nearly lost her life. She doesn’t expect to see a white lion waiting for her. Aren’t black cats supposed to be bad luck on Halloween? Perhaps a white lion will be the opposite of evil. Or, maybe she’s finally lost her mind, because lions are not indigenous to Tennessee.

This title was previously published in Shifters Hallows Eve

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, from the stories I usually read from Candace Blevins this one was rather tame.  I'm not saying there isn't hot sexy times because there is, it's just that it was more of the vanilla variety. This was a very sweet story, that shows that it's possible that something wonderful can come from the least likely places. 

Destiny was abducted a year ago and she escaped before she could be sacrificed but she needs closure, which brings her back to the scene of the crime and what she finds there will change her life forever. 

Zeke was attracted to Destiny when he sat by her hospital bed last year while she recovered enough to be sent home after her abduction, but she was only seventeen, now she's eighteen, an adult, so Zeke who is twenty-six can now make his feelings for her known. 

Destiny's family was very religious and became distant from her after her attack, just when she needed her family the most they shied away. I didn't like it, but I understood why it was important to the story. I loved the way Destiny and Zeke were together, he was so careful and understanding about everything that Destiny went through and was still going through. His compassion could've been because of the way he felt for her but as with most of men in Kirsten O’Shea’s Universe  there is more to them then meets the eye. 

This was a wonderful addition to the Chattanooga Supernaturals Series, a Sweet & Sexy read that had me shedding a couple of tears, and left me wanting more thankfully Uncaged (Keisha & Darnell's story) will be out soon.