Seriously sexy…

And funny. And has all the feels. Yeah, saying I enjoyed this story is a complete understatement! This is the first in this new hockey series and it is off to an emotional start with Harper and Remy entering a mine field…

“…she stood before him like a pissed-off toothpick.”

Harper and Remy had two very different goals which means they were off to a horrible start from the first time they meet. When neither wants to give up their position, the negotiations, and the fun, begins! Both live and breathe hockey but an owner and player mixing it up is not a good idea. Ever. Never. Life, thank goodness, had other ideas and their embattled relationship soon turned to something else with all the fireworks they could handle (and more)!

“But annoyingly, her lizard brain insisted on elbowing its way to the fore and screaming, “Me want Cajun!”

Harper is cool and business-like (mostly) as she navigates the male-dominated field she is determined to succeed in. Remy is equally determined to keep his eye on the Cup, the ultimate prize, so will not stray from that path (mostly). The sexual tension between them, and the emotional baggage they both carry, means each conversation and scene is laced with electricity. They made me laugh, they made me worry and, above all, they made me care about what was happening to them. And was going to happen. I was lost in their world and was reluctant to leave it when it was all over.

Thank goodness there are more players, more sisters, and a lot more hockey to be played! And hopefully we’ll get some more glimpses of these two… ~Diane, 5 stars

I have been waiting with bated breath for Irresistible You to release. Kate Meader is one of my “automatic one-click” authors and I just knew that she’d make a huge splash with The Chicago Rebels series and I was not disappointed.

From the very first pages, I was in love with Remy DuPre and Harper Chase. Both of them were out to prove themselves to the world. Remy was out to prove he wasn’t a jinx and could bring the Stanley Cup home to the fans. And Harper was out to prove that woman could be just as successful in running a team as any man.

But what neither of them ever predicted was just how much they would be drawn together. That even through their fighting there was a high level of respect and a whole lot of lust simmering under the surface.

I loved Remy and Harper’s banter. Loved how they both humanized the other—that someone saw through their armor to the human inside. I loved their interactions—in and out of the bedroom, that they just made each other and their surroundings better.

Irresistible You was a fantastic start to the series (well, actually, there’s a prequel: In Skates Trouble that’s Addie and Ford’s story) and I cannot wait for So Over You in December!

A really good sexy entertaining read. Kate never disappoints

RATING 4.5 STARS

Irresistible You is book one in the brand new series, Chicago Rebels, by Kate Meader. So, I might have learned something new about myself while reading this book. That I have a thing for hot Cajun men with huge hearts.

Remy DuPre is otherwise known as Jinx, because he’s known as one of the unluckiest players in the NHL. All he’s ever wanted was to win the Stanley Cup. But it has always evaded him. Remy is getting older, his body just can’t take the abuse anymore. So this is supposed to be his last year. And so far, it’s been a stellar one with his current team. Until he got traded that is. And not just traded to any team. Traded to the Chicago Rebels. They are one of the very worst teams in the league. His dream of winning that cup just flew right out of the window.

Harper Chase was raised to eat, sleep and dream hockey. Now her father has passed on. All Harper ever wanted when he was alive was a chance to show him that she could run the team, that she was every bit as tough as he was. But now he’s gone and he made sure to mess up her life, even from the grave. He split the team three ways, between she and her two half sisters, sisters she barely knows. If they can’t get the team to the top three in the playoffs, they lose everything.

Remy was the Chicago Rebels last hope, Harper’s last hope. He was at the peak of his game. And Remy had a way about him. He could bring the team together, something they haven’t been able to do thus far. Remy, though, is furious Harper ruined the best year of his life, the best chance he’s had to win the cup. If Harper wants him to help this team to mend, to bring them together, there is something he wants in return.

From the first time they met, there was something there between them, an electricity, a clashing of the wills and of the hearts. They both fight it. Harper is the team owner and Remy one of the players. It’s a conflict of interest, and so many other things. But they can’t resist the pull for long.

“Of all the people for her libido to toggle on for, why did it have to be Remy DuPre?”

Harper has ghosts, though, painful ghosts, that have forced her to build a huge wall around her heart to protect herself. Not to mention she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She and her sisters own a hockey team, a man’s world. Everyone is watching every move they make. She has to be tough and that means not falling for one of the players.

Remy, oh my Remy. Just wait until you meet this man. He is from New Orleans where all his family still lives. And this man has a huge family. On the ice Remy is unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with. But off the ice, he’s all gentleman. His momma raised him right. If a woman walks in, a man stands. He cooks for her, he woos her. This man had me swooning all over the place. He puts new meaning to the word swoon. And the chemistry between these two! It was explosive, it was beautiful, it was hot!

“I speak and you think of sex?”
“You exist and I think of sex.”

I have only read one or two books by Kate Meader so I have to admit that it took me a bit to adjust to her writing style. But Remy Dupre pulled me in and there was nothing I could do about it. These two had obstacles, circumstances that held them back. But when they fell, they fell hard. Together they were better, stronger. They just had to figure that out and let each other in. One of them figured this out a little faster than the other. But watching them fall was a beautiful sight. I can’t wait for the next book in this series, So Over You, which will be Harper’s sister Isobel’s story.

“Every day, I skate for my teammates,
I skate for my family,
And I skate for myself.
But, mostly, I skate for her.”

Irresistible You by Kate Meader is book #1 in her brand new Chicago Rebels series. I found this book to be well written, populated by great characters and having a interesting storyline. Remy and Harper are super, super hot. Full of drama, passion and blistering heat Irresistible You is an excellent book and a wonderful start to this new series. I am posting an honest review after reading an ARC copy of this book.

Once again Kate Meader has written a flawless romance that blends sweet and heat with a story of family and friendship that will have you longing to move to Chicago and take in a hockey game or two.

In this story you'll meet Remy, a Cajun who loves his family, food and hockey. With an accent that will make you swoon, nicknames that will make you blush (Minou), and the ability to whip up an amazing meal, you'll fall in love with with this man who is the epitome of a gentlemen. Remy knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go for it. Especially when what he wants is Harper.

Harper is very career focused and set out to prove herself to a dad who clearly misjudged and underestimated her and a sports world that doesn't think she's capable of running a hockey team. Forced to share the decision making with her estranged sisters, she finds herself not just fighting for a team she loves but for all of womankind. An attraction to the sexy, veteran player she's brought on to get her team on track is the last thing she needs but the one thing she can't seem to ignore.

I adored Remy and Harper together. The tension between them was so incredibly hot I couldn't stop reading!! I also really enjoyed the family dynamic between her and her sisters and was happy to see them slowly starting to bond and work together and support each other the way they never had the chance to before.

I can already tell that This is going to be a great series and I'm really excited to see where the secondary character's stories take me!!

First she had us ringing the alarm with her Hot In Chicago Series and now Kate Meader has readers in a frenzy with her latest winning hockey series, Chicago Rebels that is simply irresistible!!!!!

In this first installment, Irresistible You, Meader introduces readers to the Chase sisters. Harper, Isobel, and Violet are three estranged half-sisters who have inherited their father’s struggling NHL team. It is up to Harper as the oldest to make the Rebels have a winning season. With a lot on her plate, the pressure is on Harper as the media and public will scrutinize her ability to lead the team in the right direction.

"She was risking everything: her professional reputation, her ethical boundaries, that tough-girl mask she wore so well. And Remy loved unlocking her . Loved how every lick through her sweet, sweet minou had her panting his name and straining for more. ”

Remy DuPre is considered one of the unluckiest guy in the NHL since his career was about to take an upturn but he was then traded to the second worst team in the league. It is there when Harper approaches Remy and makes him a deal. She wants him to turn the Rebel’s season around and in exchange she will grant his wish to be traded. As Remy works hard to motivate the Rebels, he soon find himself attracted to Harper. What happens when he does indeed fall for Harper? Will their romance be a distraction or a winning one?

Irresistible You is a sexy winning romance!!! Kate Meader did a fantastic job introducing charismatic characters that will find a way to win your hearts. So if you are looking for an addicting romance that is full of heat, banter, and swoonworthy moments then this book is for you!!!

Kate Meader has gifted the romance reader world with a new breed in hockey romance hero's. Irresistible You is a very promising start to her new series centered on the Chicago Rebels, a team owned by three very different half sisters. From start to finish, this book had me giggling and swooning. It's an utterly enjoyable read that I can't recommend enough!

Remy Martin , the "jinxed" hockey veteran needs few things to consider his life complete. The Stanley Cup being one of them. The other is the inspiration to settle down. The New Orleans born Acadian Cajun is simply DELIGHTFUL! He oozes a unique charm; infused with humor, good manners, and an unparalleled skill at sweet talk. And to top it off, he cooks! The story revolves around Harper Chase, the women who inherits a tea that is at the bottom in standings and she is desperate to turn that around. She believes Remy is the path to making this happen.

“You feel that, Harper?”

She snatched back her hand. “If you mean my goodwill evaporating with every second you’re standing here, then, yeah, I feel it.”

“I think we’re havin’ a thing.”

They were. Oh, God, they were. “Why are you still here again?”

His mouth curved . “Lady, I got the distinct feelin’ these next few months are gonna be fun.”


Meaders characters always have a depth that makes the reader really feel like you know them. Harper has insecurities brought about by her unique upbringing. She's standoffish but it's totally understandable. I could't have rooted harder for her to work through it so she could see Remy for all that he offers her. It's a great journey, seeing these two stand up to industry speculation and gossip and to allow themselves to enjoy their scorching chemistry. This book left me feeling the warm fuzzies and I'm very excited for this series and to see more of Remy and Harper. 5 Stars and recommendation!

Once upon a time, long ago,  in a galaxy far away, I told fellow ducky Sandy that I envied her for her overflowing pile of advance reader copies. Fast forward to today and I realize that one can really have too much of a good thing as I juggle with an overflowing pile of books approaching publication dates that need to read, and reviewed.  Then a shining nugget like this absolutely enchanting story comes along and makes my day.  The story flows well, invoking a wild range of emotions and gorgeous three dimensional characters that sweep you along for a wonderful ride.

Poor rich girl Harper has tried to be the perfect daughter. She's spent her entire life dedicated to the Chicago Rebels trying to make her father proud and prove that women can carve out a niche for themselves in the world of Professional Hockey.  Her father's will is a foul blow when he dashes all her hopes by giving her a year to prove herself and tying her success to a joint venture with two sisters, one of whom she has a love hate relationship with and the other who's been a well kept secret by her father. Hardly the recipe for success especially when the team is bottom of the league and struggling.
Harper is determined to prove herself and her first step is in recruiting reluctant center Remy Dupree from Boston. Remy has been playing a long time with the Stanley cup always eluding him. This is his year and he is not happy to see his chance at the cup sinking with the trade to Chicago. So he strikes a deal with Harper, he'll play his heart out and bring the team together but she's got to trade him in time for the playoffs to a top team who's got a chance at the cup.
Then begins a courtship that will get all the women's red blood cells perking upas Remy drops French phrases and calls Harper "Minou" in his sexy French way and woos Harper with offerings of food.  Soon the clothes are coming off and they're playing video hockey version of "strip" competition.  There are so many moments in the story that stand out, the ceramics and wine class when Harper makes her "mug tree", the night when the sisters play the truth game, thanksgiving with Remy, and the night when Harper signs the paperwork to trade Remy to the team of his choice.  The range of emotions from tears to joy and laughter just makes this an unforgettable story.
Ms. Meader has just joined my ranks of auto buy authors.  I can't wait to read Isabel's story which is previewed at the end of this one.  It sounds like there will be lots of sparks in this one.

Great start to the series! I totally fell in love with Remy and his southern charm. He was the perfect balance of sweet and masculine and perfectly complimented Harper's "I can do it myself" attitude. There was just the right amount of sexual tension and chemistry. Definitely a steamy read; I loved the doorway in the rain scene. Swoon! The characters were well developed and great secondary characters added to this already captivating book. I'm looking forward to Isobel and Violet's stories!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. Hockey players are one of my favorite sports romance to read about. I liked Harper's grit and spirit. Rent came across as just a bit arrogant, but I expect that from hockey players. The interactions between the two drew you into the story. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

There is just something about sports themed books. I just love them so much. One of my favorite are hockey themed. I think it goes back to watching hockey with my grandfather.

So maybe because of that I'm more prone to enjoy the hockey ones better, of course it doesn't hurt that this one is also based in my home town. Gives you a little added thrill. So you'd think with those two facts that it would be a very enjoyable story for me...

...and it was! I loved it. It's one of those stories that you can't help enjoying. It's full of all the things I really enjoy in my romance.

Let's talk about Remy first. Let's be real here he's the main reason I loved this book. Silly I know to fall for a make believe character but that's one of the great things about read romance. You get for the length of the book to fall in love, then you move on to the next and fall in love all over again.

So right away you can tell Remy is such a great guy. He just loves him family and even when he was really pissed at Harper he treated her well. What more can you ask of a guy? Oh, did I mention the Cajun accent and that he's hot? Sorry, didn't mean to leave that out!

Let's move on to Harper. Talk about tightly-wound! This poor woman has had a pretty crap life. It's a total poor little rich girl life. It's so sad how hard she worked for her father's respect only to come away with nothing.

The real sad part is that she's twice the man he was. Good at her job, and also good at heart. I'm not sure he could have claimed either.

Irresistible You is a wonderful start to this new series. I can't wait for her sisters stories. Did I mention her sisters? Well she had two that she really doesn't know that she now must run the hockey team with. Crazy, right? Ton's of issues and feelings because of that. They don't start out as I have your back type of sisters.

Speaking of those sisters I can't wait for their stories. I have a feeling they are going to be so good!

I really liked the premise. This is my first time reading this author. The idea of three sisters taking over the helm of an NHL team and beating the odds. Great idea! I loved Remy. Super sweet, older player, hot and steamy in the bedroom (and the kitchen and the courtyard!). It was Harper that didn't warm me. I thought Remy was way to patient with her. In the long run I guess that worked. She is the Ice Queen. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with her sisters progresses. I found myself skipping chapters and not missing much.

I will read the rest of the series. Hoping for wonderful HEA's for Violet and Isobel.

4.5 Stars
I can tell you after reading this book I'm hooked on the series. I didn't want this book to end it was so good. It's a hockey romance and right now that's one of the genres I'm devouring so this book is right up my alley. I loved that the owners of the team are three sisters. They have to find their way with each other though thanks to dear old dad. Can I say I'm not a fan of him. Harper is putting a lot on her shoulders and doesn't believe in herself like she should. She's in for one heck of a surprise when she signs Remy. He's going to change her life like she never imagined. Remy is great hero material in just the the little things he does for Harper, but he is going to have his work cut out for him because he's sleeping with the boss. This book has a great combination of humor, heart, heat, and story. I'm highly anticipating the next book in the series.

DNF

I just couldn't do it. The book was focused far too much on hockey for me. Instead of focusing on the characters and the issues they were dealing with, the book is filled with literally play by plays of games and practices. I lost interest pretty quickly.

4 Stars

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, pain, and heartbreak.

This is Harper and Remy's story. Harper just became the most powerful woman in NHL after her father died. Now she knows to get people to see she knows what she is doing is to turn her father’s team around. The players are out of control. She needs to whip the team into shape and stay away from Remy the team’s veteran player. Remy’s dream was to get the Stanley cup. Now with a woman running things he is sure that is not happening. If she would just jump in his bed he thinks things would be better. But she is about to make him believe. Can she get the team to win and have the man also? Or is it all about to come tumbling down?

I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

4.5 stars

Why?

Why did it take me this long to read a Kate Meader book?

I seriously would like to know because this book is my jam. And if her books are all like this -- you know, well-plotted with well written complex characters -- then I see a binge in my future and another author added to my automatic one-click list.

Irresistible You reminds me of all the good things I loved about Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars series, especially the first book, It Had to be You. It follows more or less a similar premise: Harper Chase inherited a hockey team from her father with a few wrenches thrown in.

The premise is familiar but the conflict and its characters are fresh and engaging. A few pages in and I was already invested.

Harper Chase along with her half-sisters inherited the Chicago Rebels hockey team. An ailing organization known for being inconsistent and a joke in the league. But Harper has a solid plan: acquire an over-the-hill-albeit-still-competitive-center Remy DuPre AKA the unluckiest player in the NHL.

Remy was not pleased about the transfer. It's his last year to finally win the Cup and he's not going to win it with a team that's at the near bottom of the NHL ranking. This puts him in immediate conflict with the gorgeous team owner.

And what I delicious conflict it was. Harper and Remy's adversarial relationship got me hot and bothered throughout the book. Each of their interactions drip with sexual tension.

Harper is such a fantastic heroine. She's been dealt a real blow with her father setting her up for failure. But she's a fighter and she's not about to take shit from anybody, including Remy.

I love their chemistry and their banter. As their relationship progressed, Harper started to get out of her shell and where Remy showed the kind of guy he truly is: protective and loyal. Someone who would go out of his way to take care of those close to him including his teammates. I love his character.

Another thing that I liked about this book was Harper's half sisters: Isobel and Violet. I liked that the author didn't make it easy for them to get along. They all have their issues and they're suspicious of each other. And rightly so. All thanks to their father Clifford Chase. He's already deceased at the start of the book but his presence and his cruelty were felt throughout the book.

I would've easily given this 5 stars if not for the slightly rushed ending. But that's a small nitpick. There's an epilogue at the end but it doesn't tell us anything about whether or not the Rebels made it to the finals. That said I feel like we're going to get the answer to that in the next installment which I'm looking forward to.

GAAAAAAAH. Kate Meader has gone and done it again. She has gifted us with a couple that is equal parts swoony and flat out hot. Harper Chase and Remy DuPre, hereby known as a Hemy are a pair that from the get go had me all a twitter. Just trust me that it is going to take way more than 140 characters to tell you just how much I adored Irresistible You. This book is not only their story, but is a fabulous introduction to the world of the Sisters Chase, the daughters and heirs of Clifford Chase, the late owner of the Chicago Rebels hockey enterprise.

With Irresistible You, we get a fly on the wall view of the both sides of the hockey world, from the ice and the owner’s suite. While some might question the sanity of chasing that vulcanized rubber disc across a sheet of ice, it is so much more. This a sport that inspires passion among its fans and as a fan of the game, I love that Kate captured its dynamic, as well as its nuances so perfectly.
Harper Chase is my hero, I loved her heart, strength and dogged persistence. She loves the game of hockey and that she is a woman in man’s world, shouldn’t be unusual, but it is and she is more than up to the challenge. Harper is living the Ginger Rodgers adage of backwards and in high heels every day and knows all eyes are on her just waiting for her to not only fall, but fail. Her goal is to make the Rebels a playoff caliber team and prove her critics wrong. Word to the wise – Get out of her way.

Louisiana-born hockey player Remy DuPre is catnip. French-speaking, muffuletta making catnip. Being in this man’s head and heart is a master class in Romance. I don’t even know where to begin because all those things I listed make him fabulous, but even more it feels like this man has his doctorate in all things female. JUST WHOA.

Hemy had a chemistry that was hotter than tabasco. While I freaking LOVED their sexy moments, there was this magic in their every scene that made my heart ache in the best ways possible. It is what Kate Meader does though, she creates these characters that you know are products of her imagination and makes them seem as though they could walk right off the page.

Daddy Issues. The Chase sisters could have added their own voices and a lyric or two to Queen Bey’s song. Their dad was a class-A SOB who seemed not to know what amazing women Harper, Isobel and Violet were. Each one of these women is brilliant and badass in their own way and lucky for us, we get to discover and appreciate each one in their own spotlight.

I am so excited to read the rest of this series. Irresistible You is the perfect starter to this series and have whetted my appetite for more. Go fall in love with this story and lace up for the rest of the series.

Happy reading!!!

Laurie’s Rating: 5+++++++++++++++++++++ STARS

I have heard nothing but fantastic things about Kate Meader books so when I got the chance to read Irresistible You I was so excited and I dived into this book as soon as I could. I know can honestly say I understand why everyone goes all goo goo ga ga over hockey players lol. Irresistible You was a fantastic book.Watching Harper and Remy fall in love over the course of this book was just wonderful, I rooted for these characters no matter what . The romance was smoking hot , the plot kept my eyes glued to every page and the characters were just so much fun . The way Kate Meader is able to write this story thats manages to sexy , funny and passion just spoke to how good of writer she is. I loved this book and I feel like it was an excellent start to the Chicago rebels series . I wish I had a copy of the next book right now lol if you love all of these things in your book.If you are looking for a sexy , fun read with a hot hockey player that will make you create space on your book boyfriends list and feisty strong heroine then you should definitely pick up this book as soon as you can.

Remy. Oh, my, Remy. I wasn’t sure about him when we first met him. He was at a farewell party, surrounded by strippers, being a complete dick to Harper. I wasn’t here for his crap.

But then. Really, I should have known. Kate Meader doesn’t write assholes and I should have had more faith. (Or if she does write assholes, I haven’t read them yet.) Remy was bitter about his trade to Chicago, and he had reason to be. I was so happy Kate Meader told this story from both POVs, because this story would have lost a lot if we couldn’t see what was happening inside both of their heads.

We met Harper in the novella that started this series, In Skates Trouble. She was one of the women on the hotel patio when Ford was eavesdropping. We learned in that book that Clifford Chase, Harper’s father and the owner of the Chicago Rebels, the 2nd-worst team in the NHL, had died and left the team to his 3 daughters.

Before you go thinking “What a great dad. He must be so forward-thinking and proud of his daughters to do that”, think again. The note he left for Harper, who has worked for his organization for her entire working life and been his 2nd in command for years, makes it clear that he expects her to fuck this up, and that when she does, the team is gone. Yes. She has one season, the current season to get the 2nd worst team in the league into to the playoffs, or the team gets sold to the highest bidder whether she likes it or not. Clifford Chase is an absolute piece of crap.

Bringing on Remy DuPre, commonly thought of as the unluckiest guy in the league, is part of her strategy to get to the playoffs and make that happen. He’s considered unlucky because despite being in the NHL for 15 years, he’s never been on a Stanley Cup winning team. In fact, every time he gets traded, the team he just left goes on to win the Cup. Falling in love with Remy is not part of Harper’s strategy, either, but that certainly never stopped it from happening.

The chemistry between Remy and Harper is immediate and hot. But sleeping with your boss isn’t a good idea under the best of circumstances, never mind when your boss is one of three sisters newly named owners of an NHL hockey team.

This is one area where I really wish authors would spend more time. In sports romances, it’s always mentioned that if word of the relationship leaks, the woman is the one who’s going to have to suffer the consequences. I most recently mentioned this in my review of When I Need You by Lorelei James. In that book, Rowan would have lost her position on the cheerleading squad while pretty much nothing would have happened to Jensen. Here, I mean… Can you even imagine the unbelievable amount of shit, rape threats, death threats, and who knows what else Harper would have had to deal with if it came out that the first female owner of an NHL team was sleeping with one of her players? And THEN was considering trading him? Do you think the fact that months ago he had asked to be traded would mean anything to the media, the fans, or the random internet trolls that would dox her and threaten to rape her until she died? Literally rape her until she died. Then rape her some more. This is a huge deal to Harper, the reason she doesn’t want to give in to her feeling for Remy at all, or go public with them once she does. And it was sort of… glossed over at the end. She tells Remy about her fears multiple times, then goes public in a truly not-well-thought-out way, one of the female reporters gets all googly-eyed about it, and that’s the last of it. There is absolutely no way that after something like that, the media says “Twuuuu luuuuvvv is what bwings us….. togeverrrrrr….” and moves on. It just wouldn’t happen. And any woman alive in 2017 who has a wifi connection would be well aware of that. Remy has been saying all along that this is his last year in the NHL. Finish the season, then go public. She’d still be crucified in the press, but it’s better than an owner sleeping with one of her active players.

Kristen Callihan has done the most work with this in Game Plan, featuring my forever and always book boyfriend, Dex. I can’t even read the 2nd half of that book any more because I end up a sobbing mess reading about what poor Fiona goes through. (I’m not saying she’s the only one who’s shown this, just the only one I can think of off the top of my head.)

The more I see this type of relationship, the more the lack of acknowledgment of how hard it will be bothers me. An average, not-famous woman who dates an athlete gets enough shit, like Fiona. Mix in a power dynamic factor, particularly one where the woman has the power, and the world gets really ugly really quickly. If we’re going to continue to have as many sports romances as we do, that needs to be acknowledged.

And, look. I know we read romance, any book, really, to escape our shitty, shitty reality which is getting shittier by the day. I get it. Do I want to read several chapters of Harper being threatened, unable to leave her house, possibly even attacked while she’s at the grocery store? No. I don’t. But romance is in a unique position. Not only is it one of the few, if not the only, genre to guarantee a happy ending, but it’s the only genre specifically focusing on women and on telling our stories. Who else is going to tell that story? A story that’s a genuine love story, but also shows the reality of what women have to go through every fucking day just to assert their right to exist on this planet? No one else is. Romance writers, that’s who tells this story.

This turned into way more of a rant than I intended. I love Kate Meader. I love Harper. I love Remy. (No, seriously. I loooove Remy). Harper has fought her entire life to be seen, to be taken seriously, to rise above the opinions of a man who even in death taunted her and called her a failure. Even when he found out one of his players was being awful to her, he blamed her and told her that it was her fault for trying to exist in the world of hockey in the first place. Now she owns this NHL team and everyone is expecting her to fail. The media already has condescending nicknames for her and her sisters – Incompetent Spice, Middle-Child Spice, and Latina Spice. Every Rebels loss is blamed on their “incompetent ownership” and every win is credited to the amazing players who are doing their best despite the chaos in the front offices. Never mind the fact that there really isn’t any chaos.

And Remy. He’s tried so hard to shake the “Jinx” moniker and to finally, finally hoist the Stanley Cup after so many years of trying. We don’t know yet if he’s going to make it happen; we’ll have to read the whole series to find out, but I hope he does. He deserves it.

There isn’t a lot of on-page hockey here. Even when we’re in Remy’s POV and he’s on the ice, it’s mostly “we were up by 2, then the puck went over to some players and we scored again” type stuff. (Yes, you can and should be jealous of my hockey acumen). I know a lot of readers really like the detailed play-by-play, and you won’t find that here.

This book is going to go onto my perennial re-read shelf right next to Game Plan. This book was amazing. And to be fair to Kate Meader, the book ended right at the point that Harper was outed to the media, so you could say that’s why we didn’t see what happened next. I get that. And I’m eagerly waiting for So Over You, the next book in this amazing series, constantly stalking Netgalley for it. I think everyone should read this book. Probably the entire series. And start with In Skates Trouble; you don’t want to miss out on Ford and Addy.