*I received a free copy of Hawke from Loveswept via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Hawke by Sawyer Bennett Series: Cold Fury Hockey #5
Published by Loveswept on 15 March, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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.
Everybody knows I love Cold Fury Hockey, and Hawke, he definitely made me melt, but then, so did Vale!
Hawke’s story is very complicated, because he and Vale were together for four years when they were younger, up until the day he left Sydney for Pittsburg to play professional hockey. Then, she told him she didn’t love him, and she never looked back. Fast forward several years, and they meet again, when Hawke starts playing for Cold Fury Hockey, and Vale is the new PT / physiotherapist for the club. All of his feelings of betrayal and hurt come back to the surface, while at the same time he just can’t help but feel utterly attracted to her.
The story unfolds at a great pace, not too fast, nor too slow, and while most of the chapters are from Hawke’s point of view, there are several from Vale’s as well. And if you’ve been hanging out at my blog for a while, you know that second chance at love is one of my favorite tropes, there is just so many possibilities when a couple who used to have everything find each other again, older, more mature, but still partly the same people as they were before. And when that love still has the spark to ignite them again, the feels are just amazing.
Both Hawke and Vale were still weary because of their past, and they both thought the other had completely shut the door on what they had once had. Hawke’s feelings were pretty straight forward, since Vale had looked him in the eye to tell him she didn’t love him, then didn’t answer his subsequent phone calls. What he didn’t know was that later on, she had left him some messages, both on his phone and by e-mail, and she thought he didn’t want to talk to her again. Another complication was that Vale was seeing someone when she came to Cold Fury, and on top of that, she was taking care of her father who had a brain tumor he was being treated for at a hospital in town.
Written in first and third person, present tense, and peppered with great dialogues, Hawke managed to show how tentative the two protagonists were now that they had a chance to make something permanent out of that young love they had shared. I really wish Vale would have shared the fact that she had sent those messages to Hawke, though, because she definitely didn’t hide anything else. Her reasons for leaving Hawke were understandable, especially because they were so young at the time, with their lives also going in quite different directions. All Cold Fury fans will love this installment, both because this couple was great, and because the players who were the main characters in the prior books were still a part of the team.
It’s not like I was happier to be with Vale than building a professional hockey career, but I was okay with the decision to send me back down to the “Q” and so Vale was sort of like a bonus for me.
Never in a million years thought we would ever cross paths again. And as evidenced by the hot flame of bubbling anger sitting low in my gut right now, I’m guessing that I’m still a bit pissed at her.
Don’t get me wrong. Todd and I have a nice and healthy sexual relationship. Or we did when I lived back in Columbus. It was natural, safe, and, well… comfortable, I guess.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
I can’t wait to read this one! Great review 🙂
Sawyer Bennett definitely knows how to write contemporary romances, Tiffany 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
It sounds really interesting, a second chance romance and all! I’m curious! thanks girl!
Second chance romances are so sweet! Thanks for stopping by, Melliane.
You got me so intrigued with this one, Lexxie . . . Considering I was looking for a hockey read, I think you’ve just scored! 😉 So glad you loved it and, of course, thanks for pointing this our way!
Oh you have to pick it up, Silvia! I hope you’ll enjoy it if you decide to pick it up!
I love Sawyer Bennett and this series has been on my watchlist for a while! I just haven’t broken down and bought any yet. Question: do I need to start at the beginning or can I jump in in the middle of the series? Which one is your favorite?
I love, love, love this series, Kristin! And you don’t really have to read the books in order for this once. And I think Zach is my favorite, because emotions 🙂
Great review, Lexxie! I have this one on my March TBR 🙂
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, Danielle!
I *must* make time for this series, Lexxie!! I love a second chance romance as well and it sounds like Hawke and Vale make the most of their second chance despite a few bumps in the road. I have to admit to being very curious as to Vale’s reasoning behind breaking up with Hawke since you said it made sense…I get that they were young and heading in different directions though. I’m thinking I’m just happy those directions ended up moving them towards one another again. 🙂
I hope you’re having a great week so far, my dear! Hope to chat soon!! **BIG HUGS**
You do have to make time for this series, Brandee, I’m sure you’ll love it 🙂 And the second chance romance is really good 🙂 *BIG HUGS*
I just read Alex the other day and LOVED IT! It is the first book by Sawyer Bennett I ever read, but I definitely need to read MORE!
This one does sound complicated, but so wonderful.
I’m so happy you loved Alex, Quinn! This series is great, but so are her other series I have read so far.
Twitter: talksupeblog
A reconciliation story! Oh how I love this trope, always emotional and sweet at the same time
Yes to all of that, Braine! And there’s also some past hurt the couple has to get past…
Twitter: kbaby81
I love second chance romances, and this one seems to even more emotional than usual since the characters were together for song before the split. An abrupt split, I might add. I’ll have to add this to my list. Awesome review!
Yes! I hope you’ll enjoy Hawke and Vale’s story as much as I did, Lekeisha 🙂