Review: Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson

Any Man of Mine
~Rachel Gibson

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: April 26, 2011
ISBN-10: 0061579114
ISBN-13: 978-0061579110
ASIN: B004HD61HC

From Goodreads:
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.

Autumn Haven's Las Vegas "to-do" list said to catch a show and play the slots—not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam Leclaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her run. And she did—right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality and before she could say "pass the coffee" Sam was gone.

Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn she hasn't clapped eyes on the heart-breaking hockey superstar for over two years... until she organizes his teammate's "Special Day," where Sam makes a BIG play to pick up he left off! But she has vowed any man of hers plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever?

As Any Man of Mine opens, the Chinooks hockey team's former Captain, Ty Savage, and the owner, Faith Duffy, are getting married (they were the Hero/Heroine in book 4, True Love and Other Disasters). Their event coordinator is Autumn Haven, ex-wife of Chinooks player Sam LeClaire. Sam hasn't seen Autumn in years, except with regards to their son, Connor. As the story progresses, we learn that Sam and Autumn hooked up in Las Vegas when they were both young and under mental and emotional stress. They got to know each other and impulsively got married after only five days. Sam panicked and left the next morning. He had his attorney contact her for the divorce, and later, after she had Connor and informed his attorney, he demanded a paternity test. Once it was acknowledged that Connor was his, Sam took care of the financial aspects of raising him, but for the most part is not an active participant in raising him.

Sam decides he wants to be a better dad, not turn into the kind of father his own father was, so he starts spending more time with Connor, and subsequently, more time around Autumn. Autumn has seen this behavior before and doesn't think it's going to last, but Sam is determined to make a change. Autumn is bitter, and as you read their history, you see that it's completely understandable. But as Autumn and Sam confront their pasts, perhaps things can change as they grow to understand their own actions as well as each others'.

My thoughts: One of the great things about Rachel Gibson's writing is her ability to pull the reader into her character's heads. As I read Autumn's side of the story I was mad at Sam for being such an ass. As I read Sam's side of the story I felt bad and was frustrated Autumn didn't give him a a second chance to redeem himself.

I love the reunited lovers storyline, and Any Man of Mine does it well. Sam is definitely a tarnished hero; he was really a jerk to Autumn after he left her in Vegas and kind of remained that way over the years. Autumn was rigidly self-reliant after the Vegas debacle, bitter and determined not to need anyone. The way these two clash was totally believable, and as they worked towards a more friendly demeanor I was mentally cheering them on.

Rachel Gibson is excellent at adding humor throughout the story; the scene where Sam caught Autumn wearing a Sidney Crosby Penguins jersey for Halloween was one of my favorites. She also deftly turns up the heat as Autumn and Sam's relationship progresses; the sexual tension between them was nice and hot.

As an aside, I liked that Connor was a realistic character and not written as some exceptionally talented child...he was a regular kindergartner (and wasn't even good at hockey!). I actually liked him and thought he was a cute kid.

Although Any Man of Mine is part of her Chinooks hockey series, the focus was more on the emotional development of both Autumn and Sam; it was just the right blend of personal growth, sexy romance, and hockey action.

My Rating:

This book was received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd Read That!

In the comments section of a previous post, I mentioned to Chris that I'd love Rachel Gibson to write a gay hockey story. Then today I stumbled across this at Eyre's place:

I'd read that!! Rowr!

Review: Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson

I was browsing my local bookstore when I came across this book - 3 days before its release date! I'm not going to answer any questions about whether or not I danced in the aisles at my local B&N, and I have bribed my children who may or may not have witnessed it.

I think my love of Rachel Gibson's hockey romance stories has been well-documented here. I don't know why exactly; I've never seen a hockey game and wouldn't recognize a famous hockey player if one bumped into me while wearing a name tag. Anyhoo, on to the review:

Chelsea Ross is an out of work actress, a "scream queen" of sorts. She's done bit parts in horror flicks and commercials. She spends most of her time working as an assistant to D-list actors while waiting for her big break. Her twin sister, who works for the Chinooks as in PR, has convinced her come home to Seattle to be a personal assistant to Mark Bressler, former hockey star.

Mark was the captain of the Chinooks until a car accident almost took his life. He's recuperating, slowly, but he knows he'll never play hockey again and is depressed and angry. His team won the Stanley cup but he doesn't feel he deserves to be a part of it since he was injured before the playoffs. He's gone through home nurses like toilet paper, so the Chinooks have offered a $10,000 bonus to anyone who can stay with him.

Chelsea wants that money. She's got big plans for it: Chelsea is a tiny wisp of a thing with a natural pair of Double D's. And she hates them. She hates the way they hurt her back. She hates the way men talk to her boobs and not her face. And she thinks they're keeping her from getting "real" roles in the movies, which is what she really wants.

Chelsea was a fun heroine. She was a good assistant and I enjoyed her comparisons between working for Mark versus working for Hollywood stars. She very subtly inserted herself into Mark's life and it was fun to watch. I felt like she kind of bitched about her boobs too much, but I understood where she was coming from as part of the storyline. It was just that at one point, I kind of felt like "Okay. I got it - she's got giant boobs and she hates them."

Mark is so bitter, he's angry at the world and a step away from becoming addicted to pills. He doesn't want Chelsea around, but she manages to work her way into his life, and more and more he starts to like her, despite his intent not to. I really enjoyed watching him go from a surly grump to a likeable guy. His pain was real (physial and emotional) and Chelsea was adorable while she was trying to put up with him. Once he had Chelsea in his sights, lawd have mercy! He was set on simmering and ready to boil over. And once they got going, whew, somebody pass me a glass of ice water! Of course, he doesn't know about the bonus, and when he did find out, my heart broke for him.

I really enjoyed this book. I would have liked a bit more hockey action but we did get to check in with some of the other players on the team to see how they were doing. Ms. Gibson writes a great story with likeable characters; I love her hockey world!

I gave Nothing But Trouble 4/5 stars!

Review: See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

This book falls into my Contemporary Reading Challenge.

I've had this book in my TBR for quite some time. I bought it after I'd read a couple of Ms. Gibson's books and loved them. Then I didn't read it because the hero is a hockey player. I know nothing about hockey except that they use a puck instead of a ball. I didn't even realize they had American hockey teams - I thought it was a Canadian sport. But, I was in the mood for something different so I picked it up off the pile, dusted it off, and started reading...I loved it!

Jane Alcott is a reporter who's just gotten a big break - they've asked her to fill in and cover the Seattle Chinooks hockey team while the regular sports reporter is sick. That means she'll cover all the games - even the away games. She knows nothing about hockey, but that's okay, they're hoping having her cover the games will draw in female spectators. Thing is, the team's not so hyped to have her and they try to block her at every turn. She ends up talking to Luc Martineau, the goalie, a couple of times, and of course it's instant dislike (or is it?).

Luc has been given a second chance. He was a star player who got hurt, ended up addicted to painkillers, went to rehab, and is now trying to get back into that top spot. So far, it's working. He's concentrating on his career and nothing will get in the way.

I really enjoyed this story. Jane's secondary story as Honey Pie, the fictional character she writes for a Maxim-type magazine was kind of eh, but I do get that it was a plot point. The interactions between Jane and Luc were super sexy. I loved the scene after Jane had told Luc off and then had to go back and repeat her exact words before every game for good luck. Luc's affection for his sister was touching, and Jane taking her under her wing was sweet.

It's been three days since I finished this story and I'm still thinking about it. I actually went out to find other hockey-themed contemporary romances to read because I liked this one so much! I give See Jane Score 4 out of 5 stars.

I will say this book made me curious, so I asked for some hockey names on Twitter and Kelly (MidnightGlance) was kind enough to supply me with a name or two and from there I googled some more hockey players. I don't know if these guys are good at hockey or not, but....me-ow!

Review: Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson

Tangled Up In You is my second book by Rachel Gibson. I really enjoyed this one, too.

Maddie Dupree is returning to the town where her mother was murdered by her married lover's wife when Maddie was a toddler. Now it's 29 years later, Maddie's a true crime writer who's decided it's time to write her mother's story.

Mick Hennessey owns the family bar. His father was killed by his mother when she killed him and his lover, then shot herself, leaving two young children behind.

Maddie comes back to town, determined to get answers and write her book. She doesn't count on falling for the handsome bar owner. She's going to tell him who she is, but the time is never right. Then, after she attempts some interviews with the townsfolk, Mick finds out she's writing a book about his parents. (Maddie's been using her pen name so no one has made the connection that her last name is the same name as the Other Woman.) Although he tries to stay away from her, he's drawn to Maddie. Maddie's going to tell him her mother was the Other Woman, the woman killed by his mother, but she's fallen in love with Mack and she's afraid to tell him.

The reveal is so bittersweet. Mack is so betrayed and leaves. Maddie throws herself into writing the book. And the way she tries to reconnect with Mack is touching.

I liked the characters, I liked the plot. Mick had other issues with his sister that made him a sympathetic hero, and Maddie was chasing the truth to say goodbye to her mother. I really liked this story, I'd give it 4/5 stars.

I'm In No Mood For Love by Rachel Gibson

I picked this book up in the bookstore about a week ago, and I must have liked the looks of it because I bought it up again two days later! Yes, that's right - I bought it twice.

Clare Wingate is a young, wealthy woman who just walked in on her fiance doing the washing machine repair MAN. She doesn't get any time to think about it because she has to stand in her best friend's wedding that evening. After the wedding, she has a bit too much to drink and wakes up in a hotel room, naked, and can't remember much after the wedding. Then her childhood friend/nemesis Sebastian Vaughn walks comes out of her shower! He tells her she was wild in bed; she's mortified and makes a quick exit.

Sebastian Vaughn is a world famous journalist who's come home to try to connect with his estranged father. His mother recently died and he realizes his father is all the family he's got left. His father is Clare's mother's gardner. He doesn't know why he lied about sleeping with Clare at the hotel but thinks it was fun to tease her.

Clare and Sebastian are thrown together a few times and the attraction is strong. She tries to fight it as she is still hurting from the betrayal of her ex-fiance and Sebastian is not looking for a commitment. The end up dating but when Clare realizes her feelings may be more than casual, she gets scared and Sebastian gets angry.

I won't give anything away but the ending was good.

This was a nice story. There were no villians, no natural disasters or horrible accidents, just the interaction between the H/H moving the story along. I liked it. Ms. Gibson is a new-to-me author and I'll be looking for more of her work.