Hard Stick is truly a book that is a case of Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover, but in the BEST way possible.

This is my first L.P. Dover book and I am extremely happy I took a chance on a new author to me. After reading this book it just means I now have to go back and read all of her books.

This was an AMAZING book!!!! I will warn you if you go into this book hoping for a hockey romance story, you will be slightly disappointed. Yes Hockey does play a small part in this book, since Kellan is a NHL player, but the story doesn’t really focus on the hockey aspect. This is more of a story based off Kristen learning how to survive and learning to trust and love again.

This story has a little bit of everything in it. There were some laughs, some sex, some romance, , great friendships, suspense and even some heartache. This book had everything I look for in a 5 star read. I was completely engrossed in this story from the very beginning. I honestly couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved how this story all unfolded. Some of it was predictable, but there were enough surprises along the way to keep me guessing. I thought the flow and pace of this story was very well written. I also loved the storyline and characters we met along the way. Kellan truly stole my heart in this book.

In Hard Stick we follow the journey of Kellan and Kristen. I really can’t tell you a lot about the story because you need to experience everything for yourself. Plus I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. Kristen is a woman, who due to circumstances and tragedy, needs to escape and start a new life for herself. And that’s exactly what she does. Now she is a keep to herself bartender in a small pub. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t caught the eye of the local HOTTIE Kellan, the famous NHL player who lives in the area. Over the last year she has turned down every attempt he has made for a date. but now she is ready to give it a try. What can 1 date do?? Little does she know, Kellan doesn’t give up so easily :) I truly loved their love story. Kellan will have all the readers swooning and wishing for a man like him.

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves a story that has a little bit of everything in it. If you’re looking for a storyline that will suck you in and characters you will fall in love with and want more of, then this is the book to read!!!

I had to sit back for a few minutes after reading this book because it totally is not what I expected. From the cover (which I am definitely not complaining about, I love abs) and the blurb, I thought it was going to be a light romance centered around hockey. And you know what, I was going to be OK with that because I have read and reviewing some pretty heavy books lately. Instead, I read a book that took me in the other direction. Now, I am not complaining about it (see my rating at the end of the review) but man, I wish that there was more of a hint in the blurb. Because this book is so much more than a hockey romance. I am going to add suspense and intrigue to my tags and to the genre group above.

I felt awful for Kristen. She had a boyfriend who was obsessed with her. He had people watching her and if her best friend, Cole, would come over….he would show up. She was crippled with fear until the night where she decided, with Cole’s help, that she was leaving. And then the unthinkable happened. The boyfriend ran Cole off the road when he was on his motorcycle….killing him. That’s when she disappeared and the FBI, who was aware of her boyfriend but couldn’t pin anything on him, put her in the witness protection program and then faked her death so she could be free….once and for all. Now, if that had happened to me, I would have issues with men and trust. Which she did but still.

I liked Kellan. He was just an ordinary guy. Well, ordinary if you consider that he was the captain of the Charlotte Strikers and was a buff, bad ass with a temper. What I liked was that he was 100% believable as the hero of this story. He was an ordinary guy who got the girl, learned her secrets and vowed to protect her. He was so alpha male, it wasn’t even funny and I loved it. I also liked that his issues were more true to life than the other books that I have read. His mother and himself had bad blood and guess what, she deserved his hate. Normally, you wouldn’t hear me say that but that woman was unbelievable. She did come through for him, though, when it counted and I guess that matters (still don’t like her).

The romance part of this book was off the chart. The chemistry between Kristin and Kellan was burning hot and when they did have sex, it burned a hole in my Kindle. Just kidding, but if it had been real, there would have been smoke coming off the sheets. When the romance turned to love (no Instalove here, it took a month or so), poor Kristin fought it so hard. Kellan didn’t and I liked that. He was one with his feelings but Kristin, understandable, wasn’t.

I also couldn’t get enough of the storyline with Kristin’s ex. He had to have been the slimiest, disgusting character that I have ever read. I will admit that I did guess about his connection to Kellan. I actually guessed it pretty early in the book, when they started dating. But it didn’t take away from the book. I will also say that he, the ex, got what was coming to him and I cheered when everything went down.

I loved the ending and yes, I ugly cried through it.

I can’t wait until I read Blocked (I just got the e-ARC from NetGalley). It is going to be Dallas’s story and I hope that it is as good as Kellan’s.

My questions for the next book:

Will Dallas get a girlfriend?

Will we see more of Kellan and Kristin?

What about the skating rink, will there be more scenes there?

How many stars will I give Hard Stick: 4

Why: Great storyline and great characters. I was a bit surprised that this was more romantic suspense than romantic sports but it did not take away from how good the book was

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence, and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

This is a sweet, fun story with suspense and intrigue thrown into the mix to make it a satisfying read. I enjoy everything L. P. Dover writes and I love stories about hockey players, so I was excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed.

Kristen is forced to take on a new identity when she runs away from her psycho boyfriend. She is devastated when she leaves her home, job and everything else in her life behind. She is currently working as a bartender and she misses her former job as an interior designer. She is afraid if she goes back into the field she loves, her ex will be able to track her down.

Kristen works at the local bar that Kellon, a professional hockey player and his teammates frequent. Many of the guys in the team have asked Kristen out but she refuses. She isn't interested in any of the sexy hockey players, she is too caught up in all her problems to even notice them. Kellon likes the challenge of trying to get Kristen to go out with him. Once Kristen finally agrees and she gets to know Kellon, she realizes he is not the womanizer she thought he was.

I feel sorry for Kristen she has had some tough breaks and deserves some happiness. She is a nice person but afraid to get involved with Kellon because she has so many problems. I love how protective Kellon is with Kristen. He won't let anything happen to her and always puts her first. He is loyal and an all around good guy. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Kallon and Kristen are good together and have a lot chemistry, they just need to work through all of Kristens problems.

The beginning is so sad, it's too bad that it had to happen to set the scene for the rest of the book.
There are a few WTF moments that left me yelling at the book. But a lot of it was really touching and or sexy moments.

Callan and Kristen are great together. All together a great read. Looking forward to other books by this author.

I got excited when i saw there was a guy with a hockey stick on the cover because I LOVE hockey player books. And thought oh i'm gonna get some hot hockey guy with his teammates and games and the girl. I didn't expect suspense in this book. I just couldn't connect with the characters and waited for the romance with the hockey tied into to happen.

WOW!!! I'm speechless at this book! I don't read many books that leave my heart racing like this one did. I couldn't put this book down, it was so good. It's a hanging on to the edge of your seat with your heart in your throat type of book. L P Dover's story was riveting as well as romantic, which is hard to combine. The love story of Kristen & Kellan started with the murder of a best friend & the loss of an identity when Kristen had to go into hiding because of an ex-boyfriends controlling behaviour & lies. For a year Kellan watched Kristen working in the pub he & his hockey teammates went to hoping that she'd finally say yes to a date. Never giving up he finally gets his date because of a bet his teammates made that Kristen found out about. What was supposed to be one date turned into love but Kellan knew something haunted Kristen & he knew it wasn't going to be good. When Kristen finally does tell Kellan about her past it only brings them closer but little does Kristen know her past is closer than she thinks. There are more surprises in store for Kristen & Kellan than they know, including who her ex is& how dangerous he can be. This book takes you on an emotional ride as Kristen fights to get her life back from the sadistic, control freak, murderer of an ex-boyfriend. Definitely recommend this book.

I loved this book! I would have no problem recommending it. This is the first read for me by this author and I will be going in search of more of her work.

L. P. Dover is brilliant in another thrilling romance with a sexy hockey star, a southern belle who is ready to fight back and a dangerous secret. A little over a year ago, Kristen Robinson's life was ripped apart when the man she thought she loved turned out to be a cheat and a liar. More than that, he was a dangerous stalker, who terrorized her to no end. Now, given a second chance Kristen can finally breathe. She lost too much, but she is determined to start over. And that includes taking chances with a gorgeous hockey player who has been asking her out for months. At the end of the perfect date, he gives her the very best kiss of her life. Still feeling her lips tingling, she can't help but smile every time he texts or stops by to see her. The closer Kellan Carter gets to Kristen the more he falls for her. As she opens up to him, he starts to understand the horrors she's been through. But he is ready to protect her now and forever. She is his and no one will harm her ever again. When her past catches up to them, it will take everything Keelan has to save the woman he loves. Hard Stick is a fast paced, sexy romance with some pretty intense twists that will keep readers turning pages until the very last secret is revealed.

L.P. Dover is an amazingly talented author. I've read everything she's written and this did NOT disappoint me.

When Kristen met Mitchell she thought she had found the perfect man, but little by little he started to show his true colors, and they weren't very pretty. He was borderline obsessive, very controlling, and Kristen knew if she didn't dump him soon things were only going to get worse. So, she turned to a friend and he helped her get rid of Mitchell, but she knew dumping him wasn't going to be enough, she needed to flee town fast. So she packed her bags and left him behind, but for how long? With her friends help she is able to begin to start a new life, and with time has even started to let her guard down, and consider letting love back in again... but can she find a way to trust again?

The moment Kellan walks into his favorite hangout and spots the beauty behind the counter he is taken with her, she on the other hand doesn't seem to be interested in anything he has to offer. But he isn't willing to give up so easily, he figures he'll take his time with her, and slowly work his way into her good graces. His friends have another plan though, and push him to ask her out, and throw down a bet, one that he hopes he will come out on the winning end of... that is if he can get her to finally say yes!

Once again Ms. Dover has provided me with a delightful little literary escape and left me in awe of her literary talents, I love her stories so much!! The moment I read the synopsis for this one I was intrigued, and ready to dive in and meet these two. And the moment I got started there was no stopping me, I was hooked by Chapter one, and didn't intend to walk away until I had devoured every last word... and boy was it deliciously satisfying!! It is one of those reads that will take you on a bit of emotional roller coaster, giving you moments of happiness, fear, heartbreak, excitement and even a few blush worthy moments too! Highly recommend you give this one a try, Ms. Dover's heartfelt tale is sure to keep you captivated from start to finish!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Oh this book was full of so many twists and turns it was great! I really wanted Kristen to get her happily ever after and so happy that she did in the end. I mean the mother and step father being related to Kellen that was so weird but really brought the boook together. I just knew something like that was going to happen but I was still shocked to read it. Overall great character and excellent writing.

Hard Stick was my first foray into reading L.P. Dover's novels. I was impressed with her writing style. I loved that she chose to use first person dual narration in her adult contemporary romance. So many authors use third person, and it makes it a lot harder to identify with the characters.

The characters in Hard Stick were a lot of fun. Kristen had been through and lost so much in her life. She rebounded well and had an inner strength not many people would have. I loved that Kristen did what she needed to do to live her life, and how serious she was about her physical strength and preparedness. Kellan was a reformed hockey bad boy who was looking for more in a woman than just one night together. He was a genuinely nice guy, and I loved how he wasn't going to let Kristen dismiss him without proving himself to her. They were so cute together, and had amazing chemistry.

Hard Stick was a sports romance, but I didn't realize it was going to have a romantic suspense aspect to it. I actually think it would be better characterized as romantic suspense. There was way more of that than hockey moments. I'm not complaining, though. Romantic suspense isn't normally my favorite thing to read, but I did like it in Hard Stick. It was well written, and added a cool dimension to Kristen and Kellan's relationship. I could see where the twist in the story was going to go from the minute I met Kellan, but it was fun watching everything unfold.

Hard Stick may have been my first L.P. Dover novel, but it won't be my last. I am so excited to see what's next in the Breakaway series. I'm really hoping Dallas' book is next! I loved Kellan's hockey buddy, and I think he's got a special romance coming his way.

Kristen is young but hasn't have an easy life. Her parents died in a car accident, but the parents of her best friend, Cole, who were best friends with her parents, embraced her as part of their family. The two of them, along with their friend Brooklyn, went to school together and then she and Cole both got jobs at the same firm in Boston, she as interior designer and he as an architect. She started dating a powerful client, Mitchell, who told her he was getting a divorce, but he lied and he became obsessive, to the point that she was frightened. When she tried to break it off with him, he had Cole killed. But Michell has bought off the Boston police. With the help of Brooklyn's brother, Jason an undercover detective and his wife, Aylee, an FBI agents, she flees Boston and gets a new identity, unofficially in the Witness Protection Program, moving back to Belmont, NC. She lays low, taking a job at a bar and just changing her last name.
Kellan Carter is the captain and enforcer of the Charlotte Strikers, national hockey team. He has had his eye on Kristen for a while, but she is too frighten to date anyone and also thinks he is a player. But he finally convinces her to give him a chance. So of course as soon as she starts getting a new life, her past comes back to haunt her.
If you like the author's Second Chance series, then you will also like this book. It even takes place in the same town and references are made to the football players in that series. The characters are well developed and there are some surprises.
I did have a few problems with this book though. It is the first book in the series, but is written as if we already know Brooklyn's back story. Perhaps from another series? Also, mention is made of the Strikers winning the Stanley Cup after playing Atlanta, but the Thrashers left Atlanta years ago. Also, Mitchell's connection with Kellan, was suppose to be a surprise (not giving any spoiler away here), but if I guessed it several chapters before, I have to expect most other readers will have too.
All in all, if you like the author's previous books, this book is for you.

Kristen changes her name and flees to a town near where she grew up to escape an obsessed ex-boyfriend who has caused her world to crash around her. There she finds strength, love, friendship, and a new life. That is, until she runs into the one person she was desperately trying to escape. Can love save her, or is she destined to heartache and pain?

I enjoyed this contemporary romance with a dash of suspense. The main characters were likable and respectable, and the main love interest has a fun camaraderie with his hockey teammates. I thought the love between the main characters was believable -- well, up until the major plot twist. I'm sorry, but that was something I personally wouldn't be able to move past and I have no idea how these characters did. There were also times where the writing, specifically some dialogue, seemed a bit awkward or forced, just not the natural way I imagined a particular scene would most likely play out. Despite this, I devoured the book in just 3 hours and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a smidgen of drama with their sports-themed romance stories.

Review posted on my Goodreads account.

**Advanced copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

This was my first L.P. Dover book and I gravitated toward it initially due to the description and the fact that it was a hockey romance. While it was a romance with a bit of a hockey theme, I would say it lends itself more to romantic suspense instead of the sports angle.

Kristen finds herself in an awful position with her ex-boyfriend and the only thing she can to do protect herself is run. She enlists the help of some friends and starts over, leaving almost everything she loves and has worked for behind.

Kellan is the captain of the Charlotte Strikers and he frequents the bar that Kristen works in and while he's tried many times to get her to give him a chance, she continually turns him down. Kellan is finally able to wear her down and she quickly realizes that he wasn't the guy she thought he was at all; he's so much better.

As the two build their relationship slowly due to the trauma from Kristen's past, unfortunately that past comes back to haunt her. Will they be able to withstand all that is thrown at them and come out stronger in the end?

While I felt like this book was very, very predictable at times, I did enjoy the mystery and suspense element. Kellan and Kristen did have chemistry, but I would have liked to have seen it explored a bit more, especially emotionally.

Another great read by this author.

LP Dover is another author I'm running out of words for in reviews. Her work never fails to keep me hooked, and I always end up finishing her books too quickly. Hard Stick was no exception.

Kellen and Kristen were a good couple. Kristen had a hard time with her past, but she opened up to Kellen and I liked the connection between them. The fact there wasn't much of a chase in the relationship and the characters had time to grow together made it all the more enjoyable. I liked that Kristen was strong even after what she'd been through. She didn't let it break her and she wasn't afraid to put the hockey guys in their place.

As for the story, it was another good suspense. I loved that so many characters from her other books came into this story and I couldn't put it down.

Overall another brilliant read. I hope Dallas gets a book at some point and I can't wait for LP's next release no matter what it is.

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Kristen Robinson's married boyfriend decides not to leave his wife, but when Kristen tries to leave him he becomes abusive, even so far as having her best friend killed. Kristen flees, changes her last name to Holt, fakes her death with the help of the FBI and tries to rebuild her life. While working at a bar, she meets Kellan, a hockey player. Kristen doesn't want to get involved, but Kellan persists. She finally goes out with him and they start a relationship. Kristen is happy until her ex Mitchell comes back. At this point things get weird. It is revealed that Mitchell is married to Kellan's mother, so Kristen has been sleeping with her boyfriend's stepdad. Eww... Mitchell has Kristen kidnapped and tries to get her to do what he wants by threatening to hurt her friends. Kristen escapes at the same time that a rescue team finds her. In the epilogue Kellan proposes.

I like that the author tried to do more with the story than just boy meets girl, but it didn't work for me. When I see the title "Hard Stick" and a photo of a hickey player, I expect a story with some hockey in it. Hockey is nothing more than a passing mention. I also found the coincidence of Kellan's mom and Kristen's exboyfriend kind of creepy. And finally, I didn't believe that Kellan and Kristen were truly in love.

An interesting story and one that kept me reading through to the end. If I could I would give this three and a half stars. The main thing that held me back was that at times the writer's voice overpowered the characters' voices, which threw me a bit. I also didn't see how Mitchell could have so much influence over cops, FBI , etc. And it was irritating how Kristen's friends didn't keep better protection for her. Overall, i recommend this book and author, but it could have been stronger.