I used to be a fan of Toni Aleo's books. I loved this series. Now the more I read them, the less I like them. I could not read more than 20% of this book. The swearing, the name calling, the crude way the characters talked to each other made me cringe. I a in no way a prude, but this was way too immature and over the tope for me. I think I am going to have to stop with this series. The last few books were not for me at all.

ARC received for review


Okay. I haven't read the first 10 books in this series. I think I've got several on my kindle but just haven't found the time. This is book is a stand alone and you don't need to read the first ones.

All that being said. I about put it down and walked away. Vaughn and Brie fought every time they were together. It was not nice sniping at each other, but down right mean and ugly at times. I didn't think they were ever going to get over it and hook up. They finally did and started being nice and then hot and smoking up some sheets. For those who've read the rest of the books there's plenty of cameos by previous peeps plus a baby and planning a wedding.

Now here's hoping his BFF Jensen and his "sister" Wren hook up in the next book.

4 1/2 Stars! Toni Aleo does it again ... I love this series!

Vaughn is the cocky star player for the Assassins, but he has a side that he doesn't want people to see. He wants them to see the arrogant playboy ... not the star with a heart of gold. Brie's parents died and she is left to look after her adult brother with down syndrome and a heart condition. She is the Assassins in-house reporter and she can't stand Vaughn. They do nothing but push each other's buttons and fight when doing interviews ... but it is a thin line between love and hate! Once Brie moves in across the hall from Vaughn, they begin to interact on a whole different level. By the time Brie finds out that Vaughn has built a community for down syndrome adults, she is well on her way to loosing her heart to him. But all Vaughn wants is a "friends with benefits" relationship because he only does one night stands since his heart was broken 10 years ago. There were times I just wanted to slap him across the face and tell her he loves her already. While other times I wanted to give her a good shake to just leave his a$$ behind already ... but isn't that what makes a good book!

I received an ARC copy from the author through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I do like a good love/hate story. This is book 11 in the Assassins series and I really liked it. Brie is the Assassins reporter. Vaughn is basically the spokesman for the team after every game. These two rub each other the wrong way and their interviews always take a turn for the worse.

These two had great banter. Of course they were silly and immature but it was still funny. After Brie moves in across the hall from Vaughn things get even messier. But Brie has a lot going on in her personal life. I really liked Brie’s story and her brother. Vaughn’s back story was a surprise and I like how it drew Brie and Vaughn closer together. Vaughn’s indecisiveness and Brie’s back and forth were very annoying but all in all I enjoyed this one.

Vaughn Johansson is the Nashville Assassins' star player. He's brash, cocky, and talented. And he isn't afraid to let anyone know it. He lives his life on his own terms, never forming romantic attachments, and only allowing his very closest to see his true, caring self.

Brie Soledad has the weight of the world on her shoulders. As the staff reporter for the Assassins, she balances her high-profile job and its heavy travel schedule with being the sole provider for her adult brother with Down syndrome. Sure, she'd like to find love. But who has time for that when there are bills to pay?

Brie has been the match to Vaughn's gasoline since the day she first held out her microphone to him. They strike sparks off each other, keeping their friends, the team, and the Assassins fans in stitches. Brie’s refusal to fawn over Vaughn sets his teeth on edge and his blood boiling. Especially in that body part...

Brie's been let down by love before, but she knows she deserves nothing less than real, forever love. Vaughn's past has left deep, hidden scars, and there are some secrets he cannot bear to reveal. As much as Brie wants him, Vaughn may be too big a risk for her wary heart to take. But he is at his best under pressure. When the delayed call is in effect and he has no choice but to score, Vaughn always delivers.

I absolutely love this series! I'm an avid hockey fan, and I've read all of the books in this series so when I say that they keep getting better and better - that's a compliment to the author. I love when a story doesn't just throw hockey in there as an afterthought. So many books nowadays do that as a trope, and I hate that because hockey is an excellent sport. It's not talked about as much as football and basketball, but it's just as hard to play and just as fun to watch. When you write about it - you need to know what you're talking about because real fans will pick up on something as inconsequential as what icing is or slicing. What I love about Toni Aleo is that she comes from a hockey background and knows how to write it. You can tell she's gone to games and she's studied the in's and out's of the sport. Reading about Vaughn and Brie, I could just imagine every scene in my head as it was happening and at no point did I feel like putting this book down to pick up another one. If a book can keep my attention for hours, then it's a fabulous book. The things that came out of Vaughn's mouth, I could see a hockey player saying because I've been around them and heard them talk. It's something that you're left going "Did he really just say that?"

Every book I read of Toni's, I'm left with this feeling of "how can she get better than this?" It's a difficult question because her books are that good and that spot on. I loved the way that she worked in how do you deal with having a sibling that has Down Syndrome? It's a touching and thought-provoking scenario that not many authors want to tackle. They would rather throw a lot of sex into a novel and call it a plot. Toni doesn't do that...she has a slow build up and a lot of plot which I found refreshing. Buy this book and settle in for a great read. Each book is a stand-alone but I would recommend the whole series just because they're all good books. I would say this is probably my favorite of hers so far in the series.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

So good!!!! This book is much more than a love story with a HEA. The inclusion of NateWay and the occupants took this book to the next level. Then you have all the hilarious moments with Tricksie. Holding her paw while they sleep. Hilarious and so freakin cute!!!!!

And we get a look into Ellie and Shea's life's with their kids!!!!! Quinny and the Hockey stick? Another hilarious moment!!!

The book is long but so worth the read and a perfect addition to the series!!! Jenny anyone??? Looks like he's gonna be a Daddy!!!!!!!!!

My first Toni Aleo book and I loved it! Great read, I loved Brie and Vaughn.

Once again Toni Aleo delivers in Delayed Call. In the next book in the Nashville Assassin series we get to read the story of Vaughn and Brie. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy and sometimes the person we think we despise the most turns out to have more in common with us then we think.
Delayed Call is another must read that will bring back Assassin's favorite couple Shae and Eli and take you on a journey of seeing if there really is a thin line between love and hate.

Another brilliant story by Toni - I can never put these down until I have finished

Roll on the next installment

Thanks for letting me read this in advance

Talk about a slow burn! Delayed Call delivers once again with a heart wrenching and heartwarming tale of another one of our beloved Assassins players falling head over hockey skates for the perfect woman for him. I loved the dynamic between Vaughn and Brie. Their love/hate relationship was full of so much tension and passion you were instantly sucked in and waiting on the edge of your seat to see who would break first. This book is the epitome of witty banter at its best and I loved every second. The dialog was so engaging and real and the love scenes were flaming hot! So many authors try to write these types of almost quirky characters and it fails because it just doesn't come off as realistic. This is NOT the case here. Vaughn and Brie create their own adorable and somewhat quirky relationship that not only comes off as real but completely adorable and like no other I have read. Toni Aleo's books are almost always over 400 pages and I still hold strong after each one that the only thing that I disliked is that sometimes I feel that we could have cut about 50 pages of over-information or inner dialogue and still had the same awesome story but not quite so drawn out at times. Overall though, another wonderful addition to the series and book by Ms. Aleo!

Delayed Call ( Assassins #11)

This one started off real funny. Vaughn is a hockey player for the Assassins and Brie is the Assassins reporter. They have a total hate relationship for each other. The banter between them is so funny. They both have the wrong impression of each other and both thinks the other is an entitled asshole.
Even though you know Brie and Vaughn are gonna hook up. It takes them forever of fighting their attraction to finally do something about it. But when they do, it's hot and sexy and it's too much emotion for Vaughn so he pushes her away.
Their back and forth relationship is so frustrating. But it's part of what makes you keep reading.
And the asshole stuff that Vaughn pulls really makes you hate him at times. But the fights between them are pretty honest and I love Brie's fiery attitude and how she stands up for herself.

" You don't want to be in a relationship?"

"No."

"But you yearn for me? Need me? Want me? All that other jazz?"

" I do."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

" No I meant everything I said."

"But you don't want more than to fucking fuck me? Is that all that I am, a fucking fuck? You like me enough to fuck me, and spit some good game, but I'm not good enough to have a relationship with."

I absolutely love how Brie takes care of her younger brother with Down Syndrome. And how that bring Brie and Vaughn closer together.
Vaughn has a couple of different sides to him. He can be a cocky jackass, super sexy and sweet, and the fun loving friend. You just never know what your gonna get.

This was such a crazy cute romance. I loved it from beginning to end. And throughout the story the author teased us with hopefully her next story. And I can't wait for that one to come out.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm writing this review on behalf of a Netgally publisher and the amazing author Toni Aleo.

Vaughn (JoHo) and Brie start this book out at each other's throats. He's the star of the National Assassins Hockey team. She's the staff reporter that can't seem to get a good interview from him no matter how many times he's thrown into her path.

They say you should assume anything about a person because if you discover the truth you might not like who you see when you look take a look at yourself.

Vaughan is not just a hockey player but, because he chooses to keep his promise to his brother he hides the best parts of himself private. Brie's entire world is nothing but worry but she does her best. He mom past away two years ago leaving her with medical debts and two care for and make good choices for her brother Rodney with Down Syndrome. Rod wants to leave the old folks home he's in and be with people his own age. Brie would love to give him everything but she just doesn't make the money for more than were he's at.

Miracles happen in life and sometimes you have to choose to take a leap of faith. When Brie's brother is offered his chance to be happy she has to decide if she willing to trust Vaughan or break her brothers heart. Vaughan and Brie are both a hot mess when it comes to communicating but what happened on New Year's Eve is not only HOT HOT HOT but also the start of something so powerful neither is totally sure how to take the next step.

Can these two make it work? Can she let go and trust others? Can he risk his heart? Can he make see he's isn't the bad guy?

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. The love and hate back and forth had me laughing over and over. This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It'll also show a loving side that's written so well you fell like since you've gone on this Assassins journey that your part of the hockey fan club and each book will have so invested in each story and loving that you get to see old friends and hoping you'll be welcome as the team grows and changes.

Easily a five star read but for me it should be so much more.

Written in Dual POV my personal favorite and no cliffhanger. Toni Aleo wrote another amazingly book so this reviewer will be sitting patiently waiting for her next hockey WIN 💕📚⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📚💕 CONGRATS

This book is absolutely amazing and Id like to not only apologize to Netgally but also to author Toni Aleo for be a day late with my review. I sat down to read Delayed Call to my horror discovered I hadn't purchased and read Face Off At The Alter. So after calming down I purchased Markus and Mekena's story and I had to read them in order. Thank you for writing it's always fun to be invited to these Hockey Game!!!📚💕

I have not read a bad book in this series. I have my favorites (Jordie and Benji…well and Shea…), but honestly, Toni Aleo just does not put out a bad story. Delayed Call is no exception. However, fans of the series may notice some difference with this one. I was blown away by the dialogue. Wonderful banter and humor not only between Vaughn and Brie but between Vaughn and his “family” and between Brie and Rod. Just a great flow to the story and a very entertaining read. It just had a little something MORE than I have read in the other books.

We have seen Vaughn and Brie on the sidelines in other books. Brie works for the Assassins in the marketing department and often interviews the players. It’s a classic tale of she doth protest too much! There is underlying heat to their banter. Both have hidden pasts that have shaped their view on relationships. Trust will be difficult. Vaughn needs to decide if he is all in before it's too late to call.

The other highlight of the book is how the author handles persons with disabilities. There is a beautiful side story to the HEA in this book. I was not prepared for the depth and breadth of understanding of adults with disabilities that this author brings to the story. The romance ends up being pretty run of the mill, but it is all the EXTRA that the author gives us that makes this story priceless. NateWay is truly remarkable and I have spoken about it to numerous people since I finished the story.

And of course, the best part of an Assassin’s story is we get HOCKEY! This is a true sports romance in that we get to see the action. I found myself having to slow down and re-read so I would make sure to get the whole picture on the ice. Great tribute to the game.

Always ready to read more by this author.

Delayed Call is a very poignant, touching and memorable read. On the outside Vaughn was such an arrogant, cocky stereotypical athlete. I really didn't like his attitude but let's just say that's really surface. When you turn the pages and learn more about what makes him tick you can't help but fall in love and root for him every step of the way. Bri was the perfect heroine for Vaughn. She's feisty, sassy and gave back as good as she gets. Their back and forth was pretty hot, sometimes I think there was a little too much snark. Once they give in it was very sweet, sometimes you can't help but get a little emotional where certain things cone into play but that's where we get to really see the true heart of Vaughn Johanssen.

thing that grabbed me about this book was the cover, very sexy very passionate just like the story.
Vaughan and Brie and two people who take an instant dislike to each other but undrneath all that hate is a fiery passion. I really enjoyed this story there is nothing quite like a push and pull romance to get me interested, but they are both wary of getting involved. I laughed at times because the banter between them was hilarious, I loved the main characters Vaughan is the sweetest man even if at times he speaks without thinking and he has an adorable puppy. Brie was one of those characters who's a tough cookie on the outside but inside she's just a vunerable woman looking for love.
A really enjoyable read that kep

What I love best about this hockey series is that you don't have to start with book 1 to understand any of the others in the series. I've only read book 8 and 11 and I've had no issues following along with the story. I know that can be a huge draw for people who don't like series. It doesn't mean I won't be going back at some point to read the earlier books, because I find that I am a fan of Toni Aleo's writing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a love/hate trope that had positives and negatives to it. I didn't really enjoy their fighting when they were in the hate stage but once it moved to the love stage, they had really good banter. I'm a sucker for good banter between a couple.

They made a great couple but they both have huge issues to get over. This book leads you on the path of them helping each other get past these issues. It isn't always pretty, but life isn't always pretty. When we got the sweet moments, they were really sweet. There was also some really great funny moments that just made me laugh with how goofy these two were together.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

LOVED everything about this book it is a perfect addition to the assassins family. I also liked the look/updates that you get from some of the other characters in the books.

Easily one of my top 5 books from Toni. Loved the banter between Vaughan and Brie so fun and and spot on. Love the way their backgrounds are similar and the way their histories are written..

The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was because of the ending.. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but such a cliche ending that it lost it for me.

For me this series has lost some its sparkle in recent books, the decline probably began with Jordy's book. I was hoping this would pick it up, not really.

I particularly liked him. He had a cuteness about him, and I liked his interaction with Shea and Ellie. I felt the extended story around her brother was interesting and well done. . I liked it a lot.

However, I thought her focus on someone agreeing that they loved her within such a short time just didn't fit with the rest of her persona and tbh it was idiotic. Let the guy fall for you, give him a chance FFS! Esp as he explained his view, it just felt manufactured for the story. Fine if you've been together a year or so, but a few weeks?! Odd.

The extra characters all felt quite new and the dialogue was just a bit odd. All a bit weirdly cliquey. It was hard to get into.

However as most of the characters are new it's easily a stand alone book.

I can hardly believe we are at book number 11 in this series. I have followed and loved this series from the beginning. In this book we get Vaughn, cocky hockey player, and Brie's, sideline reporter for the team, story. They have rubbed each other wrong from the beginning and currently hate each other. Or do they? It seems to be covering up an immense mutual attraction. There were times in this book that I wanted to smack them both. But they finally got it together by the end. I loved the story line with her brother and how it brought Vaughn and Brie together. There was such a different side to Vaughn than just the player that he tried to be.
To be perfectly honest, it was a really good Assassins book, but won't replace the very first one as my favorite. I didn't feel the emotional connection to these characters like I did with the early books.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.