So while this one was a good story, it reminded me way too much of Bound by Brenda Rothert, which had sort of the same issues with a dead wife and finding fault after she passed. That being said, I thought the story moved along at an ok pace but it felt a little predictable. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Although I have read other books by this author, this is the first one that I have read from this series, so I might have been a little slow in catching up with relationships. Two seasons ago, NHL player Max Hall of the Chicago Aces, had to withdrawal from the team, when his wife got sick with a rare but quick and deadly form of cancer. It has taken him fifteen months to grief the lose of his beloved wife and now he is ready to return to his only other love- hockey. But he is out of shape and needs to train hard to get back on the team. He has also been celibate for 15 months- unheard of for a major league hockey player. But at the wedding for one of his teammates he meets Kendra Armstrong, sister of another teammate and cousin of the bride. Their chemistry is igniting, but both are still hurting from the past and agree to keep their relationship as friends with benefits. Kendra has a degree in psychology, but burned out in clinical, when she couldn't help every client, so instead with a partner has a sex toy manufacturing business. Two very interesting people, well developed by the author. Will they remain friends with benefits or can they heal each other to open their hearts to love again. Will Max make the team? What do fans, friends and family make of this relationship? You have to read the book to find out, lol. You will enjoy it and like myself, then want to read the previous offerings.

Max hasn't had sex in 16 months, not that he is counting. However when he goes to a wedding and sees sexy Kendra dancing he just can't help himself. The two of them agree that it will just be sex, no feelings. Max's wife died 16 months ago, and in that time he has let himself go. But now he is working harder than ever to get back in shape and ready for hockey, which is why this can just be sex. Max doesn't have the time or emotions for a relationship, just sex. The two agree to keep thing casual, unfortunately that is easier said than done.

This book is the fifth in the Aces Hockey series - following the fictional Chicago hockey team.

Okay to start with I was really excited about the idea of having a female character who designed sex toys. She knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to ask for it. Ultimately, the character of Kendra fell short though, as did this book. I did not enjoy reading this book, which is saying something because I love hockey romances and can over look a lot for a sexy hockey player. The dialog was forced and completely devoid of emotion making the characters seem stiff and lifeless. Additionally, there were so many names. Some of the names I am going assume came from past books in the series, but other times names were so unnecessary and just added to the clumsiness of the novel. I also didn't love that the series was told only in his voice.

When I read the first few pages of this book I was worried that this was going to be another book about a misogynistic manwhore but luckily this was not the case. Yes Max wants no-strings sex but he is not a player and he does not have a dismissive attitude about women. I actually liked him a lot and found his journey through his grief relatable. Kendra was a great heroine. She was strong and interesting. More importantly I really liked Max and Kendra together. This was a really good book and made me want to go back and read the others from this series.

I received a copy from net galley for an honest review.

This book was ok. I didn't really like how immature the heros voice was at times. I also found it really odd that we didn't get any if the heroines perspective until the epilogue. I wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling. She was such a kick-ass heroine that I wanted to know her more. I liked the long distance aspect of this book and how that played out.

Max "Hallsy" Hall lost the love of his life to cancer. He willingly gave up an NHL career to be by her side until the end. Kendra Armstrong ended her career as a psychologist to open a business selling sex toys geared towards enhancing a woman's pleasure. They meet at the wedding of Lovey Armstrong and Marc Dupois. It starts as a one night stand between two people who just want a good time. But when sex is involved, can emotions ever stay completely out of it?

Here's a story of two people who meet at a wedding and agree to a fun, no strings night. Just one night. But when the fates bring them together for a weekend getaway at Army's cottage, their one night of fun becomes an understanding: they'll get together when they can and have fun. Definitely NOT a relationship, right? Hallsy is training to get his life back together. Killing himself every day in the gym, on a very strict diet, he's determined to earn his spot on the Chicago Aces. Kendra is the cousin of teammate Duncan Armstrong and Marc Dupois's wife Lovey and she's based in New York. But rarely do things that start simple end simple.

When I was introduced to Hallsy back in Major Misconduct, his wife had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I knew then that I *HAD* to hear his story. I've waited for months--probably close to a year and a half actually-and Kelly did NOT disappoint! Max Hall is complex. He's struggling as a widow: Can he truly be happy when his wife is gone? Has he been out of the game too long to ever really make it back as a professional hockey player? Will his trainer actually kill him with the exercises and diet?!? Haha

This is one of the first books by Kelly that is a single perspective. I think that says a lot about the characters. Max spent the past two years grieving over his wife: first her cancer diagnosis and then her death. He was a supporting character during that time. Now he is trying to get his life back. Get back in the NHL spotlight. He is reasserting himself as a dominant figure. Kendra is there to now support him, be there with him as he does those things. But her story isn't the one we're supposed to cling to. And I like that.

I like that this story has a singular focus. Now, don't get me wrong. I Love All of Kelly's books. I do like when I get to read his side and her side. But this time, to just get his emotions, it was refreshing. Plus it was from the guy's perspective. Almost never in this genre do you get that. You read stories from alternating perspectives or just from the heroine's. I like that Kendra isn't the heroine so much as the fairy godmother--a fairy godmother with benefits if you will.

I love the Aces Hockey Team books, and I really enjoyed this story of Max Hall and Kendra Armstrong. Max is a damaged man and I enjoyed the way Kendra helped him to heal. They were both great characters and I liked their developing romance. This one kept me interested all the way through, and I loved being back in the world of the Aces once again!

“Slap Shot,” the latest installment in the Aces Hockey series, is another winner for Kelly Jamieson. It features Max, whose personal drama is alluded to throughout the series, and Kendra, cousin of Duncan, the hero of “Icing.” It intersects nicely with Jamieson’s YA series, Bayard Hockey.

My first thought when I read the book’s description was “Finally, Max’s book!” In his appearances throughout Aces-land, he’s been the broken, grieving teammate who although he has played no major part so far, managed to be intriguing.

We already know the set-up: Max’s wife has died, he dropped out of hockey and now, after a year too emotionally unstable to play, is desperate to get back in shape and make the team—not a sure thing although he was one of its stars before tragedy knocked him out.
So when he meets Kendra at the wedding of one of his team members, it seems the right time to scratch an itch that’s been bothering him, and it’s not the lack of a meaningful relationship. In a very funny and unexpected turn, his attempt to pick up Kendra does not go according to plan.
But they like each other and forge a connection although he’s not over his wife and she’s coming off a string of bad relationships and trying to build a business.

There is a fair amount of time spent on Max’s training regimen, which seems something like a combination of how the Rock might work out and how Gwyneth Paltrow might eat. Normally this kind of thing wouldn’t interest me but Jamieson managed to make it funny. In fact, for a book dealing quite a bit with loss and grief, there are laughs throughout the book. Neat trick, Kelly!

I’ve been reading a lot of YA lately and this was refreshing. There are no scheming sorority girls, no date rape drugs, no mystery to solve and no car chases. Just two mature adults, both with problems, some of their own making and some not. The road to discovery is poignant, moving and sexy too.

Highly recommended.
ARC provided for an honest review.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I have read a lot of Kelly Jamieson books and liked them. But this is one of my favourite as the characters are more real and there is more to them emotionally, with a more developed storyline.
Steamy scenes and sweet romance, as always.
4****

I felt so much for Max. The struggle he has of letting his wife go and trying not to fall in love again. Kendra is a wonderful woman. She is absolutely perfect for Max. She is just what he needs without him even realizing it! These two are dynamite. Love this story.

After taking off time from hockey to care for his dying wife, Max Hall is finally ready to get back into the game. He knows things won’t be life they were before but he’s looking for something close to his old life. Right now his main focus is training and hoping to make the team again this year. The competition is tough and the last thing he needs is a distraction; but he’s also realizing that he misses sex. If he could get laid just one time really good, it should scratch his itch and keep him satisfied for a while and Kendra Armstrong has just given him the perfect opportunity.
Neither Max nor Kendra is looking for long term but after one encounter of really good sex they decide to embark on a little long distance sex. That’s it, just sex, especially for Max. He and Kendra are on the same page and since they live thousands of miles away from each other it should be relatively easy for the two to stick to the agreement. The two soon start making arrangement to fly out and meet each other occasionally and it’s not long before that pesky little issue of love pops up.
Max starts to realize that Kendra is falling in love with him and he’s not sure what to about it. He’s already been in love and lost the love of his life. There’s no way he will ever find that with another woman.
So watching (uh, reading) these two go through the motions and knowing what would happened and where they would end up was okay. While it was a little predictable I enjoyed it. I think what I enjoyed most was Max. While he wasn’t a total douche, he was a bit rough around the edges when it came to sending Kendra on her merry little way, but I kind of liked it. It wasn’t the whole, “it’s not, it’s me” thing. It was “this is not what we agreed upon, I don’t want you to love me…you should go”. Sound a little crazy but I kind of appreciated it. Also, I thought both were pretty strong characters, they owned who they were and didn’t apologize for it.
All in all, good quick read.

This was a surprise. I expected a cliche sports romance when I picked up up and what I found instead was a refreshing storyline that pulled me in from, quite literally, page one. I loved the premise, the characters were both relatable and real, and I was overjoyed to discover that this author write's fantastic male POV. I didn't even realize going in that this was the 5th installment in this sports series, so after how thoroughly I enjoyed this one, I'll definitely plan on going back and reading the others. This was an emotional read, an incredibly sexy story, angsty at times, heartwarming at others... all in all, a really solid story. I really liked it!

I am a long time fan of Kelly Jamieson - I think her work exemplifies what I like to read in this genre. Although I generally enjoy her books, I feel "Slap Shot" is a particularly good example of what she does so well. I'd go so far as to say that this book is the best of this series. Read it!

After hearing about Max in the other books in this series I was excited to finally meet Chicago Aces hockey player Max Hall and read his story. Saddened by the loss of his wife to cancer, Max tries to get back to his life playing hockey and he does whatever is necessary to get him there, including a strict diet and intense workouts. What Max doesn't take into account is meeting Kendra. Somehow, what starts as a one night stand then turns into friends with benefits and finally love.

Fantastic read and is a good addition to the Aces hockey series. I look forward to reading even more by this author.

Can I begin things off with saying that besides one book, I did not know what to expect from Kelly Jamieson in terms of writing, characters, or basically everything. <i>Slap Shot</i> was a good way to introduce me to Kelly's style of writing!

<i>Slap Shot</i> is about Max, an NHL star who took a break from the sport after his wife was diagnosed with cancer and eventually died from the illness. He's finding his groove with training for camp and the loss of his libido. Kendra is the owner of a sex toy company and the cousin of one of Max's teammates. The pair meet at wedding and are instantly attracted to one another. From there we see the pair become friends with benefits. We all know how these stories go. He's reluctant to feel anything for someone else because of the guilt and heartache from losing his wife. Kendra brings out a side of Max that he hasn't seen in awhile. The pair work well together but Max keeps her at arms length.

I LOVED Kendra! I'm a sucker for well written, somewhat flawed, female characters and she's no exception. Kendra has gone through heartbreak and is a fixer. She's also the owner of a sex toy company and is a great friend to those around her. I love that she never forced the issue. She wanted whatever she could get of him but also fell madly in love with Max. I also enjoyed Max's character as well. His heartache was too true and the guilt associated with moving on from a loved one. The push and pull and his rollercoaster of emotions was realistic. When is it truly acceptable move on?

The balance between sex and character development in contemporary romance novels can be a delicate one. Sure, the characters are going to sleep together and have hot sex. That’s a given. But there has to be more to make the book a good one. In the first half of this book, the balance is off. Max is still recovering from the tragic death of his wife. He’s been in a deep depression for over a year and has left playing professional hockey. But now heating habits.

Then he meets Kendra, a cousin of one of his teammates and they fall into bed right away. She has her own business selling sex toys so that leads to more sex. They live in different cities, but start having long-distance relationship but agree that it will just be about sex.

Of course, it turns into more. And then the book gets better as their relationship deepens into more than just sex. That might be a metaphor for the book itself which also gets better. We get to see more of Max’s character as he struggles with whether he can have feelings for another woman while still loving his deceased wife. I enjoyed his development while reading about his exercise and nutrition routine much better than scene after scene of them having sex. I’ve enjoyed this whole series of Aces hockey and, once I got past the first part of the book, I enjoyed this one.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

In this book, we are introduced to Max, who is a professional hockey player. Max is not interested in long-term relationships, or any relationship really, and is very attracted to Kendra. They meet at a fellow team-mate's wedding reception and sparks fly. They end up enjoying the evening together and come to an agreement that it doesn't mean anything and was just for one night.

This is when the problem comes in - Max can't stop thinking about Kendra. During this "relationship" that is forming, Max is trying to get his body back in shape to be back on his hockey team. He had taken time off due to some personal circumstances. His biggest goal for himself is to make the team - not to find a girlfriend.

This book is told in the first person from Max's point of view. I have to admit that it was hard for me to get involved in the characters in this room. While the action was hot, I just didn't get any sense of who Kendra was. It might have been better if a couple of the chapters were done from Kendra's point of view so I could figure out how she was feeling.

Near the end of the book, I really started to understand Max but it took almost 2/3 of the book to get there. The writing was very well done but I really didn't feel one way or another towards the characters until that point.

This was really good! I enjoyed seeing so much of Max's thoughts and I loved how vividly the author described him overcoming adversity. I was rooting for him the entire time and was so proud of him for becoming the man he was before his wife died. His relationship with Kendra is so strong and has such a powerful aspect to it. All in all, this was a great read!
I would recommend to any and all contemporary sports romance fans!

Kelly Jamieson is one of my automatic one-click authors.  Her series of the Aces Hockey team players is naughty, sexy and so entertaining.  Of course, all the players are hot hunky males and the girls are gorgeous, feisty and sassy, but the stories are real, well-developed, and they submerge you into their world and their feelings.  The best part is that you keep on reading about the couples from previous books, so it's like a universe where you have been invited to participate and make friends.

In this book we have Hallsy, or Max Hall, attending Marc Dupuis wedding to Lovey, Duncan's sister.  See how they all connect?  We saw Hallsy in previous books where he started playing bad, then it was known that his wife had cancer, and later on died.  He left the team to be with his wife during her last days, and stayed away after, sunken in a deep and devastating depression.  He had recently come back from his leave, and was training hard to make the team again in the October try offs.  At twenty-nine years, he was a little old for hockey and there were many eighteen and nineteen young men vying for a place in the Aces team.  At the moment of this wedding, all Hallsy was feeling was horny.  His libido had gone dormant during his wife illness and subsequent death, but nineteen months after, it suddenly woke up, hungry and desperate.  There was a redheaded bridesmaid who was dancing and having a great time, and had a beautiful smile, and she was the cause of this sudden explosion of desire.  Her name is Kendra and she's Lovey's and Duncan's cousin.

So Hallsy is undergoing a very excruciating physical training and a very strict diet.  He loves junk food but is sacrificing in order to bring his body to the peak condition it was in a year and a half ago.  Kendra lives in New York, where she's partnering her best friend in the development and production of, wait for it, sex toys developed for the woman's pleasure.  She is unashamedly fond of sex and in touch with her sexuality.  Since the Aces team is based in Chicago, they connect and have a one night stand, expecting the distance to cool off the night of passion.  Not so!!! That night was so outstanding and their chemistry so explosive, they kept in touch.  Max was very clear that he had nothing to offer, he was empty after his huge loss and all he wanted was fun and sex.  Kendra agreed, mostly because she was happy in New York and Max was aiming to play for the Aces, based in Chicago.  But the heart wants what the heart needs and the chemistry they had could not be denied.  They kept connecting over and over, yet Max still hadn't gotten completely over his wife's death and there were loyalty issues.

I loved the development of love in this story.  Kendra was a very sexually expressive woman, plus she was kind, generous, and understanding.  The fact that she has a degree in counseling allowed her to understand and help Max.  Max had his issues, afraid to be vulnerable to the kind of pain he had gone through, and still felt faithful to his dead wife.  It was a soft story, not strong in angst, but subtle, slowly developing, with its necessary separations to allow both characters deal with their feelings.  It was a very enjoyable read with the feels of a person coming to terms with a huge loss.