This was an amazing ride around the Fury’s rink.

Van was that classic “I’m an a-hole” when in all reality he is guarding a secret so well it will shock you when it comes out.

Simone is the Fournier brothers little sister and she is just as spunky and energetic as you would expect. She decides not to finish college and is bunking down with Lucas and Van. Van is not the most welcoming... most of the time.

Friends with benefits? Why not?

Their chemistry is burning up to the point it melts the ice on the rink and off surrounding Van. This was hot, hot, hot!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

This is the 2nd book in the Cold Fury series I have enjoyed. (I listened to the Audible edition of Garrett and LOVED it.) This hockey team really knows how to kick up the ice and keep things heated despite the cold temps in the rink.

Van is hiding a big secret. Simone is the sister of TWO of his teammates...and his new roommate. Despite the fact that he doesn’t want a relationship, Simone won’t leave him be. She keeps going after what she wants and she wants him. Van fights her advances until he just can’t...and then the sheets really heat up!

I enjoyed this story so very much. Van’s secrets don’t scare Simone. Simone’s crazy stops scaring Van. It was a well-told, fast-paced (yet not too fast) story of love and life and what all of us could experience. This book has plenty of steam, but lots of emotions as well. I love Ms. Bennett’s writing style and can’t wait to dive into more of the Cold Fury players!!!

Once again Sawyer Bennett kills it with her hockey stories!
Meet Van, he's had a hard life but worked hard to make it to the NHL and is a great player for the Cold Fury! He rooms with Lucas, who is rarely there, but when Lucas' sister Simone moves in and sets her sights on Van, will he be able to resist and honor the bro code? Or will Simone wear him down...Follow along with their story, you think omg Van is a jerk, but once you hear his story, I think he will have you swooning and cheering him on! 5 stars for this one! Enjoy!!

Honestly, I was LOST throughout most of the book. Yes, the book was fantastic, but I haven't read any of the previous books in the series and Van is book 9. Totally and completely lost. I found Van to be ruder than needed, though he was trying to protect everyone and himself. There wasn't any need to be THAT rude to people. Stand-offish, I understand. Anti-social, yep. I understand that one too.

Van Turner is probably the toughest player on the Carolina Cold Fury Hockey Team. He's reserved, he's tough, and he keeps a lot to himself.

Enter Simone Fournier, sister to two of his teammates. When she sets her sights on something, nothing and no one can stop her. It's that she sets her sights on Van and he is as cold as the team name suggest.

Van is full of fury and won't let her break down the walls he has built. In private, he warms up some to Simone but in public he wants nothing to do with her. As warm as he is in private, Simone knows he's holding back.

It's his secret that keeps his heart so icy. Can Simone break through that ice?

Although, this is book nine in the series it can be read as a stand alone. I read book 6, Max and I must say they do read well together but you'll have no problem just reading one in the series.

Van my be one of my favorite of this series. Sawyer Bennett has created a brooding, mysterious, but intriguing character in Van. I was very interested in hearing his story and I was not disappointed. This was a man who shut everyone out in order to not only protect them, but himself. I felt there was a lot of growth by both Van and Simone on their way to a happy ending.

Omg such a great book by sawyer bennett! Highly reccomend

copy received through Netgalley
Book 9 and the series is still fresh and going strong. Van is anti social, rude and closed off. He is hard to get close to and he is ok with that. As the team enforcer, those are good personality traits. Off the ice, not so much. Simone is very sociable . She is at a crossroads in her life. After 3 years at an ivy league school, she decides she does not want to finish. She ends up staying with her brother who happens to room with Van. She wants him and goes all out to get him. there were so funny dialogue and scenes with them. Simone being a smart ass and Van trying to keep her at arms length.I liked both characters. When they decide on a sexual relationship without feelings, things get interesting. Van has secrets and does everything to keep them. when his privacy is threatened, he does not handle it well. Simone tries to stand by him by he makes it extremely difficult. the story has great drama, angst, a hot hockey player and a confident female lead. Can't wait for book 10!

Bennett's Cold Fury Hockey Series is one of my favorites, so I have high expectations when a new book comes out. This one exceeded all of my expectations. It was so good! I loved the characters to distraction and thought their romance and the chemistry between them was so good it was off the charts. The storyline sucked me right in and had me reading the book straight through. Van and Simone were fantastic characters, some of, if not the very best ones in this author's books. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Oh thank god! I was so worried after Bennett's last book that things were going to start heading down hill in this series but things were revived in a fabulous way in Van's story. I loved this book and devoured it in one sitting. Van and Simone play off one another so well. Their chemistry and banter is off the charts and I loved the interaction with her brothers. It was nice to see things play our slowly through the book and not a quick 180 degree character change in Van after meeting Simone. Thing were trickled out little at a time at just the right speed to keep readers engaged and desperately turning the pages for more! Can't wait for the next!

Van Turner … Good Lord, how much I love this man!! Brooding, grumpy to the point of rudeness, closed-off – yeah, I absolutely have a thing for broken loners with a##hole tendencies. Even before starting VAN, I felt it in my gut he would become my favorite – and, boy, did he! He wasn’t at all what I expected, no, he was much more complex than I could have imagined.

All members of the Cold Fury team have their own baggage, have to deal with their own pasts, but none of their stories compare to the brutal nightmare Van had to life through – and still, to some degree, does. Nobody can ever discover his sordid secret; it has to stay hidden at all costs, which is exactly why he prefers to keep to himself, to avoid socializing – unless it is required of him as part of the team. He does not do relationships – in fact, he does not even do friends, not really. Encounters with women are always brief, always cold and brusque: in and out with one goal in mind, all while keeping touches and caresses to a bare minimum, best back to front. And once it’s done, he’s gone.

I knew closed-off bad boys before, but Van tops them all – his determination to stay alone is unrivaled… my heart hurt for him – badly, severely. But I also understood his reasoning: Letting someone get close to him would mean them finding out who he really is…

His teammate, Lucas Fournier was the one who got the closest to him in years – a natural development when sharing an apartment. Yeah, he is brutish, and not really kind to him, but when Lucas struggles through a rough time, Van finds himself wanting to help him somewhat.

And then whirlwind Simone Fournier bursts into his life… Little sister to his teammates Max and Lucas, she freshly dropped out of Ivy League School, just months away from graduating and turned up on their apartment’s doorstep. And as funny as it might seem, as how little of a plan she has about what to do with the rest of her life, she is pretty damn positive when it comes to knowing who is the man for her – and that’s Van. She is relentless, blunt and downright aggressive in her pursuit of him, constantly flirting, throwing subtle and not-so subtle innuendos his way, every-so slowly gaining ground and breaking down Van’s otherwise iron-clad resistance. Her resilience and unwillingness to give up, no matter how hard he tries to push her away, how nasty he is toward her, really is admirable. It also is quite a nice change of pace, as in most romances it’s the other way around – the man pursuing the woman.

And even after she got what she wanted and discovers how shut off he really is, she does not give up and runs, not even when she learns the whole truth about him – quite the contrary, she is standing her ground and only pushing harder, feeling that, despite his acting, Van wants her just as much as she does him. But she also sees when she needs to back off and give him some space, and that’s what I really admire about her.

I cheered these two on, so, so much. It’s one beautiful story through and through, one I’ll be thinking about and smiling for a long time to come. Simone’s wild and spunky but loving craziness and Van’s grumpy-azz and rough around the edges, yet so broken and insecure character – I loved them both to pieces! Add to that a hint of forbidden (teammate’s little sister) and the fact that their story already began and ran concurrently to Lucas’ makes it even more special.
But even if you haven’t read Lucas’ story – or any of the Cold Fury’s for that matter – this book, Van’s story, is the one I urge you to read!

I claim Van as MINE!

There's something about a hot, moody hockey player that makes my panties want to disappear. Sweet Jesus. And nobody and I mean NOBODY writes this type of character better than Sawyer Bennett. So to say I was excited to read Van is the understatement of the century.

I met him in the last Cold Fury book, Lucas and I was hella curious to get the low down, dirty scoop as to what was going on between Van and Lucas’ sister, Simone. In Lucas, Sawyer Bennett alluded to some major sexual chemistry and intense foreplay between these two.

Turned out that wasn't all the author had in store for her readers. This romance was filled with some jaw-dropping secrets as well as a highly entertaining love story. I was completely consumed by Van and Simone. Their love story exceeded all of my expectations and more. I loved this book.

Fans of sports romances and this author will not be disappointed with this new release. It’s sexy and fun. It's also swoon-worthy and captivating. So my recommendation is that everyone grabs a copy as well as any of the other books in the Cold Fury series - they’re all fantastic reads!

4.5 Stars

Honestly having read most of the Cold Fury hockey series, and getting a glimpse of Van's taciturn character in Lucas, I wasn't sure if I was going to connect with this story. I couldn't have been more wrong, I was captivated by Van and Simone's story from the very beginning and found it to be one of my favorite titles in this series. Although Van overlaps the timeline of Lucas, there is very little repetition.

Simone is captivating, she's not afraid to go after what she wants and is relentless and persistent in her pursuit of Van. She has this vivacious, bubbly, flirtatious personality, whilst also being incredibly self assured and full of grit and sass. I loved her strength and sense of self assurance.

Van is a complex character, dominant, demanding, mysterious, and taciturn. He's incredibly private, angry and broken. He doesn't form relationships or friendships in an attempt to keep his past from getting out.

The love scenes between this pair are full of passion, heat and steam and a touch of kink. Their banter is argumentative, fun, humorous, heartfelt and at times packed full of emotion.

I highly recommend this title to anyone who has enjoyed the previous titles in the Cold Fury hockey series.

Super hot! Been waiting for this book since the last book (Lucas). The sparks between Van and Simone were amazing. I loved Simone's persistence when Van was trying to stay away from her.

Fantastically written and such a beautiful romance! This hits you in all the feels. A very unique storyline as well. Sawyer Bennett never disappoints with her writing - this reeled me in hook, line, and sinker. Highly recommend. 5/5

This author NEVER disappoints. Sexy, saucy and phenomenal as usual. If you haven’t read a Bennett book yet, what are you waiting for??!!

I can't get enough of these Cold Fury hockey hunks and I've been dying to get my hands on Van’s book since first meeting him in Lucas’s story.

Van is broody, grumpy, and generally not a nice person, which had my curiosity peaked from page one. But for all those seemingly negative qualities, the man can be sweet on occasion, dominant often, and sexy always. This boy isn't just dirty, sometimes he's filthy and you’ll find yourself going back and rereading some of the steamier scenes just to make sure you got everything.

I have a huge girl crush on Simone! She's bold, daring, not afraid to speak her mind, and definitely not afraid to go after what she wants when she sets her sights on it. Relentless in her pursuit of Van, Simone won't give up without a fight, which often leads to some funny and seriously sexy encounters with our brooding hero.

In case you couldn't tell already, I loved this book. Van now finds himself right at the top of my list of favorite Cold Fury players with Zach and Lucas. I highly recommend this series!

Another fantastic addition in our favorite Cold Fury series!

I was so excited when I saw that Van was the next book in the Cold Fury Hockey series. When I reviewed Lucas, Van and Simone made a huge impression on me. I could not wait to read his story. I wanted to know what his deal was. Why he was so grumpy and standoffish with everyone. Well, all that and more was explained in this book. I gotta say, Van has to be one of the best romances that I have read this year.

The author did something awesome in this book. She had it coinciding with Lucas’s story. The author was kind enough to put up a warning at the beginning of the book. I will make this clear, this is a separate story from Lucas. It follows the same timeline until Lucas and Stephanie have their happy ending. But the main focus of the book is Van and Simone. Lucas and Stephanie’s issues are there but not much attention is focused on them.

The plot of Van was straightforward. Van meets Simone, is attracted to her but vows to keep her at arm’s length. Simone attracted to Van, is determined to break through the walls that he has up. They start sleeping together but agree to keep it only sexual. But, as those things tend to go, feelings start to get involved and Van’s walls start to come down. Simone learns why Van is the way he is. When his secret is revealed to the public, their relationship is tested. The question is: will their relationship survive the revelations?

I wanted to reach through the book and hug Van when he started reminiscing about his childhood. I will admit, I did jump to conclusions about what happened to him up to when he went to the prison. The author then threw in a twist that shocked me to the core. I was not expecting what was revealed. It shook me up. It also made me understand why Van was the way he was. Also why he treated Simone the way he did. He was trying to protect himself from being hurt. He knew he wasn’t good relationship material and tried to tell Simone that. Not that she listened. When his secret came out, my heart broke for him. He was so afraid of it happening and pushed Simone away.

Simone was a spitfire and she had me laughing for most of the book. She was a tad over the top but considering who she was trying to seduce, I didn’t blame her.It did make for a very amusing read. I liked that she was trying to be self-reliant. She did not want to depend on her parents for money after dropping out of med school. But she went to extremes to prove them wrong. I also classed her as stubborn. Very stubborn.

The sex in this book was out of this world. What I liked is that the author didn’t keep it vanilla. Van and Simone liked it dirty. Very dirty and I loved it. In my memory, this is the first book that I have read where sexting was used the right way. Not with silly emoji’s. Simone took pictures of herself getting off along with the usual dirty pictures. I loved it and I hope the author keeps it up. Because like I said earlier in the paragraph, the sex was out of this world.

The end of Van was very typical of a romance novel. A breakup, a makeup and then happily ever after. But, the breakup was awful even for a romance novel and the makeup was one of a kind. The happily ever after brought tears to my eyes.

Van is a hot, erotic romance that got me right in the feels. With main characters who have some serious issues, I got pulled into a very well written plot. Like I said at the beginning of this post, this book is one of the best romances that I have read this year.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex, explicit language, and mild violence

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Van

All opinions stated in Van are mine

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This is a captivating and brilliant romance. Van is cold and unfeeling, but also intriguing and interesting. Simone is bold, stubborn, headstrong and caring. I found Simone very irritating in the beginning, but as she and Van spent more time together she chilled and became likable and sweet. I never disliked Van, there was always something about him that pulled at my heartstrings. They both turned into amazing people. This is a book that belongs on your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.