I absolutely love Victoria's Hometown Players series. It is one of my favorites to read and reread. Game On wasn't what I was expecting but it definitely reminded me why I love to read her books. It's not often that I finish a book and instantly go back to reread my favorite parts just so I can live in that world a little longer.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit if the typical hockey player with too long of a list of past women. I wasn't expecting to be caught of guard with who Alex really was. Discovering his secrets was like unwrapping your favorite chocolate, you want to take your time and savor it all while anxious to get to the best part.

Brie was probably one of my favorite heroines in a long time. She's so feisty, strong, and compassionate. I didn't get the sense that her reluctance with Alex was all for show, but that she truly was fighting herself to not fall for him.

Game on is so much more than another hockey romance. It's deep, it's moving, it's full of love, it's full of challenges, and so, so good. Getting lost in the Hometown Players world is definitely something that you don't want to miss. I cannot recommend this book enough.

The last book in the Hometown Players Series does not disappoint. All the books in the series are interconnected but each can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading this series from the start. It's one of my absolute favorite hockey romance series and I will definitely miss these characters!

Alex is well knows as a playboy and has made his rounds with the bunnies of the hockey circuit. But when he meet Brie, there is something there that he has never felt before - a connection.

Alex didn't make the best impression on Brie when he first sets eyes on her in a Starbucks, making comments to Luc in French thinking he's being sly. But when Brie turns around and replies in French herself, Alex is a taken aback. Little did he know that the charity he was to be volunteering at who be ran by the beautiful woman he hit and missed on at Starbucks.

Brie is surprised to see the gorgeous man from the Starbucks show up at Daphne's House - the charity she runs to help teens trying to stay out of the foster care system. But he seems sincere, even if he is a celebrity with a rep. She just doesn't get why he would volunteer here. But as she spends more time with Alex and starts to see the true side of the mysterious hockey player, she feels this connection to him she just can't explain.

This was a heartwrenching read. As Alex's past is revealed and his heart opened to in a way that he never has before, your heart breaks for the boy he was and the restrictions it's placed on him as an adult. But Brie opens his eyes to things he never had before - especially love. Now the only thing Brie has to do is convince Alex he's worthly on it and so much more.

Alex Larue is a total ladies man and the life of any party. However, it seems that Brie Bennett is immune to his charm and when she discovers that he's her new volunteer at the charity she runs, she isn't going to make things easy for him. Yet, the more time they spend together, the more they find they have more in common than they thought. Will Alex be able to win Brie over, so they have a chance at happy ever after; or will he lose the one woman that can help him overcome his troubled past?

Although I haven't read the previous books of this series, this story can easily be read as a stand-alone, and I've got to say that it's a story that provides utterly entertaining reading due to the wonderful main characters with their painful back stories and compelling dialogue that had me loving the hero and how he shows the heroine that there's more to him than being a guy that loves the attention he gets from women. The way this story started had me liking the hero immediately, because of how he is with his fans and then because of what happens with the heroine that teaches him that using a language besides English doesn't necessarily mean he's going to get away with talking about someone without their knowing. However, it was soon after the hero and heroine met that had me laughing, because of what the heroine says to the hero.

Both the main characters were enchanting and I loved the way they interacted, as they go from the heroine thinking he's a total player that she wants nothing to do with to Brie realizing there's more to Alex than meets the eye. Really, his past makes him the kind, caring man he is that would do anything to help others that had the kind of life he had growing up, which is proven by what he does for one of the secondary characters. Furthermore, the hero is confident and cocky when it comes to women and hockey, persuasive when he's determined to help someone and I liked how he won the heroine over with his honesty and passion for the charity Brie runs. While the heroine, she's resilient, kind, caring and I liked all that she's achieved when it comes to her charity. I also liked how she gets the hero to open up, especially when she realizes that they're not so different when it comes to what they've been through in their pasts.

Overall, Ms. Denault has penned a fascinating and wonderful read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was special and off-the-charts; the romance wonderful; the secondary characters were just as engaging as the main characters with their advice; and the ending had me liking what the hero was willing to do to make certain he didn't lose Brie, especially since opening up to her about his past sets him free in a way. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely, because of what Alex and Brie are wanting to do for one of the secondary characters and the surprise Alex has for Brie. I would recommend Game On by Victoria Denault, if you enjoy sports romances, the enemy to lovers trope, or books by authors Kelly Jamieson, Jamie Davenport, Kate Meader and Helena Hunting.

I love sports romance. And, I have no idea why as I am not a sports fan. Although, I have some guesses and the hot bodies, the alpha male and the pure physicality of the heroes in sports romances probably have something (ok a lot) to do with it.

Alex, however, is so much more than the brawny sports hero. And, this matters a lot to me as a reader. Books about hot men are a dime a dozen, so if I am going to read, and enjoy, a sports romance I need to like the characters, and I need them to seem real. I loved that he was a little insecure, that he was the guy who wasn't the standout player on the team, that he was the one the coach doesn't want on his team...but he still needs to believe in himself. Watching the struggle, to get past this and his childhood was interesting, and compelling and it made me like him, and care what happened to him.

Brie was also interesting. A woman who, from outside, looks like she has it all and has all of the advantages that she possibly could have...but runs a shelter for kids who would be living on the streets otherwise.

Alex and Brie aren't sure what to think of one another, but they know there is an attraction that they have to fight...because neither of them want to be attracted to the other.

This makes for some incredibly hot scenes as they both fight the attraction they have to one another. It also makes the payoff, the time they spend together, even better as you are invested in the characters and like them by the time they become a couple.

The writing was strong and the pacing was mostly good, although I would have liked Brie and Alex to be together for a little longer in the book, as I did think it took a little too long for them to start on the portion of the book where they were a couple.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

It took me a bit to actually connect with these characters. I KNEW I was going to like Alex once I got to know him because he just seemed so broken. And the mask he wore when he was out with the boys wasn't the guy he wanted to be but had to play. I wasn't wrong. He was my favorite character in this whole book. Brie took me a bit longer to warm up to and it really wasn't any reason of the character or the authors. I just didn't connect her for a long time, but that changed. Her feistiness and strength pulled me in and I loved her to pieces.

I really enjoyed this story once I got into it. I liked the romance and I loved the push and pull between Brie and Alex. This wasn't an insta love or friends to lovers. These two fought hard, Brie to stay away and Alex to get near. These two had attraction off the charts. But their brokenness is what I keep coming back to in this book. The author delivered their stories in a way that made me want to fight for them and help others.

I hadn't read the other books in this series so I know for a fact it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. But I am now wanting the previous 5 books so I can get all these guys stories! I would definitely recommend this sport romance.

GAME ON by new to me author Victoria Denault, is not your typical sports romance. Both the professional game of hockey and the Canadian system of foster care, share equal billing in this meaningful read. The two main characters have a lot in common, which they each discover as the learn to trust each other. At times this story is heartbreaking, while other parts made me smile from ear to ear.

When Brie Bennett was four years old, she was adopted by a very wealthy and loving couple. She was lucky, and spent only a short time in Quebec's foster care system. However, she did witness more than one atrocity while she was there. With the help of her wonderful parents, she is now the director of a foundation that helps older kids stay off the streets and out of foster care. Brie is loaded with goodwill and kindness, so she works tirelessly and endlessly for the foundation's survival. She would love to settle down and find her forever love.

When Alex Larue was five, his parents died in a car accident. From that point forward his life was spent in various foster homes, which were all bad news. Hockey was his only salvation, so he immersed himself in all the free hockey programs that Quebec had to offer. Luckily he was talented, and a junior league coach put him on the path to success. He has some very good friends, and does not believe in commitment or love. Even though the tabloids have a field day with his dating practices, he is a very private person. Alex is forever donating his time and money to worthy causes, and that's how he and Brie meet.

GAME ON is filled with raw emotions and discoveries from both main characters. Brie and Alex are intelligent and real, and the author intertwines their pasts quite cleverly. Their romantic chemistry is off the charts, which evolves into much more than either of them anticipated. This is the sixth novel from the HOMETOWN PLAYERS BOOK series and it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

LJT, Romance Junkies, 4 Hearts

To the world Alex Larue is the charismatic hockey star who scores more off the ice then on the ice. Brie Bennett, brought up in privilege and devoted to helping the underprivileged with the charity she runs has no time for playboys. When Alex's misconduct in a Starbucks with Brie puts him in the no date zone with only his coffee to warm him their next chance encounter puts them both on the defensive with their preconceived notions of who they are dealing with. As circumstances bring them together again and again they find that maybe their initial impressions were way off and the love they both long for might just be possible.

Game On, book six in the Hometown Players series, was so much more than a romance. It was about facing fears, helping others, being an inspiration and fighting for success when the odds are stacked against you. The story of Alex and Brie takes off from the start with Victoria Denault's strong storytelling and characters hard not to get attached too. This author has a knack for exposing her portrayals, giving her readers a view of their inner selves versus the side they share with the world, making for telling and sensitive works. The dynamic between the leads of this book while rocky at first and being thrown some challenging and gut-wrenching disclosures, little by little built on found common footing. Ironically Alex's trying to escape his past brought it right to him for a reckoning that freed him to ultimately live his life to the fullest. Brie in many ways was Alex if he had been given the opportunities that she had received. As these two pieced together their connections the love that developed carried this story to a happy teary finish that really was a new beginning for these two wonderful characters. Victoria Denault will leave her audience cheering as she delivers another successful Home Town Players story in Game On!

It's always interesting when you read an author that you are not familiar with. You never know what to expect. But I am a cover whore and the first thing to intrigue me was the cover! The cover is appealing and clearly you can tell this is a sport romance and Ding, Ding, Ding! I am a sucker for a sports romance now add to that a hockey romance and I have to a least check it out.

This Story has all key components that I love in a sports romance. First, you have Alex who has just been traded to a new team . He is sexy, cocky and funny and everyone likes him especially the ladies!

" I don't break hearts, i break headboards."

You have Brie who has it all; she is pretty, wealthy and a great job! Little does Alex know that the director of the charity that he is trying to volunteer for is Brie.  The plot makes you want to keep turning the pages so much I didn't even want to go to sleep! The story that builds between these two is sweet. They both annoy each other but we all know what that means when the boy is mean or bothers you in school? Yep, there are feelings that are about to get involved. Alex has a past that slowly Brie is trying to unravel but Alex does not know if he can open up. Throw in a troubled teen off the streets and the story is heartwarming.  The chemistry right away is funny and sexy.  You really feel for the characters. This book is refreshing and it hit a jackpot with me! I've found a new author to love and I can't wait to read the others in the series!

I am a new (ish) fan of Victoria Denault. I have just read a couple of her books but so far I have loved every single one of them.

Game On is book number 6 in the Hometown Players and you don't really have to read all the previous books first but I suggest you do because you will fall in love with the books and you will just want more. The books are just that good.

I was hooked on Game On right away and didn't want to put it down. I love Bri and Alex.
The story is sexy and so very well done.

I hear this is the last book in the series and that makes me sad but this is one series I know I will be reading again and again in the future.

I am giving this 5 out of 5.

Alex was a diamond in the rough. He had a hard childhood that has made him wary of love and feeling safe. he doesn’t believe anyone could care for him and all will leave. when you hear of what he did as a child to help another it will break your heart. He is so kind and caring but scared so he hides it behind his cockiness.

Brie is a strong character as well. She was lucky as a child and now she is paying if forward. Her and Alex don’t get off on the right foot but man the attraction is palpable. The banter between them is sarcastic, biting and entertaining. We also get some very in depth and intimate talks between them as well that helps Alex to heal.

As Alex is adjusting to his new city and teammates, he ends up at a charity that is near to Brie’s heart. She is skeptical but slowly he shows her his passion for the subject. Watching them learn who the other is is so intimate and yet quiet in the way it happens. Alex is so vulnerable in this area and he does portray this.

this is a slow burning attraction. They begin to learn about the other and see who they are behind the facade. Alex softens and matures. He no longer wants the puck bunnies but rather a talk with Brie and someone like her to be there with him. His views on himself begin to change and he starts to truly trust Brie and let her in. There are times he messes up but I think for the most part Brie understands. he is trying and that is more than he ever thought he would do.

The ending with the interview sleighed me that and the beach scene. These two just are so alike yet far apart in personalities. You see them struggle through love and at the end find themselves where they belong in each others arms. alex is able to hold his head high and remove the shame of his past and accept it but also show those it is a badge of courage and survival that he went through a terrible childhood and came out a better person for it. He came out stronger and more driven. He also comes out with a family and love that knows no bounds to an amazing woman.

A character driven story that lures you in and has Alex capture your heart from the start while giving us some witty banter, intimate moments and tender times as well.

Victoria Denault is on a winning streak with book six of the Hometown Players series, GAME ON. Hockey star for the Brooklyn Barons, Alex Larue, doesn’t want anyone to know about his past. He decides to volunteer at a charity dedicated to a cause important to him that is run by Brie Bennett. The two bump heads and immediately judge each other, not realizing everything they have in common. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for new adult and adult audiences.

I loved this story. My heart broke for Alex and everything he went through. I love that he makes so much of an effort to help those who were in similar situations he was, especially Mackenzie. I also appreciated that Brie knew what her life could have been like and dedicated her life to helping others that were not as fortunate as her. I thought it was clever how their lives intertwined. GAME ON is an excellent example of why you shouldn’t judge people that you don’t really know.

Once again, Victoria Denault does a phenomenal job with both her character development and plot. GAME ON is skillfully written and impossible to put down. I love the trades that happened in this series. I enjoyed that the characters from the previous books had pivotal roles in this story. The ending was perfect and felt well resolved. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Game On by Victoria Denault is an incredible hockey, sports romance novel!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, any novel involving hockey and romance is a novel that I'm going to have to pick up! This novel was certainly one of those.

Brie and Alex are definitely going to capture your heart. Yes, he is a bad boy, who you may want to hate due to some of his actions, but you end up falling in love with him anyway. The relationship these two characters share is certainly one that will make you swoon.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone! In fact, go and pick up the entire Hometown Players while you're at it.

5/5 Stars!

A chance meeting leads to so much more in this new installment in Victoria Denault’s Hometown Players series. The author definitely caught my interest with this series about famous hockey players and the women in their lives.

Alex Larue is a popular French-Canadian athlete, known for his grit, determination and his irresistible charm, he is the heartthrob hockey fangirls want to date. He has it all, the looks, the money and the media attention. Despite his womanizing ways, he is a romantic at heart and a genuinely generous person. His personal history inspired him to get involved in charity work. He is a hero you won’t forget, delightfully cocky, selfless and caring. He really is a sincere and no-nonsense hero.

Alex had a troubled past, he overcame childhood adversity to go from rags to riches, thanks to his hard work and perseverance. He focused on growing as a person and becoming unbeatable in the game he loved. And yet, his fear of rejection is overwhelming.

Brit Bennett manages a living facility for teenagers without family. Through a difficult childhood, she was blessed when a wealthy couple adopted her and showed her true affection. She is privileged and she is aware of it.

The attraction between Alex and Brit is instant, but both of them are practical and neither wants to deal with a relationship. I loved watching these two very pragmatic characters fall for each other against their better judgement. They both had to overcome prejudices and deal with emotional issues. But they couldn’t pretend their mutual feelings didn’t exist. There is much more to both of these characters than meets the eye. The chemistry between them was tangible, their romance was sweet and touching. This was a great read that really tugged at my heartstrings, I definitely recommend it! 4.5 stars

I meet Victoria Denault at this year’s Romantic Times Convention. She was so sweet and kind even though someone accidentally knocked over her Starbucks while I was talking to her. I discovered her books in the middle of a two month long hockey romance kick. Her Hometown Players series is excellent and I was excited for a chance to visit with old characters as well as watch Alex Larue fall in love. Alex and his heroine, Brie, have such an awkward and adorable first meeting. He’s behind her in line at Starbucks and starts talking to his teammate in French about how cute her butt is. She shocks him by responding in French and turning down a date. While this could have been the end for them, Alex turns up to volunteer at a home for homeless teens and discovers it is run by Brie.
Both Alex and Brie have hard pasts that unite them in their caring for the homeless teens. Alex grew up in foster care and was homeless himself for a while. Brie was adopted from foster care and sees what her future could have been in those teens if she hadn’t been adopted. Both Alex and Brie are willing to give their all to help the teens, and Mac in particular. Mac is homeless girl that Alex recuses and Brie agrees to foster. The more time Brie and Alex spend together, the clearer their attraction is. After a while, Alex has to put aside his “no-relationship” fears and accept Brie into his life.
What was excellent about this book was the issues Alex and Brie work through. Their becoming a couple didn’t automatically solve all their problems. Rather, it made them into a team in facing those problems. Both carried scars from their pasts that had to be worked through. It was a pleasure to see them face those problems and come out stronger on the other side. This was a book about two genuinely good people and it was lovely to read.

This is the final book in the Hometown Players series and although I’m sad to see one of my favorite series come to an end, I think that Victoria Denault did a fantastic job ending it with such an amazing story.

My biggest fear heading into this book was that Alex was going to live up to his reputation. To my great pleasure he both did and did not. It was clear that his player lifestyle was real but as the story progresses we get to see layer upon layer of who he really is revealed and he’s so much more than I ever could have imagined. My heart broke for him but everything he went through growing up also help form him into the amazing man he is, and I can’t be sorry about that.

When Brie was first introduced, I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like her. I got the impression that she was going to be super judgmental of Alex and it was going to get old really quickly. Strangely enough, it was actually Alex who ended up being judgey. Ultimately I ended up falling in love with both Alex and Brie and their huge, caring and absolutely unselfish hearts.

At 89% of the story there were still so many parts of their story that were left open and so many questions to be answered that I was actually worried that things wouldn’t be resolved or that everything would be wrapped up way to quickly and easily. This was absolutely not the case. The way that Ms. Denault had everything come together in the end felt authentic and kept with the pace with the rest of the story. My only complaint is that it all had to come to an end. This will by far go down as one of my favorite series of all-time and, as for Alex, he just might be right up there with Devin as my favorite hero from it.

Game on is a bit of a hate-to-love kind of story with a sports twist! I haven't read every book in the series, but that didn't affect my enjoyment. I really liked Alex and Brie! Both are hiding behind a false bravado to keep people away. And like recognizes like, so Brie can tell right away Alex is hiding something.

These two are really interesting characters! As much as Brie wants to stay away from him, they keep ending up together. This of course leads to some great banter. But Alex is so broken it kind of broke my heart!! At one point, Brie compares him to a puppy and it was so true. I just wanted to hug him and make all his pain go away. With all his troubles, he pushes Brie away. He doesn't know how to be in a relationship. But, She won't give up that easily! These two have such deep pasts that they cannot ignore and have shaped them in many ways. Both are trying to escape the stereotypes of their childhood. Its really emotional and Denault did a beautiful job writing it.

If you enjoy hockey romance, hate to love you stories, and broken heroes, Game on is a perfect pick!
(link live on release day!)

This is first book I have read in The Hometown Players Series and it won’t be my last, I need to read them all, so I guess I’m proof that this book can be read as a standalone.
This book is more like a journey than a story and I loved getting to know Alex the hot, broody broken hockey player who is used to messing other teams games up, what he’s not used to is someone messing with his head. Brie is the girl we all want as a friend, she is sassy and funny and takes no nonsense from anyone especially a moody hockey player who is used to getting his own way.
This book is a love story but it’s so much more, it touches on subjects a lot of authors would shy away from and it’s written beautifully, the story flows and I found myself laughing as well as crying.
This book is worth every one of the five stars I have given it and I’m off to one click the other books because I need to know more about the other players in this series.

The shallowest of ponds hide the deepest of emotions. Alex is brash, sexy and the life of the party. A puzzle with jerk tendencies is my description for him. What lies beneath the ladies man skills is the broken heart of a child. A man afraid to expose his darkest secrets and his deepest moments. Brie is a woman with a short fuse and a big heart. She has no trouble speaking her mind, but will not risk giving anyone her heart. Game On is a mass of contradictions. The emotions are chaotic, the attraction is electric and the drama is magnetic.

I loved this book from cover to cover! What a wonder story, characters and book! It was so different than expected and with a topic that not everyone writes about! Well done!

4.5 stars

I am a huge fan of sports romances and so I knew I didn't want to miss this book. It had plenty of laughs and hockey love, but is was also heartfelt and at times very emotional. Though this is book 6 in the Hometown Players series, it can be read as a stand alone. Characters from the previous books do appear, however, so it would be best enjoyed if you have read those books prior to starting Game On.

Alex was the perfect broken hero. He has so much emotional baggage from his childhood that he refuses to truly connect with others, especially romantically, out of fear of rejection and loss. Instead he uses cocky swagger and charm to mask all that hidden pain. I wanted to hug him so badly through the majority of this book. Sure, he made a few mistakes and stumbled a time or two, but you can't help but cheer him on and hope for his happily ever after. I really enjoyed his enemies to lovers relationship with Brie and they had amazing chemistry. Her background, though not as tragic, made these 2 pretty perfect for each other. There was the inevitable push and pull, but I thought what happened after was very realistic and honest. The demons Alex battles are not something that will go away over night and I appreciated how the author took time to address that. The addition of Mac was also a highlight and I loved the overall message in the book that family is not made only by blood. There were a few things I would have liked to see some resolution to, like what was the fate of Daphne House and if there was meaning behind Alex's tatoo, but overall, this was a great addition to the series! I'm hoping we'll be seeing more of Len and Chooch in the future!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book. Many thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)*