Meet Dixie and Eli. Dixie is a publicist working as PR for the San Francisco Thunder hockey team. She is busy cleaning up players mess than getting herself into trouble. One hot toes curling kiss with the start goalie Eli changed everything. Eli is a star. One night with the beautiful PR and he was hooked except Eli is having none of it. Now that Eli is playing for the Thunder, Dixie is determined to keep their relationship professional. Can Eli convince Dixie that she is the one for him and none of his success is worth it if he has no one to share with? Love the angst, the amazing chemistry, the flirty banters. Love the swoony hero. The heroine is fierce. Of course, a bit of drama but overall Slammed is romantic, sexy, humorous. Entertaining read.

If you love a book ful of cheesy pickup lines... this is book for you. This book was all kinds of fun. The dialogue between Dixie and Eli had me smiling from ear to ear. I really loved their story!

Dixie had a big secret... she is the sister to one of the Thunder's biggest stars. But she wants to be known for her own work, making her own path, so she uses a different last name so people don't know. She feels as if she's always having to look over her shoulder, that people she works with know that something is up... and so she sticks to the rules as to not cause any waves. And the number one rule is no dating the players.

Eli, even though he's on a farm team for the San Fransico Thunder, is a well known player. Not only does his brother play for the Thunder, but an accident that has kept him from the major league seems to always be on the forefront of those around him. And it's playing games with his head. So when he finally gets called up to play for the Thunder, he says the accident doesn't play a big part of his mental game... maybe its the cute PR girl he can't stop thinking about.

These two are seriously hot together. I loved every minute of this book and didn't want it to stop!
Can't wait for more in the series!

What an emotional story between a goalie and the team publicist. Eli Casco is the younger brother to the team captain and just got the call to move up to the NHL. He is not playing at the top of his game and is dealing with emotional issues. Dixie has been hiding her relationship with her brother who is the star of the hockey team she is the publicist for. She has been working hard to move ahead. The Thunder is a no fraternize with the players at all. Eli and Dixie have to hide who they are from everyone, making them question who they are.

Solid read, loved Dixie's sisters I hope they get their own books soon.

​
**4.5 Stars**
Oh how I love anything Victoria Denault gives us. There is something about her hockey series that I just can't get over. I love everything about them. Dixie and Eli's story was no different. I couldn't get over how their story started and more importantly, how it ended.
Dixie isn't supposed to be attracted to Eli. Working for the San Francisco Thunder's PR team, she isn't supposed to fraternize with players... but does the farm team really mean she's fraternizing with team players?
I loved watching these two figure out what they wanted with each other. Their journey of discovering love, happiness and how to be together was one of my absolute favorite parts of this story. I mean, I knew I was going to love their story, I just wasn't prepared with how much I was going ot love it.

I love sports romance and Slammed did not disappoint with delivering a fabulous hockey themed tale of two young lovers resisting due to work rules! Dixie is the public relations for the team and she has seen more than her fair share of players and their troubles. Eli is on the cusp of getting his big chance on the ice . They know that they shouldn't want each other but sometimes your heart doesn't give you a choice !
~~Michele McMullen ~~

Flirting leads to more than they bargained for in the next San Francisco Thunder novel! Eli and Dixie grabbed my attention from the very start with their adorable flirtiness of semi-forbidden lust! As I got deeper into each of their back stories, it made me grow even fonder of each of them. He had a past trauma that haunted him no matter how much he tried to overcome it, she had a heartache happening that she had no control over ... each looking for comfort in their own way, but finding the strength to support the other through their things before even helping themselves. I really loved this story ... it was sweet, sassy and steamy ... and best of all, full of hockey studs!

Dixie Braddock is living the life now that she's become a permanent publicist for the San Francisco Thunder hockey team! She loves her job and the most of the people around her ... only one part of her life is bringing her down, and there's nothing she can do to control it.

Elijah Casco is instantly attracted to Dixie when he is called up for one game from the Thunder's farm team. Once he returns back to his own team, they continue to text and talk and have a major flirt fest going on. A publicity jaunt that brings them together is the perfect place for them to act on their attraction ... but when they return to reality, they find out that Eli has been called up to the Thunder ... and their relationship is now forbidden!

I love a good sports romance book and this one is great. Dixie works in publicity for the hockey team and Eli gets called up to the team. Dixie has to ignore her feelings and try to resist her attraction to Eli. Good drama and the characters were instantly likeable. I hadn't read the first book in the series, and I don't think you have to in order to get what's going on, but I'll definitely be seeking it out.

There was a lot that was entertaining about this book. I liked the characters, but didn't feel very connected to the romance. It was steamy, for sure, but it felt very hurried and a little over the top.

3.5*

It's no secret I love sports romances. Slammed is super fun. A quick read.
Was the chemistry flying off the page? No. But I could feel it.
A strong family dynamic is also a major plus.

I loved this book from cover to cover!! I hope there's more to come from this series!

Family, feels, heat and hockey – be still my heart….

I couldn’t wait to dive into this second in the series as Dixie and Eli’s non-affair sizzled, simmered and exploded! This series is all about relationships – between lovers, siblings, brothers and sisters of the heart as well as blood and hockey family. They get along, they argue, they rejoice and they grieve and their lives are the sound-bite for real life. Hunky hockey players and kick-butt women live and breathe that life with so much heart I find them completely irresistible!

Eli…
“If a scientist mixed the DNA of a Disney prince and an action hero, this guy would be result.”
“Wow. He’s hot. Am I breathing? I don’t think I’m breathing.”

Eli has never taken the easy way and his struggle for the girl, for his career, has me cheering him on with perhaps more than appropriate enthusiasm. But honestly – he is just… amazing! His relentless pursuit of Dixie is romantic and sweet even as his alpha maleness grunts its way forward from time to time. His gift for creative, aka hilarious, pickup lines made me laugh so hard yet had my heart fluttering even more. His vulnerability, his caring, meant I was firmly on #TeamEli.

Dixie:
“Dixie is tough and brilliantly smart.”

And human. She’s suffering on the inside and Eli makes her feel better than she has in a long time. She carries herself with feminine grace in a man’s world and she pulls it off with perfection even as she struggles internally with a loss she isn’t ready to bear. Eli was forbidden territory and Dixie, devoted to her family and her career, was not going to disappoint anyone. Every stolen text, phone call, skype message and meeting shouldn’t happen. Couldn’t happen. Yet did… It was hot, it was secret and it was everything they couldn’t have…

This story had ALL THE FEELS and ALL THE HEAT! The Braddocks and Cascos – the entire Thunder family – are a warm hug, a swirly noogie and so much goodness I could gush forever… Instead I will simply suggest, RUN to get this book/series!

Made me laugh out loud:
“My beard wants to know if you would like a comfortable place to sit down?”
~Diane, 5 stars

When Dixie Wynn Braddock, a publicist for the San Francisco Thunder hockey team, meets Eli Casco, younger brother to the Thunder's team captain Levi, in an elevator, sparks fly and they share a steamy kiss. Unfortunately, Dixie then learns that Eli may be drafted to be the Thunder's new goalie, and the HR manual strictly forbids relationships between players and staff. While players are likely to get a slap on the wrist, staff will face immediate dismissal, and Dixie has worked too hard for her career to let that happen.

Slammed started off somewhat slow for me, and the cheesy flirtation between Dixie and Eli was far more eye-roll-inducing than adorable or hot. Eli charms Dixie with the utter lameness of his pickup lines, and she in turn counters with cheesy retorts of her own, and while both characters are well aware of the cheesiness and it's all part of their flirtation style, I just wanted them to stop.

Dixie and Eli's career challenges were much more compelling, and once they settle into some form of relationship that reduced the flirting, the story began to take off. I sympathized with Dixie's desire to separate herself and her career from her older brother Jude, one of the Thunder's star players, and with her skirmishes against a scheming co-worker. I also respected her hero worship of the rich and powerful woman who owned the team, though I thought that storyline's resolution felt somewhat abrupt. Eli's subplot was a lot more compelling -- a serious neck injury in a college game has long-reaching psychological effects, and he freezes every time a scuffle between players gets too close to the net, which is a serious Achilles heel in a goalie. I like how Denault depicts his struggle to come to terms with this weakness, and work at overcoming it.

But the real star of this romance for me was the family dynamics. I love the banter between Jude and Dixie, and the fierce loyalty and emotional bonding between Levi and Eli. Jude and Levi were really compelling characters, and I love how perceptive they are when dealing with their younger siblings. There's a great scene where, after a bad game, Levi tries to talk to Eli about his performance. Eli orders him to back off and Levi responds that he'll back off as a brother, but there are things he needs to say as the team captain. Even as team captain however, his brotherly concern is still very evident, and I love how that relationship plays out.

I haven't read the first book in this series, Score, about Jude and his girlfriend Zoey, who in Slammed is pregnant with their child. But I love Jude's character so much I think I'll give it a try, and hold out hope that Levi also gets his own romance someday.

This is the second book in the San Francisco Thunder series. I love reading Victoria Denault’s engaging and sexy stories about hot hockey players. This is a charming story with great dynamics between the characters and lots of scorching chemistry. The story has a good plot line is filled with sexual tension and the interactions between the characters are believable, fun and flirty.

Eli is charming, brash and wild. He is a goalie playing in the minor leagues waiting to be called up to play with the San Francisco Thunder. Eli was injured in college and it changes him. He lost his confidence and he doesn’t play with the fearless energy he once did. Dixie loves her job as a publicist with the Thunder. She works very hard and loves hockey. She is attracted to Eli but knows she has to keep her distance because it is unprofessional to get involved with him.

There is an instant connection between Eli and Dixie and tons of chemistry flowing between them. Unfortunately, their relationship is off limits and it is difficult for them to know what to do about their feelings. I loved these two together. They're playful, cute, hot and sexy and I love all their verbal foreplay. They are both dealing with issues but when they are together, everything feels better. I also enjoyed all the highly entertaining secondary characters, especially Dixie’s sisters. They are funny, naughty, full of life and they don’t play by the rules. They are constantly teasing Dixie and trying to get her to lighten up. This is another captivating story by Victoria Denault.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
I thought that I had this book pegged. That I knew exactly what was going to happen and how the story would end, but I was wrong. This book has good characters and a well thought out plot. The intimate scenes weren't overly graphic but kept you wanting just a little bit more. I'm hoping the author will write more about other players on the team.

I love Victoria Denault’s hockey romances, and Slammed is another winner. Eli and Dixie fall for each other from when they first meet, but Dixie hesitates to act on her feelings when she discovers Eli plays for the for the minor league team of the one she works for. There’s a rule against coworkers dating, and Dixie is doesn’t want to jeopardize about her career. Eli is sexy and charming, and he convinces her to give him a shot, and they are utterly endearing together. Eli is attempting to move from the minors to the majors, and Dixie is invaluable support. They’re a great team. Slammed is fun, hockey-filled, entertaining and spicy, and I am excited for the next Victoria Denault’s tale on the ice.

ARC provided, but this review was voluntarily and honestly written.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

They met in an elevator. An elevator that broke down with them inside, making her late for an introduction to her idol, the only female hockey franchise owner in the league. He had just been called up from the Thunder’s farm team for a game. His pick-up lines were corny, but his kiss was smoking hot!

“Do you mind if I follow you home tonight?” I ask her with a serious stare. “Because my mother always told me to follow my dreams.”

It’s been a year since that crazy elevator ride. Dixie is still working in the PR department for the Thunder hockey team. The team her brother, Jude, plays on, although it’s important to her that nobody knows they are related. Eli is back on the farm team, the Storm, struggling to overcome his fears from his past injury where his neck was slit open on the ice by a teammate’s skate and he nearly died.

The Thunder is having a fundraiser and wants a couple of Storm players to be present. One of those players is Eli. Neither Eli nor Dixie have forgotten about the other and the attraction and spark is as hot as ever. Since Dixie works for the Thunder she’s not allowed to have any romantic or sexual encounters with the players, but as Eli points out, the Storm players are fair game. They decide to have sex to get each other out of their systems, which of course, only makes the attraction stronger. Then, Eli gets called up to join the Thunder and everything changes. They both have to decide what is more important their relationship or their careers?

I did not read the first book in this series, but I have read one of Denault’s other hockey books, Game On, that I loved! This book can easily be read as a stand-alone though and I found that I really enjoyed it.

I wasn’t sure I could get behind this book at first … Eli’s corny pickup lines were bad … really bad… and then Dixie started throwing in a few of her own. Eventually you just get used to it and it becomes part of their charm, also as the book continues the pickup lines become fewer and further between. There are a few gems that make you laugh though.

“I lean closer to the screen and decide to really push her limits by hitting her with one of those pickup lines she loves to hate. “My beard wants to know if you would like a comfortable place to sit down?”

I really enjoyed this couple. I can respect her need to hide her relationship with her brother from others within the Thunder organization. However, I can also imagine how hard that must have been on not only her, but her brother as well.

I found Eli was a great mix of fun and loyal boyfriend. I loved that he did what was needed when Dixie was going through a hard time while he was on the road. I think it spoke volumes about his character and even Jude couldn’t fault him for it, no matter how much he’d probably like to.

I also enjoyed the sibling bickering between Jude and Dixie!

“I open the door and jump into the passenger seat. Sprinkles leap from the donut and cascade around the car, mostly between my seat and the console.

Jude glares at me. I smile. “Sorry. You know kids are messy. You should get used to it.”

“You’re not a kid anymore. Stop eating my food, messing up my car and demanding I chauffeur you everywhere,” Jude grumbles and starts the engine.”

This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next in the series.

And, since it was the ringtone Dixie assigned for Eli on her phone … here is Baby by a very young Justin Bieber.

“Who do you hate enough to give them that ringtone?”

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This is only the third book of Ms. Denault's that I've read but she's very quickly becoming one of my go to authors. I'm a huge fan of Hockey (I am Canadian...It's kinda in my blood 😉) and an even bigger fan of romance novels. Combine the two and you've got the perfect read for me. And this book has so much more than just hockey and romance. I loved the connection that formed between Dixie and Eli which quickly developed into an emotional and amazing relationship. I'm hoping we get more in this series, this one was a definite top read of the year for me.

Nothing like forbidden love...

Her brother's best friend's brother
Her brother's teammate
An employee with her organization and a no fraternizing clause

If that isn't enough incentive to back away, how about a sick dad and no time.

What you aren't convinced you could stay away...neither can Dixie!

It's seriously sweet with a building tension that will make you lusty. Slammed has an unusual twist to sports that I thought was an interesting point. With lots going on and a relationships a no go, maneuvering around the big hulking hottie of goalie might be harder than Dixie thought.

***ARC Provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley***

4.5 Stars

So many forbidden romances aren't really forbidden and end up resolving with none of the drama that the characters expected, so in a way, I really enjoyed this one. Eli is a goalie and Dixie is in the PR department for the San Francicso Thunder hockey team. A relationship is forbidden, and termination for the PR person in the relationship is a guarantee.

So, this becomes about 2 people who want to be together, and who can't, because of a circumstance that is not easily changed. And, I liked that the attraction is enough for them to be willing to at least consider the alternatives, to consider that maybe the relationship they are building is one that is worth some sacrifice.

I also liked that the plotting of the book allowed them to start their relationship when it wasn't actually forbidden, to give them a chance to see if they wanted to be together, and to deal with the budding attraction while it is still technically not against the rules.

The sex was hot, the connection felt real, and there were little touches that made Eli seem incredibly approachable and down to earth (and, those were the worst pick up lines in the history of pick up lines) and it made you understand the attraction to Eli that Dixie wants to fight, and ignore, but can't.

I loved that I believed the ending. As I said in the beginning of the review, there were some changes that needed to be made in order for Eli and Dixie to have a real shot at being together. I loved that the changes both worked and seemed to come about more organically, as it left me with the belief that this is a couple who will be together for the long haul.

I recommend this title.