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

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this title. I liked, a lot, that Maddox and Lacey, the main characters were married throughout the book (really not a spoiler, you find this out immediately) and that the book is about them figuring out that they actually do want to stay married and that what they have when they met, and married, in Vegas was actually real and was the kind of thing you build from.

It's hard, especially in romance, to write something that feels different as we all know that this is going to end up with them in a happily ever after. And, it does. This book, though, is less about the journey of them falling in love and more about the journey of figuring out how to put the past, and their preconceived notions, aside in order to be able to make the relationship work.

The writing was strong and the characters felt authentic. I believed both of them as people. Some of the side characters felt like they possibly got too much time in the story, but not enough that I was not able to connect with Maddox and Lacey.

I enjoyed this overall and I recommend this title.

I'm giving this book a 3,5* rating due to the fact that first 50% of the book I was tempted to DNF it about three times. First I wanted to punch Maddox living lights out with his way off trying to get Lacey to come back to him. Then I wanted to hit Lacey for not trusting Maddox when other women were concerned, but she did expect him to trust her with her friendship with Braeden. Quite frankly I didn't like that guy, but that's beside the point since Maddox and Lacey do end up very happy together.

The other part of the book was great. Once Lacey came around and started to open up more to Maddox this book took me to a whole new level. I absolutely loved Maddox. He was such a sweetheart.

»I don't know what I would’ve done if I never found you,« he whispered. »It’s like a whole part of me was missing.«

I don't think I would have the willpower to keep up the pursuit like he did. But I’m more than happy they managed to put aside all their problems and find their HEA.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***

Playmaker by L.P. Dover is a sports romance with real heart. It centers on Maddox and Lacey as they navigate a quickly marriage and all its consequences. I adored the couple's friends and family so much that I downloaded the other books in this series from Amazon. Thanks to Random House-Loveswept for sending me an ARC of this books via NetGalley.

**4 Stars**
Oh, this book. I seriously couldn’t get enough of it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Maddox in the other two books (don’t worry they can be read as standalones, but I wouldn’t do it that way)… but then I got my hands on Playmaker. I love Maddox, I might even go as far as saying he is my favorite so far. His relationship with Lacey makes you want to crawl through your kindle to squeeze them both! This is the perfect book for anyone who likes hockey romances and looking for a man with an amazing sensitive side.

Maddox was a man who knew what he wanted-his wife. After getting married in Vegas, Lacey up and left Maddox. He searched for her and found her. He knew who she was, but let her believe he didn't. She knew he was her husband, but didn't want to admit why she left him and that she still loved him. When he decides he wants her and isn't going to to let her go, he pulls out all the stops.
I actually liked Maddox more than I liked Lacey. While I understood her reasoning for leaving him the morning after, I also felt like she didn't give him a fair chance. Then, when he came back and told her that he never stopped loving her, she basically didn't give him the time of day, even though she still loved him as well.
Some of the things he said and did had me swooning like none other. I absolutely love this series. I think it is getting better by the book. Maddox is by far my favorite so far, until I re-read the other books.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Strange plot, but still an enjoyable read. I love hockey player romances. Maddox and Lacey had a long road but it was a great read.

The previous novel in this series, Blocked, really set up the story for this one with its slight cliffhanger ending. So I was very excited to see how everything would play out between these two in this installment.

Compared to the other novels in the series, this one had a much better flow to it. While things moved quickly in both terms of the romance and the plot, they had a nicer build up this time around. Thanks to the second chance romance, there was a very natural drive the plot and its development. These two had to work for it and I enjoyed watching them do that.

The deeper connection between these two was also really apparent. It was easy to understand the draw they shared and why they weren't ever able to move on despite the circumstances. I wished we got to see more of their time in Vegas because I love watching a romance from the start but it was awesome to see how their story wraps up.

As for the leads, it was great to see them once again. I had some not so great impressions of Maddox thanks to the previous novels but there is nothing better than seeing a bad boy redeem himself. I loved his character evolution throughout this series and he ends on a strong note in this novel. Lacey is the perfect complement and a strong character from the start. It made their relationship very believable for me.

This was by far my favourite of the series!

3.5 - 3.75 STARS
In this third installment to L.P. Dover’s Breakaway series, the author delivers yet another steamy, angst-filled sports romance. However, this time around, the couple in question are already married. Their spontaneous nuptials were the result of a whirlwind Vegas tryst—one fueled by raw emotions and too much alcohol. But in the clear light of day, Lacey Easton ran from her new husband, because being married to Maddox Ledger of the Charlotte Strikers seemed like a very bad mistake. Once she fled, Lacey then went about her life, hoping that “what happened in Vegas (truly did) stay in Vegas.”

Without a doubt, Lacey and Maddox are the two of the most stubborn people ever! Between Lacey’s unwarranted distrust of Maddox, and Maddox’s juvenile attempts to get even, I found their continuing pigheaded actions both annoying and extremely frustrating. But once they finally moved past the issues that kept them apart, I warmed up to both Lacey and Maddox, wanting them to finally get their HEA.

This is a hard book for me to rate and review, as my enjoyment of Lacey and Maddox’s story evolved along the way. Initially, I was not a fan, but eventually became one. So, for me, the love/hate relationship I had with this couple’s story was truly a struggle. Breaking it down, I adored them as a couple, but disliked them when they were not. Because at the root of all their problems are all the things I DETEST the most: denial, non-communication, misassumptions, and acts of punishment/retribution. Once they put those matters to rest, their love story moving forward, then became a delight to read.

I really enjoyed seeing Maddox and Lacey's relationship develop. What happens in Vegas may rear its ugly head! After a fast paced fling in Vegas Lacey left Maddox taking their marriage license with her. When they connected Maddox had no idea she was the sister of his teammate nor was he ready to find himself alone after their wedding. Two years later Maddox wants their marriage to work, Lacey still has trust issues and a best friend who wants to be more than friends, oh and he's a teammate to Maddox too. Can Maddox prove he's serious, can Lacey trust him while puck bunnies throw themselves at him? Well written with great characters!

Maddox Ledger is a professional hockey player for the Charlotte Strikers. Until recently his teammates couldn’t stand him due to inability to respect them and treat them as his friends. Maddox knows he’s had some anger issues, but that has changed since he decided to win over the love of his life, Lacey Easton. Two years prior, on a vacation to Las Vegas, he met this wonderful woman. For two weeks they were constantly together, he even convinced her to marry him. However, when he woke up the next morning after their Elvis wedding, she was gone. Hiring a private detective finally helped. Lacey was no other than the sister to the goalie in his team, Dallas. Now that Dallas and Callie are getting married and asked him to be a groomsman, Maddox has plans to make his wife see that he’s not the man she left behind.
Lacey knows she made a mistake leaving Maddox two years ago. She’s been in love with him ever since. But how can this work, he’s in Charlotte, NC and she’s in New York. Maddox is doing everything to prove to her that she is all he wants and needs. Can she trust him to be her forever.

I finished this second chance, sports romance with mixed feelings. On the surface, the story is a bit different than most of the genre in that Maddox and Lacey are married when they get their second chance, and there are some interesting characters throughout the book. So, while the bones of the story are good, what started as a promising story line came up a bit lacking. I loved Maddox. He's a little broken but knows what he wants and is willing to do the work to get there. However, Lacey is an irksome combination of hot and cold. Throughout most of the book, she bounces back and forth between wanting to make the relationship work and having no faith in Maddox whatsoever. Several times, she would say that it wasn't going to work while her actions would completely negate those words. While Maddox has some self-worth issues, most of the angst for this pair comes from Lacey's continuous back and forth along with a couple of outside sources that were more distraction than anything else. About fifty percent of this romance is Lacey pulling away while Maddox chases and jumps through hoops to show her how he feels. We do eventually see some character growth with Lacey and things start coming together, but in the end, it just didn't have that stand out something to make me want to root for this couple, making it just an okay read for me.

Maddox and Lacey met in Vegas, had a great time together and at the end of the holiday they got married on a whim. The next morning Lacey disappeared because she knew what hockey players were like ... they had a girl in every city and all one-night stands ... because her brother played on the same team as Maddox. Two years later they meet again at her brother's wedding and the sparks are still there. Will Maddox be able to convince Lacey to take a chance on him?

The teaser for this book just confused me ... the book was quite different from it. Maddox was a lot more into wanting a relationship than Lacey was ... he kinda melted my heart with how sweet his was. But I didn't feel sorry for Lacey at all ... make up your mind girl, you want him or not? Was she really that afraid of what her brother would say, that she placed her relationship with Maddox in jeopardy? I found the beginning of the book to have quite a few cheesy lines, but the got much better towards the end. Remember ... this is just my opinion.

I received an ARC courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I've been waiting for Maddox's book to come out!! I really enjoyed this book. I felt bad for Maddox a few times trying to get Lacey to trust him. I also empathized with Lacey. Considering his reputation it would be hard to deal with that. But these two pushed throw their hurdles and crossed the finish line. Not a lot of surprises but it was a sweet, amusing read!

I loved the dynamic of these two characters. There are some great moments as they go back and forth with each other. Some funny, some heartfelt. I didn't want to put it down. It doesn't matter if you read the others before this one, it just makes you want to go read about the other characters in the series.

Great fast paced book! Exceeded my expectations! Found that I loved Maddox and Lacey as a couple and was rooting for them until the very end!

This is my favorite book of the series to far. I was really looking forward to Maddox and Lacey's story because of the mystery surrounding them in the previous book. I loved Maddox's growth in this book and how sweet he ended up being. This story was a lot more realistic than the others and the progression of the relationship was logical. Maddox and Lacey had great chemistry. I definitely enjoyed this quick, sexy read!

While I enjoyed the story of a hockey player and his estranged wife, overall the story was not for me. It was a little predictable and there were some timeline issues that I noticed.

I knew this was going to go....(Can't tell you)
I assumed a lot after reading Hard Stick. I snatched up a copy of Blocked but have yet to read it. So I may have been in the dark about somethings, but I remember others.

Playmaker is the squealing, happy fan girl for bad boys story. In translation,everyone who loves second chances for the bad boy- this is your book. It doesn't hurt that he's a gorgeous, ripped hockey player. Oh and he's madly in love with his...girl.

Even though its the 3rd in the series, it can be read as a way to break into the series. Personally, I need all the facts and am annoyed at myself I didn't get to Blocked first but I know I will enjoy it anyway.

I can't wait to see my guy Braeden finally his chance. Hopefully with many more hockey hotties to come!

Breakaway is a fun sexy romance series with hockey players, most paired up with doctors or nurses. Smart women love a challenge and seem to be drawn to the bad boy players of hockey. The characters are connected by siblings, cousins or friends of the team so they are intertwined in the series. Each book stands alone but we've heard about Lacey and Maddox before so their story was brewing. Theirs came about a little different and I was slightly disappointed that it took him so long to find Lacey again. The old Vegas marriage bit was mixed with a case of cold feet after the fact. It was a great read for a cold rainy day when I needed something light and easy to enjoy. I received my copy through Netgalley and left this review voluntarily.