Member Reviews
Series fans will enjoy seeing how the relationship between Bren and Violet unfolds in Meader's final installment of the Chicago Rebels hockey series. Frank discussions of negotiating custody after a divorce and navigating sobriety give additional weight to a fairly lighthearted story, and series fans will enjoy catching glimpses of couples from other titles.
While not my favorite book in the Chicago Rebels series. "Hooked on You" is a pleasant diversion, with drama interspersed with more lighthearted moments.
What a magnificent finale to an amazing series!!! Bren and Violet have been slow burning through the whole series so I knew this one was going to be HOT but what’s even better is it was sweet and deeply emotional as well. The sisters, the girls, the team, the push for the Cup, all of it was perfectly done. I can’t recommend Kate Meader enough and this series as whole but this book especially is why: pure magic and perfection!
The final book in the Chicago Rebels Series is the one I have been waiting for. Violet Vasquez is the youngest of the three sisters that inherited the Chicago Rebels hockey team. She really has no interest in the team itself. But when she meets the captain of the hockey team she would love to have something to do with him. Bren St. James' life is a mess. He's a recovering alcoholic who is on his last chance of saving his career and re-establishing a relationship with his two daughters. The last thing he needs right now is to get involved with someone who can derail all of his accomplishments. But resisting Violet is the hardest thing he has to do for quite sometime. But she also brings him back to life and helps him to fix his relationship with his daughters. But when his ex threatens to destroy him by revealing just how low he got when he was drinking he has to make a decision about what he will do to finally have a happy and meaningful life with his daughters and Violet.
Hooked On You is the third and final book in the Chicago Rebels series by Kate Meader. My oh my oh my. This book! It is fantastic! I have loved this series from the start but this book…it’s the best of the batch! I had so many butterflies in my stomach from Bren St. James it’s a wonder I didn’t take flight myself. That man could melt the biggest glacier with his hotness. Well, let’s just get into this review so I can tell you all about it.
Violet Vasquez is the youngest of the three sisters that became part owners of the Chicago Rebels Ice Hockey team. Her two older sisters spent their entire lives trying to please their father. But he hadn’t even wanted anything to do with Violet. She spent her life wondering why he disliked her so much. So why, when he died, did he leave her a third of the team? So she, as per the rules of the will, had to temporarily relocate to Chicago and attend the home games. Where Harper and Isobel love owning the team, Violet just wants to do what’s required of her, and then take her money and leave. Her sisters have specific duties in the running of the team. Violet can’t seem to find her place. So she has become a sort of cheerleader of sorts. What no one but her sisters know, though, is that Violet is a cancer survivor. And this is her year. This is her year to experience things, to be brave, to be vibrant, the year of the “V!”
Bren St. James is the Captain of the team. He is divorced and the father of two beautiful daughters. He is also an alcoholic. It is only the generosity of Harper that he still has a spot on the team after going to rehab. Now all he wants is to mend his relationships with his daughters and gain back the respect of his team. No where in his recovery is there room for a very spunky woman with a pink stripe in her hair that seems to make him ache every time she is anywhere near him. But when his daughters unexpectedly get to come and live with him, he finds himself in need of a nanny he can trust, and Violet has a way with his girls. He trusts her. The question is, can he keep his hands off of her?
The Rebels have had quite a year. They have gone from being the worst team to being in the playoffs. A regular Cinderella story. I just can’t imagine how Bren was able to carry all of this on his shoulders. He is approaching a year of sobriety but still battles it every single day. He is trying to be the best he can be for his little girls. Being Captain of the team, he feels the pressure of not letting them down in the play offs, and fighting his attraction to Violet. Plus, he knows his ex-wife has some sort of scheme up her sleeve. He is just waiting for her to show her cards. How this man shouldered all of this I can’t imagine.
Both Violet and Bren were looking for their places in life. Neither felt like they fit. But somehow, together, they did. Things just felt right, looked brighter. But Violet makes sure her intentions are clear, she’s not staying. Chicago is not her home. The longer they are able to stay in the playoffs, though, the more time they have together. The more they both wonder how they will ever let the other go. The more they feel like a family with Bren’s girls. And these two women who were strangers to Violet not that long ago have started to feel like sisters, like a bond had formed between them and she somehow belonged.
“With her he felt renewed. Changed. Worthy. With her he felt like the man he was meant to be.”
This book! I sighed, I swooned. I laughed. The girls are so sweet. And while this series is wildy hot, this one, even though it has some very steamy moments, is more focused on Bren’s family. And there are plenty of the characters from the other books involved. You get lots of Remy and his New Orleans hotness, and Vadim, oh my gosh, that man is hilarious. And of course, Dante and Cade. I could not put this down. And if I was forced to, I was thinking about it. Kate Meader, thank you. Thank you for these characters that will live in my heart for a very long time. What a wonderful ride this series has been.
Hooked on You is the third book (fourth volume) in a series which centers on the fictitious hockey team the Chicago Rebels. Violet and Bren both have issues in their past that they are still coming to terms and dealing with. Violet is a breast cancer survivor who is acclimating to her life as part owner of a hockey team that her estranged father left her. Bren is one of the stars on said hockey team and a recovering alcoholic who is trying to atone for his past with his young children. While they try to fight their mutual attraction, they eventually give in.
For the most part this was an enjoyable read. I thought it a little excessive how many times Fleetwood Mac was mentioned, but that is just a minor squabble.
This can be read as a stand alone as each book focuses on a different couple in the series. This is the first book I read in the series, but I will probably go back and read the others sometime as I enjoyed this one.
This is book 3 in a series. It can stand alone but I suggest you read them all starting with the 1st book in the series as the characters and stories are interconnected. This final book was just WOW. It is amazing story and extremely well written. Violet and Bren were beyond wonderful characters. THey both have very painful pasts and I fell in love with them as characters as they are really there for the other. This concludes the series and I hate that it is over.
Bren is a single dad with tw0 children and a former alcoholic. Violet is a Latino, long lost daughter of the hockey teams owner who now owns 1/3 of the team with her sister. She also is a recovering breast cancer survivor and this is her year and she decides she wants Bren as her prize.
Bren resists her until she saves his daughters life and then decides to have her handle his kids while he tries to win the Stanley Cup. During the way they become a team and fall in love. This story was absolutely wonderful and I loved every minute of their jjourney.
Hooked On You by Kate Meader was a fantastic, light and easy read. I enjoyed this book overall, the characters were wonderful and I loved that Violet was so different to the ladies we normally read about in romance novels. I'm a sucker for Scottish men so Bren was definitely a plus! I really enjoyed his relationship with Violet and his kids were adorable. Definitely worth picking up this book for a nice romance read, with a few twists and turns you don't expect. Would recommend you pick this book up!
I received this book from Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Pocket Books and Kate Meader for letting me read it before release.
Yet another fabulous book from Kate in the Chicago Rebels series! This is Violet and Bren's story and what a story it is. Violet is the youngest of the Chase sisters who inherited a foundering hockey team from their deceased father. Harper and Isobel are siblings, Vi is a half sister from their father's one off. Vi lives out loud and oh how I have loved her throughout the series, marching to the beat of her own drummer, not sure where she really fit into the picture. She's been content to let the two older sisters run things, hockey hasn't been her life and her life hasn't been an easy one. She's used to men walking away, the last one walked when her breast cancer diagnosis came in. She's a survivor, opting for reconstructive surgery and although a small part in the book, I thought was done incredibly well.
So Violet meets Bren St James, the giant Scot in a bar in Chicago and parks herself next to him, strikes up a little conversation, before Bren knew that Vi was his new boss and one of the three sisters. Vi throws out a little innuendo because that's her and she really had a thing for him only to have her shot down quicker than you can say "Aye." Clearly he wanted nothing to do with this woman. That was 9 months ago, when Bren was still pulling himself out of the gutter and sober and didn't want any sass, he's a total grouch. He's kept his distance from Vi since then, shooting her looks of disapproval for no reason, apparently not liking her choice of wardrobe that day. He really comes off a judgmental dick. Violet's taken to calling him Nessie to get under his skin and gets a poke in here and there with him.
The Rebels are headed for the playoffs with Bren as their Captain and don't you know his ex wife flakes out and sends his two daughters to live with him. That relationship ended badly and you have to read the book for the deets. Needless to say, it's got Harper scrambling to get him help, settling in the girls, his old house opened up and most importantly hiring a nanny for the girls, they need a caregiver especially now with him traveling and the playoffs. He loves his girls. Truly he does and that was a delight. And the girls to his dismay loved Violet. Problem was is that he as much as told Harper he didn't want Vi around the girls. Well, that my friends was a freaking kindle flinger moment if I've ever had one. A long string of expletives flew out of my mouth and by default Vi found out yet offered to help him interview the next round of nannies. Vi was a natural, Bren sat there with his thumb ... ya know. Vi left him be after that. There was so much back and forth between these two that it made my head spin at times. It wasn't Vi either. Bren couldn't trust himself to keep his hands off Vi. He was attracted to her and let her wheedle her way under his skin.
When the Rebels make it to the play offs we have a little twist in the story and that's where I'm leaving you. Twisted. Just like I was. An aside is we get to see all the other characters from the previous books and their characters are just the best. I loved this series. Sadly I do believe this is the last book and can't wait to see what Kate's got cooking for us next!
4.5 stars
**arc from NetGalley and Publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
“You’re this vibrant force, a woman who lights up every room she enters. You can’t be expected to dim your sun.”
Great ending for a great series! I'm a huge Kate Meader's fan. So far, I have enjoyed every single one of her books and Hooked On You is not any different.
I have come to love the three sisters: Harper, Isobel, and Violet. Together they owned the hockey team the Chicago Rebels and for the last season, they have helped the team get to the playoffs in one way or another. They also have become stronger as a family while helping each other overcome their own perceived shortcomings. Lastly, they all have a weakness. They seem to have problems not sleeping with a hockey player.
“Sheesh, I’m thinking we need to put something in the players’ contracts.” She mimicked writing something. “Must be willing to sleep with management.”
From the three, Violet has been the one who knows the least about hockey but who likes to give the team her enthusiasm before each game. She also loves to poke "Nessie" aka the Rebels Captain, Bren St. James. What her sisters don't know is that months ago, she propositioned him before she knew who he was and he turned her down. Of course, the Highlander didn't know she was recuperating from a double mastectomy and he would have been the first guy to "see" her in all her glory.
Bren St James is a recovering alcoholic. He has been sober for a year and besides playing the best hockey he can and trying to be a good captain for the Rebels, he wants to rebuild his relationship with his two daughters. He carries a lot of guilt from what he put them through and he doesn't want to mess up his second chance.
What Violet doesn't know is that Bren turned her down as part of his recovery not because he was not interested. But now months later, he doesn't know for how long he can keep on ignoring his attraction for her. Yet, when he suddenly needs someone to take care of his two girls, Violet steps up. Keeping himself away from her is not feasible any longer.
“So sure it’s going to happen, Scot?”
“It’s inevitable, lass. We can fight it or accept it.
I love Violet and Bren together. Their banter and texting were great!. They were very different but together they made perfect sense. Violet projected this confident personality while hiding her insecurities. Bren was determined to save his relationship with his two daughters and knew that alcohol was not the answer. He also realized he wanted Violet in his life and he stopped fighting it.
“But when you’re ready, I’ll be here. Waiting with my girls for the one person who made us whole again. Who gives me hope and makes me smile.”
As always, the rest of the cast of characters were present to help this couple realize what they had and to fight for each other.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Pocket Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love the series and Hooked on you is no exception. Bren and Violet were struggling emotionally and both vulnerable but couldn't resist each other.
They were able to concur their demons and fight for love.
I though the author did a great job dealing with the blended families both with Harper an Iz and his daughters
Loved this book. Violet and Bren are great together. The chemistry between them is explosive and how in finding each other they help heal the wounds of the past
This is the final book in the series and I think the author may have saved the best for last! What a great wrap up to a series that is all about woman power and standing up for what is right. Oh, and lets just through in a hot Scot single dad while we are at it.
Violet and Bren are oil and water and the explosion could not have been more entertaining. Loved the humor, the sass and the love between these two. I love when two broken halves come together and realize they are better as one. Bren's little sprites were adorable as well. And we also got to see a fair amount of hockey in this one. Yeah! Loved it all. Sorry to see the Rebel's go away.
I totally have a girl crush on Kate Meader. I'm not even going to lie about it. It's time to accept it for what it is... Lol!
The final book in Meader's Rebels hockey romance series doesn't disappoint. We finally get the story of Violet, the "accidental" daughter from a gold digging mission gone awry, and Bren, the hockey captain who nearly derailed his own career. Each bring truckloads of baggage to the relationship. While they try to use snark and snarl to keep each other at a distance, inevitably they collide like they are meant to. The fireworks that result are spectacular Meader storytelling.
The wrap up to the story and the whole series is beyond what I could have hoped for. There are so many lessons here about family that it would take another whole review to talk about them. Essentially, this bad of sisters and band of warriors all make up the components of their unique family as much as their individual relationships do. That is what makes me love Meader stories so much... The love and the female characters that are beyond sassy and capable of taking care of themselves, yet choose to share their lives and love with men who deserve what they have to offer. A cameo by a certain Chicago couple also helped bring a satisfied smile to my face. ;-)
“Hooked on You," Kate Meader's third Chicago Rebels hockey romance release, takes up the tale of Violet and Bren. These two have been dancing around each other, forcing down their mutual attraction and dealing with personal demons in books one and two. So it's no surprise where they're headed; what's surprising is the road they take to get there.
Bren is fresh out of rehab and a bad marriage. His only goals are to win the Stanley Cup and repair his relationship with his two daughters. Violet is recovering from a serious health challenge and attempting to build a relationship with the two half-sisters she never knew, and with whom she has just inherited the Rebels courtesy of the father she never knew. With so much at stake, and such tragic backstories, the first third of the book is rather sad and somber. I was beginning to worry until H and h began to communicate. And get naked, it must be admitted.
But what I really enjoyed about “Hooked on You” were the secondary characters. Not just those we have already been introduced to, but Violet’s family back in Puerto Rico and Bren’s semi-estranged daughters. As for Violet’s family, I know many authors are loath to write characters outside their direct experience, whether through self- or public censorship. And I know there is a sizeable component of romance readers that think no author should venture outside her own demographic and to do so is some kind of aggression. I don’t agree, and I am myself a person of color. (It should be noted I know nothing of Meader’s background.) Anyway, Violet’s family is not written as canonized caricatures as so often encountered in fiction. In fact, Violet’s mother and aunts are collectively known as “The Macbeth Witches,” a not entirely ironic endearment.
Meader also strikes a good balance in her depiction of Bren’s children. I like the children in my romance to be either mute or invisible. Sometimes both. Anyway, Frankie and Cat are well-drawn characters, neither too precocious nor otherworldly-wise beyond their years, tropes that never fail to make me roll my eyes. They come off as regular kids, sometimes endearing sometimes maddening but always authentic.
The climax of the book arrives with the Stanley Cup finals. No spoilers here; just a satisfying payoff to a great series (the hockey and the novels). Highly recommended.
ARC received for an honest review.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I've ready the 2 previous and one novella prior to this and believe this is the best in the series! Loved the H & h. The burn between the two was totally believable. I loved Violet's interaction with Bren's kids and the struggle Bren had balancing work and the kids. While not everyone is a hockey player anyone with kids or even without can appreciate what that is like. Each had issues that they had to deal with and they did without it being angsty.
Even though it's part of the series you can easily read this one first without being lost.
Make sure you notice the dedication - best I've read in a very, very long time.
Really hoping this isn't the last of this series!!!
There’s so many things to say about this book, GAH!!!
How Bren and Violet exposed their deepest vulnerabilities with each other. It was a big moment of trust for two people who carried some hefty emotional scars of their own. Also, Violet’s relationship with Bren’s daughters. It reflected her understanding of single parenthood and the emotional impact it had on kids from personal experience and it said a lot about her character. It was something I found I really respected about her.
Letting Violet care for his daughters his greatest treasures-also reflected Bren’s growth. Bren owned up to his addictions in a very unapologetic way and his journey from the brink reflected the damage he caused and how he was striving to pull himself out of the muck he found himself in. It made me like him all the more when he didn’t shy away from his weaknesses and instead used them to make better choices.
Now this is a Meader book so it goes without saying the attraction between these two was positively combustible! Over the course of the series the sarcastic quips and digs between Bren and Violet showcased the stomach curling tension and sizzling sexy chemistry that finally culminated in this book. Seriously sexy and off the charts smoking hot!
(Bren and Violet are almost as hot as Cade and Dante.. however, the guys definitely won in the heat department!)
I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for Bren and Violet story and it did not disappoint!! There’s so much I enjoyed about this story. The easy camaraderie between the team, unfailing support between the sisters, an awesome supporting cast, an all around great romance...I even learned a little bit about hockey! All of it kept me spellbound way past my bedtime! Highly recommend this series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story is predictable and while other books in this series are really creative in the different situations the characters go through this one however is predictable. As fun and free spirited as Vi is in past books there is really nothing that showcases her fun wild personality in this book. The very best part of the book is the Ferris Buler Day off date with the girls and Bren. It was such a fun and carefree moments with the whole crew. We all know the ex is coming back and that she will throw down with Vi but even that was really uneventful for Vi. I just wanted and expected more from these wild characters and from Bren who is able to keep Vi entertained and well satisfied.
The third sister gets her man in this hockey story. Three sisters inherit a hockey team from their father (each have a different mother). This is Violet's story. She is a cancer survivor, and is full of live and vigor. Meeting Bren, who is a recovering alcoholic, suffering from a messy divorce and trying to take care of his two small daughters (ages 11 and 6). Trying to find a nanny, things fall through and Violet steps in to help. Sparks are flying, and romance begins, but they have to both overcome their demons. Good story overall, but felt his lawyer was over the top a bit, and didn't quite see how the ex-wife was given so much power. I liked the book overall, but the push and pull of the relationship got a little tiresome after awhile. Felt sorry for the girls. Still, I enjoyed the story overall, and would highly recommend this book, author and series.
This has been a fantastic series of stand-alones that I am sorry to see end. The brotherhood among the hockey team, the sisterhood among the 3 sisters who are navigating a new "family", and all of the romance infused with sexy times and humor has been the perfect combination for some great hours of reading.
This book, in particular, had a bit of everything. Violet is the sister that had been the most removed from her sisters, and the one who is most out-of-place and unsettled in their new situation. She is also strong, free-spirited, and hilarious which makes her an interesting and fun character to read.
Bren is a recovering alcoholic with two young daughters and an ex-wife. He comes off as grumpy, but his interactions with Violet and his daughters are anything but that. He develops into a sexy and lovable character as you see him in all of the different relationships - his kids, Violet, the team, etc.
The chemistry between these two was electrifying. And, to see them bonding as a family made it even more real and endearing. The girls definitely added a special perspective to the events of the story.
I have to say I fell in love with Bren during the Ferris Bueller scene!!! The epilogue was the perfect way to wrap up the series. This is a definite must-read book.. But if you have missed the others in the series, even though it isn't necessary to enjoy this one, I highly recommend working your way through from start to finish. I will miss these characters!
The year of the V!!!!
I have been anticipating this book from the beginning and Kate did NOT let me down! Bren was everything and V was MORE!
I just absolutely LOVE V to death. Everything about her, attitude, style, outlook on life. She's a freaking SURVIVOR! The fact she turned out the way she did with how she was raised has to say something. Not that she was neglected, but her mom was a bit of an opportunist and her aunt's were a bit cray cray. Though, that's what made her who she is today.
I have to admit, I cried a lot in the book. It wasn't a long hard cry, it was some tears and sniffles here and there. There's a soft spot in my heart for cancer survivors, and she's one of my favorites.
I couldn't have asked for a better outcome to a series (tartan cowboy boots FTW!) BUT I reaaaally hope we get some Callahan and Fish stories!! And I'd also like a more solid relationship between Dante and Alamo!
Let them come more out of the closet and be freeeeee!!!