Kelly Jamieson lights the lamp with GOOD HANDS (Bears Hockey II #2). Bears NHL player Brandon Smith and Change Manager Lola McGrath met in Aruba, having a one-nightstand. They run into each other again in New York and decide they could be friends with benefit. They are both focused on work. Neither want kids nor marriage. Theoretically, it’s the perfect arrangement; until there are some changes along the way.

GOOD HANDS is a fun story. Brandon and Lola have amazing chemistry. They both seem to know what they want, but their priorities alter. They both do a lot of soul-searching and growing up in the story. They are dynamic and likable characters.

The story is skillfully written and believable. I enjoyed the plot, and the novel flowed well. GOOD HANDS is an excellent addition to the Bears Hockey II series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Oh we met them in Aruba and knew the hook up was off the charts! I’m so glad they got their own book.

Lola a workaholic meets Brandon a player…. On vacation and it is just what she needs. More than she knows.

Brandon never needed anyone, but now that he sees some of his friends settling down, he is not 💯 sure. A chance encounter in NYC after returning home and he and Lola connect again…. He is not so sure about anything…..

Sometimes you think you know what you want and need until the things you truly want and need walk into your life…. And sometimes, it is when they are missing you truly get it.

Great addition to this series.

It was only supposed to be one night a hot vacation fling, but what does it mean when two people keep bumping into one another in a city as big as New York? Two people both a bit disconnected from their families, both not wanting the trappings of marriage and babies, both busy with careers, both with some emotional baggage made Good Hands by Kelly Jamieson a bit of a bumpy ride to their HEA. I enjoyed this book quite a lot, the characters were well developed, their story wasn’t typical or easy, and I was very happy with the outcome, but I’ll also be honest and say that I wanted more time with them once they figured it all out.

When a beautiful woman approaches Brandon when he’s on vacation with his teammates he realizes right away she’s smart, funny, and not afraid to ask for what she wants and he is so there for it. They are both in the same place, and so when the night is done they don’t bother with exchanging numbers even though they live in the same city. But when he runs into her again in NYC they enjoy another night… I liked that these two adults enjoyed a purely physical relationship at the start but it became apparent that Brandon avoided serious conversations, he was the master of changing the subject, and he kept his interactions with everyone he spent time with including his teammates light and happy. There was a reason and it was a good one, but as things progress and a positive pregnancy test takes them by surprise Brandon is thrown for a loop.

Meeting Brandon in Aruba on her last night was a huge highlight to Lola’s much needed vacation, to say she’s surprised when they run into each other again is putting it mildly. Soon they have a friends with benefits relationship going, agreeing to exclusivity and seeing each other when they both have time in their busy schedules. It works for them especially as she works to prove she’d be the right pick for a V.P. slot at the company she’d done contract work for the last 7 years and finally prove to her parents she’s a success. The last thing Lola expects after months of this relationship is a positive pregnancy test and the man she’s grown to really like suggest they be co-parents only.

I actually liked both these characters a lot and felt they could relate to one another fairly well with their parental issues. They both had some flaws that caused them not to handle the stress of a surprise pregnancy well and both were bad about lashing out instead of really communicating. I did like they both confronted their parents and worked to forge a better relationship with them. I was happy that they both worked hard to open up to one another, were willing to learn to communicate effectively, and work through their issues. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and we got very little time with them as an actual for real couple and after watching all of their ups and downs, I needed that.

One thing that was a constant was the chemistry between these two and because it’s a Kelly Jamieson book, their intimate scenes were melt your reading device hot. It was nice to see two people who reveled in their sexuality and enjoyed one another fully; Ms. Jamieson always delivers in this area.

Sensual, steamy, and emotional, Good Hands had its ups and downs, but in the end love won.

Ever since I accidentally stumbled upon the Bears Hockey series (Talk Hockey to me), I have been looking out for Kelly Jamieson’s arcs on Netgalley.

Good Hands is the second book in the Bears Hockey II series.

It is about Brandon, who is a bachelor for life. Having seen a failing marriage and the corresponding fights, has been a valuable life lesson: don’t get attached.

So a night of no-strings-attached-sex in Aruba with a very sexy girl is obviously perfect. Too bad for Brandon that he can’t get the girl out of his head for weeks after the one night stand. Lola is razor focused on finally getting that promotion at her job. But even working girls need some time off. To blow off steam a one night stand in Aruba seemed like the best idea. Until Lola and Brandon accidentally meet again in New York. And the attraction is still there.

Agreeing to do one more one night stand. And another. And then moving on to friends-with-benefits. Until one time leads to an unexpected pregnancy.

Lola never expected to get pregnant with an IUD. But, as the doctor said, it was a one percent occurrence. And although she wants to get that promotion, she decides that she wants to keep the baby.

Brandon never wanted a family. But the moment Lola told him, she was having a baby, he felt excited. until reality came crashing down. But Brandon will make sure that his child will never feel unwanted, like he did. And to make sure that he and Lola will never fight in front of his child is to keep their distance. Right? Good Hands is yet another gripping, cute romance. Kelly Jamieson isn’t afraid to discuss dramatic events and psychological scars.. Which gives the characters depht and brings them to life. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds.

I received this arc for an honest review.

The story opens with the two of them meeting in Aruba and spending the night together. Both have a great time but Lola has to leave in the morning. Brandon was hoping to spend more time with her but can’t do anything about that.
Back home with their lives she is working and hoping that she can get a promotion at the company she is at. He of course is training and working for the season. They happen to run into each other and though they enjoy each other's company neither is looking for a relationship. Though they are hot in bed so they come up with bed buddies. It works and things are going good yet neither figures out that they have become more than that for they are sharing things that most couples do.
Everything really changes when she becomes pregnant and she figures that Brandon does not want to be a couple when they have an argument and she mentions being with another guy though she is not he cannot stop thinking about that. Each has to work out their issues with relationships and see what happens in this wonderful story.

I'm a fan of the vacation fling trope in romances, ones where the characters meet up again later and develop an actual relationship. So when I heard that Kelly Jamieson's most recent release, Good Hands would feature this within her current hockey series (Bears Hockey II) I was quite excited to get my hands on a copy, and I'm happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Brandon Smith is a Chicago Bears hockey player whose mantra is to keep things light and easy and not cling to things too hard, a sentiment that has served him well over his hockey career with several different teams and equally well  with women. So hooking up with the sexy and fun Lola McGrath while on vacation in Aruba is a no-brainer. She's admitted to not having time to pursue a relationship either, and together they have a smoking hot time, leaving them with some sensual memories.

Lola needed that time away from her job as a change manager, helping clients deal with mergers and acquisitions, and looking ever forward to a move up the ladder with the knowledge that the current vice president of the company will be retiring and she'll have a chance at that position. She's a workaholic, putting in extra hours, taking on projects and micro-managing to make sure things get accomplished to her liking. It's exhausting, but she feels the reward will be worth it.

Much to Lola and Brandon's surprise however, they meet again back in Chicago at a hotel bar where she's attending a work-related awards event and Brandon is meeting his agent. Thinking of their time back in Aruba reminds them of how good the sex was between them and they throw caution to the wind to indulge in another night together. And then, another chance meeting while shopping leads to yet another night and this time phone numbers are exchanged, with the promise of more meetings, more fun and sexy times, more... what exactly? Because as they spend time together and share things about each other’s lives, suddenly their friends with benefits arrangement gets complicated and they are left to wonder – is it time to call it quits or go all in?

I'm a long time fan of this author (and full disclosure, we've met in person for lunch a few times as we live in the same city). She knows hockey (she's a tried and true fan of our local team), the ins and outs of not just the game on the ice but the real nitty gritty behind the scenes of money and contracts and decision- making. So the hockey parts of the book all feel very authentic.

What was more interesting to me, however, was how the two main characters change and evolve over the course of the story.  Lola’s workaholism is in part due to how she was raised. Her parents built up her self-esteem so much as a child with well-meaning but sometimes false praise for everything she did such that college and the real world came as a big shock when she didn't always succeed in her course work. After failing out of medical school, she's found a job she enjoys and is good at, but doesn't trust other people to contribute the same amount of effort as she does. She has difficulty delegating tasks and prefers to take everything on herself, a work position that is becoming unsustainable. As her relationship with Brandon progresses, she begins to realize that it isn't a weakness to ask for help. I really appreciated the dynamic she has with her cousin Kaylee, who isn't afraid to be blunt and tell Lola the truth about things and make her see that she's been setting unrealistic expectations of herself.

Brandon is an accomplished hockey player with friends on every team he's been on. But what few people know is that he believes that his parents divorced because of him, that his hockey playing as a youth was what ultimately strained their marriage to the breaking point. Put in the middle of their arguments, Brandon's truth is that relationships break down and cause pain, and that it's better to not get too attached. His philosophy means being traded from one hockey team to another doesn't really bother him because he hasn't bothered to put down roots in the cities where he's played. He sees his team mates, the ones who are married with children, and has never daydreamed about that life, afraid that what happened to him is what would happen to his own child.

But spending time with Lola means that for the first time, he thinks about his future, about being traded or having a family, in a new, somewhat frightening (to him) way. He makes decisions because of that fear that cause a strain in his relationship with Lola, ones they have to work through with open communication and honesty in order to get things back on track. The result is a convincing happy ending because the reader knows they've put in the work to make a long lasting relationship. Good Hands has the winning combination of strong character development with hot and sexy scenes to make for a thoroughly enjoyable contemporary romance.

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4.5 Stars!

Loved this one! It is fun and flirty and Lola and Brandon are just genuinely nice people.

A vacation exploit turns into more when these two bump into each other again back in the real world. They want to stay friends with benefits since neither has good track records with relationships. Things turn into more pretty quickly. I love how they approach and handle things as adults.

A little bit of hockey in this one. Brandon has more conversations about his team than we actually get to see action. But that is ok in this case.

Glad I got to meet this couple!

In Good Hands, Bears Hockey II #2 by Kelly Jamieson, an unforgettable one-night stand in Aruba between a hockey player and a businesswoman fortuitously turns into a series of hookups, then friends with benefits complicated by them catching feelings and an accidental pregnancy. Told in dual first-person POV, Good Hands is an intensely emotional, funny romance. I love how Brandon and Lola spend a significant amount of time connecting and talking to each other, even during their first hookup. This is consistent throughout the novel. Jamieson makes it clear that they are friends as well as lovers. Both have emotional baggage from their childhoods and relationships with their parents that drive their lifestyle choices in their careers and relationships. Jamieson deftly develops Lola, Brandon, their relationship, and the novel with vivid description, lively dialogue, and sexy banter drawing me in from the first scene and keeping me glued to the pages. The sex scenes between Brandon and Lola are pivotal to the story and the character’s development and evolution, outside of the accidental pregnancy, which, interestingly enough, doesn’t occur until well into the novel. Jamieson writes beautiful, passionate, emotional, sexy, and intense love scenes that highlight the growing connection between Lola and Brandon and the intensity of their feelings for each other.

Sexy, charismatic, emotionally controlled hockey player Brandon Smith avoids letting himself get too attached to his teams or serious relationships with women, believing love and family only lead to fights and heartache. However, hot vacation sex with Lola, whom he meets in a tropical beachside bar in Aruba, leaves him with a lingering impression and longing. Gorgeous, funny, intelligent, workaholic Lola McGrath enjoyed their night together just as much but knew she’d never see Brandon again, unfortunately. And it’s probably for the best since she’s focused on getting promoted and proving herself to her employer, co-workers, and parents, so she has no time for dating or relationships.

Exploring how unresolved family issues and baggage can affect adult relationships and choices, Good Hands is a steamy, emotional, sexy, funny, sweet contemporary romance about learning to communicate, deal with and express emotions, and believe in your capabilities.

Advanced review copy provided by Kelly Jamieson Inc. via Netgalley for review.

Brandon was just looking for a good night in Aruba and he found it with Lola. A friends with benefits situation occurs with these two individuals discovering there’s more to life than just work. Brandon and Lola develop a friendship into a relationship that leaves both of them reeling in the ways they connect. Especially when they declared themselves to be single for life. Wedding Brandon was the best. Jamison gives all the feelings and emotions in her newest Bears Hockey series. Along with the past couple that we’ve grown to love. Jamison hits the 5 hole with Good Hands.

This is book 2 in the Bears Hockey II series but it can absolutely be read as a standalone! In this one we get Brandon and Lola's story. Brandon has a keep everything easy and fun in his life but also make sure that it is something easy to let go of. He applies that attitude to not only his hockey career but also to his personal life. He learned early on that love and family equals fighting and heartache. So he leaves and moves on from everything before it has a chance to turn bad in order to avoid that. He meets Lola at a beachside bar and knows it's the perfect setup for vacation sex. Especially as she is leaving the following day. Lola knows that it was only going to be a night. Which is fine with her as she has her own goals and has no intentions of letting something get in the way of them. But when they run across each other in NY, they keep going for just one more night together. Over and over. Neither expected each other in their lives, but can they adjust their goals and thinking in order to have what they could together?

These two had chemistry right from the start. But they also genuinely had fun together and seemed to just get each other. Brandon and Lola both have issues with their respective families. Which didn't really seem all that fleshed out to me. I almost felt like that was just kinda thrown in there to help explain why they were the way they were without actually going into a lot of detail on why it affects them that much. I don't know, it just seemed to be an excuse. That was my only drawback with the whole story. Everything else I really liked. Brandon and Lola are very likable characters. They both have their goals and work towards them but when plans change, they face it and deal with the consequences. I liked the growth of their characters together. It just made it better for me. All in all, still a good read!

GOOD HANDS is the second instalment in Kelly Jamieson’s contemporary, adult BEARS HOCKEY II erotic, hockey romance series –a spin off/ companion to the author’s BEARS HOCKEY series. This is twenty nine year old New York Bears hockey player Brandon Smith, and consultant Lola McGrath’s story line. GOOD HANDS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story and series is revealed where necessary. Some of the events of GOOD HANDS cross over with and run parallel to some of the events of book one The O Zone.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Brandon and Lola) GOOD HANDS follows in the wake of a one night stand in Aruba between twenty nine year old New York Bears hockey player Brandon Smith, and consultant Lola McGrath. Upon their return to New York, Brandon and Lola run into one another embarking on a friends with benefits relationship while Brandon plays hockey for the New York Bears but a loss in the playoff means Brandon is heading home to Michigan, leaving a heart broken Lola in his wake. With neither one wanting marriage or children or a permanent relationship, walking away is an emotional journey, a journey that will quickly spiral into something more. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Brandon and Lola, and the potential fall-out as a lack of communication, and words said in anger, threaten to destroy the the only woman with whom Brandon had ever fallen in love.

Brandon Smith doesn’t believe in happily ever afters having lived through the tumultuous marriage and divorce of his parents. Believing he was never wanted or loved, Brandon struggles with all relationships and friendships going forward, including the relationship with the woman he loves. Lola McGrath has always considered herself a failure; never good enough and never achieving family expectations but a disappointment at work forces Lola to reconsider her own future, and a future with a man who doesn’t believe in love.

The relationship between Brandon and Lola is a friends with benefits that quickly turns into something more, something Brandon refuses to acknowledge, admit or too closely look. A surprise announcement pushes all of Brandon’s button, an announcement that is about to push Brandon out of Lola’s life. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, several of the original Bears Hockey players return as secondary and supporting characters as well as Owen ‘Cookie’ Cooke, and Emerie Ross (The O Zone #1), Easton Millar, Josh Heller, Nate Karmeinski, Jbo and Bergie. We are introduced to Lola’s parents Drs Rick and Carrie McGrath, Brandon’s parents, his agent Kevin Bozeman; and Lola’s friends Kaylee, Isla and Sadie.

GOOD HANDS is a story of family, relationships, misunderstanding and miscommunication; a story of self-deprecation, acceptance, realization and love. The premise is emotional, captivating and engaging; the romance is seductive and impassioned; the characters strong-willed, independent, yet struggling.



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Expect the unexpected. Good Hands turns temptation into a laugh out loud, eat your heart out, irresistible showstopper. With Brandon and Lola, Jamieson gives readers something to talk about and gives the heart something to grab on to.

Lola and Brandon are each on vacation in Aruba when they meet and “hook” up. What’s the chances they both live in the same city back home? Well…since it is a romance book…PRETTY DANG GOOD! LOL

They become friends with benefits, because that will work easier for both of them…yeah…we know how that turns out! HA HA. Neither wants a marriage or children due to their upbringing and lives, but it only takes the once for an unexpected pregnancy!

Good Hands is the second book in the Bears Hockey II series, written by the wonderful romance author Kelly Jamieson. It is a hockey, unexpected pregnancy, vacation fling, fate meeting romance, with a great storyline and characters. Really recommend this!!!

Kelly Jamieson's books are some of my favorite hockey romance - I'm loving the Bears Hockey series. Brandon and Lola were great together - chemistry, humorous banter and angst as they both have emotional history to work through. Definitely a must-read! I can't wait for the next in this series!

An electrifying connection! With book 2 in her Bears Hockey II series Kelly Jamieson continues to delight with tempting hockey hunks and the feisty women that take them to their knees in GOOD HANDS. Interesting characters with a titillating romance held my attention throughout. Looking forward to more to come in this fun series!

Brandon has hang ups about his past but is a really down to earth guy that was easy to like.

Lola is a go getter and a delightful match for Brandon.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a close knit group of hockey guys and their spouses who love and support the game and each other as one guy after another finds his true love.

This is a very enjoyable sports romance. I have read many of Ms. Jamieson's titles and I always look forward to her new book offerings. Her knack for combining sweet and sexy is a true talent.

Read for a good cry and if you like a steamy romance with an accidental pregnancy!

I've been in such a book slump, it was so refreshing to read a book by a tried-and-true author. I can always count on a sweet story with a lot of heat. This book delivered and then some. I don't think I've ever read a book that included the accidental pregnancy trope, so that was a lot of fun. I'll actually be watching for that in the future, I think. As a mother myself, it really took me on an emotional ride.

I went into the book blind, deciding I would go in only knowing it was a "hockey romance," and just see how I enjoy it. I had already forgotten the blurb I'd read weeks before, so when I dove in, I was excited to find that I was in for quite the story right away. It actually started with a one-night stand and a whole lot of time in the bedroom. Uh oh! I was at first worried there would be too much of that and not enough story, but I should have known better. This author was brilliant at blending the two without ever overdoing anything.

I really liked both of the main characters. They were so well-written in how they related to their parents, carrying some of their childhood issues into young adulthood. Those same issues affected how they communicated with each other and caused a lot of the conflict in the book.

Best of all, the epilogue was a true epilogue. I've noticed a trend with many authors using the epilogue to advertise, push, or throw in a cliffhanger to "make" you buy the next book in the series. This author wrote a real epilogue wrapping up the story, just what it's for! I was so pleased to find that, I almost cried again. LOL

Brandon and Lola meet while both are on vacation in Aruba. One night together is all it is supposed to be, no numbers exchanged, no last names. Just a fun night in paradise. When they run into each other back in NYC they can't fight the attraction. So one night turns into more but how far and long can this go on?

Neither is looking for a relationship so this works for them. But as the season winds down, and Brandon plans on going back to Michigan for a few months, what does that mean for their little arrangement?

Good Story, just felt the ending was missing a lot. Defnintely hope to see them in more stories to see where things go.. Not really a cliffhanger but not really a finished story

We are back with the Bears hockey team, and this is Brandon and Lola's story.
A trip to Aruba has Lola McGrath attempting to kick back and relax, hoping for a bit of holiday fling. Her work has her stressed and she so needs a release! So, when she crosses paths with the handsome Brandon things are about to heat up on the island.
Brandon Smith is a man all about hockey and does not do relationships. He grew up with parents in an unhealthy relationship and if that what love is he wants no part of it. The moment he meets Lola he feels like he has won the one-night lottery! She is sassy but sweet, funny, smart and just beautiful. It is one night so intense neither can forget, but they leave and go back to their regular lives. A second chance meeting leads to an agreement but soon this one night becomes so many more and the lines of friends with benefits become blurred. Neither one wants a real relationship, marriage or family but things are about to get very complicated, and someone is going to get hurt. I loved watching this couple meet, feel and fall! They had great sexually charged banter, heat and so much emotion!
~~Michele McMullen~~