Been going through my old netgalley requests and seeing what I have forgotten to give a review to and what I still need to read. I don't recall requesting this book or why. I haven't read the first books in the series and reading the synopsis present me doesn't have the same interest in this title as past me did.

I was not able to get through this book.
Shh Moms Reading is a blog about book we enjoy so no review ran for this book.
Thank you for the opportunity

Wow, another fantastic book by a fantastic author. You will be hooked on this story from the moment that you start reading. It has wonderful characters, a fabulous story and moves along at a great pace. This book must be read, you will not be sorry that you did so.

An amazing story full of heartbreak and falling in love. I haven't read all the books to this series, you can read them as a standalones. You'll need tissues, Derek McLaughlin lost his girlfriend in a car accident and can't move past it. He is the guy you want to hug, fix and shake. This is a great story. The character chemistry is great.

what you do if the woman you loved died in a horrible car crash? What if she was pregnant with your child? Would you be willing to give love a second chance? Derek is faced with just this situation.

In this book L.P. Dover both ripped my heart out and crushed it, then turned around and put it back together again. Her writing once again did not disappoint. The conflicts the characters face are life changing and awe inspiring. it is definitely worth a read.

This was another amazing book written by L.P. Dover. This is a second chance romance book with characters that you will remember from other books from L.P. Dover. You do not have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this.

The story is well written with enough imagery to make you feel like you are in the story but not too much that you are overwhelmed and are not sure what is going on. This is a book that you will have no trouble finishing in one sitting. And you will want to read it again soon after.

So happy to see Derek break through his grief and find true love with Hayden. With a side of mystery surrounding Hayden, this way a good addition to the series.

Loved this! It's really sweet, and I liked the connection between the characters. I also like the suspense twist to the story. The story does move quite fast, but that's okay with me. Derek is a pro football player, his pregnant girlfriend died, and he went on a bit of a bender. Derek is doing better now, but isn't ready for a relationship. When he meets local vet, Hayden, he's finding it difficult to withstand the connection between them. Hayden also believes she's not ready for a relationship, so the 2 becomes friends. Hayden is wonderful and she loves animals, so she's a sweetie. Derek has made some bad decisions, but he's a good guy. These 2 are adorable together. There's some sexy times between the 2, which I enjoyed. I've only read one other book in this series, but I loved that one too, so I'm super excited to read more!

3 predictable stars....
Just a ok read for me ....

I have not had a chance to read this book yet. I am still working on catching up and also trying not to get too far behind on other books. I will update this review once I have read the book.

Great addition to the series! My favorite of the bunch! I loved the characters and the storyline.

Derek and Hayden were great together and had a wonderful love story! I liked the sports romance aspect, and enjoyed seeing Derek heal from the loss of his former girlfriend.

Second chance love for Carolina Cougar’s linebacker Derek McLaughlin.
He thought he lost everything after horrible car accident that took away his girlfriend and his unborn child. His life was out of control when he lost her and he is slowly finding his way back. He was barely back in town for his second chance at his team, he bumps into Hayden, sexy and smart veterinarian and damages her phone. So he decided to give her his phone.
Hayden never expected to literally bump into a football star. But Hayden was more interested in saving four legged animals than drooling over a star player.
Derek runs into Hayden again on the road where he and his girlfriend had fatal accident. This time, Hayden is trying to save a dog. He couldn’t let Hayden struggle so he decided to help. They kept running into each other and this was only a start.
Derek is slowly coming back to person he was before the accident and Hayden is becoming more than just a friend. They didn’t expect to feel for each other so quickly and they were sailing smoothly until Derek messes up.
Derek has his way to make up to Hayden through game (which was super cute). They decided to pursue their relationship but nothing doesn’t seem it is...

All of Dover books I have read so far were great for summer, it had suspense, romance, family and relationship problems. This didn’t disappoint. I loved Hayden loved animals and Derek was all in for love.

Defending Hayden is a sports themed book as Derek is a linebacker for a professional football team. And Hayden is a veterinarian – which anyone that knows me knows I love animals. So this was a slam dunk to read.

Derek has had a rough past in that his girlfriend gets into a car accident and killed. Along with their unborn baby. Derek, rightfully so, is devastated and truly depressed by this. He goes through a rough patch afterward but picks himself up, dusts himself off and gets back into his life.

Hayden is the perfect friend he needs right now while he’s still adjusting to being away from the farm and back into his professional football player life. Until they get more than friendly and things go awry.

I love the team and each players’ personality. I love that they give each other crap but are each other’s biggest supporters.

Can’t wait for more Carolina Cougars!

copy received through Netgalley
this can be read as a standalone
I was expecting more from Derek's story. It followed the same formula as the previous novels in this series. The second chance at love trope.Both characters are on their second chance at love. They are become friends and then instantly they fall in love. We really don't get a good look at the jump from friends to lovers. I read the previous book so I got a detailed background on Derek. In this book we are introduced to hayden. I liked her she was a good match for Derek. He used to be the jokester and funny guy. After the tragedy, he is more mature and serious. She was sweet and happy person. The conflict is predictable and the "bad" guy is obvious but still I enjoyed the book. There were some cute and funny scenes throughout the story.

LP Dover knows how to write a sports romance where the Hero is spiraling down and the heroine wants to save him. I LOVED this story between Derek and Hayden and was up until the very late hours because I just couldn't put it down.