Series Name: Vancouver Wolves Hockey, # 3
God, she was cute when she got riled up. I pulled the NHL card. “All the hockey wives are driving luxury cars. You need a better car.”
She crossed her arms. “I really don’t.”
“Let’s go car shopping this weekend.”
She slid off the barstool. “Let’s not.”
“You going to fight me on this?”
“If I have to.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “Game on.”
The Penalty Box is full of bananas, and I loved every minute of it.
He’s a professional hockey player that lives on the edge. I prefer to play life by the rules.
I’m the personal assistant at a sports agency that no one notices.
Unless they need coffee.
I don’t like sports and I like professional athletes even less.
I’m indifferent to the mostly male clientele, except for one.
Mica “the savage” Petrov.
When it comes to wild antics, Mica is the biggest offender of them all.
He’s reckless, wild and carelessly charming.
I’m mortified that I find him attractive.
But it doesn’t matter because the guy hasn’t taken a second look at me.
Not once. In two years.
Mica’s career jeopardizing situation requires drastic measures to be taken to keep him in the game.
He’s got money, I’ve got debt and my boss has a crazy idea.
Which is how I found myself stepping up to save him from himself.
But at what cost?
How long can I keep fighting my attraction?
What ghosts from his past is he brawling with?
All I know is that I need to defend my heart before this big defenseman steals it away.
Can we win this game? Or is it too late for either of us?
This was the first book I read in the series, and I picked it because it seemed like the most banana pants crazy out of the series. And it was. If you like your romances to be realistic, then this book is probably not for you. But if you are like me and love to escape in a wild, crazy romance that is SO entertaining, then you need this book in your life. To give you a quick taste of some of the craziness, there is Russian and Japanese mafia, a stalker, a marriage of convenience, someone’s house gets burned down, and so much more. And keep in mind this is a hockey romance book. As you can imagine, a lot is going on in this book. You have the main story that focuses on Mica and Charlie’s marriage of convenience; then there are a bunch of side stories that just make the reading experience more addictive and delicious. Now Odette’s books don’t have lots of detail and aren’t full of a lot of depth. They are meant to be quick, dirty, fun reads, and Odette delivers that every single time.
I liked Charlie’s character. If you are a fan of a heroine who is backed into a corner and has pretty much-hit rock bottom, then you will enjoy Charlie’s character and her journey. Charlie has had a crush on Mica for a while now, but she knows she shouldn’t have those lusty feelings for Mica. So what’s a girl to do when crushing hard on a guy? She pretends that she doesn’t like him. In Mica’s eyes, Charlie is the prickly assistant to his sports agent. He hasn’t paid her much attention. What I liked about what Odette did with Charlie’s character is that she didn’t change her at all. She’s remarkable right from the beginning and didn’t need to change or grow. She is capable, strong, incredibly loving, and steadfast when it comes to her relationship (both fake and real) with Mica. It’s Mica who needs to grow and learn to let past hurts go and heal. Mica is that typical broody; I’m never going to fall in love, hero. Mica finds himself in hot water at the beginning of the book because he was caught hanging out with his childhood friend, who also runs the Russian mafia’s Vancouver branch. Like Charlie, Mica is also backed into a corner, and his only option to save his career is to marry Charlie. The reasons are definitely romance reasons. It was delightful, addicting, and entertaining watching Mica battle internally over his growing feelings for Charlie. He is definitely hard-headed, and it takes him a bit of time to get into those feelings. But when he does, he falls hard.
This book is probably the spiciest book in the series. If you are a fan of, a marriage of convenience, a broody alpha male who is a secret billionaire, superstar hero, grumpy sunshine, and forced proximity, then you will enjoy this story. I loved these two together. They have sizzling chemistry, and I loved that witty banter. Odette throws plenty of twists and drama-filled hurdles at these two. Their relationship has this more lusty feel to it. Charlie knows that their arrangement has an end date, and her heart will be broken when Mica leaves. For Mica, he never wants to fall in love, and even though he knows he has feelings for Charlie, he chooses to believe it because he cares for her as a friend (what a silly fool). A lot of things that happen to these two are unrealistic and bonkers, but underneath all that craziness are a few quiet and sweet moments.
The Penalty Box is entertaining, fun, spicy, and unforgettable.
