Review: Alex by Sawyer Bennett

Alex

(Cold Fury Hockey # 1)

By: Sawyer Bennett

Pub. Date: October 14, 2014

Publisher: Random House - Loveswept

Pages: 224

Source: Netgalley

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers. 

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me just start by saying how much I loved this book! When I first read the synopsis I was intrigued. I love books where a famous bad boy falls in love with a non-famous girl. While this story has been done over and over again, Alex is still original, and that is because of the characters. Both Alex and Sutton were written so wonderfully. Alex is just so beautifully broken, that I wanted and needed to get to the bottom of his issues. Sutton is a sweetheart who grew up to want to help people, especially children, who deal with addiction because she has seen her father battle it.

Alex is a fantastic hockey player and he knows it. But he has a horrible attitude on and off the ice. While he might play amazingly, he hates the game because all it does is remind him about how much his father abused him into being that amazing hockey player. Alex struggles everyday with it, and it's starting to take a toll. In order to stay on the team he has to work with social worker Sutton to create an anti-drug program, with him as the spokesman. The second these two entered the page together, their chemistry was ignited. It was so hot! I loved these two together.

I also loved watching Sutton break Alex's walls down and seeing Alex change because he wanted to be the best man possible. Not only for Sutton, but for Sutton's family and his own. I'm also glad when he really started talking to his brother and father about their shared pasts.

This was the first book that I read from Sawyer Bennett, and it definitely won't be the last! I'm very excited for the next book in the series, which will be about Garrett, a secondary character and Alex's teammate in Alex.

Review: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice

By: Becca Fitzpatrick

Pub. Date: October 7, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 400

Source: Edelweiss

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? 

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

Black Ice was a really interesting and quick read. While a few things didn’t make sense to me, I still really enjoyed this one. Britt and her best friend, Kolbie are spending their spring break in the mountains, instead of on the beach with the rest of their friends. On the way to the cabin, their truck gets stuck and they found themselves at the home of Shaun and Mason. Turns out the two young men are fugitives and they take Britt and Kolbie hostage.

I really loved Britt. She was so strong and smart. She was going to do whatever she had to do to save her friend which I found really admirable. I thought her relationship with Mason was very interesting. One of the reasons I kept turning the page so quickly was I had to know what Mason’s story was. He didn’t seem like he was evil, but then he would turn around and say something that made you change your mind. The mystery surrounding him definitely made the story for me!

I loved the mystery surrounding the killings. It wasn’t until the end when I started to realize who the killer actually was and about 50% in when I started to figure out what Mason’s deal was. The author did a wonderful job with this.

Britt’s dad seemed involved in her life, so I didn’t understand why a father would allow his daughter and her best friend to go hiking in basically abandoned mountains where 1. Girls have been found dead around the surrounding areas and no one knows who killed them 2) no one is around to help the girls if something happens and 3. Skilled hikers have died on these same mountains!!!! My parents would have never let me go, especially if I was in high school. Actually, they still would try to get me not to go and I’m an adult!

Despite that, I really enjoyed Black Ice. I love that it was a standalone as well. Becca Fitzpatrick is a terrific author, and I can’t wait to read what’s next from her!