Review: SKATES ON A PLANE
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2013
SKATES ON A PLANEEditFALLING FOR THE BACK-UP by Toni Aleo - Book 3.5 in The Assassins SeriesPLEASE NOTE: I was sent an unedited proof of this book to read & review in exchange for an HONEST review!Once again, Toni Aleo hits the net with her hockey based series about the Tennessee Assassins. This novella length story ties up the "loose ends" of what happened to Jordan Ryan, the goalie who was hurt which gave Tate Oooooooder his opportunity to shine (& find love) in the 3rd book, "Empty Net".After warming the bench for longer than he'd like after his knee rehab, Jordan realizes he's going to have to leave Nashville in order to have a starting goalie position. The only problem is that during his job search, he meets Aynslee Shaw on a plane... and in a Starbucks... and on a jogging trail. Bigger problem? Jordan lacks self-esteem when it comes to women, and also when it comes to his self-worth since it's tied to his hockey career.As readers we get to experience Aynslee's first hockey game and root for Jordan in his professional and personal life. The last line of the book says it all - "And they lived happily ever after".I truly love this series; the sensuality of the characters could melt the ice and Toni Aleo doesn't just slap together a hockey player meets girl, hockey player gets girl, hockey player hubba-hubbas girl, etc... There's some actual emotional "meat" to each story - even this novella length one.What didn't I like about the book? Well, of course, it was too short ;) . I also felt saddened that we were introduced to these characters and then they were shipped off to another team / state. I didn't actually feel that Jordan Ryan's story was "dangling" after his injury; I would have actually preferred a storyline to have revolved around another of the Assassins that we'd then continue to be able to easily "check in" on them.I normally tend to be critical of editing, but since I received a very clearly marked "Unedited Proof" copy, I will assume that any & all errors I tried to overlook while reading will be remedied by publication time -- there normally are no such issues in her other books of the series.So, now all I have to do is try to patiently wait for BLUE LINES! I'm very excited to see Erik & Piper's story!!