Review: taboo relationship, + hot hockey goalie = romance gold
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2013
Let me just say that I don't think there is anyone out there who was looking forward to reading this one more than I was. I'm pretty sure that Nikki Worrell has put me on some sort of "watch-for-stalker-behavior" list. I stalked the heck out of this book release. I even woke up early  to check Amazon for it. Early. Me. Willingly giving up an hour of sleep on a Monday morning.I'll tell you why I was so excited about this book. First of all, in the Enforcer (the first book of the series) we are introduced to and fall in love with Vlad...yes, and Zoe, too. Second of all, the conflict between Vlad and Zoe is already set up and AWESOME. I LOVE the forbidden love. It so teeth-gnashingly delicious. Oh the want! Oh the need! Unethical? Immoral? Yes, please. Come on, romance novels have been based on much less conflict than that. Thirdly, Vlad is a hot hockey goalie. Need I say more? I was positive This. Would. Be. Epic.When you read a lot of romance novels like I do there's not many surprises, you know? There's tons of cliches, tropes, character motivations that are all tried and true. And that's fine. If I didn't like that, I'd read mystery or something. But lately I'm on a roll of being surprised by books. Nikki Worrell sort of surprised me. And I have to give her props for it. I'm not here to give spoilers, but I can say that you're not going to read this and have a gasping shock of a surprise. But the story is going to meander down a path that you (at least I) didn't imagine.I'm giving her props because I can see how the predictable could have caused some to say "I just wanted them to get over it already!" Or maybe start to bash on Zoe for being stupid and saying "no" so much.I really liked this story. And I'm in love with Vlad. But I'm withholding that 5th star because toward the end there it wasn't so much the Vlad-and-Zoe-story, but more like the Vlad story. I know this won't make sense until you read it, but Zoe almost felt like a secondary character for a while. That doesn't mean that I, in any way, disliked it. It was a moving and entertaining read. I was pissed when real life kept interrupting me. It was a page-turner for sure. It just was missing the sexual tension and sigh-worthy romance that I had built up in my brain.One thing that I love about this series is that the heroines are likeable. There's not a moment where I think, "Lose this b*#ch, dude, you can do so much better" (And I think those things a lot when I read romance). I'm an unapologetic heroine-basher. They aren't perfect, they are real and relatable and I appreciate that.So I will anxiously await Cage's story and I will stalk the heck out of that release, too.