Review: sweet hockey themed romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
I like to consider myself an avid sports fan. I tend to lean more towards Football most days with it being a sport I can either watch or play. The other sports I would rather just play. Then there's Hockey. I've never really been a big hockey fan so I haven't read too many Hockey themed books so Breakaway was my second experience with this subject.Levi Carr and Trevor McCarthy have a rival that dates back to high school days for both guys. Levi holds a grudge against Trevor for not only stealing his Captain position but snaking his girlfriend as well. Now that they are both in college and play for rival schools they don't see much of each other. Until Levi meets Trevor's sister Presley. The redhead beauty catches his eye first but when he learns who she is he hatches a plan to get even with his rival by using his sister. Presley gives Levi a run for his money playing hard to get but as the two start to develop feelings for each other Levi is in a tug of war with himself to continue with his plan or give in to his heart. I liked the basic premise of this story. Guy he-- bent on revenge no matter what is something I could relate to and have quietly pondered a time or two myself. Who hasn't wanted to stick it to their enemy before right? I was drawn into the setup and couldn't wait to see how things would work out once the tables turned.The characters were a crazy mix of traits for me. Levi came across as a complete jerk when first meeting him. He was very cocky and almost to self assured but the once I got further into his character I started to like him. He did have a side to himself that wasn't all bad especially when I found out the reasons behind his persona. He actually turned out to be a sweetheart and I almost felt like he became the whipping boy throughout. He was the one who lost his captain position, his girlfriend and someone very close to him all in one time frame yet everyone was quick to vilify him. I really hated that about the story and that's why I think Levi was ultimately my favorite character throughout. Maybe my love for him stemmed from seeing how broken he was by all he'd lost or the weight of feeling like a failure most of his life but Levi was just charming and fantastic. Despite his plan he was really good to Presley and cared for her unlike any girl he's been with before. And Believe me, the boy has had some fun with the "Puck Bunnies".Presley was cool to me at first. I liked the way she didn't just give in to Levi knowing his reputation but she made him work for it a little. At first I thought she was strong willed and independent, all traits I normally love in my female heroines but for some reason she rubbed me the wrong way. She was too dependent on her brother Trevor and I understood they were twins and shared a bond but she let him almost dictate her life in some ways. There were several times when I wanted to slap her around a bit because she couldn't seem to think for herself. At times she had a tendency to be melodramatic especially when she finds out about Levi's plan but if she would have just listened to her heart instead of her idiot brother she could have avoided the drama. Trevor was such an a** hat and thankfully he wasn't mentioned much, only when he was bossing his sister around. I didn't understand their connection even for a twin thing. Even though Presley had times where she seemed to not have a mind of her own I did like how she ended up being there for Levi in a time he needed someone.Breakaway was a book I both loved and hated in equal parts. I loved the story of Levi and Presley even though I didn't feel like I connected with them at all. I did pick it up and put it down a few times because I didn't feel pulled to continuously read it but they did have a nice build up to their romance. The writing was a little stiff and robotic in places. There should have been more contractions used to display college kids talking to each other not British royals with proper grammar but that's not really anything too bothersome. One of the main aspects I didn't like and I'll say it again was how I felt Levi was picked on by both Presley and Trevor. Levi was the one who had everything taken from him yet Presley and her brother acted like he was the villain and then Levi had to do all the grovelling. That junk just rubbed me the wrong way because I did end up loving Levi's character and I hate when a character I love is unnecessarily mistreated. I guess what I mean is that Presley never acknowledge her brothers part in Levi's behavior and harshly mistreated him and let her brother off the hook. Blargg, OK moving on.In all honesty Breakaway wasn't a bad book especially to be a debut for both authors. I did enjoy the romance and the playful way Levi and Presley were to each other. I swooned when he called her Smarty as a cute pet name. I could have done without the brother but he wasn't in it that much anyway so, whatever. I'm not sure who the next book will be about in this series but am I curious. Presley's friend Marley was really funny and witty so I wouldn't mind seeing something about her finding a guy to match her crazy behind. The heat factor for this one was pretty tame for a New Adult novel but I did enjoy that aspect between Levi and Presley. To be a newbie to the sports themed romance world I don't think you could go wrong with Breakaway, especially if you love Hockey.