Kane (Arizona Vengeance)

Kane
by Sawyer Bennett
Release Date:  September 15, 2020
Publisher:  Big Dog Books, LLC
Book #8 in the Arizona Vengeance series
Number of pages:  300
Kindle Edition
Source: Amazon Pre-Order
Contemporary Romance/Sports M/F
Rating: XXX
Read 9/30/20 to 10/1/20

I have a problem.
Potential problem?
I’m not really sure. Here’s the deal.

There’s this girl—isn’t that how it always starts?—and her name is Mollie. I like her. I mean really like her. I hope that doesn’t make me seem less manly than my professional hockey player persona implies. But here’s the issue—she’s my best friend. The one person I can count on for everything, who’s been there with me for all the moments, big and small.

When Mollie shows up at my door, travel weary and scared following an incident with an ex, my instinct to protect her goes into overdrive. It’s then that I know she’s more than just my best friend and the skates are swept out from under me when I find out she feels the same way.

Our transition from friends to lovers to potentially something more is seamless, the Arizona Vengeance is back on the ice looking for a repeat championship, and my life has never been better. Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, the realities of us both having careers which keep us on the road put our blossoming relationship on ice.

It feels like the game just went into overtime and I’m on the verge of either the biggest win or most disappointing loss of my life. And losing is never an option. 

Gotta love a good friends to lovers story. What makes this one extra touching is that the story doesn’t have one of the characters holding a candle for the other over years and years. While Kane and Mollie definitely have chemistry, even before they start their romantic/sexual relationship, they have both tamped down any feelings that aren’t strictly friendship. So there’s none of the typical unrequited love and uneven distribution of feelings in this story, and I loved it.

There was a bit of time where I thought Mollie may make some bad decisions and not share things with Kane. But, for the most part, these two are very open with their communication. At least up to a certain point. I’m sure that comes from the many years of being best friends and confidantes. 

When things start to crumble in this relationship, I got so mad at Mollie. Yet I was also somehow understanding her position. Then I got mad at Kane, although I totally saw things from his position even better. It was a tug of war of my feelings and I just wanted these two to work it all out and be happy.

As always, I adore the group of players and their significant others in this series. With some newcomers, and others that have been biding their time on the periphery, I can only imagine there are many more stories to come and many more opportunities to catch up with this crew.

4.5 stars