Offensive Plays is book three in the Heatwave Hockey series and, in my opinion, the best one yet.
I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for my unpaid honest review.
Book Info
Title: Offensive Plays
Author: Anne Martin
Publication Date: May 30, 2024
Category: Contemporary Sports Romance; Hockey Romance
Relationship: Ex-boyfriend's brother (m/f- Michael (Fergie) and Libby (Butterfly)
POV: Told from the POV of both the male and female main characters
Series or Stand-Alone: This is a stand-alone book that is part of a series set in the same universe of Heatwave Hockey.
It features characters from past books in the series.
Length: Medium (239 pages)
Ending: This book ends with a happily ever after peek 4 years into the future.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Open or Closed Door: Open door
Spice Level: 3 out of 5 peppers
The book has several spicy scenes that include some kink such as male piercings, light bondage, and punishment.
The book is overall more plot-driven.
Get more information on how I choose my ratings for books.
Book Boyfriend Material: Michael, also known as Fergie, is the perfect book boyfriend for those who love a man who seems like the ultimate sweet, caring gentleman on the outside until he finds the woman of his dreams and turns into a bit of a dirty-talking alpha in the bedroom.
FMC: Libby has been through some stuff and, as such, is rather guarded.
She's kind of at a crossroads in life of what she wants to do moving forward, while still being a bit stuck in the past.
But, she's sassy and not the type to give up so what will she choose when the guy she's been sexting just so happens to end up being just about the last guy she could ever hope for?
Readability: I read an unreleased ARC copy that contained several errors that may have been corrected before release and I thus did not factor this into my overall rating.
Themes:
- Overbearing religious parent
- He falls first - crush since childhood neighbors
- Unknowingly texting each other
- Ex-boyfriend's brother
- "Good girl."
- Surprise pregnancy
Possible Triggers: Note that all triggers may not be listed here and could potentially spoil parts of the book. I always suggest visiting the author’s site for more information if triggers are a concern for you.
Click/tap here to view triggers.
- Abortion (FMC and past relationship)
- Anxiety from past events
- Emotional abuse from past events
- Pregnancy
- Profanity
- Religion
- Sexually explicit scenes
- Slut shaming
Available On: Amazon.com including eBook and Kindle Unlimited
Please note that the availability options listed were applicable at the time this review was written but may change over time.
Synopsis From Author
I’d never date a hockey player…or an ex’s brother.
But this bad boy has me breaking all my rules.
A new dating app claims to have found my perfect weekend hookup.
We can’t send pictures of our faces; anything else is open game.
So when I finally meet the dirty-talking stranger of my dreams…
I nearly faint when I see it’s my brother’s supposed saint of a teammate.
Michael Ferguson–the son of Houston’s most renowned pastor.
His family represents everything good, innocent, and wholesome.
With the exception of his brother, who I used to date.
On paper, we couldn’t be more different.
But with the mouth on this man and the way his muscles harden at my touch…
Nothing stays off-limits.
I’ve seen a side of the Heatwave’s good boy that nobody knows.
But his future is already written, and I can’t be in it.
Until two pink lines change everything.
He’ll stop at nothing to make me his.
Even if it means burning down everything he’s ever known.
Offensive Plays is a spicy brother’s teammate pro hockey romance. It’s the third book in the Houston Heatwave series and can be enjoyed as a standalone. No cheating. No love triangles. Just a whole lot of delicious forced proximity chemistry leading to a happily ever after.
My Review
Offensive Plays is a wonderful book that I enjoyed reading.
I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the main issues I had after reading the first two books were not present in this book.
Likes
- While there is drama, it's not as overwhelming as it was in the previous books
- Realistic characters with realistic issues
- Moves quickly with angst and drama that isn't drawn out
Dislikes
- I'd have liked a bit more resolution about what happened with the family after some particular information came to light close to the end
I really enjoyed my time spent reading Offensive Plays.
After some of the over-the-top troped-packed insanity from the first two books in the Heatwave Hockey series, I was afraid of what could happen in this book but was pleasantly surprised.
The book starts with Michael still obviously being affected by his long-time crush, Libby. But unfortunately, she's always stuck him in the friend zone.
However, thanks to the anonymity of using a hookup app, Michael just might get everything he's been hoping for. That's if Libby doesn't totally push him away before he even gets a chance to see who is on the other side of the screen.
I really liked the theme of this book being talking with your long-time crush on a dating/hookup app when you have no idea it's them.
I also love a MMC that really knows what he wants and won't let his insecure and a bit broken FMC just run away.
I felt like there was a good mix of realistic drama and angst featuring an MMC who grew up in a religious family and an FMC who was seen as not being good enough by said religious family.
And, since there wasn't all the distracting trope insanity, the story had a great pace for me.
I was left wondering what was going to happen next and what exactly must have happened in the past with enough tidbits along the way to keep me wanting to read another chapter.
I also really enjoy how Anne continues to naturally tie in characters from the previous books so we get to see what continues going on in their lives.
The only disappointing part for me was that there wasn't much family resolution after that big bombshell was dropped close to the end.
Does Mom get cut out or does she seek forgiveness? What happens with the brother?
That aside, I enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend giving it a read if you enjoy hockey romance.
I'd especially recommend giving it a try if you thought the previous books were just a bit too extreme. I look forward to reading what happens next!
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