The first time I met Winter Marks, I almost took her out with my Jeep.
To be fair, she came out of nowhere.
I flirted with her, and she flipped me off and disappeared into the woods on her bike.
But she left me a souvenir: a single hockey skate.
Seemed to me that divine intervention shouldn’t be ignored.
She was my icy Cinderella and I would be her Prince Not-So-Charming.
Winter was more than just a sassy, badass hockey-playing hottie.
She’s stuck in a prison of a life. And I’m the perfect escape.
Neither of us expected to fall.
Or for the truth to shatter us.
Winter and BJ don’t get off to a great start when they almost collide, but it starts an amazing chain of events, and I promise you’ll love every minute of it. She’s annoyed with the cocky guy in the obnoxiously customized Jeep but when he shows up at her job to ask her out, she can’t say no to him. Winter has no idea what she’s getting herself into with this date. They’re from different worlds so she’s expecting the worst, but BJ’s world is warm and welcoming. For the first time in a long time, she has friends and it feels good. BJ and Winter mesh so well and quickly become inseparable, but there’s so much she can’t tell him.
He knows she doesn’t have it easy, but nobody knows how tough Winter’s life is since she’s never let anyone in before. And BJ’s the last person she wants to explain things to because he can’t possibly understand. He lives in one of the mansions around the lake with a loving mom and hockey superstar dad, surrounded by the people they love. Winter has no idea what that’s like. She only knows that she never wants BJ or her new friends to see her home or meet her parents.
It doesn’t take long for BJ to figure out how bad things really are for Winter and he immediately springs into action, explaining everything to his parents and moving her into their guest room. Despite all the turmoil in her life, Winter’s tearing it up on the women’s hockey team at the local community center, much to the delight of the coaches, Alex Waters and Randy Ballistic Sr. When they learn that she was forced to turn down a hockey scholarship since it doesn’t cover room and board or even books, they work some magic to get her a much more generous offer.
Winter’s life has changed so much in such a short time and very much for the better. So much that she still can’t believe it sometimes. But while her life is improving every day, BJ’s troubles keep mounting and threatening his Olympic dreams. Their story is angsty but they facing so many obstacles together only makes them stronger. They also have the support of his amazing hockey family, so we get to know everyone a little better.
Rose might be my favorite character in anything ever because she is perfect in every way. She’s the friend every girl needs. Winter is pretty tight with Lovey as well, even moving in with Lovey, Lacey and River when they head back to Chicago for school. We also get to spend more time with Quinn and the Butterson boys, Logan and Laughlin and even get a visit from Lavender and Kody. The supporting cast is so much fun, and I can’t wait for more in this series to see if any of my predictions about future pairings pan out. BJ and Winter were fun too, all hot banter and chemistry and plenty of steam. I really loved these characters and their story. This is a book I’ll definitely read again, it’s that good. I’d like to thank the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
