Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "Hard Checked" by Stacey Lynn

I am thrilled to participate in the blog tour celebrating the release of "Hard Checked" by Stacey Lynn, book #4 of the Ice Kings series. This book reads as a total standalone, though characters from the earlier books in the series (primarily teammates of the male lead, Sebastian) make cameo appearances in this one. Even so, readers who are new to the series will be able to jump in here without feeling lost at all.

 

I was really excited to read this book after getting to know a bit about Sebastian in the last book of the series, "Hooked on Her." His story was even better than I had hoped, and I found it very easy to cheer him and Gigi on to their HEA despite all of the obstacles that stood in their way. I highly recommend this sweet, funny, emotional story for all fans of contemporary and sports romance. 

About "Hard Checked"

Hard Checked, an all-new beautifully written, second-chance-at-love sports romance that will bring all the heat and feels from Stacey Lynn is available now!

Getting served divorce papers was not how I planned spending New Years Day.

I probably shouldn’t have gone to my favorite bar and gotten wasted trying to drown my sorrows.
I definitely shouldn’t have spent the night passed out in the bed of the bartender’s daughter, Gigi.

And the absolute last thing I should have done was let my guard down and start having fun. Now I’m thinking of her all the time… fantasizing about the things I want to do to Gigi.

I’m in the middle of the best hockey season of my life. I need my head in the game and my focus on the playoffs – not playing house with the gorgeous bartender who makes me feel more alive than I have in years.

Finding someone new so soon after a failed marriage isn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done.

But it just might be too late. I’ve been checked hard into the boards, right off my skates, and I’m not only spinning out of control…

I might just be falling in love all over again.

 

 

Read an Excerpt from "Hard Checked"

Another set of drinks arrive at our table, served by a pair of small hands, with a tiny little broken heart tattoo on a ring finger and dark purple nail polish.

“Thanks, Gigi,” I say, lifting my head and grinning at her.

She smirks at me. “No problem, hotshot. Dad wanted me to give you these but says it’s last call.”

“Damn,” Jason groans. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“You can take off. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

He turns to Gigi who’s taken our empties and is starting to walk away.

I try. I try really hard to not let my gaze drop to her short, cut-off sweat shorts, to the length of her legs beneath them. The shape of her calves or to notice the dark red polish on her toenails.

I fail.

Miserably.

There’s something so damn attractive about her petite size.

I grip my new beer bottle harder and take a healthy swig.

“Hey Gigi,” Jason calls out. “Keep this loser company for me so he doesn’t get shit-faced before practice tomorrow?”

“Me?” She’s turned, gaze bouncing from me to Jason and she frowns. “You need my help?”

“No—”

“Yes—” Jason says at the exact time I disagree.

She smirks at Jason. “Seems to me he doesn’t need it.”

“Sometimes this asshole doesn’t know what he needs.” He slaps the table and slides out, holding out his arm in a gesture for Gigi to take his spot.

“Jason—”

He shrugs and holds out his fist. “I’ll pay the tab. You get home safely, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I grumble and return his fist pump.

“And you’ll thank me for this someday, too.”

I watch him go, frowning.

What the fuck does that mean?

“I can pretend to sit here until he leaves if you want to be alone.”

Her voice does something to me. Like a bug is happily leaping in my gut when she looks down at me, all that teal hair and new nose ring and tattoo peeking out from the wide collar of her sweatshirt.

It’s the collar I’m noticing. And the tattoo.

Not the thin, white strap of her bra.

Shit.

“You can sit. Please. You want Jason’s last beer?”

“Nah.” Her nose crinkles and the soft light above the bar flints on her nose ring. I quickly look away as she slides in. “I’ve never acquired the taste for beer. No matter what kind it is, it always tastes like wet cardboard.”

“You know what cardboard tastes like?”

“Yeah. Like beer.” She grins.

I grin back.

This girl is funny. Well-traveled.

Divorced. Cute. And fun.

The exact kind of temptation I do not need in my life right now. Yet as I sit across from her, taking in every little nuance about her like the freckle on the back of her hand, that broken heart tattoo… I can’t for the life of me think of an excuse to leave. 

 

 

My Review

 

I loved "Hard Checked" by Stacey Lynn, a sweet, funny, emotional story which featured endearing characters and a compelling plot that kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime. Male lead Sebastian was such a kind and caring person, and I really felt for him after everything he went through with his ex-wife, Madison. I particularly appreciated that he didn't just walk away from Madison when he knew their marriage was over; he made sure that her parents understood what was going on so that Madison would get the help she needed, even though she wouldn't accept it from him. I also loved Sebastian's relationship with his dog, Bruiser. The two of them were responsible for many of the lighter moments in the story, such as when Sebastian used a blow dryer on Bruiser after they went swimming one night so that the dog could still sleep in his bed with him.
 

The book's female lead, Gigi, was independent, kind, and empathetic, and I loved the way she brought Sebastian out of himself after his struggles with Madison. The stories she told Sebastian about her years of travel were fascinating, and frankly I was jealous of how much she was able to see and do! I've always dreamed of visiting many of the places she saw in her time abroad. I also loved Gigi's artsy, funky sense of style, especially with her hair. She was a breath of fresh air for Sebastian after Madison's rigid adherence to schedules and concern for appearances, and I found it very easy to root for them to overcome all of the obstacles standing in their way and end up together.

Overall, I highly recommend "Hard Checked" for all fans of contemporary and sports romance. I can't wait for the next book in the series! (I'm kind of hoping Sebastian's teammate Klaus will find love next, but there are several Ice Kings players who would make great heroes IMO...)

*Review copy provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.