Checking the Center by Delancey StewartMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Professional hockey player Rock Stevens is back in his hometown of Singletree, Maryland to play in an all-star pickleball tournament. He's planning to stay in the duplex he rents there from his aunt, though he hasn't visited in months. As soon as he arrives, Rock notices a few changes to the apartment's decor, but he assumes that his aunt has made a few updates. He settles in to watch hockey on TV and soon falls asleep on the couch, naked. He's startled awake by a woman claiming that he's broken into her apartment and demanding that he leave. As it turns out, there's been a mix-up: Rock's aunt meant to rent the other side of the duplex, which is supposed to be vacant, to local bakery worker Drea Coppersmith. Instead, the previous tenant has been squatting there for the past six months without paying rent, and Drea was mistakenly set up in Rock's apartment. Until the situation is straightened out, Drea and Rock are forced to become roommates - and it might just be the best thing that ever happened to them both.
This short but sweet and funny story was exactly the palate cleanser I needed between longer reads. I loved Drea and Rock's instant chemistry and witty banter. Their speculation regarding the man next door (was he a vampire?) made me laugh out loud, and I wish they'd actually had a chance to interact with him on the page. I can only imagine the hilarity that would have ensued. Rock and Drea were a fun couple, and while this story ended in an HFN, I'm sure we'll see more of them in future books of the upcoming Zamboni Diaries series.
I'd recommend "Checking the Center" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. Stewart's new series promises to be a fun one and I'm looking forward to the first full-length book later this year.
*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
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