carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I liked this book a lot. So far, I have enjoyed every book in this series so I went into this book with pretty high expectations and I am happy to say that they were met. Each book in this series has featured a member of the Cold Fury Hockey team but that is really where the similarities end. I am kind of amazed by how different each of these stories really are and I think that is why I still get excited when I learn about a new book being released. Lucas is the eighth book in the series but it can easily be read as a stand alone novel. 

The book focuses on Lucas and Stephanie. Their story has an unusual start since the book opens with them sharing a rather hot one-night stand. That one night stand leads to a more lasting situation. Lucas and Stephanie must figure out how they make things work out. It was really very interesting to see this pair get to know each other. 

Lucas was really the star of this book for me. He was so patient with Stephanie and seemed to instinctively know the right thing to say and do. He does have a couple of bonehead moments and there was a couple of times that I caught myself cringing because of him but these things made him seem a little more real. I am still trying to completely forgive him for one scene.

Stephanie was a bit more frustrating. She really seems to have her act together but she is terribly afraid of getting close to anyone. She had a terrible childhood and it made sense that she would approach relationships with caution. I wanted so much for her to give Lucas a real chance and I couldn't help but get a bit frustrated, kind of like Lucas, when she resisted.

I would recommend this book and series to others. Fans of the series will be happy to see quite a bit of the characters featured in Max since Lucas and Max are brothers. I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series! 

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley.

Initial Thoughts
I loved Lucas. Stephanie was okay but Lucas was the star of the story for me. I did think that everything seemed to wrap up a little too easily but enjoyed the story overall.