Blurb:
One
night, one kiss, and a spark hot enough to melt the ice.
Preston’s
all in on his hockey career as a Stingray, and Chelsea’s just about to start a
new adventure in Paris—until an unforgettable night at an Ugly Christmas
Sweater party changes everything. A few drinks, some dirty jokes, and a kiss
under the mistletoe leads to a night of toe-curling, name-forgetting,
no-strings-attached fun.
They
part ways in the morning, no regrets—just a sizzling memory they both assume
will fade.
A
year later, Chelsea’s in Baltimore, launching her dream bakery—and navigating
life with a baby she never saw coming. The father? Mystery man from that one
unforgettable night. What she really didn’t expect? Him walking through her
door, very real, very sexy... and very much still capable of making her forget
how to breathe.
Preston
hasn’t been able to get her out of his head. Now that he knows the truth, he’s
not going anywhere. The question is—can they turn one accidental night into a
real shot at forever?
Themes: Contemporary, Surprise Baby
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
I
am so happy that we finally got to have the whole story of why sweet and sexy Preston
lost his heart—an apparently his mojo—for so long as we watched his friends
fall in love in the previous novels in this series. Mari Carr returns to her sexy and strong
hockey players in this latest installment of the Stingrays series, and I am
happy to say that I was captured from the very beginning of this series to the
last word. Mari has a way of pulling us
into her worlds and showing us the beauty and passion of not only the men that star
in our dreams but also the women that manage to steal their hearts and convince
them to give up their playboy lifestyles once and for all. The story begins
with a hot night of passion as two people that have both come looking for an escape
at a holiday party find themselves drawn together and they are unable to deny
the attraction. But when the sun rises
the next morning, they walk away and think that is the end of it, never realizing
that their paths were always meant to stay forever connected and with cross again
months later. Can the chemistry of that
night, the gift they created together, and the slim chance at a beautiful
future together be enough to convince them both to give up their preconceived
notions and go all in on a relationship that will give them everything they’ve ever
wanted in life? I am so blessed to have had a chance to read this story, and I am
dying for the story coming next because I can already tell that Tank is going
to be a serious troublemaker and I am going to LOVE watching him lose his heart
and head.
Preston
Jacobson has always been the kind of man that only needed one woman in his
life, despite being a hockey star always surrounded by woman after his
attention, earning him the nickname “Romeo” from his teammates. His interest in women has led him to look for
love in the wrong place once or twice, but he continues to believe that the right
woman is out there for him—and he just might have found her at a holiday party.
Chelsea Murphy is attending the holiday party in Philadelphia with her friend
just to show that she is over the heartbreak of being left at the altar, but
she never imagined she would meet the sexiest man she’s ever seen. Chelsea and Preston are both drawn to one
another and the chemistry and connection is undeniable, leading them to agree
to one unforgettable night together. But
a year later Preston finds his dream woman, finally, while wandering the
streets of his hometown of Baltimore and he is determined to make her his once
and for all. Chelsea is beyond surprised
to see Preston walk into her new Bakery as if they havent been separated by a
year, but nothing prepares her for having to introduce him to the son they
created on that long ago night of passion. Now Chelsea and Preston have to
navigate this new world of co-parenting and getting to know one another, but Preston
wants so much more, possibly more than she can give. Were they really always meant to be together
or is their future one of friends and co-parents only? Preston is determined to
have his family and will do whatever it takes to get both his son and the love
of his life, and nobody understands the work it takes to win like a veteran hockey
star.
I
was thrilled to get to see this story finally get its full release, both
because we’d gotten glimpses of Preston’s sadness during their separation in
previous stories, and because I’d read the short story that was its previous iteration,
and I wanted so bad to see it fleshed out. Some characters are just made to
have a chance to tell their story so that you can fall in love with them and Preston
is one of those. He is sweet, strong,
loving, brave, and just genuinely a good guy.
When he sees something that he wants he goes after it and works hard to earn
it, instead of just thinking that it is his by right or force. We get to see him show his love and desire to
be a good father and that he is willing to work hard to show Chelsea that he will
always be there both for their son and for her.
But at the same time, he takes steps to prove to her that he wants her
for the love and passion that she will bring to his life, not just because she
is the mother of his son. So often with this trope you don’t see that
connection, only suspecting that the heroine is only wanted because she birthed
the hero’s child, but definitely we see here that is not the case at all.
Preston is a great guy, and I look forward to seeing him in future stories as
he stays friends with the other Stingrays and I’m betting Chelsea’s bakery
becomes a fun gathering spot. Chelsea has had a rough go of it, with her fiancée
leaving her at the altar, leaving everyone she knows behind to travel to Paris
to escape, finding out she’s pregnant, then losing the other grandparent
archetype in her life. But now that she
is home, her baby is happy and healthy and she and her bestie are finally
opening their dream bakery things are definitely looking up for her, so having
Preston come back into her life is truly just the icing on the cake. She might have
her doubts, mostly put there by others whispering in her ear, but she is smart,
sassy, and loving as she interacts with Preston, their son, and her
friends. Its easy to see why it was so
easy for Preston to fall in love with her and why she was such a perfect match
for “Romeo”, because she is definitely the quintessential princess in need of
rescuing, until she realizes she has her own strength and rescues herself. I
loved seeing her finally come to trust her instincts and Preston by extension as
they found a way to build their family and the love that was sparked by the fire,
they started the first moment they met.
Sometimes
you come across that one story that really makes you believe in love again…
perhaps you’ve lost hope for yourself, or been hurt one time too many, or maybe
your own relationship has lost its old spark… but reading that story reminds
you that true love can truly begin with one word, one look, or one touch. Rematch
was a perfect reminder that love, true love, can take less than a second to
spark in your heart, but we have to trust in it, recognize it, and give it the oxygen
and fuel it needs to flourish. Preston and Chelsea fed their spark for one
night, both agreeing that would be the end of it, though neither of them wanted
it to end. One year later, Preston is still pining for the girl of his dreams
when he sees her from a distance and he cannot resist going to her, praying
that he has a chance to prove to her that they were made to be together—be she
has a secret that will change their lives and future forever. Chelsea walked away from their one night with
a treasure that she has cherished and loved, a son that she now has to share
with Preston despite her fears and all the terrifying scenarios that others are
whispering in her ears. But the more time they spend together, with their son
and alone, the more Preston and Chelsea realize that their love never truly got
a chance to flourish and while they obviously need to be careful, for the sake
of their son, there is every chance that they could have a future
together. The passion and love between these
two is beautiful to watch, as is the sweetness as we watch Preston fall
instantly in love with his son (and I’m by no means a baby person so if I’m
saying that you can trust me that it was WELL done), but when Chelsea finally
admits how much she still wants Preston, that fire is truly unleashed. I am so glad that these two allowed
themselves to have the future they deserved so their little family could blossom
into a connection even more profound and meaningful than ever anticipated. I am dying for the next in the series (Release) where
we will see Tank finally get his heart (and maybe another piece of his anatomy)
handed to him because he finds himself chasing the one woman that doesn’t want
him. This series is hot enough to melt the entire hockey ring, but who can resist
an entire team of sexy players as they fall in love?
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
