Slap Shot
Bryant (Nashville Sound #2)
by Alicia Hunter Pace
Two deeply scarred souls struggle with forbidden feelings in this heartfelt second novel in the Nashville Sound series.
Life has taught defenseman Bryant Taylor never to look back and never to get serious about a woman. His ill, pregnant wife died while he was off playing an away game, leaving him—and both their families—heartbroken. Jokes and puck bunnies are his style now, and he’s sticking to it.
Gabriella Charbonnet has idolized her brother Emile since he rescued her from their violently abusive father when she was eleven—and he’s supported her ever since. He even agreed to play for the Sound so that she could apprentice as a pastry chef in nearby Beauford, Tennessee.
When Bryant and Gabriella find themselves thrown together at a society fundraiser, sparks fly. But Gabriella wants nothing to do with hockey players, aside from her brother, who just so happens to be Bryant’s best friend. The first rule of the bro code? Don’t mess with sisters.
There are plenty of reasons why starting a relationship would be all kinds of wrong, yet walking away from each other doesn’t prove to be as easy as they thought.
Life has taught defenseman Bryant Taylor never to look back and never to get serious about a woman. His ill, pregnant wife died while he was off playing an away game, leaving him—and both their families—heartbroken. Jokes and puck bunnies are his style now, and he’s sticking to it.
Gabriella Charbonnet has idolized her brother Emile since he rescued her from their violently abusive father when she was eleven—and he’s supported her ever since. He even agreed to play for the Sound so that she could apprentice as a pastry chef in nearby Beauford, Tennessee.
When Bryant and Gabriella find themselves thrown together at a society fundraiser, sparks fly. But Gabriella wants nothing to do with hockey players, aside from her brother, who just so happens to be Bryant’s best friend. The first rule of the bro code? Don’t mess with sisters.
There are plenty of reasons why starting a relationship would be all kinds of wrong, yet walking away from each other doesn’t prove to be as easy as they thought.
3.5 Stars
Slap Shot is the second title in the Nashville Sound series. This was my first time reading anything written by Alicia Hunter Pace, and whilst I usually love a sports romance, or brother's best friend trope I struggled to connect with this story.
Overall Gabriella and Bryan't story is fun and emotional, slow burn romance, told from a dual point of view. Their story pulls at your heart strings, and I could completely empathize with both of these like-able and complex characters. Both characters are haunted by events of their past, and struggle with change and moving forward with their lives.
Bryant is a nice guy but his family leaves something to be desired, they were overbearing, controlling and kind of quirky but not in an endearing way.
I hope that I will connect more with future titles by this author as it's well paced and overall well written.
Stephanie Jones and Jean Hovey write together as Alicia Hunter Pace. Stephanie lives in Jasper, Alabama. She is a native Alabamian who likes football, civil war history, and people who follow the rules. She is happy to provide a list of said rules to anyone who needs them. Jean lives in Decatur, AL, with her husband in a hundred-year-old house that always wants something from her. She likes to cook but has discovered the joy of Mrs. Paul’s fish fillets since becoming a writer.