Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Book review: Hockey With Benefits, by TIJAN

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 As soon as this ARC appeared in my Kindle library, I fell into reading it, immediately.  I finished my Tijan addiction, and now I have a book hangover!  

Mara Daniels appeared in Rick Prick, she was Blaise DeVroe’s friends with benefits before he fell in love with Aspen.  Mara used to be one of the mean girls in Fallen Crest Academy but now she’s different.  She’s closed off, never shares anything personal, shies away from friendship, keeps to herself.  She has a strict no-friends with benefits relation with Cruz Styles, first line in Grant West U’s hockey team.  It’s like a done and gone type of thing, but inevitably, the situation evolves because you can’t help but start to care for a person who is so decent to you.


In spite of being so standoffish, people still flock to Mara because they see through her prickly exterior to the sweet person underneath.  She doesn’t notice it, but her random acts of kindness are noticed.  Her roommates are initially reticent but as the book develops, they get close.  And the crowning star is that Zeke Allen appears! In all his crazy, cute, and loyally stalkerish ways, he locks on to Mara as a friend.


I loved reading Mara’s evolution, from this lonely person who shied away from relations, to this girl who had loyal girlfriends fighting for her.  As Mara and Cruz share incidents where both are victims or involved, it’s inevitable that they get closer.  Both Mara and Cruz struggle with some real family issues, it’s heartbreaking.  There comes a moment in a couple’s life where they have decide to be present or absent.  I was so happy that they decided to be present!


In Tijan’s universe, there are many connections where characters from other books make an appearance.  In this case, I was thrilled to see Zeke, Blaise and Tasmin.  There’s a rich college life with parties, booze and fraternities.  Always something hopping!


I loved Mara and Cruz as a couple!  They were perfect for each other, strong for each other, healing each other.  There was one moment in the book where Mara was overwhelmed and heartbroken and Cruz was truly her hero.  There’s so much goodness in them, and I was so glad to see the crowd of friends with them, supporting, helping and in Zeke’s case, being the humor of the moment.


Lovely story, it’s always a mesmerizing read with this author, lovely to find old friends in the story and awesome love story.


Purchase links


Amazon: https://amzn.to/3J9vzEs
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/HockeyWithBenefits

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3lqdR69

Free with Kindle Unlimited


About the author


Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked. She's written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan's Bed, Enemies and others.


She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she adores.

 

Connect with Tijan


Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4851199.Tijan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tijan/e/B00DJG52QE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tijansbooks/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tijansaudiomen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tijansbooks/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tijansbooks

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@tijan_author

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan





   



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