Chasing Stanley: Deirdre Martin

When dog trainer Delilah Gould spots a rambunctious Newfoundland disobeying orders, she can't help stepping in and teaching the gentle giant to heel. But it's his hunky owner she'd really like to teach a few tricks. Too bad he's clearly the untrainable kind.

Professional hockey player Jason Mitchell is thrilled when he's traded to the New York Blades-the team of his dreams. There's just one problem: his pooch isn't adjusting to city life too well. Good thing he crosses paths with dog trainer Delilah Gould. At least that's what he thinks-until he realizes he's fallen for her.

Now with the season heating up, Jason realizes he'll have to score big-time to win the Stanley Cup and the woman who has tamed his dog and unleashed his heart.

An absolute breath of fresh air. That's the first thing that comes to mind with this story. With so many similarities running through the plots of the many genres of romance, Deirdre Martin brings a new angle to the scene by throwing hockey into the mix. It's not a pre-requisite to be a hockey fan in order to get drawn in to the pages of this book. What woman doesn't have a fantasy about hooking and drawing in a hot pro-athlete?

The author did an excellent job at defining the characters and their psyches. While Delilah's social anxieties do start to wear on your nerves to the point that you'd love nothing more than to shake the hell out of her, the author has done well with showing the family dynamics behind both main characters to explain the intricacies of each personality. Additionally, the characters are easy to relate to as the problems that they come up against are real, everyday problems that all of us have faced in our relationships.

Buy it, especially for my fellow hockey fans. No ifs , ands, or buts. If you enjoy a good romance story and love watching that puck being slapped around, this book is an absolute must.

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Publisher: Berkley (February 6, 2007)
ISBN: 0425214478
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