Home Game (A Vancouver Wolves Hockey Romance Book 2)
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He’s a professional hockey player trying to survive on his new team. I’m just trying to survive.
I’m down to my last dollar.
I live day-to-day in a world that doesn’t care.
Despite my bad luck, I’m a fighter.
I never give up. I never stop trying.
Ryan Parker's wealth and generosity, sets him apart from anyone I know.
Yet, I don’t trust him.
It’s nothing personal. I trust no one.
But when my bad luck takes a turn for the worse, one person shows up.
Ryan Parker.
I do not understand why he bothered because the guy has enough of his own issues to deal with.
But I don’t have a choice.
I need him. It’s a matter of survival.
His friendship changed everything.
It changed me.
I started to believe in myself.
I allowed myself to trust.
And for the first time, in a long time, I felt my heart beat again.
In the game of love, winning is harder than it looks.
I don’t know the rules.
I don’t know how to win.
But I’ll play my heart out until the whistle blows.
Home Game: Who's got your back when the puck drops?
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“Odette has a wonderful style that captures your interest from the first page to the last. Her characters are gripping and she weaves their tale in such a way that I did NOT put this book down!!” – Amazon review
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This is a standalone book, and this series can be read in any order.
Reviews (195)
Meh.
I didn't love this story as much as Rory and Max's drama and hilarity in PUCK ME SECRETLY. For one, Ryan's character and his actions with his teammates, his agent, and Zoey didn't come across as believable. The writer had an idea and specific angle as well as direction she was working toward with Ryan and Zoey, yet obviously failed in her rather lame transitions and dialogue from her secondary characters, especially Jenson and Bianca. That reminds me - WTH was up with inserting a classless, fake witch like her into this story without any reasonable subplot or connecting backstory to make her role less painful to accept in the whole scheme of Ryan needing a PA? I thought at first this would have been a great position for Zoey. Then Bianca is hired, albeit with the probationary proviso, which plummeted my very slight hope that this book would turn out to be worth my time and money. She was so evil, skanky, and obvious without doing a thing for the story or Zoey and Ryan's relationship that was already floundering without being given a fair start that I have to question this writer's thought process. Realizing she probably meant to infuse her book with added excitement, treachery and scandalous behaviors, I must wonder if she's ever heard of the wisdom in that saying "less is more.". She instead has proven how awkward and overdone it was to make too much of Zoey's poverty, hard life, and difficulties, then compounding going overboard with everything by including the cliche abusive foster dad who turns into a stalker, and the beyotch Bianca morphing into the unsurprising manipulative, wicked disgruntled employee with ulterior visions of grandeur of herself in Ryan's future. So sorry, but this was so, so, anticlimactic after the wonderful job that was done with the first book in this series. Maybe if she had spread the harsh situational realities that happen on the streets to other characters in future books the story would be more realistic. I mean, how can Ryan go from not even seeing Zoey as an attractive female when he first meets and interacts with her to desiring her and thinking of her all the time when the writer didn't even write this possibility into her plotline from the beginning? As stated earlier, it was forced, unrealistic, and extremely awkward. One point two stars. Disappointing, though the sexy scenes are hot -- they just don't jive with the other garbage and facts this writer's inserting into her plot and characters' backstories. At. All.
Odette Stone Wins With This Book!
This book! Oh my lord!! It’s sweet, heart wrenching and hot all at the same time! Zoey is an adorable, feisty homeless girl who has had such a hard life but is a fighter. Ryan finds her and is so very sweet to her. As Zoey gets back on her feet, with a Ryan’s help (and with the help of his agent and some of his teammates who also thinks she’s precious), their feelings blossom. When someone from Zoeys past turns up and threatens Zoey and her relationship with Ryan, they have to work hard to realize what it will take to find a future for themselves. This beautiful story was my first by Odette Stone and I will definitely be reading her other books. She’s a winner!
Loved This Story
I loved Zoey and Ryan. Two characters who are, in their own way, lost, and trying to survive with the hand they’ve been dealt. Zoey’s story was heartbreaking. Orphaned, placed in foster care at the age of six, then turned out on her own. Now working, but homeless. Depending on safe shelters, 24 hour diners with kind staff, and coffee houses with clean bathrooms. She survives, but does not thrive. Ryan has been traded from his beloved hockey team, to a team where he is openly hated. He has no family, no friends, no social life. His only friendly face in town, is his agent. When fate throws Zoey in his path, he knows she should be off limits, but there is something about her that he admires. She’s tough, gritty, and underneath has a very soft, vulnerable side. So he does what he can to help. He becomes her savior, her roommate, her best friend, and when the time is right her lover. Ryan was so sweet. Very conflicted where Zoey is concerned but very sweet. I loved watching him win over his teammates. Zoey was a very strong character. She wanted so bad to trust Ryan, but her past experiences have left her wary and distrustful of men. I loved how Ryan saved her from the street, but ultimately, it was Zoey who saved herself. Great story, great characters. I loved having dual points of view in this book. A bit of angst, some drama and suspense. A very, very slow burn romance. But does have a happy ending. I’m looking forward to Mica’s book.
Better than the first book in the series
I loved that he started saving her but at the end she saved herself. On the first book my only complain was that the h will not “speak up” and even when I know it helps to keep the plot it gets old fast. There was not such problem here. The h is sweet, smart feisty and after an bit of insecurity she shows she won’t be a pushover. H is everything anyone can hope for. The author knows how to keep the reader interest and It’s a nice easy read.
Home Game- Vancouver Wolves
This is the second book in this amazing hockey series with Ryan being kind to a homeless girl Zoey and they eventually fall in love. He is traded to the Wolves because the GM won a bet and he was the consulation prize from his previous club. He was not happy and no one on the Wolves were making an effort to reach out to him and be his friend and his teammate. Ryan keeps coming to Zoey's rescue even though she does not want his help but she is desperate after being mugged. He takes her ho.e and missed her until she is healthy again. Their love story is amazing as they try to let each other live their lives and he tried to make her independent from him. He wants her to choose him and not because she would otherwise be homeless. All his teammates like her and she helps him decorate his apartment and decorated his home straight out of Ikea, her favorite store. They go through a lot but accept that they were made for each other at the end and he stays with the Wolves because of her and she starts to attend college to get an accounting degree. This was a fantastic story and I cannot wait to read Mica, his teammates story next.
5stars
It’s been a while since I’ve fallen completely in love with a book and its characters but this book just caught me by surprised and I loved very minute of it. Ryan and Zoey’s relationship built slowly over but when they finally came together it was incredible. I love that they got to know each other before moving on to the physical. It just made it better when they finally did. I now need to go back and read the first book in the series. I hope there will be more in the series.
It was a great page turner!
I've read a LOT of romance novels in my life and as many hockey romance novels as I can get my hands on. This one was exceptional. I was captured from the first page (that I foolishly ready 'before bed' at 9:30 pm) and didn't stop until I was finished at 1:30 in the morning (and I get up at 4:30 for work). I never felt like I wanted to skip ahead and each page added value. Strong character development. Steamy but not gratuitous and always to enhance the story. Loved the other characters in the story. Can't wait to read more from this author. Off to read the first in the series! WELL DONE.
Fun read
So this author showed up on my Facebook, like so many others because I'm an avid reader. I was pleasantly surprised by the advertisement that I decided to give the book a read; I'm so glad I did. I was hooked by the style of writing the author used. The book was well written. I also loved the characters. (I would write more on this review but my 3 year old grandson is demanded a bit of my time.) All I can say is that I will continue to read books by this author and since and few reviewers stated the first book in this series is even better, I will buy that one today....hope you all enjoy this author as much as I do!
Trust
Incredible romantic story of two different characters who happen to cross pass that change their life’s in more than one way! Time and trust lead to a unbelievable love that is overflowing with hot sweet loving and a future meant to be! Absolutely loved this second book please let there be more,thanks ♥️♥️
Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!
As with most First Person romances, I went into this one warily, uncertain what to expect. Most such romances are stilted, under-researched, and in serious need of a good editing pen. Was I ever in for a pleasant surprise! From the opening line of the book, Ms. Stone had me hooked into Zoey's story, even before the romance came around. My heart went out to the feisty, scrambling-to-make-it-by Zoey, and the reader can FEEL her angst, and her determination to stay away from something that's clearly harmed her, though she doesn't give many clues at first as to what happened to her. I loved this story! The characters are deep, complex, and layered with all sorts of nuance you don't see from many First Person romances. Nor was it all a thinly disguised sex-fest, like so many are. There was real meat to the bones of this story, and it keeps the reader entrenched in the story. I couldn't put it down. And I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Stone's work!
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