Must Love Dogs and Hockey

Must Love Dogs . . . and Hockey- Kelly Jamieson
Loveswept/Random House
Release Date: September 8, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Lilly: My life is like the love child of a train wreck and a dumpster fire right now. I’ve been canned, my professional reputation is shredded, and now I’m walking dogs to make ends meet.
But I still believe everything will work out. Somehow.
Then a dog at the park attacks my friend’s dog. At first, I’m ready to give the owner hell—but it turns out he’s in desperate need of doggie daycare. I figure, why not? I love dogs and I need the cash.
Too bad his cocky bad boy attitude annoys me. He’s too damn cute for his own good. And I’m not talking about the dog.

Easton: My coach is riding my ass and I’m not handling it well. When I’m saddled with an abandoned pooch, my teammate thinks a dog will keep my temper in check. I think I have enough problems already.
But when my new dog gets into a tussle that leads me to meet a smoking hot chick who knows how to handle the rascal, I start to think pet ownership isn’t all bad. At least it gives me an excuse to see Lilly again. . . .
Neither of us are interested in a relationship. First they steal your bed, then they steal your heart. And I’m not talking about the dog.

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There are times when you just want to get lost in a good book, knowing that whatever troubles the characters get into, by the end it will have all worked out the way it should.  They'll be happy, you'll be happy for them, and maybe you'll feel just a little bit better about the people and the world around you.  If you're feeling the need for a happy ending and absorbing read to transport you for a day, Kelly Jamieson's new hockey romance Must Love Dogs . . . and Hockey is for you!

Lilly's life is currently like "the love child of a train wreck and a dumpster fire."  She's been fired from a crappy job, no one in her field will hire her, and she's trying to make ends meet by dog-walking.  Easton is a hockey player with a coach who is verbally and emotionally abusive, he's dealing (by which I mean, NOT dealing) with lots of emotional baggage, and he seems to have accidentally acquired a dog he doesn't know how to take care of.  Neither of them want to open their hearts or trust others for fear of being let down.  But there's undeniable chemistry between them and as things heat up, Lilly and Easton will have to decide if they are brave enough to get past their insecurities or if the past will put them in the penalty box for good.

Anyone who's read Jamieson's Aces Hockey series (Playing Hurt, Slap Shot) knows that she's a writer who takes hockey as seriously as romance.  Which makes her the perfect author for people like me, who enjoy both.  In Must Love Dogs . . .and Hockey, Jamieson gives us a new team, the New York Bears, and new players to love- starting with Easton Millar.  He comes off as a bit of a cocky jerk jock, but start getting to know him and you find a man who feels like he's lost everything but hockey, and is willing to put up with pretty much anything to hang on to what he sees as the only thing left in his life.  He's afraid to get close to teammates, afraid to get attached to the dog he rescues, and afraid to look too closely at his feelings for Lilly- until it all comes to a head and he has to force himself to look at his life and who he really wants to be.  The more I got to know Easton, the more I hurt for him, and the more I hoped he could make himself be brave enough to try for love.  

What can I say about Lilly?   When she sees people doing something wrong, she acts- even knowing what the consequences to her life could be. She tries to see the good in life, and how she can help make that happen for someone, while at the same time not having an annoying Pollyanna complex.  She's the person I hope I would be in her situation.  

 In Must Love Dogs . . . and Hockey Jamieson gives readers an emotionally satisfying story of love, friendship, bravery, and dogs. Well-written and full of three-dimensional characters you come to love, this was a great book that left me thinking about it long after I'd finished.  I hope we see more of Jamieson's Bears hockey team and its players in the future.  

A must-read for any sports romance fan, dog lover, and everyone in-between. 

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review