Out of the Game (In the Zone, #3)

by Kate Willoughby

[Cocktails and Books]

OUT OF THE GAME is a delightful, light hearted story about a sexy, professional hockey player. Alex is a playboy hockey player who has never had a relationship last longer than a month or two, but things change when he meets Claire. Claire has just gone through a divorce, after discovering her husband of ten years cheated on her. She doesn’t have a lot of confidence and has a bad attitude when it comes to men and relationships. Alex is attracted to Claire and suggests they spend time together to help her get over the pain of her divorce. He’d be happy to be her rebound guy, so she can forget her cheating husband. There’s a lot of chemistry between them and Claire agrees to have a fling with Alex. Neither of them is looking for anything permanent, but as time goes on and they continue to spend more time together, they are surprised to find they are becoming closer.

Alex is easy to like, he’s a fun, carefree guy and also works hard to be a great hockey player. He’s nearing the end of his career and is finally maturing and for the first time in his life, he’s forced to make some tough decisions. He’s surprised by his strong feelings for Claire. He understands Claire needs time and patience and he gives it to her. Claire is a nice person, but unfortunately she was married to a jerk and she’s still trying to figure out her life after the divorce. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie Alex has with his teammates. They are always trash talking and playing pranks on each other and everyone has a nickname. Kate Willoughby writes a fast paced story that held my interest from the first page. Alex and Claire immediately click and there is a lot of passion between them. I connected with the characters and was sorry when the story ended.

Reviewed by Karen for Cocktails and Books