Delayed Penalty (Crossing the Line, #1)

by Shey Stahl

[Cocktails and Books]

I've never known a professional hockey player, but reading Shey Stahl's book made me feel as though I had. While reading DELAYED PENALTY, I could easily envision myself in the ice arena. I felt the excitement in the air, heard the skates scraping the ice, fans yelling and screaming and music blaring. Shey Stahl does a wonderful job of capturing the feeling and making the reader feel you are there.

DELAYED PENALTY, is a story about Evan Mason, a hockey player who falls in love with Ami Sutton, an emotionally damaged young women. Evan finds Ami while walking home late at night, after a hockey game. Someone brutally attacked Ami and left her in the snow. Evan rescues Ami, takes her to the hospital and slowly falls in love. Evan and Ami are wildly attracted to one another, but they are both young and Ami has heartache, sadness and bad memories to deal with.

Evan is the perfect hero. He is a rookie pro hockey player with the Chicago Blackhawks. Hi is a big, tough defense player who enjoys getting in a fight during the game, but Evan has a big heart and can be gentle. He comes from a stable family with values. His parents taught him honesty, loyalty, respect and hard work. From the moment Evan saves Ami, she has a hold on him. He is drawn to her and can't forget her.

Ami grew up in small town Lebanon, Oregon and has only been in Chicago a few weeks. Amy teaches ballot. She is young, petite, sweet and isn't afraid to tell you what is on her mind. Amy is instantly attracted to Evan. She trusts him because he makes her feel safe, but she has many issues to overcome.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between the hockey players on the Blackhawks team. They swear, trash talk, play practical jokes and are constantly ribbing each other. They have a comment for everything and everybody, but there is a strong bond between them and will do whatever it takes for their teammates.

This is a love story with a lot of hockey. Ami has never seen a hockey game before meeting Evan. We learn about hockey with her. The chapters are written from different points of view. Some are written from Evan's perspective and others from Ami's. This helps the reader understand how both of them feel and think.

DELAYED PENALTY has it all. It's a wonderfully written, captivating story, with engaging characters and amusing and interesting secondary characters. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.