Slammed (San Francisco Thunder)

by Victoria Denault

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I L-O-V-E-D this book! I am generally a big fan of hockey romances, and I have enjoyed the books I read in Denault's Hometown Players series, but this book just had the perfect combination of all my favorite elements.

Who?
Dixie Braddock, publicist for the San Francisco Thunder and kid sister of their star player, who is trying to keep the sister thing under wraps as she makes her way through the PR ranks of the Thunder's organization.
Eli Casco, an up and coming goalie, who came back from an injury to make his bid for the NHL and now must unpack his baggage if he hopes to earn a permanent spot on the team.

What?
Eli and Dixie shared a kiss that they could not forget, and try to pick up where they started a year later. Just when it seemed both were ready to attempt to further this relationship, Eli is called up to the Thunder, and that puts him off limits due to the non-fraternization policy.

Why?
I loved so many things about this book.
• Dixie was fabulous. She was sassy and strong and went after things she wanted.
• Eli was so fun. I swear I smiled almost every time he was on page. He was also the more romantic of the two, and he made me laugh so much. I was actually reading his cheesy pickup lines to my neighbor at work, and we got a good chuckle out of them. They became something I looked forward to, and Denault wrote him some good ones.
• Dixie's family was fantastic. Her sisters were hilarious, and it was so much fun when all three were together. Her parents were absolutely adorable, and there was just so much love between them all. #FamilyGoals
• This is the sort of drama I enjoy in a romance too, because it was not between the hero and heroine, but it still complicated things for them. So, you get the tension, without the cliche things you normally see causing issues in a relationship.
• The banter was pretty top notch, and made me laugh tons. But there was also some really sweet and serious discussions, that made me swoon and sigh.
• I was so happy with the multiple dimensions Denault gave to both Eli and Dixie. Just when you thought that was all they had in them, a little something more was revealed. I especially loved seeing Eli's gentle side. He came through in a big why when he really needed to.
• A GRAND GESTURE!!! I am a diehard fan of Say Anything, and am a certified sucker for any sort of grand gesture. I thought the one Denault gave me was rather wonderful, and it came out of nowhere, so it was even better, because I didn't expect it. There was things that happened, which I expected, but I didn't expected it to happen like THAT.
• I want to list the brotherly love separately because both Dixie and Eli shared great relationship with their big brothers, and we got to share some really meaningful moments with them. I don't know about you, but I eat that stuff up.
• The ending was fantastic. I must be getting lucky with endings lately, because usually I complain a lot about them, but this one made me so happy. The last chapter, coupled with the epilogue just left me in a highly elated state.

Overall: This book checked off all the right boxes for me. A great hero and heroine, lots of feels, a hot and sweet romance, fantastic familial elements, hockey, and just the right combination of heat, humor, and drama.