Play Hard #1
Audible audiobook
Author: K. Bromberg
Narrators: Jacob Morgan and Emma Wilder
Dekker Kincade ‘s father gave her one job: to recruit Hunter Maddox to their agency, a feat that will solve all their problems. There is just one tiny predicament and it’s not even the fact that Maddox is the most wanted athlete in the NHL at the moment… He’s the man who broke Dekker’s heart three years ago.
Anyone can see that Hunter is obviously in a funk. His short temper is causing all sorts of grief and his agent only reads him the riots act, making him even angrier. No one but Dekker realizes that he is burned out. What she can’t figure out is why. He’s suffering and she wants to help. Now Dekker’s conflicted – does she approach him as an agent or as the woman who never stopped loving him?
This second chance romance takes a little time to pick up the pace, but when you learn why Dekker is so edgy you can’t not fall for him. He’s tortured by things in his past he blames himself for but he’s living the dream – but it’s not exactly HIS dream. He’s living the life his twin was supposed to have. His father won’t let him forget it.
The story is touching and beautiful, but if you don’t like the miscommunication trope, this is not for you. 100% of the conflicts in this story could have been solved if people just actually voiced their feelings. That’s exactly when the romance actually happens – when Hunter and Dekker finally TALK. I won’t even get into the family dynamics with Hunter because his parents are just… nope. Yeah yeah yeah, they are going through something horrible but they were horrible before it happened.
It’s a good, angsty romance with nice steam.
Narration: It’s Emma Wilder and Jacob Morgan, so you know they sink their teeth in that all that angst. Can’t get any better than that.
Possible triggers (spoilerish): toxic relationship with a parent; a secondary character is quadriplegic due to a car accident; death of a sibling
