Icebreaker [Mass Market Paperback]

OK, so here's the problem for me as a 'New York Blades' reader:

The author started a series about this hockey team. And for the first few books, her continuity was good. Characters from the previous books appeared in her new books, and they did their various schticks in the middle of the newest couple...but the characters were very consistent over those first few books, references to characters from previous books or previous happenings were 'correct'. And then somehow, Martin got off on a tangent that ended up in restaurants/bars--in Ireland in the last book!--which, given that I started reading the series because the hockey players thing was a little different, was kind of aggravating, because every other romance out there seems to have a restaurant/bar in it. But finally, FINALLY, after 3 or maybe even 4 books, she gets back to the hockey team---

And her continuity is out the window!

One of her antagonists is compared to Paul Van Dorn, which I suppose might be useful shorthand to someone who's read the series, IF, IF, IF the character actually ACTED like Paul. Which he doesn't, in fact. Paul was arrogant, but he wasn't a deliberately obstructive POS. Ty isn't just grouchy--Ty has a serious bug up his fundament, and frankly, Ty's not supposed to be old enough to be a straight up curmudgeon. And Anthony??? Is not that reasonable. Jason Mitchell appears, but where is Stanley? One of the major plot points of that book was Stanley the Newfoundland as a good luck charm for the Blades. When they started losing games, why didn't Michael suggest Jason get Stanley?!? Even just a throwaway line like "Delilah took the dogs to the farm with her" would have maintained the frame of this little world.

It's these kinds of details that cause 'series' books to fall apart--I can't tell you the number of series I have just quit reading because the authors and their editors couldn't be bothered to be consistent--and I'm not just talking about romance series. Patricia Cornwell is dead to me, and so is Iris Johansen. Authors should not commit themselves to writing in a series if they're not going to pay attention to the details of the world they create, AND BE CONSISTENT about them!!!

ALL THAT SAID:

If you haven't been a reader of the entire series, this is actually a better than average read-it-on-the-train romance. Sinead's actually a reasonably well-rounded character for a woman lawyer (her migraines help) and Adam's backstory, while predictably melodramatic (you see it coming from about page 10) was actually handled pretty well, after the big "did you talk to his best friend" reveal. The non-Blades secondary characters were interesting and I can see where at least one of them has juice enough to merit a story of his own, though not necessarily tagged "NYB."

If you haven't read the "NYB" series, this is about a 4 star romance.

If you have....I'm sorry, Ms. Martin, but for NYB readers, this is about a 2.

And if your next book doesn't pay more attention to continuity/consistency than this one did, it will have to be my last book from your pen. :( :( :( That makes me sad, because Deirdre Martin has a good ear for dialogue and this started out as a fun little world to spend an hour or two in.

AVERAGE: 3 stars

I shall begin with a little speech. I have only read book 1 so far, and I had no trouble at all jumping to book 9. It's a series about the players finding love, their relatives finding love and so on.

Sinead was uptight, and a workaholic. Adam was quiet and did not talk any more than he had too. One would think that these too would not work together but they did. They both worked hard at their jobs so there they were similar. And Sinead did want to let loose, and Adam was hiding a real sweetie inside. They were good for each other.

The ice-hockey theme, I like that. Sports and romance work well, and here there are other things too. Since Adam plays old school hard hockey and the bosses want a cleaner sport. I like rough hockey, anyway, he feels the pressure.

A nice couple who had some things to go through, the hunt for winning the Stanley Cup, the lawsuit, and a good cast of different characters. I felt right at home in this world, as I had been there many times before.

Recommendation and final thoughts:
A cute romance with a great setting. Who can say no ice-hockey players. And since I feel so at home, I would read more.

Adam Perry, the newest star player of the New York Blades, is an old-time hockey
player. Hard hits equal winning games in his book. Adam's style of play has
landed him in the hot seat. He is being charged with assault by a DA looking to
get ahead. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. All Adam wants to do
is finally win the Stanley Cup. Now he has to deal with this snobby,[...]

Sinead O'Brien is the best female attorney in New York and that is why the
Blades have come to her for representation. She has worked [...]to
reach the position she has at her firm and she plans to keep it. There is no
way she will let a hot monosyllabic jock get under her skin...right?

The more these two are around each other the harder it is for them to deny the
attraction between them. Adam and Sinead are both workaholics that have had a
single goal in mind for themselves for years; career success. Managing a
relationship is much harder than either could have imagined. Work has been
important to them both for so long; can they find something together they love
more than work? Will these two be able to put themselves aside to find
happiness together?

ICEBREAKER is a cool contemporary love story. Adam and Sinead have tons of
chemistry and both are complex characters that drive this romance. I love that
they both make snap observations of each other that turn out to be quite wrong.
I enjoyed the fact that Adam is not the typical playboy hockey player
stereotype. He is a serious hardworking athlete loyal to his team and determined
to help his team win the Stanley Cup. Adam is constantly trying to make up for
things from his past. This makes him a bit difficult to get to know. Sinead
and Adam are both fierce workaholics. Sinead has worked so hard to get where
she is at her firm and contends with a double standard in the workplace daily.
These issues make ICEBREAKER a very real story that is easy to relate to.

ICEBREAKER is the ninth story in this series but when I started reading this
book I had no idea it is part of a series. Therefore, I don't think it is
necessary to read the titles in order to enjoy the book. For the most part, I
really enjoyed ICEBREAKER. There are parts that were a bit slow for me.
However, I really like Adam and Sinead and felt like their romance made
ICEBREAKER a keeper.

Miranda
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed