Title: Zack
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Series: Cold Fury Hockey #3
~ SYNOPSIS ~
Warning: The following contains spoilers from a cliffhanger in Garrett.
Rising star Zack Grantham has been stuck in a downward spiral of grief that has put his career on hold. Back on the road with the Carolina Cold Fury, still crippled by emotional baggage, and now a single dad, he’s in need of some serious help with his son. But while the nerdy new nanny wins his son’s heart, Zack isn’t sure he’s ready for a woman’s touch—even after getting a glimpse of the killer curves she’s hiding under those baggy clothes.
Kate Francis usually keeps men like Zack at a distance. Though his athlete’s body is honed to perfection, he refuses to move on with his life—and besides, he’s her boss. Still, the sparks between them are undeniable, tempting Kate to turn their professional relationship into a personal one. But before she makes a power play for Zack’s wounded heart, Kate will have to open him up again and show him that love is worth the fight.
4.5 Stars
First and foremost, if you haven't been staying up to date with all the books in this series, fair warning:
This book starts off with a cliffhanger spoiler from Garrett.
Having said that, this book deals with some heartbreaking emotions. We left off at the end of Garett at a point that was truly sad and gut-wrenching for the entire team. With Zack grieving, he was completely lost emotionally. He was trying to find his 'feeling', his emotion, his need for pleasure and excitement in his life.....but he couldn't. He couldn't find any of it. It felt like he was just....lost, going through the motions of life. He had so much guilt and so much pain to try and wade through that I think he projected it more outward than he should have.
Kate is hired to work for Zack as his son's live-in nanny during the season. Zack isn't too sure about her and her 'nerdy' self, and he isn't too nice to her.....like, not at all. He takes his feelings out on her...and that was hard to sit through. Zack needs a nanny; he doesn't want one, and Kate is the most perfect person for the job. She is a young lady that is full of energy and spunk and knows kids and how to take care of them. But she hides herself under baggy clothing and behind big glasses. She is just....awkward. She has her shield up and that seems to work for her; keeps her focused on her ultimate goal. I totally related to her on more than a few levels. She uses her sarcastic wit to get her through the difficult times and she always had a funny comeback for a potentially uncomfortable situation.
This book was the most awkward book ever, and it was PERFECT. Perfect because Sawyer Bennett nailed that part of Kate perfectly.
Now how to explain this, I'll try my hardest. I want to convey my emotions in this review, but I am having a hard time putting them into words. This may not be everyone's cup of tea and they might take offense to the way she was treated by Zack and how she reacted to it, but I personally loved it. It was emotional and dealt with things deeper than what is on the surface. I felt that I was made to actually dig deep to understand the true intensity of what was actually happening between Zack and Kate; wanted or not. We get to see this woman fall for a man that is not emotionally available AT. ALL. and yet, she doesn't seem to let it bother her too deep; she knew the rules going in. Yet, we are seeing that it clearly does. Some may see that the way Kate handles Zack with his cold and horribly emotional days makes it appear that she is accepting of his behavior and is weak, but the way she handles him and the situations shows her strength in spades. Many are going to question Kate's backbone. I think this will have more readers upset with her choices....if they fail to see the brilliance behind Sawyer Bennett's writing. Kate is an amazing person and has sacrificed so much to be where she is at and she is the most giving, loyal and upbeat person you will ever meet. Zack just needs to pull his head out of his ass...."it's not a hat". Hahaha!
There are some harsh moments, there are some downright laugh out loud funny moments and there are some heart rendering moments. Overall, Kate was everything that Zack needed...and more. He needed to be broken out of his shell, but the same could and should be said about her as well.
I think this book was the perfect addition to this Cold Fury series and I really empathized with Zack, and Kate was the perfect addition to this book series. So perfect. I loved seeing how Sutton and Alex played a role in this book as well. I highly recommend reading this book....and not only finding out how broody Zack can be, but how sexy he truly is. With all the pain he endured, he finally found what he was missing.
I think this is the best inspirational quote that I could find that summed up this book perfectly.
“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” – Albert Schweitzer
"An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review"
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~ Sawyer Bennett ~
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series.
Thank you for hosting ZACK!
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