Scorin' on the Fourth of July by Cassandra Carr

After Mikael signs a free agent contract with the Buffalo Storm professional hockey team, he finds himself agreeing to a part of a charity hockey tournament taking place over the Fourth of July weekend. While there, he meets Terri, the goaltender who recently backstopped the US women’s hockey team to a gold medal. He’s instantly enamored, both by her skill and her beauty, and sets out to learn more about her.

While Mikael has a brand-new life in Buffalo, Terri fears that to be able to continue playing her beloved hockey she’ll have to leave the area, possibly going far away if that’s what it takes to find a professional team willing to take a chance on a female goaltender. She likes Mikael, but fears becoming involved and then having to leave him.

Both Mikael and Terri are facing turning points in their career and must decide if love is worth it or if they’ll leave their passion on the ice.

Considering the other books I have read by this author, this was a tame one, yet high on sensitivity and romance.  I think I have a crush on Mikael Maatta, the newly signed hockey player from Finland.  He was raised to respect women and working hard to adjust to the American culture and slang.  He isn’t a materialistic sports jock that we usually read about.  He takes his earnings and uses it for what he needs, then invest some and sends the rest back home to his parents to help repay them for what they did for him and his career.  Why do I tell you this?  Because he is a real considerate man that made this story wonderful and refreshing change for me. 

Shortly after signing for the new team, he is asked to play in a benefit tournament for kids.  He is happy to help, although he just finished the playoffs and feels a bit battered and bruised, he gets permission and heads back on the ice.  It was there he met the goal keeper for his team, Olympic hockey player Terri Kirkland.  Some things happen during the tournament that also proves the kind of man he is, but it also shows Terri’s true personality and she really makes a good match for him.  She makes goalkeeping sexy.

She is beautiful and would love to play hockey somewhere but there are no professional women teams so she aims to find a minor league who would take her.  As the two get to know each other and she shows him around town and helps answer his questions about where to live they start recognizing the attraction they have for each other. All of a sudden the chance of a life time comes to Terri and she is going to have to make some tough decisions.  Will Mikael be willing to have a long distance relationship with her if she gets on a team that isn’t in the same city?

This is a short read, under a hundred pages and what I like to call an easy afternoon relaxing book that restores the belief in old fashion romance.  The author did a great job at creating the two characters with strong personalities and firm beliefs.  They didn’t instantly jump on each other and Mikael stayed true to his roots from Finland throughout the whole story yet he wasn’t difficult to understand or follow. I would highly recommend you grab your copy of this book for an enjoyable afternoon read.