Pink Pucks & Power Plays by V.L. Locey

 Viviana Land just can`t seem to say no to her younger sister. Somehow, the curvaceous society page reporter gets lassoed into serving as her niece`s Busy Bee scout leader. One overheated engine later, Viviana and her girls find themselves in the Green Hills Ice Rink. Enter Alain Lessard, the charmingly handsome defenseman for the Philadelphia Wildcats, who is donating his summer to coaching the youth league.

When our intrepid reporter is given the opportunity to write the break-out story of her career, Viviana leaps at the chance. Thinking it would be easy to flirt and tease some juicy tidbits out of Alain, Viviana soon finds herself falling for the sensual, younger, kind-hearted man. Will she put aside her virtual pen for a chance to stay at her new paramour`s side? Or will Viviana finally get away from those mundane bakery opening articles by using the man she may possibly be in love with?

This is one of those books where you see the disaster the storyline is going to take from very early on in the book…but still enjoy every single page.

Viviana is a reporter and fate lands her right in the path of elusive hockey star Alain Lessard. She sees this as an opportunity to advance her career.  What she didn’t see coming was the undeniable chemistry and attraction between them.  The kicker is that Alain doesn’t know that Viviana is a reporter…and the shenanigans ensue from there.  What happens when her secret is revealed?

Viviana was an excellent character.  Duplicitous, sure, but somehow she remains lovable.  I also loved that she was a curvy lady…not enough of them in stories if you ask me.  Another great thing about this book is that it’s a sports romance, but only insomuch as the hero is a hockey player.  It’s different from other sports romances that I’ve read in this respect because it’s not really about sports.  But it does have a very hunky, sexy hockey player at its center.  Yum.  How many licks does it take to get the center of Alain Lessard?  I’d give that a go.

This is a fast read that keeps you engaged and invested in the story.  It’s written in first person POV, and I thought that Viviana’s inner dialogue was hilarious and spirited.  I don’t think anyone will regret picking up this fun read.  It’s perfect for summer.  4 stars.

Despite the fact that I found Viviana to be quite annoying in the beginning of the book, I enjoyed Pink Pucks and Power Plays immensely. In the first several chapters of the book Viviana comes off as a bit of a diva drama queen to me. However, as she spent more time interacting with those around her – especially the girls and Alain – I found her character much more likeable and enjoyed the story that much more. The country club scene towards the end of the story is probably my favorite scene in the book.

Despite being a bit self-absorbed (at least in the beginning), Viviana is simply unable to deny her sister a favor and finds herself thrust into the apparently hideous Busy Bee scout leader uniform and chaperoning a group of girls to a basket weaving class – at least that’s where they’re headed when her car breaks down. As the society pages reporter, she has absolutely no idea as to who Alain is when she and the girls stumble into the ice hockey rink trying to find a phone to call for help, but she learns the extent of her “find” during the weekly Monday meeting at work when her boss offers her the chance of a lifetime if she can get “the story” about the elusive Alain. Thanks to the demands of the Busy Bees who want to play hockey instead of making baskets, she has her in and quickly finds herself involved with Alain. As she spends time with him and gets to know him, she finds herself less enthusiastic about her article and far more invested in Alain. The fact that he is a genuinely good guy that absolutely worships her Rubenesque figure and is the best lover she has ever had makes her dilemma that much more difficult. But as all good romance novels require a bit of conflict and drama, Viviana’s assignment is revealed to Alain by her backstabbing colleague and she must deal with the consequences of her betrayal – which include crushed Busy Bees and her own broken heart.

I enjoy a good sports romance and Ms. Locey did not let me down. I love Alain’s character and fully appreciate the touches she added to make him seem real – my favorite being him speaking in broken English at times. While I prefer fiction to non-fiction, I do like my characters to feel real, so it irks me when an author has a foreign-born character who speaks perfect English. Ms. Locey’s inclusion of broken English and misused words for both Alain and Veikko give Pink Pucks and Power Plays that touch of realism I enjoy. The fact that Alain is a super sexy athlete who appreciates a full-figured woman is an absolute bonus. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Locey’s work and can only hope that we do get more of the Wildcats as the book’s cover seems to indicate that this is to be a series.

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V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, belly laughs, anything romantic, Greek mythology, New York Rangers hockey,  comic books and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a steer named after a famous N.H.L. goalie,  a pig with the same moniker as a famous President, and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

V.L. is a self-published and conventionally published author. She is a proud Torquere Press and Secret Cravings Publishing author. When not writing romantic tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand, writing, or cheering on her beloved New York Rangers. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

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