Game Changer - Book Review

By Melissa Cutler

Synopsis

Welcome to Destiny Falls, New York, home of Bomb Squad–an ice hockey team full of rugged military heroes. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has the team captain packing his bags for greener pastures, but saying good-bye to the woman who’d captured his heart is easier said than done…

After being wounded in combat, Brandon Theroux lives every day like it’s his last. He never could have imagined that the sleek mechanics of his prosthetic leg would open so many doors, including minor celebrity status as a fitness model and a well-earned reputation as a rakish playboy. The only door it hasn’t opened is the one to Harper Johnson’s bedroom.

Harper has too much self-respect to join the ranks of Brandon’s “carpe diem” conquests, but when she needs someone to keep the peace in the tavern she owns, Brandon offers his help–as long as she agrees to a very tempting trade. It isn’t long before the two realize that a deal struck between friends who can’t keep their hands off each other has the potential to be a whole lot hotter than either of them is prepared to handle…

Review

The synopsis is what really caught my attention to this book. We have a hockey team (my favourite sport) full of ex-military men (my favourite heroes) in one handy location. And the guy on the cover holding his shaft is hot, so no brainer right? Sadly, I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped I would. Harper has been dealt a pretty crappy hand in life, which is the main reason she’s rejected every sexual advance Brandon’s made to her over the past five years. She wants a partner, someone she can count on, so being another one of Brandon’s one-night stands is out of the question. Since losing part of his leg in an explosion that killed several members of his team, Brandon’s goal is to live life to the fullest and to do what he can to help disabled Vets like him. With no desire to settle down, he’s content to bed woman after woman. Harper is the only woman to tell him no, which makes him try harder as he’s not one to back away from a challenge. Angry at her for rejecting him every time, he enjoys rubbing his one-night stands in her face. This of course makes Harper more determined to reject his advances and this cycle goes on and on and on to the point it’s a hate-hate relationship. To borrow a phrase the author likes to use a lot in this book, it’s toxic bullshit.

They become good friends when Brandon stops his attempts at bedding her. Thinking that they’re better of as friends rather than adversaries and lovers, they’re both shocked to discover their friendship is changing, evolving, growing into something pretty amazing. But Brandon has made a professional choice which sets to destroy the happiness they’ve recently found.

Game Changer was ok, not bad but not great either. I think what let me down most was the relationship between Harper and Brandon. Yes, when they become friends and when sex is off the table, they work pretty well together. And Brandon really stepped up to the plate when Harper needed him most. But even as friends they rubbed each other the wrong way. I guess I just didn’t really feel their relationship was anything solid. But the ending was nice and sweet.

Brandon: “I couldn’t move on with my life because you are my life. You’re my everything. I was a fool for ever thinking I could live with letting you be the one who got away.”

Release Date: May 19, 2015