Ryker - Book Review

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

The stakes have never been higher for Carolina Cold Fury goalie Ryker Evans. With his contract running out, he’s got a year left to prove he’s still at the top of his game. And since his wife left him, Ryker has been balancing life as a pro-hockey star and a single parent to two daughters. Management is waiting for him to screw up. The fans are ready to pounce. Everybody’s taking dirty shots—except for the fiery redhead whose faith in Ryker gives him a fresh start.

As the league’s only female general manager, Gray Brannon has learned not to mix business with pleasure. And yet even this tough, talented career woman can’t help breaking her own rules as she gives Ryker everything she’s got. She hopes their hot streak will last forever, but with Ryker’s conniving ex plotting to reclaim her man, the pressure’s on Gray to step up and save a tender new love before it’s too late.

Review

RYKER was another enjoyable read in the Cold Fury Hockey series. Ryker is a relative newcomer to the team after he was traded for punching the teammate who’d been sleeping with his wife. It’s a contract year for him, so he’s out to prove he still has several good years left as a goalie in the hopes he’ll get a new contract with the Cold Fury. Grayson (Gray) is making history as the first female General Manager of an NHL team. And just because she’s a woman, she’s hated by the players, the management team and the fans. Everyone is waiting for her to screw up because a woman could never run a team as well as a man could. For Ryker, getting involved with the GM during a contract year is a serious conflict of interest. For Gray, getting involved with a player could ruin her personal and professional reputation. So they agree to keep their relationship a secret. But how successful can a relationship truly be when stolen kisses and secret rendezvous are all they’ll ever have?

Ryker is an amazing dad to his two little girls and it’s clear he loves them very much. Why his soon-to-be ex-wife let him go is beyond me. I loved that he was so supportive of Gray and that he understood how important her job was, not just to her, but for all women. He appreciated and respected her genius (yes, she’s a certified genius) and he never felt intimidated by it because she never used it against him.

Gray was also amazing. She’s strong, smart and confident and she’s not one to be messed with. She’s determined to show everyone that not only does she deserve her job but that she’ll be great at it. She does have a few doubts about her relationship with Ryker, but that’s totally understandable given that she’s never really been in a relationship before.

RYKER is told in dual POVs and was a little lighthearted compared to the previous books, which I think is a result of Ryker’s two kids. We also got a few small glimpses of the previous couples which were nice. I’m not sure at this stage if there’ll be a fifth book, but I certainly hope there will be.