Welcome to the blog tour for In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount! I loved this book and am sharing my thoughts with you today. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour, too, for interviews, more reviews, and more!
The Cutting Edge meets Friday Night Lights in a sizzling new hockey romance from bestselling authors Kelly Anne Blount and Lynn Rush!
In the Penalty Box
by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Entangled Teen!
Summary:
Willow
Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down...but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab—a boatload of rehab—and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team?
Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.
Brodie
Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships—hopefully in front of major college scouts, too—so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie?
Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.
Buy Links:
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**My thoughts**
I picked up on The Cutting Edge reference right out of the gate. But this story is even better than that one. Granted, it's partially because this story is more modern, with the movie being almost 20 years old. But Willow is also much more tolerable than Kate. Yes, she is a figure skater, but she isn't a prima donna. She is coming off of a devastating injury that cost her a spot on her Olympic team.
Brodie may be the star hockey player, but life has not been super kind to him. His mother was killed in an accident by a drunk driver. His father, unable to cope, has become an absent alcoholic. And now Brodie is also serving as a surrogate father to his kid brother. But he wants to go pro and follow in his family's footsteps.
So the two of them have had a lot of trauma in their young lives. Perhaps that is part of why they seems so much older than seniors in high school. Between their traumas and dreams, they have lost a good chunk of their innocent childhoods.
So Willow ends up joining Brodie's hockey team and becomes one of the greatest goalies they have ever had. Willow and Brodie, who are essentially training together, of course fall for each other, but have to keep their romance a secret.
They complement each other well, able to be supportive of each other through the difficult times, but also able to push each other to do their very best. It isn't easy, but their determination just may make it work.
I loved that this book put a girl on a boys hockey team. It's empowering to read about a strong girl who isn't necessarily following the traditional gender roles. This provides a chance to demonstrate some of the gender bias that persists in our society.
These two also show how to follow your dreams without needing to trample everyone else along the way. Plus they show how persistence pays off. And while it is typical for teens to be somewhat self-centered, these two show how you have to look beyond just yourself to really be successful at life.
If you like sports romances, I think that this is a good one to add to your list. If you're not as into hockey and figure skating, you may not enjoy this as much because there is a lot of technical focus as part of the story. For me, it worked and I loved it. I may have even learned a little.
I've enjoyed what I have read from each of these authors individually in the past. I liked this collaboration and hope they consider more in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the Authors:
When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well.
She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: www.lynnrush.com
Website:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnRushWrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lynnrush
Two of her Wattpad works, including Captured (seventeen-million reads), have been optioned for film by Komixx Entertainment, and she is regularly invited to present seminars about social media at author events.
Stop by any of Kelly’s social-media platforms (@KellyAnneBlount) and stay tuned to this website for announcements and information about upcoming releases and events.
Kelly Anne Blount is represented by Jennifer Wills (jennifer@theseymouragency.com) and Nicole Resciniti (nicole@theseymouragency.com) of The Seymour Agency.
Website: http://www.KellyAnneBlount.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyAnneBlount
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kellyanneblount
Blog Tour Schedule
January 18
Living in a Bookworld Promo
What Does the Fox Say Review
Ruei's Reading Corner Review
January 19
Clea_Reads Promo
January 20
CathrineGoldstein Promo
Westveil Publishing Promo
Library of a Book Witch Review
January 21
Lilly's Book World Review
My Tangled Skeins Promo
Chapters Through Life Review
Hawthorn Book Reviews Review
January 22
Confessions of a YA Reader Promo
Lala’s Book Reviews Review
January 25
Becky on Books Review
Read Your Writes Book Reviews Promo
Amy's MM Romance Reviews Review
January 26
Pine Enshrined Reviews Promo
Lisa Loves Literature Review
Andi's Young Adult Books Review
Amy's (Mostly) MM Romance Reviews Review
January 27
TheObsessed Reader Author Interview
411 on Books, Authors, & Publishing News Author Interview
The Avid Reader Promo
January 28
Stars Books and Tea Promo
Teatime and Books Promo
January 29
Sascha Darlington's Microcosm Explored Review
The Eclectic Review Review
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