ROMAN (Cold Fury Hockey #7) by Sawyer Bennett-a review

Roman

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 21, 2017

n a league full of troublemakers, Cold Fury defenseman Roman Sýkora stands out—at least when it comes to negative publicity. When he’s not chilling in the penalty box, the sizzling Czech skate demon is racking up tabloid headlines for his scandalous behavior with the ladies. But now Roman’s feeling the burn from management to clean up his act, or else. Luckily he’s got an enticing distraction: a fun-loving barista who plays the ukulele and brings out a side of Roman he didn’t know he had.

Lexi Robertson came to Raleigh, North Carolina, to finally meet her father, Brian Brannon, and her half sister, Gray, both of whom work in the Cold Fury’s front office. That’s where she first meets sexy, intimidating Roman—who’s really a big softie at heart. As one relationship takes off, another begins: Brian seems to be clicking with Lexi’s boss at the coffee shop. But when the friction between Roman and her new family heats up, Lexi wonders whether she’s a pawn in their game. Feeling hurt and foolish, Lexi’s ready to quit while she’s ahead. Trouble is, Roman’s not ready to quit on her.

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REVIEW: ROMAN is the seventh installment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult COLD FURY HOCKEY romance series focusing on the members of the professional hockey team the Carolina Fury. This is team enforcer/bad boy Roman Sykora, and barista/musician Lexi Robertson’s story line. ROMAN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from previous story line is revealed where necessary.

There is a secondary romance developing between Lexi’s father, Carolina Fury team owner Brian Brannon, and Lexi’s boss Georgia Mack

Told from three first person points of view (Roman, Lexi, Brian) ROMAN focuses on the troubled career of hockey enforcer Roman Sykora. Growing up in the Czech Republic, the son of absentee parents, Roman Sykora put all of his efforts into the game of hockey finally making something of himself in the NHL. As one of the league’s toughest enforcers Roman finds himself on the receiving end of too many suspensions, fines and negative press, and it doesn’t help that many of his less than stellar off ice activities have landed him on the front page news resulting in more suspensions and team fines. Meeting Lexi Robertson, Carolina Fury’s owner ‘secret daughter’ finds Roman focusing more on his volatile relationship with the team’s manager Gray Brannon seeing that Gray is Lexi’s half-sister by blood. What ensues is the building relationship between Lexi and Roman; Roman’s ongoing battle with the team’s manager; and team owner Brian Brannon’s new found love in the guise of Lexi’s boss and friend Georgia Mack.

Lexi grew up never knowing her father-a man she believed abandoned her mother without a second glance. Upon her death bed Lexi’s mother revealed the identity of the man she would come to call father-a man who would find himself falling in love with a girl he knew nothing about, and a woman that would call to his heart. Lexi’s relationship with Roman is threatened on numerous occasions by a well-meaning sister whose experiences with our story line hero are less than positive-experiences that have colored Gray’s opinion of the man that Lexi loves. The $ex scenes are seductive and provocative without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

There are a large number of secondary and supporting characters including several members of the Carolina Fury hockey team, as well as team owner Brian Brannon, team manager Gray and her husband, former Fury goalie Ryker Evans, and Lexi’s boss/mother like figure Georgia Mack.

The world building divides its focus on two relationships: Lexi and Roman, Brian and Georgia, as well as Roman’s struggle to amend his bad boy reputation-with or without the support of team manager Gray Brannon-Evans. Gray will interfere on more than one occasion leaving a heartbroken Lexi to mourn the loss of several relationships that were starting to bloom.

ROMAN is a story of destined mates; of one woman’s search for a family she new had, and one man’s battle with the family he never wanted. The premise is heartwarming and energetic; the characters are spirited and passionate; the romance is captivating and spicy. Sawyer Bennett will arouse your senses with her breathtaking COLD FURY series focusing on the men and women of the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Alex
Garrett
Zack
Ryker
Hawke
Max
Roman

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Roman Teaser

Roman Promo

About the author

Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.