All wrapped up . . .
One more game. That's all that stands between NHL star Asher Westmore and a major career milestone. But then his brother bashes him against the hockey boards, sidelining him for months. Over Christmas holidays, no less. If staying off the ice doesn't drive him crazy, staying with his family will. The only bright spot amidst the mistletoe and twinkle lights: His best friend, Emma, is a physical therapist. And working out with her improves his body and his spirit.
One last time. Emma Callaway was in trouble the minute she and Asher added benefits to their friendship. How is she supposed to resist a funny, caring guy who makes her toes curl? Her heart was safe while he lived in a different state. Now that he's back home recuperating, though, it's only a matter of time before she blurts out her feelings. Emma's only hope is that with a little holiday magic, she'll get the best Christmas gift of all.
"With the perfect blend of hockey, heart, and heat, Maybe This Time is a winner!" --- USA Today bestselling author Debbie Mason
ARC received for an honest review
Hockey hottie? Check!
Friends to more? Check!
Christmas? Check!
I am a sucker for a hockey story. Put hockey in the blurb and I will one click that thing faster than you can say "mine!"
I have adored the earlier books in the Colorado Ice series that I have read so far (I have missed a couple but will be going back to them) however I think that Maybe this Christmas is now my favourite.
I adore the friends-to-fwb-to more storyline. I adore that it is not all about how great the guy is on the ice. I adore that is is about our lovelies finding their way to more, that there is more to life than sport, that you have to do what is right for you, not for anyone else.
I did get a little frustrated with Asher at times though - he was a bit of a dunce when it came to things other than hockey (most of the time anyway).
And then there is Emma's sister. OMG the more the story continued, the more I really did come to dislike her. She redeemed herself with me with about 10% of the book left, but OMG I wanted to throw my kindle at her!
Maybe The Christmas was just the thing to start getting me in the festive mood, and now I can't wait to see what Ms Snow brings us next.
Asher climbed out of the car. “Nah. I’ll hang out with Em tonight. I’m her last patient of the day,” he said, suddenly feeling a little
better and eager to get this appointment finished so they could go back to her
place for the evening. Without the meds, he was suffering a little more, and
she was the only thing that eased his pain.
“All right, man. Take it easy,” Jackson said as he closed the door.
Entering the clinic, he tugged the big,
heavy old door closed behind him.
“Hey, Asher,” Jane said, standing as she saw him.
“Hi, Jane. How are you?” he asked, approaching the desk and
leaning over it. If he sat again, getting up would be a struggle.
“I’m great. Um, actually, I wanted to ask you…if maybe you wanted to grab a drink at the Grumpy
Stump tonight?”
Caught slightly off guard, he laughed. “You don’t hang out there, do you? You’re far too pretty to be slobbered on by
all the local single men.”
She blushed. “Thanks. Actually, I don’t hang out anywhere. Single-mom life
doesn’t lend itself it to
many dates. Not that this would be a date…”
Oh, damn. He felt like an ass saying no
to the woman who was obviously putting herself out there…but he wasn’t interested in dating. In fact, since
his last semi-permanent situation ended a while ago, he’d been enjoying how things were going
with Emma. Right now, she was certainly the only one he wanted to be with. “I…uh…”
Emma appeared in the reception area, an
unreadable expression on her face as she glanced back and forth between the two
of them.
“Well, the thing is…I promised Emma I’d do that…thing with her tonight,” he said, looking at her to save him.
Her expression softened slightly as she
slowly nodded. “Right, you did promise me you would do that…thing tonight.”
He smiled. Saved. Now he could resume
getting excited about a full evening with her, naked, with no pressure of a
flight out the next day or having to be anywhere at all. The idea excited him
beyond the sexy thoughts coming to mind. He looked forward to just being with
her, holding her, kissing her, and talking. He’d been so caught up in his own problems the last
few weeks, he had no idea what was going on with her.
“Ok, yeah, no problem,” Jane said, busying herself with the papers on her
desk.
He felt like a jerk. He turned to Emma
for help.
“Um…maybe Asher could get you and Aiden tickets for a game in Denver,” she said.
Perfect. Right there—that’s why he loved her so much. The thought made him
pause. Love? Of course, love. She was his best friend.
“Right, Ash?” she said when he’d yet to confirm her suggestion.
“Oh, yeah…no problem.”
Jane smiled. “Aiden would love that. Thank you,” she said, sitting back down at her
desk as the phone rang.
Emma’s eyes held a hint of amusement as he followed her
into her therapy room.
“What?” he asked.
She closed the door behind them and
grinned. “You just turned down
a hot date to suffer through dinner at my sister’s house tonight.”
Oh shit.
Excerpted from MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS by Jennifer Snow. Copyright © 2017
by Jennifer Snow. Reprinted with permission of Forever. All rights
reserved.
Jennifer Snow lives in Edmonton,
Alberta with her husband and son. She writes sweet and sexy contemporary
romance stories set everywhere from small towns to big cities. After stating in
her high school yearbook bio that she wanted to be an author, she set off on the
winding, twisting road to make her dream a reality. She is a member of RWA, the
Writers' Guild of Alberta, the Canadian Authors Association, and the Film and
Visual Arts Association in Edmonton. She has published over ten novels and
novellas with many more on the way.
