Major league pitcher Liam O’Donnell knows his best days are probably behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to retire and become a fishing guide. Still, after all the time he’s spent chasing his dreams, he owes it to his brothers to pull his weight around the lodge. The Buoys is their father’s legacy, and they can’t let some developer take it from them. The one snag Liam isn’t counting on is a blast from the past: his ex-wife.The moment Kate Hadley steps out of the seaplane, she knows this assignment is going to be trickier than she thought. She has to persuade the owners to sell—and one of them is Liam O’Donnell. Ten years ago, she made the biggest mistake of her life when she married Liam during a fling in Vegas. Now he’s her only lifeline in the middle of nowhere. Kate’s trying to keep things cool, but Liam just reminds her of the scorching few nights they spent together—and tempts her to make new memories that are just as steamy as the old.
They were almost to her cabin when she shocked the hell out of him by slipping her hand under his arm and nudging his shoulder with hers.
“You’re still a hotshot pitcher, you know. Don’t talk about that in the past tense.”
Liam blinked hard, then leaned in and pressed a slow kiss against her cheek. Half an inch, that’s how close he was to those soft, warm lips he remembered all too well, but no matter how much he ached to taste them again, he forced himself to pull back and smile down at her.
Besides his agent—who didn’t count, because Liam paid him to say it—Kate was the first and only one to even suggest he might have something left, and if she’d said it any other time or any other way, he might not have believed she was sincere.
But looking at her now, with her foot up on the porch, ready to go inside, there wasn’t the slightest trace of doubt in her eyes, just those damn bits of amber flickering like little beacons.
“I, uh . . .” Blowing out a hard breath, Liam shoved both hands through his hair, locked his fingers together, and took a step back. “I better go. It’d really screw things up here if we woke up married tomorrow.”
“Right. Good thinking,” she said, her mouth curling into a slow, knowing smile. “’Cause I promise you this, I won’t be nearly as nice the next time you divorce me.”
I really enjoyed reading Off the Hook–all the characters were so easy to like, and they played well off of each other throughout. Liam and Kate made a great couple–things definitely weren’t right for them the first time around (not that that excuses Liam’s actions, but at least he finally gets around to delivering an apology. Late, but still heartfelt) but now? Look out. From their painfully awkward reunion to their managing to get along for the sake of the job to their first kiss in ten years to more, their gradual relationship rebuild was so much fun to watch.
It definitely doesn’t hurt that the book’s setting, a fishing lodge on a small island on Canada’s west coast, pretty much fits my idea of heaven on earth. It even made the idea of going fishing sound tempting–okay, so I’d just hitch a ride on the fishing boat, book in hand (preferably book 2 in this series)–still, it sounds divine. And with a book boyfriend like Liam, I might never want to return to shore… 😉
Off the Hook is full of second chance angst and awesome family dynamics–pretty much every time Liam, Finn, Ro, and Jessie are on the page together, you’re guaranteed a fun time; I can’t wait until the rest of them each get their own book!
A new-to-me-author, a brand new series, and my TBR grows again!
Rating: 4 stars / A
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
before she decided to seriously sit down and write. After spending eight years in the Canadian north, Laura now lives back home in southwestern British Columbia with her husband, three sons, a turtle named Sheldon, and an extremely energetic German shepherd. She loves old tattered books, good movies, country music, and the New York Yankees.
Thank you so much for being part of our OFF THE HOOK tour and for the great review – I’m so glad you liked it! 😉 Cheers!
Laura
Thank you for hosting and reviewing OFF THE HOOK today!
Crystal, Tasty Book Tours
You’re welcome! Thank you for visiting 🙂
Happy to 🙂