I kept my nose clean. Bad publicity was the last thing you wanted, and I’d had my share since my last breakup went public. We’d also just lost our last five games.
The boys and I decided to head to the islands for a little R&R. I’d never been so happy for a break. That was where I saw her. She didn’t seem to recognize me, which made it better, so I made my move. We didn’t exchange names or numbers. We shared one carefree night, that was all I wanted and that was all it was supposed to be.
A few months later, regret from that night had almost eaten away at me. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with her, or maybe I did. All I knew was that night was the closest I’d ever come to insta-love and I wanted more but we’d had our fun. Yet, I was still mentally kicking myself for at least not getting her name.
We’re about to head into the playoffs when I return home and that is when the universe decides to bring us back together in one of the worst places ever. Only this time won’t be like the last, I decide I won’t let her slip through my fingers. This time, I’ve promised myself nothing, and all bets are off.
5 Stars from KDWebzbookie – “I absolutely adored this book! Dylan and Aurora were pure chemistry.”
5 Stars from Cajun Heat Book Blog – “Great start to the series and this reader can’t wait to see what happens next with Dominator’s Hockey team.”
5 Star Bookbub Review – “This book is a must read, page turner, and has all the feels.”
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
I’m going through a real hockey romance phase at the minute so ‘Inside The Penalty Box’ really caught my interest. I’ve read and really enjoyed some of S.L.’s books before and genuinely thought I’d love this one.
I liked Dylan. I really liked that he wasn’t your stereotypical ‘romance read sports player’ and wasn’t jumping anything with a pulse. I loved that once he knew who his ONS was, after kicking himself for months having not gotten her name or number, that he was ALL IN with Aurora and no one was gonna stop him from seeing if their connection could be more. His ex though…. The gods, cray-cray to the extreme!! 😳 On that note, one thing that did annoy me about our MMC was his holding back on info…. the man was not quick in the communication department and I understood Aurora’s frustration at times. TBH, she had more patience than he deserved at least once if not more during the story!!!
Aurora. I liked that she wanted to break out of her mould but also understood her feelings after she took the plunge and did something so out of character. I liked Aurora’s attitude and how she stood up for herself when it came to Dylan especially where she felt she wasn’t being given all the info she needed to make a decision about whether or not to see where things with him could go. Her relationship with her mother, that was something else. It was good that our FMC still held true to herself and that her mother’s thoughts and lifestyle choices hadn’t coloured her thoughts on relationships and love.
While I did enjoy ITPB for the most part, there’s were a couple of things that left me scratching my head come the end of the book and I was left pondering ‘why’ about someone’s actions and any further consequences that there might be…….
I’m hoping to see more of this pair in the Vancouver Dominators series going forward and I’m really looking forward to finding out more about Knox and Lorelai and exactly what happened in the past that has her reacting so badly him now!! 🤔
4⭐️
Author Bio:
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel “It Was Always You” was born.
When S.L. Sterling isn’t writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors on her e-reader. Her favorite authors include Kendall Ryan, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Lauren Blakely, Alessandra Torre and Willow Winters.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King
My favourite genre is PNR - yep, more than happy to admit that I’m a bit of a #parawhores...... but small town is a very close second!!! In saying that, I’ll read and review a real mix of genres - from the better known authors to new-to-me authors and everything in between.
I hope you enjoy the posts and that they might lead you to some ‘new to you’ authors.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tracy 🖤💜🖤
Book Loving Pixies 
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