Book 15, 2021

[chez_jae]

Body Check by Deirdre Martin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I brought my book from work home with me to finish this weekend. There wasn't much left to read, and I had suffered enough. The book was Body Check by Deirdre Martin--a contemporary romance and the first set in her "New York Blades" series.

Janna MacNeil is a publicist who's been hired by the new owners of the New York Blades to come in and help clean up the image of hockey's bad boys. Ty Gallagher is the captain of the team. He brought the Stanley Cup to New York last year, and he's determined to do so again this year. Hockey is his life, and he has no time for publicity stunts, photo opportunities, or charity work. Janna knows if she can get the team captain to fall into line, the rest of the players will follow suit. She and Ty inevitably butt heads, but even their professional animosity can't diminish their growing attraction to one another.

I don't read much contemporary romance any longer, but I kept this one because of the hockey angle. It was disappointing. While it's obvious Ms Martin knows the game of hockey, it's equally obvious she has no concept of the spirit of hockey. Hockey players, at any level, are famous for their generosity, kind hearts, and charitable work. None of them needs to be browbeaten into it. Furthermore, the team captain knows that public relations come with the honor of wearing a 'C' on his uniform. Any player who is unwilling to step into that role would decline the captaincy.


- Professional hockey players have been wearing suits and ties to games, both home and away, since...forever. They don't need to be "made to do it", because they already do it!
- The author made a big deal out of Ty taking in a rookie the previous year. Number one, first and even second-year players are routinely housed with veteran teammates, typically ones who are married with children. Number two, if Ty is such a "bad boy", there is no way management would have allowed a rookie to live with him.
- The author bestowed the nickname of the "Russian Rocket" onto youngster Alexei Lubov. NO! There has been only one Russian Rocket in the NHL, Pavel Bure, and Lubov is no Pavel Bure. Call him the "Moscow Missile" or something. Why not just label Ty as the "Messiah" while you're at it, Ms Martin? Guh.
- I just don't see any 33 year-old hockey player retiring at the height of his career. If he was 38, sure. Not so much when he's still got 5-10 good years in him.

Okay, now that I got all that off my chest, what really soured me on the book was when the author introduced attempted rape into the mix. So much for being a lighthearted, humorous rom-com. While this situation didn't involve either of the main characters, and it happened off-page, it was still horrifying to read about, especially the subsequent victim blame-and-shame game. Janna was expected to suck it up and spin PR on behalf of the player involved, even though the victim was a friend of hers. She should have recused herself from the situation and let one of the other PR people handle it. I despised how the team handled it, particularly Ty. Then, to add insult to injury, the author gave the perpetrator the honor of scoring the Cup-clinching goal. Way to go, Ms Martin. You officially suck.

And another thing, I hated the way the book ended. Ty dumped Janna because he couldn't handle the pressure of the playoffs and a burgeoning relationship. Wah. She toughs it out and continues doing her job. Then, right after winning the Cup and announcing at the post-game celebration that he's going to retire, Ty hunts Janna down, apologizes for being an ass, and asks her to marry him. What. The. Fuck. You're ready for a relationship now? Fuck you, Ty, and fuck Janna for giddily accepting his proposal. And, fuck you, Ms Martin, for such a shoddy ending.

Favorite line: "You'll be amazed at how quickly the universe will catch you if you're willing to fall."

Characters were fully realized, it was fun to follow the Blades through their season, and the plot progressed in an orderly fashion. Doesn't matter, hated it. I think I may have another book or two by this author, and right now, I'm not sure I'll bother reading them. Two stars.