LA Storm #2
When he’s lost everything, can Michael rebuild his broken life and find a love worth fighting for?
In the high-stakes world of professional hockey, Michael "Zeetoo" Zhang once had the potential to shine even brighter than his older brother, captain of the LA Storm. But one wrong turn and a growing gambling habit have led him down a treacherous path. After a run of bad luck, he's left with nothing but debts, and after an arrest, he's slammed with a non-custodial sentence of work in the community. Fate takes an unexpected turn when he is placed in an inner-city garden project, where he encounters Bryce, the enigmatic and surly manager of the project, who harbors a deep resentment toward him. Despite Bryce's cold demeanor, Michael wants to prove himself worthy of being loved, if only the scars of past failures and the constant shadow of his brother's success didn't haunt him and leave him feeling lost and alone.
Bryce Kincaid is chased by his own brand of demons, and years out from his mistakes, he's determined to stick to one path and never waver, just in case he once again loses control. Michael Zhang is everything Bryce doesn't want in his life; temptation wrapped in sex, the hockey player is a man on the edge, and to fall for him would mean Bryce opening his heart to hurt.
As they work side by side, the walls around Bryce's heart begin to crack, revealing a vulnerability that even Michael can't resist. Drawn to each other they discover a passion that goes beyond the ice and the earth, and find a love that defies the odds. Only, just as Michael starts to believe in second chances, his past catches up with him, threatening to derail his life completely, and destroy Bryce right along with him. If he wants a life with Bryce then Michael must confront the demons of his past and fight for the future he never thought he deserved.
Even with 30+ books in their Hockey Universe, Scott & Locey keep producing amazing stories with so much emotion that your heart can't help but melt No matter how many tropes & pairings the duo creates they keep finding ways to bring originality to said characters and as far as my mind is recollecting, I don't recall any of their athletes and the men who love them facing this kind of struggle(A bit cryptic I know but I don't want to spoil anything😉).
Michael and Bryce are complete opposites from occupations to homelife to emotional states, at least on paper. As Second progresses a few cracks begin to appear that give us a peak that they may not be as opposite as originally thought. Not to spoil anything but sometimes the struggles a new couple faces should be proof that they should not be together and then again it's those same struggles that make them perfect for each other if they are willing to put the work in. Scott & Locey have perfectly balanced both sides of those coins. It's easy for a reader to sit on the outside and want to smack a character(Michael😉) with an iron skillet to make him see sense(trust me I'm that reader most times😉) but when you start to look at life from the characters view you begin to understand why they are the way they are, doesn't mean you don't still want to give a good whack but you understand him😉.
As I've said from their very first hockey collaboration, Changing Lines, I don't know which author writes which character but they have always created a realistic cast. Michael and Bryce are no different, realistic fictious gems that I just want to wrap in loving Mama Bear Hugs until all the pain and drama disappears.
Now, having said that, don't think Second is bogged down in depressing, angsty, heartbreaking melodrama. Yes, there is some of those elements but the hurt is well balanced with comfort, healing, and humor that sucks you in until the last page is swiped and then you want to kick yourself for not reading slower to savor the deliciousness of Michael and Bryce's journey.
Just a couple of things to finish off:
1. As always, most of the Scott/Locey Hockey Universe is a collection of standalones but again as always there are a few mentions of past characters and teams. You don't have to read them first to enjoy Second but I warn you, when these other characters make an appearance or mentioned by current MCs, you will definitely be intrigued with wonder over their journeys and with 30+ books in the universe, that is a rabbit hole you might want to start at the bottom(or beginning as it were) to work your way out of instead of falling further in😉. But seriously, however you choose to read you won't be disappointed nor will you be lost(I do highly recommend reading the original Railers and Owatonna in order as the holiday novellas further the journeys of already established pairings).
2. In the Scott/Locey Hockey Universe there have been a few entries that had very little actual hockey in them for various reasons, ie: off-season, injury, possible retirement, etc. Second falls under "etc". This doesn't diminish the brilliant pull of the story in any way but I just wanted to mention it for those who need to have a lot of on-ice time in their stories, there is some here and it definitely plays a part in Michael's psyche but not nearly as central to the story as in others.
“Card,” I demanded and schooled my features when the king of diamonds turned up. I had a straight flush, and it was perfect—the kind of dream hand in poker that comes once in a lifetime. My heart raced as I peeked at my cards, barely containing my excitement. The odds were in my favor. It was a sure thing, a certainty, and blinded by the promise of winning, I did the unthinkable. I pushed all my chips to the center of the table. Everything. It was a bold move, a statement. I was all in. This was my moment, my chance to erase all my past mistakes, to come out on top, to prove to everyone, especially to my brother, that I was more than just a cautionary tale.
The room fell silent as the other players contemplated their next moves. One by one, they folded, until it was only me and one other—a newcomer with a poker face that gave nothing away. The final card was dealt, and I held my breath, ready to claim my victory.
But fate, as I had learned the hard way, is often cruel. In a twist that seemed ripped from a movie script, the newcomer revealed his hand. It was the only one that could beat mine, a statistical improbability, a once-in-a-lifetime counter to my once-in-a-lifetime hand. A royal flush.
“Read ’em and weep, Freckles,” my opponent cackled.
The realization slammed into me like a physical blow. I’d lost.
Lost everything. The room spun, and the sounds around me faded to a dull roar. I couldn’t breathe, couldn't think. The chips, my lifeline, my ticket to paying my way out of debt, were now sliding across the table, away from me.
The weight of what I had done crashed down on me with brutal force. I’d gambled everything on a single hand, and everything was over. Paying off the debts, the promises of turning things around, the fleeting glimpse of a better future—all gone with the turn of a card—my brief taste of success was ash in my mouth. The debts were still there, looming larger than ever, and now, I had nothing left to pay them with. My car, my last asset, was as good as gone, promised to Looper for a fraction of its worth. I’d been so close to clawing my way out and keeping my baby, only to plunge deeper into the abyss.
“I’ll be back,” I said with confidence, but no one met my eyes.
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Road to the Stanley Cup Edition
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Writing love stories with a happy ever after – cowboys, heroes, family, hockey, single dads, bodyguards
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.
She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee.
(Not necessarily in that order.)
She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.
Storm #2
B&N / KOBO / BOOKS2READ
Harrisburg Railers Series
Owatonna U Series
B&N / iTUNES / SMASHWORDS
KOBO / WEBSITE / GOODREADS TBR
Arizona Raptors Series
B&N / iTUNES / SMASHWORDS
KOBO / WEBSITE / GOODREADS TBR
Boston Rebels Series
B&N / iTUNES / SMASHWORDS
KOBO / WEBSITE / GOODREADS TBR
B&N / iTUNES / SMASHWORDS
KOBO / WEBSITE / GOODREADS TBR
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