ARC Review: Stay by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Recommended Read!

“The sweetness, the chemistry and the hotness!  I was completely wrapped up in STAY and couldn’t put it down….STAY was perfectly romantic…”
~ Under the Covers

When I first saw Matt Eriksson in this series, I actually thought his would be a sweet story of a second chance with his ex-wife.  Reuniting the family and all that sweet, mushy stuff.  And that is obviously not the direction the authors took with this.  And boy, am I glad they didn’t!  THIS was exactly what Matt needed.  Someone to really fit him in ways that his ex-wife never did.  Of course, we didn’t know all that at the time and this is just another reason why I always trust these authors to know best.  They kick ass every single time.

Matt is divorced and father to two beautiful little girls.  He’s still a hot hockey player but he’s not the typical playboy kind.  He’s actually just a nice guy, and honestly we don’t see enough of those in romance because everyone is chasing the bad boys.  STAY shows us why the good ones are the ones we need.  Matt is just perfect in every way.  From the sweet way in which he cares for his kids, his passion for what he does, the love for his adorable dog, and the way he sweeps Hayley (and me) off her feet.  He’s just one of those heroes that will make your ovaries quiver 😉

But aside from the fact that Matt is my future book boyfriend, I couldn’t help but love the heroine.  Hayley was so amazing I just loved her instantly.  First of all, she loves hockey so Matt is an actual celebrity crush for her.  When she’s first interacting with him she is actually starstruck and stutters and stumbles and I found it so endearing (just as he did).  I think both characters showed a level of maturity that I like in my reads.  They both came from broken relationships and had their own baggage to deal with, and dealt with it they did but not to the expense of exploring their relationship.  But through all that Hayley is just an everyday kickass kind of woman that really stood out for me.  I definitely liked her better than Jess in the first book.

As much as the main romance is the focal point and totally lives up to my expectations, the team and the side characters were no slouches either.  Blake’s mom and Blake himself had me rolling with laughter, the girls welcoming Hayley into their fold, the excitement of the games, Matt’s daughters and even the cattiness of some of the WAGs and Matt’s ex-wife.  I think it all rounded this story so well and was extremely entertaining.

The sweetness, the chemistry and the hotness!  I was completely wrapped up in STAY and couldn’t put it down.  While GOOD BOY was over the top humorous because it fit Blake’s character, STAY was perfectly romantic because it fit Matt.  I loved how the authors just let the characters lead the story instead of forcing any situations to fit a style.  It all felt organic, the pacing was excellent and I just didn’t want it to end.

If you’re still not reading this series (or writing duo), pick it up now!!!  You could read this one as a standalone, but why would you want to?  And as always, you know I’m left salivating for the next one, if they can only write faster.

[about-author author=”Sarina Bowen”]

[about-author author=”Elle Kennedy”]

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