Shot on Gold

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Shot On Gold is a story I have been looking forward to SO much, especially when it was published around the time of the Winter Olympics so it was simply perfect. I have adored every book I have read so far in this series, Jaci Burton has such a lovely writing voice and it shows in her books. In Shot On Gold we have a pairing of a hockey play as our hero, and a figure skater as our heroine and boy they rock this book out!! “Besides, you haven’t even seen my long program yet. Now that’s packed with some sizzle.” He leveled her with the wicked desire in his gaze. “Babe, you haven’t seen my long program yet, either. Trust me, I’m packing some heat, too” So it begins when Will "Mad Dog" is to be on the USA Hockey Team for the Olympics, so he heads to Vancouver early to get as much time on the ice as possible. And in the early days, he meets up with Amber Sloane, who is a figure skater. Will has never had much interest in figure skating, until he meets sweet and lovely Amber who is graceful and endearing. Will has met up with plenty of women over the years, but Amber is a bit different for him, he has a connection with her he hasn't felt before. Amber has only had one focus in her life....to be a professional figure skater, with her mother riding her hard and leaving no room for a social life....Amber has no idea what its like to be around friends or to go on a date or even have sex. But this is her final year at the Olympics and even though her goal is to get the Gold Medal, she also wants to live life to the fullest...make friends and have hot sweaty sex with Mad Dog Will. Amber starts to deal with some conflicting emotions, and she has to face up to some facts about herself and where she wants to go and what she is willing to fight for. Amber is the type of heroine that I just admired. She is so focused on her career and is very talented but she has let other things in her life slide though. And we see her learning to truly enjoy living life for the first time. You're the sweetest woman I've ever met. You always think of other people. You're thoughtful, insightful and smart. And smart women are sexy as fuck. You're also the sexiest woman I've ever known. The relationship that Will and Amber have together is simply so loveable. I love how they really just hit it off very quickly, they become good friends pretty much on their first day and boy the sexual tension is off the charts in this one. I loved how they don't jump in the sack on the first day. Will knows that Amber hasn't been with anyone other than her vibrator, and so he wants to take his time with her. I was so on board with their relationship because they just "click". I liked that they have such an interest in each other outside the bedroom, that they REALLY like each other on a emotional level too. We get the chance to cheer both of them on and their group of friends as they fight for their chance to win a chance at the Gold Medal and seeing all their hard work pay off in the end. Truly these moments were so poignant at times and just made me smile and tear up at the same time. I loved the emotion that Burton displays in this story because I swear I was crying at moments that I didn't expect to. When you find that person you want to be with, you’ll move mountains to make it work. This story has plenty of fun dynamics that will give you a fun fulfilled ride that you won't want to get off of....full of crazy stunts, the true joy of the games and a love story to curl your toes!!

Meh, not for me. A figure skater and a hockey player compete for gold medals and end up falling in love at the "international games." Unfortunately I never bought into the romance nor really found myself swept away by the story. Amber, a virgin 24 year old is at her last Olympics. She's never won gold and she's determined she'll end her career on the top. A controlling mother, body issues, and her own lack of self make her also determined to have FUN this time around. Will "Mad Dog" Madigan, another returning Olympic athlete is also on his own hunt for gold, playing hockey for Team USA. He partied a bit too hard last time but can't help but be entranced by the seemingly innocent Amber. Spoilers ahead. Agreeing to enjoy each other's company, explore sex, and enjoy the Games, they fall into a routine. A really dumb conflict near the end of the otherwise fairy-tale story (gold for all! Love! Best sex ever!) is quickly resolved in an eye-rolling way. Also! I was so annoyed by Amber's seeming eating disorder at the beginning that is quickly turned into, oh I just watch what I eat. Will makes comments on it, all the characters are constantly eating all the time, and diet, dieting, being thin, etc. are fixated on. I found this a bit annoying.

I do love sports romance and I have been reading more of them in the past couple of year. Shot on Gold is book fourteen of the Play by Play series by Jaci Burton . This book features the Olympics and features 2 of my favourite sports (hockey and figure skating). Shot on Gold is a hot fun read that got me hooked from the very beginning. I do love Will and Amber together. You do not have to read any of the previous books in the Play by Play series to read this book I am giving this 4 out of 5