Sawyer Bennett

“[Sawyer] Bennett has scored a hat trick with the third installment in the Cold Fury Hockey series. It reads well as a stand-alone, and sports fans who love the players as much as the game will be very satisfied with the intense action both on and off the ice.”—Library Journal Warning: The following contains spoilers from a cliffhanger in Garrett. Rising star Zack Grantham has been stuck in a downward spiral of grief that has put his career on hold. Back on the road with the Carolina Cold Fury, still crippled by emotional baggage, and now a single dad, he’s in need of some serious help with his son. But while the nerdy new nanny wins his son’s heart, Zack isn’t sure he’s ready for a woman’s touch—even after getting a glimpse of the killer curves she’s hiding under those baggy clothes. Kate Francis usually keeps men like Zack at a distance. Though his athlete’s body is honed to perfection, he refuses to move on with his life—and besides, he’s her boss. Still, the sparks between them are undeniable, tempting Kate to turn their professional relationship into a personal one. But before she makes a power play for Zack’s wounded heart, Kate will have to open him up again and show him that love is worth the fight. The Carolina Cold Fury series from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett can be read together or separately: ALEX GARRETT ZACK RYKER HAWKE MAX ROMAN LUCAS VAN REED MAREK And don’t miss her Arizona Vengeance series: BISHOP ERIK LEGEND The Love Hurts series features sexy standalone novels: SEX IN THE STICKS JILTED And the Sugar Bowl series is one treat you’ll want to read in order: SUGAR DADDY SUGAR RUSH SUGAR FREE “One of the best voices in contemporary romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne Praise for Zack “Emotional, intense, funny, and sexy, Zack has it all. I didn’t want this book to end.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover “I have loved this series from the beginning and I continue to fall in love with it every book. I can’t wait for Ryker.”—The Book Whisperer “Wham! And my heart broke! Kate is so loving, tender, open-minded and amazing that I fell for her almost as hard as I fell for Zack and his ornery ways!”—(un)Conventional Bookviews Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

A Cold Fury Hockey Novel

Zack

Trish

oh my god i love single dad romance novels. they are literally the bEST sub-genre bc who doesn't love a hot athlete who's a softie around kids :)))

Nedu

gotta give props to gina for being the only interesting character while dead.

isabela. 

[3/5]

i! loved! this! so! much!

i would’ve rated 4 stars but there were some comments that i found very misogynistic, so...

Samantha Emery

Check out this and my other reviews at My Blog

Copy received via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

★Book Basics★ 


  Genre
: - Cont Romance 

  Series
: - 3rd in the series

  Love triangle?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  Cheating?
 - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)]

  HEA? -
 (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]

  Would I read more by this author/or in this series? 
- Yes

  Rating 
- 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars


★Review★

I have to have been honest in being of 2 minds about this story. I did not really like the events that happened in Garret, leading to Zack having a book. But, I loved Alex and Garrett and really wanted to love this.

But, personally, for me, I wish more time had passed from the death of Gina to the start of this story. Only 4 months had passed. And Zack's son seemed almost completely unaffected. 

It felt almost like the author HAD to make it so Zack thought, while he had loved Gina, she had not been his one, to justify the very short time that had passed. 

Kate, she felt a times far far TOO understanding, all "my love will heal him", constantly feeling "empathy" for him, when he quite frankly treat her like crap a lot of the book., tried to dictate who she could be friends with etc..

But, I did enjoy it in the end. As I said though, for me, I just wish maybe a year or so had passed since Gina had died, some of the raw grief passed, and Zack had not then had to spend a lot of the book, feeling guilty he did not love Gina enough, (to justify him falling for Kate so quick) to treating Kate like crap, because he felt too much guilt. 

I have enjoyed the series so far, but this has been my least favourite, although still enjoyable. Just did not hit all the right notes for me.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
.

I've been waiting anxiously to see what would happen to Zack after the accident that took his girlfriend and the mother of his child away from him in Garrett. I figured this would be an emotional read and it was, but not exactly for the reasons I thought.

If I'm being totally honest, Zack was NOT the nicest guy on the planet in the beginning of this book. I expected to go into it swooning all over the place and wanting to hug him to make him feel better. Instead I found myself cringing at the way he behaved at times. But I got it. I know why he was how he was. He was struggling. His guilt and grief were overwhelming, yet he had to pull it together to be a good dad. Part of being a good dad meant recognizing he couldn't do it alone. Enter Kate.

Holy cow, did I love Kate. She was nerdy and goofy and so freaking charming. She was a wonderful nanny to Ben and a huge help to Zack. Her relationship with Zack was complicated from the very start. He wanted her to look after his son, but on his terms. He was feeling powerless and he didn't want Kate to replace Gina, but Ben needed some motherly influence. Kate did a great job balancing Ben's needs and Zack's quirks. Add to that the burgeoning attraction between Kate and Zack and the story got that much more interesting. 

I can't truthfully say I really loved Kate and Zack together. Not at first, anyhow. Everything about them was too complicated to say that. I did, however, love what they brought out in each other and I eventually came to truly appreciate them together and root for them. Zack helped Kate become more self-assured and confident. Kate made Zack realize he wasn't to blame for the accident that killed Gina and that he did deserve happiness. 

My heart ached for both of the characters throughout this book – and for Ben, as well. I could feel the emotions in every scene. Zack wasn't transparent to the other characters in the book, but because of the time I spent in his head during this, I felt like I understood him further. The loss he went through and everything he dealt with as a result was heartbreaking. But, on the other side of things, I related VERY well to Kate and I wanted her to be happy, too. I definitely know what it's like to compromise and accept what a man is willing to give without pushing for what you really want, just so you can have him in your life on his terms. So, yeah, I was pretty much a ball of emotions during this book. 

Zack was a perfect addition to this series. Each of the guys in Sawyer's Cold Fury Hockey series have a special place in my heart, but there's just something so much MORE to Zack. His story wasn't always pretty, but it was raw and real and it tugged at my heartstrings. A lot. I'm intrigued with the introduction of Ryker and can't wait to see more of this single dad in his book. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lacey

4.5 STARS

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

OH MY GOD. YES. I. Loved. Zack! I’d been seriously SO excited for Zack’s book after reading what happened to him in Garrett. My heart was devastated for him… But I knew that his tragedy would make for an even better book. And yes, Zack absolutely did not disappoint! It’s currently my favorite of the Cold Fury Hockey series, which I highly recommend! It’s a fantastic series about hot, sexy hockey players who fall hard for their women… what’s not to love!?

Zack is a lot different than the two previous books in the series. It has a more serious tone to it, and at the same time, I laughed the hardest in this book. An odd combination, but Sawyer Bennett rocked it. I was a bit worried about how Zack would play out, but I should’ve trusted the author from the beginning. I absolutely adored Zack and Kate’s story – I loved the angst, the forbidden-ness, the sweet moments… it really was a fantastic book.

My insides feel dead, my capacity to care for much of anything seems lost, but there are two things that still keep me functioning. It’s the prospect of playing hockey again, and, most important, my son, Ben.

Zack Grantham is grief-stricken and devastated over the accident that led to the death of Gina, the mother of his son, Ben. Even though he never married Gina, he still loved her, and his heart is still in mourning over her. But life moves on, and when Zack is finally able to get back into hockey, he needs to hire a nanny to take care of Ben when he’s away.

Enter Kate Francis. A dorky, nerdy, hilarious twenty-three year old woman working her way through college. Kate is seriously the most endearing, adorkable heroine ever. I honestly love Kate more than Zack, because she’s just so funny, heartwarming, and incredible. I love Zack too, but he got frustrating sometimes… But Kate is pure heart and gold. I adored the way she took care of Ben and grew to actually love him. She’s so great with him, and she’s fantastic with dealing with a grieving Zack. She’s the only person to have been able to make him smile and laugh since Gina died.

Zack may not have thought much about Kate when she first starts working, but one glimpse of Kate in her short, revealing pajamas and Zack is hooked. The tension between Kate and Zack is out of this world… this book is hot, hot, hot!!! I was fanning myself like crazy once start a sex-only relationship. Some scenes, like the one in Zack’s man cave… hot. damn. Of course, Zack doesn’t want feelings involved between them because he thinks he’s no longer capable of love after Gina. Which I get, but Zack is stubbornly oblivious to his own growing feelings for Kate.

There’s a part of me that wants to show her everything.
To show here all about exploration and intimacy and all of the different ways I could make her come. I want to learn her body and have her get to know mine. I want her wild with abandon, and every time I take her I want it to be in a way that completely possesses her.

Zack was frustrating in this book, with his refusal to accept his loving Kate, yes, but it was the kind of frustrating that I could understand. Sawyer Bennett did an excellent job in writing and explaining Zack’s character – we can appreciate how he loved Gina, but we can firmly see that Zack grows to be IN LOVE with Kate. His love for the mother of his son doesn’t at all diminish his love for Kate.

“You were what has been missing all my life.”

What was so unexpected about this book was how funny it was. I was expecting the angst, what with the guilt and forbidden aspect to Kate and Zack’s relationship, but I had no idea I would be cracking up so much throughout this book! Kate is so, SO funny. She says the most hilarious, crazy, adorkable things… she’s a complete dork! And Ben was absolutely adorable too – Ben and Zack together totally melted my heart.

If you’re a fan of the series, Zack is a must read! It wrung so many feelings out of me, but by the end I was smiling like a goofball. It was the perfect combination of sexy, angsty, and emotional. Aside from Zack’s frustrations, this book was nearly perfect!

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1x9h3g5

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Zack A Cold Fury Hockey Novel

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