From the Stacks: Breakaway Hearts by Crista McHugh

Okay, here we are for round two, with second brother Ben and his journey in Breakaway Hearts. I'm not going to lie at all. I think this series gets better with each book.

Hockey star Ben Kelly has retreated to his mountain cabin in the ski town of Cascade, BC, to recuperate from a season-ending knee injury and contemplate his future in the NHL. He never expects to run into the one woman who got away. Nine years may have passed, but nothing has dulled the explosive chemistry between them. Now he wants more than just one night. 

Hailey Eriksson had Olympic-sized dreams until an accidental pregnancy from a one-night stand halted her ambitions. Her life was shattered when her son died. Nothing will keep her from fulfilling her promise to him to make the Olympic team, especially not the charming Ben Kelly. Unfortunately, he's out of sweep her off her feet this time, and she finds him harder and harder to resist with each passionate kiss. But when he learns about the child he never knew, will their rekindled romance be on thin ice?

Overall Rating: 5/5

Plot: This may not be the book to read out in public. You'll most likely cry. I did, a bit. The summary alone basically tells you what's going to happen with this one, but still, you can't resist reading it. You already know that Hailey and Ben will end up getting back together and that the main issue they'll have to overcome is this son Ben never knew about and will no longer get to meet. Also, you can tell that this story takes place in 2013-2014, merely by the mention of certain events, like preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. I've watched a bit of hockey and like the first book made me hungry based on the food descriptions, this one had believable details with sports and sports fans.

Characters: So far I think Ben Kelly may be my favorite brother. I really felt for him through this emotional journey and hoped for the best. It's cool because in the first book Adam and Lia were workaholics, and in this one both Ben and Hailey are basically obsessed with hockey. You gotta admire people who so love what they do that they don't need to spend time doing other stuff to figure out what they should be doing with their lives. Hailey, I liked her and her spirit, but I felt like she kept basically dangling this secret over Ben. He could tell that there was something she wasn't saying, but he couldn't get her to open up. That was a bit frustrating. Oh, and you hear more about the Adam and Lia relationship progression in this one, though obviously it isn't at all the main focus of the book, more like a brief scene. I really like having some of the same characters pop up in all of the books, because it helps with all around character development.

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