Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg

Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg
Pages: 362


Series: Play Hard #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: ARC, Publisher/PR
Also in this series: Hard to Hold, Hard to Score, Hard to Lose, Hard to Love
Also by this author: Driven, Fueled, Down Shift, Sweet Cheeks, Sweet Rivalry, The Player, The Catch, Cuffed, Control, Resist, Reveal, Flirting with 40, Hard to Hold, Hard to Score, Hard to Lose, Hard to Love , Last Resort, On One Condition, Final Proposal , Until You, Sweet Regret, Off the Grid, On the Edge, Over the Limit, Out of Control, Twisted Knight

Goodreads

At first, the request seemed simple—sign a new athlete to the agency.

Then I found out the new athlete was none other than the most wanted man in hockey today: Hunter Maddox

Gifted. Sexy. At the top of his game. And the only man who has ever broken my heart.

If signing him will help save our family business, I’ll swallow my pride and do what’s asked.

But when it becomes clear his uncharacteristic antics off the ice are a hint of something deeper, keeping things strictly professional between us becomes more than complicated. But I know better than to cross that line.

I’ll never date a client. Not even for him.
***
Win the Stanley Cup and do it before time runs out.

Not a small feat, but it’s what’s motivated me since the start of my career.

And time is running out.

Enter Dekker Kincade.

Feisty. Dogged. Damn gorgeous. The one I let get away.

I have no idea why she’s traveling with the team, but hell if resisting her is going to be easy.

But I have a job to do, and I refuse to lose sight of that end game. Even if she confuses me. Even if she sees parts of me I’ve hidden from the world.

I can’t lose focus. Not even for her.

Hard to Handle combines second chance romance with an emotional punch. Hunter is a hockey God, but he is cracking under all the pressure and responsibility. Dekker has been tasked with landing him as a client for her family’s sports management firm, despite their steamy past. No problem, right?

Hunter’s backstory is heartbreaking and every time he got a message from his family, I wanted to take the phone and smash it. He is 32 and so close to having all his dreams come true. But, they aren’t really HIS dreams. He feels like he MUST be successful because it’s his fault that his brother can’t be. His survivor’s guilt (even though his brother is alive) is profound and is starting to affect every aspect of his life. His current agent is a real douche canoe too.

Dekker walked away from Hunter years ago because she didn’t want to risk her heart. She knew she was falling for him and that scared the crap out of her. It hurt her that he let her walk away though. She can see there is something major going on with Hunter and genuinely cares about him. He is determined to shut everyone out though, so she has a tough road ahead of her if she is going to save him from self destruction.

Readers will find themselves rooting for Dekker to be brave, for Hunter to accept her support, and for him to find joy in hockey again. Hard to Handle delivers an unexpected emotional punch in the best possible ways.  Bromberg always writes such defining backstories for her characters you can’t help but FEEL while reading.

 

•   POV: dual 1st
•   Tears: a few
•   Trope: second chance romance, hockey
•   Triggers: View Spoiler »Hunter’s brother is a paraplegic due to an accident for which Hunter feels responsible. His health is declining during the story. « Hide Spoiler
•   Series/Standalone: stand alone (but I am excited to get Dekker’s sisters’ books!)
•   Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »no « Hide Spoiler
•   HEA: View Spoiler »yes « Hide Spoiler

Sure Shot by Sarina Bowen, Hawke by Sawyer Bennett, Anatomy of a Player by Cindi Madsen, Shot on Gold Jaci Burton…then you will probably like Hard to Handle!

 

 

Related Posts