Review: Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson

I was browsing my local bookstore when I came across this book - 3 days before its release date! I'm not going to answer any questions about whether or not I danced in the aisles at my local B&N, and I have bribed my children who may or may not have witnessed it.

I think my love of Rachel Gibson's hockey romance stories has been well-documented here. I don't know why exactly; I've never seen a hockey game and wouldn't recognize a famous hockey player if one bumped into me while wearing a name tag. Anyhoo, on to the review:

Chelsea Ross is an out of work actress, a "scream queen" of sorts. She's done bit parts in horror flicks and commercials. She spends most of her time working as an assistant to D-list actors while waiting for her big break. Her twin sister, who works for the Chinooks as in PR, has convinced her come home to Seattle to be a personal assistant to Mark Bressler, former hockey star.

Mark was the captain of the Chinooks until a car accident almost took his life. He's recuperating, slowly, but he knows he'll never play hockey again and is depressed and angry. His team won the Stanley cup but he doesn't feel he deserves to be a part of it since he was injured before the playoffs. He's gone through home nurses like toilet paper, so the Chinooks have offered a $10,000 bonus to anyone who can stay with him.

Chelsea wants that money. She's got big plans for it: Chelsea is a tiny wisp of a thing with a natural pair of Double D's. And she hates them. She hates the way they hurt her back. She hates the way men talk to her boobs and not her face. And she thinks they're keeping her from getting "real" roles in the movies, which is what she really wants.

Chelsea was a fun heroine. She was a good assistant and I enjoyed her comparisons between working for Mark versus working for Hollywood stars. She very subtly inserted herself into Mark's life and it was fun to watch. I felt like she kind of bitched about her boobs too much, but I understood where she was coming from as part of the storyline. It was just that at one point, I kind of felt like "Okay. I got it - she's got giant boobs and she hates them."

Mark is so bitter, he's angry at the world and a step away from becoming addicted to pills. He doesn't want Chelsea around, but she manages to work her way into his life, and more and more he starts to like her, despite his intent not to. I really enjoyed watching him go from a surly grump to a likeable guy. His pain was real (physial and emotional) and Chelsea was adorable while she was trying to put up with him. Once he had Chelsea in his sights, lawd have mercy! He was set on simmering and ready to boil over. And once they got going, whew, somebody pass me a glass of ice water! Of course, he doesn't know about the bonus, and when he did find out, my heart broke for him.

I really enjoyed this book. I would have liked a bit more hockey action but we did get to check in with some of the other players on the team to see how they were doing. Ms. Gibson writes a great story with likeable characters; I love her hockey world!

I gave Nothing But Trouble 4/5 stars!