Great news for Hockey Romance fans!

You all know how much I love my hockey romance! One of my favorite hockey romance authors, Deirdre Martin, has just announced the next book in her NY Blades series:

Breakaway
~Deirdre Martin


Paperback
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: February 7, 2012
ISBN-10: 0425243680
ISBN-13: 978-0425243688

From the author's website:
They had it all planned out: college, marriage, happily ever after. But it didn't quite work out that way... 

Erin O'Brien was everyone's favorite in Ballycraig, while Rory Brady was the town's golden boy: the local lad who moved to America and became a professional hockey player. Rory promised to return to sweep Erin away to the life of her dreams in New York. But the bright lights and late nights turned his head and he never came back. 

Two years later, Rory realizes he's made the worst mistake of his life. Heading back to Ballycraig, he's confident that all he needs to do is flash his winning smile and Erin will fall back into his arms. But Erin's moved on. 

Racing the clock, Rory needs to prove to her that the man she fell in love with is still there. But can happy-go-lucky Erin risk it all and give another chance to the man who broke her heart? 

Is anyone else as excited as I am?!?  Hunky hockey guys and set in Ireland?  Sign me up please!!!

Interview with Deirdre Martin, author of Icebreaker

Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors - Deirdre Martin! I love her NY Blades hockey series and her latest book in the series, Icebreaker, is out this month:



Before I get started, I have to fangirl gush for a moment: Your books have turned me into a lover of all things hockey, although I’ve never seen a game (in real life or TV). I’ve added “seeing a live hockey game” to my Bucket List! (Hopefully hubs is reading this, lol)

Book Addict: First, the obvious question: Are you a fan of hockey? If so, do you have a favorite team?

Deirdre Martin: Oh yeah, I’m a hockey fan!I wasn’t a fan of any kind of sport (unless you count tangling with others at a Used Book Sale) until 1993 or so, which is when Mark Messier came in as Captain of the New York Rangers. My husband was so riveted (He’d been a Mess fan for a long time) I started to watch hockey with him, and I was soon hooked. And continue to be. My favorite team is still the Rangers.

Book Addict: Do you base any of your characters on real players? Do you have a favorite character in this series?

Deirdre Martin: Ty Gallagher, the hero of BODY CHECK, is an amalgam of Messier and the former Captain of the New Jersey Devils, Scott Stevens. If you stretched it a bit, you could probably say Quinn O’Brien in WITH A TWIST is based on a real beat reporter for a tabloid in New York.

As for my favorite character in the series, I’d have to say it’s Michael Dante from FAIR PLAY. He’s emotional, he’s determined, he’s romantic..and he’s also quite funny. I love writing scenes between him and his brother, Anthony (who’s the hero of JUST A TASTE). They both have quick tempers that flare up when they’re together, but you’re never in doubt that the love is there between them.

Book Addict: I love picking up one of your new books and revisiting with familiar favorites as well as meeting new characters. After 10 books, how do you keep all your characters straight?

Deirdre Martin: I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that! I often don’t keep them straight. I should probably make a big family type tree and pin it to the wall by my desk, but somehow I just haven’t gotten around to it. As a result, I do wind up spending time going through the books, often to double check the dates on things. I once had MONICA from POWER PLAY with the wrong Mitchell brother throughout the second half of the book. Thank God I caught it before I handed the manuscript in! I also have to go back a lot to double check what positions I have various heroes’ playing on the ice, what years the Blades won the Cup and what years they didn’t, and the names and ages of Michael and TY’s kids, which obviously progresses as the books go on. Again, a chart would be handy, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

Book Addict: I really enjoyed Icebreaker. Sinead and Adam are both private people and watching them open up and get closer to each other was engaging. As their relationship progresses, they struggle with real life issues regarding male and female stereotypes. Did you draw from personal experiences while writing Icebreaker?

Deirdre Martin: I did. I put a lot of myself in Sinead: the workaholism, the migraines..when my younger sister had her first child, I didn’t handle it very well. I was envious, and a wreck whenever I babysat my niece. I was convinced I would do something wrong: overfeed her, underfeed her, drop her on her head, you name it. Thankfully no harm came to her while in my care!

A long time ago I was a copywriter in an office that was predominantly male, and always felt I had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. Obviously it didn’t work: the day one of the head honchos said, “Can you go get me some coffee, hon?” was the day I was outta there.

Book Addict: Is it difficult coming up with new stories and keeping the series fresh? What do you do for inspiration?

Deirdre Martin: I do have a hard time coming up with new stories. I’m always envious of writers who say they have tons of ideas in their head, and they can’t write their books fast enough to keep up with them.

For inspiration, I try to keep it close to home and see what happens. For example: the inspiration for Gemma from TOTAL RUSH sprang from the fact I was learning to read tarot cards. Monica in POWER PLAY was inspired by the lack of respect for romance writers in the world of fiction. We’re often called hacks, as are soap actors. Quinn emerged as the hero for WITH A TWIST because there’s a beat reporter at the Daily News in New York who I think is amazing, and I thought it might be interesting to build a world set in the newspaper office of a tabloid at a time when newspapers are disappearing.

Book Addict: I like the Irish storyline that weaves through your books – have you been to Ireland?

Deirdre Martin: I’ve been there, and I love it. If someone offered me a job in Dublin, I’d be on a plane within an hour. I hate to stereotype, but I’ve never encountered any rudeness in Ireland, either in Dublin or in the country. Unless you count sheep; they’re very rude, spilling onto the country roads and making you wait for them to clear.

Book Addict: Do you see a definite end to the NY Blades series or will you keep writing as long as you have stories to tell? (Please say you’ll keep writing, lol)

Deirdre Martin: I don’t see an end to the Blades series at all! As long as I have stories to tell that will keep readers interested, I’ll keep writing them.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions and congratulations on Icebreaker’s release!

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0425239799
ISBN-13: 978-0425239797

Good thing high-powered attorney Sinead O'Brien has a rule about never dating clients. Because Adam Perry, the newest star of the New York Blades—and her newest client—has her headed for the penalty box. If only she could prove he's just another jock...

Adam's been charged with assault after a borderline hit on another star player, but off the ice he's a private, no-nonsense guy who knows the Blades are his last shot at Stanley Cup glory. Assembling her case, Sinead tries not to get distracted by Adam's dazzling good looks or strong work ethic, but she quickly discovers that there's a wounded man under that jersey, and she's starting to fall for him—hard.

Now Adam's having trouble focusing on the goal with Sinead in his sights. And Sinead is tempted to break her "no dating clients" rule. Can they play on their new found feelings without penalties?

Review: Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin (Yay for hockey!)

Icebreaker
~Deirdre Martin

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0425239799
ISBN-13: 978-0425239797




From the author's website:
Good thing high-powered attorney Sinead O'Brien has a rule about never dating clients. Because Adam Perry, the newest star of the New York Blades—and her newest client—has her headed for the penalty box. If only she could prove he's just another jock...

Adam's been charged with assault after a borderline hit on another star player, but off the ice he's a private, no-nonsense guy who knows the Blades are his last shot at Stanley Cup glory. Assembling her case, Sinead tries not to get distracted by Adam's dazzling good looks or strong work ethic, but she quickly discovers that there's a wounded man under that jersey, and she's starting to fall for him—hard.

Now Adam's having trouble focusing on the goal with Sinead in his sights. And Sinead is tempted to break her "no dating clients" rule. Can they play on their new found feelings without penalties?

I think my love of hockey romance is well documented here. And here. And here. And I love the New York Blades!

Icebreaker is the story between Sinead O'Brien, a workaholic attorney, and Adam Perry, the new captain of the NY Blades. Adam is being sued for assault after he knocked out another player on the ice and his "hockey people" have asked Sinead to defend him. Sinead doesn't know anything about hockey but agrees to take the case.

Part of Sinead's research is to get to know everything there is to know about Adam. He's a very close person; he doesn't have much to say and is very succinct when he does. Sinead is frustrated by his lack of forthcoming information. She runs into him at her parents bar and they have an interesting conversation - she learns more about him here than she has in the office, so she decides to try meeting in a less "businesslike" atmosphere to see if he'll open up a bit more. Adam wants to know more about Sinead, so he won't give without her telling him something about herself too.

They begin dating, but even though the male members of the firm often "entertain" their female clients, Sinead is called to carpet about her relationship with Adam, but Adam doesn't understand why it's such a big deal for Sinead, and Sinead is upset that Adam doesn't understand how difficult it is for her.

I really enjoyed this latest installment of Ms. Martin's NY Blades series. Sinead is a woman working in a predominantly man's world (law), and she's worked hard to get where she is. She was married, but eventually disagreement about raising kids ended the marriage - raising children, not having children. Although she really wants children, Sinead knows her career will falter and die if she takes time off to raise a family. She's very driven and is constantly thinking ahead about the repercussions of her actions at all times. Adam is focused on his career too - he knows he only has a year or two left on the ice and he wants to win the Stanley Cup. The lawsuit is hoey and he knows it, but it could end his career and change the way hockey is played if it succeeds.

I love the way Adam's history is slowly revealed to Sinead. There are some surprises in his background that she (we) did not expect. Reading them getting to know each other in tiny increments, Sindad debating with herself and her co-worker Oliver about her attraction to Adam, and Adam's interest in Sinead growing each time they meet set a nice pace. Sinead and Adam's romance slowly boiled into an inferno - once they let it ignite, their chemistry was hot.

If you're a fan of the series, you'll be happy to know we see a lot of familiar faces in Icebreaker: Ty Gallagher, Michael Dante, Quinn O'Brien, Sinead's parents and the Wild Hart Bar, Anthony and Vivi Dante and Dante's Restaurant, and a few of the players. We see a lot of Anthony Dante, the hero from Just A Taste, and I still like him - he was integral in helping Adam see that Sinead was not making up worst-case scenarios but that her workplace issues were real. We're also introduced to Sinead's best friend, co-worker, and resident horn-dog, Oliver - he steals the show! I love him - he's the kind of wingman every girl should have.

I identified with Icebreaker in that Sinead had real-life career issues that Adam, as a man, didn't understand. I find this to be true in Real Life too. Because they were both so private, sometimes they didn't communicate well and it took a friend (Anthony in Adam's case and Oliver in Sinead's case) to see the other side of the story.

I'll say this about the ending: At first I was disappointed, it didn't work for me, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then, I realized that was my problem - it didn't work for ME - but it worked just fine for Sinead and Adam. Once I sat back and thought about it, I realized it was actually a very happy ending ;)

I thoroughly enjoyed Icebreaker, Ms. Martin, and will keep reading your NY Blades stories as long as you keep writing them!

My Rating:

This book was provided to me by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: With a Twist by Deirdre Martin

This book falls into my Contemporary Reading Challenge.

This was the first Deirdre Martin book I read, and I wish I'd read it in order with the Hockey books. This is not a hockey story, but it's set in that world and a few of the characters do make brief appearances.

Natalie Bocuse is a young French woman living just outside New York City. Her sister owns a restaurant and Natalie is a waitress there but she wants to be a manager. She loves her sister but moves to the city and to see what opportunities she can find there. One of the regulars at her sister's restaurant, Quinn, offers her a job at his family's Irish pub/restaurant just until she can get a job managing a (preferably French) restaurant. Natalie and Quinn have a very strange relationship - they're friends (sort of) but they live to annoy the crap out of each other. Once Natalie takes the job at the pub, Quinn is delighted he'll be seeing more of her. The problem is, his new editor begins frequenting the pub too - and hitting on Natalie.

Quinn asks her out and they start dating, but his job is quickly becoming the biggest obstable in their relationship. Quinn is one of the city's top reporters, and he is dedicated to getting The Story. Then he sniffs out the story of a lifetime, and he has to decide if he wants Natalie or the Pulitzer Prize.

I enjoyed this book, but both Quinn and Natalie annoyed me to some extent. Natalie was kind of whiny; it seemed like she wanted to be "big time" without doing the work necessary to get there. Quinn was kind of an ass - case in point: He took Natalie to the opera and got a call about a story while he was there. He left her there - no explanation, he just told her he had to leave! But, personality issues aside, it was an intersting story. I give With a Twist 3 out of 5 stars.

The next book in this series, Straight Up, is about Quinn's brother, Liam. I think this book is going to be good - I liked Liam in With a Twist and was hoping for more of him.

Review: Power Play by Deirdre Martin (Last Hockey review, I promise!)

(I hate the cover. Eric is supposed to be blonde, his twin Jason is brunette.)

Okay, okay...I know you're tired of my raving about the hockey books. This is my last one, I promise! It's just that I really liked it. Of all Ms. Martin's NY Blades books I've read, this one and the first one, Body Check, are my favorites.

Monica Geary is a soap opera star at the top of her game. She's on the number one rated soap opera and her character tops the polls month after month. When the producer brings in a chesty young thing who tries to take Monica's spotlight, Monica knows she's got to do something...

Eric Mitchell is the NY Blades' newest player. He is the twin brother of Jason (the hero in Chasing Stanley). When I read Chasing Stanley, I though Eric was kind of a selfish jerk with moments of goodness. Eric was traded fora beloved member of the team, so the fans (and other players) are a bit standoffish. Eric knows he has to do something to impress them...

In the Blades series, the team loves to watch soaps, and Monica's show is their favorite. Eric ends up with a 4-line scene in the soap, and he hits on Monica, who is replused by his cheesy lines. Then, her PR person suggests to Monica that she should consider pretending to date Eric to "get her image back out there". The suggestion is mutually beneficial, as the team is thrilled to meet Monica. Of course, things progress and perhaps things aren't "just for show" anymore. Their twisty road to happiness was fun to read, and the ending was sooo sweet!

This book was great - I loved Eric and Monica. The way their relationship progressed from fake to real, the fears that Eric had about falling in love, Monica's lack of confidence in her acting choices; there were a lot of storylines going on and Ms. Martin kept my attention and made me smile. Eric turned out to be a great hero. As a bonus, I especially loved Monica's friend, Gloria. Her one-line recollections of her life in showbiz made me laugh out loud.

I'm giving this one 4 1/2 of 5 stars.

Body Check by Deirdre Martin

This book falls into my Contemporary Reading Challenge.

I recently read See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson, which has a hockey player as the hero. I enjoyed it so much I went looking for other hockey-themed books. I stumbled across Body Check and grabbed it. I had read one other book by Ms. Martin, With A Twist (review to come soon), and couldn't decide if she was an author I would read again or not. After reading this book I says YES!!!

Janna MacNeil is a publicist newly hired for the New York Blades hockey team. She's a bit nervous as she's never done PR for a sports team and doesn't know much about hockey. The new owners of the team want her to "spruce up" the reputation of the rowdy team, starting with their captain, Ty Gallagher. Ty is a great player, focused soley on the game. He doesn't care about corporate and all the PR stuff that goes with the sport. Things are not off to a great start; after Jane's first meeting with Ty, she promptly goes into the ladies room and throws up!

Ty is not immune to Jane's sparkle and personality. After a faux-pas involving a charity dinner and her sister, things start to heat up between Jane and Ty, but they've got to keep it on the DL for professional reasons. Of course things don't go smoothly and there is plenty of drama to keep things moving. There are several side stories, Jane's roommate Theressa has some problems, Jane has family issues, Ty's inability to focus on anything but winning the Stanlely Cup....it all blends into a great story!

This story kept my attention, I didn't have to suspend disbelief, and none of the characters were TSTL. I'm already moving on to the next book in this series, Fair Play, which is Theressa's story. I give Body Check 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!