Cross Check: A Bayard Hockey Novel

Kelly Jamieson

Jul 2017 · Loveswept

About this ebook

A party girl and a clean-cut college hockey player discover that they’re not so different in this sexy, soulful Bayard Hockey novel from the USA Today bestselling author of the Heller Brothers series.

“Kelly Jamieson is my go-to author for hockey romance.”—Jami Davenport

Ella Verran has three goals this semester: get off academic probation, repair her relationship with her friend Skylar, and take some responsibility for her life. All of which are hard enough without hot, snobby hockey player Ben Buckingham around to distract her. Ella can’t stand Ben, and she knows the feeling is mutual. But he’s best friends with Skylar’s boyfriend, so he’s always around—taunting and tempting Ella in ways she never thought possible.

As the star forward of the Bayard College hockey team, Ben has goals too, like playing well enough to land a spot on an NHL roster. Ben is perfectly poised on the ice, so why can’t he keep his cool around Ella? Her wild behavior rubs him in all the wrong ways—and a few of the right ones. But as they skate around each other, Ben learns that there’s more to Ella than her bad reputation. And when the line between love and hate starts to blur, he can’t resist crossing over and sweeping her off her feet.

Kelly Jamieson’s USA Today bestselling Aces Hockey series can be read together or separately:
MAJOR MISCONDUCT
OFF LIMITS
ICING
TOP SHELF
BACK CHECK
SLAP SHOT
PLAYING HURT
BIG STICK

Don’t miss any of Kelly’s alluring reads:
The Bayard Hockey series: SHUT OUT • CROSS CHECK
The Last Shot series: BODY SHOT • HOT SHOT • LONG SHOT
The Wynn Hockey series: PLAY TO WIN • IN IT TO WIN IT • WIN BIG • FOR THE WIN
The standalone novel: DANCING IN THE RAIN

Praise for Cross Check

“Cross Check is a fantastic addition to this exciting new adult hockey series.”—Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
 
“I was really impressed with how Kelly Jamieson pulled off this story. The one word I’d use to describe it? Dynamic. . . . Thank you, Kelly!”—Cover to Cover
 
“I’m on a Kelly Jamieson streak! Another great one from Ms. Jamieson.”—The Book I Love
 
“I really enjoy hockey-themed stories . . . add in college . . . and enemies to lovers . . . and this book hit several of my yes tropes. I liked it and definitely recommend.”—Smitten with Reading

“Entertaining, sexy, and sincere!”—What’s Better Than Books?

“You’ll fall for this enemies-to-lovers story.”—Hypable

“Cross Check was a fun college hockey romance with some intense issues built into it. I loved every moment of it. I respected the way Kelly Jamieson made a fiery romance educational as well. I highly recommend this book to new adult fans out there.”—A Novel Glimpse

Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Ratings and reviews

**Advanced reader copy received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review** In this second book in the Bayard Hockey series, we get a little bit of everything - love, hate, emotion, empathy and of course hockey! While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone and your enjoyment will not be effected. Ben Buckingham is a stud on the Bayard hockey team and his chances of being drafted into the NHL are very high. While Ben projects himself as a polished, well-dressed athlete, there are some things in his past that he would much rather leave there and solely focus on hockey and moving forward with his life. Ella Verran is going through her own trying time since she's just been put on academic probation and she's trying to repair her relationship with her best friend Skylar. Since Skylar is her best friend, she often finds herself hanging out with her and her boyfriend, Jacob, who also happens to be best friends with Ben. Ben and Ella have always had a love-hate relationship and for them, spending time together isn't exactly high on their list of things to do. Or is it? As Ben and Ella get to know one another better and they see other sides of each other, they realize that maybe they have judged one another completely wrong. While neither of them is looking for a committed relationship, are they going to be able to smolder the sparks that are igniting between them? While this book does center on college, hockey and relationships, I felt like it centered on so much more. It dealt with love, loss, forgiveness and mental illness and it shed some light on issues that sometimes are still difficult for people to address. Kudos to Kelly Jamieson for writing not only a great love story, but one that shed light on other important topics.

This is a fun and sexy romance full of college angst - from the party girl Ella to the perfect hockey player Ben. Ella has a history and is still dealing from the issues surrounding her friend's suicide, while Ben is hiding issues in his past. Despite believing they hate each other, because of mutual friends, they keep getting thrown together. Slowly they start to build a friendship/relationship that is full of fire and ice. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the way the author tackled some tough subjects. Fans of the genre will love this book. While it is part of a series, it is a stand alone novel. While I've read many of the author's books, this is the first one I've read in this series and I had not trouble jumping into the middle of it. If you're a contemporary romance fan, add this one to your TBR list - you'll be glad you did. Just be aware that this is a very sexy story with some very explicit scenes that are not for younger readers.

The man HOT omg I would see me dating him FOR SURE say agree below if u agree lol!!!!!

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson is the author of more than forty contemporary romance novels. She writes the kind of books she loves to read—sexy romance with heat, humor, and emotion. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white), and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey.