Maddie Baumgarten married Billy Wilkins as a teenager, right as his hockey career took off. Their inability to find a healthy balance in their relationship led to divorce, with Billy turning into an angry violent enforcer and Maddie becoming Madelyn Cornish, the hollow and perfect morning anchor of AM Dallas. Now, Billy’s misbehavior is threatening his career, and he accepts Maddie’s producer’s plan for a multi-part makeover series – much to Maddie’s surprise and chagrin. This book stands out among sports romances for its emphasis on character and for a plot which regularly surprised me.

Billy’s toxic family background is relatively common in heroes, but his anger management issues are less so. This makes him interesting and original as a hero, but it was the least-resolved issue in his makeover. Maddie’s ice-cool surface is in conflict with her raging lust for Billy, which hasn’t dimmed a watt in the decade-plus since they split, and I always love that kind of conflict. Children appear about halfway through the book, and although they aren’t perfectly written, they’re much better than usual.  If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips, you won’t want to miss this. I really enjoyed it.