I haven’t recently read any of Deirdre Martin’s books featuring the fictional New York Blades hockey team and am glad I selected this for review since I found it to be entertaining and hard to put down. I enjoyed getting to know the hero and heroine, and watching them slowly build a relationship, despite seeming to be polar opposites.

Sinead O’Brien is a successful partner in a New York law firm. Although her parents own a bar that’s a hangout for many Blades players, Sinead has no interest in the sport. But her latest case forces her to become more familiar with hockey. She’s been hired to defend Adam Perry, the new captain of the Blades, on an assault charge stemming from a hit he made during a game on another player.

Adam is an old-style hockey player who plays rough and expects to hit and be hit. The head of the NHL wants to change the style of play from Adam’s old-fashioned, brutal style, to a more athletic, speedier format, and Adam has become his target. Adam has no desire to change his style of play. He was recently traded to the Blades and he figures that this is his last chance to win a championship before he retires.

Sinead is convinced that the case is simply a way for the District Attorney up for re-election to make a name for himself. But she still needs help from Adam to win and she finds him less than helpful.

Neither Adam nor Sinead make a good first impression on the other. Adam says virtually nothing in their first meeting and, when he does answer questions, provides one word answers. Sinead decides he’s stupid. Adam, in turn, thinks that Sinead is a complete tight-ass, and he doesn’t understand why he needs to talk to her or tell her what he’s feeling.

Although seeming to be completely different, we gradually learn that Sinead and Adam have some things in common, in addition to a strong physical attraction. While Adam’s a hockey player, loves the Three Stooges, and likes to hunt and Sinead is a high-powered lawyer who hates hunting, they’re both workaholics and perfectionists. Despite their many successes, they each question their abilities.

Adam and Sinead’s relationship develops very slowly. In Sinead’s firm, many of the male partners have sex with their clients, and her best friend in the firm is a complete womanizer. Despite this, Sinead recognizes the firm’s double standard, and feels that if she were to have a relationship with Adam, she would be fired. I honestly don’t know how realistic this is, but it worked for me within the context of the plot.

I enjoyed seeing both Adam and Sinead at work and I had a real feel for the difficulties they go through in their jobs. I also enjoyed the subplots involving Sinead’s relationship with her sister and Adam’s with several friends.

It’s been a few years since I read any of Deirdre Martin’s books, but recognize several minor characters as previous heroes or heroines. However, I feel this can work as a standalone read.

While I’m a big sports lover, I’m not a hockey fan and know next to nothing about the game. But that didn’t stop my enjoyment for this book, and I can recommend this both to hockey fans and those who aren’t.