Alex by Sawyer Bennett

Alex
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Series: Cold Fury Hockey, #1
Rating: 4 Stars
Publisher: Loveswept
Date Published: October 14, 2014

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn't afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn't so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.
As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people--like Alex, who's been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team's effort to clean up his image. What she doesn't expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn't one to cross professional boundaries--and besides, Alex doesn't do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex's bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers."

My Thoughts:

Okay, so one of the first things you have to know about me is that I'm a big hockey fan. Like, a HUGE hockey fan. I love to watch the games, even if my team isn't playing (Go Blues!). Oddly, though, prior to reading Alex, I hadn't read many books featuring hockey players. The hockey books that  I have read were part the Off series by...Sawyer Bennett.

So awhile back, one of my good friends told me about Sawyer's  book, Alex, and said that I really needed to read it. I kind of dawdled for awhile and set it aside. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe I was afraid of being disappointed? I shouldn't have had doubts though, because I really enjoyed her Off series. Now, I could kick myself for not reading this sooner.

Alex turned out to be a really nice book! I'll be honest- I kept waiting for more scenes when Alex and his team were on the ice, and I loved reading about how his games went. It was also cute reading about how Sutton learned about the game. I remember doing that too! :)

My heart also went out to Alex when he told of his struggles with the game and how it wasn't fun anymore. Alex was such a complex character, and although he was gruff and often had a bad attitude, I was surprised that he wasn't worse than he was when you considered all of the things he had been going through.

I often find myself disliking NA heroines more often than not, but I actually liked Sutton! I admired her disposition and the life that she made for herself, despite her obstacles. She was just what Alex needed. I did get a little irritated with her towards the end, because I didn't think she fully comprehended Alex's situation, and felt like she was a little rash. Other than that, I think I would've liked to read more about their relationship and their dialogue.

I am really looking forward to the next book in this series- Garrett! He was one of my favorite characters and really put a smile on my face.  I cannot wait to learn about his story in book two!