Bitter Sweet Heart, a forbidden hockey romance from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting, is now available!
“A book that tells a story … a beautifully brilliant, powerful story about love and pain; trauma and forgiveness and discovering your truth while finding your place in the world.” ~Denise, Shh Mom’s Reading®
From the outside looking in, I live a charmed life: hockey legend for a father, my own promising future in the league, a great family, awesome friends. It’s not untrue, but it’s not quite that simple either.
My dad’s advice has always been to make hockey my number-one priority—at least until I make it to the pros. So, going into my senior year of college, I have a plan. I’ll put in the effort required to pass my classes, play hockey like my life depends on it, and avoid relationships. All I have to do is stay focused on the end game, and I’ll walk away with a degree and into a career in the NHL.
It should be easy.
But when a woman literally floats into my dock, just before summer ends and my senior year begins, I can’t resist one last hookup. What harm could a one-night stand do? It’s not like we even exchanged numbers.
Everything is fine until I run into her on campus.
It’s a big school. I should be able to avoid her.
Except she happens to be in my class.
And she’s not a student.
She’s my professor.
4 ‘1000 cranes equal a single wish’ Stars!
ARC provided via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
After reading Lavender Waters’ story back in 2020, I was more than ready to go back to this world that Helena Hunting started years ago with her Pucked series. After several other interconnected books, Hunting now has created a series that is a crossover of all these worlds we love so much. This time she comes back (after Little Lies) with Maverick Waters’ journey and it sure is just as emotional and intense as Lavender and Kodiak’s was.
Bitter Sweet Heart is the second installment in H. Hunting’s Lies, Hearts & Truths’ series and, as I said, it’s the love story between Maverick Waters and Clover Sweet. Maverick must focus on his hockey career but it’s not as easy after having a steamy hookup with Clover during the summer. What makes it even more interesting, it’s when these two discover they are now teacher and student for the remaining semester. A forbidden connection sparks and it’s very tough to ignore when their chemistry burns so intensely. Also, there are other obstacles between them and a brokenness in both characters that makes their relationship even more difficult.
“I didn’t want to see past tomorrow.” He presses his lips to mine. “And I didn’t want to break someone’s heart, or my own.”
“Has that changed?” I ask softly.
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
If you are familiar with Helena’s writing, you know she is known for her light and steamy romcoms. After Little Lies, she comes back with her still quirky and funny characters but a very emotional and raw love story as well. Both Maverick and Clover, leaving their passionate night aside and very intense chemistry, are still dealing with their pasts (which happen to still affect their present) and it’s not easy to heal and not feel guilt over what happened in their families and relationships. Bitter Sweet Heart is heartbreaking at times but still has all those aspects we love about Hunting’s light and emotional romances. Also, it’s all about this beautiful relationship and all the humorous and lovely moments with family and friends.
“I’ve never felt this connected to anyone before. It feels like you live not only in my heart, but in my soul as well.”
Therefore, I am rating Bitter Sweet Heart with 4 STARS because it’s a very powerful continuation of this series and I am so happy Maverick finally found his goal and true happiness together with Clover. It wasn’t an easy road for either of them, but their connection was stronger than any of the obstacles on the way. Also, it was pretty great to still have moments with the rest of the characters in the other books and I seriously hope this is not the last one in this series!
Read today, exclusively on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!
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Keep reading for a look inside Bitter Sweet Heart!
When seven o’clock arrives, I introduce myself and explain that I’ll be taking over for Professor Connelly. I field a few questions and reassure the students that he’s okay. I also brought in a get well soon card for them to sign. I pass it to the student directly in front of me, then pull up my attendance list and start calling names.
The door opens when I’m halfway through, and a student straggles in. It happened in my English class earlier, but in a class of three hundred students, it’s easier to slip in the back door and quietly find a seat. That’s what I expect this student to do.
Except his phone starts ringing. And it’s not a normal ringtone. It’s a song blaring through the room at full volume.
“Fuck. Shit.” He’s standing in the middle of the room, facing the back of the class, every single student staring at him in wide-eyed horror.
He rummages around in his pocket and pulls out the offending device as Justin Bieber croons “I’m so fucking lonely” to the entire class. Instead of silencing it, he answers the call—on speaker.
A male voice that sounds like an angry father starts yelling. “Why the hell am I getting calls about you being late for practice, you’re—”
He spins around, gaze moving over the class as he takes in their looks of horror. He’s wearing a baseball cap, and the lights above cast a shadow over his face. “Oh, fuck me,” he mutters. “Hey, Dad, I’m in the middle of class. I’ll call you back later.” He rushes the words, so it all sounds quite garbled. Then he drops into the closest empty desk and slams his elbow on the edge on his way down. He sucks in a groan.
I give the student a look that I hope conveys how unimpressed I am. “Are you quite done?” I’m ready to go off on him, but he raises a hand and knocks his hat off his head.
“Uh, sorry, Professor. I think I might be in the wrong class.” His eyes dart around the room. “Or maybe not?”
“Professor Connelly is out for back surgery. Professor Sweet is taking over the class,” the student beside him says.
“Oh shit.” His vibrant green gaze, ringed in hazel, meets mine.
All the air leaves my lungs on a whoosh. The room tilts, and I’m suddenly light-headed. I can tell instantly that he recognizes me, and the silence in the room is deafening. Fortunately, he fills it by rambling out an explanation.
“Sorry about the phone call. And for being late. Coach kept me after practice and my dad’s on my ass because I had a bad game. I’m so sorry, Cl—” He clasps his hands in front of him and bites his lips together.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton, and the rest of me feels disconnected from my body. Because this student, sitting in the middle of my sophomore class, is my summer fling.
My one-night stand who left behind an origami crane and a lot of memories I wish I could now erase.
NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Helena Hunting, writing as H. Hunting, lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats.
She started her writing career with new adult angsty romance and branched out in sports romance and romantic comedies that will make you laugh and swoon. But sometimes she likes to serve up a little heartache on the way to the happily ever after.
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