On the Surface: A hot-enough-to-melt-ice romance

My first hockey themed contemporary romance and I loved it. Shhh, don't tell my hubby or he'll rub it in because his efforts to educate me in this sport have been only moderately successful at this point. I enjoyed the detail given to the sport and the camaraderie amongst the players who were friends, but I also enjoyed the character and romantic development too. The story opens when Tim Hollander first comes to San Diego as a new veteran player for the local NHL team. He has a lot to prove between a poor previous season and a PR fiasco. His friends, Alex and Jason, are both on board with working hard and playing their best season ever. Shortly before the preseason he finds himself once again the focus of the news media for losing his temper with a fan. He is left relying on that cute, attractive nurse who was there at his signing booth to stand beside him and set everyone straight. That should have been the extent of it, but Tim doesn't want to part ways and he can't get enough of Nurse Erin even if she has yet to see his good side between the fight and then later when he spends the night getting sick. Erin Collier loves her job in pediatrics and it doesn't hurt that she is crushing bad on one of the doctors. Dr. O doesn't seem to know she exists so she decides to up her game to gain his attention and one quick trip for a lunch run gives her an idea. Dr. O loves hockey and there is a signing going on at the burger place so she'll just get one of those player's signatures and make Dr. O really sit up and take notice. Instead of an autograph, Erin walks away with the whole hockey player. She does her duty by defending him to the press when a jerk fan tried to hurt Erin and then she feels sorry for him when he gets violently ill. When he seems better, she plans to step graciously back out of Tim's life, but instead she nods okay to breakfast, lunch, a day at the beach, invitation to come see him play. Erin feels like its all one big dream and soon reality will come crashing in. She wants to put the brakes on and Tim's hitting the gas pedal. Does she take a chance on all this? Sometimes I can be such a reading coward. I think I've been burned lately by a few drama llamas and over the top angst-filled plots so that when I got into this book and saw where it was developing, I braced myself for the impatience, irritation and dissatisfaction to follow. But... all the stuff I dreaded didn't happen. Of course there was some barriers and conflicts to get past and of course the characters had flaws that affected their relationship, but when the heat of the moment was over, they handled their biz like adults. I was left in awe a few times. Soooo refreshing! It was amazing to read a story where the issues were allowed to just wax and wane naturally without overdoing it. The characters exchanged turns telling the story and their relationship developed quick in ways, but the deeper portion took some time. Passion was there and it was hot between them. What a great series opener that introduced future main book characters for me to look forward while giving a strong and engaging romance set against a sports backdrop. Lovers of sports romance should really give this book a try. My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

## This was a good read. I love hockey so that was fun. I love that the author let the hero and heroine have so much face to face time. Most of the time there is way too much inner dialogue, not the case here. They had plenty of time and conversations to get to know each other. Also, I'd like to thank Kate for not writing Tim as a man-slut. Boy, that's a huge plus in my book. Erin was a likeable character. Tim on the other hand was a little on the jerkish side. He started off amazing. I was already thinking: "this guy is too good to be true". And he was. He turned into a selfish, greedy guy that I didn't really like all that much. Of course he redeemed himself but secretly I wished Erin had sent him packing. All in all a solid 4 stars which I will be reading again. (Apprx 300 pages)

Hockey romance with lovable characters! This was my first book by Kate Willoughby, but it will not be the last! I really loved these characters, especially Tim, the tough pro hockey player who wasn't afraid to be vulnerable with Erin. I'm not a hockey fanatic, but I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the 'In The Zone' series!

It was so good. Loved reading it and can't wait to get the rest of the series ! !!!! It shows that it's 303 pgs, but maybe 30ish pages are acknowledgments and the next books. Still for 99 cents, totally worth it.

Hotness Rating 3 out of 5 I bought On the Surface, book 1 of the In the Zone series, after reading the novella On the Brink (a book I was given an Advanced copy to read). Honestly, I loved the novella and was a little concerned that this series could never be as good. I was so wrong! On the Surface was everything I look for in a sports romance and so much more. Tim Hollander made me swoon, he made me laugh and he made me tear up. Newly traded Tim is trying real hard to overcome his media image as a hot head. Even though, in my opinion, that fan deserved so much more than a bottle being thrown at him. So, what does he do at his first public appearance as a San Diego Barracuda? He gets in a fight with a "fan". Again, it was totally deserved. After all, he assaulted a woman that was standing in line waiting for an autograph. Erin Collier was a great female protagonist. She was independent and strong without being abrasive. Even when she got pushed around by the guy, trying to swindle autographs just to sell them, she stood up for herself and Tim. I loved how she and Tim interacted with each other. He was thoughtful and aware of Erin's feelings and needs, without losing his tough and sexy image. I thought it was funny how even though Erin was attracted to Tim she still tried to convince herself that the Dr. O was the guy for her. Definitely a great read! I can not wait to read more of these uber sexy hockey players and the women that are lucky enough to be the object of their love.

Reviewed by Francesca and posted at Under The Covers Book Blog I had this book on my radar when it first came out and then quite frankly forgot all about it. It was recommended in a group I’m on Facebook and since I was feeling a need for a sports romance I gave it a go. And I’m so glad I did! Fans of Jaci Burton’s Play by Play should definitely check this series out. Revolving around one team of hot hockey players, ON THE SURFACE kicks off with a good dose of steam, and a side helping of sweet. This romance between one of the best players in the team and a nurse who started off not caring about hockey but coming to Tim’s help was just what I needed! I gobbled it up in record time. Tim has had a few rough years. His 5 year old daughter died, he got divorced, he got traded and had to move to a new city. The only good thing is this new team reunites him with some of his best friends. And as he’s trying to get his head back in the game and ignoring being the “new” old kid in town he meets a sexy nurse, Erin, who consumes his thoughts from the very first day their worlds collided. This is a quick romance, meaning they go from 0 to 60 pretty fast. For the most part I was ok with that, except when it came to the actual progress of their relationship and getting to the I love yous. But they complement each other so well I can almost overlook that. At least it didn’t suffer from a case of insta-love. Tim was definitely likeable. He’s not a tough alpha, but he’s packing a lot of testosterone (isn’t that what we love about sports romance?) and it was nice to see Erin balance that out in their relationship. Of course, it helped that their chemistry was great! The author did really good in putting some obstacles that were real enough to cause doubt but also showed that the characters were mature enough to make good decisions. It was refreshingly lacking in the drama and that’s just what I needed. I can’t wait to dive into the next! I already know I’m dying for one couple but I see they’re not next for me. Just means I have to catch up faster. spacer

Tim Hollander and Erin Collier meet at a burger joint. He is outside signing autographs. She is coming to get lunch for herself and some colleagues who work with her at the hospital. She has a crush on a doctor who loves hockey - and NHL star Tim is more than happy to help. Unfortunately, Tim is sort of being extorted for his autograph in front of her and she takes exception to the lies and threats. She defends him automatically. He defends her right back. When she is pushed and falls down, he takes the fake fan down with his fist. There is a media storm following this and they are forced to spend more time together. When the doctor finally notices her, possibly since she is kind of dating one of his favorite players, she is not sure how to react. Does he only notice her after Tim does? Tim, is completely over the moon for Erin. He has not felt like this for anyone he has ever dated. They are both gun shy due to their pasts. There is much for them to learn about one another. Erin has hang ups about her looks that are not helping either. Good book! I was surprised to see what a great start to the In the Zone series this was! I have pulled it off my TBR pile only to find that it was so good I needed to tell others about it.

I love a good hockey romance. Really, what's not to like about hockey romance? You have incredible athletes, hot guys, women who can tame them, and the most awesome sport in the world! This book had all those things and added to it by having kids playing a big part and the emotional relationship of adults. I liked that they talked out their issues instead of playing games but had fun at the same time. Some of their conversations were really funny and had me chuckling out loud. Some editing would've helped as there were a few times words were left out but not enough to be annoying. And I could be wrong, but I think the names of some of the teams were changed. Like, once the team were playing the Ducks then during OT they changed into the Flames. I might be mistaken or I was reading to fast and made the change in my head cause I did have a game playing in the background as I was reading and it happened to be the Ducks. Anyway, looking forward to more in this series and it has been added to my auto-buy list so I'd totally recommend it. You don't even need to understand the game to enjoy this romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

More than a hockey romance...great story!,,

Can't really give this book any stars. After reading 3 1/2 pages I couldn't contine. To say the language was strong would not come close to describing it. Disgusting comes closer to hitting that nail head. No less than 10 f-bombs in those pages (I counted) and that doesn't even cover ALL the other cussing. I figured if it was that bad in those pages, the rest of the book would not be enjoyable for me at all. If you can get past it and believe people really talk like that maybe you will like this book. But as soon as I finish this I will be deleting it and will not likely purchase any others by this author.

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