Review: Empty Net by Toni Aleo

3.75 Feathers

Empty Net

by Toni Aleo

(Assassins # 3)

I'm coming into this series with just this book but I was happy to see it worked great as a standalone.  I've had a recent fascination with hockey books and I find that extremely funny because, even though I would love to understand the sport, I just don't.  I like watching it but I never last more than 30 minutes (unless I'm drooling over some hot guy) and I guess that all comes from not having someone to explain the ins and outs of the game.

But in my books I understand everything.  Boy is a successful hockey player, boy meets girl, boy has lots of hot monkey sex with girl, boy falls in love with girl.  EMPTY NET starts off pretty strong and fun.  Audrey is at her sisters bachelorette party, gets drunk and brings back a hot guy to her room, planning on a one night stand.  She had just broken up with a loser boyfriend and was in a bad place.  Turns out hottie is the newest (and youngest) player in the team that her future brother in law plays for, as well as her new neighbor.  Fate kinda throws them together and they can't help it but fall in love, and yes passing through the hot monkey sex part in which there might've been a very hot scene on the kitchen counter involving cupcakes. ;)

I felt for Audrey from the very beginning.  She has been emotionally abused to the point where she would allow people to use her.  She deserves to be loved and I think Tate does that well.  Makes her feel cherished.

I'm usually not a big fan of older woman/younger man romances, especially when it's apparently so obvious he looks that much younger than her.  I just couldn't completely buy into the OMG he's to die for hot when he's being compared to a sixteen year old.  But what he may lack in manliness looking and age he makes up for in heart and actions.

As a couple I think they were great.  I wish there would've been better resolutions to their issues, since they were important issues in a relationship.  More than just "I'll walk away and think about it and then all of a sudden I see the light and everything is alright in the world again".

Even though I haven't read the previous books, I can already see that I would've enjoyed seeing them again in this book.  Especially Lucas.  He plays a good enough part in this story and I would like to read his story as it seems it was quite interesting.

I was not expecting the ending, there were a couple of twists there for me and I liked how everything seem to come together there.  The relationships between Audrey's family and close friends, theirs as a couple and their plans for the future.  Definitely an author I want to read more of.

*ARC provided by author

Purchase Links: Amazon