Rating: 
Summary: Great First Book
Review: Hurricane Isabel passed through here last night. Since I couldn't sleep, I read this whole book in one sitting. Well, I did get a meal or 2 and go potty occasionally. But why waste a perfectly good storm being nervous when you can get caught up in somebody's else problems?I enjoyed the story. I don't know much about hockey but knowledge of the game isn't a requirement to get a kick out of this book. I liked both Janna and Ty. Even though I wanted to kick his rear end fairly often. Which I'm sure Janna did too. I liked the fact that she was willing to go in the face of her inner fears and do what needed to be done to get the job done. Good going, Janna! I do have a quibble or 2. I would like to have seen the secondary characters more fleshed out. They are too peripheral to the amount of time that passes in the story. A whole hockey season. However, I do like that the romance took up the whole season and not a quickie weekend. Quibble #2 is that too many threads are left dangling. I know that friend Theresa and, I guess, hockey player Michael will have their story down the road. However, being an epilogue junkie, I would love to have seen one here that took care of some of those loose threads. Emma's parents? Her little brother? Her sisters? These last 2 never seemed quite real, by the way. Ms. Donovan states that Emma love her sister Petra <?> So why did they never get together and do lunch once in awhile? Quibble #3 is a biggie for me. What the heck is Ty going to do now? this would have been very nice in an epilogue. It's hard to believe that a guy who was so totally fixated on the Stanley Cup and winning-at-all-costs for so many years, could just walk away without a pang or backward glance. He didn't seem to agonize over this at all.
Rating: 
Summary: I ate this book up!!!!!
Review: And loved every minute of it. I certainly did not want it to end and was excited to see that the series continues. I am a huge hockey fan (have to be in Canada) and I guess I can suspend my disbelief enough to see a third hockey team in NY. I know a lot about hockey so I am glad that she sapped it up a bit because I certainly want a romance type novel not to be too hard edge. The characters were great. My only complaint is how she kind of made fun of Canadians, but oh well, Martin must not really know anything about us. Here in Canada they are puck bunnies, and I had never heard the term rink bunnies (which to me means they follow around skating rinks not hockey players). Anyways, great book, liked it better than See Jane Score, and can't wait till the next one.
Rating:
Summary: 1/2 *
Review: Courtesy of A Romance Review Stanley Cup champion, New York Blades, is a PR nightmare. Janna MacNeil is the newly hired publicist by the new team owner, Kidco Corporation, to repair and re-image the whole team. First of all, she needs the players to make public appearances and participate in charity functions. Moreover, she needs full co-operation from the team¡¦s captain, Ty Gallagher. Ty Gallagher¡¦s aim is to win the Stanley Cup again and doesn¡¦t care much about PR. No matter how Janna reasons or begs him, he doesn¡¦t participate to please the new boss. On the other hand, he is a gorgeous guy and finds Janna cute and smart. He loves to rub shoulders with Janna and that¡¦s what makes the story become alive and interesting. New author, Deirdre Martin, sets her first scene of Body Check in the locker room of the New York Blades and success in attracting readers¡¦ attention. The first chapter introduces the players of the team as well as the hero and heroine. Readers will love Janna¡¦s independence and capability in solving any problems in the teams and Ty¡¦s confidence and strong leadership. What is ice hockey? Well, I didn't know until Body Check. It gives me a brief idea about what it is like and I had so much fun in reading about these gorgeous and capable players. Apart from this, the dialogue between Janna and Ty kept me laughing and scowling all through the pages. If you love a romance with a sport theme, Body Check is the one you are looking for! And don¡¦t miss the sequel of this fun tale Fair Play in January 2004.
Rating:
Summary: Can girl convince jock that the game isn't everything?
Review: You may have heard this one described as a "hockey book" but it's really not. For me, hockey was background for the story and since I'm not a fan and know little about the game, I don't share some of the complaints other readers had about the minutia of the sport. All handsome, driven team captain Ty Gallagher wants is to win another Stanley Cup. He has no intention of cooperating in the image makeover the owners want to impose in the form of pretty, sexy new publicist Janna MacNeil. His repeated refusals (Lord, was he stubborn!) to participate in the various charity and other feel-good events Janna organizes result in some fiery exchanges. And eventually the sexual sparks between them turn into a "casual" sexual relationship. But when crunchtime comes with the approach of the playoffs will Ty choose hockey over his relationship with Janna? Was it really just "casual sex" or was it something more? I enjoyed this story, but I thought there were some things that could have been better. There needed to be a bit more sexual chemistry between Janna and Ty. As others have pointed out, much of their together time is told in remembrance and would have been better seen first person (i.e., more sex, please!). And the evolution of Ty's feelings for Janna was not well drawn, making his decisions and actions at the end seem slightly out of character and abrupt. And I know I shouldn't compare, but this book is much more on the cute, warm, charming side than Rachel Gibson's two hockey stories Simply Irresistible and See Jane Score which I found a bit edgier and thus more realistic. But her boss Lou was too cute and kid brother Wills adorable. And I look forward to Janna's roommate Theresa's story Fair Play. The excerpt was fun and it looks like fellow hockey jock Michael will need all of his good humor and perseverance in the face of rejection to crack that nut! An enjoyable read and a good first novel!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: This book was wonderful! I fully enjoyed the way this story was written - plenty of twists and turns - it kept my interest the entire time! Not only was this a great love story, it included one of my favorite sports - hockey. It was nice to see how a female writer was able to write about a male dominated sport, and to do it so easily! The book was a little long, but definitely worth the time it took to read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a hopeless romantic, and loves hockey!
Rating:
Summary: Supposed to be a beach book..but I couldn't wait to read it!
Review: I originally bought "Body Check" by Deirdre Martin to take to the beach with me and read, however, I don't leave for another week, and already, I've read it twice. This book is AWESOME. I am a huge hockey fan (Go Pittsburgh Penguins!), and having met some hockey players before, I can honestly say that Ms. Martin really portrayed the hockey players well. I love the character of Janna...a strong and independent woman, just as I see myself as. This book was relatively short, and very much worth the time it took to read it. I am left hungering for the sequel, "Fair Play"...it is unbelieveable that this is Ms. Martin's first book. I will be anxiously awaiting future novels from her!
Rating:
Summary: Boy Do I Wish I Bought This Sooner
Review: On the plus side, I will not have to wait as long for "Fair Play", the sequel.
This was in my recommendations, but I wasn't sure and I kept putting it off. I am glad I have it now! This will be on my keeper shelf.
I can not beleive this was a 1st book, it was fantastic, well written, good humor, good groundwork for the future stories!
I won't get into character details, I think other reviewers covered that, but if you are looking for a well written, fast paced romance, this is the one for you!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best romance novel I've read in a loooong time
Review: This book was fantastic! The writing just flowed. The main characters were well developed, and I loved that the interaction between Ty and Janna was warm, sweet, and sizzling, but without all the ridiculous cutesiness that some romance authors feel they have to include. I do, however, have to agree with a previous reviewer that the make-believe additions to the world of the NHL were a little annoying. Still, I can understand why they're necessary. One can't exactly stick the NY Rangers and Mark Messier into the title roles. Once I got passed that, I was enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Romance From A New Voice!...
Review: I personally felt that this was a great book, from a great new voice. In fact I can hardly wait until her next book comes out! Janna MacNeil is the new PR person onboard to tame the "bad boy" reputation of the New York Blades. This is going to be the hardest job she has ever taken. Janna may seem tough on the outside, but inside she is wreck, with low self-esteem, and the fear that she will never be good enough. Then she comes up against the Legendary bad boy himself Ty Gallagher. Her life will never be the same again! Ty is the Captain of the Blades, and has NO plans on playing it the way the suits want him too, this means problems for Janna. He won't be told what to do off the ice, including charity events, and interviews. He will choose how he spends his time, and what events he will support. He thinks that will be the end of that, but he did not count on Janna. Janna tells him that she will be the "lyric in a song that he won't be able to get out of his head", and "the pebble in his shoe". She won't let up on him and promises to make it her job in life to make sure he plays it straight. What Ty also doesn't count on his being attratcted to the terrier that won't let up. Janna impresses him by going head to head with him, and eventually he starts to see her in a different light. Problem is Ty is he does not juggle the "relationship" and the drive for the Stanley Cup well. He is an all or nothing kind of guy, so what happens when he must choose between love for the game, and perhaps love for the woman? Read the book and find out! This was a great book, full of laughs, and tears. The characters were engaging and fun. I loved the secondary characters such as Lou, Wills, as well as the rest of the team, and lets not forget Theresa! Ms. Martin is off to a great start as a new voice in romance, and I look forward to reading her again! This is a fun read, and a great way to spend the weekend.
Rating:
Summary: A Sakting Good Tale
Review: Hockey and romance ... those of us still in love with Ken Dryden and Bobby Orr will LOVE this book. The characters are great, the action is about as fast as the Canadiens in the 1970s! But it is also the great little touches like Ty's kindnesses that make the book fun. I read it in one day -- couldn't put it down. And I can hardly wait for the next one of Ms. Martin's books. A great job!!
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