Body Check

Rating:
Summary: It's a hat trick!!!
Review: I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book. It blew me away. It's sexy, funny and riveting. Once you pick it up you can't put it down until the last page. And at that point you'll be dying for the sequel, which is promoted at the conclusion of the book. This is an incredible debut novel, not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: Body check is the first of two books,(second being, Fair Play) by Deirdre Martin, and a third book, Total Rush is on it's way!
I must say thatI am not a big ice-hockey fan, but I really enjoyed these books. I felt that the characters were, contrary to one review on this page, most likeable and most believable. I like characters that are flawed and make mistakes, as we all do in real life, and Janna and Ty certainly do this. But like most of us, they work through it, and eventually end up doing the right thing. Janna is a strong woman dealing with her own insecurities and fears, and Ty is a strong man, trying to work out his priorities. In this well written, and originally funny book, we are told their story, and a good one it is too!

Rating:
Summary: A Romance Novel for Hockey Fans
Review: This is by far one of my favorite books ever. Coming right in after it is the second one Fair Play. This book is great for romantic hockey fans. Deirdre Martin knows that game and writes a great love story. If you enjoy old fashioned love stories and hockey you will love this book!

Rating:
Summary: Definite Power Play
Review: This book is one of those where you're dying to see the hero and heroine together forever. Of course, they are both beautiful and come of from dysfunctional families, which seems to be typical of romance novels. I did love this book though. The characters all meshed together rather well. Obviously the author is familiar with hockey or did a lot of research. Well done!

Rating:
Summary: Great Writing...
Review: "Body Check" by Deirdre Martin is the first book which chronicles the adventures of Janna MacNeil and her best friend, Theresa Falconetti, as they meet the men in their lives who play hockey for the New York Blades.

The books are both very light and romantic, but quite well-written. When I stayed up reading this book, I thought it was a fluke - but I found that I couldn't put "Fair Play" down either!

I thought that the characters were well-defined and quite realistic. There is a lot of anomosity between Ty Gallagher, captain of the Blades, and Janna throughout much of the book and it would have been utterly unrealistic for it to be anything else. Ty is a sports legend, who is handsome and charismatic. Beautiful women throw themselves at him at every opportunity. He doesn't want his life complicated by any serious involvement and that singleness of purpose has made him the great athlete he is.

Likewise, Janna has just landed the PR dream job of the century where she is making more money than she ever thought possible. She has a job to do and that is to get the players involved in community events that bring good publicity to the team while effectively handling "damage control" for their frequent lapses in judgment while off the rink. Ty does not like to play the "PR Game" so there IS a lot of conflict initially.

The language by today's standards was not inappropriate at all. In fact, if anything it was really toned down as, let's face it, hockey players are well-known for their "colorful" language!

"Total Rush" is to be Deirdre Martin's next book and I will definitely be reading it!

Rating:
Summary: Not really love
Review: This was my first exposure to this author, and I found the book quite realistic and entertaining. I was pretty surprised, however, by the depth of hatred the two main characters had for one another. Although they didn't insult one another too harshly, I really felt their intense dislike for one another coming through the writing. Their attraction did start to grow towards the later part of the book, but the relationship wasn't very fulfilling. I thought Ty was very uncaring and inconsiderate of Janna. Although technically a `love story,' this book was really more of a hate/love relationship between a really nice woman and a hard-ass guy.

Rating:
Summary: Not thrilled...
Review: I usually like books like this, but this novel just couldn't keep my interest. I didn't feel connected with the characters like I do with some other similar authors. I guess I will keep reading the book someday... but at this point I have no desire to finish the story.

Rating:
Summary: So much fun
Review: I loved this book. For anyone who likes books like this and hockey, this is a must read. I couldn't put the book down, not only was I excited about Janna and Ty, but I was just as excited about the New York Blades games and run to the Stanley Cup. For anyone who loves hockey, this is a great read.