So it has been a bit since I last reviewed a book. Mostly because I have not been reading (or listening) as much as I want. So since it is a new year… I decided that I was going to cancel my audible subscription, not because I do not like the service… Since I started working from home, the routine that I had where I would listen to a book every few weeks on the way to work has changed. However, that didn’t stopped me from using my credits. That has left me with about 100 titles. I have vowed this year to try to battle through my audible titles before purchasing anymore.

Scrolling through my library, I decided on another hockey romance. Delay of Game by Stephanie Kay. Only I would pick a book that is the 3rd book in a series and read it out of order. No matter. Lucky for me… these books are standalones. Nothing like starting a series in the whole but things could have been worse.

So… both Sophia and Eric “Finn” Finnegan were interesting characters… This novel was all about secrets… and both of these characters have some really big ones. Sophia works two jobs (full time… Ugh been there done that.) … one at the family restaurant and then as an assistant at the physical therapist office. Her parents really are leaning hard on her to quit her dream and work full time at the restaurant. The constant nagging grates on Sophia’s nerves. Her parents don’t seem to get that she doesn’t want her life to revolve around the restaurant. I understood that. It is at the office that she meets Eric Finnegan who wants back on the ice. He plays for the San Francisco Strikers. Finn’s broken ankle needs several weeks of physical therapy to be in with a fighting chance of starting the hockey season. The only issue is… Finn doesn’t want to follow medical advice. Who didn’t see that coming? A patient that doesn’t want to follow instructions… who knew?

Both characters have family issues that they need to deal with. Family secrets are the name of the game. Some people in reviews complained that people should just be adults… In Sophia’s case, it is hard to go against what is expected of you. When you have a close relationship with your parents, you do anything to shield them from things that may disappoint. Or you are not into confrontation… Everyone handles disagreements differently. But secrets can only last so long. It didn’t take me long to finish the story. Her secret involves her ex-boyfriend, whom her family loves, and thinks of as part of their family. (You would think that her not wanting to talk about it would be a red flag but her parents are dunces.) In Finn’s case, his secret has to do with his strained relationship with his father.

I enjoyed Finn. He starts off gruff with a slightly rude exterior. He gets better as his injury starts to heal but I was originally thinking… This man is going to derail the whole thing. He was hellbent on trying to go 10 times harder than he needed to. I am not sure what it is about Thor that has writer’s up and arms now. This is the 4th book I read where the man looks like Thor. Every man with long hair isn’t Thor. However, I did enjoy the exchanges between him and his friends as well as him and Sophia. The relationship with Sophia starts out innocent enough but it quickly turns when they start getting close. Sophia initially has her guard up because she doesn’t want to lose her job and she has enough on her plate with trying to move past her ex and her family demands. But soon their attraction can’t be avoided.

But boy does shit hit the fan… secrets have a way of coming to light. And even having the best intentions doesn’t mean that the best decisions have been made. In Sophia’s case, secret keeping turned into its own beast. It became less about her and not hurting the people around her with the truth no matter how much it was tearing her apart. Finn, on the other hand, thought he was protecting his family… But making decisions for people without their input is never good.

I enjoyed the story. The characters were fully fleshed out with really young adult issues. I enjoy reading about things that could actually happen to people. Could our young couple have handled things better? Sure. But people learn over time. There was some repetitiveness in the book but it wasn’t enough to stop me from wanting to know more. Sophia’s friend Claire was a riot… except for a few things she lets slip to Finn. Not cool sis. But in the end… it was a cute story.