Halftime by Kim Findlay

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Title: Halftime
Author: Kim Findlay
Series: Moo U #6
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: April 26, 2021
Format: eARC
Pages: 228
Genres: Sports Romance, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Heart Eyes Press
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

There’s no halftime in hockey, but maybe there’s one in love…

Drunk dialing your girlfriend to tell her that you didn’t really cheat is a bad idea--a lesson Seb Hunter learned the hard way. It was no surprise when she cut him completely out of her life. Now he’s finally moved on, and he’s looking forward to sophomore year at Moo U. Until his ex arrives on campus.

For goalie Faith Devereaux, cheating is a hard pass. She grew up knowing all too well how destructive infidelity can be. She’s gotten over Seb and picked the college of her dreams. The fact that he’s a student there will not be a problem. Hockey is her priority. Not guys, not dating, definitely not exes.

But when an exhibition game forces them into close proximity, it isn’t long before their old attraction flares. Regaining trust is hard, though, when the heart plays a good defensive game.

But when the goal is love, one more shot might be all they need.

My Review:

I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4.5 stars — This one surprised me!  While I could tell from the blurb that there wasn’t any cheating, I still wasn’t sure exactly what that meant and how it would reflect on our characters.  It was definitely complicated, but I was okay with it, so phew!

I seriously fell in love with Sebastien.  I mean, he was complicated for sure, but he was sweet and endearing.  I truly felt for how much his childhood of neglect had affected him, and how he strove to fit wherever he was — to not make waves.  And it truly explained how desperate he was to explain things to Faith, and thus why he made the boneheaded mistake of calling while drunk.  I think the thing is that I really appreciate heroes who are outside the norms.  I kind of loved that he wasn’t interested in playing the field, that he was pretty down to earth about his hockey playing and future (though there was a lot more to that as well).  I just…I don’t know, I loved him.  He is 100% the extra half star bump all on his own.

Faith, on the other hand, was hella complicated!  But what’s weird is that I liked her despite all the things I *didn’t* have in common with her.  I think part of that is that I 100% connected with her about how she saw herself in comparison to other girls b/c she was taller and bigger — I think it’s not something that everyone can understand…it’s sort of in the background but always there.  And then for all the things that I don’t have in common, Ms. Findlay did a hell of a job of helping me to see who Faith was, and how she came to be that way, and why she held those beliefs.  She was fiercely competitive and hardworking and ambitious (none of those qualities describe me).  But it made sense for Faith.  And then there were the effects of her own fucked up childhood and how it coloured her views on relationships.  I expected to get a lot more frustrated with her than I actually did.  Which is not to say I didn’t get frustrated with her, more just that I could see what was going on, even if I wanted her to wake up.

I loved them together, even as I ached watching them go through all the ups and downs.  You could tell how close they were, how strong their bond was.  I loved seeing them get their friendship back and seeing them supporting one another.  And their steamy chemistry was pretty fantastic — it had both comfort and excitement.

And the conflict was okay for me…in fact it was necessary.  I was so proud of Sebastien for his realization, and I appreciated that it took Faith a while to figure things out.  I think it wouldn’t have been believable if she’d figured it out right away.  I will admit that I agree with a fellow blogger that I wish they’d mentioned counselling — because it’s unrealistic for Faith to make those changes on her own, it’s just too huge.

I was surprised at the conflict that Faith ended up having with her coach.  While I could understand it to a degree, I was infinitely upset on behalf of Faith that her coach was so unprofessional and dickish.  I get that it sort of resolved, and I get the underlying reasons, but it never should have dragged on that long, and her coach should have apologized.

On the good surprise front was Cooper!  He was like a little fairy godfather in the background.  I kind of loved what he brought to both Seb and Faith in their growth.  He was very astute, and it made me wonder what was in his past to explain him.  I kind of want his book, and I’m not sure I’m going to get it.  I also really appreciated the friendship that Faith developed with Penny.  It was different, but she needed that.

So yeah.  I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting.  Gotta love it when that happens, you know?