Defending Hayden by L.P. Dover (Second Chances #7)
Released: June 28, 2016
Contemporary Romance
Loveswept
Reviewed by Mandi
This is the first I have read from this series, and it worked well as a stand alone, however, overall I didn’t enjoy this story. Derek McLaughlin is a linebacker for the Carolina Cougars. One night while driving with his pregnant girlfriend and some teammates, they get into a car accident and his girlfriend and the baby dies. Obviously, Derek is devastated. He resorts to partying way too hard and sleeping with way too many women. He hits rock bottom and flees to Wyoming to sort out his life. After some time, he is ready to go back to North Carolina and rejoin the team.
Hayden Hunter is a veterinarian who literally gets hit by a door when Derek is leaving a bar one night. Feeling horrible, and realizing her cell phone was smashed in the process, he offers her his phone for the night and bids her goodbye. By a chance encounter the next day, while Hayden is helping an injured dog on the side of the road, Derek drives by and the two of them hit it off this time. Derek is interested in her career and Hayden knows nothing about football and didn’t realize Derek was a big star. Little by little they start to get to know one another and a romance starts.
This sounds cozy and a mix of a sports romance meets small town – but I just couldn’t get into it. It’s overall a little slow for me – but more than that both Derek and Hayden rubbed me the wrong way. On page they are really nice people – but for some reason I just wanted to roll my eyes at them. Derek comes off a little young and way too emo for me. I know, I know – he lost his pregnant girlfriend. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood to read a hero suffering through grief. It’s probably a case of “it’s me, not you” – sorry Derek. But you came off very young – and it didn’t work for me. Derek freaks out after the first time they have sex and it was very immature. We get to meet his teammates and see a tiny bit of football action – but I’m not sure he really felt like a football player to me.
Hayden. Oh Hayden – you were too perfect for me. I needed her to have a bad attitude about something. She got a little pouty when bad things happened at the vet clinic, but she had this attitude that rubbed me the wrong way. She was cheated on by her long-term boyfriend and her best girlfriend – and I thought that would cause more drama but it didn’t really seem to play much into her relationship with Derek. There is a side story with Hayden and her co-worker who has romantic feelings for her. This ends in some bigger drama towards the end (drama that felt very out of place) and I was not a fan.
They declare love early and Derek even admits to himself that his feelings for Hayden are stronger than he ever had for his dead girlfriend. I just love when heroes have to make that clear to us *enter sarcasm*
This one didn’t work for me.
Grade: D
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