Naughty Game Series: Renegades Hockey #3
Genres: Sports Romance
He spent years pretending friendship was enough...
A widowed event planner. An NHL player secretly obsessed with her. One fake marriage that suddenly feels dangerously real.
Peyton never expected her late husband’s mistakes to follow her long after his death.
Now she’s drowning in debt, being threatened by dangerous men, and running out of time to fix a problem she never created.
Wendell has spent years pretending Peyton is just his best friend’s girl.
The Edmonton Renegades hockey star never crossed the line. Never admitted he’s been hopelessly in love with her since the day she accidentally stopped his panic attack in a park eight years ago.
But when Peyton’s safety is threatened, the protective NHL player makes her one impossible offer:
Marry him.
The fake marriage is only supposed to last long enough for Wendell to protect her, eliminate her debt, and keep her safe.
Too bad sharing a bed with the woman he’s secretly loved for years destroys every ounce of his self-control.
Now the grumpy hockey player who was supposed to act like her husband can’t stop touching her, taking care of her, worshipping her body, or imagining forever.
But Peyton still believes she’s too broken, too complicated, and too much of a burden for anyone to truly want.
And Wendell knows the second she realizes she no longer needs his protection… she might walk away for good.
Because after years of pretending friendship was enough, the NHL star is finally done hiding what he really wants:
Her. Forever.
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In this series: Shameless Game
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
my review
I really enjoyed this one, but I wanted more.
Peyton and Wendell first meet under unusual circumstances when she helps him through a panic attack. Unfortunately, she’s dating his best friend at the time, so nothing comes of the connection they immediately feel. Fast forward eight years, and life has been anything but kind to Peyton. She’s trying to rebuild after losing her husband while dealing with the financial mess he left behind. Through it all, Wendell has quietly remained in her corner.
I loved Wendell.
He’s patient, protective, and has spent years putting Peyton’s happiness ahead of his own. You never question how much he cares about her. The marriage of convenience may happen quickly, but because of their history it never felt rushed to me. These weren’t two strangers falling in love overnight. These were two people who had been circling each other for years before finally getting their chance.
Peyton took a little longer for me to warm up to, but I understood why she struggled. She carried so much guilt and believed she was nothing but a burden to the people around her. Watching Wendell slowly convince her otherwise was my favorite part of the story.
The only reason this isn’t a full five-star read for me is because I wanted this to be longer. There are pieces of Peyton’s past that I would have loved to explore more, especially everything surrounding her late husband and the years between their first meeting and where the story begins. Those missing pieces kept me from becoming completely immersed.
Even so, I flew through this book in one sitting. It had plenty of heart, a hero who was impossible not to love, and a romance that felt earned because of everything these two had already been through together.
Now I’m looking forward to reading more from both this author and the series.
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