STAY is the second book in the WAGS series (Waves And Girlfriends, in this case as relates to professional hockey players) by co-authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy. This is a contemporary sports romance with two delightful characters. This book was first published in 2017, and I read it when it first came out. I’m happy to say it held up to the test of time, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. I didn’t realize when I requested STAY for review that it was an old book, and Googling indicates this is a “new edition global release.” It’s a spin-off of their wildly successful Him and Us books.
Matt Eriksson is the divorced father of adorable four-year-old twin girls. He’s a veteran player on the Toronto hockey team that this series focuses on, and I enjoy how much hockey there is in this book. He believes (thanks to his awful and duplicitous ex-wife) that the large demands of his professional sports career are what caused their marriage to fail. Imagine that- a pro athlete needs to commit a huge amount of time and effort into being pro-level! This viewpoint has left him gun-shy about trying to commit to another relationship. But he’s attracted despite himself to the woman he interacts with at the company that takes care of a lot of his daily tasks while he’s busy with his career. I love what a stand-up guy Matt is, and how he always tries to do the right thing.
Hailey Taylor Emery is an amazing and energetic 27-year-old entrepreneur. She and her previous husband started a concierge business together, called Fetch. They’ve been best friends since childhood, and while their marriage didn’t last, the friendship and the co-running of the business have. Hailey has only ever been with one man- her ex-husband- and although she’s got a huge flirtation going on with a client that she thinks may be a hockey player, she would never act on it. Until the client, Matt pushes her out of her comfort zone and convinces her to start dating him. Hailey and Matt are so cute together, it makes me so happy.
I really liked that the big misunderstanding that brings the couple to crisis near the end of the book was not that big. They spoke frankly and candidly about it quickly after the misunderstanding, and there was no persistent drama. Adults acting like adults is always refreshing, and sometimes in short supply in order to manufacture angst in a romance. Their chemistry is fabulous, and the secondary characters make this book a lot of fun to read. Bowen & Kennedy’s STAY is a fun and easy read with engaging characters and a swoony romance with some steam too.
From New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy and USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen comes the next in the spin-off series of their wildly successful Him and Us books.
"I'm ridiculously attracted to you, Hottie. I figured I should be up front about that."
"Shut up and kiss me again, Snipes."
Hailey Taylor Emery has a hunch that Sniper87, her favorite client at Fetch—the anonymous virtual assistant service she runs with her ex-husband—is actually gorgeous hockey superstar Matt Eriksson. It's against the rules to check his file, but she's pretty sure she spends every day texting her lifelong crush and catering to his every need. Still processing her recent divorce, Hailey is perfectly content for this to be nothing but harmless online flirting…until Sniper87 wants to meet her. Face to face. Cue: utter panic.
Matt Eriksson is no stranger to heartbreak. He's still not over the destruction of his own marriage, and it sucks to be the only guy on his team who knows the truth: that hockey and long-term relationships are a toxic mix. He barely sees his kids, and dealing with his ex makes him feel worthless. The only person in his life who seems to understand is someone who won't show her pretty face: the mysterious HTE, aka "Hottie."
Surely, though, it's nothing a pair of fourth row hockey seats can't fix. Superfan Hailey can't resist the offer, and Matt can't resist Hailey. But when the phone screens come down, can they get past their baggage long enough to build something real?
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