Kristie J’s review of Virgin Territory (Hellions Angels, Book 3) by Lia Riley
Contemporary Romance published by Avon Impulse 17 Apr 18
Since I enjoyed the first two books in this series, reading this one was a given. Add in a virgin hero and it was a move to the top of the pile. What is it about a virgin hero that makes him so appealing anyway?
Patrick (Patch) Donnelly is the troubled goalie for the Denver Hellions. Though he has incredible talent, he’s constantly sabotaging himself with his out-of-control behavior. He frequently gets into fights on the ice, thus causing added work for the rest of the team. For anyone who doesn’t know hockey, goalies don’t get into a whole lot of fights and generally not a whole lot of penalties. Tor Gunnar, his coach and hero of the previous book, is fit to be tied with Patch. When Patch gets into a bar fight and then serviced, Coach knows that something has to be done. When he’s out with his friends from the two previous books, they come up with the idea of having him take yoga in order to re-channel his anger.
When Patch hears his fate, he’s less than impressed. He’s a tough guy from Boston, who grew up rough, and, even though he considered becoming a priest earlier in his life, tough guys don’t do yoga.
The yoga instructor they have in mind and our heroine is Margot Kowalski, best friend of Breezy from Book 1. She’s rather a free spirit and figures she’s ‘safe’ from any unwanted attraction to Patch because he’s a ginger and she doesn’t date ‘gingers.’
From the first moment Patch meets. Margot he’s totally ‘gone’ for her. But he has a secret he really doesn’t want to confess. He’s a virgin, and not only has he never slept with a woman, he’s never even kissed one. His mother was a hooker and he went totally opposite to her lifestyle. He wants to wait for the one woman who punches him in the heart and it turns out Margot is the one. His wooing of her is so sweet and tender. Unlike Patch, Margot has experience with men, though her first in high school turned out to be a nightmare. It’s a bit of a reversal where the heroine has more experience than the hero.
As with the other two books, I enjoyed this one and recommend it. I love Patch. He’s such a wounded hero that the reader just wants to hug him and hug him and hug him. He had it really rough growing up, but he’s made a success of his life. And once he gets on board with yoga, he is able to handle his anger better.
There were a few things that kept it from being an A book, but I do give it a well-deserved B. I found it a bit unlikely that Patch would be such a wonder in the boudoir right out of the gate. I think a stumble or two might have worked a bit better. And I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but I wasn’t as keen on Margot as I was with either Breezy or Neve. It might be because she doesn’t seem to have the emotional vulnerabilities as the previous heroines. And another thing that bothered me throughout the series that may seem small but keeps taking me out of the stories is the Denver Hellions are supposed to be an NHL team, but there already is a hockey team in Denver – the Colorado Rockies. Occasionally other NHL teams are mentioned, but the author has renamed them too. I would much rather she set the team in a city that doesn’t already have an NHL team and use the real teams’ names, such as Toronto Maple Leafs or Detroit Red Wings or whatever city they are from. For me – and this is me – this kind of strikes me as not doing research and I find it annoying. But. again, that’s me.
Grade: B-
Summary:
Patrick “Patch” Donnelly has what it takes to be the best goalie in the NHL…if only he could learn to control his temper. When Coach orders him to get his head in the game with private yoga classes, Patch isn’t having it. There’s no way this tough Boston guy would be caught dead downward dog-ing his way to inner peace. But if he refuses, he risks his starting position and the dream he sacrificed everything for, including joining the priesthood.
Yoga instructor Margot Kowalski is over men. After yet another toxic relationship, she’s eager to forget love and focus on growing her business. Doing the Hellions head coach a favor by helping out a troubled player can’t hurt, and it might give her career a high-profile boost. But free-spirited Margot is soon charming the pants off Patch. Literally. Her sassy combination of sweet and sexy proves irresistible to the goalie. Before Patch can give into temptation though, he’ll have to confess his biggest secret:
He’s a virgin.
But Patch is hiding more than sexual inexperience, and his dark past soon threatens to destroy his shot at true love.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
