Alex - Sawyer Bennett

Alex

By Sawyer Bennett

  • Release Date: 2014-10-14
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 719 Ratings

Description

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett scores big-time with the first novel in a sexy new series hot enough to melt the ice.

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers.

The Carolina Cold Fury series from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett can be read together or separately:

ALEX
GARRETT
ZACK
RYKER
HAWKE
MAX
ROMAN
LUCAS
VAN
REED
MAREK

And don’t miss her Arizona Vengeance series:
BISHOP
ERIK
LEGEND

The Love Hurts series features sexy standalone novels:
SEX IN THE STICKS
JILTED

And the Sugar Bowl series is one treat you’ll want to read in order:
SUGAR DADDY
SUGAR RUSH
SUGAR FREE
 
“One of the best voices in contemporary romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne

Praise for Alex

“Wow. Just wow. Sawyer Bennett is my new favorite author.”—Jami Davenport, USA Today bestselling author of Skating on Thin Ice

“Warm, witty, and fun, with sparkling dialogue and great characters including a bad boy hockey player, Cold Fury has it all! I’m eagerly awaiting the next in the series.”—Katie Rose, award-winning author of Bring on the Heat

“Sawyer Bennett has scored again with Alex, the perfect combination of sexy and emotional. I can’t wait for the next Cold Fury story!”—Julie Cross, author of Third Degree

“Alex’s redemption is what makes the happy ending possible and will make readers smile. Recommended for sports romance fans who enjoy seeing the frog turn into a prince.”Library Journal

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Reviews

  • Stands out from the crowd!

    5
    By Stripeness
    I’ve read the whole Carolina Cold Fury and Arizona Vengeance series, along with a number of other authors’ hockey romances. Sawyer B’s stories are delightful unique in the way they include the whole hockey organization. The coaches, trainers, management, owner - all are realistic and detailed characters. The relationships between the players are well thought-out, and you get to see some of the work involved with being say, team captain. Too many authors just use a hockey rink as a backdrop, but not Sawyer. Hockey is at the center of the hero’s life in these books, which is 💯 realistic for a pro sport with a fairly short earnings window. How do you navigate a relationship in this high pressure environment? What do you do when you age out of pro play? Read and find out!
  • Wow

    5
    By Omahanut
    Really really good! Wasn’t real sure at first but just the right mix of real, funny sexy and emotion! New author for me and I’m excited to read more.
  • “Overexplain” much?

    2
    By Wendy Wickett
    These books could be much better if the author got the hang of “showing, not telling.” All these over explanations weaken the drama, and frankly I find it patronizing. Too much internal detail and over-wordy detail dialogue ends up with redundancy. It doesn’t give the reader any credit for figuring out things for him/herself. If these were truly published in connection with Random House, then the editor assigned to this author really should have been fired. “Showing, not Telling” is one of the most basic truths for writing good fiction, and I find it hard to understand why they didn’t address this problem.
  • Wow

    5
    By Feelrefreshed
    Seriously touching. Thank you for the moving story. My Father (love and miss him) was an alcoholic and gambler and it was painful to read parts of story but life affirming.
  • Such a Great Story!

    5
    By gnik1067
    I haven't enjoyed a story that much in a long time, one that has you grinning from ear to ear and loving two great characters...love Alex and Sutton. I will be reading this one again and again.
  • Great start to the series!

    4
    By Bookbruin
    When I decided to read Alex, I thought that it would just be another sports related romance. I was very pleasantly proven wrong. Yes, it's about hockey and yes, there is romance, but it's also about the journey of our characters to find forgiveness and healing. Alex is our flawed hero. He has demons and a complicated history which has closed him off from the world and any meaningful friendships or relationships. He made some mistakes in the book, but he always remained painfully honest and in the end tried to make amends. His cocky attitude and antagonistic behavior was a turn off initially, but as you peel back the layers and look past the walls he's built up around himself, you really see the vulnerable and lovable Alex. I was invested in his redemption and was rooting for him and Sutton from the start. Speaking of Sutton, she was such a great character. I loved how honest she was, but also how she was both brave and insecure/fearful. As the story unfolds, you find that she has her own baggage to deal with, but she hasn't given it power over her life. She calls Alex out on his decisions and stays true to herself, even though it breaks her heart. I enjoyed reading about and getting a feel for who Sutton was through her work and her parents, and I especially liked her relationship with her little brother Glenn. They were so sweet to each other and always had the others back. Another thing I really enjoyed was being able to be in both characters heads. The dual POV really worked for me and it made the emotions all the more intense as the story played out. I wasn't a fan of the eventual push away (even though it was a given it was going to happen) and I did feel like it was out of character for Alex to make a 180 turn in personality so quickly. It did provide lots of swoons though ;) I thought the epilogue was completely perfect and I was grinning ear to ear as I finished the book. I can't wait to continue on with this series, since I loved getting to know Garrett (he provided a lot of comic relief!) and the next book is about him.
  • Loved this story

    5
    By Ldjazzy
    Yes love does happen at first site. This is just a great story. Loved the characters. I can't wait to read the res of these books.
  • This book has led me to become obsessed with Sawyer Bennett

    5
    By Forzacore
    About two weeks ago I downloaded this book and I just finished 13 other books by this author. I love that the author carries the stories of each couple throughout the series and builds on the friendships of the team. I have gone on to read all the books in this series as well as three other series from this author. I've become obsessed and have put off real work just so I can read. Love Sawyer Bennett!
  • Sutton and Alex cause some mighty BIG fireworks!

    4
    By Nurse Andee
    This book was amazing. I loved the main characters Sutton and Alex but the supporting characters were just as much fun. Glen and Garrett were my faves. Sutton was able to break down Alex's walls and show him love. Something he had never experienced. The love scenes were HOT!!Awesome book and must read.
  • Alex

    4
    By Brittneyt9
    Good book had some funny parts overall good story line the ending was a little cut off I would have liked to known what happened after the ring store