Review of "The Tao of Hockey" - fictional hockey romance

When I want to take a breather from the serious books, I find that sports romances are perfect - helps for a little escape from reality, but with the sports theme, I still enjoy reading them.  As long as there is enough of the sport in the story, I am good with it.  This was one that the author sent to me as I have enjoyed her work before, and there is enough good hockey action as well as the training required to stay in shape that it was just the perfect holiday reading break. Speaking of the holidays, I hope it was a Merry Christmas for all who celebrated and wishing all a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Title/Author:

“The Tao of Hockey” by Melanie Ting

Tags:

Ice hockey, fictional, romance

Publish date:

December 26, 2015

Length:

222 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Eric Fairburn has been given a second chance for a professional hockey career in North America. Five years earlier he was involved in a drunk driving accident and after playing in Switzerland as well making himself stronger physically,mentally and emotionally he is ready for his tryout with the Vancouver Vice of the American Hockey League. During this training, he meets a mysterious beautiful woman who will change him in other ways as well.

That is the premise of this excellent hockey romance by Melanie Ting. Not only does she portray Eric as a man whom everyone wants to succeed, but she also shows her knowledge of the sport of hockey and the training involved to make a team.  The scenes with Eric and his trainer Tony are great as well as the sequences during training camp.

The woman to whom Eric opens up, Josie, is a little more mysterious but also a well-developed character as well. She has had her own issues and is now a successful stuntwoman on movie sets.  Together she and Eric make an interesting pair that the reader can't help but cheer for both of them.

The story is written from Eric's point of view, something that impressed me with Ting's writing. I have felt that it is difficult to write a story from the point of view from a character the opposite gender of the author. To do so effectively the author has to have done his or her homework to know the thoughts and feelings of the other gender, something not easy to do. That, along with nearly everything else about this story, makes it a must read for those who enjoy sports romances.

I wish to thank Ms. Ting for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (EPUB)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Hockey-Vancouver-Vice-Book-ebook/dp/B018YAHBA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451262889&sr=1-1&keywords=the+tao+of+hockey