A Lie for a Lie (All In, 1)

RJ and Lainey first meet on an airplane and eventually realize they have the same destination of Kodiak, Alaska.It’s the first time flying for Lainey and she clumsily lands in RJ’s lap at one point. Add in turbulence and the barf bag and that pretty much sums up her experience in the air. RJ is the complete gentleman and truthfully fascinated by this seemingly naive yet courageous young woman. Lainey is working on her master’s thesis, focusing on aquatic animals. She hopes to study dolphins and whales during her six week stay in Kodiak. She’s rented a cabin near the water with high hopes.RJ is planning on a three week getaway at his families vacation home in Kodiak where he has spent many vacations with his father and brother Kyle. Sadly their father passed away two years ago but he and Kyle still carry on the traditional getaway. They are meeting in Anchorage and continuing on to Kodiak from there. As soon as RJ gets to Anchorage his phone rings and it’s his brother Kyle. Kyle tells him that his pregnant wife has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and bed rest is required so he will not be making the trip. RJ considers going to LA where his brother is, but soon decides he really needs the vacation since his job has become a circus and he could definitely use the time away from the cheering crowds of the hockey team he is team captain of and so he continues on to Kodiak.Once in Kodiak, RJ offers to take Lainey to her rental cabin after finding out she doesn’t drive and hasn’t rented a vehicle. She reluctantly accepts his offer and when they get to the cabin she has rented it is definitely not what it was advertised as. She is determined to stay there though and feels it will be okay once she cleans it up a bit. After they exchange landline phone numbers and RJ tells her to not hesitate to call him he continues on to his families vacation home just a short distance away and they each settle into their respective vacations.Unfortunately things go from bad to worse at Lainey’s cabin. So after a couple of days without internet connection, finding dead and living rodents, no hot water, not seeing any aquatic life at all and the people at the rental office are unreachable she decides to take RJ a thank you gift for his help on the plane and the ride. Thus begins a magical few weeks that they end up spending together. Until he is called away by his brother who’s wife is in serious distress with her pregnancy and RJ has to rush off to LA to be with his family.Sadly he wasn’t completely honest with Lainey about his job and they never actually exchange cell phone numbers. They both go their separate ways and nurse their broken hearts. Fast forward fourteen months and they happen to meet again at a most unlikely place...a child’s birthday party for one of the Hockey players kids. Lainey works at the aquatic park where the party is being held. She instantly realizes he lied to her about his profession since he and all the other guests are wearing hockey tee shirts proclaiming their team. This puts Lainey immediately on guard. RJ does everything he can think of to get back in her good graces knowing full well he needs to grovel because of his lie. Little does he know there is something she’s not telling him too.I loved how Helena Hunting brought us this interesting and beautiful love story and the way she weaved in all the details. You’ll definitely fall head over heals for RJ and his sweet gentlemanly ways. He’s definitely a keeper.I also loved the look at so many characters from the Pucked series in this book. It was good to catch up. 😍

This is a sweet semi-second chance romance.A chance encounter that brings two very different people together when unexpected circumstances pull them away from one another.A year later they’re in the same place and reconnect with a lot more life between them. Lots of groveling and growing for the two to trust one another again.It was a simple, sweet read. No 3rd act breakup.Enjoy!

If you’re a fan of Helena Hunting’s Pucked series, you no doubt reacted as I did when you found out that she was creating a spin-off series: lots of fist-pumps of glee and excitement.The good news is that Helena Hunting more than exceeds your expectations.Rook, the hockey all-star and captain, strives to get away to Alaska to do some fishing and relax away from the demands of fame and sport. On the flight over, Lainey literally falls in his lap. It turns out his house and her rental are close by, and … one thing might just lead to another.I enjoyed getting to know these two, and I enjoyed the way Helena Hunting forces them apart. It feels real and more than a little emotionally affecting. So when they reunite, you experience the same myriad of responses as Rook and Lainey. You also start cheering on the two of them, hoping they find a way to get past his lie and hers.Hunting crafts Rook and Lainey as people who have much love to give each other, although they aren’t sure how. For him, it’s a matter of trying to control the chaos around him. His fame causes him to be recognized, which in turn encroaches on his privacy. Given the chance to be his true self, he leaps for it, grasping onto it with need. Lainey, however, balks at control. The youngest of eight children, she’s been smothered and babied, and now she wants to make her own choices.The lies the two tell each other vary in degree. Rook’s perhaps is more understandable on the surface, but you feel Lainey’s deeper. By the time she reveals the truth, you are on her side, empathizing with her over the decisions she makes.Rook and Lainey’s romance is glorious. It’s hot and sweet and arousing and hilarious. They make you laugh and squeeze your thighs with equal measure. Rook is delicious, dear readers. He is everything you hope for in a Hot Hero. One of the things I appreciated the most about him is that he isn’t some distant alpha, but rather a guy with a huge heart. You want him to work things out with Lainey because you know he’s good.Some of your beloved characters from the Pucked series make appearances, and you will enjoy checking in with them. You’ll also enjoy getting to know Rook and Lainey, who kick off this new series in the best way.

I got this book due to the Whispersync feature so I could listen to something while cleaning. This is my first time reading this author. Overall, I liked the story and characters. The chemistry was believable. I enjoyed the narrators. Nice inflection, nice pace, etc. I especially think the male did a fantastic job at all of the different guy voices and accents. I would listen to them again.For those who are sensitive to cussing, this book has some of that (including F-bombs). It didn't bother me too much because it wasn't constant, but it may be too much for some people.The book also has sex and intimate scenes. They are descriptive, but not as much as some books. However, it was a little much for me, so I found myself skipping over some of them. I truly think a book can be great without detailed scenes. If a book is written well, it will have suggestion, inuendo, etc. and leave more to the imagination so that my mind can run wild. I don't need it written down in detail. Like I said above though, it wasn't as much as some other books and the scenes were easy to skip.I liked the story and would normally continue reading books by this author, but since there were several sex/intimate scenes, this is probably the last book I'll read by her.

Li esse livro sem muita vontade pois estava interessada em outro da série, mas me encontrei totalmente envolvida na história! Foi muito fofa, meu coração não aguenta toda essa fofura! Amei o livro!

What a beautiful story.I fully loved the characters, and hiw they developed i genuinely loved this book.It was Emotional and beautiful and loving. 1

I really loved the book. But I don't get how it is so difficult to for writers to get babies right. I work with babies and children all my life and the description of their abilities is absolutely wrong. A little research would be nice

Este libro está súper tierno y bonito.Es bastante digerible así que rápidamente lo quedrás terminar. Me encanto la historia

I loved everything about this book from Helena Hunting. It sucks you in from the first page. Both main characters are well developed and make such a beautiful match. Rook Bowman is everything you could want in a book boyfriend. Patient, Kind, Sexy and loving. Lainey is very relatable. All in all this book has all the makings for a five star read. Highly recommended.