In the Penalty Box (Penalty Box #1) by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount

ABOUT THE BOOK

Willow: Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down…but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab—a boatload of rehab—and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team? Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.

Brodie:  Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships—hopefully in front of major college scouts, too—so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie? Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.

MY REVIEW

Who could pass up a story about a female figure skater who plays a hockey goalie?  Certainly not me. 

Willow Covington’s passion is skating. It’s her calling. After getting injured, the rehabilitation is slow and her skating team has dumped her. So when her bestie Jessa and the high school hockey players at the ice rink encourage her to fill in as goalie, she goes for it. After all, her experience playing field hockey as a kid was legendary as well as her added Olympic-bound ice skating. It didn’t hurt that the hunky Brodie “Wind” Windhom asked her to give it a try. But she can’t get involved with a boy because she will be leaving once she finds a new ice skating team.

Brodie Windhom’s family life is a shit show what with the responsibility for his little brother, Caleb, who has severe asthma and his dad who is rarely home and sober at that. It’s hockey that gives him peace and it’s his ticket to get a scholarship to Boston College. However, he has more distractions than just his home life. It’s the beautiful and determined Willow Covington. She is fearless and not at all like any other figure skater. She is a badass as a goalie and hard to resist. But the coach has rules. No fraternizing on the team. 

I love Brodie and Willow’s story. They are very dedicated athletes who are working hard toward their dreams, but their dreams are getting in the way of hurting the ones they care about. Brodie is a kind and loyal friend and big brother who has a lot of weight on his shoulders. It is heartbreaking to watch his home life crumble as his relationship with Willow becomes complicated. Willow’s whole life has been figure skating and it is part of her psyche to want to succeed at something she is good at. But she’s grown to love hockey and her teammates as well. Her decision is difficult. 

As for the supporting characters, her besties Jessa and Erika are Willow’s lifeline, and Preach and his family are wonderful to Brodie in his time of need. The hockey teammates are an assortment of funny, encouraging, and sexist to which Brodie and especially Willow fabulously set them straight.

I recommend this heartwarming forbidden YA sports romance for those who enjoy fantastic characters, drama on and off the ice, and a HEA ending.

Thank you to Ms. Rush and Ms. Blount for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Penalty Box (with Kelly Anne Blount)

   1. In the Penalty Box (2021)
   2. Crossing the Line (2022)

BUY THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lynn Rush

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattle snakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, Lynn can’t resist posting epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop a scorpion.

When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well.

She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: www.lynnrush.com 

Website: www.lynnrush.com 
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LynnRushWrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lynnrush

Kelly Anne Blount

USA Today Bestselling author and Wattpad Star Kelly Anne Blount has more than seventy-three-thousand followers on social media. Her Wattpad stories have been read more than twenty-million times. She’s contributed to Tap, Wattpad’s new app for chat-style stories, where her work has been “tapped” more than fifty-million times. She is a writer and reviewer for SpoilerTV, which has allowed her to develop an incredible network of film and TV stars.

Two of her Wattpad works, including Captured (seventeen-million reads), have been optioned for film by Komixx Entertainment, and she is regularly invited to present seminars about social media at author events.

Stop by any of Kelly’s social-media platforms (@KellyAnneBlount) and stay tuned to this website for announcements and information about upcoming releases and events.
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Kelly Anne Blount is represented by Jennifer Wills (jennifer@theseymouragency.com) and Nicole Resciniti (nicole@theseymouragency.com) of The Seymour Agency.

Website: http://www.KellyAnneBlount.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyAnneBlount
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kellyanneblount

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