Man Down: A Widower Hockey Romance: A Rookie Rebels Novel

Gah! I read it, I think I liked it but it's been so long I can't be sure. Gunnar Bond is a hockey player, former husband and father whose wife and twin children were killed in a car accident. Since then his only respite from the pain of their loss is texting his wife's phone. Then one day someone answers him. After the initial shock Gunnar starts a relationship with this woman on the other end of the phone, working through his pain and loneliness. Sadie Yates feels she hit rock bottom a while back and now she's just tunnelling further. Her father is (I think) in prison, she's had to leave LA and move back to Chicago to take care of a step-sister she barely knows and a dog she loathes. She's having to finance everything herself, including taking her sister to ice-hockey lessons. Of course Sadie is the woman who has been assigned Gunnar's wife's phone number, and of course Gunnar is the professional hockey player who just happens to be teaching at the hockey training. Of course they don't hit it off in real life and moan about it to each other via text (what, you say, yet another riff on You've Got Mail? Why yes I would have to agree). TBH, hot hockey players, stroppy teenagers, unruly dogs, as she said in Jerry Mcguire, you had me at hello!

Gunnar and Sadie’s love story in Man Down by Kate Meader, book 3 in the Rookie Rebels series, was an emotional, intriguing, sexy, and enjoyable tale. I will warn to keep tissue nearby while reading. Gunnar Bond has barely existed since the car crash, three years ago, that took his wife and twins from him three years ago. Hiding away in a cabin in the woods and off grid, he gave up professional hockey and was drinking himself into oblivion. One more thing was texting his dead wife about his days without her. How sad that he had become that crazy person. He thinks it’s therapeutic that these messages are they only thing keeping him from spiraling down even further. Then he receives a reply; an understanding and sarcastic woman, replying to his messages and thoughts; basically his saving angel. Sadie Yates is working for the worse boss in LA, a wannabe instagram star. When her estranged father is sent to prison she becomes the guardian of her little sister, who she hardly knows and a misbehaving dog, she has to return to Chicago, take charge, and try to do her job long distance. Then there’s her sister’s hockey camp counselor, a judgment type telling her she stinks at this parenting gig. Thank goodness for her sweet, sensitive text buddy who seems to always know the right thing to say. Since they are in the same city at last, maybe they can meet up and see if their online chemistry crosses over to real life. Neither one expected the fireworks caused by a meet up or the consequences to them and her sister. Ms. Meader wrote an emotional, amazing, sexy sports romance that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sizzling chemistry, sarcasm, revealing conversations, and endearing characters giving Gunner and Sadie a chance at love and the chance for a future together. I highly recommend Man Down to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

AN EMOTIONAL, UPLIFTING MUST READ! My heart ached for Gunnar Bond the instant his tragic backstory was mentioned in book two of Kate Meade’s Rookie Rebels series. When it was announced Gunnar’s story, Man Down, would be next, I fully expected to bawl from beginning to end. However, not even a flood of tears could stop me from learning Gunnar’s tragic story. Box of tissues close by, I dove in. I needn’t have worried. Surprisingly, tears were few until the very end. Yes, parts are heartrending but told in such a way not to be maudlin. That’s due to the author’s ability to craft a compelling story that could have easily been extraordinarily sad but is surprisingly, overwhelmingly fun and heartwarming. I imagine most readers will fall hard for Gunnar Bond. Not only because of his excruciating loss and his grief-stricken struggle to regain some semblance of happiness, but because of his big heart. I imagine him as a larger than life mountain of a man. Whether that’s by description or just how he seems due to his protectiveness towards those he cares about, I’m not sure. Sadie is a sassy, tenderhearted heroine with the patience of a saint. She prioritizes everyone else’s needs ahead of her own all while keeping a sunny disposition. Sadie is the perfect person to help Gunnar find a reason to go on. The supporting cast is phenomenal. Many favorite characters make appearances and play an integral part of the story. It’s a Who’s Who from the author’s previous series, which I enjoyed immensely. It reminded me all over again why I adored them in their own stories, making an immediate re-read necessary. Man Down is a gripping, emotional yet uplifting book that will tug at your heartstrings, inciting tears and laughter alike. I loved Sadie, Gunnar, and every moment of their story. 4.5 stars