I've read quite a few of Catherine Gayle's Hockey books (both in the Portland Storm and the Tulsa Thunderbirds series). In all of them, I have liked the women but the hockey players are sometimes a little rough around the edges - even though they always turn out to be good guys. In this case I feel almost the opposite. Cody is a nice guy who has a kinky side - he likes to spank. Dani, the coaches 20 year old daughter has a thing for Cody but he keeps trying to push her off. Her father would definitely NOT approve, he's worried about being traded, and he is having family problems back in Canada.
Through it all Dani won't let him off the hook. She can't take a hint that he doesn't want to go out with her. She is annoyingly persistent. In fact, I think that if Dani had been a guy pursuing a girl the way she is after Cody there would have been a restraining order ASAP.
Don't let Dani and her pushiness scare you off. She turns out good in the end and all's well that ends well but she is a pushy spoiled girl who insists on getting what she wants. ( )

The trait I love most about author Catherine Gayle is her fearlessness. She is not afraid to tackle hot button issues such as interracial relationships, rape, living with HIV and other subjects of controversy that may not go over well, but she does so with heart, humor and insight that allows for deep emotional connections to each story she writes. That being said, sometimes even an author may need a breather from all the seriousness, so I was glad to see her let her hair down and lighten up a bit with Cody and Dani. Dani leads with her heart and lets the rest fall into place. Cody is not your average heartthrob, he's a thinker with a ton of skill on the ice, but no clue in matters of the heart. Defensive Zone shows the versatility of an author whose heart shines through with every story. This time with a little romantic comedy, she puts her sense of humor center stage while not skimping on the wonderful heartwarming characters. ( )

I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far the hottest book in the Portland Storm series... and I loved it! I've been dying to know what Harry's big scandal was to get Coach Weber threatening him and this one did not disappoint. I love to see these character's move a little closer to the edge of life and Catherine never fails to tell a story no matter how edgy or controversial the material. This one was pretty light in that regard but other than that, she really lit up the pages with this one.
I'm a die hard fan of this series, so I cannot wait for the next one. If you haven't read any of the other books in this series that came before this one, it's a great series and one you will quickly become hooked on. I know I will go back and start at the beginning at some point, it's that good.
In the meantime....
Happy Reading...enjoy! ( )

Disappointing. I wasn't a huge fan of Dani but enjoyed the story until about 3/4 through when their was a huge plot device to get to the end. Just felt like that was not needed. Also, the team was a lot less involved in this than in prior books - the couple was very isolated so I was missing a lot of what I enjoyed about this series. ( )