4.5 stars ( )

ARC Review: Maybe This Time (Colorado Ice) by Jennifer Snow

Break the ice? Maybe this Time liquefied it with this ode to authors like Sara Richardson, Skye Jordan and Samantha Chase. What I find appealing in a writer is the coming together of emotion and thought. Ms. Snow created a character in Abigail that made it easy to empathize with and root for at the same time. Add in a dreamy hunk, an adorable little girl and the odds are that it will be love at first sight. In my case it proved to be. I'm glad I took a chance and came out a winner. ( )

After separating from her NHL husband, Dean Underwood, Abigail Jansen returns to her hometown of Glenwood Falls, Colorado. She wants nothing to do with hockey; however, her daughter wants to try out for the hockey team. To make matters more uncomfortable her daughter’s coach is Jackson Westmore, her ex’s best friend. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for adult audiences.

Abigail is an admirable heroine. After separating from Dean, she moves from California back to Colorado with her nine-year-old daughter, Dani. She needs to start over and wants to provide a good life for her and Dani. They temporarily move in with her parents until she can get a place of her own. Her parents are supportive, good people. It is a humbling experience. She knows she is being talked about and judged in the small town. Abigail puts her teaching degree to use and gets a job as a substitute teacher. She works hard to prove herself. She is a strong woman and good mother.

Understandably, Dani is having a difficult time dealing with the divorce. Abigail doesn’t want to badmouth Dean to Dani. Abigail wants Dani to be happy, even if that includes letting her play hockey. I love that Dani befriends Taylor (Jackson’s niece).

I like Jackson’s character. He has secretly been in love with Abigail since they were kids. Of course, she thinks he hates her. Per the bro-code he needs to stay away from her. He is a loyal friend to Dean. Both working at the school and being Dani’s coach, he cannot avoid Abigail. To top things off, his sister is Abigail’s BFF. Needless to say, they are put in some interesting/awkward situations. I like that Jackson is open-minded and discovered that his best friend is not the same guy he was nine years ago. I felt bad that he didn’t make it to the NHL when both of his brothers and best friend did. I had a lot of respect for the decisions he made throughout this story. He is an amazing hockey coach and a good person. He reevaluated his priorities doing what is best for him now.

This is the first book that I have read by Jennifer Snow. I really enjoy her writing style and plan on continuing to read this series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. ( )