Trial by Fire is my first book by M.E. Carter and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to read in roughly one sitting. Once I started, I enjoyed the characters so much that I needed to keep turning pages to know what happened next.

Nick the starting goalie for the local professional hockey team, the Florida Glaze, and Prestyn, or Pres, the hotel magnate's daughter working her way up in the company. Both characters were written as real people, not overly entitled rich people, so they were relatable. They were likable. They each had their questionable moments, but they were written to be human.

I had to suspend a little bit of disbelief with the events leading up to their blind date, but it worked out okay and showed great examples of women supporting women.

The chemistry between Nick and Pres was terrific and oh-so-hot. There were steamy scenes, but they weren't overly gratuitous by any means. When reading this I had a great taste of some of the other players who appear in previous or subsequent books in this series. While they were introduced to the reader in this book, I was in no way lacking because I hadn't yet read the previous book.

I would have liked more of the book to have revolved around the hockey itself. Sure, he was a hockey player, and away games and the need to practice were occasionally mentioned, but as a season ticket holder to my local NHL team, I'll always want more hockey. The book wasn't left wanting. I'm just reading it in the off-season, where I'm already going through hockey withdrawal!

All in all, it was a super fun and quick read. I plan to go back to read more of Carter's books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Prestyn and Nick. Prestyn works at her family’s hotel and Nick is a hockey player. They meet at a gala for Nick’s hockey team. Prestyn knows his twin sister so she introduces them. It was an instant attraction. Prestyn and Nick decide to see each other but to do in private. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

I read this book back in August and I remember it as a light read with friends with benefits trope.

I liked it enough to give it 4 stars but not loved it.

Love me a hockey romance so this is a win for me already! After being catfished, Prestyns' friend Delaney. Nicks sister has the great idea to get a little positive PR for Nick, Goalie for the Florida Glaze. While they are both not sure how well it will work out - they meet and realize they have a lot in common and are highly attractive to the other.

The chemistry is out of this world with these characters! M.E. Carter always does such a great job with the sports romances and I love how all the characters always have little cameos. Bravo!

This book opens with a phone call to a woman who is being stood up, the caller is the man's wife. She calls and lets Prestyn know that her date will not show. Weeks later Hockey goalie Nick Willams is asked by his sister to show up at the gala without a date, she has someone she wants him to meet. This is the way hotel heiress Prestyn and hockey goalie Nick meet and have a wonderful and wild night. Only for Nick to turn into another one of those males that she has been dealing with her entire life. Nick not having the entire story and shooting off his mouth now must decide if she is worth his time to fight for or to walk away from another woman. A really good story about two people coming into their own and I will say I liked Prestyn’s character a little better. Either a very good book.

two down to earth wealthy people who need a break from the spotlight decide to spend time together, after a few rocky spots they try to find some common ground in and out of the spotlight.

Prestyn and Nick have a VERY unusual set up story. Prestyn was trying her hand at online dating and was talking to a guy she was excited to get to know. When he stands her up Prestyn is disappointed - so when she gets a call from his wife - she is not only shocked but devastated to feel like the other woman in their relationship. The wife, however, really clicks with Prestyn - finding some comfort in Prestyn's honesty and empathy. So she sets Prestyn up with her brother, professional hockey goalie Nick. Nick is a serious introvert. He is doing everything he can to not be like his father - including staying away from any and all relationships. He and Prestyn click in a major way and embark on a friends-with-benefits secret relationship - that quickly rolls into one with all the feels.

I liked a lot about this book - but I really just didn't connect with Nick at all. I loved Prestyn and identified with her issues relating to sexism in her family business and life. She was so strong and talented - the scene at the end where her hard work and talent is validated is something career dreams are made of! But Nick - well - he was kind of an asshat. He definitely works to change and acknowledges that his behavior wasn't ok - but watching it unfold really did make it hard to like him some of the time.

Overall - I liked it but it wasn't one of my favorite hockey romances. I'd be interested in reading more of the series - and will say you definitely don't need to have read any previous books to start here.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions are all my own.

This book clicked so many of my favorite reading tropes, and got me out of a huge reading slump!

I am always up for a hockey book, but mixing in a hotel heiress who actually works the business from the ground up and dual POV and I was sold. This is a very solid 5 star read for me. I found both Prestyn and Nick very relatable through their own POV and the doubts/ past situations that had made them the way that they were.

I liked how the book started off with Pres and Delaney (who definitely needs her own book!) meeting in a highly crazy way to start off a friendship. The chemistry between Pres and Nick is hot off the charts, and the first interaction in bed together showed what off the chart hotness they would be having together throughout the story.

I am very excited to be adding this to my yearly Hockey romance reads, and looking forward to more.

Hotel Heiress, Prestyn Caine doesn’t have time for a relationship and just needs a man to scratch an itch but that isn’t around because of her money or fame. Star NHL goalie, Nick Williams might be the guy to scratch that itch since he has his own fame and money. They agree to a friends with benefits arrangement that suits them both until one of them catches feelings.

I loved Trial By Fire. The story isn’t your average friends to lovers trope, as they both are very clear what they want at the beginning and both are open and mature about communicating their needs. Prestyn is such a solid, strong protagonist, willing and able to stand up for her friends and herself as necessary. I love that the incident that tears them apart isn’t a stupid misunderstanding, but something real and hurtful, setting up a great reunion between the two.

**4.5 Stars**

Trial by Fire was an engaging and sweet story about an introverted hockey goalie with a love of poetry and a strong bond with his twin sister, and a down to earth hotel heiress trying to prove her skills in a job where she is constantly put down and overlooked. When a weird twist of events has Nick's sister setting him and Prestyn up together for a gala, it turns into a friends with benefits arrangement, but those strings that neither of them wanted seemed to have attached themselves, and both Nick and Prestyn might just be ok with that after all.

I absolutely adored this story and Prestyn and Nick. These characters were both likable and relatable and connected so well, and don't get me started on their chemistry. I loved how after a short time of their arrangement, both seemed to miss each other, and not even just for the physical relationship, but more for their connection and just for their long talks. This story started off extremely intriguing and I was engaged from beginning to end. I have not read a book by this author in quite a while, but this book definitely brought me back to remembering how much I have throroughly enjoyed her writing style. I look forward to reading more in this series in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Trial by fire
By: M. E. Carter

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Hockey romance oh my!

In another great hockey romance from authors M.E. Carter we get Prestyn and Nicks story. She’s a hotel heiress and her a Proffessional hockey player. What could possibly happen between the two of them. The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

This story had some novel themes that I really liked. It made it more than just another romance story. While the sexy times were incendiary, I would have liked more “clothes on” romantic moments – cuddling on the couch while watching tv, having dinner together. These moments were mentioned in passing but we didn’t really get to see Prestyn and Nick interacting in them. I enjoyed watching Prestyn deal with her ‘glass ceiling’ issue in her family business. I can so relate! Nick was an interesting character since he was more than a hawt, successful hockey player. I look forward to more from this author!

Trial By Fire (Florida Glaze #2) - 5 Stars

“I just wanna play hockey and enjoy a good book” Trial By Fire was my first enticement into the hockey romance genre, I had to have it and now I’m brazen for more!!
After an online date goes horribly off course Prestyn finds herself being set up on a blind date with one of the Florida Glaze Hockey team’s most eligible bachelors Nick and they agree on a no-strings attached secret sex pact, until keeping their dirty little secret becomes too hard to hide.
The banter between all the hockey players throughout the book (the yoga?!?) created great side characters and plot that brought connection and hilarity into the series. I found it to be super realistic that both Prestyn and Nick had their own unique baggage to work through and now I need to go read the rest of the series from book one!
Huge thank you to M.E. Carter and her publishing team for this amazing ARC and starting my obsession with hockey romance.

Trial by Fire, the second book in the Florida Glaze series is a really good read. Nick and Prestyn have explosive chemistry and I love how they meet. I wanted to see Prestyn stand up for herself more, but adore her super supportive friends. If you like the let's just be hookup buddies but both end up catching feelings trope, this one's for you. It's sweet and funny and can be read as a standalone, but there's enough about the other characters that your curiosity will be piqued and you'll get sucked in wanting to know what happens.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and flowed nicely. The turn of events were done beautifully and the ending was terrific!

The story was great and really liked the characters. I even liked the kind of crazy meet up via his sister! All the stuff about her job felt well researched and real.

I felt it was quite original in the story.

I think the only down bit was that it felt like there was at least one earlier book if not two. So there were aspects relating to other characters that wasn't that clear or engaging

4 Stars! Cute story. This is the second book in the ‘Florida Glaze Hockey’ series and can be read as a standalone. The main female character, Prestyn, was a bit too weak and willing to let her boss get away with mistreating her for my tastes. The main male character, Nick, was kinda corny with the reciting poetry and all but I couldn’t help but like him. They made a cute non-couple couple. Lots of steamy ‘sexy times’ scenes which I enjoyed and I really loved how Nick’s sister Delaney met Prestyn and set her up with her brother. That was something I’d never read before. Entertaining read with plenty of heat.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Trial by Fire was an original hockey romance. Prestyn and Nick met during a set up by Nick's twin sister Delaney. They had an instant connection and both wished to avoid the paparazzi as Nick is a famous hockey player and Prestyn is a hotel heiress.

Nick and Prestyn had a good amount of chemistry and their scenes were so sweet. You could tell that they were falling for each other before they knew.

Nick has a lot of trauma after his dad made some horrible decisions. That trauma prevents him from wanting a relationship and working through that will be his biggest plotline.

Prestyn's plotline is what pulled me in. She works for her family business but works under her brother's best friend. Except that best friend is a terrible person, and her family does not see her worth. She is so strong, sweet and all around an amazing person and all I wanted was her family to see that too!

Spicy and steamy throughout. I loved this book. Nick, the introvert hockey goalie plus Prestyn, the disrespected hotel heiress were FIRE. I loved Nick's sister setting them up. I loved all the fun hockey moments. I kinda want to go read it again right now.
Now I need to go back and read the 1st book in the series because I didn't realize this was book 2. ;)

4.5⭐

It's been ages since I last read a hockey romance and an M.E. Carter story. So, when I got the opportunity to read an early copy of Trial by Fire, I jumped at it and I'm so glad I did.

As this was such a fun and steamy read. That not only had a great storyline but characters who were relatable, likable and engaging too.

And I loved how not only Nick and Prestyn were introduced to each other. But how Prestyn first becomes friends with Nicks twin sister Delaney.

And ok, some of the situations could only ever happen in a romance novel. But so what? That's what made it so enjoyable and entertaining to read and honestly I was 100% invested in this story and would happily recommend it to others.

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