Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is a wonderful reminder to tell the people in our lives that we love them and to let them know how grateful we are that they are part of our lives. It takes energy, compromise, time, patience, and acceptance to nurture a relationship. It sometimes takes difficult conversations – ones we’d rather avoid - to make a relationship stronger. So, once a year, pat yourself on the back and celebrate that you did all that and more to keep your relationship strong. And why not make a point of thanking all the loved people in your life – from children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents and other assorted extended family to the server who pours you coffee, the IT guy who rescues your computer, the contractors that show up on time and take pride in their work, the readers who pick up your book and encourage you to write and the myriad of people who make your world a better place. It may be a different type of love, but they’ll appreciate hearing how much you care and appreciate them! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Looking for a fun hockey romance to curl up with? Love and the Hidden Hockey Clues, is the first in the Laugh-out-Loud Hockey Caper Romance series. It’s about a doctor who finds a tin box hidden between the studs during the renovation of her home. She thought the items were random hockey mementos, but she realizes they’re clues and reluctantly enlists the help of the captain of the local pro hockey team to help her sort out where they lead. It’s a fun romance with an element of white-collar crime – like a cozy mystery without murder!
Here’s the blurb for Love and the Hidden Hockey Clues ~
When she was younger, Dr. Abigail Clark dreamed of playing professional hockey, but the world wasn’t ready for a female player. That stung. She skated as far away from hockey as possible – until she lands a job in the emergency department of a hockey-crazy town and buys the house of the late beloved Zamboni driver. A tin box is discovered during the renovation of her new home, and Abigail brushes it off as a time capsule left by the previous owner – that is until someone tries to steal it. Turns out, the odd collection is more than just sentimental hockey memorabilia.
Abigail inadvertently embroils Del Braebury, captain of the local pro hockey team, into helping her sort it out. Her history with hockey players is rocky at best, but he comes in handy when she needs to access parts of the rink that are off limits. Del is happy to be tangled up in the clues of the hidden hockey loot. In the process of solving the mystery, he hopes to win Abigail’s heart!
Enjoy an excerpt ~
Abigail put her purse on the floor at her feet. “I found a date for next Saturday.”
“Yeah, I got that, but rewind a moment.” Sierra put up a hand. The black curls framing her face bobbed with the movement. “You’re going with some random guy from the gym and to seal the deal, you kissed him?”
Abigail rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t to seal the deal. It was to get a five-thousand-dollar donation to the hospital.”
Her three friends did simultaneous double takes. If she didn’t feel so sheepish about the whole thing, it would’ve been funny.
“He paid five thousand dollars to kiss you?” Bailey’s eyes were wide. “I mean I know you have sex appeal, but that’s impressive.”
Abigail laughed. “He had a bet going with his friends. They promised to fork over five thousand if I said yes and five thousand if we kissed before the night was over.” She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I just sped things up.”
“Abigail Sarah Clark, it seems we need to have a little talk about appropriate behaviour with the opposite sex.” Sierra gave a good stink eye.
Abigail sighed. “I know, I know. It was an impulse. His two friends were so smug. I was goaded.” She’d had to quash her own pang of embarrassment over the kiss. “He is quite easy on the eyes, though.”
Bailey leaned forward with a wide smile. “Deets.” Her heart-shaped face, porcelain skin, and fine features belied the adventure in her blood.
Abigail laughed. “Close to one-hundred-ninety centimetres tall, black wavy hair, and an angel face with a sexy five o’clock shadow.”
“What’s his name?” Piper asked softly. Her warm brown eyes held more worry than censure. Abigail could imagine she was the most appalled, though she’d never say so for fear of hurting Abigail’s feelings.
“I don’t know.”
Again with the simultaneous double takes.
Sierra blinked rapidly and held up her hands. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Didn’t he give you his name? Didn’t you ask?”
Abigail cleared her throat. “Not exactly. In my head I was calling him Muscles. I don’t think he introduced himself when he came over and then after that kiss…” She bit her lip. “You know that emoji with the big saucer eyes and flushed cheeks?”
Her friends nodded.
“That was me.”
Bailey laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. “Good kisser, check.” She made a big check mark in the air.
“Over the top,” Abigail said with a nod. “I was in the locker room before I realized I’d forgotten to ask his name, and when I came out he was hanging with his friends again. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that I didn’t know, you know?”
“So you have a date for Saturday, and you have no idea who he is except that he’s a good kisser?” Sierra asked. Her hands might as well have been on her hips.
“Pretty much,” Abigail said, a tad sheepishly. “I’m sure I’ll see him again at the gym before next Saturday. I’ll ask him then.”
“What’s the name of the gym?” Bailey asked.
“Break Point.”
Piper’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that owned by one of the Edge players? I heard the team hangs out there.”
Sierra’s jaw dropped. “You kissed a hockey player?”
“What? No.” Although they certainly were built. And they dropped ten grand like it was Monopoly money. “Oh, jeez.”
Bailey laughed delightedly and pulled out her cell phone. “The woman who has vowed never to date a hockey player, who disses hockey players at every opportunity, who shows nothing but disdain for women who date hockey players…is going out with a hockey player. Wouldn’t that be karma?” She searched for pictures of the Brighton Edge players and handed it to Abigail.
Abigail took Bailey’s phone reluctantly and scrolled through the team members. Her heart dropped when she found him. She held the phone out to show the others.
Bailey whistled, Sierra’s eyes narrowed, and Piper tried unsuccessfully to hide a sympathetic smile.
Abigail was going to the dinner and dance with Del Braebury, captain of the Brighton Edge hockey team.
Buy link ~ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YJXZS7H/
Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an urgent care clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, sexy romances – with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.
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