Head Coach (Hellion's Angels #2) by Lia Riley

Title: Head Coach (Hellion’s Angels #2)

Author: Lia Riley

Publication Date: November 21, 2017

Publisher: HarperCollins

My best friend is currently living with us which can make reading and reviewing a little more difficult than usual because she’s feeding my Netflix addiction.  We’ve watching Back Off, Haters, Grey’s Anatomy, Mindhunter, and Stranger Things since she’s arrived here.  (Obviously we haven’t gotten all the way through Grey’s).

Still, when I sat down to write this review she told me she would write it for me, despite not having read Head Coach by Lia Riley.  Here are her words on the novel: “This book was saucy with a side of sexy.  Much sex was had.  It was a very fun time for everyone involved.”  Is she wrong?  No, surprisingly.  There was much sex and Neve and Tor’s relationship was very saucy with a side of sexy.

I loved the build-up of the love-hate relationship between Neve, a sports reporter, and Tor Gunnar, the stoic head coach of the Hellion’s.  She’s the biggest thorn in his side, always gunning for the best story and asking the questions Tor hopes that no one asks.  He has reason not to want to be around her, but for some reason he finds himself drawn to her strength, her tenacity, and her beauty.

Neve throws everything she has into her work.  She isn’t looking to complicate her life with a relationship right now, especially not one with the moody Tor Gunnar whose personality is less than stellar and who clearly despises her.  Certainly not him.  It doesn’t matter that he makes her gut clench and her chest ache just from being close to her.

There’s more than a spark between these two.  There’s an explosion.  A forbidden splash of heat across the pages.  Their relationship was really wonderfully done.  I thought there could have been a little more drama, but that’s a subjective opinion obviously.  I’d love it if my characters had off-the-wall explosions every other page, but that’s not realistic and it can get a little old.  There’s probably just enough drama in here to keep the average reader more than pleased.

I like Lia Riley’s habit of putting strong women with strong men, but adding just a little bit of weakness between them to draw you in.  I want to see them both struggling with past demons, working through their damage to come out stronger together and that’s how her characters work.  Her novels are easy, enjoyable reads that have you reading so quickly that you don’t even realize you’re half way to the end until it’s over.  The perfect read for a Sunday afternoon.

Head Coach comes out November 21^st, but if you’re looking for something to read before then you can always check out Mister Hockey, her first novel in the Hellion’s Angel series, featuring Neve’s sister Breezy and the hot hockey captain, Jed West.  My review of Mister Hockey can be found here.