Synopsis Jude Sinclair here, hockey player for the Bellevue Bullies and lover of all ladies. Hockey’s in my blood, and not to sound full of myself, but I’m good at it…really good. The draft is within my reach—it’s mine to take—but that’s not the only reason people know my name. They know me because of my way with women. They know the score, and I aim to please. I just tend to stay away from repeat performances. In other words, I don’t do relationships beyond my family and friends. I’m happy with life. However, I should warn you that my story and how I see it playing out is about to change due to a certain redhead on campus. She’s beautiful. Stunning. Breathtaking. She’s my game changer. He’s trouble from the moment I see him. I don’t know what I’m thinking, but from the moment I meet his gaze, I’m his. It’s a scary feeling. I’ve never trusted anyone outside my aunt and uncle—and even that took months. I didn’t have it easy growing up. My mom was usually strung out, and she didn’t give me a second thought. Drugs and the men who paid her were more important to her. It was horrible, but I’m stronger today. Because of my past, security is what I need most. Money assures me that I can take care of myself today, tomorrow, and next month. I don’t want to ever be hungry or go without again, so I work hard for every penny. Oh, by the way, I’m Claire Anderson. I’m a hard-studying sophomore at the University of Bellevue, dancer for the school dance team, and a burlesque dancer at a club, but that’s my secret. You may think you know how our story ends, but you have no clue. It’s not easy falling in love… or living happily ever after. At first it may seem so, but when is anything worth having ever won without a fight? Especially when you’re boarded by love. |
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Review
Jude Sinclair.
JUDE.
Jude…
J. U. D. E.
He has stolen my heart, and I don’t even want it back.
I try really hard to make sure my reviews are somewhat cohesive and kinda sorta make a bit of sense. Not happening with this one. I’m just going to fangirl for a second and let loose. Wanna know what I loved about this book? EVERYTHING. But let’s assume you might want to know more than that. Let me tell you the pieces that I specifically loved about Boarded by Love.
First and foremost, the connection between Claire and Jude. It’s the epitome of an intense, serious first love. It’s the butterflies. It’s the sweet moments that make you swoon. It’s the first time you KNOW you can’t live without that person. It’s the nervousness knowing your first fight is coming, and terrified of what might come of that. It’s how completely head over heels in love you can fall without even trying. They have that sort of relationship. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s what I want in a book. Does it get a bit cheesy? Absolutely, and I ate it up. Every single second of it. I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Let’s talk about Jude because he makes my tummy flutter. So I have a list of my top 5 book boyfriends. That list has been pretty set for coming up on 2 years now. I can’t seem to let go of those original guys I met when I started reading this genre. One book switched things up a bit a few months ago, so I assumed that was it for a while. I didn’t see Jude coming because he just demolished the damn list. I’m so in love with this character. He’s everything you hope for. He’s the hot college playboy. He’s great at everything he does, whether that’s as the star of the hockey team or bedding 75% of the female population at the University of Bellevue. He’s cocky and has reason to be. On top of that, he adores his family. He’s so loyal and protective. He calls his mom because he’s worried about her! I mean, come on! But then you add in that powerful emotion of love and bam, totally different guy. And meeting THAT Jude? Swoon. Heart = Melted into a puddle on the floor. I can’t even. He’s perfection. He’s not afraid to change and welcomes it. He’ll proudly show how in love with Claire he is, and that just makes my little feelings tingle. I. Love. Him. That’s all there is to it.
I also love Claire. I love how determined she is, whether that’s in her relationship with Jude or with her career choices. The girl knows what she wants and that’s what she gets. There is no middle ground, and I think that’s pretty badass. Granted, part of her reasoning for her career is sad and stems from her horrible past, but she still stays headstrong, and I love that. She’s a fighter and has overcome so much. To see her finally let go and enjoy just being in love was so heartwarming. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her throughout so much of this book. She’s definitely one of my favorite book heroines.
And and and…it’s Toni Aleo. Toni Aleo writing HOCKEY! Is there honestly anything better? I’m gonna say no. I had heard that this was her best book yet. Not to say those people are liars, but I had a hard time accepting that Claire and Jude could be better than Shea and Elli, or Phillip and Reese. Those books blew me away. The reviewers that stated that? Dead. On. It IS her best yet. And what’s even better is that not only is the story her best yet, but you still get all of those Assassins we love as well. Phillip looks great in the fatherly role. To see him in this book, as well as the other characters, was so much like coming home. I loved how protective he was of Claire’s heart. He’s a hard ass towards Jude, but knowing how much Claire means to him and how much he cares…sigh. And he wasn’t the only one protecting her. This quote was one of my favorites:
“I just got threatened by Shea Adler.
That is so fucking cool.”
Love it. I was hoping there would still be plenty of cameo’s from the old gang in this story since it’s a spin-off, and I wasn’t disappointed. Lots of the girls, their hunky players, and their personalities.
Another unique and memorable part of this book is the music. She weaves different songs into certain scenes and it enhanced the entire experience for me. It’s almost like a soundtrack to the book. You won’t be able to help but going and looking up the songs you don’t know, or listening to the ones you do, as soon as it’s mentioned. Not a Bad Thing by JT is now owned by Toni Aleo as far as I’m concerned. You may have remembered a post from me late at night a few days ago that mentioned giggling like a little girl in the middle of the night? It was that scene with that song. You’ll know it when you read and it’s as sweet as it gets.
Overall, in my opinion, this is what romance novels are made of. Those picture perfect, romantic moments? Check. Anxiety and heartbreak? Check and check. The warm and fuzzies throughout the entire book? So many checks. It’s tied for my favorite book of the year. I can’t get enough of Toni Aleo hockey players, and she has outdone herself with Boarded by Love.
Erin <3
JUDE.
Jude…
J. U. D. E.
He has stolen my heart, and I don’t even want it back.
I try really hard to make sure my reviews are somewhat cohesive and kinda sorta make a bit of sense. Not happening with this one. I’m just going to fangirl for a second and let loose. Wanna know what I loved about this book? EVERYTHING. But let’s assume you might want to know more than that. Let me tell you the pieces that I specifically loved about Boarded by Love.
First and foremost, the connection between Claire and Jude. It’s the epitome of an intense, serious first love. It’s the butterflies. It’s the sweet moments that make you swoon. It’s the first time you KNOW you can’t live without that person. It’s the nervousness knowing your first fight is coming, and terrified of what might come of that. It’s how completely head over heels in love you can fall without even trying. They have that sort of relationship. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s what I want in a book. Does it get a bit cheesy? Absolutely, and I ate it up. Every single second of it. I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Let’s talk about Jude because he makes my tummy flutter. So I have a list of my top 5 book boyfriends. That list has been pretty set for coming up on 2 years now. I can’t seem to let go of those original guys I met when I started reading this genre. One book switched things up a bit a few months ago, so I assumed that was it for a while. I didn’t see Jude coming because he just demolished the damn list. I’m so in love with this character. He’s everything you hope for. He’s the hot college playboy. He’s great at everything he does, whether that’s as the star of the hockey team or bedding 75% of the female population at the University of Bellevue. He’s cocky and has reason to be. On top of that, he adores his family. He’s so loyal and protective. He calls his mom because he’s worried about her! I mean, come on! But then you add in that powerful emotion of love and bam, totally different guy. And meeting THAT Jude? Swoon. Heart = Melted into a puddle on the floor. I can’t even. He’s perfection. He’s not afraid to change and welcomes it. He’ll proudly show how in love with Claire he is, and that just makes my little feelings tingle. I. Love. Him. That’s all there is to it.
I also love Claire. I love how determined she is, whether that’s in her relationship with Jude or with her career choices. The girl knows what she wants and that’s what she gets. There is no middle ground, and I think that’s pretty badass. Granted, part of her reasoning for her career is sad and stems from her horrible past, but she still stays headstrong, and I love that. She’s a fighter and has overcome so much. To see her finally let go and enjoy just being in love was so heartwarming. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her throughout so much of this book. She’s definitely one of my favorite book heroines.
And and and…it’s Toni Aleo. Toni Aleo writing HOCKEY! Is there honestly anything better? I’m gonna say no. I had heard that this was her best book yet. Not to say those people are liars, but I had a hard time accepting that Claire and Jude could be better than Shea and Elli, or Phillip and Reese. Those books blew me away. The reviewers that stated that? Dead. On. It IS her best yet. And what’s even better is that not only is the story her best yet, but you still get all of those Assassins we love as well. Phillip looks great in the fatherly role. To see him in this book, as well as the other characters, was so much like coming home. I loved how protective he was of Claire’s heart. He’s a hard ass towards Jude, but knowing how much Claire means to him and how much he cares…sigh. And he wasn’t the only one protecting her. This quote was one of my favorites:
“I just got threatened by Shea Adler.
That is so fucking cool.”
Love it. I was hoping there would still be plenty of cameo’s from the old gang in this story since it’s a spin-off, and I wasn’t disappointed. Lots of the girls, their hunky players, and their personalities.
Another unique and memorable part of this book is the music. She weaves different songs into certain scenes and it enhanced the entire experience for me. It’s almost like a soundtrack to the book. You won’t be able to help but going and looking up the songs you don’t know, or listening to the ones you do, as soon as it’s mentioned. Not a Bad Thing by JT is now owned by Toni Aleo as far as I’m concerned. You may have remembered a post from me late at night a few days ago that mentioned giggling like a little girl in the middle of the night? It was that scene with that song. You’ll know it when you read and it’s as sweet as it gets.
Overall, in my opinion, this is what romance novels are made of. Those picture perfect, romantic moments? Check. Anxiety and heartbreak? Check and check. The warm and fuzzies throughout the entire book? So many checks. It’s tied for my favorite book of the year. I can’t get enough of Toni Aleo hockey players, and she has outdone herself with Boarded by Love.
Erin <3
Author Info
Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here. |