The Good Luck Charm

THE GOOD LUCK CHARM by Helen Hunting is a contemporary, adult, erotic, hockey romance story line focusing on twenty-seven year old, professional hockey player Ethan Kane, and twenty-six year old, practical nurse Lilah Smith. Told from dual first person perspectives (Lilah and Ethan) THE GOOD LUCK CHARM focusing on the second chance relationship between twenty-seven year old, professional hockey player Ethan Kane, and twenty-six year old, practical nurse Lilah Smith. Eight years earlier, high school sweethearts Ethan and Lilah were making plans for the future when Ethan’s chance to play professional hockey found our hero walking out of Lilah’s life without looking back. Fast forward to present day wherein Ethan’s trade to his home-state of Minnesota brings with it too many memories of the past, and reminders of what was and what could have been for our story line heroine. With his dad’s recent stroke Ethan would have to face the reality of having lost the woman he has always loved as Lilah remains a permanent fixture in his parents’ lives. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Lilah and Ethan, and the potential fallout as Ethan’s need for Lilah becomes overwhelming leaving our heroine feeling smothered and lost at the same time. Lilah’s heart was destroyed the day Ethan walked out of her life with nothing more than a phone call saying he needed to focus on his hockey career. Losing the only man she would ever love Lilah spent the next eight years trying to find what she had lost only to come to the realization that nothing and no one could ever replace her broken heart. Ethan Kane has never stopped loving Lilah Smith, and his actions eight years earlier have been a heavy burden throughout his career. Having a second chance at love finds our hero trying to regain everything he has lost but in doing so begins to push away the woman he loves-Lilah will, once again, unknowingly sabotage her future for the man that could potentially destroy her heart. The relationship between Lilah and Ethan is one of second chances; a palpable sexual attraction that has never diminished; a heart breaking and emotional reunion that begins to pick at a scar that had yet to heal. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. We are introduced to Lilah’s sister Carmen; Ethan’s parents Martin and Jeannie Kane; Dr.Noah Lovely; and college student Emery Dove-Smith. I am hoping for a future story between Noah and Carmen. THE GOOD LUCK CHARM is a story of sacrifice and acceptance; family and friendships; second chances and a happily ever after. The premise is emotional and sensitive; the romance is spirited and provocative; the characters are flirty but wounded. THE GOOD LUCK CHARM is a character driven, realistic and passionate story.

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 4 A stand-alone second chance romance between former high-school sweethearts reignites when, after chasing his dreams to play hockey in the pros, Ethan is back in town hoping to reclaim Delilah while now playing for the home-town team. And of course, Delilah (or Lilah as she now goes by) has been back at home, gone to nursing school, stayed close to Ethan’s family even without him there, and isn’t sure that his return is a good thing. Sure, their chemistry is electric, but it’s her heart that is in danger of being shattered again – being so consumed with one person for so long, only to have him chase his dreams with no looking back at you isn’t somewhere she wants to go. Things are mostly normal – oh yeah, the usual craptastic stuff happens, and it looks like Ethan means business now and is serious – but what if something – as it always seems to do – goes wrong? Together these two fairly sizzle through the earbuds, and like all Hunting novels, the conversations are a clever mix of humor, honesty, vulnerability and bravado, all mixed in a way that is engaging, emotionally available and utterly charming. A touch less risqué than other titles from Hunting, the story focuses on the sweetness of first love, what happens when you realize (often after many years) that you had it right that first time, and just how you convince the girl you hurt in a million different ways when you left that now you are ready to give her your all – forever. Sure enough, and sensibly, Lilah isn’t entirely certain about Ethan’s staying power – but she’s never actually forgotten him, or how he used to make her feel – some of the same ‘feels’ that she had when their love was new and things felt so much simpler. Narration for this story is provided by Stella Bloom and Lance Greenfield – and both managed to capture Lilah and Ethan and feel natural and appropriate. A touch of the often fatalistic, ‘here we go again -everything is turned sideways’ tone that Lilah seems to apply to many things, it’s later before her hope and desire to really have Ethan meaning what he says, in ways she can believe in it and him to take hold in her tone with an infusion of hope and fondness – and her hesitation is clearly apparent to the ear. Ethan is a bit of a ‘boy’ in his approach, it takes a bit for his emotional tone to catch up to his declarations and words, but when it does – Look Out. These are two people that you could run into almost anywhere – and instantly see their connection – wanting to cheer them on as they hit the road toward their happy ever after. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

The Good Luck Charm is such a witty, sweet, and heartfelt romance. It is the fusion of some of my very favorite tropes. Sports romance - check Second Chance - check Childhood Friends to Lovers - check I was sucked right into Lilah and Ethan's story and couldn't wait to unravel their tangled history. You can feel the connection between these two immediately. 8 years may have passed, but it's clear that neither of them has truly forgotten the other. As the secrets of the past are revealed, my heart broke for all the lost time and pain these two caused each other. Though I wouldn't necessarily classify The Good Luck Charm as a romcom, there are still plenty of laughs and lighthearted moments to balance the more emotional scenes. I'll be honest that it took me a bit to warm up to Ethan. He seemed selfish and self serving for a good part of the book, and acted like he could just waltz right back into Lilah's life with some candy and a smirk. He's not fully to blame though since Lilah did enable his behavior for the most part (after some resistance), as a result of her own fears and insecurities. As the book progresses though, both characters mature and truly come into their own. I loved that Lilah recognized that they were headed down the wrong path and took steps (however painful) to create balance. As much as their past trauma and present day issues hurt my heart, I appreciated the honest portrayal of young and all consuming love and the message that in a relationship, both parties need to be fulfilled individually in addition to together. There were some fun secondary characters introduced in the book that I hope we will see more of in the future (ahem, Carmen and Noah!) and I wouldn't mind one bit if we ever got an extended epilogue ;) I really enjoyed this second chance romance and can't wait for everyone to fall for Lilah and Ethan too! 4.5 stars *I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*