Rushing the Goal by Toni Aleo Series: Assassins, #8
Published by Toni Aleo Books Publication Date: March 28th 2016
Also in this series: Empty Net, Falling for the Backup (Novella), Taking a Shot, Trying to Score and Empty Net
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Introduced in Toni Aleo’s Bellevue Bullies Series, it’s the Sinclair brothers’ big sister’s turn to find love in the next installment of the New York Times and USA Today best-selling series, the Assassins.
Lucy Sinclair was no stranger to pain.
She grew up with three younger brothers, met a bad boy, got pregnant by him, married him, and then suffered through a nasty divorce from him. Pain. That was pain. To top it off, she even had to go through the heartbreaking divorce of her parents. Through it all, she survived. All she cared about was making sure her daughter was happy and taken care of. Despite an ex-husband hell-bent on ruining her life, she fought to overcome. She’s gotten to the point that she’s okay with being just okay. She never cared about herself because she never had the time. It was Angie and only Angie she focused on, but that all changed when Benji Paxton offered to help her daughter on the ice.
Benji knew the moment he saw Lucy, he’d never be the same. Especially when she came with the bundle of crazy that was her daughter. His heart wasn’t ready for them. After years spent sobering up and finding who he was without the alcohol, he never forgot he was being punished for not appreciating the love he had when he was younger. Because of his past, he had gotten used to being alone, a recluse, but even he had to admit it was getting old. He was lonely. Hockey wasn’t enough anymore. He wanted a family; he wanted his true love.
And Lucy and Angie were just that.
They were just two lost souls.
Floating through life with no purpose.
But finding each other gave them direction, a chance at a future.
And had them both Rushing the Goal to be together.
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
RUSHING THE GOAL is a touching story about Lucy Sinclair and Benji Paxton. Benji is a professional hockey player and he loves playing for the Assassins, but the rest of his life is empty. Benji is a nice guy who carries a lot of guilt and he stole my heart with his kindness and vulnerability. Benji has been waiting for love for a long time and as soon as he meets Lucy, he knows he has found the woman of his dreams. He likes Lucy and let’s her know his feelings right from the start.
Lucy is a single mother working hard as an interior designer to support her daughter and herself. She is independent and insists on doing everything herself and will not let anyone help her. I admired Lucy’s willingness to sacrifice so much for her daughter. However, Lucy has trust issues with men because her ex-husband treated her badly.
Benji never lets Lucy’s abrasive attitude intimidate him. He understands Lucy is hardened and closed off due to her bad luck and tough life and he does not take her snarky remarks seriously. Sweet, nerdy Benji is the perfect guy for Lucy. He is goofy and wears his heart on his sleeve. He does not need to be in control and is not a macho guy. He never expects more from Lucy than she is willing to give and he does not try to change her. Benji is patient and loving with Lucy and he is also wonderful with her daughter.
I love stories about hockey players and have enjoyed all of the stories Toni Aleo has written about the Assassins hockey team. This is the eighth book in the Assassins series and each one is a standalone. Although I would recommend starting from the beginning of this series because there are recurring characters from each story. There are many entertained secondary characters including Lucy’s big, loving, zany family and the guys on the Assassin’s team and their spouses. Although the guys on the team joke around and give each other a hard time, they are like family and will do anything for each other.
About Toni Aleo
My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.
I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.
I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?
