Empty Net by Toni Aleo

Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-Assassins #3
Reviewed by Kay

I got this book right before I went to the Romantic Times book convention in Kansas City, so it took me a while to finish it. Those fifteen hour days didn't leave much time for reading or I would have finished it very quickly.

Audrey Parker is the heroine for this story. If you've read the second book in the series, and you need to read them all in order, you'll remember she is the sister of Fallon Brooks. Audrey works for the family wine business and hates it. She has deplorable taste in men also. She's a full figured gal but not to the point I considered her heavy. She has had to make tough decisions and even made some bad decisions. After hooking up with her brother-in-law's best friend at her sister's wedding, she runs out not bothering to wake him the next morning. In her defense, she didn't fully connect who he was until after they had slept together.

Tate Odder is the new goalie for the Nashville Assassins. He has learned to speak English and fully embraces his new country. He lost his family to an auto accident and struggles to deal with anxiety that is caused by their deaths. He takes one look at the woman at his best friend's wedding and thinks she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He feels that they really connected(no pun intended) when they spent the night together and he's very hurt that she snuck out while he was sleeping.

These two characters were both kind of broken due to the terrible losses that they suffered. Audrey fought her attraction to Tate for a long time. She was still sort of hung up on her horrific ex. Tate was very sweet and patient with her. He was all-in and let her know it. Let me tell you how sexy I think that is! The only problems I had with Tate were that he kept the reason for his sadness to himself even while wanting Audrey to open up. Also, he betrayed her trust regarding a secret that wasn't his to tell. I don't want to give anything else away so I'll stop there. You just have to read this book, this series.

I had the pleasure of meeting Toni Aleo at the conference I just attended. She was very nice and kind. I enjoyed our brief conversation and am looking forward to any and all of her books. They are filled with wonderful characters you get to revisit and emotional scenes that will leave you in tears. If you haven't read Toni Aleo yet, you really should.