Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) NHL player Tim Hollander lost his temper one time and threw a water bottle at an abusive fan. After “Bottlegate,” he’s traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he’ll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.
Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who’s never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim’s autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.
Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can’t get her to see beyond what’s on the surface, they’ll never last longer than a single season…
What worked for me (and what didn’t): As an Australian, I have only a rudimentary knowledge of ice hockey. I have a better idea after reading this book but I still don’t really know what a “line” is. For what it’s worth (and I realise, it can’t be much) the hockey information in the book sounded authentic and, for the most part, it was delivered in a way that didn’t feel too didactic. The Ice Hockey for Dummies thing was a nice touch.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit – it was really only toward the end where things lost their lustre just a little for me. I’m not sure if it was because maybe the book felt a little too long, or whether it was the conflict kind of fizzling out there for a while. Or maybe I would have liked more time for the conflict to resolve – it felt a little quick to me. I liked On the Surface very much – Tim is really sweet guy – not perfect – but he falls for Erin really quickly and I liked watching him navigate those waters.
