Face Off by Teagan Hunter

Face Off, is Teagan Hunter’s second book in her Seattle Serpents series. Featuring the ‘Lawless’ hockey player known for his playboy ways, and a grumpy veterinarian who doesn’t believe in love and relationships, this book has all the banter, spice, and of course, hockey, that I could’ve asked for.

**I received a free, advanced copy of this book for reviewing purposes. Thank you to the author, Teagan Hunter, and to Valentine PR for including me in this release!**

Face Off, Teagan Hunter, Seattle Serpents

The Story

Lucas ‘Lawless’ Lawson is our pro hockey player in this story. He lets the outside world see him as nothing but a playboy, but that is only a cover. Inside, he’s a kind, generous person, who always goes the extra mile to help everyone around him. But the best part is that he doesn’t do it while being filmed or photographed for a photo op. He does it just because he wants to. The first chapter or so plays more in to his public persona than his true self, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this book. But when he allows Rory to see more of his true self, I couldn’t help but become obsessed.

Rory, or Aurora, is the twin sister of Auden, the FMC from the first book in this series. She immediately disliked Lucas from the moment they met. She’s dark and moody, to the point where she earns the nickname ‘Wednesday’ from Lucas (Addams Family reference). One thing she does love, is animals. Like her sister, she’s a successful business woman, running two vet clinics in Seattle, and incredible smart. She finished high school early to get a start on her education. And she achieves all of this before turning 30. She’s a workaholic, and after one rough day in the clinic, Lucas forces her to go away to his cabin for the weekend. After that, she’s a goner. And I can’t even blame her.

It’s a random thought, but I’m surprised there was no mention of Gilmore Girls until the last chapter of the book. I kept waiting for it to happen and it never did.

My Verdict on Face Off

Overall, this book is an amazing 4.5 out of 5 stars for me. I was hooked from page one. I absolutely loved the team’s group messages. Text messages in long form like that (they go on for pages) can often be just filler or seem pointless. But they were hilarious. From the first ‘Guess What’ to the final ‘your mom’ joke, the Serpents’ singles club’s group messages never stopped being a fun addition to the story.

They dynamic between Rory and Lucas was amazing. I loved reading their story from being ‘not’ co-parents to a puppy, their explosive weekend away, and Rory’s slow realization that maybe feelings aren’t so bad after all. And the fact that this all took place in Seattle was only a plus for me. (What can I say, I love it here!) And, this is so far the best fake NHL team name I’ve come across, not just the Seattle teams. (One of my 5 star hockey reads has a team name that I absolutely can’t stand. Luckily, they don’t name the team too often in the book!)

My one critique of the book? I wish the ending had a little something more! Even a second epilogue just to have a little glimpse in to the future would have been more than enough. As is, the story sort of ended abruptly, and the epilogue only worked to set up book 3. I will note that Teagan Hunter did post on Instagram about a personal issue keeping her from a lot of release promotion, so perhaps this played in to the ending of the book too. Regardless, I still loved the book and absolutely recommend it.

This book can be read as a standalone. But Hutch and Auden’s relationship troubles are mentioned so many times that I just have to read the first book, Body Check, as soon as I possibly can. I’ll absolutely be reading the next book, which covers Hayes’ story.