“If I’d known how long it would be until I got to hold her again, I’d have held on a bit longer.”

Maya Hughes won me over yet again with her marvelous stories. I really love her Fulton U series, but that’s all that I had read by her until now. I can’t believe I waited so long to dive into more of her books. Sports romance is my favorite subtrope, this I am 100% sure of. It’s all thanks to authors like Maya, who write addicting, completely swoon-worthy male sports stars.

Declan is just that. He’s charming, handsome, and a killer hockey player. We first meet him when he was a senior at Rittenhouse Prep during prom. He’s crowned prom king and is on top of the world. Then we fast forward to his senior year of college, he’s failing and is kicked off the hockey team until he can bring his grades back up. This is where Makenna comes in. We also meet her at the Rittenhouse Prep prom, the same year as Declan, but even though they dance together, they are not friends. Declan makes an enemy of Makenna that night and she holds a lot of hostility towards him for years after. Makenna ends up transferring to the same college as Declan for her senior year and they are partnered in a class together. Declan has to pass the class in order to get back on the hockey team, and Makenna needs to ace the class so that she can go to med school. Our two lovers form a bond during their study and work sessions and feelings begin to grow.

It’s beautiful to watch Makenna blossom. She goes from being this incredibly uptight, studious girl to a spontaneous, lovable woman. Declan helps her loosen up and, in turn, she helps him buckle down and work harder. He falls for her hard and fast. I think he always knew, if he really got to know her, that he would fall in love with her. That’s why he kept her at arms length for so long. It takes Makenna a little longer to come around because she is so focused on her future. We find out about the death of her brother and her father’s illness, and it all plays into the reasons that she is the way she is. She’s an incredibly complex character. She has flaws, yes, but her strength and her perseverance are what set her aside from the rest. Declan sees that in her and admires her for who she is. 

Of course, when it all comes crashing down, it’s Makenna’s life that is destroyed. Her future, more accurately. It was devastating to read about her loss. I cried real, massive tears for her and her family. But the thing about this girl? She’s resilient. She admits when she is wrong and she finds the strength to move forward. She is the one who approaches Declan after everything happens, she apologizes, she is the one who makes things right. That’s why she’s my favorite character in this novel. She doesn’t give up, she shines. Gah, I love her! This was a wonderful story. It was real and truthful and honest. 5 stars!

“You’re mine now, Books. I was playing the long game. Now you’ll never be rid of me.”