REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Hat Trick

SERIES: Harrisburg Railers

AUTHORS: R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books

LENGTH: 101 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2019

BLURB: 

Stan Lyamin has seen many of his dreams come true. He’s found his soulmate, loves Noah like his own, hoisted the Cup, and has his Mama living with him in his new country. But his fantasies of a loud, loving, madcap home overflowing with childish laughter linger. When a distant family member passes, Stan and Erik immediately agree to take in the two orphaned children, but that means a trip back to Russia for Stan, an idea that both exhilarates and terrifies him.

Erik’s world tilts on its axis when a phone call wakes him and Stan in the middle of the night. Abruptly, Stan is returning to Russia, making deals, working with people who know people, and fully intending to bring two orphaned children home. The red tape is overwhelming, and Erik is alone in Harrisburg with the nearly impossible task of finding a nanny who can speak fluent Russian. Being on his own is one thing, but add in fears about Stan’s safety and team issues, and Erik is finding everything hard to balance; not least of which is spending quality time with Noah.

When their family expands from three to five, the journey won’t be easy, but love can always find a way.

REVIEW:

My favorite Russian goalie is back! I loved Stan from day one, so another story about him and Erik and their expanding family is a total win for me. These authors have created a team of guys you can’t help but love, so it is fabulous to see them all again here and there, as many have forged strong friendships and bonds over the years. It really warms my heart to see the love Stan and Erik have found with each other, their families and now their own growing one. Two more children are brought into the fold when a relative in Russia leaves them to Stan. It was pretty scary, and I was holding my breath a bit, when he traveled back to Russia to retrieve them. I just kept reminding myself, just as Erik did, that Stan “knew people” and everything would be ok.

Beyond that, the men have the difficulties of adjusting to their new numbers, the language barrier (mostly for Erik not knowing Russian), making sure Noah wasn’t having issues with not being an only child, and of course, their jobs which require them to be away at the same time for practice as well as travel games. It is a lot to juggle, to be sure, but they have help and the support of their friends and teammates. Stan’s English is definitely improving, though I have to say that disappoints me a tiny bit. I love all the Stanisms and hope he hangs on to a little bit of that. And don’t worry, even with the added family stress, these guys find moments of smexy time.

This wouldn’t be a Railers story without a little hockey action, and there’s a big bonus in this segment, but I’ll leave it at that. Suffice to say, there was a lot in this story to make me smile and warm my heart. I have been thoroughly enjoying this series and don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing the various players. I’m already looking forward to the next installment!

RATING: