Resist is book 2 in the Stingrays Hockey series and follows goalie Colton as he falls for his absolute opposite Ainsley.
About Resist
Colton is an only child born to older parents. They provided him with lots of love and did everything they could so he could play hockey. His parents come to visit him often. Currently he is the goalie for the Baltimore Stingrays as well as a big brother to Slade.
Ainsley was born on the wrong side of town. Her mother left when she was young. Her and her brother grew up at her father’s bar, Micks. Her brother is a deadbeat. And sadly Ainsley pays the price. She may be the younger sibling, but she is the responsible one. She is currently running Micks due to her father’s failing health.
Colton and Ainsley meet at Micks bar one night when he sees it and it reminds him of the bar back home. He stops in for a drink and it is love at first sight. Ainsley is a spitfire. Full of sass and no effs given. When he tries to ask her out, her answer is no definitively. She does not go out. She does not date. She only works. But when the deadbeat shows up, Colton wins the respect of most of the bar patrons and Maren, the waitress with how he handles the situation.
But that is not the end of trouble for Ainsley, Colton and the deadbeat. Her brother is a mess. And I mean a mess. But when trouble comes knocking on the door, he is no where to be found. Colton is the one who walks in on the trouble and takes care of the situation, at least temporarily.
No matter how hard he tries, Colton cannot convince Ainsley to fully trust him. She holds herself back from him. Is it from the way she was raised, or previous relationships gone wrong or a combination of the two?
She is so far removed from a situation at her apartment, that even her brother does not give her grief when he arrives home. He knows she has nothing left in her gas tank to snipe back at him.
The final straw happens on Thanksgiving and it is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and forces Ainsley to trust Colton and call him. When he arrives, he is shocked at the state she is in. And the fact she gives him carte blanche to take care of her for the weekend.
When Colton arrives home with Ainsley, his mom and dad are there with open arms and pure love. His mom is a godsend and just what Ainsley needs given that she has never really been mothered and does not understand the feeling.
Impressions
I love Colton’s mom and dad. They step in just when it is needed and know when to back off. They make Ainsley feel like a part of the family, even though she is trying to remain just friends. She has never had this type of love, ever, in her life and it is so needed to help her get over everything that has happened with her brother and father.
Colton is a freaking saint. He has a savior complex, even though it is not specifically stated in the story. Yes he is in love with Ainsley, but he also wants to save her and help her in any way he can.
We never see what happens with Ainsley’s deadbeat brother, but I am hoping he gets what he deserves. For everything he has done to her over the years, he needs to see what it is like to pay the piper.
Narration
I have listened to both of these narrators before, but it has been quite awhile. I love the timbre of Colt Carter’s voice and he plays Colton to a tee. But I particularly liked him as Mario and Luigi. Suzanne T Fortin plays Ainsley to a tee. Both her toughness and her youthful vibe. Growing up on the wrong side of town forces her to have a tough exterior even though she is not that old.
Availability
Resist is currently available for purchase in all formats on Amazon.
Series Listing
- Restraint (Stingrays Hockey Book 1)
- Resist (Stingrays Hockey Book 2)
- Rematch (Stingrays Hockey Book 3)
About Mari Carr
Virginia native Mari Carr is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller of contemporary sexy romance and romantic suspense novels. With over two million copies of her books sold, Mari was the winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Passionate Plume award for her novella, Erotic Research. She has over a hundred published works, including her popular Wild Irish and Compass books, along with the Trinity Masters series she writes with Lila Dubois.
Find Mari on the web at www.maricarr.com. Sign up for Mari’s newsletter and never miss a release or special sale – https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e3b4s4
