Customer Reviews

Body Check

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You may have heard this one described as a "hockey book" but it's really not. For me, hockey was background for the story and since I'm not a fan and know little about the game, I don't share some of the complaints other readers had about the minutia of the sport.

All handsome, driven team captain Ty Gallagher wants is to win another Stanley Cup. He has no intention of cooperating in the image makeover the owners want to impose in the form of pretty, sexy new publicist Janna MacNeil. His repeated refusals (Lord, was he stubborn!) to participate in the various charity and other feel-good events Janna organizes result in some fiery exchanges. And eventually the sexual sparks between them turn into a "casual" sexual relationship. But when crunchtime comes with the approach of the playoffs will Ty choose hockey over his relationship with Janna? Was it really just "casual sex" or was it something more?

I enjoyed this story, but I thought there were some things that could have been better. There needed to be a bit more sexual chemistry between Janna and Ty. As others have pointed out, much of their together time is told in remembrance and would have been better seen first person (i.e., more sex, please!). And the evolution of Ty's feelings for Janna was not well drawn, making his decisions and actions at the end seem slightly out of character and abrupt.

And I know I shouldn't compare, but this book is much more on the cute, warm, charming side than Rachel Gibson's two hockey stories Simply Irresistible and See Jane Score which I found a bit edgier and thus more realistic. But her boss Lou was too cute and kid brother Wills adorable. And I look forward to Janna's roommate Theresa's story Fair Play. The excerpt was fun and it looks like fellow hockey jock Michael will need all of his good humor and perseverance in the face of rejection to crack that nut!

An enjoyable read and a good first novel!

Body Check is wonderful. The fact that it is the first book by Deirdre Martin means that this woman is someone to watch. I can't wait for the follow-up Fair Play. This book should be deconstructed by every wannabe writer as a lesson in how to do everything right the first time out.

Ms. Martin's writing is everything good chocolate should be: rich, smooth, satisfying, and full of nuance. Her characters are everything a human should strive to be: multi-layered, believable, and flawed. Her story line is everything a romance should be: predictable enough to keep the reader happy, dynamic and clever enough to keep the reader guessing, and hot, hot, hot. Her love scenes had me twitching with keystroke envy. This book actually nudged me - an avowed sports-phobe - to watch ten minutes of a hockey game last night. THAT'S an effect.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Buy it. Read it. Keep it. Read it again.

Hurricane Isabel passed through here last night. Since I couldn't sleep, I read this whole book in one sitting. Well, I did get a meal or 2 and go potty occasionally. But why waste a perfectly good storm being nervous when you can get caught up in somebody's else problems?

I enjoyed the story. I don't know much about hockey but knowledge of the game isn't a requirement to get a kick out of this book. I liked both Janna and Ty. Even though I wanted to kick his rear end fairly often. Which I'm sure Janna did too. I liked the fact that she was willing to go in the face of her inner fears and do what needed to be done to get the job done. Good going, Janna!

I do have a quibble or 2. I would like to have seen the secondary characters more fleshed out. They are too peripheral to the amount of time that passes in the story. A whole hockey season. However, I do like that the romance took up the whole season and not a quickie weekend.

Quibble #2 is that too many threads are left dangling. I know that friend Theresa and, I guess, hockey player Michael will have their story down the road. However, being an epilogue junkie, I would love to have seen one here that took care of some of those loose threads.

Emma's parents? Her little brother? Her sisters? These last 2 never seemed quite real, by the way. Ms. Donovan states that Emma love her sister Petra <?> So why did they never get together and do lunch once in awhile?

Quibble #3 is a biggie for me. What the heck is Ty going to do now? this would have been very nice in an epilogue. It's hard to believe that a guy who was so totally fixated on the Stanley Cup and winning-at-all-costs for so many years, could just walk away without a pang or backward glance. He didn't seem to agonize over this at all.

You don't have to love hockey to enjoy "Body Check," though with all the hockey related double entendres, it helps.

Janna MacNeil is an up and coming publicist. Hired to spruce up the image of the NY Blades (a hockey team full of bad boys), she manages to make an enemy out of team captain Ty Gallagher. Ty is press shy, would rather just concentrate on hockey and win another Stanley Cup. So he fights her all the way, resulting in a real antagonistic relationship.

There is a thin line between lust and hate, and they manage to cross it and the puck and ice start flying as he is nervous about tempting the superstitious fates and juggling his love for hockey and the new woman in his life. Which one he chooses is the big question.

"Body Check" is full of funny lines that will have you laughing out loud, and has some really great secondary characters (Theresa and Michael get their own story in the follow up, "Fair Play"). But it still pales in comparison to Rachel Gibson's "See Jane Score."

After spending a year working Public Relations for a NY hockey team, I was a little worried about reading this book. Boy did I have nothing to fear. It delivered an incredibly accurate portrayal of how stars feel about management and PR and the people sent to "handle" them. I was blown away by the excellent research Deirdre Martin must have done. Oh, and the book was also fun, funny, fast, and hot. I've recommended it to everyone. Definitely a keeper.

Deidre Martin's first novel is a gem. As a sports fan, it was fun to have the interweaving of the world of hockey in a romantic comedy. Here's the breakdown:

PR miracle worker, Janna MacNeil, faces her biggest challenge. Clean up the image of the Stanley Cup winning New York Blades to the satisfaction of their new (family oriented) owner. (Think Disney owning the Ducks here). To accomplish this feat, she needs to get them seen doing charity work and staying out of trouble. In order to accomplish this, she needs the backing of the Blade's captain, Ty Gallagher.

Ty is a man on a mission...to win another Stanley Cup. He thinks that the owners only deserve his time on the ice. He is the leader and it is his task to make sure the player's heads are all focused on the same prize. When Janna approaches Ty, he flat-out refuses. In his mind, PR is a distraction and not something he wants to be told what to do. If he feels like helping, he'll do it on his own without media around. Needless to say, sparks fly between Ty and Janna as they try to work together for the common good of the team.

The story makes you feel like you are part of the team for the entire season. You meet the different players, the team's staff and the families. The main subplot involves Janna's roommate, Theresa and is the topic for Ms. Martin's second book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see if the next one holds up to the same standard.

Courtesy of A Romance Review

Stanley Cup champion, New York Blades, is a PR nightmare. Janna MacNeil is the newly hired publicist by the new team owner, Kidco Corporation, to repair and re-image the whole team. First of all, she needs the players to make public appearances and participate in charity functions. Moreover, she needs full co-operation from the team¡¦s captain, Ty Gallagher.

Ty Gallagher¡¦s aim is to win the Stanley Cup again and doesn¡¦t care much about PR. No matter how Janna reasons or begs him, he doesn¡¦t participate to please the new boss. On the other hand, he is a gorgeous guy and finds Janna cute and smart. He loves to rub shoulders with Janna and that¡¦s what makes the story become alive and interesting.

New author, Deirdre Martin, sets her first scene of Body Check in the locker room of the New York Blades and success in attracting readers¡¦ attention. The first chapter introduces the players of the team as well as the hero and heroine. Readers will love Janna¡¦s independence and capability in solving any problems in the teams and Ty¡¦s confidence and strong leadership.

What is ice hockey? Well, I didn't know until Body Check. It gives me a brief idea about what it is like and I had so much fun in reading about these gorgeous and capable players. Apart from this, the dialogue between Janna and Ty kept me laughing and scowling all through the pages. If you love a romance with a sport theme, Body Check is the one you are looking for! And don¡¦t miss the sequel of this fun tale Fair Play in January 2004.

I originally bought "Body Check" by Deirdre Martin to take to the beach with me and read, however, I don't leave for another week, and already, I've read it twice.

This book is AWESOME. I am a huge hockey fan (Go Pittsburgh Penguins!), and having met some hockey players before, I can honestly say that Ms. Martin really portrayed the hockey players well. I love the character of Janna...a strong and independent woman, just as I see myself as. This book was relatively short, and very much worth the time it took to read it. I am left hungering for the sequel, "Fair Play"...it is unbelieveable that this is Ms. Martin's first book. I will be anxiously awaiting future novels from her!

I couldn't put this book down. Deirdre Martin is one of the funniest, freshest voices to hit romance in a long time. Janna and Ty's relationship develops in a totally believable manner. But what I really liked was that the characters humanity was in the story from the very beginning, making them both likable--and making me care about the growth of their relationship. I can't wait for Martin's next book!

I read Rachel Gibson's See Jane Score a few days ago and enjoyed it...so when this came up under my recommendations I decided to try it out!...It was 10 times better than See Jane Score, which is saying alot because I absolutely love Rachel Gibson. Deirdre Martin is an awesome new writer and I hope her next novel "Fair Play" debutes soon. Trust me you will NOT regret this purchase! Highly recommended.