Icebreaker

Adam Perry plays hockey the way it's supposed to be played; swiftly, efficiently and with the hardest of hits. When one of his body checks lands an opponent in the hospital, Adam is charged with assault by a prosecutor with an election to win. His team hires Sinead O'Brien to defend his case. It's Sinead's job to get to the truth so she can properly defend her client, but the more she digs, the more she really starts to like the self-contained althlete

Back of the Book:
Good thing high-powered attorney Sinead O' Brien has a rule about never dating clients. Because Adam Perry, the newest star of the New York Blades-and her newest client-has her headed for the penalty box. If only she could prove he's just another jock... Adam's been charged with assault after a borderline hit on another star player, but off the ice he's a private, no-nonsense guy who knows the Blades are his last shot at Stanley Cup glory. Assembling her case, Sinead tries not to get distracted by Adam's dazzling good looks or strong work ethic, but she quickly discovers that there's a wounded man under that jersey, and she's starting to fall for him-hard. Now Adam's having trouble focusing on the goal with Sinead in his sights. And Sinead is tempted to break her 'no dating clients' rule. Can they play on their newfound feelings without penalties?

My Thoughts:
I can't remember the last time I read a book where I really liked the main characters so much. Just because Adam is quiet doesn't mean he isn't a good guy. On the ice he plays an old-school type of hockey- hard, brutal, with no mercy. But off the ice he's considerate, supporting his family and home town best friend. Hockey his job, nothing personal.

“How did you feel when you saw what your hit did to Mr. Clarey?”


Adam looked baffled. “How did I feel?”


“Let me rephrase that,” said Sinead, since feel clearly wasn’t a word he was comfortable with. “What did you think?”


“I felt sorry when I saw he was hurt. I hoped his injury wasn’t severe. That was never my intent. But I knew it was a clean hit. We’re professional hockey players. He was doing his job. I was doing my job. End of story.”

Sinead gets a lots of grief from her loud but loving Irish family. They can't understand her work, work, work lifestyle. When's she going to settle down, find a man and have some babies?

Deidre Martin's last few books have quite frankly been a snooze. I was ready to chalk her up as another one note wonder, incapable of stepping out of her comfort zone. With Icebreaker Martin has rediscovered her story telling roots. With characters who genuinely seem to like each but aren't willing to set aside their ethics for a quick roll in the hay. Martin uses the attraction the between the two to build up the tension till the final climax at the end. No pun intended. Well maybe just a little.