Keeping the Score (New Jersey Storm 2) b Kelly Jamieson-review
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 3, 2025
An unexpected game changer…
Ford
My brain is hard-wired to hockey. To train hard, to win, to be the best. I don’t date, I basically live and breathe hockey and I plan everything. Until I find a newborn baby outside my apartment. It’s like something out of a movie, except she’s mine and this is my life. I panic, the only person I know who can help is my neighbor Andi. But in doing so, I risk inviting her into my life. So far she’s just been a friend, but I’m out of my depth and losing control. Now with each late night together, we feel like a family and I can see the lines blurring.
Andi
I have no idea how to look after a baby. But Ford has always come through for me. So now it’s my turn to help. It’s only temporary. I know Ford is a pin-up, but I’ve never been attracted to him…until now. Seeing him holding his tiny daughter is melting my heart. I thought I had no interest in love and settling down, but I’m catching feelings. I just know this set-up won’t last forever, but I’m scared of what will happen when things go back to normal…
••••
REVIEW:KEEPING THE SCORE is the second instalment in Kelly Jamieson’s contemporary, adult THE NEW JERSEY STORM erotic, hockey romance series, a spin off from the author’s BEAR’s Hockey series. This is New Jersey Storm goaltender Ford Archibald, and thirty year old business woman Andi Marsh’ story line. KEEPING THE SCORE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Ford and Andi) KEEPING THE SCORE follows in the wake of the arrival of the baby Ford knew nothing about. Approximately one year earlier, Ford Archibald had a one-night stand, and with the knock on his door, Ford discovered he was a father, and the child’s mother had an emergency back home. With the help of his neighbor Andi Marsh, Ford would learn to navigate the life of a single father, a position he never wanted and struggled to accept. Andi Marsh is a divorcee whose husband cheated with her best friend. Never having thought about raising a child, Andi is thrust into a world she knows nothing about but a world that is quickly becoming her norm.
The world building focuses on Andi and Ford’s introduction to parenthood: nothing will ever be the same, and the fall-out is about to affect not only their personal lives but their careers as well. As the weeks turn into months, Andi and Ford begin to struggle with the possibility of losing the child they had grown to love but another visit with the child’s mother is about to bring everything into perspective .Ford is a perfectionist, almost compulsive in his need for schedules and precision, and in this, a baby is not conducive to the world in which he lives.
The relationship between Andi and Ford begins as neighbors and friends. When Andi asks Ford to be her plus-one at a business event, Andi will come face to face with her past, and the reality of what was will hit her hard. Andi never thought she would again fall in love but their time together felt more like a family than a burden or job. The $ex scenes are passionate and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and charismatic secondary and supporting characters including most of Ford’s New Jersey Storm teammates. We are introduced to both Ford and Andi’s parents, as well as Andi’s ex Trevor, and his new girlfriend Haven Gray.
KEEPING THE SCORE is a story of secrets and lies, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is alluring; the characters are determined and dynamic.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
Kelly Jamieson is a USA Today bestselling author of over fifty romance novels and novellas. She writes the kind of books she loves to read–sexy romance with heat, humor and emotion. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white) and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey. She is the author of the popular Heller Brothers Hockey series, Aces Hockey series, and the Rule of Three trilogy.
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Website: https://www.kellyjamieson.com
