Locke (Portland Wildfire Hockey 2) by Sawyer Bennett-review tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 11,2026
He’s the league’s most dangerous defenseman. She’s the specialist sent to determine whether he’s too broken to save. Neither of them is prepared for what happens when the truth hits back.
Locke Donovan has a reputation carved in blood and penalty minutes. The league’s most dangerous defenseman, he’s an angry, unapproachable loner who fights harder and refuses to let anyone in. The Portland Wildfire only took him because no one else would, and Locke seems determined to prove every rumor true. He doesn’t do teammates. He doesn’t do relationships. He barely does conversation.
Dr. Livia Cross is quiet, brilliant and controlled. Officially, she’s the Wildfire’s new high-performance consultant. Unofficially, she’s been embedded by the league to evaluate one player.
One risk.
Locke.
Her job is simple: observe him, test him, and determine whether he’s safe to stay on the ice, or too volatile to keep playing. But the man she finds beneath the scowl and silence isn’t what she expected. He’s sharp. Watching. Walled off for a reason. And when sparks ignite where there should only be professionalism, Livia’s carefully built boundaries start to crack.
Locke doesn’t trust easily yet he lets Livia closer than he ever intended, long before he learns she isn’t who he thinks she is. And when the truth comes out, it won’t just shatter their fragile connection… it might end his career.
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REVIEW:. LOCKE is the second instalment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult PORTLAND WILDFIRE erotic, hockey romance series, set in the author’s numerous interconnected hockey series. This is defenseman Locke Donovan, and performance consultant Dr. Livia Cross’ story line. LOCKE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers (off page) for more sensitive readers
Told from dual first person perspectives (Locke and Livia) LOCKE follows in the wake of the arrival of performance consultant Dr. Livia Cross. Locke Donovan has burned all of his proverbial bridges. His reputation as an angry player, and a loner has earned Locke a reputation throughout the league, a the Portland Wildfire organization is his last chance to remain in the professional leagues. Forced to work with Dr. Livia Cross finds Donovan struggling with the ghosts from his past, a ghost he meets on ice several times per year but it is Livia’s past that is about to reap havoc for our story line heroine, havoc that pulls Donovan and his teammates into the cause.
The world building follows Livia as she battles between head and heart, hoping to get Donovan to let go of the past. Having crossed a professional line, Livia struggles with what she knows, and how it will affect both the player, the team and their relationship going forward.
The relationship between Livia and Locke begins as a professional consultation. Livia works diligently to help Locke move on from the past but our hero struggles to forgive himself for a perceived betrayal, a betrayal that was meant to save many lives going forward. As Livia and Locke’s relationship quickly turns into something more, our couple must come to terms with both of their pasts, and the possibility that crossing the line may have gone too far. The $ex scenes are limited but intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are reintroduced to several members of the Portland Wildfire Hockey team including front office, ownership, and players including Juno and Crosby, Arch, team owner Patrick Rowe, as well as Crosby’s sister Birdie, and Livia’s obsessive ex Grant, and the return of Van Turner from the author’s Pittsburgh Titans, and Carolina Fury hockey series.
LOCKE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is captivating, dramatic and heart breaking; the romance is seductive ; the characters are desperate and charismatic.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
Meet Sawyer Bennett:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
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