New Release from Sawyer Bennett Boone (Pittsburgh Titans, Book #11)
Sawyer has FIVE signed paperbacks of Boone up for grabs on her website! If you'd like your chance at a copy, visit: https://sawyerbennett.com/giveaways/boone/ (ends 1/23/2024)
Synopsis:
Boone Rivers uses his fame and fortune as a professional hockey player to his advantage, but not in the way most people would think. Volunteering as often as his busy schedule will allow, Boone meets one brave young boy who turns his world upside down.
As a first-line right winger for the Pittsburgh Titans, I thrive on the thrill of the game. I live for the smell of the ice, the cheer of the crowd and the way my heart pounds whenever I step into the arena. But once I’m out of my skates, my focus is on giving back to the city of Pittsburgh.
It’s funny how life puts people in your path. I meet Aiden while visiting the children’s hospital and I’m struck by the strength and resilience of this 12-year-old kid fighting for his life. As my visits continue, we bond over video games and hockey until one day Aiden’s older sister walks into his room and I realize there might be a bigger purpose here.
Lilly Hoffman has the weight of the world resting on her slight shoulders. Aiden’s illness isn’t getting better, she’s at risk of losing her job and their father is looking for the answers to his prayers at the bottom of a liquor bottle. I find myself wanting to lessen Lilly’s burden and what starts as a simple act of friendship turns into so much more. As we grow closer, I can’t help but fall for this fiercely protective and independent woman with a tender heart and bruised but not yet broken spirit.
As we face a future of never-ending uncertainty, I vow to be Lilly’s source of strength and comfort. Lilly and Aiden have reaffirmed to me the importance of giving and receiving love unconditionally, even in the darkest of times. And no matter what happens next, no one can take that from us.
Boone contains subject matter that may be sensitive to some readers. If you would like additional details, please visit https://bit.ly/TW_Boone
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About the Author:
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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5 Star Review by Trinette Dungee
Boone Rivers is a good hockey player, a good friend, a good son, a good brother; he’s an all-around good guy. He even spends a good portion of his free time volunteering at the local hospital. When Boone meets Aiden Hoffman, there’s something about this young kid that strikes a chord with him as Aiden’s future becomes more and more uncertain Boone finds himself wrapped up not on with Aiden’s life, but with his father’s and his sister Lilly’s as well. Especially Lilly. Boone sees how Lilly caries the bulk of her family’s burden on her shoulders, and he makes it his mission to lessen that burden as much as possible.
Lilly Hoffman is primary caretaker not only to her little brother, but her family which includes her alcoholic father and the family business. Lilly has no idea what it’s like to have a life of her own or to be taken care of until she meets Boone Rivers, the Titan hockey player who visits her little brother where he’s a patient in the children’s Cancer ward. Within days of meeting him, Boone has shown Lilly what it’s like to have a shoulder to lean on and more importantly that it’s okay to lean.
After ten books of living the lives of hockey players recovering from or coping with the aftermath of a fateful plane crash, who would have thought book number eleven would be the one to completely shred my heart.
I made two mistakes when reading this story.
- I NEVER read the summary blurb with a series. I don’t want to know what the next actual story will be; I just want to know who the main character(s) will be. Honestly, in a series you can kind of figure out from the end of one storyline who the next storyline will be about. That was the case with Boone. At some point in Van2 it was obvious the next storyline would be Boone’s and it would involve this kid Aiden. But I went against my better judgement and read the summary.
- I NEVER read the authors notes BEFORE reading the story. I always save this for the end. Not this time, I read it and from what was said I was immediately on edge because I knew there was going to be some real emotional stuff to deal with.
These two things had me totally on edge and my anxiety level through the roof because I knew something horrible was going to happen (as expected), but I now suffered through these characters living day to day with them knowing they had a tough road ahead of them, but me knowing it was going to devastate them beyond belief.
I give a lot of three-star reviews, and quite a few four stars. I don’t give many five-stars. This one received five stars for so many reasons One reason being the way the characters were written.
Most times when a story is written with a terminal character, especially a child, the characters a written with this sort of dark cloud attitude. Which I don’t believe is the case in actual life at least in my experience. As sick as he was, Aiden was full of life. He was a typical eleven-year-old kid. Cancer was what he was battling, not who he was.
Lily had a lot on her plate, but she didn’t come off as “oh woe is me”, or needy. While there were things she wanted/wished for she wasn’t completely down and out, she just handled her business, almost like autopilot. It was day by day for her.
Even Lilly and Aiden’s father Steven with his struggles with alcohol addiction. He wasn’t written as less than a man. He was definitely functioning alcoholic, but he wasn’t written as a disappointment. I think what I appreciated most about Steven and Boone’s relationship was Boone didn’t placate him. He said what he said and that was it. If Steven screwed up Boone didn’t sugar coat anything with him. He simply confirmed that it was a screw up and he needed to do better.
The main reason this book received five stars was the visceral reactions I had while reading. When I read, I often have what I call a movie reel in my head. As I’m reading the visual is like I’m watching a moving screen. For this book, there were times when I felt like I wasn’t just watching a movie screen, but more like I was in the actual room. I felt like I was physically present.
When Boone had his breakdown moment and he described how he felt; the feeling in his chest, the tightening of his throat, I felt that physically.
My grandfather passed away in February 1994. I, along with many family members were in the room with him until the very end. The experience was something that made me say “I will never do that again”. Well, with that being said, Sawyer was like “hold my beer”. The final scenes with Aiden, especially Lily’s description of his breathing and final breaths had me right back in that hospital room with my grandfather. I was experiencing/witnessing someone taking their last breaths again. The smells, the sounds, the tension in the air it was like being there in the room with these characters. There are very few books that have given me such a feeling.
I also appreciated the way Lily was written at the end. There was no downward spiral, no blaming the world, no self-isolation. You just knew it was her dealing day by day and moving forward.
In general, for such a sad topic, this story wasn’t written so drama-based, it was written from a very realistic view.
I did something a little different with this story. I flipped back and forth between the book and audio versions. The narrators for Boone are Stella Hunter and Jeremy York.
I’m a big Stella Hunter fan and enjoyed her as Lilly. I’ve listened to a few Jeremy York recordings and while I like him, I didn’t think he was a great fit for Boone. If I had to recommend one or the other, I would say this one is best experienced as a visual read.
All I can say one hundred percent certainty, is have a box of (or three) tissues nearby and your therapist on speed dial, because after this read you’re going to need them.
