REVIEW: Stay by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen

Stay by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen: Running the hit virtual assistant service Fetch is definitely keeping Hailey busy, but not so busy that she hasn’t been able to form a cute and flirty friendship with her favourite client Sniper87, who she also so happens to think is non other than hottie hockey superstar Matt Eriksson. As far as heart break goes Matt is no stranger, still dealing with the after effects of his divorce and managing his busy hockey schedule, Matt has come to rely heavily on Fetch and his sassy sweet virtual assistant, so much so that he wants to put a face to the name and what better way to figure out who his wonder assistant is than gifting them front row seats to one of his games? Being a huge hockey fan there was no way possible for Hailey to say no to such amazing seats… once Matt lays eyes on the beauty behind the screen all bets are off, soon Matt finds himself playing but this time to win himself Hailey’s affection beyond a screen…

I loved reading this book just as much, if not more than I loved the first book in this series. There is just something about the way that Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen craft their stories that it is impossible not to get completly absorbed into the book. STAY was just the kind of steamy, cute romcom that is hard to pull yourself away from. While Good Boy was more sweet and cute, Stay was the more steamy grown up offering in the Wags series and if these two books are anything to go by, I think it would be safe to say that this will be one of my favourite sports romance series!

I just loved these to main characters, they were mature about their feelings and came across as relatable and likeable people. As a sports fan myself I can totally relate to the way Hailey reacted when figuring out that she had been talking to her hockey hero, girl I totally feel you, this was a nice change of pace from the norm of what we find in sports romance where the heroine is not impressed by the sports star, this felt more realistic and relatable and I liked this. Her insecurities felt understandable and genuine, I liked the way she worked through these feelings and the fact Matt reassured her throughout. The thing I really liked about Hailey’s character was the fact that there was so much more to her than just the relationship with Matt, we got to see her as a determined and driven business woman that never gives up and puts in the long hard hours to achieve her goals. Now for our hero, well Matt was an interesting hero and I loved getting to understand his character better in this book. I will say going in I was a bit nervous that he was still hung up on his ex but thankfully that is not at all the case, while he is a great and involved father, he is definitely over his ex-wife. I absolutely loved getting to see him get another chance at love and finding happiness and learning from his past mistakes. This time round he knows that he has to make an effort to be more present and do a bit of chasing if he wants to get his girl and I loved seeing this side to his character.

I just loved getting to see this couple build their relationship. Yes, this was a slow burn romance but gosh was it worth the build up. Hailey and Matt take the time to talk and get to know each other and build trust in each other before even meeting face to face and this only helps solidify their connection. But gosh once they finally meet, it was just perfection, the instant spark is unquestionable and the resulting romance is beautiful. I loved the fact that Matt was the chaser in this relationship and that he made sure to make Hailey feel secure and confident in their relationship throughout their journey.

The supporting characters in this book were pretty good as well. We get to see the team again and I loved all their sideline antics. It was really cute getting to see them poking fun at each other and just generally being guys. As for the two ex’s; well I have to say I liked the relationship that Hailey had with her ex, they worked well together and maintained a good post break up relationship. As for Matt’s ex, well at first she did come across as a bit of a mean bitter cow, but once we got to uncover a bit more about her character it was easy to see that maybe she was just trying to protect herself.

All in all I really enjoyed reading Stay, this was a steamy cute sports romance that any sports fan would dream off having happen to them. Definitely a must read!
 

Book Info:

Publication: September 17, 2024 | Bloom Books | WAGs #2

“I’m ridiculously attracted to you, Hottie. I figured I should be up front about that.”

“Shut up and kiss me again, Snipes.”

Hailey Taylor Emery has a hunch that Sniper87, her favorite client at Fetch—the anonymous virtual assistant service she runs with her ex-husband—is actually gorgeous hockey superstar Matt Eriksson. It’s against the rules to check his file, but she’s pretty sure she spends every day texting her lifelong crush and catering to his every need. Still processing her recent divorce, Hailey is perfectly content for this to be nothing but harmless online flirting…until Sniper87 wants to meet her. Face to face. utter panic.

Matt Eriksson is no stranger to heartbreak. He’s still not over the destruction of his own marriage, and it sucks to be the only guy on his team who knows the that hockey and long-term relationships are a toxic mix. He barely sees his kids, and dealing with his ex makes him feel worthless. The only person in his life who seems to understand is someone who won’t show her pretty the mysterious HTE, aka “Hottie.”

Surely, though, it’s nothing a pair of fourth row hockey seats can’t fix. Superfan Hailey can’t resist the offer, and Matt can’t resist Hailey. But when the phone screens come down, can they get past their baggage long enough to build something real?