Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lexi LaFleur Brown to HJ!
Hi Lexi and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Evening The Score!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
Olivia Hinckley takes a temp job as an NHL mascot to seek revenge against the team’s new star player, Brody Parker.
Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:
He watches me take a few long graceful strides with bewilderment. “You can skate?” he says to me from the bench, his voice growing quieter the farther away I glide.
I look over my shoulder to find he’s caught up to me. “I can shoot too,” I say cockily.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
- Indigenous hockey romance written by an Indigenous author
- Features historic NHL customs such as, the infamous rookie party, All-Star weekend, and a Stanley Cup final game
- MFC is a former college hockey player
- Bookish MMC
- Set in Minnesota (yes, there is a Twiggy The Water Skiing Squirrel reference)
What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?
Olivia isn’t interested in love; she’s interested in revenge. She’s convinced she has Brody all figured out before the two even meet and is willing to do anything (including taking a temp job as an NHL mascot) to get close enough to him to tarnish his family’s hockey legacy.
Brody on the other hand, is struggling with the pressures of being part of a legendary NHL hockey family. He’s initially attracted to Olivia, but it’s the ability to use her as an excuse to dodge his controlling father’s visits and calls that has him taking her out on date after date.
Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?
Olivia’s return to the reservation to visit Ookomisan was a deeply personal chapter to write. It symbolizes more than the physical return to her Anishinaabe ancestral land, as it is just as much a spiritual journey back to herself and her culture.
Readers should read this book….
If they’re looking for a fun, flirty, and spicy hockey romance. It packs as much laughs as it does chaos. You’ll be rooting on Olivia and Brody all the way to their HEA.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?
I’m currently working on a friends to lovers’ romcom inspired by the notoriously long waitlist for Toronto Maple Leafs season tickets and my favorite romcom movie, Fever Pitch.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: One copy of EVENING THE SCORE (US/Canada only)
To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: -In what way(s) did Olivia and/or Brody change throughout the book?
-In what way(s) are Olivia and Brody similar? In what way(s) do they differ?
-In what way(s) did Olivia and/or Brody’s cultural backgrounds shape or influence their identity? How did that change throughout the book?
-Which side character would you most like to befriend?
-Did you learn anything new about hockey?
Excerpt from Evening The Score:
When I got to work today, I didn’t think I’d be dangling thirty feet in the air like a piñata above seventeen thousand screaming hockey fans. I feel like a human sacrifice to the hockey Gods. Don’t look down. Thankfully, with my head stuffed inside this comically large Lynx head, no one can tell that my eyes are squeezed shut and my face is twisted into a petrified wince.
Despite the layer of protection the mascot suit offers, I’m still doing my best to refrain from shitting my pants—an act which will surely crack SNN’s Not a Top Ten and solidify my place in internet fail meme history.
The crowd cheers as the MC introduces Chilly. This suit is so hot that beads of sweat are dripping down my back and slipping between my butt cheeks. I gulp as I begin my descent. If I can work retail through the holidays, I can do anything.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Book Info:
A grudge hates to see Olivia Hinckley coming. Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father’s NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it’s worse that her father’s rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik’s son—hockey’s golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze’s mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can’t help but mess with Brody’s gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what’s a little fake dating between enemies?
Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey’s “First Family” has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father’s impossible expectations. Preserving Erik’s image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.
When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she’d pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
Meet the Author:
Lexi LaFleur Brown is the Indigenous, USA TODAY bestselling author known for witty, emotional, hockey-packed rom-coms like Evening The Score and Shoot Your Shot. She has an MS in Public Relations and a PhD in Education. With a large social media following, she advocates for greater inclusivity in hockey, cracks jokes, and shares glimpses into her post-meet-cute hockey life. Lexi currently resides in Seattle, WA, with her family. When she’s not writing her next love story, you’ll find her beading or in the goal crease.
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