I am not a hockey fan. I don't understand the sport at all. But I loved it's addition to the story. Between Alex's history (and career) and Sutton's developing interest in the game, there is just enough detail that it doesn't take the focus away from the couple, but makes a nice backdrop for the story. 
 Alex was aptly nicknamed Most Valuable Prick. I did not like him in the beginning. At all. In the first few scenes we meet Alex, I couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculous presumptions, even as I wanted to call him bad words. It wasn't until he met Sutton that we started to see a different side of Alex the Prick. As his outlook on the game and his life started to change, he began to grow on me. While he is not my favorite of Sawyer's leading men, by the end of the book I was definitely cheering for him. 
 Sutton is not a hockey fan, but she is very dedicated to her career as a counselor with at-risk families and children. When she is partnered with Alex Crossman, she knows nothing about his reputation nor about hockey, but she does know the opportunity to work on an outreach program is her dream. 
 Sutton and Alex had more in common than it initially appeared. The way they handled their pasts was completely opposite, and fit with each of their characters. Sutton was far more comfortable with her past and they way it shaped her person than Alex was, and her outlook was part of what Alex was drawn to as he got to know her. I loved that connection, even as they otherwise seemed so different. 
 I loved the way that even as Alex's attitudes changed, he remained himself throughout. He softened with Sutton (part of what had me warming up to him in the beginning) but he also faced the reasons he was so unhappy. 
 Though the hockey is a recurring event through the book, the effects of addiction actually had a stronger focus throughout the story than the sport. As the focus on their mutual project and a commonality in their childhoods, it was interesting to see how differently they had internalized the effects of their fathers' addictions and how those effects manifested as adults. 
 At times this was a slower read than I usually find from Sawyer's books. There was so much going on -- hockey, addictions, the outreach program, rehab, and their developing relationship -- that I had a harder time being invested in the overall story. 
 While I didn't connect with the characters as I normally do in Sawyer's book, I still enjoyed the overall ride. And there were some great shining moments. Alex takes part in one of my very favorite apology attempts ever. I marked the passage in my copy with the word "Epic" and left it at that. This was a good beginning for a new series, and I look forward to the continuing series. 
 I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. This review is also posted at Reviews by Tammy and Kim.