If You Hate Me
By: Helena Hunting
Series: The Toronto Terror
Book # in Series: 1 out of 3
Genre: Hockey Romance
Publisher: Ink & Cupcakes Inc
Publication Date: March 7th, 2024
My Rating: ✮✮✮½
My Reading Format: kindleunlimited
Synopsis:
Hate is a gentle word. Eternal loathing is more accurate.
Pro hockey player with a filthy reputation and an even filthier mouth? That’s Tristan Stiles, also known as my brother’s best friend and my ungodly hot new roommate.
I thought it would be fine, just a quick stay after I rage quit my job while I look for a new place.
I was wrong.
It’s not fine.
We fight. We bicker. We taunt each other like it’s a brutal Olympic sport.
Tristan never wears a shirt and looks like my every sexy nightmare come to life, complete with perfect abs.
He was my secret crush growing up, but I’m not the little kid wishing for his attention anymore.
If we can’t keep our clothes on, we’ll both go down in flames. I’m addicted to how he makes my body feel. I can’t stop falling into his bed.
That line between hate and love? It’s looking pretty thin.
Now I’m wondering how either of us will walk away unscathed.
If You Hate Me is the first standalone romance in Helena Hunting’s The Toronto Terror Series. If you love hockey romance novels high on the spice and sexual tension spectrum, this is the book for you.
Rix thought she had her life made, until her relationship ends due to long distance, she quits her job due to an irritating boss and she currently is homeless due to unforeseen circumstances that merge on the line of sexual harassment. Now, she finds herself living with her hockey star brother Flip, and his hotshot best friend Tristan. What more could possibly go wrong in her life….. Other than that fact Tristan can’t stand her, and the feeling is very much mutual.
Tristan’s lived his life having to take care of people and now, he’s at a place in his life where his brother’s are grown and he’s living on his own. That is until his roommate and best friend’s little sister decides to crash his current peace. What turns into a disaster in the making, suddenly doesn’t seem so bad the more Tristan gets to know the adult version of Rix.
After a week of sexual tension, the two decide on a pact. The only two rules are that Flip never finds out and once Rix moves out the pact ends…. Or does it….
My Thoughts:
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a few months now, but it’s never been the right time to pick it up. I was on my way to detroit for a concert and decided, why the hell not start this book today. It was a long ride, after all. I was told from other reader’s that If I loved the Pucked series by Helena Hunting, I’ll love this series, and that statement rings true! Let it be known, If You Hate Me is a tad bit spicier than her most recent published books. That fact doesn’t bother me at all, but if you prefer clean romances with a bit less steam and spice, this may not be the novel for you.
Let’s get on with this review, starting with Beatrix ‘Rix’. I loved the hell out of Rix’s character. I loved her kind heart, but also her ability to serve back what Tristan is dishing out. When it comes to him, she’s a loose cannon with a short fuse, which in the end leads to some smoldering moments. I also loved getting to know more about the reason Rix is the way she is, if that makes sense. Rix and Flip both come from a blue collar household where pinching pennies is an everyday occurrence. My heart broke for Rix and her temper when it came to her sweets. Having grown up with a mother who worked as a cashier and a dad who was disabled due to a kidney transplant, I viewed her thoughts, fears, trauma and triggers as relatable. And trust me when i say, telling someone to ‘calm down’ and ‘it’s not even that big of a deal’ only adds fuel to the anxiety ridden fire we have in place. But what Tristan did after Rix explained herself in a better/calmer sense had him redeeming himself immediately! So, if i had to pick a favorite character in this novel, it would have to be Rix because of how relatable she is to me.
And then we have Tristan. Tristan’s story also broke my heart. This man’s only phobia is commitment. For the simple fact of how his mother left and abandoned him, his brothers, and his father at a young age. Honestly, I can’t blame the man for wanting no attachments in life. Aside from the trauma inflicted by his mother, but also the fact that he’s a hotshot hockey star. Being in the limelight makes it hard to find the genuine people among the many disingenuous. You can’t really blame a man for not being an open book. I loved the vulnerability that came through when reading his point of view moments. He pushed Rix, damn did he ever push her buttons. But he quickly learned, she delivered what he brought.
I gave If You Hate me a 3 ½ star rating due to the fact that the last twenty-five percent of this book was a repetitive mess. Tristan wanted Rix, but didn’t want to put his heart on the line, so on and on and on again he broke her heart by pushing her away. I’m going to be honest, there is only so much a woman can take from a man before her heart starts to close off and there will be no going back. I needed him to man up, and grow up. I don’t know, the man got on a plane to beg for her back, chickened out and jumped on a flight back home unbeknownst to him that Rix was on the same flight. Then instead of patching things up, he was a total ass to her. This moment left a sour taste in my mouth. I kind of lost a bit of respect for the man due to this moment. The only thing that redeemed himself and made me take this original 3 star read to a 3 ½ star read was the fact that he decided to go to therapy to get the help he needed for his commitment issues. UGH! I wanted to love this book so bad. But that last twenty five percent was a mood killer.
Overall, with all negativity set to the side, I did love the first seventy five percent of this novel. I’m all for the brother’s best friend trope along with the enemies to lovers vibe. I loved the back and forth banter between Tristan and Rix. I just wanted more growth from Tristan and less heartbreak from Rix. I wanted their happily ever after to be epic and for the most part, it was…. I’m intrigued to continue this series. I’ll be reading If You Want Me soon!! I can’t wait to see what Helena Hunting has in store for Hammer and Hollis’ story! I can sense the drama already.
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