In the Penalty Box

The Story:
Willow is a figure skater who has been sidelined from her team by an injury. Now back home where she can't just skate all day, she has to contend with living with her parents and a town she no longer knows anymore. When she accidentally stops an errant puck at the rink one day, she catches the eye of hockey captain, Brodie, a man in need of a new goalie for his team if he has any hopes of impressing the scouts this year. And a man Willow finds hard to resist.
But not everyone is as open to a girl playing the most important position.

What I loved:
Willow is tough as nails. She's fantastic. There's a lot some of the guys put her through, and she gives it right back to them. From fights on the ice to bickering with a misogynistic teammate, she doesn't back down. Brodie is sweet at all the right times, standing up for her when she needs it and believing in her.
I love any book with hockey in it so this aspect was pretty thrilling. There's no better sport to read about and the camaraderie of the team was something special. It makes the reader want to be there, be a part of the team. The book can get dark and sad, but it's still written in a light way that makes it a pleasant read.

What left me wanting more:
Sometimes it seemed as if there was too much story and it slowed the pacing down. A bit of the emotion is missing because we don't get reactions to things. Big things happen at the end of chapters, or big revelations are made, and then the next chapter time jumps and we're just told how they reacted.

Final Verdict: An adorable and fun story with a lot of depth that will keep you reading late into the night. Strong characters and great hockey scenes make this book a winner.

IN THE PENALTY BOX is a cute YA contemporary hockey romance. Willow is a figure skater heading for the Olympics, though her dreams have been derailed by a severe injury. While she is recovering, training and doing physical therapy, she has come home to live with her parents and her grandfather. She has lost her sponsors that allowed her to stay in Colorado with her team, but she knows she can recover and rejoin them in a few months.

Brodie is a star hockey player, who spends a lot of his time taking care of his younger brother after his mother died and his dad's alcoholism has gotten out of control. He loves being out on the ice. When he and his team see Willow stop a runaway puck with flair, they know she's their answer to their injured goalie. When she joins the team and proves her natural talent for goal-keeping, Brodie can't help but notice all the other ways he wants her in his life - but he knows there's a time limit on her stay in town.

What I loved: This was a slow-building romance, and I loved the way Willow and Brodie came together. There are also some interesting themes about being a part of a team and sexism faced in traditionally male sports that added to the book. With the outside drama of what is going on in each of their families, this was an interesting read. The romance is definitely the strongest part of the book, and I loved watching this couple slowly come together and get to know each other on a deeper level. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of some text conversations sprinkled throughout that added some fun and extra connections. I also appreciated the dilemmas towards the end that they face as characters and as a couple and how they were resolved.

What left me wanting more: As a really small point, the beginning of the book is pretty slow as they figure out hockey and then their relationship, and there's a side romance for Willow with another character that felt awkward and out of place. These were minor points for me, as I really liked how it all came together in the end.

Final verdict: A cute hockey romance, IN THE PENALTY BOX is a great read with a solid relationship, great friends, and overcoming obstacles. Highly recommend for people who enjoy YA contemporary romance, particularly sports-themed romances.