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Steele  By  cover art

Steele

By: Sawyer Bennett
Narrated by: Brian Pallino, Jill Redfield
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Publisher's summary

A second chance may be just what James Steele needs....

I might be one of the older players on the Arizona Vengeance, but I like to think that also makes me one of the wisest. Or at least I used to.

Turns out, I’ve been a bit selfish. I’ve been married to hockey and my team for years, which hasn’t left much time for my actual wife, Ella. Now I’m juggling a separation I never wanted, the pressure of being a single dad to our teenage daughter, and the career I sacrificed it all for.

While my game on the ice might be on fire, the game in my personal life is clearly lacking, as evidenced by the fact I just saw my wife on a date with another man. If I have any hope of saving the family I love, I need to reprioritize, and fast. So it’s time for me to get back to fundamentals, just like I did when I learned how to play hockey. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and romancing my wife is a challenge I am very much looking forward to.

Time to put on my game face, because I’m in it to win it.

©2020 Sawyer Bennett (P)2020 Sawyer Bennett

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What listeners say about Steele

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fighting for Love

It's not often that I come across romances featuring a marriage in crisis. I find them really intriguing because it's a glimpse beyond the typical happily ever after. I love that these two characters are fighting to get back to each other. The obstacles and hurt feelings are all too relatable and that vulnerability really hits me in all the feels. Steele is book 9 in the Arizona Vengeance series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone. Previous characters do appear, but the author does a fantastic job introducing them to readers who haven't had a chance to read the prior books.

One of the things I love about marriage in crisis romances is that the characters are all in. Yes, there might be some minor OW/OM drama for a bit, but for the most part, the characters only have eyes for each other. This was definitely the case for Jim and Ella. I loved that they were childhood sweethearts and had weathered so much together. It was easy to understand how both became complacent and also upset with the progression of their marriage. There wasn't a ton of drama in this one and I liked that it focused on the two of them finding their way back.

Brian Pallino and Jill Redfield were wonderful as Jim and Ella! I read this book first and it was great to revisit the story through audiobook. Brian Pallino was perfect as Steele and was just the right amount of alpha and sweet. I definitely need to listen to more of his performances. I didn't have any trouble differentiating between characters and both narrators did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. The next book, featuring Jett, was set up very well and I'm looking forward to his story next.

Overall 4 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Did not care for female narrator.

Personally felt like Brian Pallino deserved 4-5 *s for his performance. I could not give female narrator more than 1 *. I think I would have enjoyed this book more and would have given story more *s had Brian Pallino read both parts.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another amazing Love story

This is one of the best in this series, story of redemption and love that lost but rekindled!

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Loved this story❤

Very different from the rest of the series but just as good. Narrators were spot on, they were perfect and worked really well together. Would highly recommend this book❤👍👍👍

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Steele and Ella

This is definitely different than any of the other books in this series but no less entertaining and endearing. It was refreshing to see what comes after the "happily ever after"; its not always as happy as we assume it is. Ella and James (Jim) have been married for years but they separate. They embark on an emotionally heartbreaking but beautiful journey trying to repair their marriage. I enjoyed every poignant moment of this story. Sawyer Bennett never ceases to amaze me.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great second chance book

This was my first book of the Arizona Vengeance series and it didn’t disappoint. Jim Steele and his wife Ella have been separated for the past few months after Ella was tired of being taken for granted. When Jim decides he is going to try to win her (and their daughter) back he gives it 110% to provide a great romance story. I really like that this was a different type of second chance romance. Most are someone coming back into your life, but this shows the trials and tribulations of marriage. I also think when introducing all of the different ancillary characters, the Sawyer Bennett did a great job at giving the reader enough about them to be able to follow the story easily, even if you haven’t read the other books. Definitely will put the other books on my tbr list.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Separated hockey player trys to win back his wife

Not the usual plot. This one is about a man who ignores his wife of 15 years to the point that she asks for a divorce. The key is they still love each other but she just can't take his behavior any longer. He goes through a lot of growth from denial to anger, to wanting her back but not having a clue how to change, to finally growing up and taking responsibility as a couple. She also has to learn to forgive and also learn haw to communicate what is more of the priority and what can be excused as genuine bad timing or missed events that aren't his fault. It is interesting but a little boring and their kid is a young teen so not even cute. A nice story but slow. Part of a series but there wasn't much forward movement in the greater narrative of the team. OK for fans of the series but not the most interesting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Best book to date from Sawyer Bennett

There was something about this book which resonated with me more than the regular romance book. I loved the premise of a married couple who had somehow lost each other along the way finding their way back to each other. The emotions and feels in this book were all too relatable and left me with baited breath hoping and hoping they would be able to find each other again. The characters were beautifully written and filled with so much passion for each other and their family unit.

As to the narration - there couldn't have been two better picks to bring these characters to life. Their voices were soothing, passionate, emotional and so realistic.

I think my favorite part about this series is how they are all built upon each other and characters from the other books make appearances.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Steele

“Because I’ve been sitting on your front porch for two hours, and my ass is hurting. I got tired of waiting for you to come home, so I stalked you here.”

Steele is a second chance hockey romance in the Arizona Vengeance series.

Jim Steele was loving his life and hockey career until his wife asked him to move out. Ella was feeling neglected and as if she was second to Steele’s hockey. After seeing Ella on a date with another guy, Steele made it his mission to win back his wife.

I have read and loved all of Sawyer Bennett’s hockey books but this one just did not do it for me. I did not like Ella and felt that she had too much of a “poor me” attitude especially since she knew what she was getting into all the way back in high school. I did love Steele and his daughters relationship. I am still looking forward to more from the Vengeance in the future.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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A second chance

Steele is the ninth book in the Arizona Vengeance series but is most definitely be read or listened to without having read the prior books. Just be aware that there may be spoilers to those books but you do not need those books to understand what is going on in Steele’s life.
I did find this book didn’t focus as much on the team and the other players as the prior books in the series so I was missing getting to catch up with what is going on with them. This book focused on Steele and his marriage. It had its ups and downs and was more of a mellow book with not much in the way of twist or turns. That small shock or major drama didn’t occur which was different and a surprise to this listener. Don’t get me wrong, things happen in the book and you will be yelling at the characters for what they are or are not doing. I also enjoyed what I am assuming will be the next player on the team to have his own story. Both narrators are new to me and it did take a few chapters to get into their narration but they did a great job in bringing the characters to life. They are narrators I will listen to again.

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