Book Buddies Review: Hand This To Your Hockey Clueless Girlfriend, Now

So for those of you who have missed it on Twitter, this is a new segment I am starting for the off season.  In my personal library, I have amassed many books on the topic of punk and hockey and will be doing short book reviews and an occasional movie or documentary review.  Please do not think of these as traditional, they will still be in the same vein of everything else the StayNegi Monster has done.  So do not fret.

Up first is "Taking A Shot" by Jaci Burton.

From the back cover:

If you want to score, you have to get in the game...
The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.
Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...
But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty...

Yeah that's right.  I picked this book because it has Ty Anderson as a main character.  He hasn’t commented on whether or not this is based on his life, so you’ll have to draw your own conclusions.  And as many of you probably don't know, I enjoy reading, what Peter and Brandon have dubbed, "lady porn" and hockey lady porn is a big market.  While this will be my only lady porn book review this summer, there's whole series out there if you dig this kind of thing.

While it is amusing to read a book starring a friend, I picked this hockey chick lit book because of its content.  No, not the dirty stuff but the actual hockey content.  If there is a lady in your life struggling to grasp hockey, please hand her this book.  “Taking A Shot” is not going to teach her to appreciate the game, but it will make learning more interesting.  

The main character, Jenna Reilly, runs her family’s sports bar.  Her interactions with the customers are real, but explanatory.  Within the first few pages, Jaci Burton explains the forward positions, that a powerful trio on the first line leads to goals.  Her love interest, Ty Anderson helps the the hockey knowledge is then dispersed through the story line.  Your girl will never learn the finer aspects of the game through this book, but if you want to show her the difference between a 2 minute minor and a 5 minute major or demonstrate how often a game ends with a one goal difference this book will do that. 

I’ve read plenty of these books that came across like the author asked her friends/husband/librarian for some hockey jargon and stuck it in randomly.  Not with “Taking A Shot”, if I wasn’t a fan of hockey, this book would be a nice introduction to the sport.  

Granted, the sex scenes aren’t nothing to knock, but there’s no need to go into detail about that, really, I know that’s why you guys aren’t here.  But please, if you have a lady in your life who needs a little guidance, she will enjoy this book.  

Just don’t be surprised if she leaves you for Ty Anderson.