Review: Man Down by Kate Meader

Title: Man Down

Author: Kate Meader

Series: Rookie Rebels #3

Genre: Sports Romance

Format: eBook

Pages: 360

Date Read: September 7, 2020

5 stars – I loved it!

Three years ago Gunnar Bond lost his wife and twins in a car accident. He gave up hockey, went off grid and hid from the world. He spent the next three years coping by texting his dead wife about his day and how he felt. Then Sadie Yates texted back and their friendship began.

This book was so emotional and captivating that I couldn’t put it down. I suggest being prepared with tissues because you might need them. Gunnar has barely been living since the death of his family but his text conversations with Sadie makes him reassess. While unintentional, her being there and supporting him even though he was a stranger was enough for him to push him out of his grief a little. He started to live again. I really enjoyed the emotional connection these two had before they even met or knew their names. This book really does a great job at showing the stages of grief and how people cope differently with them.

Sadie just wants to be a fashion designer but she has pushed it aside thinking she doesn’t have a good portfolio. In the meantime she works a job she hates and is now the custodial figure of her teenage sister after her father is incarcerated. Both Sadie and Gunnar are struggling with all the changes in their lives and being attracted to each other doesn’t help. I really liked how hard working Sadie was, even with a job she hated.

Gunnar and Sadie’s relationship was emotional and heartbreaking, and just everything I didn’t know I wanted. They both realize they are not in the right headspace for a stable relationship but they don’t want to lose each other. I really like how it was important for them both to stabilize their life before committing to each other, which is how it should be.

Overall, this was an amazing hockey romance that made me teary a few times. Meader does an amazing job at mixing romance, emotions, and sports. I highly recommend her books if you are looking for some amazing hockey romances.

Goodreads / Amazon

Previous books in the series: