Dropping the Gloves


Book Description

Barry Melrose's life is hockey. From the time he was old enought to skate, he knew it's what he was meant to do. Growing up in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, he was one of a generation of future NHLers that included Wendel Clark, Bernie Federko, and the Kocur brothers. He fought his way through the Canadian minor league system, eventually getting drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. But Melrose chose instead to play for the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers, beginning a professional career that saw him sent up and down, between the big leagues and the minors, before ending his playing career as a player coach in the AHL. As a coach, he saw success at every level, winning a Memorial Cup, a Calder Cup, and reaching the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the LA Kings. Dropping the Gloves shares Barry's years of experience. He explains the psychology of the game, the inner workings of the locker room, and how many different elements are required to create a winnning team.Told in the same plain-spoken style that has made him ESPN's best-known hockey commentator, Dropping the Gloves is a fantastic compendium of hockey knowledge.




Dropping Gloves


Book Description

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novel in the emotional Portland Storm hockey romance series. She left to follow her dreams, but came back to find her heart. When Katie Weber decided to pursue her dreams in Hollywood, she left her heart behind in Portland. Now she’s back to make amends with Jamie Babcock, the only man she’s ever loved, but he isn’t willing to forgive and forget. Heartbroken, Jamie refuses to reopen old wounds—no matter how much he still loves her. At some point, he’s got to draw the line. But Katie realizes she’s got the biggest battle of her life on the line—one she can’t win without Jamie by her side. In the game of love, all bets are off. Katie’s Dropping her Gloves to fight for both the life she craves and the man she loves. But is Jamie too proud to end the standoff so he can finally have the one he truly wants? The Portland Storm series reading order: 1. Breakaway 2. On the Fly 3. Taking a Shot 4. Light the Lamp 5. Delay of Game 6. Double Major 7. In the Zone 8. Holiday Hat Trick 9. Comeback 10. Dropping Gloves 11. Home Ice 12. Mistletoe Misconduct 13. Losing an Edge 14. Game Breaker 15. Defensive Zone 16. Power Play 17. Neutral Zone 18. Free Agent - coming soon 19. Journeyman - coming soon 20. Sleigh Bells & Slap Shots - coming soon The Portland Storm series is a hockey romance series, but it is about a lot more than just hockey. Serious themes are explored in each book, including rape, cancer, addiction, miscarriage, molestation, grief, and many others. If you have triggers, please be aware that some or all of these books could contain material which would trigger you. Even if you don't have triggers, consider this your tissue warning. You could ugly cry while reading them. KEYWORDS: sports romance, hockey romance, athlete, tearjerker, emotional romance, cancer, forbidden romance, second chance romance, jock, sexy romance




The Encyclopedia of Superstitions


Book Description

Have you ever rubbed a frog on your freckles? Trivia fans and fun fact fanatics will adore this fascinating, flickable encyclopedia of superstitions! Richard Webster presents over five hundred of the most obscure, curious, and just-plain-freaky superstitions of the Western world. Discover batty beliefs about baldness, beans, and the Bermuda Triangle, and peculiar practices regarding hiccups, hearses, and hunchbacks. From modern myths to centuries-old lore, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions offers a wealth of wonderfully weird beliefs on just about every topic you can imagine: Holidays Birth Death Weddings Colors Gemstones Trees Flowers Fairies Weather Numbers Animals Birds Insects Household Items Zodiac Signs Gambling The Human Body Food Praise: "[T]his reference makes for compulsive browsing."—Publishers Weekly




27


Book Description

Hockey defenseman, Jordan Byrd, has made mistakes. Thinking his wife needed something more than he could give was one. Not realizing how vindictive she could be, was another. Years of unanswered messages and blocked calls, and hearing of his ex's refusals to bring their daughter to see his parents, painted Marlo in a different light than he'd ever imagined. Now though, he's back. He's been traded back to the town his ex and daughter live, and he's ready to fix his mistakes; if he can't fix whatever he broke with her, he at least wants a chance to get to know the daughter she kept from him. Gloves will be dropped. Fights will commence. But who will come out the victor? Authors Note: This is a second-chance romance novella that serves as a lead-in to the Enforcers of San Diego series. The following stories will all be full-length.




Dropping the Gloves


Book Description

Barry Melrose's life is hockey. From the time he was old enought to skate, he knew it's what he was meant to do. Growing up in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, he was one of a generation of future NHLers that included Wendel Clark, Bernie Federko, and the Kocur brothers. He fought his way through the Canadian minor league system, eventually getting drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. But Melrose chose instead to play for the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers, beginning a professional career that saw him sent up and down, between the big leagues and the minors, before ending his playing career as a player coach in the AHL. As a coach, he saw success at every level, winning a Memorial Cup, a Calder Cup, and reaching the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the LA Kings. Dropping the Gloves shares Barry's years of experience. He explains the psychology of the game, the inner workings of the locker room, and how many different elements are required to create a winnning team.Told in the same plain-spoken style that has made him ESPN's best-known hockey commentator, Dropping the Gloves is a fantastic compendium of hockey knowledge.







Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard


Book Description

“Shows us, in tender detail, a life consumed by our unholy appetites.”—Steve Almond, New York Times Book Review The tragic death of hockey star Derek Boogaard at twenty-eight was front-page news across the country in 2011 and helped shatter the silence about violence and concussions in professional sports. Now, in a gripping work of narrative nonfiction, acclaimed reporter John Branch tells the shocking story of Boogaard's life and heartbreaking death. Boy on Ice is the richly told story of a mountain of a man who made it to the absolute pinnacle of his sport. Widely regarded as the toughest man in the NHL, Boogaard was a gentle man off the ice but a merciless fighter on it. With great narrative drive, Branch recounts Boogaard's unlikely journey from lumbering kid playing pond-hockey on the prairies of Saskatchewan, so big his skates would routinely break beneath his feet; to his teenaged junior hockey days, when one brutal outburst of violence brought Boogaard to the attention of professional scouts; to his days and nights as a star enforcer with the Minnesota Wild and the storied New York Rangers, capable of delivering career-ending punches and intimidating entire teams. But, as Branch reveals, behind the scenes Boogaard's injuries and concussions were mounting and his mental state was deteriorating, culminating in his early death from an overdose of alcohol and painkillers. Based on months of investigation and hundreds of interviews with Boogaard's family, friends, teammates, and coaches, Boy on Ice is a brilliant work for fans of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side or Buzz Bissinger's Friday Night Lights. This is a book that raises deep and disturbing questions about the systemic brutality of contact sports—from peewees to professionals—and the damage that reaches far beyond the game.







A Guy Like Me


Book Description

From the NHL’s most unexpected All-Star MVP comes a sports memoir unlike any other. Hilarious, candid, and reflective, A Guy Like Me recounts the heartwarming story of John Scott: an average joe who became a sports icon overnight. Known as a willing-and-able fighter and bruiser in the league, John Scott was a surprising and tongue-and-cheek nominee for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. He’d been in the league for over eight NHL seasons, playing for teams such as the Wild, Blackhawks, Rangers, Sabres, and the Sharks. Scott’s best attribute as an NHL player was dropping his gloves—never the best player, he did become the most feared fighter in the NHL, racking up extensive penalty minutes. In order to prevent him from playing in the game, his current team—the Phoenix Coyotes—traded Scott to the Montreal Canadiens, who demoted him to the AHL team in an attempt to disqualify him from playing in the All-Star Game. Fans were outraged and Scott was devastated. He’d been downgraded in his job—forced to relocate while his wife was pregnant with twin girls. But the fans wouldn’t back down and insisted the NHL let Scott play in the game. What followed was an inspiring and unforgettable Cinderella story. Detailing his life growing up and with plenty of his signature humor, A Guy Like Me is a moving, witty, and remarkable memoir that you won’t be able to put down.




Etiquette & Espionage


Book Description

This steampunk series debut set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Parasol Protectorate is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore. Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than in proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.