#bookhamster

The first time I was introduced to Stephanie’s masterpieces was two years ago, when I came across her spicy hockey romance book, The Fake Out (which, tbh, is another masterpiece), and fell in love with her writing style. The Fake Out is the second book of the Vancouver Storm series, but at that time, I didn’t know that. I just wanted to read a cute, spicy romance book, and I had no idea what was in store for me. Long story short, after discovering great writing and lovely characters, I decided to read the entire series of the Vancouver Storm books, and I did not regret it for even a second.

Each book in the series is dedicated to a hockey player from the Vancouver Storm team, and literally, what's not to love here? The amount of tropes that are in those books is truly surprising, and with her outstanding writing, Stephanie Archer scratched the itch I didn’t know I had. Let me know in the comments if you want me to tell you more about this amazing spicy hockey romance series.

Today, I want to discuss the final book in the series, The Wild Card.

It is the fifth and the last book in the series, and covers the story of Tate Ward, who is the beloved coach of the Vancouver Storm hockey team, and Jordan Hathaway, who is the team’s owner’s daughter. They hate each other, couldn’t even be in the same room for long without scoffing at each other, and now… they should work together? What? Oh, no, what will happen?

What will happen between a golden retriever single dad, Tate Ward, who is an ex-professional NHL player, and black cat Jordan, who wants nothing to do with hockey in general, but is forced by her father? Will they find common ground? Will they find something more along the way?

I think we all know the answers, but trust me, you will not be disappointed with the plot twists and how the story goes. It is the slow-burning age gap hockey romance that actually made me cry a few times in the best possible way. I have bittersweet feelings, even though I loved the book and read it in a few days… It is the last book in the series, and I just want more. I need more of those characters, and I’m not ready to say goodbye!

I highly encourage you to read this book, yet keep in mind, it is the 5th book, so there are gonna be a lot of characters who were introduced during the previous stories. Start with a Behind the Net, and believe me, you will not be disappointed.

What is your take on this book? Let me know if you want me to discuss more books from this series!

For months, I was waiting for this movie to come out, seeing how it gets crushed by critics and people on the internet. The discussions were so diverse, with each new piece we got about this movie, it would be behind-the-scenes photos, trailer, or actors' casting.

Now, I did not read the book in advance, which I know is not good, but I still wanted to check out the movie. Maybe if I read it, I would understand more, or at least would understand the hate around casting. Although I believe it gives me the benefit of the doubt, I could look at the movie without expecting anything at all. I mean, I didn’t know the plot, had no idea how the movie would end, what to expect, and trust me, this gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the tragic story of Cathy and Heathcliff.

The casting is amazing. Margot and Jacob did an outstanding job, actually, all of the actors were amazing, and I very much enjoyed how they portrayed their characters. I was hypnotized by Margot Robbie's beauty, literally unable to take my eyes off her. The way she presented us, Cathy was mesmerising, I believed each word, each emotion that was shown on the screen. I felt so, so sorry for Cathy during the whole movie, and the ending nearly brought me to tears. As to the rest of the characters… As I said before, the actors did an outstanding job, their performance was amazing, and their characters pissed me off so much that I can’t put it into words. Apart from surprisingly Edgar and partly Isabella (the start and the middle of the movie - yes, but by the end, oh, did I like that girl).

The last twenty minutes of the movie literally kept me on the edge of my seat, but before that? Unclear.

The plot was interesting, but the presentation made it feel less like a romance movie based on a book and more like a parody.

Maybe that's how it was supposed to go, maybe that's the idea the director put in it. I loved everything in this movie, the portrayal of characters, the costume work, the soundtrack, and the location, but the plot is very questionable. Yet, perhaps I should read the book now and watch it again. I’m very much open to the idea that I mistook some moments, or that this movie was simply not my cup of tea. Let’s see if the book will change my mind!

In your opinion, what did you think of Wuthering Heights? Did it resonate with you or leave you wanting more?

This show gave me major Challengers’ vibes in the best way possible!

If there is anything you need to know about me, it is that I love hockey romance books. But a hockey romance between two rivalries? This is simply the best for me. Of course, I had to watch it; it was just a matter of time before I did.

Now, you may not like it, but for me it wasn’t the love from the first episode, more like from episode three… What can I say? I really did fall in love with the story of Kip and Scott. It was simply amazing. One episode, but so many emotions at once. Those cute moments in a cafe, ordering smoothies, flirting, Kip going to his game… Gosh, chills, literal chills because of how good it was. The ending of episode three crushed my heart, but episode five made me believe in happy endings. Their story touched my heart; even if they didn’t have so much screen time, I still enjoyed their moments and the way the actors performed their roles. The final moments of episode five kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was so happy for them that I simply couldn’t stop smiling.

Now, up to the main story. Ilja and Shane. To cut it short, I very much liked it. The story kept me invested during the whole show, and while it was on, my attention was fully on the screen and on the screen only. The way the rivals moved to strangers-with-benefits to slowly shifted into friends-with-benefits, to I-will-make-you-jealous to sorry-I-was-an-asshole, to boyfriends? It was top tier. Chef kiss. I was so impressed by the way their growth and their maturity were shown. By the end of the show, they no longer were those rookies lost in what was happening, no more miscommunication, cards on the table, hearts open. And I just loved it. That’s how you move through time on screens; they are still the same idiots we saw in the first episodes, yet, at the same time, they are different.

Both went through a lot, but I’m super impressed by the way Ilja’s backstory was shown in the show. I’m at a loss for words. Episode five broke me with how emotional it was, especially Ilja’s talk with Shane on the phone. Beautiful. Those ‘I love yous’, every word that was spoken in his native language, the way it was portrayed, made me feel that Shane understood everything, even if he couldn’t understand a word of what was said.

Rose and Svetlana are the best! Sorry, but I physically am unable not to mention them. I just love them so much; they are not as simple as they might look at first, and let's just say, I’m happy that those boys had them in their lives.  

The ending of the show exceeded all my expectations, but I just couldn’t stop myself from saying, ‘That’s it?’ Because I felt that I needed more, I was not ready to say goodbye to them, not when everything just started to look promising for them. However, I believe that it was a good ending for season one. I smiled so much during their talk with Shane’s parents, it was so cute, so sweet, and so real…

And that is what I would like to point out. The way the actors portrayed their characters is beyond any praise. The amount of work that was dedicated to this show is truly impressive. For me, the most impressive part was how much Russian language they used and how great Ilja’s pronunciation was. Connor Storrie did an outstanding job, as did the whole production team. The soundtracks were right on spot, and I’m simply blown away by this show.

In the end, I want to say that even if the show didn’t seem like my cup of tea at the beginning, I highly enjoyed it. I laughed, I smiled, I cried, and I felt so many emotions during the show; it simply made my evening. Will I watch it again? Probably. Will I wait for season two? Oh, absolutely! As you could understand from my rant, I loved the plot, the characters were amazing, and the ending made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. Do I recommend it? Of course, yes, especially if you like hockey and a good drama.

And what is your take on this show?