Title: Heartless King
Author: Maya Hughes
Series: Kings of Rittenhouse #5
Publisher: Self-published by Maya Hughes
Publication Date: April 23, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Received a copy in exchange for an honest review

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Rating: 3 stars

Two blue lines. That means not pregnant, right? Right? Oh, sh*t.

Five years ago, Colm Frost asked me to marry him and I ran. I ran from my painful past too raw and fresh to escape. He was the only one who looked at me like I wasn’t broken and made me believe it. He made me feel it.

Now, he’s the hot, angry, hockey player on the mend. 

I’m the physiotherapist who’s supposed to get him back on his feet. 

I don’t think our night together was what his doctor prescribed, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t dreamt of him every time I close my eyes. I woke up beside him with my body still singing from the way he fanned the flames of my desire, but I couldn’t stay.

His lips on my neck. His hands wrapped around my waist. His impressive…ahem, touch leaving me breathless.

One moment of wild inhibition and it’s come back to bite me in the butt. Kind of like he did that night.

But a baby? Our night was supposed to be a one time thing, closing a door on the future I couldn’t handle. 

Will this new bump in the road be everything we needed to find our forever?

Review:

The beginning of the story started off strong for me. I liked the dynamic of slight hostility between Colm and Imogen. Sometimes he was a little much, but he had been through a lot so he had the right to be upset. I liked the start of them together. Imogen didn’t take any of his crap and pushed him to get back on his feet.

However, a word of warning: do yourself a favour and don’t read the synopsis. What is supposed to be the major issue of the book doesn’t happen until 60% of the way through. For a while I thought I was confusing this book with another one because nothing had happened. Maybe it’s just me, but if something that big happens that late in the book, mentioning it in the synopsis kind of feels like a spoiler. Also the whole “five years ago” thing in the synopsis really isn’t as dramatic as it sounds.

Because of how late the big reveal happened, it felt like everything else in the story was rushed. Especially their romance. I don’t know why, but I never felt like Imogen was fully invested the further the relationship went and despite what Colm says, I’m convinced he’s still following the same patterns of every woman he’s been with before Imogen came along. Imogen was spooked as heck and needed way more time to figure things out. I was just never convinced she was on the same page, but made a choice because time was running out.

About Maya Hughes:

Maya Hughes, that’s me!, can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in the bathroom from her kids! 🙂 I’m a romance writer who loves taking inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer practice.

I love writing stories that capture the possibilities of the paths less travelled and enjoy experiencing life through my characters’ eyes.

I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe, traveling with my family, and Jeff Goldblum.

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