The Trailblazer | Gina Azzi

I feel like Gina may have written Declan just for me.  He is a small town Irish boy that went away to play hockey in Minnesota.  He was a Gopher.  My favorite college hockey team ever! Also, two of my absolute favorite tropes ever…..second chance and marriage of convenience.  Declan and Vivi were childhood friends that became high school sweethearts.  When college came around Vivi ended the relationship.  They were both heart broken and lived their separate lives.  When Vivi’s grandfather dies and there is a stipulation she must marry, Declan crashes her wedding.  Friends, it was beautiful.  Also, Azzi did an amazing job describing this beautiful estate in Tennessee.  I wanted to pack my bags and crash the party! I think sometimes we focus so much on how amazing hero’s are in the story, but friends.  I am in LOVE with Vivi.  She is so beautiful on the inside.  She cares so much about people and doing good in the world. Vivi gives her time, energy and money to make the world better.  Then there is Declan. I love that he stands next to her and supports her at every turn and gives credit where the credit is due.  They truly make a beautiful pair.  It was clear to me that these two were always destined to be together; it was just getting them there.  Their story isn’t perfect.  It is messy and there is a lot of heartbreak but it is clear that together they are better people.  

In the past the focus of the books was really on the team and the boys, but I loved the sneak into the girls’ lives and how they really rally around each other and not only make each other better but bring out the best in their men.  You will love catching up with all the ladies from the series in this book! If you are new to the Hawks series, run, don’t walk to catch up on this hockey crew, you will not be disappointed! 

While I adored this book and loved every minute of it, check your trigger warnings because this is an emotional read.