Lord Stanley and the Librarian

Wow, that has a certain Regency ring to it, doesn't it? But I'm actually posting about something more contemporary today. In honor of the Stanley Cup playoffs, currently underway, I started reading Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin. Martin once again brings us into the locker room and love lives of the fictional New York Blades. Spending a little time with some of hockey's hottest fictional players is never a bad way to while away the hours between playoff games. Anyway, Icebreaker is the story of Adam Perry, a hard-hitting defenseman who has been charged with assault for a legal on-ice hit that sent an opposing player to the hospital, and Sinead O'Brien, a workaholic Type A attorney hired by the Blades to defend their new captain. I'm only about ten chapters in but I'm really enjoying it. Both Sinead and Adam have avoided close ties with others for various reasons, so while the two of them are attracted to one another their relationship remains frosty for quite awhile. The characters' conflicts, both internal and with each other, are believable. I also like the fact that Martin clearly knows the game, and makes the ongoing, real life debate about the extent and nature of violence in the sport a central theme of the book. Having been in an arena as one player throws a full-body check that sends his opponent crumpling to the ice I can appreciate the fact that this is not just a plot device. I am looking forward to finishing Icebreaker and seeing how all the storylines are resolved. Update later in the week!