ARC Review: Blue Lines by Toni Aleo - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: Blue Lines 
Series: Assassins #4
Author: Toni Aleo 
Format: ebook, 388 pages
Publication: December 9th 2013 by Loveswept
ISBN: 0345547330 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 5/5

Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.
Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

Thoughts:

Erik Titov may be a star hockey player for the Nashville Assassins now but his childhood was far from privileged. Taken in by his aunt and uncle as a teenager he escaped the terror and abuse but the memories still haunt him and govern his actions today. Because of this Erik tends to steer clear of close relationships, even those with his family but especially with women. He seeks physical relationships only, because of his deep down fear of turning into his biological father. But when one small, passionate woman steps in his rink, Erik's anxieties and fortitude is tested to their limits. 
Piper Allen is seen by her family as flighty and indecisive, in reality though she is anything but. Piper knows what she wants, now all she has to do is be brave enough to go after it.  The results of one night of wicked passion with a man she has loved from affair for years takes the decision out of her hands. She must fess up and face the ramifications of her actions. But when he offers a solution of marriage, will Piper's heart be able to survive a relationship for show only? 

I loved absolutely everything about Blue Lines and it's to date, my favorite book in the Assassins series! The story was full of sizzling heat and tender heart, and truly a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Piper Allen is my favorite heroine of the series, she saw something in Erik that he couldn't see in himself and no matter what he threw at her, or how crappy he was to her, she stuck with her gut instincts and I had to admire that about her. She fought for Erik and her baby. Against her family. Against Erik himself. As for Erick...Erik, Erik, Erik... I honestly hated Erik for a good majority of this book. I actually messaged a friend asking her to please tell me that he wasn't an ass all the way through it! lol Toni Aleo did an excellent job creating characters with depth and that developed magnificently and believably throughout the story.  I questioned how Erik could redeem himself and I was very happy with the outcome. 

Erik's family dynamics was also an enjoyable part of Blue Lines, I loved how his adoptive parents were there for Erik, made sure he knew they supported him, but never tried to overstep their boundaries. Piper's family on the other hand made me feel a little stabby until the end. All in all, Blue Lines was a fantastic read that I would recommend to contemporary romance and sports romance fans everywhere. I loved every minute of it, and never wanted to story to end. Blue Lines also reads well as a stand alone but features some fun and humorous moments with past characters for series readers. Be sure to pre-order it today!