BOOKWORM REVIEW: The Trailblazer by Gina Azzi
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥
Gina Azzi always knows how to bring on the feels, and she did not come to play (hockey) games in this book.
Declan and Genevieve (Vivi) were childhood-friends-turned-lovers who ran into serious miscommunication at a crucial point in their lives. Since then, they have physically parted ways -- though each remain firmly embedded in the other's mind and heart. A family death brings Declan back into town to see if Vivi was really getting married, only to find out that she is being forced to do it to save her and her grandfather's legacy in her family's foundation. When Vivi's initial "fake husband" flakes out, Dec steps up to the plate to help her.
The chemistry between these two were undeniable from the get-go. Despite years and distance apart, it was clear that the love they had for other only laid dormant and never faded, and Gina Azzi does a fantastic job in infusing small details along the way to lay that groundwork. One of the things I love (and honestly dread in a good way) about reading Gina's series is how she gets you emotionally invested in her characters, and this book was no exception. I felt the hurt, the loss, and the longing as we learn more about the main characters' past leading up to the present.
The romance is justifiably slow burn, but the journey to the spicy scenes engages you to keep turning the pages. If you're looking for a wholesome, captivating read about coming back to the one love you let slip, this is a fantastic choice.
** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. **
ABOUT THE BOOK
The summer he left our small, Tennessee town, to pursue his hockey dream is the summer my life changed. That was seven years ago, before he became a defenseman for the Boston Hawks. Before I became fixated on my career, losing pieces of myself along the way.
To protect my grandfather's legacy, I agree to marry my oldest childhood friend, Henry. But when I enter the Church on my wedding day, the grey eyes piercing mine aren’t my fiancé’s.
They’re Declan’s, the last person I expect to show up with an offer of his own. One I can’t refuse even though my heart should know better than to accept.
Will my marriage to Declan heal the broken between us? Or are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our past?
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TAKE A SNEAK PEEK
“You may kiss the bride,” Father Ward announces after Declan and I exchange the rings that Mrs. Cleary delivered to the church upon hearing the news.Declan’s hands find my waist and I suck in a breath, already dizzy from the rows of people staring at us, straining to catch a glimpse of our union, one built on past hurts and future hopes.
The corner of Declan’s mouth quirks up. His eyes blaze, not with the confusion of earlier, but with a yearning I feel bone-deep. His lips part, my chin tips upward, and so slowly I can hear the pounding of my heart, we move. We lean toward each other, pulled by an invisible tug that always existed between us.
“Vivi,” he breathes out, his words feathering over my lips. Then, his mouth is on mine, and I’m transported to the past.
I kiss Declan to secure our marriage in front of our town. But his lips won’t caress mine after this. His kiss is too dangerous, too potent. It has the power to make me believe in things I know aren’t true. Like love and futures, like white houses on hills and baby giggles. Like all the plans we once dreamed up, when we were young and in love and so sweetly naïve.
But for right now, this one moment…
I close my eyes, I part my mouth, and I kiss Declan Yaeger the same way I did when I was twelve. With hope and heart and heat.
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COMING SOON
#8 The Hustler – Releasing January 6
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#9 The Score Keeper – Releasing March 3
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MEET GINA AZZI
A Jersey girl at heart, Gina has spent her twenties traveling the world, living and working abroad, before settling down in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three children. She's a voracious reader, daydreamer, and coffee enthusiast who loves meeting new people. Say hey to her on social media or through www.ginaazzi.com.
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