Virgin Territory – Lia Riley – Book Review

Today we’ll take a walk through Vrigin Territory. We’ll meet Patrick, an NHL golie and virgin and, Margot, the calm yoga instructor tasked with helping Patrick manage his anger.

VIRGIN TERRITORY by Lia Riley

Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Publisher:  Avon Impulse
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 149 Pages
Purchase: Amazon 
Story Rating: 4/ 5
Romance Rating: 3/5

I received a free copy of this book prior to release in exchange for an hoenst review.

Description:

Practice Makes Perfect

Patrick “Patch” Donnelly has what it takes to be the best goalie in the NHL…if only he could learn to control his temper. When Coach orders him to get his head in the game with private yoga classes, Patch isn’t having it. There’s no way this tough Boston guy would be caught dead downward dog-ing his way to inner peace. But if he refuses, he risks his starting position and the dream he sacrificed everything for, including joining the priesthood.

Yoga instructor Margot Kowalski is over men. After yet another toxic relationship, she’s eager to forget love and focus on growing her business. Doing the Hellions head coach a favor by helping out a troubled player can’t hurt, and it might give her career a high-profile boost. But free-spirited Margot is soon charming the pants off Patch. Literally. Her sassy combination of sweet and sexy proves irresistible to the goalie. Before Patch can give into temptation though, he’ll have to confess his biggest secret:

He’s a virgin.

But Patch is hiding more than sexual inexperience, and his dark past soon threatens to destroy his shot at true love.

Review:

Would you look at those eyes? It’s like they can see right through me. My goodness, I’m just going to stare for a few minutes. Anyway, beautiful cover.

Now for the rest of the review. Patrick is a 25-year-old NHL goalie, and a virgin! He’s brooding and tough on the outside but inside he is the hurt little boy who misses his mom. I loved Patrick. I fell for him as soon as he got served in the most inconvenient way possible.

Margot on the other hand, I couldn’t get behind. I found her character unrelatable. She is a yoga teacher who eats vegan pizza and tells the reader repeatedly how much sexual experience she has. She also thinks back to her disastrous first time from a decade ago far more often than I’m comfortable with. Although I loved Patrick, I didn’t love Margot.

One of my favorite parts of any romance novel is watching the relationship grow, seeing the couple trust each other. I love when they share their pasts, secrets and shames only to realize that other person still loves them. I didn’t see that in this book. Flashbacks were used to fill in their backgrounds instead of communication. Which is a shame because they would have been great conversations to have.

Which leads me to a bit of honesty I wasn’t sure if I should include. My rating for this book is based in large part on this books potential. It’s such a unique idea that I’m sure wasn’t easy to write. But I found myself lying awake at night imagining all the super meaningful conversations Margot and patch could have had.

I loved the idea of the story. After I read the description, I had so many questions that needed to be answered. How is a 25-year-old hockey super star still a virgin? Why? For example. Unfortunately, the answers left me needing more. Patch has such a tragic past, it would have been great to see him share it with Margot.

Overall, Virgin Territory is a good quick read that will leave you with a smile on your face. The idea is interesting and unique. There aren’t a lot of books about male virgins on the shelf so in that sense it was a very refreshing read. I’d certainly recommend it for anyone looking for something to read over the weekend that won’t leave you heart broken and emotional.

***If you read this book, note there are a couple scenes with political suggestions. My general rule of thumb is that politics have no place in my romance novels. I did my best to ignore them although I’m sure those views are at least partly to blame for my inability to relate to Margot.

Up Next on my Kindle

Have you read any of these books? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m sure you all know the struggle of picking out a good book, so help a woman out and give me some suggestions. What books have you enjoyed lately?  As always,  it would mean the world to me if you would like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

If you enjoyed reading this review, you might enjoy my review of  Ryders Ridge by Charlotte Nash.

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