Tacker

Tacker is fighting some seriously deep-seated demons ever since the plane crash that killed his fiancé MJ on their way to her final dress fitting just weeks before the wedding. Tacker blames himself for the crash. After a drinking binge and smashing his truck into a concrete barrier, Tacker is told by team management he needs to quit drinking and take therapy if he wants to stay on the team. Nora has had an extremely painful past which she was rescued and brought to America for a better life. After years of rebuilding her life, she now owns a ranch where she offers horseback riding lessons and therapy. When Tacker is sent to her ranch by Dominik Carlson, the team's owner, she is not sure she is going to be able to help him but then when she starts to fall for him she has to decide if he is ready and if her therapy licence is worth the risk.

Tacker is the fifth book in the Arizona Vengeance series which can be read as a standalone or as part of the Arizona Vengeance series. This book is told in the dual POV of the hero and heroine. Tacker is a story of heartache, grief, healing and happiness. Tacker and Nora were perfect for each other and I feel truly helped each other heal. I was happy that Tacker was finally able to be the friend and teammate that the Vengeance knew he could be.

4.5 stars- TACKER is the fifth instalment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult ARIZONA VENGEANCE hockey romance series focusing on the Arizona Vengeance hockey team. This is team captain Tacker Hall, and thirty-two year old, counsellor Nora Wayne’s story line. TACKER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order as Tacker’s story slowly develops throughout the series.

NOTE: Some of the events in TACKER cross over with, and run parallel to some of the events in book four DAX.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tacker and Nora) TACKER follows the building but forbidden relationship between Arizona Vengeance team captain Tacker Hall, and counsellor Nora Wayne. Fifteen months earlier Tacker Hall’s fiancé was killed in a plane crash, a plane in which Tacker was the pilot. Fast forward to present day wherein Tacker’s life is spiralling out of control, a spiral of which he may never recover. Forced into mandatory counselling or consider himself no longer a member of the team Tacker Hall comes face to face with his future in the guise of Nora Wayne, a counsellor who owns and runs a healing ranch where human and horses learn to get along. What ensues is the building but forbidden relationship between Nora and Tacker as our couple learn to let go of the past, a past that is equally traumatic for our story line heroine.

Tacker Hall suffers with the remorse of survivor’s guilt, and the ongoing belief he was responsible for the death of his beloved fiance. Unable to let go, Tacker’s remorse continues to affect his life both on and off of the ice, so much so that Tacker considers ending it all. Meeting Nora Wayne sparks something deep within our story line hero something he hasn’t felt for a very long time. Nora Wayne knows the heart break of survivor’s remorse more so than anyone could have imagined but our heroine uses her experience to empathize with those who are struggling with their own hurt and unimaginable shame. Meeting Tacker Hall pulls Nora out of her comfort zone, allowing her to consider a future with the man with whom she will fall in love.

The relationship between Tacker and Nora is one of immediate attraction but Nora was hired by the Arizona Vengeance in an effort to pull Tacker out of his depression otherwise Tacker’s career was on the blocks. Nora knows to cross the line with Tacker could mean professional misconduct but Tacker takes the extra step in an effort to protect Nora from their palpable sexual attraction. The $ex scenes are passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are reintroduced to the teammates, significant and staff of the Arizona Vengeance: Bishop and Brooke, Erik and Blue, Legend and Pepper, Dax and Regan Coach Claude, and team owner Dominik Carlson, newest team member and Tacker’s best friend Aaron Wylde, as well as ranch hand Raul Vargas. The team dynamic is changing with the influx of significant others, a dynamic that brings the teammates closer together.

TACKER is a story of heartache, grief, tragedy and recovery; second chances and letting go. The premise is emotional, inviting and engaging; the characters are broken, colorful, energetic but on the mend; the romance is seductive and intimate. TACKER is a raw and gritty look at the power of guilt, and the steps to bring grievers back into the light.