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Breakaway (New York Blades #9)

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 644 ratings · 75 reviews

They had it all planned out: college, marriage, happily ever after.
But it didn't quite work out that way...

Erin O'Brien was everyone's favorite in Ballycraig, while Rory Brady was the town's golden boy: the local lad who moved to America and became a professional hockey player. Rory promised to return to sweep Erin away to the life of her dreams in New York. But the bright...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published February 7th 2012 by Berkley

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Dec 08, 2012 Jami rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dont-bother

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Rory Brady: Fascinating portrait of a complete sociopath. Rory Brady dated Erin for 8 years, planning marriage and family, then dumped her over the telephone to pursue an NHL career. Now he's back in town and he's not afraid to let everyone know that he's Rory G-ddamn Brady and deserves a second chance. He deserves his girl back, his best friend back, the faith of his little Irish town, and the love of his Grandma.

And he never, ever apologizes. Well, scratch that. He does once, in Chapter 11. "...more Rory Brady: Fascinating portrait of a complete sociopath. Rory Brady dated Erin for 8 years, planning marriage and family, then dumped her over the telephone to pursue an NHL career. Now he's back in town and he's not afraid to let everyone know that he's Rory G-ddamn Brady and deserves a second chance. He deserves his girl back, his best friend back, the faith of his little Irish town, and the love of his Grandma.

And he never, ever apologizes. Well, scratch that. He does once, in Chapter 11. "Sorry for that," he tells Erin whom he has been told was on suicide watch by the town when he broke her heart. Sorry for that, but we will be getting back together. Because I'm Rory G-ddamn Brady and that's what I've decided.

He even says in an internal monologue that while he may have utterly destroyed Erin, so much so that he didn't even recognize her skeletal figure on the street the day he returns, it's been so good for her because she stands up for herself now. I'm Rory G-ddamn Brady, patting myself on the back. I really can't remember the last time I read such an unlikeable leading man.

So of course, plucky Erin runs right back to Rory G-ddamn Brady because, well, he's Rory G-ddamn Brady, don't you know? And she abandons perfectly well-adjusted Jake who's done nothing but be nice to her. But it's okay! Because Rory G-ddamn Brady points out that an over the hill, married woman named Sandra with four kids has always liked Jake and Jake is all, "Awesome! I always wanted to raise some other dude's four horrible children and be the go-between in a messy divorce!"

'Cause, you know, the author wouldn't want Erin to look like a total bee-yotch for just leaving Jake in the lurch like that. Gotta throw him a bone. Even if it's a dried up, crap ton of baggage hauling, victim of domestic violence bone. Contrived plot, anyone?

And then Rory G-ddamn Brady does another thing that only Rory G-ddamn Brady would do: He BLAMES Jake for Sandra's abusive marriage. Because you know if Jake had just dated Sandra (who he barely knew) in high school instead of crushing on Erin (who he knew really well), Sandra wouldn't be the worn out slag she is now. What were you thinking, Jake, not being able to see the future and not being willing to settle for second best so that Rory G-ddamn Brady can have everything handed to him on a silver platter?

So Rory and Jake have a sit down wherein Jake gives Erin to Rory. Because, you know, she's property like that. And Rory is all pompous acting like it just should have been that way all along and why can't everyone just get on the Rory G-ddamn Brady Train Already?

So Erin goes through a long mental litany of how she has feelings for Rory...so she must love him. And how Rory was nice to her...so she must love him. And never once does she ever just love....Erin, but whatever.

Rory takes her out driving and screws her in his car. Because Erin's not worth a bed or anything fancy like that. And after the horizontal mambo even Erin thinks about how Rory dumping her heartlessly was just SO good for her. She doesn't need him to feel complete. Which is, you know, why they're back together now.

I'll spare you the rest except to say this is a romance. But no one loves Erin. Not even Erin. And there's a forced HEA. If there's a sequel, then he cheats on her. And he'll make it all her fault, because he's Rory G-ddamn Brady.

This is the first Deirdre Martin book I read. It'll be my last. In fact, at the same time I checked this one out I checked out several others by her. I'll just tiptoe back to the library and dump off the others without bothering to read them because this was just complete horsecrap.

Wimpy heroine, unapologetic and manipulative 'Hero', badly written love triangle (square, really) that's only convenient for like two pages, Big Misunderstanding that doesn't even last for a whole Chapter. Just don't bother.(less)

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Apr 14, 2012 FicTalk Blog rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-in-2012

Reviewed by Lisa. Given 3.5 stars at Fic Talk.

This was a little slow to start for me, but it picked up at about the 5% mark.

The dialogue was fun and a pleasure to read because I can relate to the phrases the author used – the story was set in Ireland – and also the food items talked about in this book, which may be a weird thing to say, but she mentioned MCVITIE’S DARK CHOCOLATE DIGESTIVES. End of story. Hah.

I was wondering when Erin would have gotten her book after I read about her in the Wild...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ahhh I love love love love this series!!! This is another laugh out loud book, no lie I was dying with some parts of this book. This book pulls you into e wonderful Ireland , a place that I absolutely want to visit. Thiis book was another one that had amazing characters that you couldn't predict what would happen between them.

Erin had her heartbroken by the man she loved, Rory the big shot hockey player who promised to come back to get her and bring him to NYC, but his head got too big and he di...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Sandy M rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

I think I’m still in shock. While I’ve not read a lot of books in this series, I have read a few, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. This newest book? Not so much. There’s very few things I’m picky about in my romance novels, and I’m sorry to say Breakaway zeroes in on that one nitpick of mine.

Rory is the NHL’s first Irish-born hockey player, and he’s very good at his job. But the rest of his life is missing something – or rather someone. The girl he left behind in Ireland, Erin O’Brien. After...more I think I’m still in shock. While I’ve not read a lot of books in this series, I have read a few, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. This newest book? Not so much. There’s very few things I’m picky about in my romance novels, and I’m sorry to say Breakaway zeroes in on that one nitpick of mine.

Rory is the NHL’s first Irish-born hockey player, and he’s very good at his job. But the rest of his life is missing something – or rather someone. The girl he left behind in Ireland, Erin O’Brien. After his family moved to the United States and Rory finally made it in the NHL, and when he didn’t go get Erin as he’d promised, she eventually gave him an ultimatum – and Rory doesn’t do ultimatums. So he broke it off, and now two years later he knows he made the biggest mistake of his life. So he’s back in Ballycraig to win Erin back.

After a good crying-jag-pity-party time, Erin picked herself up and hasn’t looked back since Rory Brady broke her heart. He didn’t, however, destroy her dreams. Those are still going strong with Erin finishing her schooling online and finally taking steps to escape her mother working her like a slave at the family B&B. She’s always wanted out of Ballycraig to experience what the world has to offer, and just because Rory won’t be by her side doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Then Erin finds out Rory’s back. She tries not to let that fact get to her, but the man and his charm and his new-found earnestness in winning her over just might work.

This all sounds great, and I looked forward to the story. What brought the whole thing down for me is the underlying nuance of what I call negativity. Even between friends, between mother and daughter, the tone for most of the book is just…negative. Now, I realize that some of the situations in this story would call for such a tone, but when it’s Erin and her friend Sandra, the things they say to one another just hit me all wrong. Even when jesting I didn’t care for the “big old cow” reference, as an example. I’d never call my best friend that, joking or not. Erin also falls into this pit when dealing with her mother, and, believe me, I know all about living with your mother and trying to please her. Erin does try to keep out of that pit, but she ultimately dives straight in. Those are a couple of the moments in the story I don’t like Erin much, especially when I totally sympathize with her. Of course, she’s got the same attitude with Rory, but in the beginning he does deserve it. Granted, he doesn’t do near enough groveling, another sore point for me, considering what he did to Erin, but he does attempt to change, whereas her attitude change toward him vacillates and takes a tad too long for me. Then there’s Rory and Jake, his best friend, whom he also left behind when he broke off with Erin. It’s guys, though, and it doesn’t take them nearly as long to forgive. Then there’s the entire town who go to work on Rory at his every turn. It’s just too much for me. There is only person in the entire book who Erin doesn’t get snippy with and that’s her father. He sees more than she realizes and assures her things will work out. This relationship I love, and I want more like it just to break up the monotony of that negativity vibe.

Another issue for me is Erin’s sudden lack of confidence in herself at the end of the book. When she runs – twice – I really have frustration over that. To me, it’s out of character. She’s living the life she’s always wanted, but she lets the old Erin call the shots. At this point, it’s Rory who gets all my good feelings. He doesn’t let Erin wallow in self-pity. He makes her face the problems and get over them. So now I’m faced with liking Rory over Erin, the total opposite of how I felt at the beginning of the book. Rory’s over-arrogance is gone and he’s the one who’s gained the confidence in their relationship. Erin’s sudden fright isn’t anything new in limelight situations, so that’s why I wanted her confidence to show, to allow her to take care of the problem in a much better way.

I know this book is going to work for a lot of readers. I’m glad. Especially because I usually do enjoy Ms. Martin’s stories, and I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy this one. There are things in the book that do work for me. Despite their spitting at each other now and again, I like that Erin’s and Sandra’s friendship is a long and lasting one. Jake and Erin do some bonding over their mutual betrayal, Jake more so than Erin, but it’s nice to see. While I do like the change of pace from the hockey world to a point – I prefer the action on the ice – Ireland is the perfect place to take a respite. And most of these issues I mentioned do get solved by the end of the book, of course.

However, those few things just don’t overshadow those sore points for me to bring my review grade up. I felt irritated through most of the book due those things, thus my low grade. This will not, however, keep me from reading more of Ms. Martin’s books. I’ve had more positive and fun experiences than one like this, so I look forward to the next in the series to see what’s happening with those sexy hockey players.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com (less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Aarann rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really liked the first half of this book - it wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but it was a bit different from the normal boy-chases-girl plot, and was refreshing as a result. I loved the characters, I loved the fact that there were actually flaws (they weren't the usual she's-so-adorably-quirky and he's-so-broody-and-commitment-phobic), and they seemed real and human, but were still lovable. I LOVED that the two main characters had real friends and relationship other than just the two o...more I really liked the first half of this book - it wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but it was a bit different from the normal boy-chases-girl plot, and was refreshing as a result. I loved the characters, I loved the fact that there were actually flaws (they weren't the usual she's-so-adorably-quirky and he's-so-broody-and-commitment-phobic), and they seemed real and human, but were still lovable. I LOVED that the two main characters had real friends and relationship other than just the two of them. Even when those friends and family members were flawed, I loved that the author took the time to put them in there because most of the time in romance novels, it's like both the hero and heroine spring, fully formed, out of their homes in time for the book to start and have never formed a close interpersonal relationship in their lives. As the best friends, Jake was okay, even if he didn't really seemed fully fleshed out, and I ADORED Sandra, even if she did do the doormat thing, because - heck - I have a couple of who are like her: totally ballsy and in your face most of the time, but when it comes to their love-lives, they're doormats. I understood her, even when she was annoying me.

The problem was, about 150 pages from the end, this realism got BO-RING. The book was great up until then, when (SPOILER - BUT NOT REALLY) (view spoiler) After that it seemed like the author had to pack the next 150 pages with filler. Really... dull... filler. And as for the Big Misunderstanding that always occurs in romance novels... Well, it really seemed to come out of left field for me. I found myself wishing that the author had gone back and put a few of these thought processes into the characters' heads as the book went on so that it didn't seem so... jarring. As it was, Erin came off really immature, and I found myself wondering if she and Rory would make it in the long run.

On that note, as happens to me with a lot of romance novels, when I really looked at Erin and Rory, I didn't understand why they fell in love with each other -- particularly why Rory fell for Erin. Rory had his adorable moments (even if he was a jerk at the beginning, I'm a sucker for a guy with a David Beckham face and a great sense of humor), at least when he stopped being a D-bag and realized it might not be as easy to get her back as he thought it should be, but Erin? What was the lure that brought him back to Ireland just to get her back? Sure there was a lot of shared history and "you broke my heart, you doofus," but there just weren't a lot of scenes where I thought, "Oh, okay, I get it, that's why they love each other." In many romance novels, you know they love each other because the author tells you over and over that they do, but if you really look at the characters, they don't make sense together. I kind of felt that way with Rory and Erin - particularly at the end. Heck - I understood whey Erin and San were friends far more than I understood why she and Rory loved each other soooooo much. And yeah, it's been said by other reviewers, and I'm sorry, but he didn't grovel nearly enough. I love a book where the lovers are separated by a real thing where one of them seriously screws up (as opposed to a fake misunderstanding that keeps them apart for years, which is a lot more common in these books simply so the reader doesn't hate the characters), but it seemed like Ms. Martin sort of wasted a really good scenario. There was no emotional scene where Erin spelled out to him exactly what he'd put her through, or where Rory showed true fear that he might not get her back. Further, after the Big Misunderstanding at the end, there's no insight into Erin's thought processes or anything she might be feeling. In short, there was a decided lack of emotion, which I've come to expect from romance novels. In fact, if I'm reading a romance novel, it's generally because I want some freakin' emotional melodrama bordering on the soap-operatic, darnit!

I hate to give the book two stars because I did enjoy the first half of the book and the girl friendship between Erin and San was worth at least a full star alone, but again, the last 150 pages really ruined it for me. If Ms. Martin had stopped there, or had at least cut down on some filler while setting up the Big Misunderstanding a little better, it would have been 3 or even 4 stars. As it is, I found myself feeling like I wasted two hours finishing the last half of a book I didn't really want to finish.(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was a hard one for me - I started off really not liking Rory. I think Erin should have been harder to get. Rory didn't seem to have done much to earn their forgiveness. I know that he changed, and that he was sorry, but still he shouldn't have gotten off so easy.
After Erin and Rory got back together, it just felt as if Martin was trying to think up reasons for the book to go on. Too many issues, and each issue was solved quickly. the whole Jake and Sandra romance was cheezy - one secon...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Joyfully Reviewed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: joyfully-reviewed-miranda, contemporary, series, sports

Breakaway is a Joyfully Recommended Read

Erin O’Brien dreams of getting out of her hometown of Ballycraig, Ireland. Not because she hates it there, but because she wants to see the world and all the art in it. Erin fell in love with Rory Brady at the tender age of fourteen. But, after years of bliss together, he broke up with her over the phone from the United States where he was set to become a big time hockey player. Erin’s dreams of a wedding and happily ever after were shattered leaving her b...more Breakaway is a Joyfully Recommended Read

Erin O’Brien dreams of getting out of her hometown of Ballycraig, Ireland. Not because she hates it there, but because she wants to see the world and all the art in it. Erin fell in love with Rory Brady at the tender age of fourteen. But, after years of bliss together, he broke up with her over the phone from the United States where he was set to become a big time hockey player. Erin’s dreams of a wedding and happily ever after were shattered leaving her barely a shell of her former self. With the help of her friends and all the citizens of her tiny town Emma was able to build herself back up and start over with new plans and those plans are about to take her out of Ballycraig just like she’s always dreamed.

Rory Brady is the first Irish born player in the NHL, which garners him quite a bit of publicity and hero worship from fans in the states and abroad. However, he doesn’t find many fans when he comes home to Ballycraig to make amends and get back the woman he loves. Rory has grand plans to win back Erin’s heart but he will have to go through his former friends to do it. Is this hunky hockey player man enough to withstand the naysayers and capture his woman’s heart all over again or has Erin extinguished the feelings she once harbored for him?

Breakaway is a smash hit! The eleventh installment of Deirdre Martin’s Blades proves this series just keeps getting better and better! It is impossible not to fall in love with Erin and Rory and Ballycraig. The depth of emotion that Ms. Martin has packed into this novel is outstanding. I just love Erin and Rory! Erin wants so badly to rebuke his offers of kindness but it’s difficult to ignore the feelings still lingering. I also love love love Rory! Here is a man who knows he was the biggest ass and he plans to make up for it. His attempts to woo Erin are downright adorable. There is a scene in Breakaway that is so hot and sweet it’s perfect.

Breakaway in many ways is so real. You have real people with real problems trying to survive in a hard time. A local tavern that oozes personality and controlling mams with their own agenda. There is a part that I was unsure about at first. Erin has all this confidence that she’s grown since the big break up but when she finally attains her dreams she begins to feel insecure. I didn’t like that but after thinking about it I know it happens all the time. Sometimes people fear their dreams and never act on them and then other times they get their dreams only to see them slip away because of doubt. I feel that Ms. Martin keeps it real with Erin. She is a conflicted woman and just because you are not confident in everything doesn’t make you less of a person.

Breakaway will take your breath away with its majestic romance, beautiful setting and remarkable writing. This one’s a must read and I’m Joyfully Recommending it!

Reviewed by Miranda
For Joyfully Reviewed
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Feb 18, 2012 Kristy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, app-kindle, ebook, famous-rising-star, hott-spots, sports, dolla-make-me-holla

I was really looking forward to this book. I didn't realize it was book 11 in a series, or I probably would have read all the other books while I was waiting for this one to come out. Anyway, I had been counting down the days for this book. But it just seemed to fall short for me. It was missing... something. Rory was not very smooth at all, and I thought he was kind of arrogant to come back and expect forgiveness and second chances without groveling a little. Also, I thought this was supposed t...more I was really looking forward to this book. I didn't realize it was book 11 in a series, or I probably would have read all the other books while I was waiting for this one to come out. Anyway, I had been counting down the days for this book. But it just seemed to fall short for me. It was missing... something. Rory was not very smooth at all, and I thought he was kind of arrogant to come back and expect forgiveness and second chances without groveling a little. Also, I thought this was supposed to be a love story. I didn't feel emotionally attached to these characters at all. I thought all the scenes with Rory and Erin were cut too short. They needed to talk things out more, I don't think Rory understood just how devastated Erin was when he broke things off with her years earlier. Because if he did, I think he would have been a little more humble. Driving her around just didn't seem like enough. A few humble looks and heartfelt "I love you's" and she jumped back into his arms. I didn't trust him. As the reader you are supposed to see both sides of the story when you have both perspectives. But even I wasn't so quick to trust him. Something was just really missing in my opinion. He never gave much of an explanation to Erin about why he broke things off, and he never told her why he wanted her back.

It seemed like there were too many little side stories going on too. I got so tired of the story line with Erin and her mom. I wanted to read about Erin and Rory, not Erin and her mom, or Erin and Sandra or Rory and Jake. I got bored. I just wanted to finish the book. Thats never a good sign.

One thing I LOVED about this book was Sandra. I didn't love her whole victim thing, but I loved her spunk. My favorite scene in the whole book was when they were all at the pub and Miss New York fancy pants walks in and Sandra gives her a piece of her mind. HILARIOUS! It was exactly how I picture a snarky irish woman would be. So funny. Oh yeah, and I also loved the irish lingo. Some of the stuff they said cracked me up.(less)

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Mar 05, 2012 Lily rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: friend-to-lovers, sports-theme, hate-dumb-annoying-leads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 08, 2012 Sharon Redfern rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Rory Brady is on his way back to Ballycraig, Ireland to get back his onetime fiancée Erin O’Brien. Erin and Rory had big plans for their future which would all come true once Rory went to America to play hockey in the NHL. What really happened was that Rory became too full of himself and left Erin behind physically and emotionally. Rory has since learned that his life is nothing without Erin. Unfortunately for him, Erin has learned that life can go on without Rory.
Rory comes back to a town wher...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Dmp88 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: february-2012

When I read bad reviews about this book, I thought, "Come on, it can't be that bad, it's Deirdre Martin's book!!" (and I love Deirdre Martin!!). But I was wrong, all throughout the book I kept thinking "what an ass!!" And in my opinion it absolutelly resumes what kind of man Rory is. I, like many others who've read the book, was left thinking that the heroine should have ended up with someone else (anybody but Rory)!

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Mar 27, 2012 Dabney rated it 1 of 5 stars

Many a romance novel features an adorable small town, filled with people and places a reader might love to experience. Ballycraig, Ireland, the fictional setting of Ms. Martin’s latest New York Blades series, is not such a place. The people there, in general, are economically struggling, tend to drink too much, make self-destructive decisions, and are routinely nasty to each other. The town has little charm. I, like the heroine of Breakaway, Erin O’Brien, wanted to get out of there as soon as I...more Many a romance novel features an adorable small town, filled with people and places a reader might love to experience. Ballycraig, Ireland, the fictional setting of Ms. Martin’s latest New York Blades series, is not such a place. The people there, in general, are economically struggling, tend to drink too much, make self-destructive decisions, and are routinely nasty to each other. The town has little charm. I, like the heroine of Breakaway, Erin O’Brien, wanted to get out of there as soon as I possibly could.

Erin has lived her entire life in Ballycraig. She once had plans to leave, plans that fell apart when Rory Brady, the love of her life — they began dating when she was fourteen — broke his promise to marry her and bring her to New York City where he plays for the NHL. Rory smashed Erin’s heart so thoroughly it took her two years to recover. Even now, she, and the entire town, hates Rory Brady for dumping her. Now Erin is stuck working night and day for her demanding mother at their family’s B and B, and is determined to leave Ballycraig on her own. She’s been finishing up her degree — on-line — in art history, and as soon as she can, she’s moving to a city somewhere in Ireland, getting a job, and finally seeing the world.

Rory Brady, on the other hand, has just returned to Ballycraig after four years. He’s realized breaking up with Erin was the biggest mistake he ever made and he’s determined to win her back. He loves his life as a NHL star — he’s the only Irish-born player in the league — and he’s proud of all he’s accomplished. But, he believes there’s “a difference between achievement and contentment.” He won’t be content, won’t have all the success he wants, until he’s got Erin back and she agrees to be his wife.

I haven’t read the other books in the series, and as best I could tell, that didn’t matter. This is a stand-alone story, has nothing to do with hockey, and didn’t seem to have any parts that needed a back-story to make sense. Several of the books have been positively reviewed at http://www.likesbooks.com/; I’d hoped this too would be a good read. It wasn’t. It was, to steal a phrase from the book, “feckin rubbish.”

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Aug 09, 2012 Kerste rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love Deirdre Martin's NY Blades series and I've read her off-shoot stories, too, but this story has been pretty disappointing. Not because the story is rushed or there are plot holes or horrible editing, it's just...boring. I don't really like Erin or whatever the heck the "hero's" name is (something Irish). Their problems seem small, the quaint town full of characters is...not really that compelling. Even seeing old characters or seeing the new story being set up, right now it's just making m...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Jeannie L rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book pales in comparison with the others in the series. It was a little slow with a lot of conversations and dialogues. It was still a good read nevertheless.

I loved that even after 8 years, Rory's feelings for Erin remained and despite living in NY and being a NHL star, he was very down to earth, fame and money didn't change him. I loved that Erin grew stronger and despite her breakup with Rory, it didn't change what she wanted for herself and if anything else, it made her more determined....more

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Jan 15, 2012 Sophia (FV) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

I tried twice but I'm throwing in the towel. I just can't get into this one. I can't warm up to either the hero or the heroine and frustrated with their relationship, or lack thereof.

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Mar 27, 2012 Melanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: disappointing-read, romance, contemporary-romance, athlete-hero, reunion, hero-with-a-bad-reputation, doormat-heroine, first-loves, irish, hero-in-pursuit

Huh... I read one or two of D. Martin's books before and enjoyed them, and the storyline seemed intriguing enough for me to buy the book... But geez! Erin forgives Rory way too quickly, Rory is, simply put, a jack**, and I can't really understand why Erin even looks at him again, Jake and Sandra were just there for stuffing, and the whole storyline was a mess, IMO... I finished it, hoping that it would get better, but Martin seemed to keep adding little things and repeating herself over and over...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Sara Oestreich rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-lit, chick-lit, romance, series

My biggest issue with this book is that Rory never got a swift kick in the balls. Emotionally or physically. He got off the hook too easily. All was forgiven without too much hassle. Almost like his mere presence was enough to soothe his past wrongs. As a reader it wasn’t enough for me. Apparently I’ve got more chutzpah than our beloved Erin O’Brien.

I will bow down to the fact that this plot is probably more realistic. Erin is obviously still in love with Rory, and to be honest the fact that he’...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Ada rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've read one book in the New York Blades series prior to this one and I like it so I had really high expectations for continuing on with this series. Being a huge hockey fan, hockey theme books rank high for me. However, this book fell completely flat for me.

First off, very little of this book has to do with hockey aside from Rory's occupation and that his teammates show up near the end. It isn't even that bad that it's off-season but the fact that 97% of this book takes place in Ireland, as fa...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Guilty Pleasures added it

Shelves: guiltypleasures-rhayne, paperback, penguin-reviews, publishersent

This review posted at
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

3.5 Stars

This is book 11 in the Blade series. Erin and Rory were the perfect couple destined to be together. Or so that was the case before Rory moved to New York to play professional hockey and dismissed the people he cared for most back home. Two years have gone by and he is ready to acknowledge his wrong doing and fight (or beg if necessary) to reclaim the girl he has lost.

The main focus on this book was forgiveness. Rory leaving Erin all but...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Breakaway, New York Blades #11, by Deirdre Martin
Grade: B-

“It wasn’t like a snog or anything. It was just one little kiss. No rockets and all that.”

Rory Brady loves his life playing professional hockey for the New York Blades and has almost the perfect life. The only thing missing is Erin O’Brien the girl he loved since he was fourteen years old and the one he broke up with two years ago. Rory knows he broke Erin’s heart and that he made the biggest mistake of his entire life by letting her go,...more Breakaway, New York Blades #11, by Deirdre Martin
Grade: B-

“It wasn’t like a snog or anything. It was just one little kiss. No rockets and all that.”

Rory Brady loves his life playing professional hockey for the New York Blades and has almost the perfect life. The only thing missing is Erin O’Brien the girl he loved since he was fourteen years old and the one he broke up with two years ago. Rory knows he broke Erin’s heart and that he made the biggest mistake of his entire life by letting her go, so he’s back in Ballycraig, Ireland for the summer to get her back. But getting Erin back is proving to be much more difficult then Rory ever expected and he may have really lost her for good.

Erin O’Brien barely survived when Rory Brady broke her heart two years ago and she has just started to put her life together when he shows up for the summer in Ballycraig. Rory is very persistent but Erin doesn’t know if she could ever trust him not to hurt her again. Between helping her best friend out of an abusive marriage, Rory’s ex-best friend Jake courting her, helping her parents running their B & B and secretly trying to finish her art degree Erin doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with her feelings for Rory but that doesn’t stop the man from doing everything in his power to win her back for good.

I had no idea what to expect when I agreed to review Breakaway and was very worried that I would be lost because it’s the eleventh book in the New York Blades series and I have not read any of the previous books. I was pleasantly surprised that this book can be read as a stand alone and I immediately got caught up in the epic disaster that is Rory and Erin’s very long term relationship. I liked this book but I did have some big issues with it and there was almost to much stuff going on for me.

I hated Rory at the beginning of the book but loved him by the end where i loved Erin at the beginning and hated her at the end. Rory comes back to Ballycraig with a very cocky attitude and expects everyone to welcome him back with open arms. It takes him a while but Rory finally grasps how horrible he was to both Erin and his best friend Jake and how much he hurt them both. When he finally turns his attitude around and starts to make amends in when I started to change my tune about him. Erin on the other hand was great in the beginning and middle of the story. She’s a lot stronger then she used to be and starts to really stand up for herself but as the book progresses she turns into a self-conscious, timid girl with horrible self-esteem issues. She ruined the book for me and I almost stopped reading because I couldn't take her anymore.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. As someone who has friends from Ireland and has spent a lot of time in Ireland I felt the dialogue was spot on. The way everyone interacted and teased each was so funny and the slang was used perfectly. I feel that some authors have books set in the UK but don’t use any slang, have their characters talk like Americans and then add in a few “doonas” here and there. I loved the way this book was written and it really kept me reading when I might have other wise stopped.
I didn’t love this book but I defiantly didn’t hate it. I think that if Erin hadn’t turned into a such a drag I would have enjoyed this book a lot more but towards the end it got very annoying and repetitive. I loved the writing so much that I am going to check out some of the early books in this series and hopefully the heroines are a little bit stronger then Erin O’Brien.n(less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Rowena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

I haven't read a Deirdre Martin book in a long while and she's hit or miss with me. Some of her books I've really enjoyed and some, I haven't liked. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed reading this one. Rory and Erin were childhood sweethearts who had plans to get married and live happily ever after but when Rory changes his mind, Erin is left in Ireland brokenhearted.

Rory went to play professional hockey in the states and left the country town of Ballycraig behind. He up and left without looking ba...more I haven't read a Deirdre Martin book in a long while and she's hit or miss with me. Some of her books I've really enjoyed and some, I haven't liked. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed reading this one. Rory and Erin were childhood sweethearts who had plans to get married and live happily ever after but when Rory changes his mind, Erin is left in Ireland brokenhearted.

Rory went to play professional hockey in the states and left the country town of Ballycraig behind. He up and left without looking back, ditched everything and everyone. Broke Erin's heart and pissed his best friend Jake off. In all the time that he's been gone, he's realized that he misses what he had back home and he's going back to get it.

He also knew that grudges were made and will definitely be held against him but that wasn't going to stop him from going back home to get what's his. But just because he knew that they were going to have it out for him didn't mean that he didn't understand why they were all so bleeping mad at him. He had his reasons for dumping Erin and for walking away from Jake. He knew that he was an ass for hurting his best mates but what's done was done and he was going back to make amends.

Martin did a great job of showing us just how pissed off the folks of Ballycraig was of the home boy turned Yankee. They gave him lip every chance they could but they also forgave him when he proved his worth to them. He won them over slowly but surely and I enjoyed seeing them make him sweat it out before they welcomed him back.

Erin was a great heroine. She was smart, knew her own mind and had plans for her life that at first didn't include Rory. What I liked most about her was that she didn't deny her feelings to herself for very long because she knew that she still loved the hell out of him but it was nice to see Rory win her over as well. I loved how loyal she was to Sandra and the kids.

Rory had a lot of ground to cover when he came home so he had already learned his lesson, this book was about showing him win everyone over again. I enjoyed getting to know him and I enjoyed the romance between him and Erin. I thought they were cute together so I was rooting them on throughout the entire story.

Overall, this was a great contemporary romance with a charming cast of characters and a setting that I want to visit in real life. I'm glad I read this one and would definitely be up for more New York Blades story goodness.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by myself.(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports-romances, waste-of-my-time

I totally understand now why this book has this cover. It's because Deirdre Martin needed to sell books and the story sure as hell wasn't gonna do it.
It started off fine enough, if a little boring, with a girl having finally put her life together two years after her boyfriend dumped her to play in the NHL. Then this boy comes back with the hopes of winning her over and taking her back to America with him.
This is really when the whole story starts to fall apart.
You have an asshole hockey playe...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2012, genre-contemporary-romance, sports

This review was posted at Under The Covers

This was a classic case of "This cover is so hot!" and then the book falls a bit flat. Having not read the previous books in this series I can say I wasn't lost and was able to enjoy this book as much as the story allowed me. Mostly because we are not in New York with the team, or even around hockey.

Nope, we are in Ireland. Turns out Rory Brady was a bit of an ass and a jerk. He left his hometown to go become a big NFL star and then dumped his high schoo...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Latte rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like the series but this book just didn't do it for me. The fact that Rory plays for the Blades and Esa visited him in Ireland is all that ties this to the series. Darned shame that references to some of the other characters you've come to enjoy in the series just quickly pop in for a scene at the end. This just didn't feel like it belonged in the series. And taking it as just a standalone, unrelated to a series, it was just ok reading.

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Feb 12, 2012 Patti Loves FAB Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

Read it in a day! Loved the Irish setting and the reunited lovers storyline. Missed the rest of the hockey team but we did get a brief glimpse into how "the guys" are doing. I liked revisiting some of the previous characters (hockey and non-hockey) and seeing what's going on in their lives. As always with this series, sad I finished this one (feels like I'm saying goodbye to old friends) and can't wait for the next book!

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Jul 06, 2012 JoAnne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a continuation of the NY Blades Hockey Team series and didn't disappoint. Most of it was set in Ireland with characters we've met before. Switch to NY and it felt like home. There was the requisite happily ever after that often times looked like it wasn't to be but ultimately love did win out. I hope the series continues so we can meet up with the NY Blades and the O'Brien's as well as others once again.

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Feb 22, 2012 Bubblegum rated it 1 of 5 stars

I had to force myself to skim read until i finished the book. The blurb seemed interesting but i didnt like the contents of the book, nor the writing style. And i didnt feel as if the heroine was very realistic with her emotions, she just forgave the hero because he was being nice to her. However, i did enjoy the British elements in the book as its rare, and hard to come by. My apologies, it just wasnt my cup of tea.

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Apr 25, 2012 Marky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Was there hockey in this book? hmmmmm....I wouldn't call this a sports romance at all. The main character relationship was anticlimatic. I did enjoy the local slang and bantering and some of the characters were hilarious...but they made the main characters fade into the background. One of those books that made you go ..hmmmmmmm.....did I like it or not? LOL

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Apr 14, 2012 Diane Wilkes rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was boring and tedious--no plot to speak of and the only character development came by way of the friendship between Erin and Sandra. Sandra was the more interesting of the two. No sparkle between Erin and Rory and the separation issues were lame.

I have read many of Martin's books and the humor usually makes up for other deficits. Not this time.

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Feb 18, 2012 Petra (Safari Poet) added it

I love the fact the story is set in Ireland, but apart from names of towns, you wouldn't really know it was. I had hoped there would be descriptions of the setting.

There were a lot of issues with Rory for me. He wasn't a very likeable character and I was actually rooting against him and hoped Erin would find somebody better.

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About Deirdre Martin

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

New York Times Bestselling Author Deirdre Martin was six when she wrote her first "book,”a Peanuts parody. In addition to penning bad, maudlin poetry in junior high school and serving as the Arts Editor on her high school newspaper, she was also the Arts Editor at her colleg...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

New York Times Bestselling Author Deirdre Martin was six when she wrote her first "book,”a Peanuts parody. In addition to penning bad, maudlin poetry in junior high school and serving as the Arts Editor on her high school newspaper, she was also the Arts Editor at her college newspaper at the University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned her BA in English in 1985. While writing for the student newspaper there, she sold her first freelance magazine article and won a city wide play writing contest. Her play, Spin Cycle, about two lonely people at a laundromat, was subsequently performed in a theater space in downtown Buffalo.

Ater graduating college, Deirdre worked at a series of trade magazines before landing a job at Soap Opera Digest. While she says it was fun working in a place where she got to watch TV all afternoon, she longed to branch out, and after two years, left to begin freelancing full time. Over the course of her twelve year freelance career, her work appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Seventeen, YM, McCall's, Fitness, New Woman, Bride's, Bridal Guide, Inside Sports, Woman's World, Modern Maturity, Islands, Newsday, and the New York Times. In 1998, her first non fiction book was published: Investing for Retirement (Avon). She also contributed to Lifescripts for Managers, Lifescripts for Employees, and Lifescripts for the Self Employed. (MacMillan, 1999).

A fan of the romance genre and of soap opera ("If Dickens were alive today, he'd be writing for a soap," Deirdre maintains), she decided to try her own hand at writing a romance novel. The result, BODY CHECK, was published in March, 2003, followed by USA Today Bestseller FAIR PLAY in 2004, TOTAL RUSH in 2005, THE PENALTY BOX in 2006, and USA Today Bestseller CHASING STANLEY in 2008.

2008 also saw the publication of JUST A TASTE, which made The New York Times Bestseller List. Deirdre returned to the world of the Blades in 2009 with POWERPLAY. 2009 was also when she launched a new series, The Wild Hart Saga, centering around a large Irish American family who own a pub in Manhattan. The first book in the series, WITH A TWIST, was quickly followed by STRAIGHT UP in 2010, and there are plans for at least two more. But the New York Blades keep calling her back: her next book, ICEBREAKER, will be published in 2011.

A resident of Ithaca, NY, Deirdre enjoys hiking and biking with her husband, Mark Levine, co author of the financial bestsellers, Die Broke and Live Rich. When not busy lavishing affection on her beloved Newfie, Rocky, she also enjoys reading, baking, listening to music, yoga, photography, and hanging out with her friends from acting class. She's had the same best friend since she was ten and adores the color purple.(less)

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Breakaway (New York Blades #9)

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