The Penalty Box

January 16, 2006
In this fun, fast rinkside contemporary romance from Martin (Total Rush
), down-on-his-luck hockey jock Paul van Dorn and formerly overweight overachiever Katie Fisher answer the age-old question: can you ever live down high school? Reintroduced at their 10-year reunion, Paul is stunned to find the girl he dubbed "Bubble Butt" grown into a sexy sociology professor. Recently forced to retire from the NHL, Paul has returned to their hometown, tiny Didsbury, Conn., where he stews in post-pro blues at his bar, the Penalty Box. Katie, on a yearlong book sabbatical, has moved home with her mother and nephew Tuck, whose own mom is stuck in rehab. Despite Paul's past cruelty, Katie falls for him after he gives a revealing interview for her project on sports and male identity. What begins as an undercover affair blossoms into a life-changing relationship as the pair discover that living in the present beats living in the past. Martin scores with this witty blend of romance and family dynamics.

February 1, 2006
Katie's mother has done the unthinkable: she's responded yes to Katie's high-school-reunion invitation. Thin, beautiful, and a successful academic, Katie is only back in her hometown to complete her new book and help her mother take care of her nephew while Katie's sister is in rehab. Back in school she was teased mercilessly about her weight, and she is surprised at the reunion when most of her former tormentors apologize for their former transgressions. But one nasty encounter induces her to flee, and she runs straight into the subject of many adolescent fantasies: Paul Van Dorn, a professional hockey player for the New York Blades until too many concussions brought an end to his promising career. Katie and Paul secretly become a couple, but they have issues. She believes he is living in the past--a place she does not want to be. Following " Body Check" (2003) and " Total Rush" (2005), Martin scores another goal with another witty, emotionally true-to-life, and charming hockey romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)