Paige Matthews adds to the growing list of hockey romances with her latest book, INTERFERENCE. It’s an interesting mix of hockey and women’s equality with a little BDSM thrown in.
It centers around Jessica, a former Olympic hockey player who suffers a career-ending injury that sends her on a new path. In the years since leaving the rink as a player she’s become a top-notch athletic trainer specializing in hockey injuries. The old school team management practices and chauvinistic players don’t stop her until she meets Micah, an all-star goalie who pushes all her buttons just the way she likes but doesn’t need at this time in her life.
The story deals with the double standards that exist in all of sports today, not just professional sports. While women are more prominent in the sports arenas in roles other than cheerleaders or fans, they still have to face the challenges of working in a “man’s world” and prove themselves constantly. Jessica is a great example of how this double standard works and how to overcome it.
While not a BDSM expert, I did find those aspects to be believable and well-done. Paige Matthews writes the scenes realistically. While the aspect of being in a specific “role” during a BDSM scene is necessary, I was happy to see there was a relaxed feeling to the scenes like I think there would be in real life. Too many times I've seen BDSM written rigidly, following a preset path that wasn't changeable with the dominant ordering the submissive around. The scenes in INTERFERENCE are more believable and fun. Just what the lifestyle should be.
The plot, as I mentioned above, is plausible and realistic. The main characters are well written and we get a good view of their lives at work and at play.
Supporting characters don’t overpower the story with their subplots. Micah’s best friends and teammates are mentioned with hints at upcoming stories and Jessica's twin brother Jeff is a villain to love.
All in all, INTERFERENCE is a good story, a great summer read to cool down while you heat up. ( )