Superstar

Rookie Rebels

By: Kate Meader

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Emma Wilder

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

He never saw her coming ...

After almost a year away from hockey, Bastian Durand’s return to the game should be a triumph.

Instead he’s taken down by the Chicago Rebels mascot.

It can’t get worse. Or maybe it can. Because the human inside the Rowdy Rebel costume is none other than Pepper Calhoun.

His friend’s sister.
His coach’s daughter.
And the woman Bastian has wanted for the longest time.

Pepper has always been a magnet for bad luck and now she’s ruined superstar Bast Durand’s big comeback. So that tracks. Everyone, from her father and brother to the fans and press, heck, even the NHL commissioner, hates her.

Everyone but the one guy who should.

Hiding away is the only thing she can think of, except Bast has the same idea. To her utter dismay, he’s determined to protect Pepper from anyone who dares breathe a word against her.

And to convince her that crashing on the ice isn’t all that different from … falling in love.

©2023 Kate Meader LLC (P)2024 Kate Meader LLC

The mascot vs the superstar!

What a fun story! I enjoyed all the twists and turns in here. I love both main characters, their families/friends and the storyline. Pepper (loved her nicknames!) and Bastain are llvely and I enjoy their clashes together. They each have a group of family and or friends that add perfectly to their stories. I really love the whole mascot theme! So fun and different!!

While this is book 8 in the series I had no trouble following along so could easily be listened to as a stand alone. I did listen to this on audio. Stephen Dexter and Emma Wilder did wonderful narrating this one! They both do so well and are pleasant to my ears.

All the heartwarming feelings in this audio!

All the sweetness of Bastian and Pepper together reminded me of how much I enjoyed this book.
Listening to it is a totally different experience. I’m a big fan of Emma Wilder, and both her and Stephen were perfect!

Bastian and Pepper meet at a bar while trying to avoid being recognized for different reasons. Except there’s this attraction that really shouldn’t be there. You can hear it in their voices, and you can feel the moment where it all gets smashed to smithereens when they’re forced to reveal their identities.
Also… if you want to *hear* the moment when the hero falls first, you surely have this here!

Bast is a hockey player who has been recovering from an injury. Pepper is recovering from her previous relationship with another hockey player, which had disastrous consequences, so they’re all sorts of wrong for each other.
Except one night on the ice, life throws them together in a pretty unique way. Suffice to say they don’t like each other much. But then they have to hide out at his brother’s cabin. With only one bed. And they’re forced to face the chemistry between them.

The hesitancy and sheer strength of Pepper’s character shine through in Emma’s voice, as do her inexperience and her sadness. On the other hand, Stephen gave me all of Bast’s self-confidence and his protectiveness of Pepper. The way he goes to bat for her was everything!

Their moments together were to die for in the book, but in audio? I loved it. The patience and care Bast shows her and Pepper’s realization of her self-worth are there in these two narrators’ voices.
The steamy moments when they teach each other different things were perfect, and I especially loved Bast’s angst in Stephen’s voice when he realizes he’s in over his head with the way he feels about Pepper. And I love Emma’s male voice so much, I sometimes even forgot it was her.

When their time at the cabin is over and their bubble bursts, they have to deal with their feelings… but they’ll have help!

You can’t put a price on the heartwarming feeling I had at the end of this audio. He was the first person to stand up for her. She was the first one who actually listened. And they empowered each other to be the best version of themselves. Thank you, Stephen, thank you, Emma. I LOVED this!