The Olive to Your Pineapple

I loved this book so much! I both read and listened to the audiobook. This enemies to friends to lovers romance hooked me right in and was just the kind of slow burn romance I was looking for. It's filled with all of Helena Hunting's trademark wit and humor and there were so many times I burst out laughing while reading and listening to this one. This is book 2 in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. Characters from the previous book do appear though, and that is where we originally meet the heroine, Stevie, so I do recommend reading A Lie for a Lie for maximum enjoyment.

Bishop is my favorite type of hero - loyal, caring, hilarious, supportive, truly an all around good guy wrapped in a grumpy, ornery, alpha package. I loved that he didn't have some crazy history of puck bunnies and that his main concern was always for his family. The back and forth with Stevie was the best and their innuendo and banter only ramped up the anticipation. What I appreciated most though, was that Bishop listened. I really felt for Stevie and understood why she made the decisions that she did to try to escape from the shadows. Sure it was frustrating at times and I thought she was a little dense to Bishop's actions, but at the same time I can see how confusing it all could be given her history and the start of their friendship. I was disappointed to see Rook act the way he did after falling for him in book 1, but as a younger sister myself, I can see that his heart was in the right place. I enjoyed seeing Alex and Violet from the Pucked series again, but it's Kingston who has definitely piqued my interest (who wouldn't love a well mannered gentleman who drinks milk at the bar!?) I really wouldn't be upset at all if he ends up getting his own book. ;)

The casting of Erin Mallon and Jacob Morgan was fantastic. Both can perform male and female characters so well and they also deliver on all the feels. Their comedic timing is perfect for the lighter moments, but they also can convey so much emotion with the inflections of their voices. This is an amazing narrating duo and I definitely recommend enjoying this one on audio if you have the chance.

12 people found this helpful

Another winner narrated by 2 of my favs, score!

My Spoiler Free Review

I have been hoping for the past few weeks to reread Stevie and Bishop's fall into love story via my Kindle copy so I could highlight my favorite moments since I originally finished reading the audiobook format. Alas, the time to do a Kindle (re)read just hasn't been there and isn't likely to magically become available with all the activities I have on my calendar for February and March. Insert Big. Long. Sigh. Here.

What I loved most about this sports romance novel…
Page-turner / Absorbing listen | Wonderful characters | Realistic | Entertaining | Romantic | Funny | an awesome Read-Along hosted by the author | Easy-to-read / listen-to | Steamy | Happily Ever After

Format read: Unabridged Audiobook (Audible retailer)

Writing style: Dual POVs (Stevie's and Bishop's)

Cover and chapter design gush: I like these colors and the overall style of the cover. I also love the chapter titles that gave us a hint of what was coming the reader's way.

Ratings
Overall ★★★★★

Performances ★★★★★ My ears grinned in delight when I saw that two of my favorite narrators would be pulling me into this hockey romance. Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber never fail to deliver their A-level vocal acting. I always look forward to audiobooks narrated by either of them, so having the two of them cast was extra exciting.

Story ★★★★★
What else can I say that I haven't said before about a Helena Hunting novel? She consistently writes characters that I enjoy living inside of with each new novel.

Stevie and Bishop were interesting leads and the secondary characters in their lives were intriguing friends / family members that round out their lives so well. They had a rocky start / first face-to-face encounter but built from there in a realistic and entertaining way that made this one an early 2020 romance read.

•*¨*•
Coming Up Next in this series of stand-alone novels: A Secret for a Secret (All In, #3) with an expected release date of May 12, 2020. I've already pre-ordered my copy.

5 people found this helpful

Okay if you are a Kindle Unlimited Subscriber

and can borrow for free. I would not purchase this one as it is pretty shallow and there is not much to the story. I listened at a rapid speed or I probably would not have finished.

4 people found this helpful

Another great one by Helena

4.5 Stars
(My reviews don't reveal more than the blurb does. If you want a quick review, skip to the Down & Dirty)

While A Lie for a Lie (All In book 1) wasn’t my favorite Helena Hunting book (I’m just not a fan of the lying trope), I still loved it enough to grab A Favor for a Favor . I’m so glad I did because hate-to-love and all the delicious banter that goes with it is my favorite genre.

After Stevie walked in on her live-in boyfriend screwing someone else, she needed a place to stay while she got her life together. Her brother, Rook (RJ from the first book), a recently married NHL team captain, still owns his old penthouse apartment which is vacant at the moment. When Stevie shows up late at night, a hot mess, making a racket trying to get into the apartment, RJ’s across-the-hall neighbor throws all kinds of nasty accusations at Stevie.

"This guy takes the jerk cake with his asinine accusations. Such an epic waste of hotness."

Bishop is surprised and angry that a puck bunny is showing up at his team captain’s apartment when he just got married. He is already mad that Rook got the captain position over him, now he sees that the golden boy isn’t so golden. Even after finding out that it’s his sister, not lover, the damage has been done…or has it?

Bishop has a fondness for fun boxer briefs, and he just “happens” to grab his paper every time Stevie is in the hall, but two can play at that game! The hate-flirt continues until Bishop suffers from an injury the first game of the season. Luckily Stevie is a physical therapist. She is looking to get into professional sports without riding her brother’s coattails, so Bishop is perfect. She can give him extra PT, and he will add a professional player to her resume; A Favor for a Favor! But the chemistry between them is incendiary, and considering the location of his injury, that causes some problems!

"I'm having dirty thoughts about him. The kind I use as fodder for my private one-hand clapping parties after our nightly PT sessions. My vibrator has been getting one hell of a workout lately."

Though it was a really slow burn, A Favor for a Favor kept me hooked the whole time, and I loved getting to know the good side of Bishop.

“Bishop is a lot of things: sarcastic, a$$holey, determined, hotheaded, and a mammoth of a man. But his kiss is all the other parts of him I’ve gotten glimpses of over the past several weeks: sweet, gentle, soft.”

Likes:
•I love the hate-to-love verbal sparring.
•Visits from favorites in the Pucked Series.
•Shippy’s underwear.
•I love that Bishop wasn’t a man-whore.
•They really took their time, it was slow burn without being too slow.
•The chemistry was undeniable.
•I listened with a smile on my face the whole time.

Dislikes:
•Stevie’s drama about her brother being famous.
•Too much of the ex.
•I really like RJ even less after this.
•The book was paced beautifully with a slow burn, then it just wrapped up way too fast.

The Narration:
Two of my favorite narrators, Erin Mallon and Jacob Morgan couldn’t have been more perfect for the parts. They absolutely made the story even better with their performances.

The Down & Dirty:
A Favor for a Favor by Helena Hunting is enemies-to-lovers at its best. The verbal sparring, slow burn and chemistry all worked great together for a fun, sexy and emotional read. Despite having a few nitpicks, I honestly enjoyed listening to every word of Bishop and Stevie’s journey from enemies to falling in love. I highly recommend A Favor for a Favor, and I look forward to listening to a Secret for a Secret next.

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 4 Heat, 5 Narration

3 people found this helpful

Better than the first in this series

My fav series of all time is Pucked so I was super excited when this series began. Sadly book 1, a lie for a lie, war boring, annoying characters and awful performances. I bought them both at once so I went into this one with low hopes. Narration was perfect as always from Jacob Morgan. I still don’t think the stories are nearly as good as any one of the Pucked series but I did enjoy this one.

2 people found this helpful

Tear-jerkingly funny

This book is tear-jerkingly funny, I laughed so hard, I embarrassed myself, and had to put it down in public.
It’s a must-read; Stevie is the best, she is one of a kind, this book has sexiness, sparks and hockey perfection.

2 people found this helpful

Love love love

Bishop and Stevie are awesome !!
Hilarious book and awesome narration.
Another killer book by HH.

1 person found this helpful

Must Listen!

I love this series! These characters keep drawing me in from beginning to end! I love that I can cheer these couples on through their whole story. Neither of them lose their minds or act like idiots to cause extra drama.

The narration is perfect. Erin Mallon and Jacob Morgan are two of my favorites. They really become the characters and bring all the emotion of the story through.

1 person found this helpful

Bishop and Stevie are fun,Sexy frenemies

Bishop appears as a grouchy, big jerk With a chip on his shoulder, but he is so much more than meets the eye. He’s a protective, caring big brother, a practical, dependable hard worker, not at all the playboy people assume, a bit of an antisocial introvert and someone with a quirky sense of humour. Stevie is a very put together young woman with a horrible ex boyfriend and big brother issues mostly not of her own making. The story is cute and sexy with only a little over the top publicity drama and several clashes between big brother R J/Rook and Bishop. Narration is good and the couple is very likeable. Best friend King is a bonus and the next book. Little brother Nolan provides a good subplot. Worth the credit.

Ugh.

Young adult crass humor, no real plot, No subtlety no nuance. Skipped many of the chapters.