Bury the Hatchet (Tulsa Thunderbirds Book 1)

I am giving this two stars just because I have read a bunch of Catherine Gayle's books, and liked them. This one starts on a weak premise and doesn't get much better. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Since when does someone in the 21st century agree to a marriage to clean up their reputation. Hunter went from wanting out of his contract on one page, to agreeing to the marriage for reasons that are never given. There are a bunch of things that are hinted at, like Hunter's tattoos that are never mentioned again. The rest was kind of formulaic put on a show, fall in love etc. etc. The only thing new in this book was most of the cast of characters. And the team owners make appearances twice, and one time it is just for comedic relief. If this were a book set somehow in the early 1800's, it MIGHT be believable. The whole thing seemed like a real reach.

Tallie and Hunter make a great couple. Everything was solved in the book. Relationship with their family was chaos but they worked through it with their love. Thank goodness Tallie didn't do a reality show.

Before Ms. Gayle decided to write a spin-off novel with hockey as its base element, she really should do a little more research (Portland novels notwithstanding).

Tulsa, Oklahoma is a long-time hockey town, having had a team at some time since the late 1920's. In no way are Tulsans unfamiliar with the sport of hockey. Were the City of Tulsa to get an NHL team, ignorance of the sport would certainly not be a factor. It would have served her so much better to have made the Thunderbirds a AAA farm club of the Portland team, which would have given her so many more character referrals. She also should have made some reference to the fact that the BOK Center (where they actually do play hockey in Tulsa) is not the "bock" center but the acronym for the Bank of Oklahoma Center, which is pronounced B-O-K. Ms. Gayle really, really shouldn't have called Tulsa a "backasswards" town, even in the use of poetic license. It's sophisticated, urbane and beautiful.

Second, Tallulah Belle Roth was a Southern belle? Southern sass? This is Oklahoma, not Alabama. Think Reba McIntyre or Carrie Underwood, not Reese Witherspoon, when you think of an Oklahoma girl accent. There have been some really bad boys in the NHL over the years, but I can't think of one who would willingly marry a stranger to improve his reputation.

I made the big mistake of ordering the entires series on my Kindle. I've read the first three, cringing at the story lines and emotional angst of the totally unbelievable characters, and I'm going to pass on the fourth. I was so hoping for more.

4.5 Stars

For me it was easy to be excited about this expansion series by Catherine Gayle and yes I prefer the term expansion as to spin-off because this is a series about hockey and this series is about an expansion NHL Hockey team in the Bible Belt of Oklahoma. A goalie whose mouth has landed him in hot water with not only the teams owner and management but the whole state and a woman who has been stripped of her Miss Oklahoma crown for conduct unbecoming a pageant queen find themselves forced into a marriage in name only for publicity sakes but what goes on behind closed doors is no one's business but their own or is it? I loved the twists and turns in Bury the Hatchet as these two unlikely lovers meet, begin to realize how much they enjoy each other's company and find themselves falling in love all while managing their families, a new home, playing for a new team and all the changes married life brings.

I really felt for Hunter Fielding on more than once occasion during this book. Paying for a drunken remark by being forced into a marriage to a local girl Hunter tries very hard to do right by his team but he soon makes his new wife his number one priority as he begins to see the very strange, twisted and somewhat abusive life she's had for most of her life. On top of that his older brother's drug riddle exploits are causing him more embarrassment and his team isn't just struggling they can't seem to find a way to play together much less win. For a guy whose always wanted to succeed Hunter is having some big feelings of inadequacy but he also finds sharing the burden of life with someone he cares about lightens his load.

All of her life Tallulah Belle (Tallie) Roth has had someone telling her what to do, how to eat, and how to think. Her once moment of fun was caught on video and has caused her whole life to be turned upside down but for some reason this doesn't bother Tallie all that much especially once she gets a good look at the man they want her to marry. While it becomes obvious Hunter's family isn't without its problems she can also see that absolute love they have for each other and she begins to question so much about her life and upbringing. To top it off her ex-pageant guru is acting strange, her mother has cut off communication with her but her father and her new husband both urge her to find her place in the world and make it her own.

From the start these two were just too adorable together; I loved that they were attracted to each other yet because of their unusual circumstances Hunter held back much to Tallie's dismay. I absolutely loved the way these two became a cohesive unit even before they acted on their attraction. I swear every time Hunter told Tallie that she could do whatever she wanted because it was HER life, I wanted to kiss him (except Tallie might have b*tch slapped me if I had). I admired Tallie for not only doing things to better herself and her circumstances but also in her sweet way trying to mend fences for Hunter in more ways than one. And I absolutely appreciated the way that the very inexperienced Tallie was the one that forced the intimacy issue between them by exerting herself and telling Hunter exactly what she wanted from him. Holy hotness, I loved these two exploring each other together!

Every book Ms. Gayle writes has a message but her books aren't preachy because she does an amazing job of weaving the story around the issue and make them a part of her story. The first book in a series is always tough because you are setting up the series and introducing lots of characters but not once did I feel that the romance between Tallie and Hunter was lost in this book; they were front and center and stealing my heart from the first chapter until the last. Sweet, sexy and sophisticated Bury The Hatchet is a fantastic start to a new series and I look forward to watching the Thunderbirds climb out of the cellar and give the Storm a run at taking the Stanley Cup home!

Review copy provided for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Catherine Gayle's hockey-themed romances! I have read every one that she is written and they are each amazing reads. The knowledge that the author has of hockey and the behind-the-scenes of it all is obvious and seen in the incredible attention to detail. But the stories aren't all about hockey. The plots are raw and real, stories that many of us have experienced in some way for ourselves. Bury the Hattchet is the first in the new Tulsa Thunderbirds series, a spinoff from the Portland Storm series. Along witb a new team and new cast of characters, there are still some familiar faces from the Portland Storm books.

One of those familiar faces is Hunter Fielding, formerly of the Portland Storm. He is undoubtedly one of the best goalies in the NHL and he has just been traded to the Tulsa Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds are a new franchise in the NHL, which translates to an expectation of a few rather less than stellar years in hockey stats. New team, new players, many of whom aren't to the level that Hunter himself is. Needless to say, he is unhappy about the trade and makes some rather unflattering remarks about it in an unfortunate drunken rant that went viral. That means a whole lot of damage control with the new team... and this happens in a completely unforeseeable way. A marriage in name only to a fallen beauty queen with some damage control issues of her own. In comes Tallie, Oklahoma's favorite pageant queen who had an unfortunate drunken incident of her own that also went viral, tarnishing her image. Her mother and her pageant coach convince her that the only way to clean up her image is to marry Hunter.

I couldn't imagine two more unlikely people to be at the center of this book... the rough hockey player and the goody two-shoes beauty queen. Hunter is rough around the edges and angry and Tallie used to being told what to do and having no input on her own life. But, as usual, Catherine Gayle creates a story that is full of tension, romance, intense emotion, and plot twists. Hunter is angry and it is obvious. He is angry about being shuffled off to a team that he sees as a demotion. He is angry about being forced into this marriage. He resents everyone involved, even initially Tallie herself, despite the fact that she, too, has been forced into the situation. But he has protective, softer side, too, especially when it comes to Tallie. I loved the interaction between them! She softened him, opened him up a little. And he taught her to be her own person. Until Hunter, her entire life had been ordered by her mother and her coach, To say that the two were overbearing would be an understatement. There were times that I wanted to jump into my Kindle and throttle them both and slap Tallie into taking charge!

The incredible character growth is probably my favorite aspect to these books. They grow and change over the course of the novel, changing without losing themselves to another person. Too many times, in literature and in life, the dynamic of change within a relationship means that one or both of them lose the who they are to the other person. I love that Catherine's characters become better versions of themselves, rather than acquiesing to the other. This is what keeps me coming back for more!

My Recommendation: This is a great read! Great romance, great hockey, intense emotions and situations, and fantastic plot twists!

Bury the Hatchet begins the new spin off series of the excellent Portland Storm series, but now featuring a new team called the Tulsa Thunderbirds. And even though we have a new team, we get to find out the story of some old friends, including goalie extraordinaire, Hunter Fielding. In the Portland Storm series, he was always competing with Nicky for goal tender position. But now, he's the big shot for the new team. But he's not happy about it. Enter, Tallie, a beauty queen with a tarnished crown. Catherine Gayle continues to write books about real people with real emotions and flaws. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but the first book in this series is definitely more explicit with its sex scenes than the Portland Storm series. Which I don't mind in the least! I enjoyed this book and it was great seeing familiar faces in Zee, Dana, and Razor. Even if you haven't read the Portland Storm series, I'd give this one a try. It's well written and definitely a keeeper!

Bury The Hatchet
Catherine Gayle

Gayle’s first in her new spin-off Tulsa Thunderbird hockey series is a fast-paced contemporary arranged marriage romance staring a couple in need of redemption. The fast tempo narrative is witty and gritty and is delivered via her iconic first person point of view that alternates between the hero and heroine. Her hero Hunter, a good hearted bad boy is easily recognized as the backup goalie by her Portland Storm fans her heroine is a big-hearted pageant queen who’s in for a rude awakening when she gets fitted for her big-girl panties. The secondary characters are essential to the story and some will also be recognized by fans of her other hockey series. The spectacular love story, getting to know the new organization and the OMG revelations will have fans rushing to the next books in the series.

All in all the breathy voice of Michael Pauley is a good choice for the series and I’m hoping that as he gets better acquainted with the characters and the situations it will show in his narration. He was spot on with the male characters but I thought he could do a bit better with the female ones but overall he did a good job. The musical interlude between chapters rocks!

Tallulah Belle (Tally to her friends) Roth made a HUGE publicity and personal faux pas while vacationing in Cancun that cost her not only her Ms Oklahoma crown but the chance to go on to compete for Ms USA and Ms Universe. But worse than that it cost her, her reputation and dignity. But never fear because mommy-dearest and her pageant guru and bane of her existence Lance have the perfect solution to make her once again the pride of Oklahoma.
Goalie Hunter Fielding might have gone a bit overboard when after learning he was being traded to the newly formed NHL Tulsa Thunderbirds team he ill advisedly over imbibed and spewed unattractive adjectives about his new team and his new town’s inhabitants. Okay so maybe it was more than a bit overboard but how will marrying some Southern-Belle-Bad-Girl, airbrushed, airheaded pageant queen, make it better?
Can this temporary team of two atoning for their sins win it all?

Bury the Hatchet by Catherine Gayle is a spin-off of the Portland Storm series with the Tulsa Thunderbirds, the expansion team that includes some of the favorites from the original Storm. Hunter Fielding is one such player, playing goaltender for the new team. After sticking his foot in his mouth when he first joins the team he’s looking to redeem himself. Enter Tallulah Belle Roth, who also needs to reclaim her tarnished reputation. They both need to get back in the good graces of the good people of Oklahoma, so they hatch a plan to pretend to be happily married to give everyone something else to talk about.

It was interesting to get to know Hunter in this book, and his backstory tugged at my heartstrings. They both made mistakes, and the road to redemption is long and hard. Tillie is no different, and the way Ms. Gayle shows these two broken people coming together made for a great read. There was a bit of suspense to keep the story going, and I enjoyed reading about this new team. There were a couple of old favorites who popped up, and I’m loving the new team! Another great read!

Bury the Hatchet is the first book in Catherine Gayle’s Tulsa Thunderbirds series, a spin-off of her very popular Portland Storm series. Bury the Hatchet features former Storm goalie Hunter Fielding and former Miss Oklahoma Tallie Roth, both of whom hold the dubious distinction of having angered and disappointed a good portion of the state. This story is a new twist on an old romance classic, the marriage of convenience. Hunter and Tallie are engaged by the end of their first meeting and married just days later. While both go into the marriage with an eye on the convenience part of their marriage, it quickly becomes clear to each of them that they are carrying a ton of baggage – a drug addict sibling, a former lover, a crazed pageant guru, a distant parent – and that maybe the other can help them bare the weight. The Tulsa Thunderbirds series is starting off to be a bit edgier and sexy than the Storm series, the cover alone is darker and sexier than those of the Storm books, but Gayle’s extensive knowledge of the game and ability to hit some really tough topics without going too dark are still very much a part of Bury the Hatchet.

My first Catherine Gayle read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Granted, the writing started a little rough for me, in whole, it was fluid and had a great concept and premise.

So, what's this book about?

A hockey star who’s delved himself into quite a scandal.
And former home state beauty queen.

Both of whom need to fix their image pronto if they want to reclaim their previous glory with the press and fans.

The solution? Marriage in hopes of damage control and fixing their tarnished reputations.

Bury the Hatchet was intriguing, sexy, and everything a true hockey romance lover would look for! I was lucky to have been alerted to this read and would totally recommend to you sports fan! It was quite the steamy, and guilty pleasure type of ride if you know what I mean *wink wink*!

I love Catherine Gayle's Portland Storm series. When I learned she was going to start a second hockey series and it would feature an expansion team, I was anxious to see how she would set the series. Bury the Hatchet is the first in Gayle's Tulsa Thunderbirds and features the former Storm goalie, Hunter Fielding. I don't think I was a very big Hunter fan when he was with the Storm. I loved Hunter and Tallie together. They have a great chemistry.

Personally, I think Gayle's set up for her new hockey series is brilliant. We get a new series with a new team with a couple of former Storm players. As a reader of the Storm series, it was fun to see familiar characters mentioned in new surroundings. I'm looking forward to reading about the Thunderbirds.

By now, I should know Catherine Gayle will deliver. I was a little Leary of a new team, but I think I am going to love them.
The old characters behaved as always. The new ones thrilled me. I can honestly say I am looking forward to seeing how the automatic dichotomy between the team (wild and rowdy) and the owners (religious piety) plays out. I hope the lady reappears frequently, as the gradual meshing of the team with the owners solidifies into something real.
I loved the handling of the plot - marriage of convenience meets modern media and family problems, and I am hoping against hope for some more happy endings. I know it might be hard to do realistically...
And the teaser at the end...I have to wait until WHEN!!!

When presented with the opportunity to read and review the first book in a new series from Catherine Gayle, whose Portland Storm series I love, I couldn't say no!

I have to say, that for the most part, this was a really entertaining read. I enjoyed how the relationship between Hunter and Tally developed. Their interactions with each other and those around them was engaging, and frustrating at times, but drew me in and kept me interested.

If I had one niggle about this, it was the way the relationship started. For me, that was a little strange, but didn't mar my overall enjoyment of the story.

A promising start to the new series.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big hockey-themed romance novel fan and Catherine Gayle is by far one of my favorite authors in this genre. In all of her books Catherine has the ability to make the characters come to life in a way you're still rooting from them long after the story is over. the plots are raw and full of emotions, yell full of humor and witty banter. In Bury the Hatchet we follow Hunter Fielding, a rough around the edges goalie, who is anything but happy about his new team, the Tulsa Thunder. Letting his anger and frustration get the best of him, Hunter finds himself the center of a media storm for his drunken rant. Lucky for Hunter he not the only celebrity caught behaving badly in Oklahoma. Tallulah Belle Rot- the raining Miss Oklahoma, only want to let loose with friends on vacation. However Tally get more the she bargained for when scandalous pictures surface on TMZ. Faced with losing her crown and public backlash Tallulah finds herself pushed towards Hunter in hope they can help repair there reputations. Both parties agree to a marriage in name only hoping to clam the media frenzy with fake marital bliss. Over time things began to change the unlikely pair, family drama occurs old wounds are ripped open and Hunter and Tallulah find themselves no longer acting but trying to help put each other back together. *******Also if you haven checked out Catharine's other hockey series the Portland Storm I highly recommend you check it out!!! Happy reading!!!

I was prepared to not like the Tulsa team as much as I'd come to like the Portland team, but Catherine Gayle was having none of that. Bury the Hatchet was as good as any of her Portland Storm books and better than I deserved.
I also proofread and copy-edit on the side and Ms. Gayle has a bang-up editor, I know because normally a mistake stops me dead in my tracks, but with her books, if there are mistakes, I don't see them because I'm so caught up in the story. Kudos!

Tulsa Thunderbirds is a spin-off series of the Portland Storm series by Catherine Gayle.
I fell just as hard for the Thunderbirds as I did for the Storm, but it a different way. If the cover art didn't tip you off already, this series is raw, edgy, and blunt. I loved reading Catherine write about the misfits banded together due to the NHL Expansion draft and loved the racy nature of the book. You're gonna need a fan to cool yourself down from this one!

A great first book in the spin off series! Catherine Gayle does a great job of weaving a believable story of an arranged marriage that allows both characters to grow and find themselves after major changes shake their foundations. This book is fun, exciting, and a testament to how good things can happen even in not ideal situations.

This book is amazing. If you have read Portland Storm books, this series has a whole new feel. I love how these characters are edgy and rough around the edges. Hunter and Tallie are both in a bad place. He's got a chip on his shoulder and she's broken. Together they bring out the best in each other. Tons of chemistry and emotion. Grab a tissue for a few parts!

Nice story! The main characters were quite likable and the developing romance was good. I thought it was necessary to suspend belief about the circumstances of their marriage, but I didn't mind too much.