Any Man of Mine (Chinooks Hockey Team Book 6)

Brief Intro - Sam and Autumn hook up in Vegas, get married after 5 days, Sam freaks and leaves, Autumn is pregnant, facing divorce, and has no idea what went wrong. Flash forward 6 years later, the owner of Sam's hockey team is getting married, Autumn is the wedding planner. This is the first time they have seen each other in almost 2 years. The babysitter watching their son during this wedding gets sick, Sam volunteers to take their son for the night. When Sam is late returning Conner, Autumn sees it as another example of Sam's carelessness in regard to his son. Autumn lets Sam have it, telling him Connor cries himself to sleep when she has to tell him his dad isn't going to be picking him up for planned visits. Sam has an epiphany, and vows to spend more time with Connor.
As Sam spends more time with Connor, he ends up spending more time with Autumn, as well.

Impressions - the conflict between Sam and Autumn felt real to me, if a little understated. I'm not sure 5 years is long enough to forgive being dumped the day after being married, and being pregnant, to boot. I thought Autumn was pretty willing to work with Sam to ensure that he was able to spend time with Connor. She got past her anger and hurt, and did what was best for the child. Sam was the character that needed to grow, and he did so admirably. Once he committed to prioritizing Connor, he did just that. Both he and Autumn had abandonment issues, and Sam carried a lot of guilt from an incident involving his sister.

The Love Story - Sam and Autumn did not get together early on in their "reconciliation". We spend a lot of time in Autumn's viewpoint of Vegas, 6 years ago. Their passion was hot then, and even more scorching in the present. Sam finds himself more and more attracted to Autumn. He accuses her of running hot and cold because she is afraid to trust him again.

Impressions II - I think it's realistic that she is afraid to trust him. He dumped her without a word in a strange city! He gives her very little to work with, and very few reassurances that this time will be any different until the end.

What worked for me - The writing was smart, funny and realistic overall. I liked the rhythm of the story. I liked the level of background detail. I liked the appearance of old friends from past books. I liked the humor I can always count on from Ms. Gibson. I thought Autumn was terrific, and I thought Sam was really turning over a new leaf. Connor - terrific depiction of a 5 year old. Very realistic, cute kid!

What did not work for me - *****SPOILERS***** We hear later than Sam was drunk during the entire Vegas episode, and although drinking is alluded to, as well as Sam's tolerance, he does not read as drunk during the flashbacks. We get that he is a selfish, immature jerk at the time, so maybe that is reason enough for most for his behavior. When they finally talk about it, I feel like Autumn let him off too easy. Granted, you can't change the past, but most of us have a deep need to be validated. Maybe I am not mature enough to just forgive and let go, but I think I would feel the need to really be honest about how hurt I was, how alone I felt, how scared I was... And Autumn did tell him, just not in any detail and without any heat. Sam does finally apologize, and I believe he was sincere, but I don't think he really ever got it.

Also, Vince, Autumn's brother, goes off, then boom! he's back for the wedding, no explanation.

There was a lot left unsaid. I see that the page count is 384, is that correct? I have a nonKindle reader, so I have no clue what the actual page count was, but I am wondering if this was heavily edited due to length? It didn't feel that long to me, I read it in one sitting. If the conflict between Autumn and Sam had been explored in greater depth, this would have been a 5 star read for me. I love Rachel Gibson's work usually, and I liked Any Man of Mine. I just wish it was a little more fleshed out.

Ok, so an average looking girl with nice red hair and green eyes attracts the eyes of a professional hockey jock with a perfect body, blue eyes and blond hair. He sees her in a club in Vegas and goes up to her and starts flirting, dancing, and rubbing his body on her. She is completely taken and leaves the club for fear she will do something like make a baby. The next day they both have hangovers and run into each other at the hotel pool. He approaches and in a few minutes they are rubbing crotches in the pool, then doing it in a room. The debauchery continues for a few days ending with a drunken marriage and sex with no protection. The jock leaves her and makes further contact with the heroine through his lawyer until he finds out he has a kid. They slowly get back together later. She hates him at first but one day her brother tells her to forgive him and suddenly she falls in love with him again.

Is this the type of story one wants to spend much time reading? Not me. I constantly would stop and read emails, watch tv, check the news stories and so on and only occasionally and reluctantly continue on with this repulsive and boring story. There's better romance out there than this surely. Too bad this is the first I've read of the genre.

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson
Autumn Haven marries Sam LaClair hockey player, who is raising their son and asks for another chance.
What happens in Vegas, she just wanted to take in a show and gamble a bit. That's not quite what happened. She's a wedding planner and one of her jobs is Sam's friend.
Veronica who chases him from town to town as the hockey team plays and travels, she is wanting more from him...
Book travels back to when they met, love Las Vegas strip and the different places there that I also have fond memories of.
Back to the present day he also gets their son some nights when he's in town from the hockey season. She remembers what she loved about Sam even now.
Love the 'any man of mine isms' at the beginning of every chapter, sets the mood.
With his injury they get to spend a lot more time together and Autumn and Sam have much unfinished business to finish...
Love the hot steamy sex, it's just the right touch...

I generally love Rachel Gibson. So imagine my surprise as a pick up Any Man of Mine and think "have I read this before...it feels so familiar?" It doesn't take me long to decide that I have read a much better version of this story and it was written by Rachel Gibson herself a dozen years ago or so. Anyone who has read Simply Irresistible (which I loved!) already knows exactly what's going to happen in Any Man of Mine.

***SPOILER***
Both heros are hockey players. Both heros lose close loved ones and allow guilt and depression to turn them into self destructive jerks. The heroines both plan or cater weddings. Both couples meet for quickie flings and conceive children. Both heroines spend a few years as nuns/single moms before dad joins the parenting party. Fast forward through a few more weddings, two cloned beach house vacations, and two crazily similar Hawaiian epilogues and everything is wrapped up in a tidy HEA bow. Can an author plagarize her own work? Did Rachel Gibson just take the manuscript for Simply Irresistible, add new names, change the backstory, and call it a day? What a disappointment!

***END SPOILER***

Another problem with this story is the plot structure. There is entirely too much time devoted to the backstory. We already know by pg. 50 that the hero and heroine met in Vegas, got drunk, got married, got pregnant, and got divorced. We got it. Spending another 100-150 pages on flashbacks, reflections, and backstory only takes away from the development of the "current" relationship. In the end the author just didn't spend enough pages showing how the hero and heroine really fall in love. I just didn't buy it. The hero spent years emotionally distancing himself from his son, then all of a sudden begins to demand the heroine commit to him RIGHT NOW! He's either got a colossal set of cojones or he's a spoiled brat. Given that the only justification we ever really get for the hero and heroine's relationship is sexual chemistry - it must be massive cojones! Either way, at various times during the novel when the hero gets angry with the heroine and begins to avoid her, I just thought, "GOOD...you both will be better off if you trade off child care through the personal assistant and fall in love with someone new." I actually found myself rooting for the heroine to totally dump the hero. Now that's a first for me!

If you haven't read Simply Irresistible buy it instead of Any Man of Mine. This story was so much better the first time!

Rachel Gibson's Seattle Chinook series is one of my favorite sports/romance series. The Chinooks are Seattle's star NHL team (nope, not real) and these guys are manly men who work hard on the ice every day and play just as hard at night. The series has had its ups and downs (I absolutely adore See Jane Score and The Trouble With Valentine's Day, some of the others are just OK) but this new book is one of the best.

Hockey star Sam Leclaire and event planner Autumn Haven had a whirlwind 5-day courtship and marriage in Vegas that ended badly with her pregnant and him requesting a paternity test. Fast-forward a few years: Autumn and Sam only communicate over custody of their son, whom Sam rarely sees. When they reconnect at a wedding that Autumn plans for one of the Chinooks, though, Sam realizes he might have made a mistake when he let Autumn go. Any Man of Mine is a great second-chance story about a couple that needs to figure out why they got together in the first place and whether they can/should be together in the future.

Sam and Autumn have good reasons to be together but very good reasons why they shouldn't work. Sam in particular has been an absentee dad and needs to figure out what his priorities in life should be. Does he grovel enough to make up for being a massive jerk in the past? Maybe not enough for my taste, but he does grow up a lot and makes a genuine effort to be a good role model for his son.

The ending felt a tad rushed - I would have liked maybe 20 pages added near the end so that we could really see how both characters, particularly Sam, matured and adjusted in their new relationship. All in all, though, this is a great romance about a lucky couple that gets a do-over. The characters are believable, the chemistry is hot, and the kid is cute.

As Any Man of Mine opens, the Chinooks hockey team's former Captain, Ty Savage, and the owner, Faith Duffy, are getting married (they were the Hero/Heroine in book 4, True Love and Other Disasters). Their event coordinator is Autumn Haven, ex-wife of Chinooks player Sam LeClaire. Sam hasn't seen Autumn in years, except with regards to their son, Connor. As the story progresses, we learn that Sam and Autumn hooked up in Las Vegas when they were both young and under mental and emotional stress. They got to know each other and impulsively got married after only five days. Sam panicked and left the next morning. He had his attorney contact her for the divorce, and later, after she had Connor and informed his attorney, he demanded a paternity test. Once it was acknowledged that Connor was his, Sam took care of the financial aspects of raising him, but for the most part is not an active participant in raising him.

Sam decides he wants to be a better dad, not turn into the kind of father his own father was, so he starts spending more time with Connor, and subsequently, more time around Autumn. Autumn has seen this behavior before and doesn't think it's going to last, but Sam is determined to make a change. Autumn is bitter, and as you read their history, you see that it's completely understandable. But as Autumn and Sam confront their pasts, perhaps things can change as they grow to understand their own actions as well as each others'.

My thoughts: One of the great things about Rachel Gibson's writing is her ability to pull the reader into her character's heads. As I read Autumn's side of the story I was mad at Sam for being such an ass. As I read Sam's side of the story I felt bad and was frustrated Autumn didn't give him a a second chance to redeem himself.

I love the reunited lovers storyline, and Any Man of Mine does it well. Sam is definitely a tarnished hero; he was really a jerk to Autumn after he left her in Vegas and kind of remained that way over the years. Autumn was rigidly self-reliant after the Vegas debacle, bitter and determined not to need anyone. The way these two clash was totally believable, and as they worked towards a more friendly demeanor I was mentally cheering them on.

Rachel Gibson is excellent at adding humor throughout the story; the scene where Sam caught Autumn wearing a Sidney Crosby Penguins jersey for Halloween was one of my favorites. She also deftly turns up the heat as Autumn and Sam's relationship progresses; the sexual tension between them was nice and hot.

As an aside, I liked that Connor was a realistic character and not written as some exceptionally talented child...he was a regular kindergartner (and wasn't even good at hockey!). I actually liked him and thought he was a cute kid.

Although Any Man of Mine is part of her Chinooks hockey series, the focus was more on the emotional development of both Autumn and Sam; it was just the right blend of personal growth, sexy romance, and hockey action.

If you read through all the reviews posted here, you get a pretty good sense of this book: by no means up to Rachel Gibson's best works, but still an entertaining story. I agree with many other reviewers that the relationship between the H & H was not really convincing and that Gibson's usual humor was largely missing, but it's so hard to find a contemporary romance that is neither one sex scene after the other without any other connection between the characters or plain idiotic that I would still recommend the book. Gibson writes well and creates interestingly imperfect characters, and, if your expectations of her haven't been inflated by her earlier, better books (see the 1- & 2-star reviews), you'll probably enjoy Any Man of Mine.

I'm a huge fan of reunion stories because couples who have a past have so much more baggage than newly united couples. Autumn has carried her anger at Sam for more than five years and has endured despite the way he treated her. Sam has run from any emotional entanglements for so long, he doesn't now how to deal with the realization that he's the same type of absent father his own father was. When Sam decides to make up for the past and, in the process, falls in love with Autumn and the idea of being a real family, Autumn is sure she can never forgive him.

Any Man of Mine is poignant and touching. We get to revisit some of the Chinook hockey players from past Gibson books and see how things are going with them, too, which is fun. Sam and Autumn's 5-year-old son Conner is realistically drawn and a fun kid to read about. I love that the characters are all flawed and real, and I was up late into the night to see what happened to them. Highly recommended for romance fans who like a touch of humor and a few tears.

Ive read most of Rachel Gibsons books and count on her for an excellent quality read. This book lived up to my expectations. I loved it. The storyline was great. Sam and Autumn met five years ago in Vegas during tumultuous times for both. Autumn just lost her mom and Sam lost his sister. After a quickie wedding Sam leaves Autumn alone and pregnant. Fast forward five years and Autumn, now a wedding planner, sees sam again at a Chinooks wedding event. Let the fireworks begin! Throughout this book I was rooting for Gibson to give Sam enough authentic remorse for me to be able to believe he was worthy of Autumn, and she walked right up to the line...stepped over and fully delivered. Sam and Autumn were a great couple, and the entire story was tastefully done. Im only sorry that I waited so long for this story...read it in one setting and now have to wait another eternity for her next novel! Few do it better than Rachel Gibson, so of course, I will wait with bated breath for the next great novel in this series.

I really enjoy reading books by this author but lately it seems that there's a rush to ending the book fast (which is not limited to just this author). This book felt like they got together in the end because about 80% of it is because they are hot in bed and 20% for the rest. It didn't feel like Sam is completely aware of how she felt when when he left her alone in the Vegas hotel. And Autumn forgiving him real fast just didn't feel real. And maybe it's just me but I'm tired of the heroine to always be celibate until the hero comes back to them. I mean c'mon, I'm not asking for the heroine to sleep with anyone with two legs but it would be refreshing to know that they didn't put that part of their life on hold. It's like they are waiting for the hero to come back. This book needed more...of something. Maybe Sam realizing what he did was really horrible, Autumn really understanding why she's forgiving Sam. I don't know, just something. It would also be nice that the epilogues didn't occur two months later. It would be nice to read epilogues that's at least a year or two in the future instead of what could be the next chapter. An epilogue that is a couple of years in the future let the readers think that this relationship will last but then again that's just me.

I personally think that one of her best is See Jane Score. I will continue reading books by this author but will not expect too much next time.

I usually like Rachel Gibson's books, but this was a no-go. Sam is such a jerk. He makes some lukewarm attempts and saying he's sorry for his past heinous behavior, and then he follows up with some lame suggestive comment like "I like your cupcakes". Gag. And to make it worse, the heroine actually falls for his pathetic lines and jumps into bed with him because she can resist his 6 pack abs and smooth talk. Really? I forced myself to finish this book by hoping that Sam had a big transformation. He had a mini transformation, but he is still a conceited jerk at the end. Read one of Ms. Gibson's other books and PASS ON THIS ONE!!!

I know that some reviewers have clearly expressed their dislike for Sam's very undoubtedly flawed character. Maybe I am too soft, but I did find Sam's change in behavior believable. I think Gibson explicitly used the line where Autumn told off Sam with her mention of Conner crying himself to sleep to show Sam's vulnerable side. I think we can all say that while Sam is/was a douchebag, he definitely isn't the worst guy in the world and has a conscience. The line had an emotional impact on him and that was what made me believe he would hopefully change for the better. But although I found Sam likable and believable, my favorite character was definitely Autumn. For once Gibson has a female character who is strong. Don't get me wrong, Jane and Chelsea were somewhat strong females, but I always felt that they were too soft on Luc and Mark respectively. I suppose much of Autumn's strength comes from the way he'd dumped her in the past, but still, I enjoyed how independent Autumn was. Most of all I liked how Autumn's hurt and pain didn't just disappear in a flash. While Sam may have been upset that she kept going back to the topic of Vegas, I thought it was only appropriate. Sam deserved to be reminded of Vegas and I'm glad he finally understood the pain he had caused Autumn. I found myself shedding tears as I agonized over how torn between Autumn was over her love for Sam and the anger/hurt she couldn't forget. I think the main thing I would change would be the lengthening the book. Autumn should have taken longer to mull the situation over. While I do think it's been an improvement because Gibson's infamous for writing a rushed ending, I personally would have taken longer to forgive Sam. Anyway, I remember comparing it to Simply Irresistable because of its somewhat similar storyline, and I thought this was 10 times better. Georgeanne to me was weak and John was just plain mean. Any man of mine felt like a better reprise of the first book of the series.

Five years ago Chinook Hockey Player Sam LeClaire found a woman who intrigued him beyond just looks, falling head over heels in lust with one another Sam and Autumn took the ultimate Vegas plunge, they married. The morning after though did not shine so bright as Sam left the hotel room without a word, leaving a pregnant bride and a world of hurt. Now Sam finds himself wondering what if and is determined to become the man and father he knows he can be, but can Autumn forgive him?

I was really disappointed in this book. Love Rachel Gibson but I did not like Sam, there is constant bickering and most of the book is from Sam's point of view which is generally childish. Oh well, maybe next book will hit the mark.

Please, please stop writing about cheating man whores and the women they've knocked up! It's hard enough to forgive and belive a guy can really change after learning he was cheating or having sex with every girl he meets (either before or after the H and h hook up) but it's impossible to forgive them for being deadbeat dads. I was really looking forward to Sam's story when I first read about him in " Simply Irresistible". I could get over the way he treated his ex- wife six years ago if three things happened in this book. A)if she didn't have his kid, or the kid wasn't treated like an afterthought and an inconvenience, especially when Sam's dad treated him the same way and he knew how hurtful it was. B) he wasn't so selfish and ignorant he didn't know how much he hurt her( please he 'd have to be the dumbest man alive) and not figure out why she couldn't let it go. C) he would have to beg( for chapters), really prove he changed and come up with a better reason for his actions( the whole sister thing, not believable). Between how his dad treated him and his family, plus what happened to his sister, should have made him more reliable, not less. And acting like he couldn't figure out why his ex was that way with him and blaming her for all the things he thought were wrong with his son( not being manly enough) was ridicules.

I finished it because I always finish what I read and it was part of the series,but since her last few books were really disappointing I always borrow them.

Autumn and Sam were married in Vegas after knowing each other only a few days... jump a few years ahead -- they are now divorced, share a cute little boy and try not to be in the same room.... Sam became a selfish jerk after his father and sister were murdered and it was not until his son started to open his heart again that he was able to find balance between family and being a professional Hockey player.

If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest; Nothing But Trouble,True Love and Other Disasters,See Jane Score and The Trouble With Valentine's Day.

Six years ago, hockey star Sam LeClaire woke up the morning after a painful loss to learn he married Autumn Haven. He does not stick around skating away from the woman. However, she gives birth to his son Connor, but he remains distant from both though he provides financial support.

Sam attends the marriage between his Seattle Chinook's team captain Ty Savage and Faith Duffy (see True Love and Other Disasters). The Haven Event Management owner and wedding planner, Autumn avoids the father of her son as in her mind he belongs permanently in the penalty box for a life misconduct. When they meet, a wiser Sam spends time with his son and wants a second chance with Autumn. However, he drove a Zamboni over her heart so she refuses to free him from the penalty box.

This is an engaging hockey romance in which readers will enjoy seeing the first stars of previous Chinook tales (see Nothing but Troubles) attending the wedding. The story line is faster than speed skater Bonnie Blair even with hip-checks sending the lead couple to the boards. While her angry former SEAL sibling wants to rip out Sam's guts, fans will root for Autumn who distrusts her feelings for a man who skated away from her and Connor. Sam knows he has his work cut out even more than he ever had in his sixteen year career to send this game into overtime.

Harriet Klausner

At the end of "Nothing But Trouble" (the lead into this book) Gibson had me hooked and I could not wait to read Sam's story. He turned out to be someone that was hard to like, and even though I did see some good changes in Sam, they felt forced and a little late. He was a jerk until almost the end of the book. I did not like the fact that the child they made together became a tool between the two characters. The five year-laps between their weekend together and their reconciliation was way too long a time to make this story believable. This book never worked for me because I came to dislike both main characters. It's a OK read but not one of her best.

Read this book again because this is my favorite hockey series. This story is about Sam and Autumn who meet in Las Vegas. It takes Sam a long time to figure out what he wants. He is selfish and needs to grow up, but he does redeem himself in the end.

this has some problems but it stillworth reading i think 5 years is to long of time theautumn is awesome , but people love who thet love , some people take a while to grow up. but its been my experience that men dont chasnge i like vince he was better than sam and look forward to his story more

This book has little to recommend it unless you find male professional athletes incredibly appealing regardless of their personality and actions. The character Sam had a great body and lots of money but little maturity and even less appeal.

Rachel Gibson's books have always had fairly unlikable male leads, but they were usually saved by the humor in her writing. The humor is fading with each book as she relies more and more on us to believe the man is appealing simply because he's a professional athlete. I feel more sorry for this heroine than the last one.

Save yourself some time and read one of her earlier books which have much more humor and appeal.

alright, love Gibson, but hate this book, really I wanted to hit something so many times while reading this book, finished it, but now I am going to take a break reading because good god the hero made me hate men in general.

alright, love Gibson, but hate this book, really I wanted to hit something so many times while reading this book, finished it, but now I am going to take a break reading because good god the hero made me hate men in general.

Rachel Gibson has written some of my favorite books. This was not one of them. I didn't find either of the main characters all that likeable or interesting. I enjoyed reading the brief parts that mentioned previous characters. The relationship seemed very rushed towards the end of the book and I didn't see where the feelings suddenly came from. Wouldn't suggest it to someone who hasn't read this author.

Rachel Gibson rights another great romance. I have grown to love Rachel Gibson's style of writing. From sexy to funny to love and heartbreak. But this book introduced something new to me. It felt real. Usually there are some far fetched moments in romance books that I have to let slide in order to enjoy the book. But the situations that Autumn, Sam, and Connor went through were things I could relate too.

Great Read!!!

My book club picked this book because we have read Rachel Gibson before and liked her work. This book was a disappointment. First of all I didn't like Sam at all. He never was redeemed or reedemable. Second Autumn hated Sam so much, I find it hard to believe that after five years of being an absent father she was so ready to take him back. She would hear he son cry himself asleep and as a Mom I don't buy it.
I would not recommend this book.

the story was moving. i liked the hero because he did whatever he wanted. the heroine was pathetic. she waited for the hero. the heroine loved the hero. the hero did not love her. he said he loved but it was the heroine who made the first move.