Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
Getting Lucky Number Seven written by Cindi Madsen is the first book in Taking Shots Series. Add it on Goodreads!
Synopsis from Goodreads
What's your lucky number? Lyla Wilder is done being the shy, chemistry nerd extraordinaire. While every other college student is out having fun, Lyla is studying. With her cat. Well, she's played it "safe" quite enough, thank you. So she creates a "College Bucket List"―with item #7 being a night of uninhibited, mind-blowing sex... But she needs some help from her man-whore best friend. Hockey player Beck Davenport thought Lyla's transformation would be subtle. Man, was he wrong. With every item she ticks off, Beck finds himself growing seriously hot for his sweet, brainiac best friend. And if he's not careful, he'll end up risking their friendship in order to convince Lyla that he might just be her lucky #7...
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Short review with very little spoilers - Check out my review on Goodreads
This is my first review and first time reading any books written by Cindi Madsen. The main reason I picked this book is because of 1. Hockey players - It is my favorite sport and usually the type of man playing Hockey is downright gorgeous in books and sometimes IRL. 2. Chick is a nerdy girl turned to probably a makeover of some type and 3. Long time best friend realizes what's been in front of him/her the whole time - I love watching those things unfold and the struggle to stay away and not ruin the friendship, but normally they realize it won't ruin the friendship but blossom into so much more. So hopefully this book will not disappoint me since it has 3 of my top 10 favorite story plots.
I found Beck and Lyla's friendship to be real and honest. They met at the beginning of the school year when they were partnered up in Chemistry. Beck thought she was pretty, but going to be a ditzy student, as Lyla thought Beck was going to be the dumb jock type. But were wrong and sprouted a wonderful friendship. Lyla of course found Beck attractive but figured she was too far out of his league, compared to the type of girls he slept with often. As beck never really thought about having any feelings for Lyla but friendship since she was in long term long distance relationship when they first met. When Lyla and her boyfriend break up, she realizes a few months later that she needs to live a little and makes up a bucket list of things to do in her first year of college. Beck of course as the best friend helps her. She gets a makeover - which is making Beck realize how gorgeous she really is, more than he already thought. Goes to a party, gets drunk and even makes out with a stranger, which Beck introduces her to one of his hockey teammates. But when she makes a rule to have awesome sex, can Beck help her out with that as well? Along the way their friendship turns into something else, and now Lyla is wondering if what they have as friendship could be more and if he would ever want a relationship. When Beck has some family troubles and needs something to help him escape, he knows exactly where to turn too, but will the death of his parents before he met Lyla be affecting their friendship, or the possibility of them ever being more than that. Especially after we find out what really went down with his parents, and how it affects Beck's views on relationships and love.
I really enjoyed this book. I am currently downloading the second book in the series as I am typing this and hope that I will love it just as much as I did the first book, if not more. Great writing, Cindi Madsen! You have me hooked and wanting more. Perfect mix of humor, romance, writing skills and drama. Nothing over the top and nothing too predictable.
Long review with all the spoilers so SPOILER ALERT!
Lyla is a college student just trying to study and get the best grades she can. Which is really hard when her roommate Whitney and her friend Kristen don't quite understand that. Lyla is basically forced to have 3 guys over and is expected to talk to one of them as a date. That wouldn't be too hard-ish if he wasn't such a dick. She can hear him talking to the guys in her kitchen calling her nerdy and unattractive. This hurts deep, especially after her most recent break up with her long-distance boyfriend. They ended things on a good-ish term but just both were too much into their studies. Lyla runs off to her best friend, Beck. Mr. Sexy and Playboy Hockey Player.
Beck Davenport comes from money, but unfortunately he would rather have his parents back then his trust fund or the business that he will have to take over at 21. He's not ready to own a business, he just wants to finish college in Boston and get drafted for the NHL. His home life sucks a few hours away from College. His younger sister at 16 is rebelling out since their parents passed away and its causing him crazy.
Lyla decides its time to venture out and makes a list. First things first, makeover. Then go to a party, do a keg stand, kiss a stranger and maybe some karaoke. Live up the college life, because her home life which comes from a very unwealthy household that also wanted to make sure every piece of skin was covered from the neck down. So she gets a makeover, buys new clothes and has her roommate due her makeup and she is ready for her first college party.
Beck helps Lyla feel more comfortable and how to talk to guys. As time goes on he is realizing how gorgeous and sexy Lyla is when she is not wearing so much covered clothing. Her long legs and exposed cleavage is turning him on and he's trying not too. Plus the more that Lyla drinks the more she is letting her feelings for her best friend come up in her head. They met in a chemistry class and were forced partners. Originally Beck thought she was pretty and going to shove everything off to him, and she thought the same except he was some dumb jock. Since then they have become fast friends and he thought she was too innocent for him, plus she had a boyfriend. Lyla kept her thoughts at bay and said she always will because Beck is in a completely different league.
As days go by and it gets harder and harder for Beck to keep his thoughts off of Lyla, and now to remain not jealous. He almost stopped Lyla from crossing off another number from her bucket list. Making out with a stranger. Thankfully that did not end well or long after his team mate basically licked her face constantly and she was more turned off then ever. Thus having her make #7. Have amazing sex. Since well her ex never was ever to get her to the big O.
Originally Lyla wasn't going to tell Beck about #7, but he accidentally saw it on her laptop one night and he instantly wanted to be that person. Later that week after a tough hockey game, Beck asked Lyla to come soak in the hot tub with him to ease his muscles. The next thing you know he is offering to be the guy for #7 Have amazing sex. Then boom, they're making out, going upstairs and having sex. Lyla finally gets the big O, twice and things don't seem to be too awkward. They act as friends basically. Then it started getting harder and harder to not kiss each other or want to see the other person naked. So they start having casual sex and its really making a battle in Lyla's head.
After a few weeks of being fuck buddies, Beck asks her to go to a party for his hockey team. They act like friends, and it kinda starts to piss Lyla off. but as Beck drinks more and more he gets more and more handsy. They end up leaving the party to go back to his place and have sex.
Lyla is spending more and more time focusing on Beck then her studies, so she starts studying more as much as she can without being sidetracked by Becks wonderful sex skills. She wants to be his girlfriend, but knows that's not what he wants. Plus she is afraid to lose him. Yet it's getting harder and harder to not fall in love with him when he's starting to show PDA and calling her pet names.
During Spring Break, Beck has to go home and deal with the family business matter and asks Lyla to come. She is stoked and feels like this is a big thing for him. We find out that his parents died in a private airplane accident. Since his parents death, he will be in charge of the business when he is 21. This is his last semester at college and he doesn't want to deal with anything business and just wants to play Hockey. His aunt on the other hand is making him come home, and isn't being really nice about his "friend" Lyla coming home. Thinking that even though he says they're just friends - which first off, rude its way more than that, asshole - his aunt thinks that all she wants him for is his money and that she reminds her of his mother.
Lyla has definitely fallen in love with Beck, and it almost seems like Beck is there as well. During the hard time of going home and having to go back to the house he grew up in, he used Lyla as a shield for all the stress and emotions he was feeling. She distracted him with sex and playing outdoor street hockey. They finally spent an actual night together and Beck wonders why they've never done this before and he wants to do this all the time now.
All those feelings change when he finds out that his Father also had an affair - he caught his mother having one his sophmore year of high school - and him and the lady had a daughter who is now 6. His mother having an affair really affected him, and it still does. Now he doesn't know what love is. His parents pretending to be so happy and in love and forgiving, yet his father had an affair way before his mother did. This causes Beck to think he is not good enough for Lyla and he for sure does not want a relationship, that all he would do is cheat on her. She tries to fight back saying if you love someone you can control who you sleep with. Where he then said that he basically doesn't love her, that they weren't even dating. That from the start it was just sex that's it. Poor Lyla admits more than once that it was silly for her to fall in love with him anyway and storms off. Beck takes a few minutes to decide if he wants to run after her, and when he does - not for the aspect to tell her he loves her, but so she isn't alone walking outside without her stuff and no car - his sister walks in saying that she was walking down the road crying and refuses to come back, that he sure did mess up.
Weeks go by and both Lyla and Beck are miserable. Even hockey is not doing it for him anymore. So after almost losing the regional game, he rushes off to find Lyla. During the weeks that her and Beck did not talk she got closer to her roommate Whitney, who was also dealing with a broken heart.
In the end Beck found Lyla at a party, and made a big scene. Doing karaoke and singing their song. He told her he loved her, and wants her to be his girlfriend and there cheering him on when he plays hockey. Which she of course says she loves him back and of course.
It's the end of the semester and Lyla and Beck are spending a month away from each other as she goes home to her parents and he goes home to take care of things. They are both interning for the business his family owns, because he will have to run it someday and because that same company is actually been Lyla's dream job. After the month away from each other they're going to live together for the rest of the summer in his old childhood home. So glad he took his head out of his ass. Excited to hopefully read more about this adorable couple in the next book Anatomy of a Player about the roommate Whitney and Beck's team mate Hudson Decker.