Instacrush was everything I look for in a romance; engaging, satisfying, hopeful, emotional, sexy, and fun– I loved every moment of it! ~ Slick – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Synopsis:
Theo Kershaw is the luckiest guy alive.
Roaring back from a life-threatening injury, he has the world at his skates as defenseman for his new team, the Chicago Rebels. Everyone adores his big personality, his on-ice talent, and his killer smile. Everyone but his prickly neighbor–or so he thinks. One chilly Christmas Eve, Theo will learn that maybe the girl next door isn’t such a hater after all …
Elle Butler is the most embarrassing person on the planet.
How else can the ex-military-now-bartender explain her crush on the hot jock who lives across the hall? True, he has gorgeous green eyes and perfect cheekbones, but the filter between his brain and too-sexy mouth is permanently malfunctioning. Yet she can’t stop checking out his Instagram antics or sneaking looks at him when he’s in her bar. Absolutely mortifying. Running from a past filled with damning secrets, Elle’s determined that this guilty pleasure remains buried in her deepest fantasies.
Because she couldn’t possibly indulge with the Theo Kershaw. Or make a mistake that draws attention to her under-the-radar life. And she especially couldn’t be a mom to a pro-athlete’s baby … could she?
Let me just say again how happy I am to be back in the Chicago Rebels world again, seriously I love this fictional 
team and all of the people past and present associated with it. This book, oh my goodness, this book!! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Instacrush, the pairing I pretty much predicted from the first book in this series, but author Kate Meader really outdid herself with this story. One thing I love about this author is her ability to write so many, many layers to her stories that you feel like with each page you turn, with each chapter you are uncovering a little secret. The sexy banter, the insane chemistry, and the secrets all add up to one delicious romance.
You know when you see a big puppy whose feet are too big for his body and they go bounding around all loveable and goofy? That describes Theo Kershaw perfectly. High energy, no filter, shameless, and completely loveable, I am now a HUGE fan of Superglutes Kershaw. His ability to turn anyone’s day around with his non-stop jabbering, sweet smile, and his heart of gold made him a great friend and a fantastic teammate. You’ll seriously I am in love with this fictional character for so many reasons and you’ll just have to read the book to understand them all. Theo’s life has been less than perfect; a product of teenage parents, a father who bailed, a mother who messed with his head, an a brain aneurysm that almost ended his life and his hockey career would have killed lesser men, but instead he turned it all around and is one of the best D-Men in pro hockey. He had help, his unflappable grandmother Aurora has been there for him through it all and believe me she is someone you want in your corner.
Prickly, anti-social, snarky, and secretive Elle doesn’t want to like Theo and she’d be the last to admit she watches his live Instagram posts daily, but she does, and she may have a bit of a crush on Theo. Seeing that he is her best friend’s teammate, she isn’t going to go there. She can’t not only because it would be awkward afterwards being in close contact with him, but Elle’s upbringing and her parent’s profession doesn’t lend itself for getting involved with someone like Theo.
When Theo realizes Elle is spending Christmas Eve and day on her own (after she told him she was going to visit her family), his big heart won’t let that happen and he spend Christmas Eve cooking for her and getting to know her better which results in them getting to know each other in the naked way. Yes that produces an “oops” baby, but when Theo finds out he goes into full support mode. He makes sure Elle knows he is there for her in whatever she decides and that if she wants to keep the baby he will be a hand’s on dad. Theo wants more, he wants a relationship with Elle, but she is determined not to let that happen because well…secrets she won’t share with anyone.
What I loved was how easily the Rebel’s family scooped up Elle into their fold even before they knew she was pregnant. I loved that between Theo and the Rebel’s organization she began to form friendships, began to understand that not everyone wants something from you, and that she has something to offer others in return. I’m just going to put it out there that Elle has some big time baggage from her upbringing and it takes a whole lot of time to get the message through to her that she doesn’t have to be an island, that she has people she can rely on and trust.
Instacrush was everything I look for in a romance; engaging, satisfying, hopeful, emotional, sexy, and fun– I loved every moment of it!
5 stars
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