Tess is a struggling artist, working as a therapeutic massage therapist to keep the bills paid. When the massage clinic she works at suddenly closes and she is nowhere near getting paid for her art pieces, Tess goes on an interview for the Toronto Hogs- the professional hockey team. She didn’t know that she would only be working for one of the players instead of the entire team, and quickly runs into a mess of problems with Forrest. Forrest, once a star hockey player who has a multi-million dollar contract with the Hogs after being traded, suffered through a devastating car accident earlier and a groin injury on top of that, and his hockey game isn’t up to par. Tess didn’t realize when she signed on that she would not only being massaging Forrest, but also helping him overcome his inner demons that keep him distracted from hockey. Or that she would fall in love with him. But can Forrest move on from his past so he and Tess can attempt a future together?
Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell kept me tearing through the pages, marveling at the love story being played out. There are some deep circumstances surrounding Forrest and Tess, and the emotions are quite intense and heavy throughout. Both characters are highly damaged, but instead of that quality dragging them down, it made it that much better reading about how they could make each other better. Not only is Go Small or Go Home a fantastic love story, but there is another layer about self-discovery. When Tess finally gets her dream career of being an artist to come true, she realizes that maybe working for a gallery owner isn’t all she thought it would be. She is forced to examine her career and future goals to figure out what path she really needs to take to be satisfied in both her personal and professional life. Another gem from Heather Wardell!
Rating: 4.5/5
