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Defensive Zone (San Francisco Strikers Book 8) Kindle Edition
Gabi Kincaid’s life goal is making sure kids know they're loved. So, when tragedy strikes her best friend, Gabi drops everything to help her and her three young children. Even though that means moving into the home of the man who teased her relentlessly when they were growing up—her best friend’s older brother.
Max “Baz” Bastian is living the dream as one of the top defensemen for the San Francisco Strikers. His days are filled with hockey, pranks, and friends. Until a call from his sister changes everything. Now that he’s convinced her to move in with him, he’ll help her any way he can—even if that means paying for a nanny who’s stubborn and serious to a fault.
Teasing Gabi was entertaining when they were kids, but it’s different now. Not that she sees him as anything more than an overgrown child. Or does she? Tension blossoms between them. Opposites attract. But falling for Max could mean losing her best friend—and the found family she’s always wanted.
This is an inter-connected standalone full-length novel.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJuly 8, 2021
- File size2.8 MB
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See full series- Kindle Price:$9.97By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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This option includes 8 books.
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Product details
- ASIN : B096L2XX45
- Publication date : July 8, 2021
- Language : English
- File size : 2.8 MB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 336 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 8 of 8 : San Francisco Strikers
- Best Sellers Rank: #131,056 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #458 in Sports Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #4,771 in Romantic Comedy (Kindle Store)
- #17,603 in Contemporary Romance (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stephanie Kay has always loved a good romance, and she got hooked on the dirty ones at the tender age of 14, when she told her mother that if the cover wasn’t a bodice ripper, then there was no sex in the book. As an avid mystery reader, her mother never checked to see if Stephanie was lying. Way too many years later, Stephanie’s most prized possession is her Kindle, and she may have a Hallmark movie obsession.
She lives in New England with her musician husband, energizer bunny daughter, and perfect writing companion pup. It’s a constant adventure with very little sleep.
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021This book was fabulous! Baz has always been my favorite fun Striker and it was terrific watching him finally get taken down by the love of a good woman. Watching the jokester of the team get things turned around on him was perfect. This book has romance, steam, comedy and a little tension. Max and Gabi will soon be a favorite of yours too.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021I have been waiting for Baz’s story and this book didn’t disappoint!
Max, the eternal prankster, invites his little sister to move in with him with her 3 kids after her husband’s death. And with her comes her best friend Gabi, the nanny - who Max has tormented her entire life with his endless pranks! What happens when your nemesis turns out to be not what you expect? And you find yourself falling in love with his alter ego? And realize maybe he was just what you always needed?
Max and Gabi’s story is great! Sometimes sexy and sometimes funny - and best of all we get to catch up with the rest of the Strikers and their WAGS. I hate to see this series end but look forward to the meeting the players of the new expansion team in Houston!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2021Loved this series. Hopefully it won't be the last. This book was amazing. Knowing each other from childhood. They reconnecting with him and helping his sister. I loved the whole concept. They were destined to be together. Great book
- Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2021Happy they finally won the cup!! Glad baz met his match. Finally someone got him back for all his pranks lol
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021Max “Baz” Bastian is living his best life. He loves his job as defensemen for the San Francisco Strikers, he has great friends and a wonderful family. When he gets an unexpected call from his sister that her husband has passed away Max's life is about to get a whole new facelift. It took a lot of years for him to realize that his family is the most important thing to him and now that he has realized that nothing stops him from inviting his sister and her three kids to move in with him. Having a big house can get lonely and this way he will be able to be there for his sister and his home won't seem so lonely when he is home. Along with his sister and her kids comes a live-in nanny but when that nanny turns out to be his sister's best friend Gabi, things just might have gotten more interesting.
Gabi would do anything for her best friend including moving into a house with her and her brother. Max has always been the prankster that got under her skin since the moment that they met and now twenty years later things seem like that they haven't changed one bit. Gabi just wants to do her job as the kids’ nanny and her best friend out through the grief of losing her husband but what she never anticipated were these feelings for Max. He is still that annoying prankster but now there is so much more she never realized. Even if she was having those feelings, she can't exactly pursue a relationship with him since he is paying her salary.
Max & Gabi's playful banter starts to turn into subtle flirts and then not so subtle flirts and before either of them know what is happening feelings are involved and both are grasping at what could possibly be something real. Max has his goals set to win the cup this year and Gabi is just wanting to help her friend but as feelings turn to love can Gabi shut out the outside world long enough to realize that what her and Max have could be the forever kind of love?
Defensive Zone book 8 in the San Francisco Strikers was my first Stephanie Kay book and I am thoroughly impressed. It takes a lot for a sports romance to really capture and hold my attention because generally the players are a bit too egotistical for my taste but not this one. Stephanie made Max seem so relatable from the very first page. Yes, he was very hot, but he was also just a guy who loved playing hockey and got paid loads of money to do it. When an author can make a hero seem relatable it really amps the story up that much more for me.
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars for Max & Gabi in Defensive Zone. This won't be my last Stephanie Kay book, but I am glad that it was my first. If you are looking for a book that will give you all the happy and sexy feels then this book is for you!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2022I totally enjoyed reading this book. Great romance with some drama and steamy sex scenes. I will continue to follow this author and read more of her work.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021Max aka "Baz" to his team mates is the known prankster of the Strikers hockey team, so I was very curious to see how his story would go as he's always been such a fun side character in previous books and it didn't disappoint!!
His sister, Ava, is suddenly widowed with 3 young children, so he offers to help them out by giving them time to grieve at his home in San Francisco. To help his sister out, he agrees to pay for a nanny to help with the kids. Ava chooses Gabi, her best friend since childhood and someone Max has always loved to prank, because she is rather serious in nature. Naturally, Gabi is reticent to get involved with Max, because he is the brother of her best friend and technically her boss. What happens when these opposite personalities attract? Sparks completely fly and combust and all kinds of sexy times ensue!
Having read all of the books in this series, I think it's become my favorite book! All of the books in the series can be read as stand-alone, but I highly recommend them all.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2021I’m glad Baz finally got his happy ending! He is so fun and full of advise for everyone else and it was fun to see his life change like it did for the rest of his teammates.