Lindsay Paige scored again with BECAUSE IT'S YOU the second book from the Carolina Rebels series. I have been looking forward to hearing Marc Polinski’s and Elizabeth Boyd’s story since the first book, BACK TO ME. The story starts off at the Halloween party from book one and takes place around the same time frame. I loved hearing the story for both Marc’s and Lizzy’s point of views. Both characters are well-developed and complex. They have amazing chemistry and are likeable. They have multiple issues in their past that make their relationship challenging. My heart went out to both characters.

I’m glad Lizzy has Sylvia and Scott. Elizabeth is the widow of Scott’s brother, Roger. She has had a difficult time dealing with his death even though it has been close to six years since he past. Sylvia decides to set her up with Scott’s Carolina Rebels NHL teammate, Marc Polinski. Despite all their issues and secrets, the two start to see each other, eventually healing one another in the process. They are perfect for each other.

I love Marc. He has a huge heart. He had a difficult childhood that still haunts him, although you would never guess it from his typically happy personality. I think it’s great that his friends call him Marco Polo because of his last name. I enjoyed how they always say Marco Polo to each other. Elizabeth is sweet and has carried many burdens. I love how the couple opens-up to one another.

The plot was amazing with tons of interesting twists. BECAUSE IT'S YOU was skillfully written and flowed well. The hockey scenes were credible and exciting. The story was heartfelt. There were unexpected thrilling turns of events. The story had everything you could want in a sports romance. I cannot wait for the next book in the series US AT FIRST. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. ( )