After the success of the Love on
Thin Ice series (reviewed here),
the same authors are back with a second round of hockey romance in the small Washington
town of Maple Falls! Once again, there will be seven books; here are the first
three.
So far, the authors have done a
good job of incorporating the various characters and locations from both the
original seven books and the ones for this go-round.
I do have a couple of overall
concerns before we get into the specific books:
First, the town itself. Based on
the physical descriptions of the town, I was pretty certain it was on the west
side of Washington, somewhere west of the Cascade Mountains. That’s the part of
Washington most people think of—green, rainy, and lush. If you cross the Cascades
to the east, however, the terrain changes. There’s much less green. It’s
flatter. And there’s significantly less rain. (Really significant down here in
the southeast corner where I am.) So imagine my surprise when I learned this
time around that Maple Falls is an hour from Spokane. It’s got to be in the northeast
corner of the state, where you do get more mountains and yes, there are some maple
trees. It can’t be to the east, because then you’re in Idaho. It can’t really be
south or west, because it’s dryer. So Northeast Washington it is! So when the
authors talk about Washington’s characteristic rains, they’re not quite
accurate. Being the nitpicker that I am, I searched climate averages for a town
an hour north-ish of Spokane, and the average annual rainfall is only about
two-thirds that of Seattle.
Second, the passage of time. The
first book mentions that Zach and Ellie, from Breaking the Ice, are
expecting their third child. This seems a little unreasonable! Based on the
ages of Clara’s children (six and eight in the first series, eight and ten in
this one), only two years have passed. The bonus epilogue to Breaking the
Ice has Zach proposing a year after the events of the original story, so…this
just seems wrong. Additionally, when Zach proposed to Ellie, it was the second
year of the Ice Breakers being a charity team. Suddenly, a single year after
that, there’s an NHL team in Maple Falls? It takes years to create a
team from scratch. And to create a major league team in a town an hour from the
nearest airport? (And GEG is not a huge airport.) I know, I need to suspend my
disbelief and just roll with it. But…
Finally, and most importantly, the
solution to the threat on Maple Falls is different in the first book from in
the third one.
Okay, Picky Vicky-ness aside. Let’s
get on with the books.
Fake-Off with Fate
Love in Maple Falls #1
By Whitney Dineen
ASIN: B0FKMXYQ88
Publisher: 33 Partners Publishing
Publication date: August 13, 2025
Print length: 242 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8991232869
Publisher’s Blurb:
She’s a closet designer for the
rich and famous and he’s a broken-hearted captain of a pro-hockey team. Neither
of them is looking for love.
Ashlyn
An unexpected trip home to Maple Falls gets even more surprising when I
inadvertently become acting mayor.
Add a huge crisis and a smoking hot hockey player, and I’m in over my head
before I know it.
I’m only here for a short time, so I will not fall for Mr. Tall, dark, and
adorable. I don’t care how helpful and kind he is. Long-distance never works,
so the answer is no.
Jamie
I’m sick of the press hounding me about my last relationship, so when the
opportunity arose to captain a new hockey team in smalltown Washington, I
jumped at it.
Too bad I didn't ask more questions before moving here, like, "Are there
bears, and will they be living in my backyard?"
Then there's Ashlyn. The last thing I expected was to meet a funny, sassy, and
good-hearted woman like her. I swore off love after my last heartbreak, but my
heart is acting like it missed the memo.
There’s no way I’m going to pursue her. Unless of course, fate has
intervened, and we were meant to be...
***
Fake-Off with Fate is a slow-burn, friends to love, fake-dating
small town hockey romcom in the Love in Maple Falls series. Add a town
conflict, missing mayor, and bear infestation and you will be laughing and
cheering your way to a happy ending!
My Thoughts:
Once again, Whitney Dineen does a
great job of introducing a whole new cast of characters, while simultaneously including,
or at least name-dropping, many of the previous characters, both main
characters and supporting cast.
In this case, we have the mayor’s
daughter, who returns to town from working with the stars of Los Angeles
because she fears her parents’ marriage is about to implode. She buys them a
trip to Barbados and convinces her father, the mayor of Maple Falls, that she
can keep people from knowing he has left town and take care of his duties for
the week. A natural disaster turns that week into a full month—which is good
for the developing relationship between Ashlyn and Jamie!
Jamie is having some trouble with
the transition from New York City to little Maple Falls. Especially since there
are bears in the woods adjoining his home. He is not too manly to scream when
the father bear growls at him, even when Ashlyn is there. It’s a funny moment.
Although she barely knows him,
Ashlyn confides in Jamie quite early on about the threat to the town. He’s the
only one who knows that her father the mayor is stranded in Barbados. Thus,
they have to spend a lot of time together as he supports her in problem
solving. Ashlyn has no intention of staying in Maple Falls once she has saved
her parents’ marriage. She definitely isn’t looking for love. (When are they
ever?) When she is forced to leave town for an emergency, she uses it as an
excuse not to continue with Jamie, though she definitely has feelings for him.
Naturally, she comes to her senses,
or we wouldn’t have our happy ending!
This book has the witty banter and
funny events that we expect from Whitney Dineen. A couple of team members are
mentioned that are dropped in the following two books, particularly one that is
initially presented as an antagonist for Jamie. We get glimpses of the blossoming
relationships of other couples to be featured in following books.
As a teacher, I object to the fact
that the school offers extra credit to students who do odd jobs around the town
and donate the money they receive. Grades should reflect learning, not
fundraising. I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Ashlyn mentions finding things like
whips in some of the closets she organizes. Porn is mentioned. Kissing.
Deceiving the town about the mayor’s whereabouts. Mention of praying for the victims
of a hurricane.
Who might like this book:
If you like witty banter, humor, hockey,
and romance, here you go!
Thank you to the publisher and
NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #BookReview #Biblioquacious
#RomCom #Hockey #FriendsToLove #FakeDating #WhitneyDineen #FakeOffWithFate
Offside and Off-Limits
Love in Maple Falls #2
By Kate O’Keeffe
Publisher: Wild Lime Books
Publication date: August 20, 2025
Print length: 236 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1991378125
Publisher’s Blurb:
I survived chronic illness and
a cheating ex. Surely I can resist one charming hockey player...right?
Clara
Working as the social media manager for a pro hockey team is all fun and
games—until you trip into the arms of their biggest flirt during a livestream.
Now the fans are shipping us, my boss is thrilled with the engagement, and I’m
stuck dodging feelings for Cade Lennox, aka the certified charmer. The problem?
My contract says he’s off-limits. My heart, unfortunately, didn’t get the memo.
Cade
I came to this small town to turn over a new leaf. But you know what they say
about the best laid plans. All bets are off the second Clara Johnson literally
stumbles into my arms and straight into my heart. She’s focused, loyal, and the
most beautiful challenge I’ve ever met. All I have to do is prove I’m worth the
risk.
My Thoughts:
We first met Clara as Ellie’s
sister in The Rebound Play. She has not recovered from her chronic
fatigue syndrome, but she is managing it, and she’s the new social media
manager for the Ice Breakers. When she encounters Cade, with his past
reputation as a playboy ladies’ man, she is determined to keep things professional.
Cade has other ideas. His playboy
days are in the past, and he came to Maple Falls to reinvent himself. He just
has to convince Clara that he’s not the man she thinks she knows.
When they have a moment in a video
that wasn’t supposed to be livestreamed, the fans love their chemistry, and
Clara’s boss wants her to do many more videos with Cade.
One thing I liked about this one is
that there is no third-act breakup. Although Clara has a non-fraternization
clause in her employment contract, she is a grownup and lets her boss know that
she and Cade have started a relationship. She does, however, have to wait a few
days for official word from up the chain of command on whether that will be
okay—which causes a grand gesture from Cade. It wasn’t needed, but it was
grand.
There’s also a subplot with Clara’s
online relationship with a fellow chronic fatigue warrior. I had a suspicion of
who it might be, and it was completely wrong. It was a great twist and gave
Clara a real opportunity to stand up for herself.
O’Keeffe takes an opportunity in
the epilogue to mention characters from her other books who all tie into the
families in this one. So you’re probably going to have to add to your TBR.
There are a few continuity errors
in this one. The announcement to the town about the impending problem it faces
comes a little too soon (I’m keeping a timeline). Cade mentions at one point
that his sister has twins, Oliver and Olivia. In the epilogue, they have
completely different names. In the “Drench for Defense” fundraiser, Clara is
surprised by a woman who throws water on Asher, but in his book, he has
discussed his attraction with Clara and she gave him advice.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Mention of chronic illness and
mental health. Kissing. A deadbeat ex-husband. Cade mentions his playboy past
and how he took many different women home. Catfishing.
Who might like this book:
If you like witty banter, humor, hockey,
and romance, here you go!
Thank you to the publisher and
NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #BookReview #Biblioquacious
#RomCom #Hockey #CFS #Forbidden #KateOKeeffe #OffsideAndOffLimits
Checking Mr. Wrong
Love in Maple Falls #3
By Anne Kemp
ASIN: B0FHTGDWHZ
Publisher: Red Bird Publishing
Publication date: August 27, 2025
Publisher’s Blurb:
I’m sarcasm with a messy bun. He’s
a sweetheart with a slapshot. Sparks were one thing—those fireworks, though?
Yeah…no one warned me about those.
Mabel
Returning to Maple Falls wasn’t part of my five-year plan—or my backup plan. Or
any plan, really. But here I am, back in my quirky hometown, dodging my
mother’s judgment and trying not to cringe every time someone mentions the
viral moment. (Yes, that one. No, I don’t want to talk about it.)
When my editor sends me to cover
the NHL’s shiny new team, the Ice Breakers, I’m all in—until I meet Asher
Tremblay. He’s their too-charming defenseman with a knack for wrecking my focus
and my sanity. Equal parts infuriating and irresistible, but falling for him?
Not on my agenda. Nope.
Asher
I’ve worked my whole life to make it in the NHL. A new team means a fresh
start, and I won’t let anything distract me—least of all a snarky reporter who
seems determined to hate me on sight.
But the more I see Mabel, the more
I want to know what’s behind her walls. She’s fire and chaos, and I’ve spent my
whole life playing it safe. Maybe she’s exactly what I need. I came to Maple
Falls to chase my dream, but now all I want is her.
***
Checking Mr. Wrong is part of the Love in Maple Falls
sweet hockey romcom multi-author series. It's a grumpy sunshine story with
forced proximity in this small town romance with all the sizzle and chemistry,
but none of the spice.
My Thoughts:
In this “grumpy/sunshine” romance, Mabel
is the grumpy one. She’s downright prickly, partially due to her relationship
with her mother, town gossip Mary Ellen McCluskey. Mabel has always felt like
her mother is too busy doing good for the town to really engage with her, and
she’s not pleased to be returning to town to do a feature on the Ice Breakers.
I’d always pictured Mary Ellen as a
little more elderly, and that’s definitely her vibe in the hands of other
authors. In this case she has recently married Murry, whom we first met as a
janitor in Penalties and Proposals, and who’s kindness and wisdom I had
appreciated in that book. He’s just as kind and wise, only now he’s the arena
manager for the team.
When Mabel first meets Asher, she’s
cranky and even mad at him—only to find out that he’s one of the players she’ll
be interviewing.
Asher is a total golden retriever
happy guy—with obsessive compulsive disorder. Although it is not the focus of
this book, how he deals with it is important, as is Mabel’s compassionate
acceptance and understanding of his condition. I really liked this element of
the story. It wasn’t a surprise; we learned about it in the previous book and
see it developed much more here.
This is particularly crucial when
Asher inadvertently causes a fight that leads to hospitalization of the goalie.
He completely blames himself and spirals, and the way Mabel helps him through
is very sweet.
There is almost a third-act breakup
when Mabel has the opportunity to return to a job in New York that she had been
fired from. Asher doesn’t want her to go, but he’s not willing to stand in her
way—leading to Mabel being the one to make a grand gesture. I love this! It’s
usually left to the male character, so seeing Mabel do this was really
satisfying.
There’s an indication of something
with the goalie that we’ll have to wait a couple of books to see developed.
There is a small continuity error
in saying that Cade came to the Ice Breakers from Chicago. He came from New
York. I do kind of question Mabel having several weeks in Maple Falls to work
on a single story.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Mabel gives a “one-finger salute”.
Kissing. Some hockey-related fisticuffs. Mention of a past injury which causes
someone to become paraplegic.
Who might like this book:
If you like witty banter, humor, hockey,
and romance, here you go!
Thank you to the publisher and
NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #BookReview #Biblioquacious
#RomCom #Hockey #GrumpySunshine #OCD #ForcedProximity #KateOKeeffe #CheckingMrWrong
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