Hockey romances are still having
their moment, and this recently released multi-author series capitalizes on
that. If you aren’t familiar with multi-author series, each book can stand
alone, but they all share a common setting. Protagonists from one book will
likely be side characters in another. Stores, events, and side characters will
also be repeated, allowing multiple views of the setting.
This particular series revolves
around a hockey team that is put together as a fundraising event for a ranch
that serves underprivileged children, with a limited season of games against a
Canadian team. The Ice Breakers are based out of the small-ish fictional
Western Washington town of Maple Falls (not to be confused with the real town
of Maple Valley).
Unlike the Appies series, each of
these books was written by a different popular sweet romance author, each with
her own style. There are some differences from book to book, but nothing so
serious as to mar the series.
Similar to the Appies series, all
of the female main characters exist beyond their potential as romantic
partners. They have actual lives, careers, and struggles.
The male main characters have
various reasons for their singleness at the beginning of the series. Several
have (mostly undeserved) reputations as serial daters. All are dedicated to
hockey.
The situations that get the various
couples together are varied and interesting. Of course, there is an element of
predictability: when there are two POV characters, you know they’ll end up
together. The question is: what will happen to them before they get there? Will
there be a third-act breakup, or will there be something else that tests the
relationship?
I find that the passage of time is
a bit confusing. There is a Halloween party mentioned in several of the books,
and there’s a corn maze and haunted house at Maple Fest. There is pumpkin spice
everything. The Ice Breakers practice together for a while before the first of
their five games, but the space between games is a bit fuzzy. Days? A week? It
all seems to be over before Thanksgiving though. Especially since some of the
epilogues mention Christmas lights.
Also…what’s wrong with an otter as
a mascot? (If you know me, you know I adore otters.)
Possible objectionable material:
Very mild cursing. Various issues
such as parental divorce or neglect, alcoholism, death of a parent, chronic
illness, infidelity, sexual harassment. This is hockey, so there are injuries
and the occasional fight. People drink. This is closed door romance, so we
don’t see more than passionate kisses. There is a hint that sex happens.
Who might like these books:
Romance fans, hockey fans, hockey
romance fans. Anyone who likes well-written books where characters grow and
develop over the course of the story.
Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing ARCs for these books in exchange for my honest opinion.
Breaking the Ice
by Whitney Dineen
ASIN: B0DC5Y77DQ
Publisher: 33 Partners Publishing (August 3,
2024)
Paperback: 194 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8991232807
Publisher’s Blurb:
What do an entitled billionaire and
small-town ice-skating coach have in common?
Ellie
My life is not turning out like I thought it would.
My mom’s arthritis has gotten so bad that I had to move in with her. I’m making
ends meet by giving ice skating lessons at the arena in Maple Falls. I’d be in
serious trouble had the Harts not given me that job.
Which makes it impossible to say no when they ask me to let Troy’s obnoxious
billionaire brother stay in the cabin on my mom’s property during the charity
hockey event they’re running.
Zach
First the tabloids call me out for being a cheapskate and then Yolanda Simms
takes to national television to tell everyone what a vicious heartbreaker I am?
Yeah, my life has been better.
My brother thinks I can fix my bad press by coming to Maple Falls and donating
big to his new charity endeavor. Too bad he didn’t mention the woman who owns
the cottage I’ll be staying at hates me with a passion.
He also didn’t mention she’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a woman…
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers, billionaire,
forced proximity.
My thoughts:
A good choice of author to start
off the series, Whitney Dineen has the responsibility of introducing us to the
town of Maple Falls and the idea of a charity hockey team. I like the angle of
this being a hockey romance without involving any actual players of the game.
Instead, we get the billionaire benefactor of the team. He finds Ellie
attractive on first sight.
Ellie, of course, has believed all
of Zach’s bad press, and really doesn’t want anything ot do with him.
Naturally, events keep pushing them together and romance ensues.
The villain of this book is
reporter Yolanda, and she’s a bit on the cartoonish side with her actions. A
woman scorned, etc. I found the resolution of the conflict with her to be a bit
on the predictable side.
There’s no true third-act breakup
in this book, which I’m not mad about. The third act conflict is due to Ellie’s
torn feelings over whether she should believe Zach or Yolanda. Luckily, she
figures it out.
As we meet other characters who
have their own books in the series…the scene is set!
The Rebound Play
by Kate O’Keeffe
ASIN: B0DCZLSXHQ
Publisher: Independently published (August 13,
2024)
Paperback: 174 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8329933260
Publisher’s Blurb:
If you get a second chance at love
with your hockey star ex, should you take it?
Keira
What do you do when your NHL superstar ex skates back into your small town?
Drop to the ground and hide behind the bleachers, hoping he doesn’t see you.
But Lady Luck must be in a bad mood today because Dan spots me, my hood over my
eyes, pretending I’m not there.
Mature? No.
Necessary? Oh, yes.
Humiliation washes over me, and the wall around my heart stands firm. Dan might
be back, but I can’t afford to let him in again. Not after the heartbreak of
losing him once before.
When he offers to coach my nephew, I reluctantly agree. Every smile he flashes
at me, every kind word, threatens to crack my resolve. But I can’t go through
that again. I have to protect my heart.
Dan
I want Keira back. End of story.
Tropes:
Second chance, jock/nerd.
My Thoughts:
When Dan “The Man” went off to
college on a hockey scholarship, he and Keira thought it best to break up,
knowing that long distance would be hard. Ten years later, neither has found
anyone. When Dan returns to town for the Ice Breakers, he looks forward to
seeing Keira. She’s been avoiding him for ten years.
This time, there’s no clear
antagonist. The struggle is with her feelings of being tied to Maple Falls,
taking care of her chronically ill sister, niece, and nephew. Keira feels
there’s no way she could be enough for Dan, given his professional hockey
career and ability to attract puck bunnies.
There’s a brief third-act breakup,
as Keira tries to end the relationship as Dan’s brief season in Maple Falls
comes to an end, but he’s not having it.
The Friend Face Off
by Grace Worthington
ASIN: B0DFC3X7NK
Publisher: Poets & Saints Publishing
(August 26, 2024)
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8988770930
Publisher’s Blurb:
Getting involved with your brother’s
best friend is risky enough. But when he's a hockey player? It's a whole new
level of bad idea.
Emmy
As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a
secret: I’m obsessed with hockey romances.
But let me tell you, real life
hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends.
So I threw down the gauntlet on
BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong. Can a real
hockey player be as romantic as the ones in my favorite stories?
Enter Dawson Hayes, a goalie with a
point to prove and my brother’s best friend. He’s confident he can win me over
and take me on the most romantic date of my life.
But there’s a catch: for me to
accept, I have to pretend that he’s my fake boyfriend.
And while he’s unfairly gorgeous,
he’s also my brother’s teammate AND his best friend.
Keeping him in the fake boyfriend
zone is the only way to deal with my secret attraction.
Turns out, the line between fake
and real isn't just blurry, it’s become impossible to tell the difference when
he looks at me with those eyes that say, You’re mine.
DAWSON
The first time I met Emmy, her
brother warned me to stay away. As hockey teammates, that made her totally
off-limits.
But now I’m back in Emmy’s small
town to play in a charity hockey match, and I can’t resist her dating
challenge: to find out if any man can be more romantic than the book boyfriends
she adores.
Emmy and I are both fiercely
competitive, and I’m determined to win her over.
When the moment of truth comes, the
chemistry between us turns into something neither of us expected:
A romantic face-off between friends
who are insanely attracted to each other.
Now, I’m out to prove to her that
you should never judge a book by its cover—or a hockey player when it comes to
love.
Tropes:
Brother’s best friend, friends to
lovers, You’ve Got Mail.
My Thoughts:
We turn now to Dan’s sister, Emmy,
and best friend, goalie Dawson. Emmy and Dawson met a few years prior when
Dawson and Dan visited home from college. Emmy wasn’t interested in a hockey
player, because she figured they all emphasized the word “player”, but did end
up making a pact with him that if either of them needed a date when they were
25, they’d be there for each other.
Well, now they’re 25 and Emmy needs
a date so she can avoid creepy Stewart. Dawson was attracted to her then, and
he’s attracted to her now. Of course, he knows what Dan would do to him if Emmy
got hurt.
Emmy has given up on finding
romance, figuring that the men in romance novels, unrealistic as they are, will
have to do. When “Golden Dog” replies to her TikTok post about unrealistic
expectations, they develop a sort of online, anonymous friendship.
Naturally, things progress between
Emmy and Dawson, and Emmy keeps turning to Golden Dog for advice.
Did I mention that this has a You’ve
Got Mail vibe?
On a side note, Dawson visits the
ladies’ book group when they discuss a hockey romance for Perfectly Wedded.
This is a genius (or annoying) move by Worthington. It’s her novel, not
yet released at the time this book was published. She spends a lot of time
mentioning it. Did it pique my interest? Yes. Did I request it to review? Also
yes.
Emmy, like Ellie and Keira before
her, struggles with her feelings of being a small town girl who stayed in her
small town, and not being worthy or of enough interest to a professional hockey
player. Dawson has a definite reputation for having a different woman on his
arm every time he goes out. Turns out his dad hires dates for him so he’ll stay
“relevant” in the media.
There’s almost a third-act breakup,
as media and others point out to Emmy that she’s not Dawson’s type, but Dawson
shuts it down pretty immediately, and, after a pep talk from Grandma Mimi, Emmy
is ready to take a chance on love.
Love in Overtime
by Melissa Baldwin
ASIN: B0DF7XYGRK
Publisher: Independently published (August 26,
2024)
Paperback: 170 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8335895125
Publisher’s Blurb:
Playing hockey in Maple Falls was
meant to be just a charity gig, but then my new publicist showed up, melting
the ice—and my heart.
Cooper
I never anticipated being roped
into a charity hockey game during the off-season. But here I am, heading to
Maple Falls, all because my publicist decided to retire. Change was inevitable,
but I didn't foresee it coming so soon.
Getting assigned a new publicist,
Blair Radcliffe, didn't sit well with me at first. However, there's something
about her – a fierce determination that's both intriguing and challenging. I
wonder if she's ready for the whirlwind that is Cooper Montgomery. One thing's
certain-- I can't afford to fall for my publicist.
Blair
I still can't believe I landed my
dream job. The excitement is overwhelming, and I'm determined to carve out my
path in the industry. But there's one obstacle standing in my way-- Cooper
Montgomery, the seemingly uncooperative hockey star. Nevertheless, I'm ready to
tackle the challenge head-on, and perhaps some time away in a quiet town like
Maple Falls will work wonders.
What I didn't anticipate was
developing a crush on my own client. It's the ultimate taboo in my profession,
a mistake that could jeopardize everything I've worked for. I'm at a loss on
how to navigate this newfound attraction, especially when it appears that
Cooper might feel the same way. I’m not sure what to do next.
Tropes:
Grumpy/Sunshine, workplace, slow
burn
My Thoughts:
The overall plot is cute, but
there’s not much depth to this one. I’m not asking for it to be Great
Literature, but there’s just not much there. The biggest conflict is that she’s
his publicist and he’s her client, however can they make this work? There’s no
real backstory to why Cooper is so closed off and grumpy, just a couple of
mentions of a difficult childhood. We see a bit of Blair’s parents, but again,
all we know is that she’s confident, chipper and upbeat. She goes through no
change in this story. Cooper…learns to smile more? That’s really it.
The running joke of Cooper calling
the town by the wrong name was cute. There are some flaws here. Blair
constantly talks about giving Cooper the itinerary for his day. Itineraries for
traveling from place to place. It is related to the word itinerant. What she
really wants is an agenda. And calling the final segment of play in a hockey
game the fourth quarter?
The Parent Playbook
by Elsie Woods
ASIN: B0DDG5ZBKZ
Publisher: Puppy Love Books (August 16, 2024)
Paperback: 206 pages
ISBN-10: 2492606422
ISBN-13: 978-2492606427
Publisher’s Blurb:
I don’t know when dad jokes and
mismatched socks became my type, but that hockey dude skated into my life like
a runaway puck… and I think I like it.
Angel:
I know I should be thankful that my
charity was selected by the Ice Breakers hockey team. It’ll make a huge
difference in children’s lives all over the state.
There’s only one problem:
I hate hockey dudes.
I have to remind myself of that
fact when Scotty MacFarland with his groan-worthy dad jokes slips into my life
like he’s always been there.
No matter how hard I push back on
that perfectly formed chest, Scotty remains strong, giving me the space I need.
I’m beginning to think I don’t want to have so much space anymore.
But by the time I figure that out,
it just might be too late.
Scotty:
The only thing I love more than
hockey is my daughter.
It was a no-brainer for me to give
up the ice when I became a single dad, and I didn’t look back. But when the
call came to coach the Ice Breakers, the opportunity was too good to pass up,
and I thought my girl would thrive with a fresh start in Maple Falls.
Turns out, the leaves weren’t the
only thing falling in Maple Falls.
Angel Davis swooped into my life
and pieces I didn’t know were missing started to fall into place. A devoted
single mom, director of a children’s charity, and all-around spark of
sassiness, she and I find an easy rhythm, despite her throwing a boot at my
face.
But Lily comes first. And if I have
to leave behind a future with Angel before it’s started in order to do what’s
right, I will.
Though it seems fate has other
ideas.
Tropes:
Single dad/single mom, second
chance.
My Thoughts:
Again, the interactions between
Angel and Scotty are cute. I had a few moments of wondering why a 35-year-old
man was being called Scotty, not Scott, but then I remembered my 40-year-old
nephew, who still gets called Scotty, so I’m giving a pass on that one.
This one has a couple of precocious
12-year-old kids and a goat named Edgar to keep us laughing. Fortunately, there’s
not enough of any of those to become annoying.
I did have trouble with some inconsistencies
in this one. Cooper’s vibe is quite different here than it is in his book. In
this one, he even calls the town by the correct name.
Again, the timing of events feels a
little inconsistent from the other books.
Perhaps the biggest one for me,
though, was the distance from Angel’s farm to the town center. She talks about
driving into town, which seems to take several minutes. Yet her son is walking
to the ice rink every morning before school? This one definitely bothered me.
This book has much less kissing
than the others. Blame it on interrupting kids. The third-act breakup isn’t
really a breakup as much as a setting of priorities. Of course, they get over
it. Which…is not a surprise, since we need our HEA!
Love at First Skate
by Ellie Hall
ASIN: B0DC593HZH
Publisher: Independently published (September
18, 2024)
Paperback: 216 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8334931848
Publisher’s Blurb:
They say love is messy. Turns out
friendship is too, especially when you’re stranded in a cabin with your best
friend and hearts are on thin ice.
Teddy
I’ve heard that men and women can’t be friends without it becoming something
more. Harlow and I put that theory in the penalty box, thank you very much.
She laughs at my jokes, secretly admires my hockey butt, trusts me with her
biggest fear (it’s safe with me). In turn, she knows everything about me. Well,
almost.
There’s been a recent development. I’m gone for her. Down bad. Solid Crush. She
lives rent free in my mind. I’ve caught feelings. This wouldn’t be a problem
except, you know, the whole shattering our friendship thing.
Harlow
You know those days you want to erase? It went like this: my boyfriend broke up
with me (it was overdue), and then I broke up with my job while at a work
conference (it was mind-numbing).
In an ironic twist, I won the raffle for a romantic getaway trip for two. Who
else to bring other than my best friend who’ll gladly commiserate with me? He
has a hockey event nearby, so it works out perfectly.
Until we’re stranded in the cozy cabin together. There’s a blaze of attraction.
A friendship-changing kiss.
What now? Do we hit the reset
button? Salvage what we had? Pretend it never happened? These are things I’d
talk to my bestie about, but I can’t because I’m head over heels for him.
Tropes:
Forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, best
friends to lovers.
My Thoughts:
This is the one I clicked with the
least. There’s plenty to like about it, but it just didn’t do it for me like
the other books. I had a difficult time connecting with grumpy Harlow. We get a
little bit of her backstory. But some of the hints are give us unfulfilled
curiosity. Likewise with Ted…why is he the way he is?
Their friendship is cute. Ted has
been there for Harlow since elementary school, despite distance and time. He is
the one who rescued her from an ice-skating accident when they were young, and
he’s the one trying to help her get through her lasting trauma from the incident.
And he’s the one who acknowledges deeper feelings first. There’s no third-act
breakup, merely the ebb and flow of their ability to wrap their minds around
taking their long-lasting friendship to a romantic relationship, with all of
the risks inherent there.
There are some things, however,
that do bother me. Things like the couples massage scene. Who wears a bathing
suit for a massage? Has the author ever had a massage? On orders from my
orthopedist, I do, and believe me, that’s not how my massage therapist works.
There’s also a scene right after
Ted and Harlow are in a hot tub. They haven’t changed yet; Harlow is in a
bikini and a towel. And then Ted says, “she stuffs her hands in her pockets.”
That’s some bikini!
After a goal, Ted says, “we get the
points”. No. One goal=one point.
This, more than the rest, really
messes with my sense of time. The first of the two games mentioned says the Ice
Breakers won. There’s plenty to indicate that this is the first game they
played, but [spoiler] the Ice Breakers lost their first game. The other game
described, the final one in the series, is accurately described.
Penalties and Proposals
by Anne Kemp
Publisher: Red Bird Publishing (September 10,
2024)
Paperback: 170 pages
ISBN-10: 0473719436
ISBN-13: 978-0473719432
Publisher’s Blurb:
It only takes one bad apple to ruin
the bunch. When life hands me reformed hockey star Noah Beaumont, AGAIN, am I
supposed to make cider or is there a sweeter surprise in store?
Willa: I never wanted to see Noah Beaumont
again. EVER. When I kicked him off my set after he showed up intoxicated, his
PR team tried to blacklist me. I made it over that hurdle, made a name for
myself, and I’m heading to Maple Falls to cover a charity ice hockey team
that’s making headlines...only to find out I have to work with HIM.
But this Noah seems different. He’s
reformed and seems to be determined to show me he’s changed. Can I trust him,
or will he be the same disaster I remember?
Noah: I’ve spent years trying to make amends for my past mistakes,
questioning if I still belong in the world of hockey or if it's time to step
back, be ‘normal’. But seeing Willa again brings everything into sharp focus.
She’s the woman who’s haunted my thoughts since the day I met
her.
Now, she’s here in Maple Falls, and
I’m dead set on proving I’m not the same man she remembers. I want her to see
the real me, the man I’ve worked so hard to become. Can I convince her to give
me a second chance?
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers, forced proximity,
second chance.
My Thoughts:
I really liked Noah’s redemption arc
here. He was honest about the faults of his past, but didn’t wallow in them. I
also appreciated that Willa, once she learned the truth, adjusted her opinion
of Noah.
They do, of course, have a speed
bump along the way with the arrival of a self-centered actress that Noah had
recently dated, but Willa faced the issue squarely and it ultimately had no
impact either on her career or on her romance. Willa herself notes how far she
has come since the incident when she and Noah first met, and she doesn’t let
the incident get to her or make her immediately break up with Noah.
I enjoyed the moments where janitor
Murray kept catching Noah talking to himself. I’d have liked to see him pop up
in the other books as well.
