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beer_books_shadowdaddies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder and Infidelity
rebakesl's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I LOVED this book. The fake-dating trope done SO well, great teasing banter, steamy and spicy without all the icks. I wish childhood traumas could be resolved so easily, but it’s a true HEA, even with the parent relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
jbrusa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
embelle's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Cute hockey romance! While much of it was very predictable, sometimes even impossible/not something that would actually happen, I enjoyed the book for what it was while I was reading it. There was a lot of humour, and also some deeper topics that were addressed as well, and I found myself rooting for our couple.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Abandonment
sami_leigh's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I want to be someone who Hazel’s proud to be dating, even if it is pretend.
Rory deserves to be shown that he’s loved.
He’s my safe place to land.
🥅 First person dual POV
🥅 Enemies to lovers
🥅 Fake dating
🥅 NHL Hockey player / Physical Therapist
🥅 High school crush — she was dating his rival
🥅 He falls first —Hard
🥅 She’s saving to start an inclusive yoga/therapy studio
🥅 He’s trying to balance his fathers expectations with actually liking his life
🥅 Well established secondary characters; Owens (Book 3), Darcy, Streicher & Pippa (Book 1)
🥅 Spice 🥵 ‘good girl’
🥅 MC growth; self worth/confidence, past relationship trauma, childhood trauma, risking a relationship
🥅 No third act break up 🙌🏻
🥅 Body respect 😍
🥅 Epilogue
⚠️ Toxic relationship (past), toxic relationship (parent), infidelity (past relationship), sexual harassment (by secondary character), body shaming (by secondary character towards themselves).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
britwalsh16's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love a good enemies to lovers romance! I enjoyed this book very much. Hazel and Rory’s story was perfect. They make such a sweet pair, Rory chasing after Hazel since high school, & Hazel fighting her attracting to Rory so she doesn’t get hurt again. But neither of them realize what awaits them. And the whole hockey team & organization that stands behind them is amazing, and something I love so much about the hockey organization & community, they’re a family, & when someone threatens that family they deal with it, even when the threat comes from within, they stand behind eachother & protect! Connor made a great villain, & I love how no matter what he did, Hazel & Rory didn’t let him get between them. I want a love like that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Grief, and Sexual assault
gabs_parr's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Loved this book more than the first. This couple was more relatable to me than the first couple because Hazel’s passionate but kind personality is so similar to mine. The way she behaves in her relationship though, anxious-avoidant, snarky, while also being deeply loyal, protective, and supportive- and secretly caring more than she’s willing to admit even to herself at first… for better and for worse, was like watching myself in a mirror. It was sweet to see a girl like us get a happy ending.
This book also improved in the first. Every problem that I had with the first book was addressed in this book to at least some degree. My biggest issue with the first book was that the main characters didn’t have friendships outside of each other and I thought that was weird. In this book, Hazel has a slightly deeper relationship with her sister than was shown in the first book and Rory’s relationship with Jamie has healed so that friendship is a shown, along with some blossoming casual relationships with other men on The Storm, including Hayden and Coach.
This book also contains a better balance of romance, friendship, and … love scenes than the first book did. A much, much better balance. The ones that were included fit into the story much better and they were still just as well done as the ones in the first book. Another improvement I loved to see.
I really loved the storylines with their parents in this book. All 3 of them. Very well done.
I would recommend this book to any romance reader looking to get into the sports romance genre.
This book also improved in the first. Every problem that I had with the first book was addressed in this book to at least some degree. My biggest issue with the first book was that the main characters didn’t have friendships outside of each other and I thought that was weird. In this book, Hazel has a slightly deeper relationship with her sister than was shown in the first book and Rory’s relationship with Jamie has healed so that friendship is a shown, along with some blossoming casual relationships with other men on The Storm, including Hayden and Coach.
This book also contains a better balance of romance, friendship, and … love scenes than the first book did. A much, much better balance. The ones that were included fit into the story much better and they were still just as well done as the ones in the first book. Another improvement I loved to see.
I really loved the storylines with their parents in this book. All 3 of them. Very well done.
I would recommend this book to any romance reader looking to get into the sports romance genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Body shaming
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity
brandie_abbie19's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Abandonment, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Violence
ambercunningham's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
sdupont's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy hockey hotness!! This book is fabulous. Stephanie can honestly do no wrong. This book has everything and is the perfect mix of banter, comedy, sweetness, pining, and spice. I just adored Rory and Hazel. Rory has it bad for Hazel and it is so endearing. I loved seeing their relationship evolve and grow. As Hazel dropped her guard their relationship was able to become much deeper and meaningful. Rory is a man in love and pulls out all the stops during the fake dating scheme to make sure he keeps his girl. Also we must acknowledge his nickname for her because how cute?? Honorable mention to rest of the guys on the team, I love the tight-knit friendships. I absolutely recommend this book to the hockey girlies and the fake dating fans. You will not be able to put this one down!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity