Hockey Romance with Cassidy

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Thanks to Cassidy for joining me to talk about our favorite Hockey Romances. 

Kristen's Picks:

• Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
• Rookie Season by Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner

Cassidy's Picks:

• The Pucking Wrong Series by C.R. Jane
• The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
• Don't Let Me Series by Kelsie Rae
• Slap Shot Surprise by Melanie Harlow
• The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

Kristen and Cassidy's Picks:

• The D.C. Stars Series by Chelsea Curto
• The D.C Eagles Series by Leah Brunner
• The Undone Series by Peyton Corinne
• The Vancouver Storm Series by Stephanie Archer
• The Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

For links to the books discussed in this episode, click the link here to take you to the Google Doc to view the list.

For episode feedback, future reading and author recommendations, you can text the podcast by clicking the "Send us a message button" above.

For more, follow along on Instagram @whereileftoffpod.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:08):
Welcome back.
I'm Kristen Balls, and you arelistening to Where I Left Off, a
Bookish Podcast.
And today I have a specialguest, my friend Cassidy came
on, and we are talking all abouthockey romance on this episode.
So thank you for joining me,Cassidy.
Yay, I'm excited.
So hockey romance is like one ofyour favorite things.

(00:29):
Can you tell everyone a littlebit about your like insane
hockey TBR on Goodreads and howmuch you just love hockey
romance?

SPEAKER_01 (00:38):
Uh yeah.
Um I don't really know where thelove came from.
Um, I think the first likehockey romance series I really
read was the off-campus seriesby L Kennedy, which is like a
classic.
I feel like everyone probablyhas at least heard of it.
No, yeah, I don't really knowwhat it is about hockey romance
that I like so much.

(00:58):
I think a lot of it is like thethere's a lot of like similar
tropes throughout hockey romancethat I think I like.
And so I think that helps, butyeah, I don't know.
I kind of like having just likethe common theme, I guess, like
to expect.
And I like hockey.
I've been getting into it more.
So I just feel like I don'tknow, it's just, I don't know.
I guess it's just something tome that it's just like if I see

(01:21):
a hockey romance, I'm like,okay, I know that I'm probably
gonna like this.
Not all the time, but it's apretty high chance.
So it's just a good like go-tofor me.
But yeah, I do have a pretty bigTBR on Goodreads.
Um, of just like every time Ifind a hockey romance book that
I like I need to read this, Iput it on there.
Right now it's at 73, so it'snot too bad.

(01:41):
That's pretty good.
It's actually pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 (01:44):
Yeah, I I look at it sometimes to give me ideas.
So thank you.
I actually have a surprise foryou.
Oh.
So yeah, you don't know this,and it took it was kind of hard
to keep it a secret.
So I unbeknownst to you, I readthe deal.

(02:06):
I was gonna say, I know, I knowthat's your favorite.
Um, for those that don't know,like Cassie was just talking
about, it is in the off-campusseries, it's book one, and she
has been begging me to read itfor like months.
She was like, you have to readit.
And I uh I read it.
So I just finished it actuallythis morning.
I didn't even think I wouldfinish it.
I thought I would be likehalfway through, but I finished
it.
So I've officially read the Idon't know, I kind of feel like

(02:30):
it's almost the like Actar ofRomance or hockey romance, you
know, like whenever you think ofhockey romance, I just think of
Elle Kennedy like first.

SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
Yeah, she's kind of like the gateway drug a little
bit for hockey romance, at leastfor me.

SPEAKER_00 (02:42):
And you've read so you've read the entire
off-campus series, and have youread you've read all of her
books, right?

SPEAKER_01 (02:49):
Yeah, so there's the off campus series, and then
there's Briar U, which is likethe the legacy series, like the
kids of the the people in theoff-campus series.
And then there's I think they'recalled the campus diaries, which
are like, oh no, I'm sorry, Igot it mixed up.
The Briar U is like sidecharacters from the first story,

(03:10):
like from the first series, butit's like still at the around
the same time as the firstseries, and then campus diaries
is the kids of the people fromthe original series.
So I have read all of those sofar.

SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
Uh who is your favorite again?
Remind me, like out of theoriginals.

SPEAKER_01 (03:27):
So my favorite book is the third one, the score.
Um, but my favorite MMC is uhTucker, who is in the fourth
book.

SPEAKER_00 (03:40):
Okay, I was gonna say, I don't know, wait.
I have met him like a littlebit, but like barely.
Yeah.
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (03:46):
Yeah.
But I do love the score themost, and Dean is a close
second.

SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
So okay, okay.
Um, yeah, I I don't I don't likeGarrett Graham.

SPEAKER_01 (04:00):
So I like Garrett Graham.

SPEAKER_00 (04:02):
No, I don't, I don't.
Um I think I think it's reallyhim that I just don't like.
Wow.
He yeah, I know, I know.
The hot take.
I was gonna say, I'm probablygonna get like reamed for this,
but um I I'm gonna try not tospoil, or I guess we could go
into spoilers if we wanted to,but either way, he just says a

(04:23):
couple things in his POVchapters that really really
didn't sit right with me.
And it just I but I think, butuh with my caveat is that I
think that as he matures, Ithink that as I see him like
growing up a little bit in otherbooks, and granted, like he's in
college right now, he's playingcollege hockey.

(04:44):
So I feel like I know he's gonnago into the NHL.
Like I I know he's gonna playfor the Bruins.
Like I've I've just heard thatenough, like spoilers.
But I mean it's not that's not ahuge spoiler.
Like he wanted that to happen.
Clearly, he's good enough.
I'm not surprised in any way.
So that wasn't like a hugespoiler, but I know that he's
gonna play professionally.
So I think as he matures and ashe gets older, I'm going to like

(05:07):
him better.
But as he is right now, not ahuge fan.
So I I don't know which one I'mgoing to gravitate to, but it is
not Carrot Graham.

SPEAKER_01 (05:18):
I think I feel like I know you pretty well.
I think you'll like Dean.
I think you'll like Dean.
He's in the third book, he's inthe score.
Um, I mean, he's in all of them,but he's the MMC in the score.
I think you'll like him.
You might like Tucker.
I'm just afraid you won't likehis book because it has a
certain trope in it that youdon't love.

SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
Okay.
Okay.
Well, I mean, I'll give them alla chance.
And I like her writing style.
So it's nothing against her.
I think I literally just don'tlove Garrett, and that's my hang
up with book one.

SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
Yeah.
I mean, part of the problem isyou're not a big fan of college
hockey romance.
No.
And that's like this wholeseries.
So they do kind of feel a littleimmature, but it's because it's
kind of that new adult, likethey're still in college, like
they're kind of, you know, it'sjust the way they are.
But I do think like if you keepreading, well, you've read some

(06:09):
of the you've read some of thecampus diaries.
Like you've read like theCharlie Method and No, I did not
read the Charlie method.

SPEAKER_00 (06:16):
Um, that one was too much for me.
Um I read the Graham rule.
Is it rule?
And then the Dixon.
Wait, no, is it the Grahameffect and the Dixon?
The Graham Effect, Dixon.
I've read the Graham effect andI've read the Dixon rule.

SPEAKER_01 (06:33):
So you didn't like, did you like Garrett when he was
older?
Like a dad?
Like in okay.

SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
Yeah, I was fine with him then.
So that's why I think that inthe middle, like in between
college and him being a dad, Ithink that I'll like him a
little bit better.
Like I really just didn't knowenough whenever I read it
because I was more focused onGigi and I am blanking on the
MMC's name from that, from thatone.

(06:58):
But yeah, I was more focused onthem than I was on Garrett.
Yeah.
And I don't even rememberHannah, honestly, in the Graham
effect.
I don't remember her at all.
I don't know that she was evenreally in it.
Because I remember Garrett,because he was obviously a big
I'm not gonna spoil that.
It's like hard to talk about itwithout spoilers because I'm

(07:20):
like, wait a minute, that's aspoiler.
Wait a minute, that's a spoiler.
Can't can't spoil, but anyway,yeah.
So I like her writing style, Ilike them.
I just yeah, Garrett, Garrett'snot it for me, but it's okay
because there are like a bunchof other books.
So that's true, yeah.
And the the series will comeout, and who knows?
Like when I see now I'm gonnahave to go back and look up the

(07:43):
actors and see if I think itfits their personalities.
Because before I was obviouslylike looking at all the promos,
because I've seen a bunch ofpromos on Instagram, but looking
at it blind versus now I kind ofknow a little bit more about
them and I know what everyone'stalking about now a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 (08:00):
Yeah, there's a lot of discourse about the casting.
I personally I'm I'm okay withit.
I don't well, I won't get intoall my opinions because we'll be
here forever, but I think forthe most part, I'm okay with it.
I think it'll be good.
I'm interested to see how it howit goes.

SPEAKER_00 (08:14):
Do you like the castings for Dean and Tucker?

SPEAKER_01 (08:17):
I like the casting for Dean.
I'm still warming up to Tucker.
I really like Logan's casting,and I think Garrett's casting is
pretty good.
Um, but Dean's is like almostperfect, I think.
Like if I were to envision Dean,I think the actor they chose to
play Dean is pretty spot on.
Um, Tucker is not what Ienvisioned him as, but I'm gonna

(08:39):
give him the benefit of thedoubt because they cast him for
a reason.
Like that's their job.
So, and Elle is very likeinvolved in the show.
So I don't think she would letthem cast someone that she
didn't see as being a goodTucker.
So I trust her judgment, so I'msure it'll be good.

SPEAKER_00 (08:56):
And I also it's kind of hard to say anything until
we've seen them act.
Like I've seen them, you know,in random like Instagram reels,
like putting on their gear andstuff, but not like actually
acting and acting with their FMCbecause they're gonna have to
have chemistry with all of theirFMCs.
So we'll see.
We'll see.
But I figured that was gonna beone of your picks.

(09:17):
So I wanted to read it and Iwanted to surprise you, and I
did.
So that was that was mysurprise.
I read the deal.
Okay, getting into our picks.
Since I went off on that wholetangent, I will let you go
first.
Uh, so how this works is we aregoing to go back and forth and
tell each other about our picks.
Most of them I think we'veactually read, but we've both

(09:40):
read probably most of them.
Um, I I was gonna say you'veprobably read more than me on
some of your picks.
Like, I don't know that I'vegotten to all of them quite yet,
but I think you've read almostevery pick that I have.
So okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 (09:55):
I'll start with one that I know you haven't read.
I'm gonna start with the puckingwrong series by CRJ.

SPEAKER_00 (10:07):
We're going straight in.
Wait, hold on.
I was gonna say now I have tolook up this cover because uh at
first I thought you were gonnasay pucking around, but you said
wait, what was it?

SPEAKER_01 (10:17):
Pucking the pucking wrong.
Well, it's the pucking wrongseries, but there's like the
pucking wrong number, thepucking wrong guy.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 (10:27):
Okay, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
I know.
Okay, okay.
So on what books are comparableon a spice scale?
Like, are these way more than LKennedy?
Are these like Emily Wrathlevel?
Like, what where do they fall inthe hierarchy of spice?

SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
Well, so I think the author technically categor
categorizes it as almost like alike a dark hockey romance.
The characters are very likemorally gray.
And so it's very, I would sayit's definitely spicier than L
Kennedy.
Um, it just really depends onwhat your like level is.

(11:09):
I think Emily Wrath is crazy inher own way.
I think these are just a bitmore like if you read a lot of
dark romance, there's a lot ofthose kinds of themes.
So it's more like that level ofspicy.
It's more just like okay.
I would say it's not like crazy,but it probably is for a lot of
people.
It's more just likesituationally, it's like that's

(11:30):
kind of insane.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Like out there, like how dark romance is just like
really out there and like leftfield.
Okay, okay, right.
Right.

unknown (11:41):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (11:42):
So how did you find these books and what do you like
about them?

SPEAKER_01 (11:46):
When I'm in the office, because I work an office
job, I work a desk job, and Iget really bored.
So I listen to a lot ofaudiobooks while I'm working.
And so I was on hoopla one dayand I saw one of them, and I was
like, you know what?
Just, you know, for for laughs,I'll I'll listen to the first
one.
And there's something aboutthese books.

(12:06):
I've never, I'll be honest, Iknow I'm suggesting these.
I've never rated one higher thanthree stars, but I can't stop
reading them.
Or like I've listened to all ofthem.
I haven't read any of them.
So there's something about themthat keeps me coming back.
But every time I listen to one,I'm like, this is crazy.
Like, what is going on?
Why am I reading this?
And then I immediately start thenext one.

(12:28):
So I I I don't know why.
They're like so insane.
They're almost ridiculous.
Like, they're just crazy.
Like, I don't like any of theMMCs.
Like, they all just like give methe ick.
I don't like them.
There's a lot of red flags, butI can't stop reading them.

SPEAKER_00 (12:44):
Okay, got it.
So Paige Turner, but know whatyou're getting into before you
start the series.
Yeah.
Do you know how many books thereare in the series?

SPEAKER_01 (12:52):
Um, I think there, well, let me look.
I think there's five.
I've listened to four of them.
I think the fifth one like justcame out recently or is coming
out.
Let me let me look to make sure.
Um, there's also a Christmasnovella, which I did recently
read.
Yeah, okay, so there's five.
The fifth one just came out inMay.

(13:12):
I haven't read it yet.
Um, but I've listened to all theother four and the Christmas
novella.
So I guess there's technicallysix total, but there's five and
then a novella.
Okay.
Cool, cool.
I think my favorite one is thesecond one.
No, I think it's the third one.
I I think the second one's myleast favorite, actually.

(13:33):
Because there's one MMC, Ari,he's like my least favorite.
He like during that whole book,I was like, this guy's crazy.
Like, run, girl.
Like, just run away from him.

SPEAKER_00 (13:44):
So well, there you have it.
So if you like a spicy, darkromance hockey mix, then this is
definitely the series for you.
And by the way, I feel like Ihave to say all of these books
will be linked down in the shownotes.
So if you would like to pickthem up, we don't even have to
remember the names technically.
You can just go in the shownotes and click away and it'll

(14:06):
take you right to the books.

SPEAKER_01 (14:07):
Anyway, definitely check your trigger warnings and
your content warnings on thatseries, I will say.
Because there's not just spicein those, there's a lot of like
darker themes and like um likegore and violence and stuff in
those too.
So maybe check check thewarnings on those.

SPEAKER_00 (14:25):
Okay, good to know.
So I'm gonna go the completeopposite way.
And um fake skating by LynnPainter is my fake.
When I said the opposite way, Imeant the total opposite way.

SPEAKER_01 (14:43):
So I wanted to start off like crazy.
I wanted to go to the wholeother extreme and then work
backwards.

SPEAKER_00 (14:51):
I appreciate that.
And I like that we have verydifferent um spice level tastes
because then that way likelisteners can get literally
whatever they're looking for ifthey're in between both of us,
or maybe sometimes it depends ontheir mood.
Like maybe they're in a LynnPainter mood, or maybe they're
in an Emily Rath mood.
Like, I don't, I don't know.
So, anyway, that's why we have amix.

(15:12):
So bring bring it on.
But my pick is Thanksgiving byLynn Painter.
So this is YA.
So again, it is totally totalopposite.
It is YA, but I will say that ifyou've never read a Lynn Painter
book, she does have a lot ofcussing in them, and she has a
lot of um like they just feelolder, they don't feel YA.

(15:35):
For those that are picky andkind of concerned about it
feeling like YA, her books arenot.
I have not read one of her adultromances yet.
I've only read uh Better Thanthe Movies, Nothing Like the
Movies, and now Fake Skating.
And I will say that I think fakeskating might be my new favorite
Lynn Painter of the moment.
So I feel like just let thatsit.

(15:58):
I mean, it's close to betterthan the movies, but I think I
kind of like it a little bitbetter, which I don't know that
everyone's gonna share myopinion based on just some of
the good reads reviews.
But it was so good.
And for me, better than themovies kind of like took a
second to get started and getlike for me to get into it, but
that did not happen with fakeskating.
I was in fake skating from pagelike one, and I couldn't stop

(16:22):
flipping the pages.
But basically, uh what happensis this is Danny and Danny is
the girl, and then Alec is theguy, and they have been friends
for their entire lives.
Their moms are like bestfriends.
They basically spent like everysummer together, and then
through circumstances that I'mnot going to spoil, she ends up

(16:45):
moving to his town and goes tohis high school for her senior
year of high school.
So then when they're in forcedproximity, their friendship had
been broken up through againcircumstances, and they start
off not liking each other, andso they have to kind of figure
out what happened, and now theyare super close and their moms

(17:08):
are best friends and they'reseeing each other all the time,
and it leads to you couldprobably guess, fake dating,
because it's called fakeskating, but it it was so good,
it was so good, like theirbanter was so good, the way that
he reacted to situations, theway that she did.
And I don't even likemiscommunication, and this does

(17:29):
have a slight miscommunicationin there, but it was done so
well that I didn't even reallycare, which says a lot because
it was just such a good book.
And it had it had a lot ofhockey in it, especially because
Danny, the FMC, she knew nothingabout hockey, and this is a very
like hockey-centered town, uh,because it is up north.

(17:50):
And so she you kind of likelearn with her.
So if you don't understandhockey, her grandpa, who is a
famous hockey player and playedin the NHL, um, that still lives
in the town, he'll explainstuff.
Alec will explain stuff.
So I feel like it's perfect forboth those that really like
hockey.
You get a lot of hockey inthere, but then if you um are

(18:10):
not as familiar, it explains itreally well because you have
Danny who literally knows likenothing about hockey.
So anyway, it was so good.
It had like all the Lynn Paintermagic that there normally is,
but it just the pacing wasfantastic, and I just love this
book.
So it it shot to the top of thelist.

SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
Yeah, I've been wanting to read that one.
I like Lynn Painter, I've read afew of hers, so that's
definitely on my list too,because I love fake dating.
It's like one of my favoritetropes.

SPEAKER_00 (18:42):
So I need to read that one.
And you might find this funny.
Um, I think I already told you,but oh well.
So whatever I was at the allergyclinic um, because I get allergy
shots.
Yay, fun.
Anyway, so I was at the allergyclinic and me and the
receptionists we talk aboutbooks.
I talk about books with a lot ofpeople in my life.
I've somehow found all thepeople that really like books.
So we were chit-chatting and sheasked what I was reading, and I

(19:05):
had taken the dust jacket off soit wouldn't get all messed up,
and it said fake skating on theside with a little like hockey
stick.
And so she was like, Oh, fakeskating.
She's like, I think that'shockey.
And I'm like, Yeah, I juststarted it.
Cause at that point I justhadn't even read the first page.
So I was like, Yeah, and therewas a room full of like dudes,
and so I didn't say anything.
So I was like, Oh yeah, I'm justreading this book called Fake

(19:26):
Skating.
Cause I I was like, they're notgonna know, they're not gonna
know that it's like a hockeyromance book, so it's fine.
And um then one of the guys,whenever I sat down, he's like,
How do you fake skate?
Like, what is fake skating?
And I was like, Oh, I didn'twant to say it's fake dating
with a hockey player, becauseeveryone can hear you.
So I was like, Oh, I don't know.

(19:48):
I only got to the first page.
So anyway, apparently the titlereally grabbed everyone's
attention, but it is good.
Oh, also it has uh no spice, sothis is a no spice book.
All all the Lynn Pager booksI've read so far do not have
spice.
There are a couple slightlyintense makeout scenes, but
nothing, it's kissing only.

(20:10):
There's yeah, it is no spice.
So again, total opposite, goinga totally different direction.
Oh man.
What is your next pick, Kasty?

SPEAKER_01 (20:22):
Okay, for my next pick, I'm gonna go with The Game
Changer by Lana Ferguson.

SPEAKER_00 (20:27):
And she comes to our Barnes and Noble, our local
Barnes Noble a lot.
So I need to read this.
Please, please tell me more.
I'm very interested in this one.

SPEAKER_01 (20:37):
Okay, so the Game Changer, the FMC is like a TV
baker, like she has a bakingshow on TV, and um the MMC is
her brother's best friendbecause her brother's a hockey
player, so he's his teammate andbest friend, and um he like
comes back into town because helike got traded off to another

(20:59):
team and whatever, and he comesback like years later, and um
somehow, one way or another, shelike needs someone to be on her
show for like an episode, and soshe like convinces him to like
guest star on her show, and thenlike the network and all the
viewers and everything love it.
So she like convinces him tomake it like sort of like a

(21:20):
joint show where he like gueststars like every week on her
show, so they sort of like fallin love throughout the show, but
then there's also like a sideplot where like he was in a bad
relationship before and hestarted like being seen with
her, and so then like there wasall this good press.
So like his publicist and herpublicist were kind of like,

(21:40):
y'all should just like sort ofplay into it.
So there's sort of fake datingin it, but it's more just like a
like a not correcting peoplekind of fake dating.
But yeah, it's it I thought itwas really good, it was pretty
cute.
It's not it's not spice-free,but it's not very heavy on
spice, if I remember correctly.

(22:02):
Um, now take that with a grainof salt with me, because I say
that a lot, and then otherpeople will be like, I read that
too, and it was crazy.
Me.
But this one really, like, Ireally don't remember it being
that bad.
Um, but it was it was reallycute.
It was very like rom-com-esque.
Like it was very like just itwas very like warm and fuzzy.

SPEAKER_00 (22:25):
Sign me up, sign me up.
Um I was gonna say, I think fromwhat I've heard, the spice does
sound kind of like just atypical Berkeley romance.
Not not in a bad way, but justkind of like old school Ellie
Hazelwood, maybe not even thatmuch, but just kind of more like
Alexa Martin, a love hypothesis,like yeah, those kinds.

SPEAKER_01 (22:43):
Yeah, it's like just like okay.
Yeah, it's like a normal, likerom-com type romance book level
spice.
Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 (22:51):
I'm gonna have to read it.
Uh, I should have got thatsigned copy the other day of
Barnes and Noble when we went.
You told wait, did you tell meto get it or did Allie tell me
to get it?
I probably told you to get itbecause I read it.
Yeah, I I think you did, butit's okay.
I'm holding out for the nexttime she comes back to Barnes
and Noble.
I'm sure she'll be back.
Yeah, she comes back like everytime she has a release or uh

(23:13):
every time they open a newstore.

SPEAKER_01 (23:15):
Yeah.
I wanted to catch um CR Jane,who writes the fucking wrong
series, comes to our area a lottoo.
So because I think she's fromaround here too.
So I I need to catch her nexttime she's around too.

SPEAKER_00 (23:29):
I do appreciate all the authors that well, we uh
we're kind of lucky.
I feel like I have to put thatout there that we're kind of
lucky being in uh the area thatwe are, that a lot of a we have
a lot of local bookstores it percapita, and we also have a lot
of Barnes and Nobles popping up,and there are a lot of authors

(23:50):
that are local or at leastsomewhat local.
So every time they do a release,they will pop by and do their
little tour.
So I have like a list of some ofthem.
Like I need to get to you.
I just the date never quiteworks out.
Who are you most excited to seethat would come back?
Sarah Adams.
Yay! I was gonna say we get tosee her in January.

SPEAKER_01 (24:12):
Yes, that's who I'm excited for because I really
have like read quite a few ofhers now, um, slowly but surely.
And I don't read a ton of likeuh clean romance, honestly.
Um just because I tend to findit like too cheesy almost.
I don't like like the I don'tknow, it just seems like too

(24:32):
happy.
Like I like when things go wronga little bit, and I feel like
when they're clean romance, it'sjust very like Hallmark
movie-esque, and that's not myfavorite, but I love Sarah Adams
because she always like includeslike real stuff in her romance.
It's not just like oh they meetand fall in love and it's
happily ever after.
Like there's always some likedeeper element to it.

(24:53):
So I really like her, so I'mexcited to see her because he
knows she's one of my favorites,so but yeah, no, I am I'm
excited.

SPEAKER_00 (25:02):
I can't wait for you to hear her talk, just hearing
her talk in person, like she'sjust so fun.
And her and Alexa together.
So we're going to the SarahAdams and Alexa Martin, uh, like
their event together, and uh,they're such good friends, and
it's so fun because they sitthere and they're like, your
books are good, no, your booksare good, and then they like

(25:22):
chat and they just know eachother so well that it they're
really, really good together.
So I'm excited for you to get toexperience that.

SPEAKER_01 (25:30):
Yes, also different genre, but I want Grady Hendrix
to release another book so he'llgo on tour again because he
always seems to stop in ourarea.
And I quite enjoyed his talk thelast time I went.
He did like a whole likePowerPoint presentation, like it
was very like theatrical, and hewas super nice.
So I would want to see him againif he comes out with another

(25:51):
book anytime soon, which heneeds to.

SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
I was gonna say, I feel like he's probably due for
another one pretty soon.

SPEAKER_01 (25:58):
I mean, I guess it was like last year when How to
Sell a Haunted House came out,so he probably has a little bit
of time, but yeah, he's probablydue for one soon.
I hope so.
I'm surprised he doesn't haveone out around now.
He usually tries to release onearound the Halloween, you know,
spooky season.

SPEAKER_00 (26:14):
I was gonna say makes sense, makes sense.
And for anyone that doesn'tknow, Grady Hendricks is horror.

SPEAKER_01 (26:21):
So yeah, he's a horror author.
Yep, yep, yep.
Definitely not hockey romance.

SPEAKER_00 (26:25):
No, but Sarah Adams is a hockey romance either.
But she's sports romance, butshe's not hockey.
Um, yeah, sometimes.
Small town in sports.
Anyway, okay.
Off that.
Uh going to the next pick.
My next pick is um I'm trying todecide which one's gonna be my
next pick.
So I'm gonna go ahead and say uhthis one you have not read,

(26:47):
Castie, Rookie Season.
It's literally right behind me.
Rookie season by Leah Bruner andKatie Bailey.
It was so good.
This is the start of a newseries.
This is kind of, I mean, it'skind of for all intents and
purposes, like a legacy seriesbecause it's one of the
characters in Katie Bailey'sbooks and one of the characters

(27:09):
in Leah Bruner's books, theywere like 10 or 11 in the
original books.
And so this is when they this isnew adult when they're in
college, and it's their story ofhow they fall in love.
And basically, um, the femalemain character, she has some

(27:29):
stuff happen and she drops outof school, and when she drops
out of college, she ends upworking at this dance studio
because she is a dancer anddance was a dance major.
And basically then she ends uprooming with these three um
hockey players, and so they kindof like take her in and show her

(27:54):
the ropes, and she obviouslyends up falling in love with one
of them.
And no, this is not a widechoose, this is closed or again.
I feel like when I say I everytime I would talk about this
book and I would say that therewere, you know, she was living
with three hockey players.
I felt like I always had to say,so this is not wise choose, and
it's it's closed door again.
But this one is definitely thisis definitely like closed-ish.

(28:19):
And I think Leah even said thatshe doesn't, I'm pretty sure
they don't even really marketthis one as closed door because
it is kind of like right on theline.
Um, and yeah, it it is I'mtrying to think of another book,
but I can't at the moment that Ifeel like would comp this spice
level.
It's nothing like bad, it's justthey go a little bit further

(28:42):
than your standard closed door,kind of like how you were just
saying, Cassie, that you don'twant um it to seem like too
happy and stuff like that.
This one does not.
There's a lot of emotion.
There's also again, there'sactually, I don't think there's
any cussing in this.
Yeah, because they say puckinstead of, you know, and uh
because one of them, heliterally like changes um

(29:05):
changes his autocorrect to puck.
So every time he's trying to saythat other word, it just
autocorrects it to puck.
And so it was it was prettyfunny that part.
But they have like this wholegroup chat with the guys, and
they're just all really sweet.
And this is the start of aseries, and I can't wait for
basically all the roommates aregonna get their own book.
Um, and Katie Bailey and LeahBruner, they're just magic.

(29:28):
And I know, Cassie, that youlike the DC Eagles series.
I always want to say DC Stars.
Nope, that's Chelsea Curtis, DCEagle series, and this is just
like I don't know.
I think you're gonna like thiseven more, dare I say, which I
love the DC Eagles series.
We both do, so it you're gonnalike it.

(29:49):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (29:49):
Yeah.
I yeah, I I want to read thatone like really badly because I
did.
I love, I love that whole, Ilove Leah Brunner.
I think she's like so good.
Again.
I don't usually read like cleanromance, but her series is so
good.
Like I'm obsessed with it.
I have I listened to what wasthe the last one?

(30:10):
Uh Patrothal.
No, no, no.
Secret or Shutout.
Secret or Shutout.
I listened to that one onaudiobook when I was in the
office.
And I literally had to get upfrom my desk, go to the bathroom
because I was crying, likebawling my eyes out.
It was so good.
That one's my favorite, but notmy favorite MMC.
But anyway, we're not talkingabout that series.

(30:30):
Oh my gosh.
Also Chelsea Curto series, too.
If we're talking about DC, Icould go on forever about that
one too.

SPEAKER_00 (30:38):
I know that's why I almost said DC Stars.
Because I was like, no, it's DCEagles, not DC Stars.
But yeah, no, this series isreally good.
If you haven't led read LeahBruner, I would highly recommend
it.
She's definitely one of thosethat, like, even though she's
closed door, she doesn't feelclosed door.
But if you do want a closeddoor, she definitely fits the
bill.
But if you normally don't likereading closed door, then you

(31:00):
could still read her books.
And honestly, I don't even thinkthat you would notice like the
banter and everything else isjust so, yeah.
I'm like, it's so top-notch, youdon't even, it doesn't even
matter.
They're just so good.
If you can't tell, I I gotCassie into them because I made
her read them.
I was gonna say I've made youread a couple, but then you've
made read that you've made meread a couple that I've really

(31:20):
liked too.
So we kind of like forced eachother to read or the best kind
of friendship.
Exactly.
Okay, what is your next pick?

SPEAKER_01 (31:30):
Okay, I feel like I can't go a hockey romance
episode without mentioning theDon't Let Me series by Kelsey
Ray.
I felt like you probably knewthis was this was coming.

SPEAKER_00 (31:40):
This was on my list of what I thought you were gonna
come to the table with.

unknown (31:43):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (31:44):
Um it's very comparable, I'd say, to the
off-campus series by L.
Kennedy.
Um, it's college hockey, youknow, group of friends in the
team that are also roommates.
So like each roommate gets theirown book.
It's very, it's very likesimilar, not very similar, but
it's if you like the off-campusseries, you'll like the Don't

(32:07):
Let Me series.
My favorite one is the thirdone.
It's called Don't Let Me Break.
But technically, I don't reallyknow if it's considered a hockey
romance because the MMC in thatone is the older brother of one
of the players on the team, andhe is like the team like medic.
Like he is there for the games.
If one of them gets hurt, helike, you know, takes care of

(32:29):
them.
Um, but he's really great.
I really like him.
He's probably my favorite MMC inthe whole series, too.
Um, but the FMC in that one, shehas epilepsy, and so she like
has a lot of struggle withdating and like relationships
and everything.
And so this guy who's aparamedic comes in and he like

(32:49):
it like doesn't even phase himbecause he's like, I know how to
handle it, like whatever, itdoesn't matter to me.
And so that there is a bit of anage gap.
It is an age gap.
Um, it's not like a crazy agegap, but like she's still, well,
maybe it is kind of a crazy agegap.
Depends on what your level ofcrazy.
She's in college, he um has liketeenage daughters.

(33:13):
He's like divorced withdaughters.
Okay, so there's a whole likesubplot where the the FMC works
at like a diner and one of theone of her co-workers is his
teenage daughter, but shedoesn't know it for like half
the book.
And so there's like that wholelike subplot.
But I really like the series.

(33:34):
It like I feel like if you don'tlike college hockey, you might
not like it.
But like the first book, I I didreread them recently because
I've reread them a few times.
If you didn't like Garrett,you're probably not gonna like
the first book.
Okay.
But I have the first book andI'm obviously willing to give it

(33:54):
a try.
Right.
But I will say overall, it'sworth it to read all of them
because they're all in, I mean,they're in they're
interconnected standalone, soyou don't have to read all of
them, but they're all in likeeach other's books because
they're all like close friendsand like all the FMCs are
friends with each other, and allthe MMCs are roommates,
obviously.
But yeah, I think I thinkthey're good.

(34:17):
But yeah, she has that the Don'tLet Me Series, and then she has
the Little Things series, whichis a legacy series of the Don't
Let Me Series.
So the kids of the charactersfrom the Don't Let Me Series are
gonna be the main characters inthe Little Things series.
It's still ongoing.
I think there's five out rightnow.
I think there's six or seventotal, so I think she has a
couple more to go.

(34:37):
But yeah, I I I recommend them.
They're not heavy on spice.
I they're L Kennedy level.
They're probably, but not likethey're not like the Charlie
method level, L Kennedy.
I feel like she has a differentokay.

SPEAKER_00 (34:51):
Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 (34:52):
She has a very like, she has a spectrum, I feel like.
Um yeah, they're more likeoff-campus.
They're more like off-campuslevel spice.
But I I definitely say if you'rea fan of the off-campus series,
give the Don't Let Me series atry.
They're kind of lesser known.
I think she's still indiepublished.
I don't think she so likethey're not like you can't just

(35:13):
go to Barnes and Oval and pickthem up.
A lot of local bookstores willhave them.
I know a couple of our likeromance local romance bookstores
have them, but she's not gonnabe one that you can just like
run to Barnes and Oval orsomething and pick them up.
But I recommend them.

SPEAKER_00 (35:27):
So okay.
My next couple picks.
Um, these are these are the onesthat I know we both like that
we're so we're both trying tocome with picks that we didn't
think that we thought that theother one wasn't gonna bring.
Um, so I'm just throwing thesetwo out there, and I know we're

(35:49):
both gonna be like, yeah.
Well, actually, I might throwthree of them out there like
rapid fire, and we'll be like,yeah, those are ours.
So, okay.
First one, we talked about itfor a second, DC Stars by
Chelsea Kurto.
So for me personally, um, I'vepretty much basically been
talking about all closed door upuntil this point.
I'm crossing over to none ofthese picks that I'm about to

(36:13):
say are closed door at all.
They are very spicy.
All of them are very spicy.
So just know that if you werethinking that, oh, because you
read closed door, like these,no, these are not.
So Face Off is my favorite inthis series.
Um, it is book one.
I absolutely loved it.
It's not that I don't like theothers, but all of the other

(36:34):
books in the series, I've readthem all and they are too spicy
for me, to be honest.
They're yeah, I know your face,like yes, they're so I I can't,
I can't.
They're a little bit too muchfor me.
But at this point, I really likethe group chat with the guys and
I like their camaraderie, and Ilike getting to see so much of

(36:56):
each character, and I loveChelsea's writing style, so I'm
in it, but I'm warning you thatif you were thinking that it was
gonna be on my level of spice,they're honestly they're too
spicy for me.
Face Off is the only one that Itruly think is not too spicy.

SPEAKER_01 (37:14):
I love those books.
Um, I think my favorite isSlapshot.
I think that's my favorite book.
That's wait, what color wasthat?
Okay, yeah, yeah.
I did like Slap Shot.
Those are the chef.
But my favorite, my favorite MMCis Riley from Hat Trick from the
fourth one.

SPEAKER_00 (37:34):
I liked three the second best.
Yeah, yeah.
And then four.
It's one, three, four, and twois like my order of favorites,
probably.

SPEAKER_01 (37:46):
I think the only reason why three is my favorite
is it's kind of the only see,okay.
I have to preface this becauseit sounds mean what I'm about to
say.
I read a lot of books and I readthem fast, and so I tend to
forget a lot of what happens inbooks I read.
I can tell you if I liked a bookor not, but I don't know if I
could tell you what happened init, like even two days later.
But I still remember vividlylike a lot of slapshots.

(38:09):
So that's why I think it's myfavorite, is because for some
reason it stuck with me, andthat's hard to do.
I did love all of them, but Ilike I can like still picture
like scenes from that book.
So that one gets its stamp ofapproval for me.
They all do.
I love them all.
Um, I think they're great, but Ido love Riley from Hat Trick,
he's my favorite image.
Yeah, I love him.

SPEAKER_00 (38:28):
Yeah, I I really enjoyed the reading experience
of one, three, and four.
But like I said, three past one.
It's really honestly too spicyfor me.
And I'm just reading it becauseI'm attached to the characters
at this point, but yeah, they'recool.
Man, that's a lot, that's a lotof spice for me.
Like a lot.

(38:48):
Um up next, my two other kind ofrapid fire-ish picks are um the
undone series, which we areobsessed with this series.
I don't know.
I think we're the most obsessed.
Um, and you can even talk aboutokay, hold on.
So, okay, this is Unsteady byPeyton Corinne, Unloved, and

(39:09):
then Unbound, which Cassieactually got an arc that she can
talk about in a second.
But this is the one of the onlyseries.
I would say the Leah Bruner, DCEagles, and the Undone series by
Peyton Corinne are probably theonly two series that I think
I've ever read where I almostcan't pick a favorite because I

(39:32):
love all of the books equally.
Like they're all so good intheir own way.
And I thought that nothing couldever beat Unsteady, and then I
read Unloved and I don't knowwhich one's my favorite.
I literally have to readUnsteady and Unloved like back
to back to try to decide becausethey are so good.
These are also, they're on thespicier side.
They're not as spicy as DCStar's, but they're spicy for

(39:56):
me.
But they are more of a slow burnbecause they are both kind of
slightly chunky books, sothey're a slow burn.
So they're not like super, superspicy, but when the spice hits,
it does hit.

SPEAKER_01 (40:09):
Yeah, I have a favorite.
Mine's mine's on love.
Um, however, I there's a sidecharacter that he's gonna be an
MMC in the fourth book.
His name is Torin, and he has mywhole heart.
I'm ready for his book.
I'm waiting patiently, not sopatiently.
I love him so much.

(40:30):
And I need his book liketomorrow.
I love him so much.

SPEAKER_00 (40:36):
What sold you?
Was it the tattoos, the bangothing, or the scream mask, like
the ghost face mask?

SPEAKER_01 (40:43):
All of it, all of it, and he's like grumpy and
he's misunderstood.
Like he has a past and I knowit.
And like everyone's like, wedon't like him.
And I'm like, there's gotta be areason.
And I love that.
I always joke with Kristen.
I'm like, I love a good redflag, and Torin definitely has
them, but I know he has reasonswhy.
And if I can justify the redflags, I'm here for it.

(41:05):
I love a good villain, I love agood, like misunderstood bad
guy.
I just do like to my core, likethat's what I love, and I love
them.

SPEAKER_00 (41:16):
And I I am more on the golden retriever side, so
we're we are like totalopposites, which is great,
because then yeah, it alwayskeeps it interesting.
We never like the same MMC,which is actually kind of
perfect.
So yeah, it works.
Um, okay, so with Unbound, okay.
Did you cry whenever you readany of them?

SPEAKER_01 (41:36):
Oh, I I cried during Unlov.
Okay.
Did I cry during Unsteady?
I don't I remember Unsteadybeing like super heavy, like it
did hit emotionally, but I don'tthink I really cried.
But Unlov, I remember likethere's like I think it's in the
epilogue, like the epiloguescene.
Um, and I think that I remembercrying during that part.

(41:58):
So definitely Unloved made mecry.
Unsteady didn't make me cry, andunbound, because I I did read
the arc for unbound.
I won't give away spoilers, butit didn't make me cry.

SPEAKER_00 (42:09):
But did you like it and did it live up to the hype
of Peyton Current's other books?

SPEAKER_01 (42:13):
Okay, I did like it.
I think it's probably my leastfavorite of the three.
However, I did like it a lot.
Um I really, really like the MMCin Unbound.
I really, really loved him.

(42:34):
I really loved Bennett.
Um, the FMC, I'm still I'm stillgoing back and forth on if I
liked her or not because I feellike I connected to Bennett so
much.
And this isn't spoilers becauseshe's talked about it, but he
has autism and OCD, and so do I.
And so I was like, this iseither gonna go really, really

(42:56):
well or really, really badbecause automatically I'm going
to be like picking it apart.
And but she did a really, reallygood job with him.
And I was like, so I felt veryconnected to him because every
time he would like talk aboutsomething or like something that
he struggled with, I'd be like,oh, I totally get this guy.
Like, I was like, I am connectedto you on like a deep spiritual

(43:17):
level, and so I was likeprotective of him.
So every time the FMC would dosomething, I'd be like, She
doesn't deserve him.
She doesn't deserve him.
And I still don't even know ifby the end of the book, if I
fully think she deserved him.
However, she did have reasonswhy she was the way she was.
Okay.
I was literally about to askthat if we find out why Paloma

(43:40):
is like that.

SPEAKER_00 (43:40):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (43:41):
I know I just went on a whole thing about how I
like when people have abackstory to justify why they're
a bad guy.
I get it.
I know.
Double standard.
But I just, I think I just likedthe MMC so much that I just even
with her, like her life andeverything that went on with
her, I I still was almost like,does he deserve her?

(44:03):
I don't like, does she deservehim?
I don't know.
But I did like it.
I think it's good.
I think it's good.
I think it's it's on par withthe other two.
Um, but I wouldn't say it'sbetter than unloved.
It's hard to beat unloved forme.
I don't know if anything canbeat unloved.
That's like one of my favoritehockey romance, like not only
one of my favorite hockeyromance books, but probably like

(44:25):
up there in one of my favoritebooks ever.

SPEAKER_00 (44:27):
So I agree.
I could not stop crying onunloved.
I had to close it a couple timesbecause I was like, I can't stop
crying.
It's angsty if you haven'tgotten that from what we said.
It's very angsty.

SPEAKER_01 (44:40):
So if they're all very angsty.
Unbound was very angsty.
Okay, good.

SPEAKER_00 (44:45):
I I mean, I expect that from Peyton at this point,
so I'll take it.
Uh, the last one that I willrecommend.
I have not warning, I have notread the entire series.
Cassidy has read the entireseries.
I have not.
I've only read one book, so itfeels kind of silly to recommend
it.
But if I don't say it, then it'snot out there.
So there you go.

(45:06):
This is the Vancouver Stormseries.
I have only, yeah, by StephanieArcher.
I was gonna say I've only readone book.
This Cassidy told me it wasn'tspicy and it was spicy, it was
pretty spicy.
The one that I read.
Well, okay, let me phrase it.
To her, it was not that spicy.
And I was like, Cassidy, whatand what?
Um anyway, you can tell that wehave different preferences.

(45:28):
So hey, that's perfect.
If you lean more on Cassidy'sside, then you will not bat an
eye and you'll be great.
And if you lean more on my side,I don't know.
You I still think you wouldenjoy it.
Um, it it was really good and Iliked the character so much.
I have only read The Fake Out,which is book two, and yes, I
skipped around because that'swhat an interconnected

(45:50):
standalone series is for.
I'm allowed to skip around.
If Lila Sage can skip around inseries, then I can skip around.
If it's if it's interconnectedstandalones, I'm sorry, but I
don't care.
I'm gonna read the one that Iwant to read the most first.
And the second one, I waslooking at it in Varts and Noble
and the blurb just stood out tome.

(46:11):
So that that is the only onethat I've read in this series.

SPEAKER_01 (46:14):
My favorite is Gloves Off, which I think is the
first one.
Um, if I remember correctly.
Wait, isn't Behind the Net thefirst one?
Is Gloves Off the most recentone?
Let me let me look it up.
I thought it was the first one,but I think you're right.
Behind the net is the first one.
Which one is Gloves Off?
Let me I think it's book four.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Um, that one's my favorite.

(46:34):
But like solely because it'sMarriage of Convenience and he's
grumpy.
And that's all I need.
Okay.
So but I really liked that one.
That that is the most recentone, which is probably partially
why it's my favorite, is becauseit's the one I remember the
most.
But yeah, I just really likeyeah, I really like Marriage of

(46:58):
Convenience and fake dating, andI feel like they're similar in
tropes, and so I really likedthat one.
Um, I have read all of them.
The next one comes out inFebruary.
I was just looking at it.
I've requested the arc, sosomebody needs to.
I've been really lucky on arcs,so I'm hoping I get it, but I'm
not holding out for that one.

(47:18):
But yeah, I really like theseries.
Like Kristen said, I didn'tthink they were that spicy, but
I do I do tend to I tend to kindof skim through spice.
I don't like sit there and readlike I'm not like ooh, spice,
let me read every I like I dolike skim through it a lot.
I'm like, okay, let's just likeI I wouldn't say I completely

(47:41):
skip it, but I'm not like herefor it.
Like that's not why I read it.
So I kind of just like it kindof doesn't phase me because I I
tend to just sort of almost likejust flip through that a little
bit.
But so I don't remember it beingthat spicy, but apparently it
is.

SPEAKER_00 (47:58):
It was.
I had a friend that read it andthey I think they DNF'd it
because they were like, whoa, orno, they didn't DNF it, but I
think they almost did.
And I was like, it's so good.
And they're like, yeah, it wasgood, but it was a lot.
I was like, oh, sorry.
I didn't, I didn't, I mean, Ithought it was spicy, but not
like that bad.
I I'm trying to think of what tocompare it to.
I would say it's probably it'smore than off campus.

(48:24):
It's maybe more than undone.
It's just kind of different thanthat series.
So it's hard to compare likeapples to oranges, but it's not
maybe like I'd say maybe likethe campus diaries of L Kennedy.

SPEAKER_01 (48:42):
Maybe that's right.

SPEAKER_00 (48:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
I I would agree with thatbecause I'm like, uh, it wasn't
horrible, horrible.
Like it's not, it's not a darkromance, it's not Emily Rath
level, but it's not it's notwhat I'm saying at all.
Um, but it was it is spicierthan like uh Lana Ferguson or
you know, most of the bookswe've talked about, but it's not

(49:06):
quite to DC stars level.
So it's not quite Chelsea Kurt.
I feel like hers are spicierthan I agree with that.
Um Stephanie Archer's, but yeah,it's it's kind of in between.
So if you want an in-between,like you want some spice, but
you don't want, you know, aninsane amount, then that might
be perfect for you.
But Stephanie Archer's writingstyle is so good.
So good.
I keep flipping through them soquick.

(49:29):
Okay.
What are your picks?
Maybe one or two more.

SPEAKER_01 (49:32):
Okay.
Um, I'm gonna go with SlapshotSurprise by Melanie Harlow.
This is a recent one that Iread.
Let me look up that cover.
I'm like, I feel like I've heardof that one.
It's purple.
Why did you like it?
You know it.
I I like it.
You know, you know it.
I know you do.
You know the cover at least.
Oh, I'm looking it up.

SPEAKER_00 (49:53):
I don't know the cover.
You don't?
Uh-uh.
I don't know that I've seen thisone floating around.
That's crazy.
I know.
Clearly, I'm not on the rightside of Bookstagram.
No, I haven't seen it before.
Okay, tell me more about it.

SPEAKER_01 (50:09):
Okay, so Slapshot Surprise.
It's technically now.
I usually, when I readinterconnected standalone
series, I read them in order.
Except this is number five inits series.
I haven't read any of the otherones.
Oh wow.
So I will preface it with that.
This is there's probably areason why you haven't heard of
this because it's your leastfavorite trope.

(50:30):
It is unexpected pregnancy.

SPEAKER_00 (50:35):
Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 (50:38):
So, okay, so slapshot surprise.
The FMC, she's like on a planeand it she's like terrified of
flying, and it starts havinglike really bad turbulence, and
she's like, I'm gonna die.
And so she starts like spillingher guts to the guy in the seat
next to her.
She's like, Oh, I've never liketruly been loved, like no guy
has ever satisfied me, like justgoing off, like going, just like

(51:02):
ranting about everything.
And the guy was like, Okay.
And then she so she's on thisplane because she's going to a
wedding.
I think it's her brother'swedding, if I remember
correctly, or somebody thatshe's related to.
I don't quite remember.
It's been a bit since I've readit, but she's going to a
wedding.
That's why she's on this plane.
And she shows up to the wedding,and one of the groomsmen is this

(51:24):
guy that she spilled her gutsto.
What?
And so that's pretty good.
He yeah, and so he like flirtswith her all night and he's
like, like, look, I can showyou, like, I can I could totally
change like everything.
Like, I can do all this stuffthat nobody's done for you.
Like, I've got you.
And so he like convinces her tolike go back to his hotel with
him.
And so then she ends up gettingpregnant, and um, it's just like

(51:48):
a whole like, you know, thewhole story of like her telling
him and him being like, Oh, Ihave to be around, but you know,
I'm also a hockey player, andit's like I like the drama of
unexpected pregnancy, that's whyI like it.
It's very much drama, but youknow, you have the typical,
like, he's like, but like mydad's not a good dad.
So, like, what if I won't be agood dad?

(52:10):
You know, you have all that, butI thought it was pretty good.
I really liked the like premiseof it.
I thought it was like veryfunny, like it was pretty funny
how like she was like, Oh, I'mabout to die, and then she shows
up and he's there.
Like, that was good.
I did appreciate that.
I thought it was good.
Um, but it was good, it had alot of heart to it, and it had a

(52:30):
lot of like I thought there wasa lot of character development,
like character growth,especially with the MMC
throughout the book, because hesort of starts as like, you
know, the the Playboy hockeyguy, and then by the end he's
like, you know, serious about itand like dedicated.
And so I liked that.
I liked that aspect, but I Ihave read some Goodreads reviews

(52:53):
where people have an oppositeopinion and they're like, this
guy's the worst, she needs torun from him.
I didn't get that vibe, but younever know, I guess.
Um, but I thought it was good.
I liked it.
I I do I do kind of likeunexpected pregnancy, and I know
a lot of people don't, but I Idid enjoy it.
I thought it was cute.
It was very like rom-com levelspice.

(53:14):
I wouldn't say it was anythingcrazy.
It was a pretty slow burn.
I mean, it wasn't because like Ilove a slow burn.
I mean, it was, but it wasn'tbecause obviously, like she gets
pregnant like right at thebeginning, but then for like
almost the whole rest of thebook, if I remember correctly,
like it's very long until likeanything else happens.
So I wouldn't say this vicelevel is anything crazy.

(53:36):
Um, but it was very likerom-com-esque.

SPEAKER_00 (53:39):
That kind of reminds me of Out on a Limb, right?

SPEAKER_01 (53:41):
Like where it's where okay, although Out on a
Limb is better, in my opinion.
But that's not a hockey room.
True, true, true, but it's sogood.

SPEAKER_00 (53:52):
Okay, I think I could definitely see myself
starting like the first book inthat series and working working
my way to book five.
I I mean, I'll read any trope.
If it's an author that I like,I'll read any trope.

SPEAKER_01 (54:05):
But yeah, I mean, yeah, although I think if I know
correctly, because I was lookinginto the series, I don't think
the whole series is a hockeyseries.
Oh, okay.
Like I think they're all relatedin certain ways.
Like, I think they all live inthe same town or they're all
related or something, but likethe first one is like a single
dad slash nanny, the second oneis like he's like a navy SEAL or

(54:30):
something.
Like they're all kind ofdifferent, but they're all in
the same town because it's theCherry Tree Harbor is the name
of the series.
So I think that's how they'reconnected, is they're all in the
same town.
Nice, but I don't think they'reall hockey romance.

SPEAKER_00 (54:44):
Okay, good to know.
Thank you for prefacing it tothat.
It's kind of like whateverpeople call uh which one is it?
Um is it Powerless by ElsieSilver, whenever they call that
a hockey romance, and it's likeuh the rest of the series isn't
hockey, and I mean he is ahockey player, there's like no
hockey in that book, yeah,because I did read that book.

SPEAKER_01 (55:05):
It was good.
I recommend that book.
I don't know if I'd consider ita hockey romance, though.
I mean, he is a hockey playerand he mentions it a couple
times that he plays hockey.
So depends on what your levelis, like where where's the line?
But do you actually want hockeyin your books or not?
Because there's no hockey inthat book.

(55:28):
It's more of a cowboy romance,in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00 (55:31):
Okay, and then did you have any other picks to
round us out?

SPEAKER_01 (55:35):
Um okay.
Um, I've got The Bad Boy Rule byMaren Moore.
I don't exactly know why I likedit, because I sort of mentioned
it in my Goodreads review that Idon't really know why I liked
it.
It was very predictable and likevery like stereotypical.
The guy, so this book, the guyis like the bad boy hockey

(55:58):
player, and I think it literallysays in it, like he refers him
to himself as like on the wrongside of the tracks, and she's
like this rich girl whose dad islike a business owner, like owns
a company, and she is an iceskater, I think, if I remember
correctly.
Um, and so they meet each otherbecause like they both booked

(56:22):
their ice time at the same time,you know, very like it's giving
icebreaker.
Um but don't say the nameicebreaker on this episode.
No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding,I'm kidding.
But he like figures out who sheis, and he's like, Oh, her dad's
company like ruined my life.
Like they fired my dad, and nowwe're poor, and all this, and

(56:44):
it's all because of her father.
So he's like, I'm gonna like getback at him by dating his
daughter, which like crazy redflag, by the way.
He's like, I'm gonna ruin herlife and like make her a bad
girl and all this stuff.
But then of course he like endsup falling in love with her.
Um, but for some reason I likedit.
I wouldn't say it was likeanything profound or like new.

(57:06):
Um, no offense.
I thought the writing was good.
I thought that like it was itwas an interesting book, it kept
my attention, but I wouldn't sayit was like anything new that I
haven't like read before, whichsounds mean, but I did like it.
I did like it.
I'm just saying, like, if you'relooking for something like new
and never done before, probablynot this book.

(57:28):
But it was good.
I got it in the probably smutbox one month.
Nice.
Um, so I have like a nice fancycover book, but I wouldn't say,
yeah, I I did like it, but Iwouldn't be like, if you're
like, I want the best hockeyromance I've ever read ever,
probably not that one.
Uh paint grin.

(57:48):
Definitely.
I would say paint and grins highup there.
Yeah.
But yeah, I did like that one.
I did like it.
So there you go.

SPEAKER_00 (57:57):
Sometimes you just want a good, like, good, fun
hockey romance.
Um, I will say one last thing onthis, and I'm gonna go ahead and
put up the spoiler alert warningfor this because I feel like in
order to explain it, I kind ofhave to get into the spoilers.
I will say one more thing on thedeal that I was just thinking
about as we were talking aboutsomething.

(58:18):
Okay, so on the deal, I thinkalso it's hard because for me,
I'm reading, like I said, I'mcalling this kind of the actor
of hockey romance.
When I've read so many kind oflike inspired works, or you
know, everything was kind of ajumping off point from here,

(58:38):
it's hard to go back to theoriginal and not feel like the
original's a copy paste, eventhough the original was what
started it, and now everything'skind of moving from there.
So I thought it was a little bitcliche um how the dad, Phil, was
like, you're not gonna date myson and he's not gonna get his

(59:01):
inheritance.
And then she just broke up withhim and didn't say anything.
And actually, honestly, thereason I probably also felt no,
I can't.
That's a spoiler for okay, we'rejust gonna go.
I mean, you already saidspoiler.
I did say spoiler alert.
This is also a spoiler alert forfake skating by Lynn Painter.
And don't worry, Cassidy, thiswill not ruin the book for you.
But again, same premise in fakeskating, where he's where one of

(59:25):
uh the MMC's nemesis's nemeses,whatever his nemesis, his
nemesis, there you go.
His nemesis was like, don't datehim because of this, and like
basically both times I read backto back where they're like,
You're not gonna date himbecause of X, Y, and Z, and you
can't tell him because you knowhe he's gonna say it's fine and

(59:48):
go back on whatever it is.
So that was kind of like uh,that's just been done a lot
before.
But again, this book, I think itsaid it came out in 2015, the
deal.
So at that point in time.
That may have not really beendone, and everything else may
kind of be inspired by that.
So I feel like I can't judge iton that because the same with

(01:00:10):
Actar, like half the stuff I wasreading, I'm like, oh, I've seen
a million of that trope or thisthing or that thing.
But it's like, again, these werethe kind of originals.
I'm sure that they were stillinspired by something else,
guaranteed.
So I'm not saying that they arethe original, original
blueprint, but they are one ofthe more original blueprints.
So sometimes it's kind of hardto read that so after the fact

(01:00:33):
when I've read so many otherhockey romances and then go back
to it and then I'm like, oh,I've seen this done a million
times before.
Well, duh, because she kind ofwrote more of the original.
So anyway, I will say that alsomight be why I've just, there's
so many good hockey MMCs.
And so I think that's whyGarrett just it wasn't, I don't
know, it wasn't for me.

(01:00:54):
So I could see how if you readthe deal first and you fell in
love with Garrett and he's likeone of your OG favorite hockey
guy, book boyfriend MMCs thatyou you might be really mad by
my take that I am not a fan ofhis.

SPEAKER_01 (01:01:10):
Yeah, I mean, I will say, in my opinion, Elle kind of
like paved the like Elle waswriting hockey romance like
before it like really blew up.
Like I'm sure she wasn't thefirst.
I'm not saying that, but likeshe was definitely like she sort
of is what started the like theboom in it, because she was
really the first like series toget really big for hockey

(01:01:30):
romance.
I feel like like she really likecatapulted it.
And so, like, and I yeah, Ididn't love that whole plot
point in the deal either.
Cause to me, it felt almost likethe miscommunication trope.
Like, if she had just like goneto him and be like, Hey, your
dad just threatened me, like hewould have just been like, Well,

(01:01:51):
don't do it, and then like theywould have been together and it
would have been fine.
Like, cause then it that's theone where he was like, Well, it
doesn't even matter because onceI turn a certain age, like I get
it anyway.
Yes, yes.
I have the trust from mygrandparents, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah.
Yeah, and I was like, Yeah, shecould have just talked to him
and avoided like the whole thirdact breakup in that book, like

(01:02:12):
just saying, but I will defendGarrett a little bit, like you
said, because I do love him.
Um, it wasn't his fault, it washis dad's fault.
So, like, don't blame Garrett.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:25):
It's true, yeah.
No, I'm not saying that was hisfault.
That's not I was gonna saythat's that's not why I don't
like him that much.
Um But also I did want to pointout the whole Logan thing, like
what was that?
Okay, it felt it felt a littlebit like it was after the fact.
Like Garrett and Hannah kind ofgot together and then Logan

(01:02:49):
decided.
I mean, granted, it was kind oflike as they were getting
technically, if I wanted to gettechnical about it, they were
still in the tutoring sessionsand they weren't together
whenever he kind of started todevelop a crush on her.
And really from the beginning,he was like, Hey, are you seeing
her because I like her orwhatever?
But it it just, I don't know, itjust kind of seemed unnecessary

(01:03:09):
because it's not really settinglike a love triangle.
And it just kind of seemed alittle bit weird to me that I
don't know that he would be soobsessed with Hannah when it's
like why, like, why?
I don't know.
I didn't really see the purposein it, but again, I've only read
book one, so maybe when I get tohis book and book two, it'll all
start making sense andeverything all go, okay.

(01:03:31):
That's why she was laying thegroundwork for insert thing
here.

SPEAKER_01 (01:03:34):
So okay.
I need to rant about Logan alittle bit.
Um, the second book is my leastfavorite book.
Um, I do love Logan, I don'tlove his book.
Okay.
Um, it is very much like prettymuch the main plot line of the
second book is that he can't getover Hannah.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03:54):
But why?
Like, I just don't understandwhy he's so obsessed with her
because he really hasn'tinteracted with her that much.
Like he has but not to like herto that level.
I just don't get it yet.

SPEAKER_01 (01:04:08):
I feel like I can sort of sympathize with him a
bit because I feel like I feellike he's just hung up on her.
Like sometimes you just seesomebody one time and you're
hung up on them.
Like, we know this.
Yeah, we know this.
I'm like, okay, okay, okay,okay.
I I can appreciate that.

(01:04:29):
Okay.
So I get it, but also like it iskind of annoying.
And the second book, because Idid just recently reread them
because the show's coming out,and I was like, oh, I want to be
like, I want to make sure Iremember everything.
So they are very fresh in mymind.
The second one is my leastfavorite.
Okay.
I don't love it.
I think it's hard not to see himand the FMC in the second one as

(01:04:53):
like him just trying to replaceHannah in his brain.
Yeah.
Like I know that he isn't, butlike it's very hard to sort of
like, because like so much oflike the first book and a lot of
the second book is him like justbeing so like almost depressed
over the fact that Garrett isdating Hannah.
And then he just starts, youknow, like it's just very like

(01:05:14):
he does like a 180 almost, andyou're like, seems a bit like
he's just like rebounding.
Right.
But I do like Logan.
I think he gets better.
He gets a lot less whiny.
Okay.
So I will say that.
And I'm excited for the showbecause I like who they cast as

(01:05:35):
Logan.
So I'm hoping it goes well.

SPEAKER_00 (01:05:37):
Yeah, and I'm interested to see if they just
like if they keep that plotline, if they drop it, because
you never know, they could dropthat whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 (01:05:46):
They'll have to keep it because, like I said, it's so
much of his book.
Yeah.
And it'll start the drama.
I mean, besides the dadinheritance thing, there's not a
lot of drama in the first book.
That's true.
So you really need that sidedrama line, like to keep the
show going, I feel like.
Because you're gonna needsomething.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, that's fair.

(01:06:07):
Because people aren't gonnawatch like a just a like think
about like the summer I turnpretty, how dramatic that show
is.
When's the last like show whereit's just like two people fall
in love and fake date, and likethey fake date and then they
fall in love and nothing elsehappens?
Like networks need likesomething more, they need the
drama line.
So I could see them keeping thatin.
I could see them almost playingit up too much.

(01:06:28):
Yeah, yeah.
The whole Logan being upsetthing.
Like I could see them reallylike hammering it in heavy.
I hope they don't, but I couldsee them doing that.

SPEAKER_00 (01:06:38):
I'm interested.
But like I said, ultimately, Iokay, spoiler, we're good.
We're good.
We're not we're not coveringanything.
You're good to come back andlisten.
But um, I will say that overall,like the way that L Kennedy
writes, like you flip pages, youwant to keep reading, she keeps
you in it.

(01:06:58):
Like I said, I don't even loveif someone can take an MMC
that's not my absolute favorite,some plot lines that I'm like,
what is going on?
I don't get it.
And they can still make mefinish the book super quick and
want to pick up the next one inthe series.
Uh that says it all.
That says it all.
So I I mean, I'm definitelygonna continue the series.
Yeah, my gripes are just gripingbecause I just finished it and I

(01:07:21):
just wanted to like vent aboutit, basically.

SPEAKER_01 (01:07:24):
Yeah, no, I I feel like I am one of the world's
biggest L.
Kennedy defenders.
I do love her.
I've read like everything thatshe's read.
I've read even she has side,like she has separate hockey
romance series too.
She has like him, I think iswhat the first one's called.
I don't remember what I thinkthe second one's called.
I don't remember what the secondone's called.

(01:07:44):
But then she has the uh likeGood Boy and um what's the other
one called?
I don't know.
Stay or something like that.
Because it's the Wags is thething.
So they're like all dog themed,which I think is cute.
Um, and those are kind ofconnected, so those two separate
series kind of are connectedbecause in the first one of I
think Good Boy's the first one,maybe Stay's the first one, I

(01:08:06):
don't remember, but sh they meetat the wedding of her brother
who is in him.
I think it's him.
Um, and so those are alsoconnected, but they're not
connected to off campus.
But even those are really good,although I didn't love him very
much, but that's just becausethat one was very heavy spice to
the point where it almost feltlike there was no other plot,
and I don't love that.
Yeah, because I felt like I wasdoing a lot of like I was like,

(01:08:30):
oh, and like skipping through,but I did really like the Wag
series, and I've read like a lotof her books, so I am like I am
an L Kennedy defender a littlebit, and I feel like this
episode has just turned into theL Kennedy episode, and I'm not
trying to make it that way, itkind of has.

SPEAKER_00 (01:08:45):
No, no, no, but I also just wanted to make sure
that it came across that like Iit's not that I'm saying I don't
like her books, I'm just youknow, venting about them because
I just read them, and so I'm alittle bit more um intense about
it right now because I obviouslyjust yeah, just finished it.
So and we wouldn't talk aboutany of these authors if we

(01:09:08):
didn't like them.
We wouldn't even mention it.
Like we just we wouldn't, wewould just pick something else.
So yeah.
I agree.
That's yeah, yep.
Thank you for joining me today,Cassidy, on this episode.
And keep listening to Where ILeft Off a Bookish Podcast.
That is all we have for today.