Icebreakers by R. L. Graziadei

Insert the get-along shirt
They both love FMA Brotherhood
ALSO: the surviving on Iced Coffee
"Tom Holland and Zendaya: A bisexual's dream" I mean.
Ok but the dissociating when the depression is bad just hits. 
and the parents taking care of the kids but not knowing the kids....oof. 
ok but the fanfic.....smirk face. 
320 Pages

Taylor Swift Song: this is me trying (and Sparks Fly)

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

Summary: "She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead. 

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league. 

Also, he's taken."

Hockeyyyyyyyyy. Hartley is a hearthrob. Corey is cool. 

The main character being a Pittsburgh Penguins Puffins fan and obsessed with their handsome captain? RELATABLE.

274 pages, Kindle edition

goodreads | MOBIUS

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1). By Sarina Bowen, Narrators: Nicol Zanzarella, Rock Engle.

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1). By Sarina Bowen, Narrators: Nicol Zanzarella, Rock Engle. 2016. Blackstone Audiobooks. ISBN-13: 9781504755887 (Unabridged audiobook, 9 hrs, 53 mins).

Hockey romance full of heart, humor and heat. Engle and Zanzarella deliver excellent narrations for rookie Leo Trevi and team publicist Georgia Worthington.

Entertaining, Page-turner, Happily Ever After, Romantic, Original, Great world building, Steamy, Wonderful characters, Excellent narration

326 pages

Power Play (Blades Hockey #1). By Maria Luis, Narrators: Elizabeth Hart, Joe Hempel.

Power Play (Blades Hockey #1). By Maria Luis, Narrators: Elizabeth Hart, Joe Hempel. 2017. Tantor Audio. ASIN: B0787KDC6S (Unabridged audiobook, 5 hrs, 14 mins).

The Blades golden boy and a struggling sports journalist pair up for this series’ opener of sexy hockey players heating up the ice.

Entertaining, Romantic, Wonderful characters, Great narration

194 pages

Pucked Series

Pucked by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was so funny and racy that I had to limit listening to it in public, due to spurts of laughter, often followed by blushing.

Violet is really awkward and has a way of blurting out what she honestly thinks at all times, which is hilarious.

Book 36 read in 2019

Pages: 380

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Pucked Up by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story centers around trust and issues with trust. The characters in book two are very distinct from the characters in book one, which is always a good sign. This is also pretty funny and blush-worthy.

Book 38 read in 2019

Pages: 375

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Pucked Over by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Whew! *fans self*

This may be my favorite in the series so far, though I have enjoyed them all. There are so many other couples that I want to read about that I'm not sure which story I want next.

Book 39 read in 2019

Pages: 350

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Forever Pucked by Helena Hunting
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was fun, as I enjoy Alex and Violet, but I would have rather had the stories for the other hockey players. This book wasn't really necessary, but all the same, I generally liked it. It did have a few laugh out loud moments.

I would have enjoyed it more overall if this one didn't fall so hard into the only HEA is one that includes marriage and kids for all the couples in the series, whether or not they seem like the type to need/want to be married and/or have kids. The whole doing what society expects, regardless of personality or life choices things is always a bit meh for me with the romance genre.

If a storyline doesn't really need to end in everyone getting married and having kids, then it just feels like wasted energy making me read it all. I get that a lot of romance readers want that though, so it seems to happen in so many books/series. I just personally don't really need or want to know a couple's future history and the names of all their kids, if it isn't relevant to the current storyline. If it was that important to me to know they get married and have kids in the future (and it never is), then I would imagine it for myself.

I think that's why this one just didn't interest me quite as much. It was too much about wedding planning and the extended HEA, and I don't want to read about that crap. It's not a real plot, in my opinion. The interesting story for me was the first one, where two people came together, despite issues and challenges. This was just excess.

Book 40 read in 2019

Pages: 308

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Pucked Under by Helena Hunting
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this novella just because Lily and Randy are my favorite couple in the series. It is also not exactly necessary to the series, but for an extra, it's nice and short.

Book 41 read in 2019

Pages 188

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Pucked Off by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My previous review statement was premature. This is now my favorite book in the Pucked series, and I only wish there could have been even more of it.

This one is dark, complicated, and twisted, so obviously I loved it. It's also mired in mental health issues and the impacts of mental health issues. That sounds a bit unromantic, but it's absolutely not. Because Lance finally finds someone to be in his life who isn't abusive and unstable, and that made me very happy for him.

Book 42 read in 2019

Pages: 400

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Pucked Love by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this one a lot, as well. It seems like the issues in these last two books were greater and darker, and that was more compelling.

Book 43 read in 2019

Pages: 278

Hot as Puck by Lili Valente

Hot as Puck by Lili Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, but I have read another book that was pretty much the same story line. I just think that it could have been much better or something more in the story to draw me in.

330 Pages

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Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one charmed my socks right off, which was the last thing I expected.

It's a classic Parent Trap situation, where two teenagers, both named Sloane Jacobs meet up. One Sloane is a hockey player, and the other is a figure skater. They've been exiled to Canada to attending skating camps, against their wishes. When they have a luggage mix-up at the hotel, they have to meet up to sort things out. That's when they decide they look similar enough that with the same names, they could totally swap places, in order to avoid spending the summer working towards things they both dread, for various reasons.

Since I'm a sucker for all things Parent Trap, this one really clicked with me. You get to see both the girls change, grow, and confront their own personal demons. Plus, it has a really delightful ending, as should any Parent Trap-eque situation.

This book made me happy.

Book 28 read in 2019

Pages: 352

Crush

Crush: A Single Dad Hockey Romance by June Winters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book even better than the first two!!!

237 Pages

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Marek by Sawyer Bennett

Marek by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to kick these two in the pants a few times, but they eventually worked it out. This is a first love gets a second chance kind of story, with lots of drama.

Book 218 read in 2018

Pages: 226

More NAMES!!! (Cold Fury Hockey Series)

Ryker by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Single dad stories. They always get me in the feels.

Book 210 read in 2018

Pages: 269

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Hawke by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First love gets a second chance. Love this trope.

However, I personally, under no circumstances, would ever want another chance with my first love, I appreciate that some people do and could have probably made it work if they had just had about 5 or 10 more years of life and relationship experience under their belt when they had met that person.

Book 211 read in 2018

Pages: 275

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Max by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is probably the sweetest thing since cotton candy, and since we're all aware that my dark twisty heart loves a bit of contrast, I especially enjoyed this one. Also, more kids, which add an interesting element to the story and relationship.

Book 212 read in 2018

Pages: 306

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Roman by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh Roman, by far one of my favorites, just for your wild and brash ways. It's a nice contrast of incorrigible bad boy and quirky, ukulele playing gal. Also, this story is actually a double romance and tracks two couples.

Book 213 read in 2018

Pages: 242

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Lucas by Sawyer Bennett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one starts with a slam bang intro and is full of delicious angst.

Book 214 read in 2018

Pages: 244

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Van by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one is amusing on so many levels. It's wild and shiny, but also a bit rough and twisty. I appreciated the contrast to some of the other stories.

Book 215 read in 2018

Pages: 224

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Reed by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is absolutely cute. Friends to lovers trope, which is fun.

Book 216 read in 2018

Pages: 189

And Some More Name Books: Cold Fury Hockey

Alex by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is going to be a disaster, because you can't just read about one hockey player, you have to read about the whole team. Obviously, as evidenced by the 11 books already in this series. And now it owns me, and I have a feeling I'm going to learn more about hockey than I ever needed or wanted to know.

The main guy in this story is a really crusty bugger, so it's fun to watch all of his edges start to soften.

Book 207 read in 2018

Pages: 224

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Garrett by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is even better than the first one. I adore Garrett. He's funny and steadfast, which is a nice quality considering the challenges faced in this story.

Book 208 read in 2018

Pages: 278

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Zack by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Despite the intense look of the cover, this book is actually super nerdy. It also contains a 4 year old boy, which brings an added touch of sweetness to the whole thing.

Book 209 read in 2018

Pages: 325

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross

Summary: "Haley Stevenson seems like she’s got it all together: cheer captain, “Princess” of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she’s struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she’s sworn them off completely until college.

Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He’s always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he’s finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner. 

But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who’s ready to break all the rules."

I adored this second novel in the Juniper Falls series. Haley and Fletcher are well-rounded characters, with believable flaws and natural character development. Their romance is slow but still sizzling. 

 341 pages

Off the Ice (Juniper Falls #1) by Julie Cross

A high-school love story that takes place in small-town, hockey-obsessed Minnesota? Sign me up!

When the author revealed that part of her inspiration for this series of novels is the All Hockey Hair team videos from the Minnesota State high School hockey tournament on YouTube, I was beyond sold. Those videos are some of my favorite on the Internet - please give them a watch! 

Off the Ice is a nice start to hopefully a long series about the community and culture surrounding high school hockey in Minnesota. At times, this particular story was a bit too serious and depressing for me. I know Julie Cross can write more compelling and humorous stories than what this one ultimately turned out to be. 

352 pages

"Us" by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

In this sequel to "Him," Ryan Wesley is in his rookie season with the Toronto Maple Leaves and lives with his boyfriend, Jamie Canning.  However, they have to keep their relationship secret to avoid any distractions to Wes and his team.  He's promised Jamie that they'll come out once his rookie season has ended, but the deception is taking a toll on them both especially after one of Wesley's teammates moves into their building and constantly bugs them.  This was a wonderful follow up to the first book, which I loved.  Wes and Jamie still have great chemistry together, and their texts to each other are hilarious.  The angst in the story is just right, and Blake, the nosy teammate, adds a lot of humor with his irrational fear of sheep.  Another winner from Bowen and Kennedy that I couldn't put down.  328 pages (Kindle edition).

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Summary: "Sloane Emily Jacobs and Sloane Devon Jacobs, from very different worlds but both with problem families, meet in Montreal where they will stay in the same hotel while attending camp, one for figure skating, the other for ice hockey."

Oh dear, I really wanted to like this book. Lauren Morrill's first novel, Meant to Be, is incredibly witty and laugh-out-loud funny, but Being Sloane Jacobs comes no where close to that level of entertainment.

I was intrigued by the Parent Trap-like set-up, as well as the ice hockey/figure skating crossover, but it never quite fulfilled the potential of either of those stories. It was actually a bit boring. I was never eager to pick up the book to see what would happen next, as it never really hit hard on the emotions or suspense of the story. 

The dual perspectives was also confusing at times, as each Sloane's thoughts were not unique enough to feel like you were reading two different girls from two very different backgrounds. 

330 pages

"Him" by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Jamie and Wes first met when they went to an elite hockey camp one summer for six weeks when they were 13.  They become best friends and see each other only at camp for the next five years, but they have a falling out after that final camp before heading off to different colleges to spend the next four years becoming top notch hockey players.  When their teams make the hockey final four their senior year, they renew their friendship and eventually return to their summer camp as instructors.  What happens there changes the future of both of these pro hockey prospects.

This was a great story with two strong and likable lead characters.  Jamie has worked at the hockey camp every summer in college and has come to enjoy teaching kids the ins and outs of hockey.  Wes is one of the top picks for the NHL, but his sexuality may cost him his future as a player.   Secondary characters were helpful in pushing along the action, too.  Good stuff, and there's a sequel!  360 pages.