Rating: 4 out of 5.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a cute and spicy hockey sports romance between a Valentina, a PR fixer, and Kaden, a bad boy hockey star. Valentia had a messy divorce and has sworn off men. She’s working for her brother-n-law’s PR firm and gets pulled into a meeting with one of the firms clients Kaden, a grumpy bad-boy hockey star that creates chaos wherever he goes and is in immediate need of some good PR. Valentina is assigned to help his image, but because this is a sports rom com, events converge and she’s forced to fake date Kaden to help improve his image. She’s mortified – him, not so much.

A short time before their office meeting, the couple had an adorable meet-cute where they had an immediate connection. They both couldn’t stop thinking about the other, but only Kaden would admit it. I love a he-falls-first storyline and their text exchanges were hilarious – and eventually get a bit dirty (although the phrase “good girl” was way over-used). Their banter was fun to read and it was clear they had chemistry. Kaden and Valentina are both struggling with their own issues and are hesitant to let anyone in, but eventually they start to open up. Kaden allows himself to be vulnerable when discussing his anxiety, which was huge for him, and Val tells him about her bad marriage and divorce.

I really dislike the miscommunication trope, and there is a bit of that here, which I felt slowed down the story’s momentum. There were also some issues with Val’s job and boss, but we don’t get an explanation as to what the problem is and that part of the story is just left hanging. The middle of the book is a bit disjointed and there are a few time jumps that are a bit confusing.

I loved Kaden’s family. They are all professional athletes in different sports, so they are very competitive and love teasing each other. They are a very loving family and it was sweet to see them support each other. I hope the next books involved Kaden’s brothers, because they were quite the characters.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from The Author Agency. All opinions are my own.