I really enjoyed the overall storyline and the characters. There is a lot of good chemistry between the Savannah and Madison from the first time they met. In some ways, this was actually a detriment to part of the storyline which I will get to momentarily. One of Savannah's mothers keeps trying to set her up on dates so she can find someone to make her happy. Savannah and Madison decide they will go into a fake relationship to stop this. But Savannah had her heart broken in college which has turned her off relationships. While I can understand where a bad breakup could hurt someone to the point of wanting to not get involved in another one, the chemistry between this couple is off the charts from the beginning. It seems there is a lot of angst of whether to get into a real relationship, despite the fact that they are hot for each other and everyone can see it.

There are some characters that I feel we never get resolutions to. There is a homophobic character on Savannah's hockey team that is just a pain in the ass through the whole book, but you never find out why she is the way she is other than she is homophobic. It would have been good to know why she had such a hatred or have something happen to her. But that doesn't happen.

Madison's ex, Mary, comes back into the picture and vows to take her dog and get Madison back. In the end, Madison just has an argument with her, tells her she isn't getting the dog, and will never go back with her. Mary just leaves. This character had been built up to be a psycho and it doesn't seem like she would just drive away after an argument.

I also found there were a couple of places in the ARC that I read where the wrong character's name is used in certain sentences. For example, Madison may have been on the phone and hung up, but the line in the book says Savannah hung up.

I still enjoyed the story overall but the points mentioned above lowered my overall rating of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I wanted to like this book so much. It hurts me to give this book only one star but I had some big problems with the book. First of all, I am not a fan of books that start in media res. I need a little background before the book dives into a conversation between main characters. There is also very little chemistry between the main characters. I didn't feel any connection there no matter how often the author told me there was a connection.

Finally, we get to my foremost problem with the book. It was a chore to read. The author's grasp of the English language is clunky and labored and elementary. I love fake dating and it is my favorite trope but even that fact won't get this book a re-read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3084994033?book_show_action=false

Enjoyable read. Great inclusion of insecurities and how they worm themselves into your head potentially ruining a new relationship. I would have liked more hockey action as the matches added a bit of drama and the whole book would have benefitted from a bit more drama. For example the plot could have been more menacing - delivered from both the ex and the teammate. The ex’s behaviour was explained albeit briefly and under utilised, but I wasn’t really sure where the teammate was coming from. I got the homophobia and jealousy of hockey prowess, but this character was underdeveloped. I’m guessing page length was a factor. But overall it’s a nice romance. Go Duke!

Book: would you like some hockey with your romance?
Me: why yes I would.
Book: how about a fake relationship turned real?
Me: even better. Sign me up.
Book: with lesbians?
Me: Take all my money!!!!

While not the best book ever written, undeniably enjoyable as it hits so many of my favorite tropes. How can I say no to this?

This is the story of Savannah and Madison. Savannah is primarily an ice hockey player, as well as a Veterinarian when she's not on the ice. She thinks her life is going pretty well. But, one of her mother's keeps trying to set her up with women. And it's driving her nutty.

Madison has moved in next door to Savannah, and she's a photographer. Both women are attracted to each other right away, but, instead of going about their attractions in a straightforward way, they decided to do a fake relationship to get Savannah's mom off her back.

Of course, they get closer and closer during this fake relationship, but, they also have to overcome Savannah's massive issues, not to mention someone from Madison's past who has it out for her.

It was a cool book. I liked the characters, really liked the hockey stuff (seriously, a ten minute misconduct, c'mon ref, seriously? Oops, I may be a hockey fan, go Bruins!)

It was a fun and fast read.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This was an absolutely wonderful book, I loved everything about it. It was especially enjoyable when I realized that it was the second book in a series the other one being "On the Fly", I am not sure if it is a series, but it takes place in the same universe with the same characters. The only thing I did not like is the homophobic character who seems to be getting a lot of page time, but is absolutely reprehensible. If it ends up that she is gay and doesn't know it and then ends up with Kelly, I will absolutely not read anymore books by this author.

The premise of this story is that Savannah is a single woman who is a but of a playgirl, a woman moves in next door and it is immediate sparks flying, The two of them pretend to be in a fake relationship so Savannah's parents stop setting her up on blind dates. All goes exactly how you think it is going to go, they fall for each other, Savannah thinks that Madison is being clingy at some point in the book and behaves like a child and refuses to talk to her because of a bad relationship she had in college. It is just so ridiculous that she would be holding on to that failed relationship for so long. Of course Madison's ex comes back into the picture to further unnecessarily complicate things, and of course everything works out in the end. It wasn't that I didn't like the book, but I felt a lot of it was built on a premise that is incredibly unlikely. The book is a lot of fun and I likes seeing Courtney and Laura even if it was only for a few pages. I am assuming the next book will be about Kelly finally settling down since it was mentioned ad nauseam in this book. If you like a quick. read with interesting enough characters, but an implausible premise then give this one a read. it really is wonderful.

This was a really quick read (an evening). A faux-mance book.

Hockey player (and vet, but we never see this) Savannah Wells and her new neighbor Madison Scott both like each other, BUT... they've also both sworn off relationships. BUT... to get Savannah's mum off her back about finding a good girl to settle down with, the two women agree to put on a show. BUT... they both like each other and would really prefer to just date BUT neither says anything to the other.

This was an easy read, a fun spin-off in the On the Fly world BUT the entire story hinges on them simply never talking about how they really feel.

Savannah is happy with her life, between her job, her hockey team, and going out with her friends, but her mother is determined to set her up with someone to date. When Madison moves in next door, Savannah proposes they fake-date to get her mother off her case. Madison just got out of a relationship and isn't looking to date, but she figures she can handle a fake one right? Neither women are prepared for the very real feelings that soon develop.

Although I've enjoyed the last few books by PJ Trebelhorn, unfortunately this one didn't click with me. The "connection" happened a little too quickly for me even with a fake-relationship trope. I didn't have the chance to connect with each of the characters individually before they were put together, and I couldn't get invested in their connection either. It was really hard to stay engaged. Savannah's rule for not dating Madison in the beginning was a little weak even when they were both attracted to each other and then their fake relationship wasn't totally necessary. I felt like I connected more with the secondary characters more than anything, particularly Madison's sister and daughter Amy. It was nice catching up with other characters in a previous book On The Fly as well. I hope to be able to read more of the stories from characters in this world, even if this book didn't quite do it for me. I really enjoy the author's writing style, the dialogue is great and the characters usually shine.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A New Love for Hockey!
Veterinarian and semi-pro hockey stat, Savannah, is loving life, if only she could keep her mother Lisa from matchmaking all the time and the brat of the team to go away. She lives the life of a player with her best friend and “sister” Kelly. When she meets the new next door neighbour, Madison, she is blown away and instantly attracted. Madison is a pro photographer and has been hired by Savannah’s team to take pictures throughout the season. She is also the photographer at Savannah’s former teammate’s wedding. When Madison meets Lisa at a family event Lisa ask the beautiful woman to date her daughter…. Together the women decide that maybe fake dating would solve the problem of Kelly hitting on Madison and Lisa backing off Savannah. What could possibly be wrong?

This is a fun and sweet book!! It was such a joy to read, easy and light hearted, and kept me happy for hours on end. Both women are beautiful, inside and out. They are strong, intelligent and caring. They have a zest for life and deep down want the same thing, a loving relationship with someone special. They just need to learn to trust again and when they do… happy sighs! This is one of those books that are perfect to read again and again when you need something light and easy to bring peace and warmth to your day.

Oh my, what a disappointment. This reads like a teen novel not two mature women. The first half of the story was basically silly. Pretending like you're dating and in love....when you actually are dating and in love....What? Grow up Savanna and just say no to your mother and her blind dates.
Big surprise when they actually confessed their attraction. And to throw in a little conflict Savannah gets all upset about one normal statement Maddie says. And if that was not formula enough, in comes the evil ex to muddy the weak story.
And why did we need a homophobic teammate? On a "womens" hockey team? Really?
Nope, it didn't work for me. This is not Trebelhorns best work.

I love a good PJ Trebelhorn book but this plot has been done many times before and while the book was entertaining, I didn't really feel all that moved by it. I did like revisiting with old characters. It was nice to catch up with them. Overall a decent read.

If you've read PJ Trebelhorn in the past, you'll see some old friends in this story...but if not, no worries this one stands perfectly fine on it's own! A sweet sexy romance with a bit of action and drama that keep you intrigued, it's a quick and satisfying read!

So I will start off with: this book did not meet up with my expectations. I've read books from this author before and I've liked most of them, but this was on of the misses for me. The storyline was slightly too unbelievable for me....instant attraction I can handle but instantly being swayed from your player lifestyle, no. Why the fake relationship? It was explained, but really? And the character development was lacking so I couldn't really connect with the story or characters.

If you don't mind some inconsistencies then it's a nice fake-romance book between a semi-pro hockeyplayer/vetenarian and her new neighbour.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Savannah Wells is a veterinarian and semiprofessional hockey player. She was scared by her only relationship in college and since has been a player and on her own. Maddie Scott is the new next door neighbor and new photographer for the town’s women hockey team. They fake a relationship to get Savannah’s mother to quit setting her up with awful women and find love in the process.

I grabbed this book since it had the fake relationship trope. Okay, so the main’s first meeting was silly. Who goes to the new neighbor’s house and asks to use the shower and borrow clothes? And she was planning on going to sister’s house anyway. Wouldn’t you just go to your sisters and shower there? I was warned about this but hey, the fake relationship was the trade. So the first problem was that it did not feel like a fake relationship at all. What do you have when no one is forced into a fake relationship? Yep, a good old fashion relationship. Maddie comes up with pretending to be the fake girlfriend when she gets absolutely nothing out of it. They are both attracted to each other. There are no current pressures to prevent them from getting together. So there is some weak drama thrown in to move the story along. Instead of forcing the characters to find ways to need to be seen together, the author actually points out they spend 95% of the time alone. Again, the author just negated the point of the trope.

Notice how I said veterinarian and hockey player on the summary. Well, it should be hockey and then, on her time off, veterinarian. This one hit a nerve with me and for her sake, I hope veterinary medicine is her true passion, because it is a tough profession as it is. Seems like a far fetched thought to go through all that to not be the main love in her life, and unbelievable that she finished veterinary school as a full time hockey player. And veterinary medicine had absolutely nothing to do with the story, making it seem like a cute fact thrown in.

I did like that Savannah’s parents were a same sex couple. Although it was awkward that Savannah called them by their first names to avoid confusion. Huh? My daughter pointed out to me she asked for mamma, not mami when she was two years old. It is not that difficult to distinguish parents. There was some hockey action that was entertaining. There was also good chemistry between the mains, but at the same time the relationship didn’t seem to develop. The story would jump weeks with author saying mains spend almost every evening together but there were no actual significant moments described to help us see how they fell in love. It was a missed opportunity by the author.

Overall, a frustrating read with characters I could not fully connect with. 2.5 stars

ARC generously provided to me by BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I am a fan of fake relationship books but not this one. The plotline did not work for me. The issues that were in the book were overblown and really made to be worse than they were to drive the story along. I also felt that I really did not even know something as basic as what the MCs really even looked like. Overall unbelievable and I will give it a generous 3 stars. I received this as book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I requested this book because it was a female/female romance with a hockey player as one of the main characters in it. After reading the reviews of this book, I went in with fairly low expectations but I found myself enjoying this book. I had not read the previous book in this world, On the Fly, but that didn't affect how I felt about this book.

Savannah and Madison meet when Madison moves in next door to Savannah. Neither of them is interested in a relationship, both of their previous relationships went very bad and so while they are attracted to each other, neither one of them is motivated to do anything about it. When Savannah's mother won't stop setting her up on terrible blind dates, they agree to fake date each other and, of course, it turns into real dating.

We get chapters from both Savannah and Madison's point of views and I enjoyed both of them. They were both interesting characters, who enjoyed their jobs, and I enjoyed the variety of side characters as well. My liking of Kelly went up and down as the book went on but Courtney and Lana were both good to read about, especially since they were the only two who knew the relationship was fake. It makes me want to read the first book in the series and see how they got together. I liked Dana and Amy, Madison's sister and niece and how they were involved in the story without taking over.

The course of Savannah and Madison's relationship was slow-burn, though I felt like there was a timeskip which wasn't properly communicated so when we learned six months had gone by, it felt a little jarring. I did like how they were attracted to each other, became friends, got together, but still had problems after that as they had to work through their issues from past relationships.

One of the biggest things I disliked about this book was the premise. Savannah needing to fake date someone to stop her mother matchmaking her, that made sense. But it was the way Lisa (one of Savannah's mothers) went about it that rubbed me the wrong way. She didn't take no for an answer, hence the need for a fake girlfriend, which was pushy and unlikeable anyway. Then you find out near the start of the book that her last matchmaking attempt had led Savannah to going on a date with a stalker who had found out where she lived and hadn't left her alone, scaring her enough to go and stay with her mothers', rather than go home. After this, Lisa's continued attempts to set her daughter up against her express wishes goes completely over the line and meant I really disliked her. Then she got angry that Savannah had needed to lie to her when she found out about the fake dating - I feel like that would have been a good time for an apology and an attempt to curb some of that behaviour, instead of patting herself on the back for 'setting them up'. Just no. I'm all for a fake dating premise but I really disliked Lisa by the end of this one.

That said, overall I liked this book and I am definitely going to check out the other book in the series.

3.5 stars!

Savannah and Maddie meet and decide to pretend they're lovers so that Savannah's two mothers stop trying to set Savannah up on blind dates. It's a innocent enough premise, but there are a couple of things I found disconcerting about this story.

First of all, the premise of fake dating could work for a little while, only to fool Savannah's parents, but not for long between two people who were obviously attracted to each other right from the start. Yet Savannah and Maddie both fought the attraction. Why?

Second, Savannah is a veterinarian who happens to also play semi-pro hockey. Those two careers, by virtue of the years of of study it takes to become a vet, and the years of practice it takes to become a semi-pro hockey player, should immediately cancel each other out. I can't see how one person can possibly succeed at these two particular careers at the same time.

This book could have really been a short story. There was a lot of angst that didn't need to be in the story in order for it to be a good story. The characters' reactions to each other didn't ring true to me. I was distracted while reading this, which is unusual for me. I struggled to get through the book.

One more thing. Hilton's surly attitude was never explained. I kept expecting an explanation as to why she seemed to be such a malcontent, like perhaps she was jealous of Savannah's relationship with Maddie or Kelly.

I applaud anyone who writes a book and gets it published. It's a hard thing to do, but this book needed to be tightened up.

I say this as a fan of hockey: this was just okay. I loved the sports aspect of this, especially with pro women's hockey inching its way up in the USA, but the romance felt a little off for me. I think its because it was obvious that Savannah and Madison have the case of instant attraction, and simply used the guise of fake dating to for real date, but they were both too oblivious to realize it. Then there were a couple of conflicts that didn't seem to go anywhere, and only flared up when the plot needed drama. But both of them - each to do with one of our leads - could have been really interesting and compelling, but they fizzled out into nothing.

Savannah Wells is a semi-pro hockey player who is afraid of committing to a relationship do to a pretty traumatizing breakup a long time ago. But, that seems to all change when Madison moves into the house next door. Madison is trying to move on from a relationship that was incredibly toxic, and is surprised to meet the sweet and attractive Savannah. Savannah is being pressured to find someone to settle down with by one of her moms, so, in order to get her off her back, Savannah and Madison agree to start fake dating. The only problem is that they can't tell where the facade ends and the real feelings begin.

So, one of the major things in the book is both characters having to deal with the fallout of bad breakups. Savannah has been harboring hers for years, which is why she thinks she needs to stay single. Madison's breakup was extremely recent and she is wary of having to go back into a relationship with someone who could be a cheater, due to her ex being a manipulative cheater. I really enjoyed this back and forth, because it makes sense for the characters to be wary of new relationships, but I don't think they needed the fake dating thing to make it work. It did provide some weirdness that felt more whiplashy than anything. But I think the two exterior conflicts - potential of Madison's ex to follow her and Savannah's toxic teammate - could have been amazing. Instead they were added on - admittedly with much foreshadowing- at near the 75% mark to add just an extra bit of drama for our leads to 'really' get together. Man, there's so much lost potential here!

The chemistry between Savannah and Madison is amazing, and the hockey element felt natural, even if most women don't bother to actually take off their gloves to fight, they just punch each other really hard or try to ragdoll each other. I thought the fake dating was weird when they both so clearly were infatuated with each other (their explosive chemistry right off the bat hurts this plotline I think). And so much missed potential with Madison's ex and the teammate, made for a good, if a little formulaic read. Recommended easy reading with a good hockey element.

This story is a spin off of this author's previous novel, On The Fly, and its theme is quite similar. In the previous one, the protagonist is a player of a semi-professional ice hockey team and in this one, the protagonist is also a player of that team, Savannah, along with a photographer, Madison, who arrives in the city to recover and restart herself after a hard sentimental breakup.

Savannah is reluctant to compromise since her first and only serious relationship ended very badly. Together with their BFF Kelly, they only want one-night stands and uncomplicated hookups. Until Savannah's new neighbor arrives and from a curious first encounter they end up pretending a relationship that is not really so fake for either of them. Madison has an ex, the fake relationship will blow up at any moment and Jen Hilton is still on the team, so some drama is expected, but the way it finally comes is really annoying and silly.

So if you don't mind that the story has some inconsistencies, that the drama is almost incredible in itself and quite avoidable really, this is a good romance. It is not perfect but for me it has been interesting, since romances with a sports background are my thing.

This should have been a book that really worked for me because it had two things I love in it -- hockey and fake relationships! But for some reason I just couldn't get into it. I don't know if it was the pacing or the just not feeling the characters, but I just felt kinda meh about the story line. Which is a bummer because I really wanted to like this book way more than I did.

I think part of what didn't work for me is the WHY do they need to have fake relationship? It's kind of explained, but it also doesn't seem like it really matters? I think trying to use the trope here just doesn't work all that well and maybe that's what really made me just feel like this book was just an "okay" book.

I also felt like the drama with Maddie's ex girlfriend just was unnecessary. Like it just caused it to be extra dramatic for like no reason. I don't know, maybe it was just me, but I really didn't like that part about the book.

I'm kinda bummed I didn't like this one more, and I'm not sure if I'm going to read more of this author's books or not. I love a good hockey romance, so I'm kind of still interested, but this book just didn't hit all the marks for me.


*I received a review copy of this book and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.