“ Farrah, I don’t want to build a life with you because of what you can give me someday. I don’t cherish you for your ability to have children or not. And I don’t love you based on any conditions.” Can Bruce be more swoony? Everything is against their relationship, but Farrah and Bruce are mean to be together. Farrah needs to fight her demons and insecurities and Bruce needs to show her he will be always there for her. The Eagles hockey team and their hunky players are amazing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy. This is my honest review.

It was a fun, cute read. Honestly I feel like I would probably enjoy reading the others in this series but it’s just a little too wholesome for me. The characters were charming and the banter was funny. I love that it dealt with a difficult topic and everything wasnt complete sunshine. For my non smut girlfriends this would probably be a 4 star but I need more than some steamy kisses and cake related innuendos. Overall 3.5

I really enjoyed this! This was such a cute and sweet hockey romance. I loved Farrah and Bruce. Farrah was such a relatable character. Her struggles were so real and I loved how patient and caring Bruce was. He really stepped up to show he wasn’t going anywhere. He was such a sweet golden retriever. The pining and tension was perfect. I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bruce meets Farrah at a bar, and they instantly hit it off. They share one unexpected kiss only to part ways without exchanging numbers. But when Bruce walks into his teammate's house the next day, there Farrah is. And it turns out she's his teammate's sister.

Read if you like:
-Pining
-PCOS Rep
-Moving On After Divorce
-Golden Retriever MMC with Green Flags for Days
-Kristoff from Frozen (IYKYK)

I ate this book up! Bruce is exactly the type of MMC I adore! And as someone with PCOS, Farrah's story felt so authentic. The struggle and the guilt were so real. Now, if only I can get a Bruce to pick me up and bridal-carry me when the pain is too much. *sigh*

While Mitch and Andi are still my favorite couple, Bruce is definitely my favorite character of the series. He's got such a big heart and that really carried this book. I highly recommend Secret of Shutout!

This book was so sweet and fun!! Loved every minute. The romance was so swoony. The friendships were heartwarming and fun. The PCOS rep was well done. Leah always crushes the hockey references.
Lovely!

Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner
4.5 stars – Secret or Shutout by Leah Brynner is the end (book 4) of the DC Eagles Series. This is the Bruce and Farrah story we have been waiting for. Bruce and Farrah meet in a bar one night and share an unforgettable kiss. The next day, she discovers that he is her brother’s teammate, and he has forbidden her to date them.

Will they or won’t they give in to their chemistry? Brunner did a wonderful job with this one. I felt like I really knew the characters and rooted for them to find a way to make it all work out.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Leah Brunner for an ARC. This independent, honest review is happily shared.

“Referring to Farrah as my friend feels like referring to hockey as just a game.” -Bruce

Y’all this hockey romance spoke to my heart…it was so tender and emotional, but yet energetic and uplifting! Bruce and Farrah had a kiss in the past and don’t revisit it until some time later, after Farrah is moving along from some personal baggage. Come to find out Bruce has been hooked on Farrah the entire time, from the start.

I really appreciated the PCOS rep we see with Farrah, as I’m not totally familiar with it myself, and I loved seeing her strength shine through it - inside and out - as well as witnessing Bruce be a totally caring (hot) gentleman!
The whole crowd of supporting characters - both Bruce & Farrahs’ families - Jackson, and all the teammates & their S.O.’s was so incredibly fun and it felt like the whole book was family/friends turned to family-oriented. I loved everything about this and found it to be a very sweet story 🥹

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🏒hockey romance with Stanley Cup playoff vibes
🫶🏼PCOS rep
🩷amazing supporting characters
🧁baking & ovens…(you just have to read to know!)
❤️‍🔥slow burn
💋hot kisses (but closed door)

Absolutely loved this book. I have not read any other books in the DC Eagles Hockey Series and still loved it. This was also my first book I have read by Leah Brunner and I am a fan. I will definitely be reading more of her books. This was a very easy, fun, and heartwarming story to read. I am super thankful I was able to get this ARC. Bruce McBride is a star goalie for the DC Eagles and everyone on the team thinks he is a player. Bruce runs into Farrah, who is the hockey teams captain’s sister, on the night that her divorce is final. They do not know who each other are until the next day when Bruce goes to his captain’s house:

This romance book is loaded with tropes (reverse age difference; hockey; he falls first). The story has engaging characters, with a very swoony MMC. Farrah is the sister of the D.C. Eagle’s hockey team's captain. She’s a great baker who has moved to D.C. for a new life after a difficult divorce. Farrah is starting a party-planning business in D.C. with the wife of another hockey player. Bruce is the D.C. Eagles’ talented, gorgeous goalie. Farrah and Bruce have an amazing kiss as strangers, before they discover each other’s identities. Despite numerous obstacles (including Farrah's brother making it clear that she's off-limits and some challenging hockey games as the D.C. Eagles get closer to winning a Stanley Cup), these characters can’t resist exploring their strong attraction. This book has well-written dual points of view and a HEA. There are some sensitive issues such as infertility and divorce as noted in the author's description, but those issues are handled sensitively. Another good story in an entertaining series! I received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The first 50% I enjoyed but then it got a bit repetitive and only a few things happened that didn’t really do anything to make the plot more interesting to be honest.

I am giving it the rating I am because of the PCOS aspect of the story.

Part of the DC Eagles Hockey series, this novel follows an NHL goalie and a baker's romance in this 'teammate's sister' trope rom-com. Tensions are high between our two love interests from their electric kiss a year prior, both having been unaware of who the other was at the time.

I absolutely loved Farrah's character! She was super likeable and kind. She had plenty of backstory behind her that allowed me to sympathise with her character and understand her conflicted feelings towards romance. I enjoyed the little battle in her head trying to ignore the lust and growing romantic feelings she was having for Bruce. She was an amazing aunt and friend, and I was really rooting for her to get the happily ever after she deserved.

Bruce was quite arrogant from the get-go, making me find him a bit dislikeable at the very start, but I definitely judged too fast, and begrudgingly and very quickly, I found myself warming to him. He wasn't super pushy when trying to 'get with' our fmc like some other arrogant and handsome sports mmc's can be, and there was a sweet and gentle side mixed in with his popular and confident exterior. He was so caring and considerate, and had a wonderful relationship with his adopted family. I also loved his mischievous side and found him comedic too.

The author packed plenty of personality behind both of these characters, with hobbies, passions, and cute traits that made them feel all the more authentic.

Tensions between Farrah and Bruce were super high and they had great chemistry; I just wished there had been a little more than just kissing between them, but that's totally okay as this book is advertised as a fade to black romance. The yearning from both sides was still really exciting to read! Bruce was simply smitten for Farrah, and I loved his sweet nickname for her.

I liked that we got to see Bruce playing plenty of ice hockey in this. I find too often that a book is advertised as a sports romance novel, yet doesn't have any scenes of the characters playing the sport. Watching Bruce play was great as it allowed the reader to see how his performance was affected by his emotions and feelings for Farrah. I loved the scenes of Farrah watching him in the stands, as well as on the TV screen at home.

I found it a little difficult to differentiate all of the characters in this novel from each other because there were a lot! Obviously expected, as it's a whole hockey team and their partners, but maybe I would have found this easier if I'd started from the first book written in this world, although this can be read as a standalone.

Finally I also really loved the PCOS representation in this book; and rather than the conflict being a classic 'miscommunication trope', it was instead about Farrah's reluctance to enter a romance due to her self-doubts regarding her fertility issues. Bruce and all the characters were a fantastic support to her through this, which was very wholesome to read.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

📚ARC Review📚

This is my first DC Eagles book, I have not read the other books in the series.

Farrah and Bruce are the perfect forbidden love that you root for the entire time. After meeting at a bar one night they realize that their lives are forever connected as Bruce is the goalie on Farrah’s brother’s NHL hockey team.

They know that dating each other could potentially put strain on the team, as well as all of their friends, if the relationship doesn’t work out. Farrah’s brother is very protective of her but Bruce is persistent to be a part of Farrah’s life. The two of them need to navigate aspects of their own lives to figure out of this relationship can truly work.

I personally enjoyed that Bruce is from Canada (as a Canadian myself) but found the “yeux blue” to be a bit cringy. I also would have preferred a bit of spice. This book was overall a sweet romance that touched on a few realistic topics like PCOS and divorce.

Some series you are thankful you read, but the books just don’t live up to the hype of the first book. This is NOT that series! This is by far the best book in this hockey series.

I related so much to Farrah and was so happy with the outcome she received in this book. And Bruce is so dreamy with all his flirtatious comments.

Highly recommend!!!

I loved this book! The storyline was relatively predictable, and slightly on the cheesy side. But the writing was great. Kept me engaged till the end. Would read more from this series. Loved the relationship between all the WAGS, and also the aunty niece bond - made me miss my nieces!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Leah Brunner for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Secrets and Shutout follows Bruce, a star hockey goalie, and Farrah, his best friend’s sister who is navigating life after a recent divorce. Their connection sparks at a bar with a kiss, and from there, their relationship slowly unfolds into something deeper and more meaningful.

I really enjoyed this book—it was the perfect palate cleanser between heavier reads. Bruce and Farrah’s romance is a well-paced slow burn, allowing them to truly get to know each other before their beautiful happily ever after. Without giving too much away, Bruce’s unwavering support for Farrah was one of my favorite aspects of the story. He’s such a big teddy bear, and I absolutely adored him!

Though this is a closed-door romance, it didn’t need spice to feel emotionally rich. The chemistry and depth of their relationship were more than enough to keep me invested.

I also really appreciated the representation of PCOS, autism, and mental health. It’s not something you see often in romance, and it added so much depth to the characters and their personal journeys.

Overall, Secrets and Shutout was a fantastic read, and I can’t wait to dive into more of Leah Brunner’s books!

Secret or Shutout is the third book I've read in the DC Eagles series from Leah Brunner, and it lives up to the expectations of the series! The PCOS and foster care representations were particularly fun for me as I read.

Favorite Moments:
- The first kiss
- Bruce describing his dream girl
- Bruce helping Farrah during a health crisis
- Farrah's journey with PCOS
- Bruce's volunteer work as a Big Brother to a foster youth

Favorite Quote:
“Over the last two years I’ve watched as all my friends found their person. I’ve watched you all fall in love and become better men for it. There hasn’t been one second where I’ve wondered if any of you missed being single. You guys are annoyingly happy. And your wives are all incredible, way too good for the lot of you. Do you really think I could have a front row seat to all of that and want to keep dating random woman after random woman? No way.”

Overall, its a great book. Be sure to look at the content warning below to make sure that its within your desired content and heat level. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. A review was not required.

Content Warning: This was on the border of my comfort zone in language. Lots of damn, hell, etc. The romance was kept to kisses only, and is closed door. Keep in mind that closed door is a bit more descriptive than sweet romance.

I really enjoyed this book. Bruce is a sweet golden retriever who wants love and a family as all his friends have found their person.
Farrah has been married and hurt and struggles with her struggles to get pregnant.
I wish there was more depth to Bruce and more backstory for him. We learned a lot about Farrah and her backstory I wish there was more Bruce! But overall I enjoyed the story, a very cute rom com!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC copy

Trigger warnings are there for a reason. This book is beautiful and at times tough to read, especially as a woman but it is written so well that you just feel all the emotions these characters go through. Such an easy read, I could not put it down.

Cute romance where the MMC falls harder and faster. I loved Bruce and how much he pursued Farrah. Might be my favorite of the series. But they are all so good!

I thought this book was amazing. I really enjoyed the reverse age gap and the banter between the main characters. I appreciated the realness of the fact that she would be looked down upon for having a relationship with a younger guy while her ex-husband could move on with a younger woman and have a baby. That was real and it made me feel all of the feelings. It was a wonderful book all around