This is a cute little story. I honestly don't have much to say about it beyond that. Although, I will say that there's not much romance in this book titled Mr. Romance. There is a cute romantic gesture at the end, but like... it happens within the last 20 pages and that's it.

Also, Charlie is a true himbo. A treat to read. If that doesn't convince you to read this, nothing will. 

My prediction of this book being 2.5 stars did end up being too generous. Hell, 2 stars might be too generous. I just didn't like almost anything about this book. I liked Marshall, he was a little cutie, and it was competently written, but... that's all I got. It doesn't help that miscommunication is literally my least favorite trope of all time.

And let me tell you, the main theme of this book is miscommunication. And it's not even a little quick one that lasts maybe one chapter before getting resolved—it literally lasts for, like, 90% of the book. This is not an exaggeration. The miscommunication in this book is off the charts. It drove me nuts. Everything would have been resolved if only they talked to each other for one (1) minute, but both if these characters suffered from severe head-in-sand syndrome.

I do not recommend this book. You might be tempted because Felix and Marshall were cute side characters in Playing Games, but you should just leave them in that little box. Trust me.

I am very happy to report that this book charmed me. Yeah, some parts are cringey (which is why I'm not giving it 5 stars), but I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. The sexual tension between the two leads, Brax and Ty, was really palaple, and I applaud the author for how well they developed it. I also loved the side characters, especially Brax's grandma. 

I'm interested to read more by this author. I like their writing style. If you're looking for a cute, sports-adjacent gay romance, I would highly recommend this one!

This is such a cute short story! I was so happy that Mitch and Alex finally get to be together for real. Unlike On the Ice: Mitch VS Alex, nothing was spoiled. But there was a tease for a future book, which I liked. I'm looking forward to Taylor's book since I liked the little glimpse of him that we got.

I couldn't give this too high of a rating because everyone's favorite line ("six foot four of blank, blank, and blank") makes an appearance. I don't know why but it bugs the hell out of me. Overall, I think this is the best of the short stories about Mitch and Alex. 

It's... fine. It's nothing special. Once again, the "six foot four of blank, blank, and blank" line makes an appearance. Do we really need this reminder? 

Also, this short story is a bit spoiler-y as it mentions some couples/events from later books. So watch out for that. 

The story was cute, but you can tell it's not as polished as the books. It also doesn't add a lot, so you can definitely skip this if you don't feel like hunting it down. Lots of typos and weird reminders (e.g. Alex is always described as "six four of blank, blank and blank" when I don't feel like we need that reminder). 

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's well-paced, the demisexual representation is fantastic, and the characters are adorable. The story, unlike some other hockey romances that I've read, actually makes sense and seems grounded in reality (although I don't think real-life hockey players have that much free-time around Christmas).

Although it sucks that the characters stay closeted, I also know this is more realistic than the huge coming outs or forced outings I've read in other books.

I'm starting to get pickier after reading some duds in the hockey romance subgenre lately, but I'm definitely going to continue this series. I really felt the characters love in this one. Here's to hoping the rest of them can live up to Mitch and Alex! 

Maybe it's a consequence of reading all the Fake Boyfriend, CU Hockey, and Puckboys books in a row, but I didn't connect as well to this book as the others. It was fine, and I thought Vance and Quinn were cute (and clueless), but that's all. I did appreciate how they handled "revealing" their relationship. It was much better than in Shameless Puckboy. I also loved all the Asher cameos, they were a treat. 

This book is really low-stakes, so if that's something you like in your romances, you should give it a shot. 

I honestly don't have much to say about this one. It was nothing special, mostly just fluff. It was a cute follow-up to Game Changer. If you want more Scott and Kip, this is a nice bite-sized story. 

I'm sorry. I tried. But there's just no way I can finish this book. I have so many problems with it that I don't even know where to start.

Firstly, this book is obviously not finished. I know that because the copy I read from Kindle Unlimited explicitly said it was an ARC version. It's easy to tell because there's a ridiculous amount of grammar and spelling mistakes among other problems. A lot of characters get referred to by completely different names at some points. Maddox becomes Max, Leon becomes Lee (which is the name of the nephew), etc. It's distracting and annoying.

Secondly, there are so many inconsistencies and unbelievable deus-ex-machina plot points in the story. There's just no way that Jake got two owners to trade their star players who have been playing well just like that. It's just not possible. They didn't have no-trade clauses (which are very common for big players)? And their agents weren't even involved? One guy traded his "best player" because his sister asked him to? Absolutely the fuck not! Where are the investors in this? Surely, the NHL would step in at some point as this could ruin quite a few markets.

And the worst part is that it's an easy fix too! Jake has been into hockey for years, so the author could have made Maddox and Leon former superstars who are in a rut and have the Bellport Bears be their "last chance" before retirement. It would 1) force them to get along in a more organic way and 2) make narrative fucking sense.

Thirdly, the way this book handles Leon's attraction is, frankly, appalling. Leon is introduced as a guy who hasn't ever had feelings for a man and is vehement that he's "not gay". This in itself is not bad. I love a good gay/bi awakening trope. I've liked it in several books that I've read. The problem is that Leon goes from 0 to 100.

Once the team dinner/party happens at the Bellport Estate, it's like Leon and Maddox are magically drawn to Jake and each other. For no reason. There's absolutely zero build up to their attraction. Leon and Maddox literally have one (1) somewhat friendly interaction before this, where they agree to try to be friends. And in the next chapter, Leon volunteers to bottom for Maddox, a man he heavily disliked for most of their career. A man who he couldn't even admit his own attraction to. It's so completely unrealistic and weird. Just make Leon bi to start with like Maddox. There's no reason to shoehorn in the gay/bi awakening trope if you are going to drop it 20% of the way into your story.

Additionally, this book should not be advertised as the beginning of a new series. The author says you can read this as a standalone, but I very much disagree. You'll be missing a lot if you haven't read at least one of the related books (A Little Finn and Hear Me). Also, this last point is a minor gripe, but if you're going to make up cities (Bellport) and teams for other cities (Dallas Diamonds), at least use names that aren't taken by hockey teams in real life. The team in Winnipeg is called the Maple Leafs in this book, but in real life, there is a hockey team in Toronto called the Maple Leafs. Just use a different name!

All my points from my Hear Me review also stand. The author has absolutely zero fucking clue how hockey works. The author has a cheeky line in their "Dear Reader" note saying to ignore it, but I just can't. If you know nothing about hockey, don't write about it or do the research. Simple as that.

Personally, I don't think this book is worth anything in its current state. It needs heavy editing and review. If you're looking for a MMM DDLB book, look elsewhere. You have been warned.