This is a good book. The two main characters are Molly and Noah. Molly owns a bookstore. Noah is a hockey player. They meet at Molly’s bookstore. Noah’s niece that he has custody of loves to go to Molly’s bookstore for story time. There is an instant attraction. They start out fake dating but it doesn’t last very long. They decided to be girlfriend and boyfriend. They have some communication problems but work it out and fall in love.

This was my first Colleen Charles book and defiantly not my first sports romance. It was a solidly average read. The pacing was quick and the characters had just the right amount of rounding out.

The book defiantly needs a trigger warning for loss of a loved one. It was a heavy theme throughout but played well into the characters stories.

The only thing that didn’t work for me as much was the logistics. At one point they talked about being not available Tuesday and then the next day was Monday, and it seems petty as I’m typing this, but those things really pulled my attention from the story because they weren’t well written.

Would def pick up on of her books in the future.

The first book in Colleen Charles' new hockey series, Vegas Venom, is Flopper. This first book follows the life of the goalie of the team, Noah. Noah, unfortunately, has been touched by tragedy when his sister and brother-in-law die in a tragic car accident. Noah finds himself raising their daughter, Vivian, as his own. He has been struggling with the deaths for a few years and putting Vivian first, so he has had no room in his heart for love. That is until he meets Molly, the young bookstore owner, who literally falls into his arms. Molly experienced her own tragedy when her beloved Uncle Arthur also died in a car accident, so the two have some common experiences. Molly and Noah find themselves in a situationship with him giving her "lessons."

This is a very spicy novel. For me, I think the spicy scenes detracted from the story a little bit. I also would have liked some more focus on the hockey life, because he is this big hot shot hockey player and there isn't much mention of it in this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Love them hockey players. This book was fun and had just the right touch of humour and romance. A player with no responsibilites other than to play a game is suddenly finds himself with his deceased sister's small daughter, he finds he needs some nanny help. While I have read this trope before, this one just seemed fresh and fun.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The review here is solely my own opinion,

FLOPPER is the first instalment in Colleen Charles’ contemporary, adult VEGAS VENOM erotic, hockey romance series focusing on the members of the NHL’s Vegas Venom. This is team goalie Noah ‘Flopper’ Abbott, and author/book store owner Molly Campbell’s story line.

NOTE: For information purposes, a flopper is a goalie prone to going down on the ice to stop pucks.


Told from dual first person perspectives (Molly and Noah) FLOPPER follows the building romance and relationship between goalie Noah ‘Flopper’ Abbott, and author/book store owner Molly Campbell. Three years earlier Noah lost everyone he had ever loved, and with the death of his sister Natalie and her husband Steve, Noah became the only parent to his niece Vivian, a young girl that would become his own. Fast forward to present day wherein Noah, who hasn’t had time for a personal life finds himself at The Last Chapter, a local book store, where he will meet owner Molly Campbell. An adult themed book party pushes our couple into a compromising situation, a situation in which Molly hopes to ask Noah for additional help. What ensues is the ‘friends with benefits’ situationship between Molly and Noah, and the fall-out when the truth about the past, digs a knife further into our story line hero.

Molly Campbell needs lessons in seduction, and Noah Abbott is perfect for the job but keeping their ‘situationship’ limited to a ‘friends with benefits’ only is a struggle for two people who have spent too much time alone, having had their hearts broken by similar situations. Noah Abbott is all about family, and as he and Vivian are the sole surviving members of the Abbott family, Noah refuses to get involved with anyone else. A ‘friends with benefits, education in seduction’ is the perfect situation for our story line hero, a situation that is about to get ugly when the past is revealed.

The relationship between Molly and Noah begins by accident when our heroine literally falls into Noah’s arms. From the outset, the relationship is one of friends to lovers that will quickly turn into something more but Noah is about to sabotage the woman he loves, pushing her out of his life, leaving them both with a broken heart. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a colorful and energetic cast of secondary and supporting characters: Molly’s assistant Mona; her agent Angela, as well as Vivian’s nanny Frannie, several members of Noah’s grief support group, and the Vegas Venom hockey team-Anders Beck, Latham Newberry, Clayton ‘Cash Money’ Hale; team owner Dante Giovanetti and newcomer Marco Rossi.

FLOPPER is a story of grief and loss, blame and recovery, family and friendships, understanding and love. The premise is emotional and heart breaking but the potential conflict is easily deduced; the romance is seductive and captivating; the characters are charismatic, dynamic , broken but struggling to heal.




THE READING CAFÉ:http://www.thereadingcafe.com/flopper-vegas-venom-1-by-colleen-charles-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4902603407


AMAZON CA: https://www.amazon.ca/review/R2YQON2UDKM9K/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1114139224

Full of heavy emotions and endearing characters, this series starter was not your average fluffy rom-com. The situations Noah and Molly find themselves in are serious and have grit. There are also plenty of fun, sweet and spicy moments to lighten the read. I’m glad to know there are future books planned to check in our their new little family!

Noah (uncle/dad to Vivian when her parents died) meets Molly (bookstore owner). They have great chemistry, and more than a few steamy scenes. They also share another connection, one which may destroy their relationship. This book made me smile almost all the way through. Princess Viv... her enabler, Nanny Frannie... Biscuit (the dog). I'm excited for this new series, and this first book certainly delivers. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: single dad, he falls first, friends to lovers,

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: death of a family member

I didn't expect to like this book so much. I can say that it is a bit emotional because it touches on some fragile subjects.

Noah is a single father whose life takes a turn after the death of his niece's parents. After all these years he is still grieving their loss, but through Frances - Vivian's nanny - we meet Molly. Noah and Molly are passionate about books and this is how they get to know each other, something that is maintained throughout the book.

Their relationship starts from the discussion about an erotic book and a workshop they attended as a "couple". later it develops through the smut lessons that Noah gives Molly to gain experience, but apparently Molly is not as innocent as she seems, as it turns out in the spicy scenes.

Both have gone through the death of a loved one, and the author touches this topic so perfectly in the book that it makes you cry.

Thank you NetGalley and Colleen Charles for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I desperately wanted to love this story! It started off so promising! Sadly, for me, it just didn’t hold my interest. I think it has good bones. Simply not the story for me. I did power through and finish it. The ending was sweet.

One phone call changed Noah's life forever. His sister and brother in law were killed in a tragic car accident and he was now guardian to their infant daughter. Over the last few years he's settled into a routine and become the best parent he could be to his niece, but that and work are all he does. Molly owns an independent bookstore and coped with her own loss by writing a very successful children's book about grief. She can't seem to find inspiration to write again, but, when her path crosses with Noah's, she definitely feels a different kind of inspiration.

This was certainly very spicy and had fun moments, but some things about the story gave me pause. I didn't really understand why Molly was opposed to a relationship, and Noah seemed to blow hot and cold. I was troubled by some of the moral judgments he placed on various acts (there was some pushback to this in the book). His NHL career barely factored into the story except as a reason to get him out of town. Mostly, though, the main conflict in the book was problematic. His words and actions were nearly nonsensical, especially for someone who'd been actively working on processing their grief for years. They were also pretty close to unforgivable, especially for as long as it took for him to come to his senses. I had a hard time embracing him as someone I wanted to root for.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

okay, this book was cute, but the odd life references, the racist joke, the play on gay people.
i finished the book so i would give an honest review but no thank you.

Noah a Hockey player receives bad news about his sister and brother-in-law being killed in a car accident. His niece Vivan survived and he is now her guardian. In another place, Molly is taking over for her uncle running his book store after he has passed away. Noah has all of or most of the women at its survivor group wanting to be with him he does not want to date though.
Noah and Molly end up meeting and eventually and later after a class agrees to be friends with benefits. Together they each want more but yet stop before getting closer. The more the story goes you find that there is more to this story and you are waiting for it to be shown and how each will be affected. Many twists when you get to the end which makes for a good ending. Many good characters add to this story which moves this story along at a good pace. A very good book.

I thought from the cover that this was going to be a dark romance.
I loved Noah’s journey throught his grief, and I loved the plot twist. It was a bit cruel but I liked it.
But Molly should’ve been a little bit more strong.
I adored Vivian, she was so cute.
The spicy scenes were kind of cringy, but I liked the consensual bdsm and Noah’s obsession with consent.
It gibes a Beautiful message about grief and forgiveness.
I liked it, but it had way more potential. It could have been way better

Quick read insta-love story.

What I liked most about this book was Noah and how he wasn't the average jock you see depicted in books. He was sweet, loved to read, and wasn't a "player." I liked how their story progressed and the plot twist was somewhat unexpected. HEA in the end :).

Side note, I love the side character Mona.

A steamy, fun, emotional romance featuring a shy bookworm, an adorable little girl, and pro hockey player newly in charge of his niece!

This was such a quick and enjoyable read! After the death of his sister and brother in law, Noah has sole custody of his little niece. He’s making it work with the help of his nanny. But a trip to the bookstore changes everything when he meets the store’s shy owner, Molly.

I had so much fun with this one. You’ve got a single parent, pro hockey, opposites attract, a great cast of side characters, and some well written steam! Molly is literally so good with Noah’s niece, Vivian. Molly is the the sunshine to Noah’s grump (although after the tragic loss of his sister and her husband, he can be as grumpy as he wants.) and they were truly perfect for each other!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own! .

From the very first page, this book will steal your breath and make you swoon like never before! It is a must read book and a must read series.

Flopper is a clear instalove story; within their first meeting their discussion gets personal and quickly enter a "private lessons in seduction" agreement. Given the characters age and lifestyles I did expect more maturity than the setting requires us to believe. I didn't feel like a got to know either character very well before the relationship started and their relationship with each other didn't get a chance to build before they got together and the lack of tension didn't really work for me.

Flopper is my first book by Colleen Charles and it definitely won't be the last.

The book starts with Noah receiving word that his sister and brother-in-law have been killed in a car accident. Fortunately, their infant daughter survived the accident leaving Noah to raise his little niece. That sets the tone for the story of a man who's mired in grief while raising a little girl (with the help of a full-time nanny) and navigating a job playing professional hockey.

While he attended grief counseling with a group, mostly of women who flirted shamelessly with him, he meets Molly who owns a bookstore that she inherited from her late uncle.

Together, they're practically thrust together by friends and then agree to have a friends with benefits "relationship." As the book progresses, it turns into much more and works its way into a happily ever after.

The little girl, Vivian, is adorable though she has some pretty grown-up vocabulary. It's all good - she's a cutie. The nanny is like Molly's friend / employee, Mona, both quirky, yet lovely women who absolutely love their respective friends and want them both to move on.

There's a twist in this book that happens most of the way through that really causes them both to question things, especially Noah, but they work through it.

Side comments:

* for someone who's looking to expand her sexual repertoire, Molly's not at all hesitant about practically jumping right into (consensual) light BDSM
* I would have liked to see the friendship itself develop more on the page, but it didn't stop me from reading this all in one night!
* I really liked Noah's hockey friends and want to read more about them.

Great book by a new-to-me-author. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the author for an ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this honest review are my own.

I believe this is my first book by Colleen Charles, thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy for this honest review. I really, really enjoyed this book. I am an avid romance reader, but it wasn't the romance in this book that captivated me, it was the rest of the story. There is no spoiler in saying that the book begins with the deaths of Noah's sister and her husband and this book really covers the devastation that Noah feels, even years later. I was so invested in Noah finding his way through the pain of his loss and him raising his niece was was a big part of it (she was a doll!) Nanny Frannie was a wonderful character as well. SO, while I thought the insta-sex/love story was as another reviewer said, too fast, it was the rest of the story that is earning this book 4.5 stars from me (even though I saw the twist coming). Rounding up to 5.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the author Colleen Charles for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe this is my first book by this author. I am not a huge hockey fan-I actually had no idea what flopper meant. I thought that this had a unique premise. I really liked Noah and Molly and all the other characters in the book. I was a little unsettled at how quickly they went from having conversations to sex, especially with their backstories. It does have a twist, but it is a solid read. 4 stars