Cait Nary is not only one of my favorite sports romance writers at the moment, she's one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, full stop. Lucky Bounce is a charming, uplifting, and heartwarming romance that also tackles real issues like chronic illness (migraine disorders), atypical family structures, and more. I cannot wait for what Cait Nary writes next!

This book caught my attention right away. MM hockey romance? Yes please. Single Dad? Umm, definitely! Sign me up.


This was a cute and easy read , a teacher who finds out that the daughter of his professional hockey player crush is one of his students!

This is a great grumpy/sunshine, single dad romance and definitely worth the read.

The characters were younger than I imagined. Of course some people can have children younger, but given the age of the kid I kind of expected the characters to be in their early 30s at least. Not a deal breaker, just a bit of a surprise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Cait Nary’s Lucky Bounce explores the relationship between Ezekiel Boehm, a private school teacher, and Spencer McLeod, the pro hockey player he’s been thirsting for, after Spencer’s kindergarten daughter becomes Ezekiel’s student. Nary’s writing style is down-to-earth and easily accessible, with colorful, natural-sounding dialogue. Her charming story and complex, conflicted, intriguing characters quickly draw you in.

While Zeke is used to teaching kids with famous parents, he never expected Spencer, his favorite winger on the Philadelphia Liberty, to walk into the gym of Rittenhouse Friends School hand in hand with a tiny kindergartener. Spencer is the subject of all Zeke’s romantic fantasies, a captivating, handsome, skilled menace on the ice who reluctantly mumbles his way through his postgame interview. But somehow, Zeke believes he can be relaxed and calm about it.

And, as he and Spencer spend time together, he discovers that he can because it gets easier each time as they transition from teacher and parent to friends to more during school volunteer events, at hockey games with Zeke sitting in reserved seats, and outings with Spencer and Adeline. But each time Zeke tries to keep from staring at Spencer he wonders and asks himself whether this can ever work.

I enjoyed Nary’s development of Zeke and Spencer’s relationship. The mutual pining, crushing, and thirsting are out of control, completely adorable, and fun to read. I loved their banter and conversations as they got to know each other. I was disappointed that their first time was when they were drunk—especially because communication isn’t one of their best skills. It’s frustrating for the reader. Spencer is moody and taciturn, while Zeke is an emotional, enthusiastic person with poor impulse control. These two are the very definition of opposites of attract, but somehow, despite all their stumbling around, they manage to make it work.

The interactions between Zeke and Adeline are sweet. I liked the scenes where Zeke spent time with Adeline, Spencer, and his sister. They were entertaining and enlightening. Spencer’s sister is supportive, encouraging, caring, and nonjudgmental. She loves to give Spencer a hard time, but it’s obvious how much she loves Adeline and Spencer—unconditionally, unlike their parents.

One of the things I really liked about Lucky Bounce is how it explores life with Migraine disorders through Spencer’s character and his life with subtlety and nuance in a way that puts you right there with him in each moment. I also love how she explores Spencer’s relationship with his parents and their attempts to influence and control his life.

Lucky Bounce is a sweet, funny, angsty, steamy novel that fans of single parent/teacher relationships, M-M, angsty/melancholy, secret relationship/crush, and hockey romances might enjoy.

Carina Press provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

3.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I like everyone else, has been riding the hockey romance train. And I was really excited to see a queer hockey romance from a new to me author.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me personally.

On one hand I actually really enjoyed the romance itself. There was so much mutual pining between the characters. And I loved how much their friends meddled in their budding romance. Their interactions and scenes together were absolutely adorable.

The daughter element was also done well. I felt like it was a realistic depiction and didn't take over the plot or story. She was adorable, sometimes frustrating, and acted her age.

Where this lost me a little was in the style choices. First of all, this only had Zeke’s POV and I thought it could have benefited from dual POV. But the real hold up was the fact that it was written in 3rd person.

I'm normally not one to care about, or often even notice, 1st or 3rd person narration. But in this case it was... jarring. Everything is written in 3rd person from Zeke's POV but it's written in a stream of conscious way... so you got these weird tangents and moments of internal dialogue. But from a 3rd person narrator...

And it was honestly bizarre. I had to actively ignore it while reading because it just kept distracting me. It was just an odd choice in my opinion. And I've never felt to distracted or aware of the narration/tense of a romance.

Overall, this was a cute fun story. But I don't think it's one I'll think about or rec often. If you're in search of a quirky hockey romance with buckets of pining though, it's definitely worth giving a shot.

I enjoyed this romance, I appreciated the chemistry and loved that it was only one character's POV -I'm never a fan of dual, I think there's a lot more mystery to it. However, this did feel way too short for what it was and there was very little exposition or conflict which meant it felt a bit too simple and wrapped up. 3/5. Not my favourite Cait Nary but still good!

I enjoyed this book. As someone who is also very introverted, I could relate to Spencer’s personal struggle. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Zeke and Spencer bloom, and watching each character fall into themselves.

This was a fun time! I loved the teacher and parent of a student dynamic, I’m a sucker for any books with children in them! I also liked the inclusion of migraine rep, especially in a professional sports setting. Lucky Bounce was a great balance of sweet and sexy moments and I found myself smiling quite a bit!
However, I did have a little issue with the pacing. It felt that there was very very slow build up and then everything happened all at once. Additionally, I do wish there had been more focus on hockey, because a major part of why I enjoy hockey novels is because I genuinely enjoy the sport.
Overall, this was a fun read with an endearing romance at the core, but there was nothing that made it particularly special compared to the other romances and hockey romances that I’ve read.

This may be my first book from Ms. Nairy, but it will not be my last! I absolutely loved this one! The banter and in the desperately clueless but hopelessly loveable Zeke was my favorite. Usually, such characters annoy me because what they want is literally standing in front of them with all the signs pointing to "YES ME! I LIKE YOU!" Gahh! But, Zeke was such a good guy.

Then there's Spencer. Adorably shy Spencer who made his intentions known. The hockey player with the secret daughter who defends her goal like a mama lion for her cubs. I loved him. The support he had from his friends/teammates was lovely too.

I wish the ending was not so rushed because it would have been a home run, slam dunk, goal, etc insert sports phrase here. I hope the author continues to write more because their voice and their writing style is my cup of tea!

*ARC provided by NetGalley, and I have given my honest and voluntary response*

Lucky Bounce is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and lighthearted romance that explores the unexpected connection between a pro hockey player and his daughter's teacher, with a focus on the challenges and joys of navigating a same-sex relationship in a small community.

3.5 rounded up to 4

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HFN
spice: several mildly open-door spicy scenes and a few fully open-door scenes. Most of the scenes, especially as the spice starts, give generals but don’t give details
TWs: unsupportive parents, homophobia,
standalone: yes but definitely open for book 2 if there ever is one….
final thoughts: this book has a great concept, is super cute, low angst, and was a fast and easy read. There were some plot points that didn’t seem to make much of an impact to the story and there is a HFN cliffhanger of what will happen next- SO MANY unanswered questions. I did love the way their relationship progressed, the interactions with the side characters, and the potential for another book in the same universe. What I didn’t love was the way Zeke kept calling Spencer “bro” and stuff after they’ve established a relationship... it was so awkward to read like he was trying to friendzone his own boyfriend that he’s obsessed with LOL

read this book if you love

🏝️ forced proximity
💓 slowburn
🤫 hidden secrets
🧠 “it’s always been you”
🌈 LGBT+ representation
😳 forbidden lovers (teacher / student’s parent)
👩‍👦 single parent
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🍪 cinnamon roll MMC
🏉 sports romance (hockey)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family

This was a fun romcom where the main characters are a pro hockey player and a teacher. Zeke is wonderful from page one but Spencer is quite awkward. I really would have liked Spencer more if he was more communicative. He did improve as his relationship with Zeke progressed but I think there could have been a bit more. I also would have liked him to have been more hands on with caring for his daughter. He had a lot of family help but he could have stepped up in his interactions and daily care with Addie. This also improved as time went on but I just think Spencer could have been a more well rounded character and I would have liked extra dialogue from him with complete sentences. I realize I keep using the word more and don’t get me wrong I did enjoy the book but I just would have liked a bit additionally from the characters.

This book is probably closer to four stars on paper but you know what? I'm rounding up to five stars on vibes and for being the right book at the right time for me.

Honestly, I don't even know what I would change about this book. It's not too deep but it's not all fluff either - it's some mid-twenties guys dealing with a bit of stuff and figuring out life at the same time.

Does anything happen? Not really. But the vibes are just right and it was also pretty hot. I couldn't put it down.

This was even better for me because I bounced off the author's debut in the second chapter so I was really managing my expectations. Maybe I should go back and give one of the first two books a try?

I’ve been very into this hockey romance trend that’s been going around, so when I was offered an eARC of this queer hockey romance featuring a single dad, I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me.

I thought it got off to a strong start and I was liking Ezekiel as a main character and even appreciated some of the writing quirks. But then it kind of went no where. I think it suffered from being a single POV, but also I just didn’t understand the relationship. Like Zeke has been a fan for ages and Spencer has been sort of closeted but I never bought into Spencer being attracted to Zeke. And the more that started to bug me, the more faults I found in the writing and the pacing.

While ultimately this didn’t work for me, I have heard good things about Nary’s other work so I’d be willing to give her a second chance.

Cute Story

This was a cute story to read. I did struggle a bit in a few places but I enjoyed the overall story.

This was so cute and fun! Listen, I am all in for a dude who is just DOWN BAD for someone (that mutually likes them back) and while it was single POV it's really obvious Spencer likes him right back. For me who's not a heavy romance reader I found the lack of third act breakup really, really refreshing, and the issues they have (which is mostly just life disparity and 'what do you see in me' not as a self-deprecating thing but an actual realistic question considering said disparities and a truthful 'I see x y z') are actually talked through/sorted out in a way that's both realistic and hopeful.

I loved the stream of consciousness go go go from Zeke's brain which made it a fast read in a really low stakes (and spicy, there was a certain reversal that is one of my FAVS so I was surprised and pleased there) romance.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for the eARC! Why did I put this down in January, was it just so I could enjoy the last 75% in February...

This book grabbed me! The cover gave me pause, but once I got into it I fell hard for the characters.

I really felt Zeke as a character- someone who has been told he's "too much," has a difficult family life, but has a strong found family? Very familiar. I think he's a really well realized character. His job, his friends, and his hobbies all feel like a real person. He's also just very funny and I like a laugh.

Spencer is also a familiar stock character, foul-mouthed but soft-spoken tough guy. I guess what I liked most is that we're seeing Spencer in recovery from some of his hardest times, and learning to cope with full-time fatherhood while in the spotlight. I think he's unique in that he does work on that emotional vulnerability on his own, without Zeke having to "fix" him. Strong silent guys so often need their love interests to badger declarations out of them, but I like that Spencer opens up of his own accord, in his own time.

My one criticism is that there is no epilogue. It does end happily, with the characters in a good place and on the same page with their relationship, but I would have liked something more concrete, or just a flash forward. Not all queer stories have to have a coming out party at the end, but I would have liked a "we live quietly and in privacy with our small daughter" epilogue.

3.5 / 5

Lucky Bounce was a solid, enjoyable read. I haven't read a hockey romance in months, and despite being sort of hockey-lite, this one totally satisfied my craving! Cinnamon roll hockey himbos will always have my heart.

We only see hockey on the sidelines through the eyes of Zeke Boehm - a P.E. teacher and all-around hockey fanboy. He is our only POV character, and while I do think this book would've benefitted from a Spencer POV, I wasn't mad about it. I really enjoyed Zeke as a main character, and his friendship with Jake was wonderful - I wish it carried throughout the entire book but it was very fun in the beginning.

I am a sucker for a single dad, and Spencer is one of the cutest I've ever read about. The time we spend with Spencer and his daughter Addie was the highlight of this book for me. Every time they were on page together I was simply a puddle (as was Zeke, rightfully so!)

The romance was satisfying, but I found myself really wanting more banter. We'd get a taste of it, and then the rest of the scene/interaction would be summarized abruptly in a few sentences and we'd be onto the next thing. I love lengthy back and forths, I want to simmer in a scene with two characters for longer than a few moments. I think if Nary had spent some time really fleshing out these bantery moments between Zeke and Spencer, the romance would've been brought up to a whole new level (and likely brought my rating up a star).

Overall, I had a fun time with this! I think if Nary fine tunes the banter/dialogue some more, she could be a very popular MM author and I will absolutely be reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Press, and Cait Nary for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this story but I feel like I just liked it and that was a little disappointing.
Lucky Bounce is about a pro hockey player who falls for his daughter's PE teacher (who happens to be his biggest fan). This is a story of a typical outgoing, talkative guy who seems to be too much for most everyone, charming the grumpy, silent type.
When we first meet Zeke I found his crazy, meandering, syntax to be distracting. Actually, having ADHD myself it was like being in my own head and I need more structure than that is what I read. Lol I feel like it calmed down a bit as the story went on but was still distracting at times.
I would have really loved to have an alternating pov to give us Spencer's thoughts. It would have been nice to know his motivation and where his daughter came from earlier in the story. And Spencer blushed constantly! It was really too much! I really did like the characters, I just wanted more from them.
Once the two got together we didn't hear anymore about roommate Jake and his girlfriend, the other PE teacher or any of Spencer's teammates. All of these people seemed like they all had backstories I wanted to hear but they were tossed aside. There was a new focus on Spencer's family but why? When the story wrapped up so quickly they weren't really relevant either. I felt like there was a lot of setup of friends and family that never paid off.
The spicy scenes seemed like they would start detailed and then just drop off, "and we're done". I was confused if the story wanted to be more explicit or maybe closed door. I really couldn't tell.
Being that I'm not from the northeast or a hockey fan there were a few terms and abbreviations that I had to Google. It felt like those thing could have been explained better.
I really liked this story and the characters but the story as a whole needed more refining and editing. I would probably read more from Cait but I need more detail given to plot and tying up loose ends.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A huge thank you to Netgally, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this arc.