I enjoyed Flirtation or Faceoff by Leah Brunner. The author and the narrators did a good job with the characters. This is the third book in the series. I did not read the other two books before reading this one, and I do not feel it is needed. There is some character overlap, and I do look forward to reading them in the future.

Colby is a professional hockey player and is close with some of his teammates. One of their wives best friends is a literature professor at a local university. Colby took one look at her and fell head over heels. She on the other hand has had bad experiences when it comes to anyone who plays sports. Their relationship slowly develops through his persistence.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own. #LeahBrunner #FlirtationorFaceoff #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia

I listened to the audio for this book and I just loved it. We have dual voice narrators and they both do their tones brilliantly. I love a male narrator with a man voice, but who can also do sweet angelic female voices. And our female narrator had the perfect toned voice - soft and not irritating. Both did their cries, laughs, surprises and hushed voiced fabulously. It was such a pleasant book to listen to.

The story itself was great too. A sports romance, clean with a touch of behind closed doors toward the end. Lots of chemistry and angst from our MCs. In this romance, we didn't have a fake romance trope, but our MMC was "teaching" our FMC how to date, so they had to go on training dates - which almost feels like the fake date trope because we have all the anxiety as well. Our MMC falls first and we love a MMC that pursues the girl - and yes she completely ignores the poor man.
My favorite was the way he read her favorite books, doing annotations and all, and quoting the books he reads to her - so fabulous.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

This was your average rom com. I enjoyed the quick and light read.

High points: Colby and his sister's interactions, being loved for who you are, a meddling granny (one of my favorite microtropes), and some nerdy reading.

Otherwise, this explored gaining confidence in yourself to accept love from others and dealing with your own past dating trauma.

The narrators kept me engaged and I liked their pacing.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Trigger warning: cheating (not main characters and in past).

Apparently this is book 2 in a series. I wasn't aware and have not read book one, but it read fine as a standalone.

I enjoyed Colby & Noel and their banter. He fell hard and worked so hard to win her over.

Cute closed door hockey romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Watching playboy Colby fall fast and hard for Noel, and then trying to win her heart, was just SO MUCH FUN! The way he matured, and how he persistently pursued her was yummy!

Leah hit it out of the park with this story! It had me in a constant state of smiling and swooning. It’s definitely one of my favorite books this year and I absolutely loved it!

Noel has trust issues because of her ex, and she rebuffs Colby’s efforts with such delightful sass and spunk! I adored her character! She’s intelligent, nerdy, beautiful, and wise enough to finally see just how amazing Colby is beneath his public persona.

There’s some Cheat Sheet vibes with Colby’s teammates helping get a game plan to win her over, and it was the best!

What I loved:
🏒 He fall’s first and falls hard
🏒 My Angel
🏒 MMC character growth
🏒 LOTR references
🏒 She is so sassy to him
🏒 He won’t give up
🏒 He reads her favorite book
🏒 Lisa Frank notebooks
🏒 Meddling Grams
🏒 Pancake Palace
🏒 Hospital visits
🏒 Closed door
🏒 Grand gesture

The audiobook was excellent and both narrators did a fabulous job!

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advance listening copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh, how I’ve enjoyed this series so far! I discovered Leah Brunner earlier this year when I came across the first book in this DC Eagles Hockey series and I was hooked - she can write the heck out of a great hockey romance!

I got a copy of the prequel novella which I only read today just before diving into this second book. It says it’s book 0.5 but I would definitely argue that it’s 1.5 - it’s the prequel to this storyline and not related to the first book. It’s very important backstory for this one, so don’t miss reading it before this one. The stories are extremely interconnected.

Book. 2 literally picked up as the novella ended, with the engagement party of those two characters, and the continuing saga of the roommate Noel, avoiding flirting by shameless by womanizer Colby. He has his sights set on her and because she’s out of his league (with her PhD and professor job and so much more), he begins to figure out how to win her over.

Noel, in the meantime, won’t give Colby the time of day because she’s sworn off athletes because her college boyfriend, also a hockey player, was a horrible person and cheated on her terribly… but she’s become interested in a coworker and asked him to be her dating coach, since he’s so experienced with women and dating, and he’ll take any chance to be around her and try to convince her that he’s changed and worthy.

I absolutely adored every word of this story and I’m glad I’ve read the whole series for the background - it’s not a standalone (especially need that novella). I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good hockey romance, but you’ll want to get the audio! Alex Picard and Neil Thorne are new voices for me (and I’ve been listening to audiobooks for 15 years), but they did a fantastic job of each character and I’m looking forward to hearing more from each in the future!

I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

This book has all the elements of a great rom-com story.

Some highlights: hockey romance, guy falls first, dating coach, enemies to lovers, need I say more?

Colby's obsession with book and fantasy nerd Noel is very enduring. Although he is a hot-shot hockey player, the first time he laid eyes on her, he was head over heels. So much so that when she asks him to be her dating coach, he agrees in his own effort to woo her.

This is a must-read for sports romance lovers, hockey especially. The way Colby shows he likes Noel (like reading her favorite books?)--obsessed.

I listened to this as an early audiobook. I enjoyed the dual POV between Noel and Colby as well as the dual narrators.

I will definitely be reading more of Leah Brunner's books and the rest of the D.C. Eagles series!

This is my first book by this author and you can be sure that I am now going to go back and read or listen to the earlier books in this series! This is a clean fiction romcom title with some heat, some alcohol references, and some mild language. I include this information so that if these things are deal breakers for you, then you will know before choosing this novel. I, personally, felt that the language worked for the book, was not excessive, and added a realistic element to the teammates’ conversations.

I loved that Colby fell first. Having not read the earlier books yet, I only knew Colby in this novel. He was apparently quite the playboy. However, he is now completely devoted to Noel in this story and expresses regret for the way he lived his life previously. It was nice to see how fun and playful he was and all of the lengths he went to in order to be there for Noel.

Noel had a legitimately strong reason for her trust issues. She also had trouble imagining that someone like Colby would change his ways, choose her, and stay true to her. She had a lot to work through and I liked that she had supportive friends who cared about her and wanted the best for her.

This book was swoony, fun, and full of heart from beginning to end. I absolutely loved it. The dual audio book narration was wonderful and made for a great listening experience.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I'm not usually an audiobook person but I love a good hockey romance so I figured this would be a good way to get more into them. This book did not disappoint. A cute, cheesy enemies to lovers/he falls first vibe. I really enjoyed it. It was lighthearted and genuinely funny. I loved the main characters and the voice actors did a phenomenal job. I often find the lack of emotion or sincerity in the voices can really wreck an audiobook. I had a great time listening to this though.

It's a cheesy rom-com book with likeable main characters. There's really not much criticism to give here. You get exactly what you expect and you'll love it if you like that sort of book. Really solid 3.5-4/5 stars here.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is packed full of hockey romcom, cinnamon roll goodness 🙏🏻

Our FMC has sworn off dating athletes after her college boyfriend broke her heart.

Our MMC is a professional hockey player l, emphasis on the player, who fell for her at first sight.

This is a reformed player x nerdy girl romance and something I loved was that the MMC came to the conclusion that he no longer wanted to live the player lifestyle and would rather pursue a meaningful relationship all on his own. Although our FMC inspired this change in behaviour, she did not have to deal with him grappling with this new revelation. In fact, the came to terms with this and still didn't really do anything significant to actively pursue her for a long time.

Tropes:
- hockey romance
- dating coach
- he falls first
- frenemies to lovers
- he reads her favourite book & shows up to the fantasy convention she is attending in costume with his baby sister

This book was sweet and funny with little spice, but still plenty of heat. The book is closed door, but the sexual tension and steamy kisses were enough to keep me satisfied.

While I feel like Colby did a lot (not all, but most) of his personal growth off page, it was still totally believable. We really got to see Noel grow into herself and learn to trust again, and that was just so relatable.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrators were smooth and super easy to listen to. There wasn't anything that bothered me about the narration - it didn't feel over or under dramatized to me and there weren't any mistakes that I noticed.

Cute, flirty, cozy fun! It was very easy to fall into this hockey romance. Easy recommendation for a closed-door romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this super cute audiobook.

Noel is a history professor with a passion for fantasy books. She is sweet but resolute and guards her heart as much as she can after getting burned by her college hockey player ex-boyfriend.
That is why when she meets Colby Knight, NHL superstar and heartthrob she doesn´t want anything to do with him. But when her work crush seems to keep ignoring her Noel asks Colby for dating tips.
The two embark on a series of fake (for Noel)/real (for Colby) dates and in between fantasy conventions, bungee jumping and hockey games the two will swoon the reader with laughs and sweetness.

I recommend this book to all the lovers of
- frenemies to lovers
- he falls first
- hockey guys and amazing friendship
- a super sassy grandmother and a super cute 3 yo step sister
- lord of the rings
- ANY BOOKLOVER DREAM (like girls what he did for her it´s our dream and just for that the book is worth reading)

Also, this book doesn´t have spice so if you are looking for a hot romance this is not it. But if you want a sweet story with an amazing MMC then you are in the right place.

Also I didn´t know it was book 2 of a standalone serie and I will for sure go back and read the previous one and the 0.5 novella.

Leah Brunner's Flirtation or Faceoff is such a delightfully fun, deliciously swoony slow burn. I truly enjoyed it. While this is book 2 of the D.C. Eagles Hockey series, it could be read as a stand alone. Knowing the backstory to some of the characters like Andie and Mel is nice, though.

This story follows Colby, the pretty boy hockey star that all the ladies want. At first glance he seems like a real player, but he is a totally sweety on the inside. Then there’s Noel. She's a bookish history professor who has zero interest in professional athletes, especially Colby. She's also delightfully awkward (to hilarious effect) when it comes to dating.

I sank completely into this audiobook. First, the story is wonderful: well written, well paced, and full of characters you’ll love. Like Noel's Gran, my personal fav. The humour cannot be overlooked. Brunner has such a talent for infusing comedy with heart while also mounting the tension in this slow burn romance. It’s a sweet romance, but there are some super steamy kisses. It gave me butterflies, and made me squeal out loud.

I really enjoyed the performances of the narrators. Alex Picard and Neil Thorn truly captured the characters and emotions from the story and really added to my experience of this book.

I loved this one so much. I must say, that first I read this one, and than lisened to the audio and I loved it even more, if it is possible. Such a good one For me the best one in the series, so far.

Enemies to lovers fun in this new sports romance between a playboy hockey star and a bookish history teacher FMC. While this wasn't my fav of the series I did enjoy the dating lessons and how hard he fell first. Sweet and entertaining this was still an enjoyable read and worth the wait for the audiobook. Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: kissing only

It was a very fun listen! An easy one with enough amount of drama to spice things up. Narrators were amazing, especially MMC.

A hockey romance done right. I got hooked fast and binged the first half of it in one sitting. Colby was pretty sweet and obviously flirtatious hence the book name. Noel's character has been a bit of a surprise to me - a good surprise. She isn't your stereotypical nerdy but extremely hot, beautiful and feminine FMC - she has a kind of a boyish look with short hair. I liked how the story included stuggles that come with being in a relationship with someone popular and extremely handsome, such as online bullying but also people changing their perception of you just because you personally know someone famous.

This book also made me realize I just can't fully love manwhore characters (even when Colby abstinent has been an abstinent for a year). A bit too cocky for me.

Read if you like:
- sports romance
- frenemies to lovers
- hockey player MMC
- history teacher FMC
- he falls first (and harder)
- dating lessons
- kissing practice
- reformed playboy
- found family
- clean romance aside making out and innuendos

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange of honest review.

4 stars

I don’t normally do closed door romance, but I read book 1 and fell in love with the characters. I’m so happy Colby and Noelle got their happy ending.

I listened to the audio ARC and the narrators did such an amazing job. Colby started with a cocky glint in his voice that really helped the character development. We all know those guys who overcompensate with confidence when they’re utterly gooey inside.

Noelle trying so hard to push him away because of her past relationship trauma I think is something all women can relate to in some degree. I do think she took one cheating boyfriend from college too much to heart, but maybe I’ve been lucky to never have thought I was in love with my cheating exs.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Flirtation or Face-off by Leah Brunner is a fun, feisty and cute romcom where the guy falls first.
This is the first book I’ve read in the series and can be read as a standalone.
Noel has sworn off athletes since getting her heart broken by one. Noel’s Grandma wins a date with Colby Knight, a hockey player, and makes Noel go in her place.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun closed door hockey romance with a great book boyfriend who reads her favourite books! Also if you like the trope of giving dating lessons you'll enjoy this book. I'm happy with this hockey romance series and I'm looking forward to the next one!

This is the third book in this closed-door /fade-to-black contemporary hockey romcom series by Leah Brunner. It can be read as a standalone but there are some significant interactions with characters from previous books. These are only enhanced by having the other backstories. It isn't essential though.

It does not have on page spice. There are some innuendos and some language. The beginning of the audiobook gives trigger warnings so be sure to listen to those just in case.

The book is very appropriately titled. Colby is a big flirt! And Nicole is ready to faceoff! There's witty banter and an enemies to more vibe.

I listened to the audiobook. It is a dual POV / first person book with both a male and female narrator for the corresponding chapters. Both narrators did a great job portraying all characters individually and reading the narrative parts.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape and Leah Brunner for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook. I'm happily leaving an honest review.