Love, Love, Love! The story was amazing and the narrators were perfect for the characters. I can’t wait for the next DC Eagles book.

I loved this book! My first read by Leah Brunner and it was great! I really enjoyed this enemies turned lovers love story of Colby and Noel! A cute holiday read. I also loved the narrators! A must read.

When I first started listening to this book the male voice, paired with the cocky attitude of the character, really did my head in. I knew that it was all part of his character arc or whatever, but I really didn’t want to listen to his POV in the beginning. Luckily it didn’t take him too long to start being less cocky and more sweet, but it definitely affected my enjoyment levels for the rest of the book. Though, that’s obviously more of a “me” thing and less about the books content itself.

I did enjoy getting to meet other characters from the first book and get to explore their lives more. It was fun to follow along as Colby tried to convince Noelle to change her impression of him and give him a chance. Oh and the whole dressing up for the convention thing was cute AF.

Book one is still my favourite so far, but it was a nice, easy read and will still be looking out for the next instalment.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Audio
POV: Dual
Spice: 0 /5 “clean romance”
Age suggestion: 16+

Flirtation or Faceoff is a story in the DC Eagles series but this can be read as a standalone. I did read the first book Desire or Defense so I already had a feel for the team and some characters. That definitely made me enjoy the book more but it’s not needed.

The story follows Noel who has sworn off dating athletes because of her past experience. Through her friends she meets one of the star players, Colby, who has a reputation for being a playboy. Colby is instantly drawn to Noel but Noel wants nothing to do with him.

Noel enlists Colby to help her with dating advice and practice to try to go on a date with someone she likes at work. Colby agrees to help her try to win someone else just so he can spend time with her.

Colby's words and his actions were saying he was done being a playboy, and I wanted nothing more for it to be true and for him to be with Noel. They were perfect for each other and I love how good he was to her. Noel was barely a friend and he already was willing to do anything for her.

I’m looking forward to more books in the DC Eagles series!

The beginning of this book was confusing and cheesy. Both main characters were all over the place. The main man Colby is a manwhore who sees Noel for the first time and is instantly in love. Noel is a massive b to him in response to his flirting. We later find out it's because in college her hockey boyfriend cheated on her. She has not dated since college, and she is now 30 and acts like an 18 year old who doesn't know how to talk to boys unless she is mean to them. She fancies herself in love with this uptight British dude, so she ends up getting dating lessons from Colby that gasp... turn real? She seemed to have confidence in every part of her life except trusting/dating guys, because she had no qualms about standing up for her work, being with her dorky family, or going to fantasy book conventions. But she instantly looses her confidence when a dude compliments her or wants to date her. That didn't work for me. I didn't love the female narrator, but that was probably because I didn't love Noel's personality or the way she thought. It was fun to picture these big professional hockey players sitting around plotting how to win a girl over. For all the eye-rolling, the book was pretty cute if you don't mind cheesy reads. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC!

Colby and Noel might not have made sense on paper, but boy, did they make a dynamic duo!! Their chemistry was second to none. I love, love, love when the guy falls first and he pursues the girl. And the things Colby did to make sure Noel knew just how much she meant to him? I won’t spoil anything, but he did some amazing things!! He was sweet and sincere and the ultimate cinnamon roll. And Noel!! I related to her on so many levels. I loved how bookish and nerdy she was. She was also driven and introverted. The banter between the two was 👩🏼‍🍳💋 And the nickname? 🥹 As with the other books in this series, there was a focus on family relationships and I appreciated the good and bad depicted. Gram was a particular favorite!! Leah Brunner absolutely knows how to write relatable, realistic characters and I love how she allows for growth in not only the main characters, but secondary characters as well. The writing in this one was smart and funny and made me laugh several times, more than I can remember laughing in quite a while. And The Lord of the Rings references? Just perfection!!

Alex Picard and Neill Thorne were exceptional narrators. Alex is one of my favorites!! Her voices are brilliant and the way she draws emotions from the stories she reads is a gift. She was the perfect Noel and brought out her intelligence and vulnerability with ease. Neill skillfully captured Colby’s playful nature while also making sure to portray his depth and openness. It was so fun listening to them both!!

I loved everything about this book and binged it in one day!!!

Content warnings: mild profanity, cheating exes mentioned

(I received an audio ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I love this book!
If you’re looking for a book with a swoon-worthy book boyfriend look no further than Colby Knight!
This book actually reminds me so much of the Deal by Elle Kennedy, from the hockey player aspect, the found family, the fake-dating aspect and I love both Noelle and Colby both together and as individuals
The fact that he reads her favorite books – Lord of the Rings! – and genuinely enjoyed the process has raised him to one of my favorite book boyfriend of this year
He’s also genuinely sweet and wants her for who she is!
I love love Colby Knight!
Did I tell you this guy also spends time at the cancer wing in a children hospital? He also loves his half-sister and tolerates his dad for her sake

Some note worthy quotes:
“This woman being mad at me is more enjoyable than any other woman being nice to me.”
“You really like my last name don’t you?”
“Not as much as I like mine. I could give you my last name you know.”

The plot:
When Colby Knight first laid his eyes upon Noelle, he knew she was the girl of his dreams.
She’s also best friends with the WAGs of his closest teammates
Unfortunately for him, Noelle can’t stand him
She’s sworn off hockey players after her college boyfriend cheated on her
But when he continues to charm and woo her, especially when she has to go on a date with him after her grandmother donated money to the children’s hospital, the ice block in Noelle’s heart is starting to chip one by one…

Have I convinced you to read this book?
I promise you it’s worth it!
It’s so sweet and cute, it’s like a rom-com but in a book format.
Five amazing stars for flirtation or faceoff.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Colby & Noel were perfect and I could have listened to them banter all day long.
I am loving this series and cannot wait for more books to come out.
These are closed door, hockey romance, and they are everything I need for a cozy cute romance.
Much love to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my ALC.

Another binge worthy hockey romance from Leah Brunner; Colby and Noel were fire.
I love that Colby fell first and honestly, the way he changes from the first time he meets Noel to when they finally get together (over a year later), it was so swoony and sweet. Colby is the player with a reputation to match. I really liked how he and Noel appeared to be opposites, and Noel treated him like an enemy due to an experience in her past, but the more they spent time together, the more perfect for each other they were. The more Noel saw Colby’s big heart.
What I enjoyed most was the dating lessons and way Colby dated Noel without her really realizing it. The team bond and support were fabulous and I’m slowly being turned into a hockey fan from these books. Noel was super intelligent and a history professor, which I loved that representation and way Colby found her brain attractive and took a genuine interest in her career and hobbies. Gram was one of those secondary characters you want to have in your own life. Her matchmaking was fabulous.
The audiobook version was really easy to listen to with dual narration and both the female and male narrators (Alex Picard and Neill Thorne) doing an excellent job bringing Noel and Colby to life. I was completely hooked listening to them, they even matched what I was picturing in my mind.
This is a closed-door romance. The content is what I’d say would be PG-13 if this was a movie. There is innuendo and more mild language than usual in sweet romance including a few “A” words.
Thank you Dreamscape audio and Netgalley for the advance listening copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I can't get over this book. The series, if I'm being completely honest. I have read all of her books, and the whole D.C. Eagles series. And the audiobook takes it to a whole new level! There is nothing I love more than dual narrators! And these two knocked it out of the park. The story came to life with these two voices and I was INVESTED! Even though I had already read it, and knew what was going to happen. That is the magic of audiobooks. This one is phenomenal!

What a cute little love story! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I listened to it as an audio book, so it was quick and easy, and the story’s flow was amazing.

The book takes us through the relationship of Colby and Noel. Colby is a bit of a playboy and Noel has had a history of hating hockey players. But they are throw together time and time again when their best friends marry each other. Colby always has had a thing for Noel and it only grows strong. They are once thrown together when Noel asks Colby for dating lesson to help bag a professor at the college she teaches. She soon learns that Colby is more than meets the eye.

Filled with moments that just made me feel like I had butterflies in my stomach, this story was a fun love story!! I didn’t realize it was a series so I will definitely be picking up the first book. I loved reading about a fellow book nerd like myself and a golden retriever hockey player. Hockey romance lovers, here’s another one for ya!

Thank you to NetGalley and Leah a runner for this advanced audio book!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this and I ended up loving it! Now I need to read the rest of the books in the series!

Colby is a professional hockey player with the reputation for being player both on and off the ice. But the hooking up with random women is starting to feel a little juvenile, especially when his friends are in committed relationships. When he meets Noel at a friends wedding he stops the hook ups and decides that he wants her but she won't give him the time of day and does not like hockey players. When Noel's grandmother forces her into a date with Colby she is not happy., she wants the British professor that doesn't notice her. Noel is surprised by how comfortable she is with Colby and how much she enjoys herself but she still thinks she wants the professor. Colby wants to spend time with her so he agrees to give her dating lessons figuring it means they will spend time together. He finds ways to make her think about him as more than a hockey player including reading her favorite book and annotating it. But will Noel be able to trust him with her heart?

Loved that the story was told in dual POV as it gave you a window into what each them was thinking. Also as a reader it just grabbed my heart that Colby wanted to be a part of Noel's world and read her favorite books so they could talk about it together. While this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone.

Ive really come to enjoy Leah Brunner books! These are perfect for someone who wants closed door hockey romance! Flirtation or Faceoff was cute and had me chuckling in places! The narrator also did a wonderful job and this was a pleasant book to listen to. Excited to purchase the physical copy and add it to my shelf with my other Leah books!

The narrators are fabulous. I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to listening to the others in this series. Very entertaining and I found myself laughing out loud a ton! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Hockey is big in my family so the title and setting were fantastic to read.

This was a very cute read. Noelle and Colby were well-developed and likable characters, and I could feel their chemistry from the jump.

Read if you like:
-hockey romance
-enemies to lovers
-fake dating
-he falls first
-a hunky cinnamon roll
-closed-door romance

The audiobook was delightfully narrated by Alex Picard and Neill Thorne.

Thank you Leah Brunner, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Flirtation or Faceoff by Leah Brunner
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

This one is another cute romance read from Leah Brunner in the D.C. Eagles Hockey world. You can definitely read this as a stand alone but if you've read the others, you will appreciate the side character's appearances even more. I definitely recommend this series from any sports romance lover and can't wait to start the next one!

Read this book if you like:
- hockey romance
- he falls first
- fake dating/dating lessons
- frenemies to lovers

Flirtation or Faceoff is already released in print but will be newly released in audio on November 28th. If it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
.
.
.
Special thanks to Dreamscape Media for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Flirtation or Faceoff

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started in the middle of this series, but that didn’t really takeaway from the story. This cute story about Noel and Colby has hockey, nerds, and dating lessons!

Noel has never had a good impression of Colby, a hockey player close to her best friend’s boyfriend. When he tries to persuade her to date, she assumes he’s flirting like he always does. Noel asks for his help with some dating lessons, but ends up falling for him on the process!

Such a fast read if you need a short romcom! I thought a lot of it was pretty cheesy but sometimes that’s what you need!

Thanks to @netgalley for this advanced audio copy!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the two books preceding this when my request for this audiobook ARC was approved. The entire series are very sweet, quick romantic reads.

OMG SUCH A GOOD BOOK!! I did audiobook and the voices were amazing!! I melted whenever I got to hear Colby’s chapters. Besides the voice actors, I loved the book itself too! There were times where I felt like if I was Colby I’d want to give up because Noelle is just not letting go of the past but I loved that he held strong and they were able to get through the hardship together and come out stronger! Plus as a bonus, no grammar mistakes that I heard, don’t know for written but by audio, it was flawless!!

What a cute listen!!

Flirtation or Faceoff was my first book written by Leah Brunner, and it was so cute.

Colby Knight is a player on and off the NHL rink. Successful, handsome, and master of the hookup.

Noel Woodcock is an avid book reader and a professor at the local college. She has a bad history with a hockey player and wants nothing to do with them.

Colby stumbles upon his angel at his teammate’s engagement party and is determined to score Noel as his grand prize.

Colby and Noel are forced together thanks to Gram, Noel’s spunky grandmother.

Colby begins reading Noel’s favorite novels, attends events he wouldn’t normally attend, and goes all out to gain the trust and adoration of Dr. Woodcock.

This is a fun, easy listen. Mostly G/PG.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/4 stars 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced listen. All thoughts and opinions are my own.