Oh my goodness gracious! I loved this book! The banter was awesome - the chemistry was delicious and I loved the characters! Colby and Noelle were just perfect! Can you tell I really enjoyed this book? I seriously kept laughing out loud and truly enjoyed the whole thing! Keep these Hockey romances coming and I know absolutely nothing about Hockey! Yay! Enjoy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for this story! All opinions are my own!

Noel has been hurt before. She hoped to meet the love of her life in college, get married, and live happily ever after. Instead, the jerk cheated and left her crushed. Now that her best friend is engaged to a DC Eagles hockey player, Noel starts spending time with Colby Knight, the notorious hockey playboy.

Colby was awestruck from the moment he met Noel and he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind. When he auctions himself off for charity, Noel's grandma wins a date with him. Noel starts to spend a lot of time with Colby to learn how to get a guy to like her, after all, he's been on so many dates.

Colby and Noel spend a lot of time together. Sparks fly, but a blast from the past tries to shake things up will they overcome the aftermath?

The narrators did a great job with their characters. Alex Picard and Niell Thorne gave such life to the characters. Their flow, their timber. The characters were so loveable. The story was a medium pace. Granma was great, and Colby's mom, I think those two would be unstoppable if they get together.
Brunner wrote such a beautiful story about trust and letting go of our past.
This is fade-to-black, there is no spice and I still gave it 5/5.

I received this advanced audio-copy from Leah Brunner, Dreamscape Media via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I simultaneously read it with Kindle Unlimited.

This is a very cute love story and it definitely made me smile several times for being so adorable! Also, who wouldn’t love a hockey romance?!

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They were all very relatable and likeable. I now want to read book one of this series to see what happened to the other characters.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Colby is taken with Noel when he meets her through their mutual friends and he can’t get her off his mind. Noel had a heartbreaking experience with an athlete before and has no intention of going near Colby. She sets her sights on another lecturer at her work and asks Colby for help getting his attention. The more time they spend together the more she realises what a good person he actually is, but still tries to protect her heart by going for the softer option. When she does get the date she wants things become more clear to her. Colby agrees to help her just so he can spend more time with her. I really enjoyed the banter between them. Colby was so enamored by Noel and it was so nice to see a mmc working so hard to get the girl. Colby was fun, sweet, loving and determined. Noel was smart and cautious but realized she needed to open herself up. This was a sweet, clean listen and I really enjoyed the dual point of view and thought both voices fit the characters nicely.

I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. So I was excited to check out the audio of this. I don’t know if it was the narrator or what, but I found Colby (one of the MCs) to be super annoying. I just didn’t care for his sexual jokes. There is also more language than unexpected in here, which I realize is appropriate for professional hockey players, but I just didn’t realize there would be so much. I had it in my mind that this was a cleaner read. I also just couldn’t really get into the story. I may have had a different experience if I read the print, but the audio definitely didn’t work for me.

This is the second one in the series and the second one I’ve read from Leah Brunner- she doesn’t disappoint. I’m loving the whole rough hockey team aspect of this series. Hockey guys are burly and tough guys, which is exactly how she’s writing them but they all have a little soft side too and that’s just super adorable. They tend to have a soft spot for the women in their lives and that makes it even more adorable. Loving this series so far, hoping to catch the next one too!

I loved this so much that I finished it in 24hours! Such a cute, sweet enemies to friends storyline with a “he falls first and hard” trope that had me hooked. Definitely recommend this one if you enjoy a sweet romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Leah Bruner for this eARC!

Flirtation or Faceoff is the second full length book (I think?) in the D.C. Eagles hockey romance series, and it was a fun, quick audiobook to listen to.

Noel is a nerdy professor and a massive Lord of the Rings fan. Colby is a playboy professional hockey player. He falls first and HARD for her, and she spends the first half of the book rebuffing his obvious attempts to woo her. She's been hurt by an athlete before, and she is determined not to make that mistake again. But his persistence and the way he *gets* her slowly wins her over, and he's over the moon--even if in order to spend time with her, he agrees to be her "dating coach" so she can catch the eye of another professor. One disastrous date (to a hockey game!) with the professor causes Noel to realize the person she really loves is the one on skates on the other side of the glass.

For fans of romances without explicit content, this series by Leah Brunner is a great option. Closed door romances can be just as swoony as open door romances. I read and love both, depending on my mood. If you like sports romances, this series is super fun without being super heavy on the technical sports stuff.

The narrators, Alex Picard and Neill Thorne, do a wonderful job, bringing these characters to life.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and or the author for giving me the chance to read/listened to Flirtation and Faceoff.

I was laughing so much from the interaction between the characters.

Loved the characters & the plot of this book.

✨ 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰✨

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪?” “𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.” 𝙃𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚. “𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.”

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🫑
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Closed door
𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧: 71%
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: Sports romance (hockey), opposites attract, reformed playboy, he falls first
𝐏𝐎𝐕: 1st person, Dual POV
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Dual
𝐊𝐔: Yes

🏒 Romcom
🏒 Dating lessons
🏒 Golden retriever MMC
🏒 Bookish FMC
🏒 Pop culture references

I was reluctant at first, but after reading this book I can officially say that I am a fan of hockey romances! This book is everything I wanted out of a hockey romance, and it’s closed door! I LOVE the “he falls first” trope, and this book was perfection! I listened to the audiobook and both narrators’ performances were incredible!

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators’ performances were incredible with distinct voices, so the reader can differentiate between the characters. They really brought the text to life!

Colby (MMC) was a goner from the very beginning, and I loved every minute. Noel (FMC) is a professor with a doctorate in history and she loves fantasy conventions! I loved how instead of making fun or her or even teasing her about it, Colby completely embraced his inner nerd, not only reading her favorite book but also attending a fantasy convention with her!


⚠️𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:⚠️
Innuendo throughout
Mild language

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
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Divorced parents, absentee/philandering dad, alcohol, infidelity (recounted) & physical violence (fist fight)

This audiobook was engaging from the very beginning making it the perfect accompaniment to the tasks I was trying to get done. Both narrators did really well and it felt smooth and easy to listen to.

I am really enjoying this series and getting a chance to explore a different member of the hockey team in each story. All of the appearances from past books were really fun without overshadowing the core story. I loved how the main female character was bookish, smart, and sharp. Seeing Colby appreciate and try to connect with her over that was so sweet. It is a mostly lighthearted story with some deeper themes of learning to trust.

Noelle's heart was broken by a cheating athlete, therefore she has sworn off athletes forever. When her best friend marries an NHL player, his teammate, Colby, will not leave her alone. He has a reputation, so she decides she needs his expertise to woo one of her colleagues...
This hockey, closed-door, dating lessons romance is book 2 in D.C. Eagles Hockey series, and Colby falls first, and hard. It was a bit too instalove-y for my taste, and Colby had me cringing for a long time before I warmed up to him (much like it took me a long time to warm up to the MMC in the first book of the series). Five minutes in, I had already rolled my eyes 4 times... The fact that he started calling her "Angel" 12 seconds after meeting her... ugh... He was cocky, arrogant and very full of himself. But I started liking him about halfway through, and he even had me swooning a few times, so kudos on the character development! The FMC was annoying sometimes, she was making a lot of assumptions, and the massive overreaction she has leads to the third act breakup... I hate that Noelle didn't trust Colby. Of course, we had his side of the story, and she did have issues in her past, but still... Anyway. I hated his dad and her ex, but they both brought some interesting side plots to the story. I listened to the audiobook, and the dual narration was great.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a cute closed-door hockey romance between a golden retriever hockey player & a reluctant-to-date professor. I will say that it took a few chapters for me to get into it so if you start out and don’t think it’s for you I’d say give it another couple chapters because then it picks up and gets good!

Hockey romances are huge right now & I love them but this is one of the first I’ve read/listened to that is closed-door which honestly doesn’t take away from the book at all and is just as good as the open-door ones in my opinion!

Synopsis:
Hockey player Colby Knight is known for being a player in other ways but when he meets Noel that all changes for him in the blink of an eye. Noel however has no intentions of dating an athlete again and doesn’t take Colby’s flirting seriously. She even enlists his help for dating advice to catch the eye of a certain professor she works with. The more time they spend together, the more Colby grows on her until Noel wonders if maybe the guy she really wants is right in front of her.

🥅Dating lessons
🥅He falls first
🥅Love at first sight
🥅Sports romance
🥅Closed-door
🥅Bookish FMC x Athlete/Golden Retriever MMC

The narrators are great & super easy to listen to. This is part of a series but you don’t need to read the others to enjoy this one! The main characters are sweet and the side characters are a great addition to their story. The side characters are couples from 2 of the earlier books and then other teammates that will presumably have their own stories in the series. The dynamic between Noel and her friends is so supportive and the hockey players are funny and protective of the people they care about. I love the found family aspect of sports romance and you definitely get that here with the teammates and their partners. This was a quick and light audiobook. It does reference cheating in the FMC’s last but no on page cheating.

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review is posted to Instagram and Goodreads and will be posted to Amazon closer to the publication date.

This book was so fun and cute. The audiobook was an easy listen. It’s perfect for a day at the airport or a day by the pool.

I had this book read in less than a day. It was a great narrator and easy read. The characters are enjoyable and relatable. Simple but entertaining sports romance.

Star NHL hockey player and notorious ladies-man, Colby Knight, has never been one for relationships...until he fell in love with Noel at first sight. Noel, a bookish college professor, unfortunately felt annoyance at first sight, rather than love, and swore off dating athletes almost a decade ago after her heart was broken by her college boyfriend who was also a hockey player.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable audiobook and a cute Hockey Romance! The characters were plentiful and each likable in their own way, and I loved the friendships between Noel and the other hockey girlfriends / wives. I liked the MMC, but if I had to hear "angel" one more time I might've lost it. In all seriousness, who doesn't love a cinnamon roll MMC and an intelligent, book-loving FMC. Although this romance wasn't necessarily anything overly unique, I found it entertaining and I would definitely recommend it specifically to hockey romance lovers everywhere.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Hockey Romance/Closed door
He falls first
Dual POV

This is as a sweet sports romance. I love when it’s dual POV that they use two narrators!
She’s been burned in the past from an athlete and has a hard time liking/trusting men that fit into that category.
He was seen as a ladies man and has that play boy image but is really a big sweetie.
Cute banter and courtship! Love that we hear from characters from the previous book of the series.
The storyline was a little predictable but overall enjoyable.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

DNF. I couldn’t get into this one at all. The MMC was so unlikeable and the FMC wasn’t much better. It went back and forth between past and present but wasn’t easy to follow. I barely got through the cheesiness of the first one; not sure why I tried again.

Flirtation or Faceoff

I went into this audiobook knowing I would be obsessed. I love this series and couldn’t wait to fall for this adorable love story.

The voice actors are incredible, bringing life to Colby and Noel and making them feel like old friends. The authors ability to make such lovable characters and a swoon worthy MMC never leaves me disappointed and I love seeing all the familiar characters we’ve met throughout the series.

This book features:

•practice dating
•he falls first
•hockey romance
•bookworm FMC
•reformed rake


I absolutely recommend this book, this series, and this author to anyone who loves romance. Especially hockey romance and cinnamon roll MMCs.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this audiobook as an advanced review copy and offer my honest opinion voluntarily.

Leah Brunner continues to write stories that make me fall in love. I loved Colby and Noel! I loved that he fell first and how he pursued her. The dating lessons were perfect for tension and Leah sprinkles in just enough of the other characters for a well-rounded story. I’m usually not a nickname lover but Colby’s snarky swagger made it work. Gram was a hoot and I enjoyed her time on page so much.

I listened to the audio for this one and thought that narrators, Alex Picard and Neill Thorne, did a great job bringing these characters to life. If you have enjoyed the other DC Eagles books, you will not be disappointed. I can’t wait to see what Leah does with Remy and Bruce when their stories come along.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Divorced parents, absentee/philandering dad, passionate kisses to closed door romance