This series is so much fun and the narration by Alex Picard & Neill Thorne truly brings the story to life!

🏒 Hockey Romance
🗣️ Banter
🎧 Enjoyable Narration
❤️‍🩹 Healing
📚 Bookworm FMC
🧸 Teddy Bear MC
🚪 Closed Door

I am so excited to see what Leah Brunner has in store for us next!

Thank you so much Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy!

This is my first book by Leah Brunner and I’m looking forward to reading more by them in the future!

This book follows Noel and Colby. Noel has sworn off hockey players after a terrible relationship ended with her ex boyfriend. Now she is thrust into the hockey world because her friends are in relationships with hockey players aka Colby’s teammates,

Colby has been holding a candle for Noel for over a year now and when he is presented with an opportunity to give her dating lessons, he jumps on it. Just to get closer to her.

This is a slow burn, light, low angst hockey romance.

The narrators did a great job encapsulating the characters perfectly!

Flirtation or Faceoff by Leah Brunner is a light-hearted and fun the-guy-falls-first hockey romance. Colby Knight has a reputation around DC as a playboy hockey star. That all comes to screeching halt after he meets Dr. Noel Woodcock. Colby is immediately smitten and the pining is real with this one. Noel is reticent to give her heart away to the wrong person a second time. Colby enlists his family and teammates to help win Noel over. The narration for this audio is excellent and we recommend this one to you if you too like hockey romances, men who fall first, books about bookish people, and sweater vests.

Noel swore off athletes until her best friend married a hockey player and his friends started coming around...specifically Colby Knight. Noel and Colby strike up an arrangement where Colby will be Noel's dating coach to help her get the attention of her coworker. As they start this arrangement, Noel starts to realize there may be more to Colby that she originally gave him credit for.

This was such a sweet story and Colby is such a golden retriever boyfriend. His player ways have very much changed and I loved how he pursued Noel and showed her that he was more than a jock. I love sports romance and recently have been into hockey romance so this was a great fit for me!

Could not get into the love story between Noel and Colby. Did not find there was a spark at all between them. It all felt forced. I liked Noel on her own and found Colby kinda blah, but there was nothing with them together that really made me a believer, from either side. Also, some of the dialogue was just ugh.
I did enjoy the two separate points of view and I liked that it was narrated by two separate narrators. I liked Alec Picard for Noel more than Neill Thorne for Colby though. Found their pacing was off so listening to them was weird.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the arc.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley. I enjoyed this HEA romance. Overall: Great cozy romance read. At some points the story feels forced or falls a little flat, but the book is still good. The narrators are great too.

This is a love story about an NHL player, Colby, and his crush, Noelle.

Colby used to be a player, but that all changes when he falls for Noelle.

Noelle is a history professor at a university, and has emotional scars from a broken heart.

Even knowing going in that this is a romance didn’t stop me from genuinely enjoying this book.

I definitely recommend it to romance lovers!

"She’s the spicy cinnamon to my roll. The book to my worm. The angel to my… demon?"

- Pro hockey player
- History professor
- He falls first
- Golden retriever hero
- He calls her Angel
- Dating lessons
- Closed door
- Dual POV
- Narrated by Alex Picard & Neill Thorne

Goodness, this series is just SO cute! This time we focus on Colby, the cocky golden retriever playboy hockey player. As soon as he locks eyes on his teammate’s wife’s best friend, his playboy ways are over.

It takes some time for him to convince Noel to give him a shot though and believe he’s changed, but he’s a patient man. When she asks him to be her dating coach to help her land a date with a fellow professor, he thinks this is his time to show her how great they could be together.

Between lessons, he also might read (and annotate!) her favourite books, surprise her at a fantasy convention, win over her family and speak to some disruptive students in her class.

He’s such a cinnamon roll and I adored him. But I also adored how he didn’t try to change Noel. He loved her and her nerdiness exactly as she was. She was a very relatable FMC and she deserved a softie like Colby.

Once again, while there was no spice, I got so absorbed in the story that I didn’t miss it. Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Leah & NetGalley for the early copy 🫶🏻. The narrators are fantastic!

This was a cute hockey romance that followed Noel, who was determined to stay away from athletes. Having had a previous bad experience with a fellow hockey player, she vowed never to date another. But then she met Colby. And when he agrees to be her dating coach, sparks fly between the two.

I adored this book! It was an easy read and fun to listen to and I found myself smiling throughout. After reading this story, I am keen to read book one in this series and more from this author.

This was perfectly sweet!

Golden retriever former playboy meets nerdy flirting-challenged professor!

This was nice and smooth and the narration was perfect! The narrators' cadence and embodiment of the characters worked really well.

Flirtation or Faceoff is an installment in Leah Brunner's D.C. Eagles series. This is my first time reading work by Brunner, and this was a fun time! Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Audio for providing. me with an audio ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

What I loved:
- Fake dating & dating lessons is just such a fun trope to read! Watching them fall in love was wonderful.
- The discussion of trauma was tastefully done and felt natural with the plot.
- I love when a man falls head over heels!! He fells first and he fell HARD.

What I didn't love:
- Academics don't constantly think "I should research this" about things they wonder about. It felt like a very reductionist take on academia (said as a researcher myself).
- I wish the takedown of Travis took longer than it did. It felt rushed and not as satisfying as it could have been.

Overall, Flirtation or Faceoff was very fun and I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend this to fans of sports romances, fake dating, and he falls first tropes.

Captivating from the start, this book weaves a spellbinding tale of enemies turned friends turned lovers, set against the backdrop of an exhilarating sports romance. I was drawn in by the intricate dance of emotions, skillfully crafted characters, and the perfect balance of humor that had me laughing even in the most unexpected moments.

The characters' transformation from adversaries to inseparable companions was not only heartwarming but also expertly executed. The depth and authenticity with which their journey unfolded made the story feel incredibly relatable. The author's ability to navigate the complexities of relationships added a layer of realism that enriched the narrative.

The sports element elevated the excitement, injecting an adrenaline rush into the plot. The attention to detail in describing the sport and the characters' passion for it created a vibrant and immersive reading experience. Whether you're a sports enthusiast or not, the dynamic energy of the games translated seamlessly onto the pages.

What truly sets this book apart is its emotional resonance. The humor, cleverly woven into the narrative, acted as a delightful counterpoint to the more poignant moments. I found myself laughing out loud, shedding a few tears, and experiencing the full spectrum of emotions. It's a testament to the writer's skill that they could evoke such a profound response.

In the end, this book is a rally special read that not only met but exceeded my expectations. It's a heartfelt and beautifully crafted story that melted my heart and left me with a lingering sense of joy. If you crave a blend of romance, sports, and laughter, this book is an absolute gem that deserves a spot on your must-read list!

3.5 ⭐️ Cute, clean romance.

I usually prefer my romances steamy and smutty, but there's none of that in this one. And, honestly, it was pretty cute. Also, this is 100% reverse grumpy/sunshine, and it's one of my favourite tropes for a reason! Our mmc here has total golden retriever energy and the fmc is a slightly grouchy college professor with a JRR Tolkien obsession! I honestly loved them both.

The second Colby meets Noel, he falls head over heels for her (extreme instalove, but I'm not complaining). Noel, however, has dated entitled jocks before, and a professional NHL player is the last person she would ever want for herself. Taking the extent of a year, this book is a slow-building strangers-to-friends-to-lovers where Noel manages to convince Colby to give her 'dating lessons', that have Colby saying yes only to spend more time with her.

I loved the secondary characters and Noel's grandma was amazing! This is completly clean, there's only a couple of kisses and a slightly racy kiss in the epilogue -so I 100% recommend it if you're looking for a sweet, clean, sports romance!

*I received this audiobook as an ARC through NetGalley* This review has already been uploaded to Goodreads :)

Colby falls HARD the second he lays eyes on Noel. The problem? Noel has sworn off athletes and Colby plays for the D.C. Eagles. Colby is trying hard to get Noel's attention, so when Noel asks him to be her dating coach to help her impress a coworker, he jumps on the opportunity to make him fall in love with her.

Colby is an absolute sweetheart. I love when a certified ladies man falls immediately in love and changes his ways before he even has a shot with the girl he loves.

Noel was a little hard to love at first, but my opinion changed after meeting her grandma. It all started making more sense when learning about her past relationship. I was really rooting for this couple by the second 1/4 of the book.

These D.C. Eagles' boys and their girls do not disappoint! I love them!! They have formed the best friend group and I love watching their group grow together and in numbers. I have really loved this series so far and I cannot wait for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Leah Brunner for the ARC.

I binged this audiobook and I’m not sad about it! (Okay, maybe a little, because now it’s over 😩). I definitely need to check out the rest of this series, because seriously, it was perfection. 😘

Flirtation or Faceoff is a sweet hockey romance where Colby falls hard and first. For him it is love at first sight. Meanwhile Noel wants nothing to do with the jock. If it were up to her, she’d go for the academic type. 📖

As the story unfolds we see a softer side of Colby who reads books, loves hanging out with his little sister, and does all he can to get the girl of his dreams. ✨

A frenemies to lovers romance, but also an endearing story of family within a sports team, and the sacrifices they make along the way. 🏒

Super clean, none smutty, but you could feel that sexual tension! 🌶️

As a huge hockey fan (and hockey mom), this was such a fun book. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio in return for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 28 Nov 2023