What a fun story. Walk of Shame is book 2 in the Downside of Dating series and I loved it. It was both hilarious and swoony and had me hooked from beginning to end.
After being left at the alter by her hockey goalie fiance, Astrid has sworn off relationships and hockey.
After a career ending injury, Cal would give anything to be involved in hockey again, even if it's coaching job.
When the hockey hater and the hokey lover came together, sparks flew. I loved Astrid and Cal. Their banter was witty and had me fully amused.
From the moment they met, these two were attracted to each other but after their steamy night together, Astrid had no intention of seeing him again.
However fate had other plans, These two both had walls up and rules in place and I loved seeing it all slowly crumble as they couldn't keep away from each other. Their steamy scenes were high and rather explosive and Cal really pulled out all the stops to find his way into her heart. His unusual way of courting her really did make me swoon and I loved seeing the change in both their mindset their character growth.
This was a fantastic tale and an excellent addition to the series. I loved it and would highly recommend it to lovers of workplace/sports romance.

🎧 I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood. They were both fantastic and their performances were on point with both humor and passion. They were engaging and easy to follow and their voices fit the characters perfectly. They really brought the story to life and it was an absolute pleasure listening to the narrate this novel.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC.

This whole series is hysterical and very steamy—I’m here for it. The first book in The Downside of Dating series, Anger Bang, featured an over-the-top wedding that was being filmed for a reality TV series and a falling out between sisters that resulted in the main character getting her revenge and satisfaction (if you know what I mean).

In this installment, our heroine Astrid O’Malley was dumped...via FaceTime...minutes before they were due to get married. To make matters worse, her hockey goalie ex-fiance was also coached by her dad. She’s moved on as best as she could though, and these days zero commitment is the name of the game. So when she meets the hot tree of a man that is Cal Matsen she’s all in...but only for one night. There’s just one problem...ok, maybe two. It turns out that Cal lives in the apartment above her, and he’s just joined her dad’s hockey team as a specialist coach.

I loved a lot of things in this book, but especially the trash-talking. 😆 Both of the main characters come off as tough but deep down have a lot of insecurities. They were a good match for each other.

This book definitely starts with a bang too, and there is a lot of chemistry between them, even if they lack a super strong emotional connection.

The audiobook was narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Robert Hatchet, who were both new-to-me performers. They did a fantastic job, I didn't want to stop listening! The audio comes in at 8 hours and 45 minutes and is very bingeable.

4 stars! A really good hockey romance!

I've read a few books by Avery Flynn, and I thought this one was really good, maybe the best of her books I've read!

A few years ago, Astrid was left at the altar when her hockey player fiance left for a better job. A terrible media chaos ensued, and Astrid swore she would never have anything to do with hockey players again. But then Astrid meets Cal, and the attraction between them is undeniable.

Astrid and Cal were really nice characters, sympathetic and genuine. The story is funny and hot. This is the second part of the series, I haven't read the first part but I'm definitely going to read it! This book also worked really well as a stand alone.

I listened to the audiobook version and loved it. The readers were good and the book was nice to listen to.

What to expect:
hockey
difficult past
Forbidden love
forced proximity
steamy

The book is hilarious. The voice actors help submerge you into the story. This is a audiobook that I would recommend to multiple people who love romance stories with a hockey story line.

Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn
Narrated by Savannah Peachwood & Robert Hatchet

Astrid grew up in hockey. She even was going to marry a player. That is until he walked out on their wedding day. Is there anything more humiliating? To avoid all the press, Astrid left the hockey world and traveling the world. She swore off hockey and long term dating. That is until her dad asks her for her help with her ex! She meets Cal and has what she thinks is one night stand…until forced proximity comes into play. There is so much chemistry and tension with these two. This book is HOT. There is lots of spice throughout, which I appreciate. They try not to hook up again, always saying it’s the last time. But honestly they don’t try very hard and I’m here for it! I loved when they finally figure their stuff out ;) Cal is so sweet! The ending was wonderful! I loved this book. The narrators were great.

A really enjoyable story and the audio was wonderful. This was the whole package, laugh out loud funny, steamy and a little bit emotional. I really enjoyed the narration the narrators really brought the story to life. Can't wait to read/listen to more by this author

Walk of Shame is a very cute romance. The premise being a jilted bride who no longer believes in line only had one night stands, and hates hockey . Until a comedy of errors being a one night stand and hockey to the front of Astrid's life. Astrid's dad asks her to support him during his last year coaching. Cal is the guy she never saw coming, this unconventional romance was a treat to listen to.

Spicy, sexy read that had me laughing out loud at times. Great bit of escapism.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished the audiobook of Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn. It is Flynn's second book in the Downside of Dating series that follows the characters Astrid and Cal and their hot and steamy romance. I have yet to read book #1 but I did not have any trouble diving into this book without reading it first.
I am so into the combination of sports and romance at the moment. That with the addition of a strong female lead character, this novel was right up my alley. You also can not forget the elderly bully of a neighbor that I just couldn't get enough of.
The narrators did a great job and were very easy to follow along at 1.5 speed. Somehow Robert Hatchet's voice made Cal even more attractive to me!
Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for the advanced audiobook for the opportunity to review.

This made me blush out loud while listening! I’m a huge Avery Flynn fan, and she never disappoints! This is a hockey romance I am very much in love with! I didn’t think I liked hockey romance but this isn’t all about getting pucked. Avery gives you a story with love from friends, family, and yourself! The narration voices are great and make it easy to read! Thank you so much to the author Avery Flynn, the publisher, and NetGalley!!

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced audio of this book.

Astrid fiance leaves her on their wedding day because he’s been traded to another hockey team. So, she sets some boundaries with herself and men, and only sticks to one night stands. When a man steps in to help her deal with an aggressive customer, she obviously sleeps with him.. before realizing that he lives in her building, will be soon working for her dad, and.. will be coaching her ex. Oops?

While I did like both our main characters and their story, this was pretty generic romance with some pretty good humour. I did appreciate the conflict at the end though, I thought that was perfectly foreshadowed. Both characters were perfectly brought to life by narrators Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood - who never miss!

Good book and the audio was a solid fit for the story, I enjoyed the way the narrator set the pace and tone of the story,

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Robert Hatchet, Savannah Peachwood ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Avery Flynn ⭐⭐

This is the second book I've tried from this author. (first one was paid for through Audible) and after this one I've come to realised this author is not for me. I find her books always lacking with the MC and overall dull.

This was my first Avery Flynn book and I was so excited to get my hands on it. I adore hockey romance, and the premise of this one was intriguing enough that it seemed like it would be right up my alley.

Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. There was so much potential there. The baggage that both Cal and Astrid were carrying around should have been catnip for me. Even thinking back on it, I want to dive so much deeper into Cal and Astrid as characters. I want to see more of Astrid coming to terms with her past and opening herself up to a future with Cal. But instead of that deep dive, I got a whole whole lot of spice.

Now, that’s going to be a selling point to a lot of people and I totally think that’s great. But if you’ve read my reviews for a while now, you will know that when the connection between the hero and heroine is mostly physical? It’s really hard for me to go all-in on them. It’s missing something. I wanted more banter and cute little encounters. More heartfelt moments. So while I enjoyed the book, and found it entertaining, it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

That said, the narration was top tier. I think this was my first book narrated by Robert Hatchet but I thought he did an excellent job. Savannah Peachwood is an old favorite of mine, and the two of them together really kept me in the story. I honestly think that if I had been reading this rather than listening to it, I might not have liked it as much as I did. I feel pretty confident that the audio experience was the best way for me to have experienced this book.

In all, I am definitely interested in checking out some of Flynn’s other work. I think there is so much promise there, I just am not sure this was the right one for me to start with.

Another fantastic, funny, spicy and super enjoyable read from Avery Flynn ☺️☺️☺️

When it has to be the last time….over and over and over.

I loved this so so much! The dual narrators lent a more genuine depth to the characters, and both captured the mood and characters they were voicing fabulously.

As always, Flynn masterfully skirts the lines between amusing, sexy, romantic, and gripping, in this sports romcom. Well worth a listen indeed!

Post Date Recap: This book date was a setup. Translation: This is an ARC of Walk of Shame that I received from NetGalley to provide an unbiased review. Thank you to the team for allowing me this opportunity.

This review is for the audio book so I am going to start with the narrators Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood were excellent choices as narrators. Despite being a lifelong romance reader (listen, I had access to spicy books much younger than should have been allowed), this story had moments that made me blush and push my earbud juuuuuust a little tighter in my ear to be sure no one could hear the content. So because listening gave me that reaction, I definitely have to give props to the narrators for managing to make a cut of the book without giggling.

That is NOT to say that the smexy times weren’t S.M.E.X.Y. because they certainly were, but I occasionally can have the mind of a 12 year old boy so take that for what it’s worth.

Also, before getting into the meat and potatoes of the review, let me just say that I LOVE the FMC’s name, Astrid. When reading a contemporary romance novel, there are a lot of really basic names that get used (and no hate at all because they are totally valid and when the names get too unique I am not always certain that I am pronouncing them correctly) so having something that breaks away from norms is awesome.

Astrid has kind of been through it. She was literally in-her-mother’s-gown-at-the-church levels of ready to get married to Tig when he calls and tells her that he is getting a job offer he can’t refuse with another hockey team and needs to leave RIGHT THEN even before saying “I Do.” Oh, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to marry her (you have no idea how strongly I rolled my eyes at this), but just that hockey comes first and he needs to do what is best for his career. And just like you’d expect, he frames it as being “the best thing for them.” Yeah, add another eye roll to the count for this one.

That incites Astrid’s dick world tour as she travels the globe and racks up one-night stands along the way. She doesn’t just take back her girl power, she also develops a deep seated hatred for hockey which includes creating a “Fuck Hockey” jar that she puts out at the bar she fills in as bartender for and requires everyone to pay up when they bring up the sport in her presence. All of this despite the fact her dad is a hockey coach. Specifically her ex-fiancee’s hockey coach.

Cal is the complete opposite. He loves hockey more than some people love their partner and when a horrific injury takes him out of being a goalie, he comes back as a “goalie whisperer” who can manage to turn around practically any broken player. Lucky for him, he is saddled with the one and only Tig Jones… Astrid’ ex.

Despite everything in their lives stacking up against them and making them each completely off limits to the other, their amazing sexual chemistry and a fair amount of small town overlap throws them together time and time again. Walk of Shame isn’t a life changing book, but it definitely is an easy, spicy read that was a fun treat.

My biggest complaint is the epilogue and I won’t spoil it for anyone, but Tig DID NOT have anywhere near the redemption arc to warrant that little bit of info and, if this is meant to tease for another book in the series, I don’t think he was likable enough for me to feel compelled to read it.

4.75🌟 Audiobook. I laughed and ate up all the banter in this story. If there’s anything that gets me hooked on a book it’s the banter, if it’s got a favorite trope (like hockey romance), and has just the right about of spice. 👩‍🍳💋chef’s kiss to all in this one.

The narration was dual to go along with the dual POV and I really enjoyed listening to the story. Normally I have a physical or ebook to go with my audiobooks but I didn’t feel like I was lacking in my reading experience by only having the audio for this one!

Narrated by Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood.

Thank you NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books for the eARC of Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn (audiobook) in exchange for my honest review.

I alternated between the audiobook and the e-book on this one. The narrations by Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood were very good. I always love the different voices for the different characters, especially in romances when you get the deep rumble. So good for the hot parts.

I have read several Avery Flynn books before and have always really enjoyed them. I struggled getting into this one, but it easily could have been that I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it.

This is a sports romance, in which Astrid is having to deal with the ex that left her at the altar years ago and also the man she got it on with from a bar. She has lots of no getting it on rules that she lives by, but can she stick to them when she finds herself having to work with the hot guy from the bar?

Thanks to Entangled Publishing, Valentine PR, RB Media and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

I have read books by Avery Flynn before and was really looking forward to listening to this one. I really enjoy hockey romance stories, but unfortunately, I did not connect with the female lead and whilst I realised it would be spicy I felt that this took the place of a good plot. The narrators were great but it wasn't for me I'm afraid.

I usually love Avery Flynn books but this one was just fine. I thought both narrators were fantastic and I loved how they read the story. My issue was with the main female character. I thought her actions did not make sense with things we had been shown about her in the book. I felt like her actions would have been fine if the author had not established that the FMC has been seeing a therapist for awhile before the book started. Once that fact was established I kept finding myself getting angry with the FMC’s actions.