This was such a light and fun weekend read/listen! Starting with a one night stand, it hit the gate running in the spice department and it included one of my favorite tropes - the secret relationship no one can know about. I would have liked more jealousy from the ex though and I felt like the ending wrapped up faster than I would have liked. I would recommend this to anyone looking for their next hockey romance, from the cover and title I’m not sure you would know that is what it is at first glance.

Many thanks to NetGalley & RB Media for the audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fun, sexy, sporty romance that will leave you wishing you had your own Cal!

After being left at the altar by her professional hockey goalie fiancé, Astrid swears off anything to do with the sport -- that means leaving her job with the hockey team her dad coaches (that her ex used to play for) and even installing a no hockey rule at the bar she occasionally works at to cover her bestie's shifts. But when her dad calls her in to help him get her ex's head back in the game, she winds up surrounded by all things hockey once again, including the new goalie coach who also happens to be her new neighbor. Oh and not to forget, he's the same gorgeous, protective man she went home with for what was supposed to be a one night stand. Now Astrid will have to decide if her self imposed rule of strictly no strings attached sex is really what she wants.

Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn is just a really good time. The narrators, Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood, do a fantastic job of embodying engaging, entertaining characters that exude chemistry. They really embrace the humor and the passion in Avery's book and honestly made the audio fly by. The story itself is fantastic: a perfect easy read that's sexy and fun, lighthearted but with some deeper elements. I love the inclusion of therapy because mental health is important. Since they're in the professional hockey circuit, there's a lot of secrecy to stay out of the press, especially for Astrid who had to endure the invasion of privacy when her and Tig broke up. I've been reading a lot of sports romance lately and I am here for it. The athletes, the drama, the physicality inherent in the subgenre. I love that the romance is between a former athlete and a coach's daughter, giving forbidden romance vibes. I've read/listened to some of Avery Flynn's other books and I'm never disappointed! It's a quick listen even though it's almost 11 hours, I swear I didn't even realize how much time had passed because it flew by. I was wholly engaged and didn't want to pause for anything!

If you love sports romance and lots of spice in them then check out this audiobook!!

Thank you RB Media/Recorded Books for the ALC! I absolutely loved it and all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn
Downside of Dating series #2. Contemporary sports romance, romantic comedy. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Astrid O’Malley was once dumped by a professional hockey goalie so has sworn off the game and won’t let the topic be discussed when she’s bartending at the family bar. Eff hockey. Eff goalies is her motto. After a hot and steamy night with a man she met at the bar, she finds out he is a goalie coach and her dad wants her to come back for his last year as coach to help. Her rule is one night only. But this gorgeous and sexy man lives in her building! And Astrid is going to be working with him! How is she going to stay away from him when their night was so very good? Puck my life.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood. The performances were on point with humor and passion. The narrators were engaging and easy to follow. The dialog itself was often funny and they put their own spin on the recording that made the story fly. I listens to this at 1.5 which is my most comfortable based on conversational speed.

Amusing, engaging, and steamy hot. I loved the Diet Coke theme that ran consistently through the story, although I admit to preferring Diet Pepsi myself. I often pack it in suitcases when traveling exactly as Astrid does. I also admit to missing out on the experience of picking up a hot stranger from a bar. It does sound like an experience I shouldn’t have missed!
Light hearted humor with a lack of reverence that I thoroughly enjoyed.
4.5

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and RB Media.

Fun and steamy contemporary romance. This is a stand alone sequel to Anger Bang (June 2023) which I gave five stars. It is the second in the Downside of Dating series. Thea, the lead from Bang makes appearances and is the best friend of Shame’s lead Astrid. The story begins with Astrid O’Malley being stood up on her wedding day by her hometown hockey goalie boyfriend. That day she quit her job and anything else to do with hockey. Jump forward five years and she has traveled, started her own business and works occasionally at her friends family pub. She has what she thinks will be a one night stand with Cal, a guy who stands up for her at the bar. But it turns out he breaks all of her rules.

Astrid’s dad asks her to come back and help with the hockey team as this is his last year coaching. Her assignment is to help with her old boyfriend who is back and in a slump. To compound the issue her latest hookup is a goalie whisper brought in to help her ex as well. I love that the story is told from both Astrid and Cal’s POVs. I love Astrid complaining to her elderly neighbor that she can’t spend time with Cal without her panties coming off. There is humor, sweetness, good family and friends. Instead of a grand gesture there are thoughtful gifts given with a can of Diet Coke. Be still my heart. And the steamy factor is Tessa Bailey high. I received a digital ARC of the book and a copy of the audio book and alternated between the two. I can easily recommend either depending on your preference. The epilogue was more of a set up for the next book in the series and I will be anxiously waiting to read it. (4.5 Stars)

I received this audio ARC from @netgalley for review.
@averyflynn wrote a hockey romance that was layered with drama, injury, heartbreak, a FMC that was so heartbroken by being left on her wedding day that she turned off emotion where it relates to romance and decided to just have fun - no dates, no second nights and ABSOLUTELY NO HOCKEY talk, just one and done fun. Until she broke all her own rules and wound up falling in love with someone not only wrapped up in hockey, but intertwined with her ex and the team her father coaches. D-R-A-M-A all day! I appreciated the off-limits and the forced proximity tropes but there was also a bit of miscommunication and a 3rd act split of sorts. All in all, this HEA was a fun listen and it flew by without me even realizing how much time I had been listening to. I enjoyed it and would be open to reading more of Flynn's work. I also felt the narration was very well done, which is important for me when reading and reviewing audio books.

Overall Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
🌶️🌶️🌶️½
“What do you want?”
“To take you back to my place and f--- you senseless.”

📚 Book Review 📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

A surprisingly sweet and spicy hockey rom-com, Walk of Shame is a one-night stand-to-FWB-to-lovers, forbidden/hidden relationship (Coach’s Daughter) full of laughs, angst, and one dirty-talking MMC. I thoroughly enjoyed Astrid and Cal’s story and found it to be an easy read.

Astrid is jaded – she was left at the altar by her fiancé, who chose hockey over their HEA. After swearing off hockey (eff hockey) and going on a “no attachments” world tour, she is brought back to the rink by her coach father. Despite breaking all her rules, a one-night stand with the stranger Cal becomes a “this is the last time” FWB relationship that develops into feelings territory. Unfortunately, Cal is off-limits, as he is the coach of her ex-fiancé, and she’s avoiding the media frenzy that their relationship would ignite.

Walk of Shame is a fast-burn and spicy MF romance.

This book can be read as a complete standalone in the Downside of Dating series. It’s the perfect palate cleanser.

Of Note – I typically avoid 3rd Person POV but enjoyed Avery’s take. It read more like 1st Person POV (without the use of “I”).

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the dual-style narration of this book! Both voice actors were great fits for their characters. It made it an easy and enjoyable listening experience.

Robert Hatchet gave life to Cal and made the sexy bits all the hotter with his performance.


Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Tropes/Features: Forbidden/hidden relationship, forced proximity, hockey coach, coach’s daughter, One-night stand, FWB-to-lovers, jaded FMC, ex-fiancé drama
POV: Dual 3rd Person POV
Narration Type: Dual-style
Narrator(s): Robert Hatchet & Savannah Peachwood
Relationship Type: MF, fast burn, spicy
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: None listed

Another hockey romance? Yup. This was the perfect steamy RomCom.
I found myself laughing out loud so many times. And I was rooting for Astrid and Cal from the start. They are both such likable characters and Cal does all the right things.
Also I knew it would be spicy, but omg this book had so much sex.
If you like RomComs or sports romance, you’ll eat this up.

The narrator's did an incredible job of bringing the story to life.

I think this is my year of audio books, so far it has been a better one than the last
.
Of course the plus of it being a hockey romance and written by one of my auto buy authors helps a lot, that adding to the perfect narration is cheff kiss
.
but that pleasure of listening to the characters and laughing with the voice in their heads is a thousand times greater, especially when I have other things to do or go from one place to another... although of course it also makes me want to have it in paperback and bookmark the hell out of it with the best parts the dreamy and the fun ones they're are thousands
.
The crazy and unthinkable plot of having a night with her ex's new coach who is also his dad's employee is something that only Avery Flynn can make work in the most correct way that makes you laugh and fall in love at the same time
.
It's so crazy and spicy that it reminds you of the fun of reading a sports romance and make you wish for another book in same universe
.
Thanks to Avery flynn and RB media for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

Astrid gets stood up at her wedding and goes on a world wide fuck fest of one night stands until she meets our hot hockey hero. Then it takes the whole book for these two crazy kids to work out what everyone in their lives plus us the reader know is the inevitable. It’s a lot spicy, a little raunchy, but fun and sexy. The angst is angsty and overall I had a good time.

Walk of Shame
Downside of Dating, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Sounded good at the time.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Netgalley
Dates Read: 2/23/24 - 2/25/24
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Robert Hatchet, Savannah Peachwood

The Characters:

Astrid O’Malley
Cal Matson
Tig (Astrid’s Ex), Astrid’s Dad, Nola and Thea (Astrid’s BFFs), Cal’s sisters

The Story:

I had forgotten how much I enjoy this author’s writing. I was a bit jarred going from my slow burn last read into this one-night stand, but I recovered quickly. I love the back and forth between Astrid and Cal. Even when they were just texting their chemistry was off the charts.
I need the next book in this series STAT cause I need many explanations about this epilogue.

Walk of Shame
Avery Flynn

Thank you Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC, and Recorded Books for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Check out Walk of Shame if you like:
-Hockey romance
-Forced Proximity (workplace & neighbors)
-Romantic Comedies
-Dual POV (and dual narrators on audio)
-Thoughtful gestures
-Short Chapters
-Lots of spice

I remembered loving Anger Bang last year as a fun and spicy rom-com, and thankfully I’m learning this is what I can expect from all of Avery’s writing. With the prologue, you quickly understand why Astrid is over everything related to hockey, a sport she’s known her entire life. Cam is desperate to find normalcy again in the sport that his life revolved around before his career-ending injury. Together, their chemistry is electric and unstoppable, even though they have every reason to stay far away from each other. I think this can serve as a palette cleanser but honestly it was just a really fun, light read – definitely great for fans of Tessa Bailey and Meghan Quinn. Audiobook fans - Savannah Peachwood and Robert Hatchet provide a listening experience that captures their character’s unique personalities.

Walk of Shame is the second book in the Downside to Dating series and much like many series romances it can be read as a stand alone. This is a story about a woman who has decided dating isn't for her. She likes men just fine, but only for a night and only for one thing, then she is off to enjoy her own life man free. She has been successful at that since the day she was left at the alter by her childhood sweetheart, that is until a hard man in a soft sweater came to her rescue at the bar one night and she just can't seem to figure out how to keep her panties on anytime he is near.

Astrid hates all things hockey since Tig dropped her the day of their wedding to run off to another city and play for another team. She is now is that city after her dad got a coaching job there. She might be there for family but she still wants nothing to do with hockey. Seems like fate has other plans for Astrid. First, she broke all her rules and had sex with Cal even after she learned he lived in her building, but it gets worse when she figures out he is the new hockey coach brought on to help her ex out of his slump and worse than that when her dad talks her into coming back to help out the team in his last season. Now she is trying to avoid Cal because he is like catnip and she just can't get enough.

Cal might not be able to play the game anymore but this is his shot to be a part of it. Trouble is he is so distracted by Astrid that he keeps forgetting why hooking up with the head coach's daughter is probably a bad idea. But there is just something about her and Cal is going to pull out all the stops to see if he can find a way to not only get into her panties but maybe even into her head and her heart. Which might be more difficult than he realized since she keeps dodging him.

I had so much fun with this story. Astrid is a bit on the broken side but after the wedding debacle who wouldn't be. I loved watching her grow and Cal figure out how to do some adorable things to soften her up. Who knew Diet Coke could win a girl's heart. Their story is pretty cute with just enough angst to really seal the deal. Once I got going I didn't want to stop listening to the story to see what it was going to take for these two to figure out they were more than just people who hook up.

The epilogue was a bit strange but worked overall and sets up the next couple solidly. If you have read some of the other series about the Ice Knights , Harbor City or the Hartigans then you are in for a treat as there are quite a few cameos from other books.

Narration:
Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood are gold in this. Both have all the angst and sexy in their voices and really sold the characters. I love that each of the main character had their own voice for the story, it made it flow great. Plus both of their performances were just candy to my ears. The sexy times were soooo hot, so pick your listening place accordingly, you have been warned. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.

Tropes:
ONS (more than once.. oops) to ❤️
Hockey romance
Forbidden
Coach’s daughter
Jilted bride
“Good girl”
Forced proximity (neighbors and coworkers)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Avery Flynn, and RB Media for the ALC!

I love a hockey romance, and this was perfect to listen to whilst running around doing errands.

Astrid was publicly humiliated when her fiance left her via facetime on the day of their wedding to take a job with a new hockey team five years ago. Since then, she’s travelled the world and removed any mention of hockey from her life. That is until her Dad (who happens to be her ex’s coach) asks her to come back for his final year of coaching and help the team. How can this get more complicated for her? Oh yeah, her one-night stand from yesterday, happens to be the goalie coach hired specially to get her ex out of his rut. AND he happens to be her upstairs neighbour too.

I loved the build up between Astrid and Cam, how they couldn’t help themselves from giving into each other. Cam was also super cute with the Diet Cokes (read and you’ll see what I’m talking about), and the spice was great!

The ending definitely intrigued me to see if there is a next book and what happens with the MC’s there!!

Hockey romance is one of my favorite tropes.
Astrid and Cal have an interesting relationship. With their jobs they find themselves in tricky situation.
There were fun moments.
I was just hoping for a bit more from the story.

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Savannah Peachwood. She is very talented and has been on numerous titles. i recognized her voice and will be listening to more titles narrated by her. Male voice was read by Robert Hatchet. Both did an excellent job.
This story was captivating, relatable, and bingeworthy. I had to keep pausing it at work because of the SUPER steamy scenes I was afraid of someone overhearing.
Walk of Shame is the first title I’ve read by Avery Flynn. I will be reading more by her.

Witty, charming and wildly entertaining. Walk of Shame has Bestseller potential!

A hilarious rom-com, Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn, follows Astrid and Cal's escapades in a tale of one-night stands, workplace dynamics, and hockey antics. After being left at the altar by her pro hockey player fiancé via Facetime, Astrid swears off long-term relationships, hockey, and Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me.' But when she meets Cal, a former pro player turned goalie coach, sparks fly, leading to a steamy no-strings-attached encounter.

However, Astrid's plans take a turn when she agrees to work with her father during his final year before retirement, only to find Cal as the new goalie coach. Determined to stick to her one-night rule, Astrid finds herself struggling to resist Cal's charm as they're constantly thrown together, each encounter resulting in Astrid shedding more than just her inhibitions.

Narrated by the talented Savannah Peachwood, Astrid's tough exterior and vulnerable moments are expertly portrayed, while Robert Hatchet brings Cal to life with his humor and underlying vulnerability. Both narrators capture the essence of the characters flawlessly, making for an entertaining and captivating listen.

I received an arc of this audiobook from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I liked this story much more than the first in the series, it seems like the authors writing has come along way since the 1st book. I also really like Astrid as a strong female mc. I like her take no shit attitude after her devastating and public break up with her 1st love.

The story was funny and the chemistry between Astrid & her hook up turned love interest is amazing. I loved their banter.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audiobook! Solid hockey romance novel. I enjoyed the narration for both Astrid and Cal! I did not read the first of this series and had no issuing following the plot or the story. I liked Astrid’s story line after being left at the alter. Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick, sport, steamy romance read.

I enjoyed this funny coaches daughter romcom. This is a hockey romance with repeat "this is the last time" plot. When a one night stand turns into coworkers and throw in training an ex fiancée. Let the tension build. Definitely a spicy listen. I enjoy the dual narration and the narrators worked well together. The pace was good and I enjoyed the emotion in the voices. I read this as a standalone but might go back for book one and continue on in the series.