This was really close to being a 5 star read for me, but the ending ruined that, unfortunately.

The story was quick (literally it's less than 200 pages), and I enjoyed that while at the same time wishing it was longer and/or fleshed out more. I was so excited when Willa saw Noah with his ex, and instead of letting that be the cause of their third act break-up, she stood her ground. The downside is that literally Noah's ex threatening to tell Willa's boss that they were dating led to...you guessed it...their third act break-up. It just didn't jive that she would stand up to this mean girl only to let her threat affect her (among other ridiculous things that she WAY read into).

Even with that nonsense, I enjoyed the romance between the MC's, such as it was. I don't read a lot of books with no spice (and this one had literally no spice), but I thought it was well done. The lack of spice definitely didn't detract from the story in any way, which was great. The setting seemed super cute, and I absolutely loved the shameless plug for not only Anne's other book, but also other authors as well. Definitely made me chuckle!

If you're looking for a quick, no spice, cozy hockey romance, than I would definitely give this book a read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Anne for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

it was a great book. reminded me a lot of a halmark movie, couldn'y really connect with the charecters

Sports romance with all the fall vibes. Enemys to lovers, character bad boy turn around this book hooked from the very first page to the bonus end chapter. Cozy sports love story.

Penalties and Proposals was a cute and quick read. Noah and Willa are both likeable leads and I really enjoyed Noah's arc of looking for forgiveness and also taking accountability for his past. While I found the interactions between Willa and Noah's ex quite childish and opposite of Willa's character I loved how Noah and Willa supported each other. I thought the pacing was good and it was nice to bot see an instalust to love story. This is a great addition to the set of novellas.

This book is about Willa (photographer) and Noah (hockey player). They have a history with each other and reconnect because of circumstances.

It's a quick and short read. It's an enemies-to-lovers.
The book wasn't for me because everything happened so fast. Maybe that's because I usually read books with 250+ pages and this book was 150 pages long. Like I said it's a perfect book to read quick. I read it in one sitting.

This was a really short, fast-paced small town hockey romance. I don't think it was bad, but I didn't enjoy it like I had hoped I would. This book is very short, which I think hindered the natural progression of the relationship between Willa and Noah, leading to it feeling very rushed. This is advertised as "enemies to lovers" where he falls first, but Willa was able to move past her issues with Noah very quickly and (also very quickly) jump into dating him. I also struggle with understanding his initial infatuation with Willa. He claims, "The minute you marched up to me and told me I was a pain in your butt, I think I started to fall for you" and that's just so strange to me. I did really enjoy them individually as characters, Noah is definitely a cinnamon roll MMC, and I loved Willa's love for her mom, I just wish we got more build up to the two of them being together. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

As a spice lover I went into this not realizing it was closed door and guess what… I didn’t mind at all! This was an overall cute read this book was a total romcom… I loved watching them work through their past issues and for Noah to get his redemption!

4.5 Stars! If you're into sweet, small-town romances with a bit of a competitive edge, this one is the perfect read! The story revolves around Willa and Noah, who start off as total enemies—cue the playful banter and tension—but as the pages turn, they slowly warm up to each other (in the cutest way possible!). It's set in a charming small town with a hockey theme that adds some fun twists to the enemies-to-lovers trope. There's no spice, but the romance is refreshingly heartwarming, and honestly, it's a nice change of pace to just enjoy the pure connection between the characters. If you love a feel-good, easygoing love story with some friendly competition, this one will leave you smiling!

Thansk to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to receive an ARC.

Willa isn’t a fan of hockey players. Mainly one in particular, Noah. The man who showed up to get photo set drunk and making a fool of himself only to kick him off set, and in return be black listed in her industry. Now years later she’s worked to rebuild her career and is in Maple Falls on assignment, to photograph the charity hockey games. When a last minute assignment to photograph the latest player for an article about the Comeback King…the one and only Noah from her past. Now Willa needs to put her annoyance aside to complete her assignment and keep her job and potential promotion while managing to spend time and get to know the ‘new’ Noah.

This is a 0 spice, all happy feels addition to this series and I’m so glad I got to preview it. This was most definitely a solid palette cleanser read.

*Penalties and Proposals* by Anne Kemp is exactly what I needed—a light, heartwarming read that serves as a perfect palate cleanser. It’s an easy, feel-good story that doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is, and sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.

The story follows Willa, a successful journalist who has a bad history with former hockey star Noah Beaumont. After kicking him off her set years ago for showing up drunk, she never expected to see him again—let alone work with him. But fate brings them together in the small town of Maple Falls for a charity hockey event. The twist? Noah is reformed, regretful, and determined to prove he’s changed. Cue the second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance!

This book is predictable, but in a good way. It hits all the right beats for a heartwarming romance: forced proximity, chemistry, and a lot of emotional growth. While the plot won’t throw any major surprises your way, it delivers a charming and satisfying story. Willa is a strong and relatable heroine, and Noah’s journey of redemption is genuinely sweet. Their banter and slow-burn connection made it a delightful read.

If you’re looking for a low-drama, clean romance with a hockey twist, *Penalties and Proposals* will hit the spot. It’s perfect for those times when you just want a cozy, uplifting story with plenty of heart—and a dash of second-chance magic.

Predictable? Yes. But when you need something that leaves you with a smile, this is the kind of book that delivers. 💕

Another installment for the Love on Thin Ice series, and it was perfect.

So these books all are taking place at the exact same time, which is kind of cool to see the different perspectives and the different relationships between people.

What is wild though, is that each book is written by a different author. The way they are all able to do this, to me, is absolutely incredible.

Anne Kemp took her installment to the next level, love the plugs for the other authors in the bookstore, loved that she used the jersey in this book as well, and loved the dynamic of the two characters (similar to Blair and Cooper with the working relationship).

Was the book super fast pace (relationship wise)? Yes.

Did I eat it up? Also, yes.

Thank you NetGalley and Red Bird Publishing for my ARC.

Penalties and Proposals is a sweet closed door hockey romcom. You follow former bad boy Noah, and Photographer Willa on their heartwarming journey to redemption and love.

I thought this was a great read! It was sweet and wasn't over dramatic for me, which I loved. There was no third act break up over something crazy, instead just a little time apart to figure out what was important. Noah has come so far and it is great to see that he was given a second chance to prove to Willa that he was a better man then 3 years ago. He completed rehab and became a new person. Willa was finally able to see that and lean into the feelings that she was starting to feel. It was a fast paced story that I was able to get through quickly! It has hockey and romance. Small town feels and fall vibes! Perfect for a fall day!

Years ago, Willa kicked Noah out of her set when he showed up drunk and disruptive. It was a decision that changed the course of her career. Now she has to work with him again and all Noah wants is a second chance.

Read if you like:
-Enemies to Lovers
-Redemption
-Sweet Romance (Not Spicy)

This was such a cute end to this series. I loved Noah's redemption arc. He was so sweet and earnest.

This was a really good ending to the love on thin ice series. I loved the semi second chance trope with Noah and Willa. The pairings in the whole series was cute haha which I know is how books go but it was all so well done!
I love Anne’s little tip of the hat to the other authors in this series as well!

I was able to read this via NetGalley for my honest review

Arc Review
Overall Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
- Enemies To Lovers
- Second Chance
- Reformed Bad Boy
- Forced Proximity
- He Falls First
- Dash of Cinnamon Roll Hero
- Found Family
- Hockey Romance
- Small Town
- Fall Vibes
- Dual POV
- Closed Door/Clean Romcom,Kisses Only

Welcome to the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series, seven authors, seven short novels, and one charming town, welcome to Maple Falls where heartwarming love stories live. Our seventh book of the ‘Love on Thin Ice’ series is ‘Penalties and Proposals’ written by. Anne Kemp.

Willa is a photographer and is working on getting a promotion so she can help her mom with some financial issues, Willa is heading to Maple Falls to take photos of the charity hockey games and the players but also she’s going to try to get a picture of this rare bird because theirs a prize if you can get a picture. Noah is a very famous hockey player who used to play in the NHL but got moved down a league after a fight in a hotel lobby. But Willa and Noah did not at all have a good first meeting, Willa is supposed to have this photo shoot with this hockey player this hockey player being Noah who is late but not only does he arrive late to the shoot but he also arrives intoxicated Willa not one for this type of behaviour kicks him off her set which results with Noah’s whole team basically blacklisting Willa and making her start back at square one now back to current day Willa’s boss has assigned her to specifically take pictures of the one and only Noah, Willa is still mad at Noah but she’s a professional she’ll do her job but Noah was at a really bad place back then always drinking but after rehab he’s doing a lot better and when he meets Willa again he feels Instant regret for his actions back then and he remembers how attractive he found her back then. Will Willa and Noah clear the air between them? Read ‘Penalties and Proposals’ to find out.

Last but not least my final book of this series and what a wonderful wrap to this series this book was.
Noah’s redemption arc is amazing after hearing his side to the story and how much he wanted to apologize to Willa I forgave him right away. I also loved how when Willa got knocked down that first time she didn’t quit she got back up and worked harder and that’s incredibly empowering.

I liked to wrap this up by giving a huge thank you to the author Anne Kemp along with NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book, I had a wonderful time reading it.