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Caught Off Guard #1-4

Caught Off Guard Collection

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Get all four Caught Off Guard novella's in one place, with added bonus content.

Bolt From The Blue
When Austin's crush, Milo, lands in his lap and tells his friends they are boyfriends, there is no way he is going to disagree. He just wishes it wasn't fake.

Knocked For Six
Bron can't stand his new teammate, Max. So how did he get to be his first kiss?

Double Take
Tyler has been in love with his best friend for ten years. So when Zeke kisses him under the mistletoe, Tyler hopes it will lead to more.

Blown Away
When Chase is offered a private dance by Benny, his best friends brother, he can't say yes quick enough.

Caught Off Guard has fake boyfriends, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and brothers best friend! A found family you'll want to be part of, this box set will have you crying with laughter.

496 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2023

9 people are currently reading
23 people want to read

About the author

Willow Thomas

21 books149 followers
Willow Thomas is a MM romance author who loves to write stories that will leave you smiling. When she isn’t writing, she loves to read, go on walks through the British countryside, and spend time with her family.

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5 stars
32 (52%)
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20 (32%)
3 stars
8 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
2,114 reviews17 followers
August 30, 2023
In "Bolt from the Blue", Milo pretended Austin, a hockey player is his fake boyfriend to get his friends off his back. Both of them want it to be true. It's filled with sexy times as they figure out all they want is each other. "Knocked for Six" is Max and Bron's story. Bron makes Max miserable and is mean until a kiss turns their enemies vibe into lovers. Tyler and Zeke match up in "Double Take". This is the best friends who don't know each other are in love with each other story. And the last story is Benny and Chase in "Blown Away". This is the one with the guy who falls in love with his brother's best friend as the trope.
All the books involve a hockey team player and his significant other. All are jam packed with steamy times and college friendships. Included are four short bonus scenes and a quickie of Nico and Jensen. This is a great collection of high jinks and young men's dreams when the world revolves around them. I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary opinion.
Profile Image for Kate.
2,570 reviews6 followers
August 29, 2023
**********Contains Spoilers***********

Each story in this collection has been reviewed separately. Great collection of stories. I couldn’t put them down.

Bolt From the Blue - I really enjoyed this novella. Yes, it very insta-love but that’s part of the course with novellas. I thought the chemistry between Milo and Austin was off the charts, as well as hot as hell. When Milo’s so called friends wont get off his back about not wanting to date their other friend Greg. Milo decides to create a fake boyfriend to try and get them off his back and Austin is in the right place at the right time so Milo says that they’re boyfriends. Austin has had a crush on Milo for ages so of course he jumps at the chance to be Milo’s fake boyfriend, he just wishes it was real. Man, Milo’s “friend” group are complete a*seholes and really didn’t deserve him, as they treated him like sh*t. I’m really glad he found true friendship with Celeste and Max aka as Mel. They had his back from day one and are total friendship goals. This novella made me smile and laugh while reading it. I’m really looking forward to reading Bron and Max’s story next.

Knocked For Six - I really enjoyed this novella. Yes, it very insta-love but that’s part of the course with novellas. Bron, has a chip on his shoulder where his new teammate Max is concerned. Bron’s not only the captain but was best friends with Donny who got expelled from College and finally hit rock bottom after his high school sweetheart died. Bron, blames himself for not picking up that Donny was on a downward spiral but he takes it out on Max since Max took Donny’s spot on the team. Bron’s an a*sehole toward Max, and I’m glad that Max doesn’t just take it, and calls him on his sh*t. I’m relieved that it doesn’t take long for Bron to pull his head out of his a*se. I thought the chemistry between these two was completely off the charts, as well as hot as hell. All I can say is that the ice rink scene was hot as f*ck. Max was a total sweetheart and I’m glad he found someone to love him (Nicky does but it’s platonic love). Even if they started out as enemies, who doesn’t love an enemies to lovers story? I really enjoyed meeting Nicky, Max’s best friend. I’m really looking forward to reading Tyler’s story next, which no doubt is going to make laugh a lot.

Double Take - I really enjoyed this novella. Tyler and Zeke have been best friends for years, and have been in love with each other but have never confessed their feelings. It comes out during this book why they never have. Tyler thought the Zeke was straight and Zeke was worried that nothing would change between them, after hearing about all of Tyler hookups. Tyler has never had anything serious with anyone is because only he only wants Zeke who he thinks he never has a chance with. Things start to heat up between them after a hot as hell kiss under some mistletoe. Well it takes awhile because Zeke is freaking out as even though Tyler kissed him back he’s worried about finding out his true feelings. Tyler finally has enough and tracks Zeke down, so there’s a bit more angst than the previous two stories while they try to work out where they both stand. I thought the chemistry between these two was completely off the charts, as well as hot as hell. The bedroom scene at Soccer House was hot as hell. I really enjoyed meeting Benny, Tyler’s younger brother. I’m really looking forward to reading Chase & Benny’s story next.

Blown Away - I really enjoyed this novella. I just wish that it was longer so we could get more development between Benny and Chase. They’ve previously been introduced over video chat since Benny is Tyler’s younger brother who is Chase’s best friend. I did find their story very fast paced. Yes, it very insta-love but that’s part of the course with novellas. The chemistry between Chase and Benny was completely off the charts, as well as hot as hell. The wood chopping scene was hot as f*ck. Even thought their story was rushed I thought that Benny and Chase were well suited. I found it refreshing that Chase loved watching Benny’s dancing, and wasn’t jealous or tried to get him to quit when things heated up between them. This novella, like the others in the series is filled with steamy scenes and lots of laughter. Man, Tyler completely cracked me up in this novella, especially wanting to recreate the scene of ghost with Zeke, while at pottery store with Zeke. Benny and Chase were there on their date. Poor Zeke’s face was so bloody red. I’m really looking forward to reading more books from Willow in the future.

Bonus Scenes - I really enjoyed the bonus scenes included in this collection as we got more of our favourite couples from the Caught Off Guard Series. Milo & Austin while they celebrated their Anniversary, Bron & Max while they were at the soccer house annual Halloween party, Tyler & Zeke in the aftermath of Tyler being hit by the glitter bomb and wondering how glitter got absolutely everywhere, and Zeke helping him was it off and finally Chase & Benny spending Spring Bring in SoCal to visit Luke, Benny and Tyler’s youngest brother and watch his Cheer Competition.

Unexpected - I really enjoyed this bonus novella of Nico and Jensen’s meet cute. Yes, it’s insta-love but that’s part of the course with novellas. I thought the chemistry between Nico and Jensen was off the charts, as well as hot as hell. I do wish that it was longer so we can see more of their relationship. Some of sh*t that came out of Nico’s mouth made me laugh. Also Tyler, I don’t really need to say more. I loved the epilogue as it showed us that they’re still going strong so many years later. They got a bit of sh*t for entering into a relationship so quickly.

******I received an early copy of this collection because I’m a member of Willow’s Patreon. I happily reviewed this collection of stories and I would do so even if I purchased it myself. My thoughts and feelings about this collection are completely unbiased******

I’d definitely recommend this collection, each book, series and author to everyone.
Profile Image for Carly Molinar.
153 reviews13 followers
September 4, 2023
Four Hockey Romance in one? yes please.

As if Willow’s Caught off Guard series wasnt already wonderful… she somehow made it even better.

Combining the four short romances into one omnibus heightens the enjoyment and flows effortlessly. The edition of bonus scenes and the bonus story, Unexpected, makes this the perfect read.

You get a little of everything, fake relationship, enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, not to mention hot hockey players. Adding to the laugh out loud funny and spicy tales is a cast of side characters who make up our college town of Lakehaven. A mark of a good book is being invested in more than just the MC’s and Willow is a master of creating rich and interesting support characters and teasing at future pairings.

For the ultimate good time and a year in the life of Lakehaven U hockey… look no further.
Profile Image for Thera.
823 reviews10 followers
September 9, 2023
I loved this box set! Milo and Austin were so cute. Fake dating is a sweet trope. And this was no different.

Bron and Max you could feel the tension coming off the page. I was glad when they finally kissed!

Tyler and Zeke were just two idiots in love. Definitely my favorite trope. They were so good together.

Benny and Chase! Opposites in many ways but so perfect for each other.

I loved the short stories. They were cute and some were hot.

Jensen and Nico were just cute. Instant chemistry.

Definitely recommend reading these
4 novellas and a few short clips. Enjoy!
59 reviews
July 12, 2024
Although I loved the stories and the characters in the Caught off Guard series, I think all the books need a good editor as there are some serious issues with the dialogue. It's difficult to follow which character is actually speaking and having to go back and check which one is, is really annoying!

My rating reflects the issues with the dialogue.
Profile Image for AL.
1,720 reviews14 followers
September 1, 2023
All the stories in this box set will leave you with a warm feeling of having met lovable and entertaining characters, and with all the fuzzies from HEA. Willow Thomas created a fun bunch that is great to spend time with!
Profile Image for FHR.
1,077 reviews13 followers
September 1, 2023
A box set that contains stories centred on hockey players finding love.
Each story has elements of friendship, passion, overlapping characters and a college setting.
With the addition of some bonus content this boxset is a treat to read.
Profile Image for Stormy Lamb.
420 reviews2 followers
September 26, 2024
Milo and Austin; Max and Bron; Tyler and Zeke; Benny and Chase; Nico and Jensen

All of our hockey boys combined into a beautiful box set. Each story gives us another couple as they navigate their feelings and friendships.
Profile Image for Amanda Reeves.
3,605 reviews34 followers
August 31, 2023
This is such a great collection of books. This is an amazing series and I am so glad to have them all in one set to read. 5 star series all the way!
Profile Image for Dani Elle Maas.
1,011 reviews14 followers
November 12, 2023
I have to say i absolutely enjoyed this whole series , it was a wonderful relaxing read
Profile Image for C. Gray.
1,562 reviews16 followers
July 18, 2024
I got this on KU for the bonus scenes and Unexpected and I enjoyed it all but again I need more lol 🖤🔥🏒🔥🖤
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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