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Hockey Sweethearts #1
The Cupcake Cottage
NHL player Maverick Blades could fall in love with anyone…
But he had to fall for a woman who falls under the bro code as untouchable—his best friend’s beautiful ex, Daisy-Mae Ray.
Anyway, he’s pretty sure she’d steer clear of a guy like him since the papers have made a mess of his reputation. Good guy, wrong place, wrong time. It’s starting to get old.
Daisy-Mae knows Maverick isn’t the man everyone believes he is. But how can she, a small town nobody, fix his image and help his team?
She can’t.
Except she just told off his team’s publicist, demanding they fix Maverick’s image. And now it’s her job to deal with him.
No problem. Except for trying to hide her giant crush of hers and the way she just told him he needs to date her not as some fake publicity stunt, but for real.
But he had to fall for a woman who falls under the bro code as untouchable—his best friend’s beautiful ex, Daisy-Mae Ray.
Anyway, he’s pretty sure she’d steer clear of a guy like him since the papers have made a mess of his reputation. Good guy, wrong place, wrong time. It’s starting to get old.
Daisy-Mae knows Maverick isn’t the man everyone believes he is. But how can she, a small town nobody, fix his image and help his team?
She can’t.
Except she just told off his team’s publicist, demanding they fix Maverick’s image. And now it’s her job to deal with him.
No problem. Except for trying to hide her giant crush of hers and the way she just told him he needs to date her not as some fake publicity stunt, but for real.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2022
1706 people are currently reading
5777 people want to read
About the author
Jean Oram
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Jean Oram grew up in an old schoolhouse in a Canadian town, population 100 (cats and dogs not included). She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author of feel-good, heartwarming romances that make readers smile.
Jean lives in Canada with her husband, two kids, cat, dog, and the pesky neighbourhood rabbits that hop through her garden like it's an open salad bar. She can often be found outdoors or reading a book. (And of course at her laptop writing your next irresistible read!)
Subscribe to Jean's newsletter and get a taste of her small town comedies that will have you laughing while falling in love: www.JeanOram.com/signup
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
August 13, 2024
Honestly I’m shocked I finished this. I’m not sure how—or why—I did. Truly fighting embarrassment adding this book to my reading challenge let alone my Goodreads account. 🙃 I was fighting insomnia a couple of nights ago and was scrolling on my Kindle app until something caught my eye. I blame the fake dating trope and the pretty 1950s blue on the cover.
Those that just want a closed-door hockey romance with these different tropes will probably like this book. For me, I didn’t care for how she continually sexualized him (especially at the beginning—it made me feel like he was a piece of meat) and how touchy-kissy they got. I did liked at times how he had it bad for her, but she felt very juvenile and fangirl-ish compared to his emotions. She had her flaws and major insecurities which seemed to dominate the plot at times. Understandable to a degree, yes, but I wanted her to get it together—particularly when the third act break-up appeared.
It was interesting that they talked being intimate and making love (and past times with other people) and it being a big thing, but they stayed at separate places because of media attention. It gave me the impression that they would have done more and lived together without a doubt had the media not been a factor. I don’t know, it gave me the ick and was added in when they’re having this conversation after he looks at her breasts (looking for a tattoo she had) and says he’s not a "prude". Pulling in that word is borderline insulting to those who have waited for marriage and makes him look like his ~testosterone~ is a problem. Maybe the author meant for this to be the “out” for this book being marketed as “clean fiction” as there were no open door bedroom scenes, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.
This book is definitely connected to other books by this author and not much backstory was given on those characters so I was lost on how everyone was connected but I didn’t really care. (That sounds harsher than I intended, I promise, but I frankly didn’t care.)
There was also a note about Texas bluebells which had to be a typo because while, yes, we have bluebells, it's the Texas bluebonnet we're known for.
Main Content:
can I not list this and say I just don't recommend it? save me an hour of my life? here's the broad stuff:
After kissing her, Maverick thinks "if kissing Daisy-Mae was singing, save him a seat in hell because he wanted to do this all day long for the rest of his life." (I have so many problems with this line but we're not even going to start).
Grace over a meal is said by a side-character (not written out); A side character says he's a good guy and goes to church; A mention of a guy being an NHL god; A mention of an ungodly hour; A mention of spirits.
No major language, other words like darn, crap, and heck are used.
Drinking; Mentions of drinking & alcohol; A few mentions of an abusive husband; A mention of someone being concerned that another is going to end his life (he is not).
Lots of kisses & wanting to kiss (up to a 10+ sentences in details); A kiss that involves making out and ending up on the floor, plus a conversation about being intimate and making love (Maverick says that he isn't interested in one-night stands and hasn't been with someone since he's ex years before); Maverick adds that intimacy takes trust and has consequences.
Major attraction & noticing from both of them to the other plus wanting to touch and kiss a lot (easily up to a handful+ of sentences); Daisy-Mae enjoys touching Maverick and his muscles and wants to touch him "all over"; Curves, muscles, and such are noticed.
Maverick has rumors surrounding him after being see at a hotel with his former coach's wife (implying affairs and being a home-wrecker); Daisy-Mae wears sexy/revealing outfits (including being a puck bunny at the games) and shows off her figure for attention; Daisy-Mae's mom wants her to get plastic surgery, "accidentally" forget taking birth control, and trap a man by getting pregnant; A woman tries to show off her leg to Maverick to get his attention; Daisy-Mae teases maverick about throwing darts at his face or "something lower" in a picture; Daisy-Mae taunts Maverick with the idea of them going to an island and not wearing much; Maverick teases Daisy-Mae about getting into the mood; Someone tells them to get a room; Maverick wants Daisy-Mae to move in with him or they get a place together.
Mentions of fantasies; Mentions of hot guys/hotties, babes, sexy people, flirting, etc.; A mention of a woman throwing her bra at Maverick; A mention of a former boss touching Daisy-Mae's butt; A mention of a rumored miscarriage.
Those that just want a closed-door hockey romance with these different tropes will probably like this book. For me, I didn’t care for how she continually sexualized him (especially at the beginning—it made me feel like he was a piece of meat) and how touchy-kissy they got. I did liked at times how he had it bad for her, but she felt very juvenile and fangirl-ish compared to his emotions. She had her flaws and major insecurities which seemed to dominate the plot at times. Understandable to a degree, yes, but I wanted her to get it together—particularly when the third act break-up appeared.
It was interesting that they talked being intimate and making love (and past times with other people) and it being a big thing, but they stayed at separate places because of media attention. It gave me the impression that they would have done more and lived together without a doubt had the media not been a factor. I don’t know, it gave me the ick and was added in when they’re having this conversation after he looks at her breasts (looking for a tattoo she had) and says he’s not a "prude". Pulling in that word is borderline insulting to those who have waited for marriage and makes him look like his ~testosterone~ is a problem. Maybe the author meant for this to be the “out” for this book being marketed as “clean fiction” as there were no open door bedroom scenes, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.
This book is definitely connected to other books by this author and not much backstory was given on those characters so I was lost on how everyone was connected but I didn’t really care. (That sounds harsher than I intended, I promise, but I frankly didn’t care.)
There was also a note about Texas bluebells which had to be a typo because while, yes, we have bluebells, it's the Texas bluebonnet we're known for.
Main Content:
After kissing her, Maverick thinks "if kissing Daisy-Mae was singing, save him a seat in hell because he wanted to do this all day long for the rest of his life." (I have so many problems with this line but we're not even going to start).
Grace over a meal is said by a side-character (not written out); A side character says he's a good guy and goes to church; A mention of a guy being an NHL god; A mention of an ungodly hour; A mention of spirits.
No major language, other words like darn, crap, and heck are used.
Drinking; Mentions of drinking & alcohol; A few mentions of an abusive husband; A mention of someone being concerned that another is going to end his life (he is not).
Lots of kisses & wanting to kiss (up to a 10+ sentences in details); A kiss that involves making out and ending up on the floor, plus a conversation about being intimate and making love (Maverick says that he isn't interested in one-night stands and hasn't been with someone since he's ex years before); Maverick adds that intimacy takes trust and has consequences.
Major attraction & noticing from both of them to the other plus wanting to touch and kiss a lot (easily up to a handful+ of sentences); Daisy-Mae enjoys touching Maverick and his muscles and wants to touch him "all over"; Curves, muscles, and such are noticed.
Maverick has rumors surrounding him after being see at a hotel with his former coach's wife (implying affairs and being a home-wrecker); Daisy-Mae wears sexy/revealing outfits (including being a puck bunny at the games) and shows off her figure for attention; Daisy-Mae's mom wants her to get plastic surgery, "accidentally" forget taking birth control, and trap a man by getting pregnant; A woman tries to show off her leg to Maverick to get his attention; Daisy-Mae teases maverick about throwing darts at his face or "something lower" in a picture; Daisy-Mae taunts Maverick with the idea of them going to an island and not wearing much; Maverick teases Daisy-Mae about getting into the mood; Someone tells them to get a room; Maverick wants Daisy-Mae to move in with him or they get a place together.
Mentions of fantasies; Mentions of hot guys/hotties, babes, sexy people, flirting, etc.; A mention of a woman throwing her bra at Maverick; A mention of a former boss touching Daisy-Mae's butt; A mention of a rumored miscarriage.
June 21, 2024
Cute, super strong start!
Just lost interest in the storyline as it went on. Maybe the fake dating came too soon?
I wanted more angst.
Just lost interest in the storyline as it went on. Maybe the fake dating came too soon?
I wanted more angst.
April 22, 2025
I am confused, there are so many people and situations mentioned that I am almost sure that author has their own world and is keeping all characters from all series in it.
Plot was very much cliché, no idea what h was doing in life, H was likeable until he stopped being likeable. Meh. They are saying "let's be a real couple" and right after they decide to call it a fake relationship, REPEATEDLY
IMO it was way too chaotic and unlogical 🤷🏻♀️ but hey, at least it was a fast one.
Plot was very much cliché, no idea what h was doing in life, H was likeable until he stopped being likeable. Meh. They are saying "let's be a real couple" and right after they decide to call it a fake relationship, REPEATEDLY
IMO it was way too chaotic and unlogical 🤷🏻♀️ but hey, at least it was a fast one.
April 21, 2024
this book made me realise i could become an author lmao
June 22, 2024
Dnf. It was going great at first but there were so many characters that were put into one book, it was hard to keep up. I also didn’t like how it made me feel bored reading it
January 5, 2026
The Cupcake Cottage by Jean Oram is a sweet, clean hockey romance about Maverick Blades, captain of the San Antonio Dragons, who finds himself crushing hard on Daisy-Mae Ray, his best friend’s beautiful ex, and agrees to a fake dating plan to improve his public image that just might lead to the real thing as they stumble toward something tender and heartfelt together. It mixes friends-to-lovers with slow burn romance in a small town filled with quirky characters and plenty of warm, community moments.
Right away I felt drawn into the charm of this story, especially Daisy-Mae’s easy warmth and Maverick’s earnest, if occasionally clumsy, way of showing his feelings. Their history as longtime friends gives the romance a cozy undercurrent that made me root for them even when parts of the plot felt a bit chaotic or rushed in places. Because the book uses fake dating as its central hook, I found myself loving how it balanced humor and vulnerability, with playful banter and those inevitable quiet moments where feelings seep in despite both of them trying not to get swept up. The hockey backdrop and small town Sweetheart Creek setting added a comforting rhythm to the story, and I genuinely smiled at how their connection unfolded against the backdrop of community events and team dynamics.
Rating: 3 out of 5
I appreciated the charm and genuine sweetness of Daisy-Mae and Maverick’s journey, and there were moments that genuinely warmed my heart and made me laugh. At the same time the pacing occasionally felt uneven, and the fake dating became a little muddled with time jumps and extra side characters that sometimes pulled focus. Still, if you love clean, heartwarming romance with friends-to-lovers energy and playful chemistry, this one is an easy, feel-good read that left me smiling.
Right away I felt drawn into the charm of this story, especially Daisy-Mae’s easy warmth and Maverick’s earnest, if occasionally clumsy, way of showing his feelings. Their history as longtime friends gives the romance a cozy undercurrent that made me root for them even when parts of the plot felt a bit chaotic or rushed in places. Because the book uses fake dating as its central hook, I found myself loving how it balanced humor and vulnerability, with playful banter and those inevitable quiet moments where feelings seep in despite both of them trying not to get swept up. The hockey backdrop and small town Sweetheart Creek setting added a comforting rhythm to the story, and I genuinely smiled at how their connection unfolded against the backdrop of community events and team dynamics.
Rating: 3 out of 5
I appreciated the charm and genuine sweetness of Daisy-Mae and Maverick’s journey, and there were moments that genuinely warmed my heart and made me laugh. At the same time the pacing occasionally felt uneven, and the fake dating became a little muddled with time jumps and extra side characters that sometimes pulled focus. Still, if you love clean, heartwarming romance with friends-to-lovers energy and playful chemistry, this one is an easy, feel-good read that left me smiling.
July 23, 2024
The whole book felt really rushed. It was supposed to be fake dating but they were real dating the whole time! It really just didn’t make any sense to me.
April 25, 2022
Daisy-Mae, Maverick and Myles had been friends for years. Daisy-Mae and Myles were together as boyfriend and girlfriend until one day Myles decided he was in love with Daisy’s best friend. Daisy was embarrassed some, but she had a crush on Maverick so I feel it was easier for her to accept. Daisy was beautiful and had won many beauty pageants and money, but her mom wasn’t the best of mothers and the money was used for everything except Daisy’s college. I hated that she felt inferior since she didn’t go to college as She had brains and started some small businesses to make money. Daisy gets a job working for the hockey team that Maverick plays for. Maverick was such a great guy and tried to help people which got him in trouble with his old hockey team and traded to San Antonio. With his reputation in tatters, his coach wants him to find a fake girlfriend to up his image. I loved that Daisy and Maverick started dating as they both had feelings for the other but wouldn’t admit it. I enjoyed watching the two get closer. I encourage you to read the book. I was given a copy and voluntarily wrote a review.
October 1, 2024
The absolute stupidest fucking shit I’ve ever read. Notes I made while reading:
Shitty storytelling
Pace doesn’t make any sense
Sudden change of situation, time and location without even using a different paragraph
Characters don’t make sense
The fake dating doesn’t make any sort of sense not even in a miscommunication way
Seems like it was written by a 14 year old that has only experienced life through weird shows and film
The cover and title DONT MAKE ANY SENSE AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT.
Shitty storytelling
Pace doesn’t make any sense
Sudden change of situation, time and location without even using a different paragraph
Characters don’t make sense
The fake dating doesn’t make any sort of sense not even in a miscommunication way
Seems like it was written by a 14 year old that has only experienced life through weird shows and film
The cover and title DONT MAKE ANY SENSE AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT.
March 14, 2024
I’m sorry to say but I didn’t think this book had a big enough conflict or events to keep much interest in it. It felt like there were events that were too predictable or had similar reoccurrences. To me the book feels elongated, there was A LOT of unnecessary wordage that continued to go on and on about the same event. This made it hard to follow after a while. I love romance books but this book was very unrealistic even for a fictional story. I personally wouldn’t recommend.
March 16, 2024
Kinda boring
February 21, 2024
Probably should have checked that this was a no spice romance before I started reading and was still waiting at 70% for it! Other than that the story was kinda cute but confusing. The timeline seemed to skip ahead every so often, like a chapter would end and then it was suddenly next week! Not a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2025
What a truly bad book 🤣 I tried to turn my brain off and just go along for the ride…but it could not be done with this book.
July 23, 2024
2 stars - cringe. cringe. cringe.
Entertaining but cringe.
Everything happened too fast and there was no buildup at all. one second she is crushing on the mmc the next she is fake dating him.
Let's be honest - the fact that he is a hockey player called Maverick Blades really sets the standard.
MINOR SPOILER AHEAD:
It also confused me so much, because they were half faking it half not and I was so confused. The writing was poor, and did not help comprehension in any way.
Entertaining but cringe.
Everything happened too fast and there was no buildup at all. one second she is crushing on the mmc the next she is fake dating him.
Let's be honest - the fact that he is a hockey player called Maverick Blades really sets the standard.
MINOR SPOILER AHEAD:
It also confused me so much, because they were half faking it half not and I was so confused. The writing was poor, and did not help comprehension in any way.
March 14, 2024
I'm not the biggest fan of sports romances, but this was super cute. I appreciate they had healthy communication and there was zero toxicity. It was incredibly sweet the whole way through.
The time lapse, jumping around stuff kind of threw me off, but overall it is a quick and easy read that I really enjoyed.
The time lapse, jumping around stuff kind of threw me off, but overall it is a quick and easy read that I really enjoyed.
April 22, 2022
This is my voluntary review of a copy I received from the author.
Loved it!
The characters were really well done and believable in the situations they were in.
Loved that they did the grown-up thing and actually talked and, finally, listened.
Loved it!
The characters were really well done and believable in the situations they were in.
Loved that they did the grown-up thing and actually talked and, finally, listened.
July 10, 2024
The romance was cute as well as the characters. The idea of story itself was nice (I love a fake dating trope). The romance was really cute, and I enjoyed the main characters. Actually I liked most of the characters, we could feel the town vibe.
Though, the process was quite blurry and so my reading quite confusing. The characters changed of opinion from one page to the other sometimes and the timeline was not so simple to follow.
Moreover, there were a whole bunch of characters we were talking about. The problem here not being the characters because everyone can know this many people, it was the way they were talking about them without us having some kind of introduction or little paragraphs to introduce them to us. I almost though I took a book that wasn't the first of a series.
To conclude, I liked the idea and the two main characters (at least for most of the story) but the timeline and incoherence didn't help the read at all unfortunately.
Rate 2.5 or 3 because I din't love it it but I don't hate it either.
FR : La romance était mignonne ainsi que les personnages. L'idée de l'histoire en elle-même était sympa (j'adore les fake dating). La romance était donc vraiment mignonne, et j'ai apprécié les personnages principaux. En fait, j'ai aimé la plupart des personnages, on pouvait sentir l'ambiance de la ville.
Par contre, le processus était assez flou et donc ma lecture assez confuse. Les personnages changeaient parfois d'avis d'une page à l'autre et la chronologie n'était pas simple à suivre.
De plus, il y avait tout un tas de personnages dont on parlait. Le problème ici n'était pas les personnages car tout le monde peut connaître autant de personnes, c'était la façon dont ils parlaient d'eux sans que nous ayons une sorte d'introduction ou de petits paragraphes pour nous les présenter. J'ai presque eu l'impression de prendre un livre qui n'était pas le premier d'une série.
Pour conclure, j'ai bien aimé l'idée et les deux personnages principaux (du moins pour la plus grande partie de l'histoire) mais la chronologie et l'incohérence n'ont pas du tout aidé la lecture malheureusement.
Though, the process was quite blurry and so my reading quite confusing. The characters changed of opinion from one page to the other sometimes and the timeline was not so simple to follow.
Moreover, there were a whole bunch of characters we were talking about. The problem here not being the characters because everyone can know this many people, it was the way they were talking about them without us having some kind of introduction or little paragraphs to introduce them to us. I almost though I took a book that wasn't the first of a series.
To conclude, I liked the idea and the two main characters (at least for most of the story) but the timeline and incoherence didn't help the read at all unfortunately.
Rate 2.5 or 3 because I din't love it it but I don't hate it either.
FR : La romance était mignonne ainsi que les personnages. L'idée de l'histoire en elle-même était sympa (j'adore les fake dating). La romance était donc vraiment mignonne, et j'ai apprécié les personnages principaux. En fait, j'ai aimé la plupart des personnages, on pouvait sentir l'ambiance de la ville.
Par contre, le processus était assez flou et donc ma lecture assez confuse. Les personnages changeaient parfois d'avis d'une page à l'autre et la chronologie n'était pas simple à suivre.
De plus, il y avait tout un tas de personnages dont on parlait. Le problème ici n'était pas les personnages car tout le monde peut connaître autant de personnes, c'était la façon dont ils parlaient d'eux sans que nous ayons une sorte d'introduction ou de petits paragraphes pour nous les présenter. J'ai presque eu l'impression de prendre un livre qui n'était pas le premier d'une série.
Pour conclure, j'ai bien aimé l'idée et les deux personnages principaux (du moins pour la plus grande partie de l'histoire) mais la chronologie et l'incohérence n'ont pas du tout aidé la lecture malheureusement.
May 13, 2022
Daisy-Mae and Maverick are perfect for each other.I loved this sweet story that brought these two together. I liked that they both genuinely cared for each other from the beginning and Daisy didn’t shy away from telling Maverick what she wanted and needed( sometimes she needed to tell him a second time). There were sweet and tender moments and romance. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 29, 2022
Once you pick this book up, it's hard to put down. I enjoyed reading about Daisy and Maverick and enjoyed Viola as well.
If you want a great read that features a good storyline and some great characters, check this book out. You can never go wrong with a book by Jean Oram.
If you want a great read that features a good storyline and some great characters, check this book out. You can never go wrong with a book by Jean Oram.
August 8, 2024
Ooof cheesefest
August 10, 2024
2.5 ✨
I’m super happy that it wasn’t a third act misunderstanding even though there were some issues.
Strong start, could’ve ended stronger! Not bad, though.
I’m super happy that it wasn’t a third act misunderstanding even though there were some issues.
Strong start, could’ve ended stronger! Not bad, though.
February 28, 2024
I want to start off this review (since I am going to be, mainly, focusing on the negatives of it) by saying that there were parts of this book that had me smiling and giddy. Mostly the second quarter of it (so --- from pages 44-90 of the eBook). There were cute moments, however, I'm giving this book two stars for a few different reasons.
1) I found the sudden stops of chapters jarring. It seemed like there were a couple of chapters that could keep going but then it would be a new chapter and a few weeks later from the previous chapter, which was never fun. It made the writing seem clunky, unfortunately.
2) The way the writer portrayed the age of 30 being 'too old' for romance. Like, no, you're 30. You still have a long time to find love, if you want it. And I say this as a 30 year old, thanks.
3) The amount of "we're never communicating with one another" the main couple did in this story. Like, oh holy shit, if you just communicated and talked to one another, this book would be even shorter as it was.
4) The main character's insecurities in herself because she never went to college and was a pageant queen. Like, miss, it's 2022 when this was written. Most people don't think pageant queens are bimbo's anymore.
The last few points are the NHL fan in me - and they make me wonder if the author even watches Hockey, really.
5) PUCK BUNNY OUTFIT? One, we don't like the term 'puck bunny' anymore. It's super misogynistic, and just -- NO.
6) Your captain wanted to haze the new guy to make sure he knew his place, while in the same sentence, confirming he knew it was no longer a thing that was allowed. SO why even write it?
7) This is the NHL, not the NFL. There are NO tailgate parties (even in bloody Texas), Sponsorship deals for every player is NOT a big important thing, we don't play games on New Years Eve night or Thanksgiving Day, especially for the American Thanksgiving and oh yeah, travelling to a different city for a game doesn't happen the day the game is played unless there's extreme circumstances.
So while there were some cute moments, the above is why this was given 2 stars.
1) I found the sudden stops of chapters jarring. It seemed like there were a couple of chapters that could keep going but then it would be a new chapter and a few weeks later from the previous chapter, which was never fun. It made the writing seem clunky, unfortunately.
2) The way the writer portrayed the age of 30 being 'too old' for romance. Like, no, you're 30. You still have a long time to find love, if you want it. And I say this as a 30 year old, thanks.
3) The amount of "we're never communicating with one another" the main couple did in this story. Like, oh holy shit, if you just communicated and talked to one another, this book would be even shorter as it was.
4) The main character's insecurities in herself because she never went to college and was a pageant queen. Like, miss, it's 2022 when this was written. Most people don't think pageant queens are bimbo's anymore.
The last few points are the NHL fan in me - and they make me wonder if the author even watches Hockey, really.
5) PUCK BUNNY OUTFIT? One, we don't like the term 'puck bunny' anymore. It's super misogynistic, and just -- NO.
6) Your captain wanted to haze the new guy to make sure he knew his place, while in the same sentence, confirming he knew it was no longer a thing that was allowed. SO why even write it?
7) This is the NHL, not the NFL. There are NO tailgate parties (even in bloody Texas), Sponsorship deals for every player is NOT a big important thing, we don't play games on New Years Eve night or Thanksgiving Day, especially for the American Thanksgiving and oh yeah, travelling to a different city for a game doesn't happen the day the game is played unless there's extreme circumstances.
So while there were some cute moments, the above is why this was given 2 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2024
Small town, fast paced, cliche romance
I was expecting this pining fake-dating relationship with a lil spice but still very wholesome small town romance but it literally jumped straight into them dating and basically telling each other that they love each other straight away so the only ‘issue’ of the book was him clearing his name and then them fighting because he was working too much lmao
THEIR NAMES so cliche but I looove a good cliche it just warms my heart hehe
From about 50-70% of the way through I was really asking myself why am I still reading ?? They’re ‘together’ now what more is there ?? And there wasn’t much.
This was very rushed and I would’ve like the pace of the storyline to have slowed down
Also some of the details were sooo random like I don’t really care for 2 whole pages of Maverick feeding his stray cat??
There were so many random side characters also that came up to the main characters and gave like 2 random sentences of advice and then disappeared for the rest of the book
Also the chapters were long asf but had breaks in the middle of them where it should’ve been chopped into a separate chapter
And then the time jumps in the middle of the chapters were rather hard to keep up with as well
I enjoyed this because it was a super easy read, they were so cute and loving with each other it was so beautiful and a nice change but I would not read it again
2/5 stars because it felt like there was no substance and felt somewhat disappointed
I was expecting this pining fake-dating relationship with a lil spice but still very wholesome small town romance but it literally jumped straight into them dating and basically telling each other that they love each other straight away so the only ‘issue’ of the book was him clearing his name and then them fighting because he was working too much lmao
THEIR NAMES so cliche but I looove a good cliche it just warms my heart hehe
From about 50-70% of the way through I was really asking myself why am I still reading ?? They’re ‘together’ now what more is there ?? And there wasn’t much.
This was very rushed and I would’ve like the pace of the storyline to have slowed down
Also some of the details were sooo random like I don’t really care for 2 whole pages of Maverick feeding his stray cat??
There were so many random side characters also that came up to the main characters and gave like 2 random sentences of advice and then disappeared for the rest of the book
Also the chapters were long asf but had breaks in the middle of them where it should’ve been chopped into a separate chapter
And then the time jumps in the middle of the chapters were rather hard to keep up with as well
I enjoyed this because it was a super easy read, they were so cute and loving with each other it was so beautiful and a nice change but I would not read it again
2/5 stars because it felt like there was no substance and felt somewhat disappointed
Read
December 31, 2023I DNF at 26%. If you read this and got past this scene
‘She adjusted her cutlery, realigned her wineglass. “Maybe we could momentarily set the fake part aside and just date.” She dared to peek at Maverick. His eyes had grown rounder. “I mean, you know… Go on dates and stuff and I’d call you my…” She sucked in a deep breath, and said, “My boyfriend. And we’d, um, maybe kiss in public sometimes?” She scrunched her nose. “You know. For publicity. But it would be dating. For real. But we couldn’t break up. Not right away. We’d have to keep things up for a bit. Until everything was stable.”’
Good for you.
‘She adjusted her cutlery, realigned her wineglass. “Maybe we could momentarily set the fake part aside and just date.” She dared to peek at Maverick. His eyes had grown rounder. “I mean, you know… Go on dates and stuff and I’d call you my…” She sucked in a deep breath, and said, “My boyfriend. And we’d, um, maybe kiss in public sometimes?” She scrunched her nose. “You know. For publicity. But it would be dating. For real. But we couldn’t break up. Not right away. We’d have to keep things up for a bit. Until everything was stable.”’
Good for you.
November 19, 2023
This was a cute well written romance by a Canadian author. The writing is good. The story is a good romance. Characters are likeable and relatable. I dont normally like sports romance as I find the athletes can sometimes be unlikeable but Maverick Blades is a delight to read. Daisy Mae is so sweet and is a character that you will root for and want her to have the best of outcomes for her and Maverick.
January 30, 2024
Found this book for free on Amazon. It was a bit too sugary for me. I like that near the end there wasn't a big betrayal or that 3rd act break up, they had discord and they worked it out, which was refreshing as normally everything has to blow up and then they find their happily ever after... again. It was nice to see a fake relationship trope where they both came out in the beginning and said they were interested in more in it being real.
July 11, 2022
Cupcake Cottage
This is an easy read, nothing too complex to have to think about. I will say I feel the book really jumped a lot. There were mini time warps. Also, other characters were mentioned but then nothing developed or was explained and it left you confused.Maybe this was the author’s way of setting up future books?
This is an easy read, nothing too complex to have to think about. I will say I feel the book really jumped a lot. There were mini time warps. Also, other characters were mentioned but then nothing developed or was explained and it left you confused.Maybe this was the author’s way of setting up future books?
January 17, 2024
Not good. I can’t recall a single thing that happened in this book. The romance just kind of comes out nowhere and both leads kind of have no personality. I wish the author had elaborated at some point instead of constantly summarizing everything that happened or doing times skip to the future.
May 19, 2022
This is book one in The Hockey Sweethearts series and it is Maverick and Daisy-Mae's story and it is definitely a must read. Maverick and Daisy-Mae are long time friend's and they both have feelings for each other but neither one knew this or told each other how they feel as there friendship was so important to both of them and they didn't want to rock the boat or lose what they have. When Maverick gets into trouble for helping someone out his image is damaged and a fake girlfriend is suggested and that is where Daisy-Mae comes in to help Maverick as she would do anything for him regardless of the situation. I absolutely loved the characters and storyline and it pulled me in right from the start and kept my attention throughout the whole book. These two are absolutely perfect for each other and it was a beautiful thing to watch them to from a fake relationship to falling in love and getting the happy ending that they both deserved even though the ups and downs that they had to go through was so emotional at times. I couldn't put this book down as it was so addictive and a great start to what you no will become an amazing series as Jean Oram is an amazing author and writer and she certainly knows how to keep her reader's attention and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
I Voluntarily Reviewed a Copy of This Book.
I Voluntarily Reviewed a Copy of This Book.
May 24, 2022
Maverick and Daisy-Mae's story in The Cupcake Cottage by Jean Oran, book one in The Hockey Sweethearts series, is a wonderful and enjoyable story. Maverick and Daisy-Mae are long time friends who were afraid of losing this special friendship it either one of them acted on any feelings they might have for each other. Maverick is a decent guy but when he gets into trouble for helping out a female friend, not only is his image damaged but his old hockey team trades him to San Antonio; near his hometown. With his reputation being questioned, his new coach wants him to find a fake girlfriend to improve his image; this is where Daisy-Mae comes in. Daisy-Mae would do anything to help Maverick regardless the situation. I loved that Daisy-Mae and Maverick started dating, as they already had feelings for each other, but afraid to admit it. These two are absolutely perfect for each other, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; she being the yin to his yang. Despite their feelings, there were obstacles along their journey to a happy ending. Daisy-Mae was not afraid to confront Maverick about what she wanted and needed from him; sometimes more than once. There were emotional times, and sweet times, but overall this was a sweet and endearing love story that should not be missed. I highly recommend The Cupcake Cottage to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book prior to purchasing it.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book prior to purchasing it.
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