Offside Play

Sin Bin Stories #1

by Lyssa Lemire

The grumpy goalie wouldn’t hold the door open for most people—but for me, he’ll pretend to be in love.

Hudson Voss: Grumpy, brooding hockey star with a permanent scowl on his face and a storm in his eyes. Six feet, four inches of tattooed muscle. Every girl on campus swoons over him—most at a distance, because he’s too scary to approach.

Me: A concert violinist who always looks on the bright side. I’ll be sitting next to Hudson in English class all semester long, but his bad vibes won’t affect me. With my motivational quotes of the day and positive affirmations, I won’t let the grumpy goalie faze me.

But one thing does faze me: my entitled ex who decides he wants me back.

Maybe if he thought I was already taken—by a man who could crumple him up like a piece of paper—he’d back off.

In a lapse of sanity, I ask Hudson to fake it with me; and to my shock, he agrees.

Now the goalie with no heart is buying me flowers and kissing me like I’m really his.

I know the truth, though. It’s all an act. There’s no way a surly hunk like Hudson could fall for a bubbly former band geek like me.

Right?

Offside Play is a full-length college hockey romance novel with lots of steam, no cheating, and a guaranteed happy ever after!

Tropes:

grumpy/sunshine
he falls first
fake relationship
no 3rd act breakup
dual POV

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Sports, Hockey Romance, Fake Dating, Grumpy Sunshine

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2024

Reviews

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 5 out of 5]

A OTP POSSESSIVE HOCKEY PLAYER HERO AND A VIOLINIST HEROINE😍😍😍 THE HOCKEY PLAYER IS NOT A MANWHOR3!!! YESSS PLEASE!!!

I LOVE when i found a new author that just writes a great romance like i wanted 😍 Or better than i want 🥺❤️ Usually new authors that i found writes the most toxicities stories ever that called “hey it’s a romance” WHEN IT’S TOTALLY NOT. The world is cruel enough and many toxicity, we don’t need a toxic stories books either 🔥😒 Just saying though… SO WHEN I FOUND THIS AUTHOR AND READ IT ALL, I’M LIKE: THANK GOD!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

ESPECIALLY IT STARTS WITH THE HERO IS NOT A MANWHOR3 AT ALL!!!! Cause usually these days many stories writes a hockey player is a big manwhor3 😒 you would know if you read my previous reviews 😆😆


OKAY SO….


The story when they finally meet starts with the heroine have to go to her english class. In the beginning we can see how friendly, thoughtful and genuine person she is 🥺 After she sits down, she offered a girl next to her a brownie that she made and then suddenly a big guy sit next to her at the class… She offered him a brownie but he declined because he didn’t eat sugar. And it’s true tho lol. He was being kind of quite to her at first so she didn’t talk much… TURNS OUT HE IS THE HERO AND HE WAS QUITE BECAUSE HE WAS SOOO NERVOUS TO THE HEROINE. TURNS OUT THE HERO TOTALLY LIKES THE HEROINE AND HAVE A HUGE CRUSH ON HER…. HE HAS BEEN WATCHING HER PERFORMANCE VIDEOS FOR A YEAR. AND EVEN CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HER AT CAMPUS….

“Summer’s the kind of girl who could wrap me around her finger; the kind of girl whose finger I’d want to be wrapped around.”




‼️‼️‼️SAFE ALL THE WAY. SAFE ROMANTIC HOT (not many crazy drama with friends and family) LOVE STORY 💜

‼️‼️‼️SLOW BURN for sure. But not too slow tho 🔥

‼️‼️‼️NO CHEATING

‼️‼️‼️NO SEPARATION

‼️‼️‼️THEY HAVE A CUTE CAT GIRL THAT IS SOOO ADORABLE 🥺🥺🥺❤️

‼️‼️‼️NO VIRGINS BUT BOTH HAVE BEEN CELIBATE FOR A LONG TIME ESPECIALLY THE HERO AND BOTH R CLEAN.

‼️‼️‼️THE HERO IS OVER THE TOP POSSESSIVE PROTECTIVE HOCKEY PLAYER ALPHA MALE…. HE HAS BEEN POSSESSIVE SINCE DAY ONE 🥺❤️ HE IS VERY TALL like 6’4.
I like a tall man😋😋😋😋

THE HERO IS NOT A MANWHOR3!!!!!

The personality of the hero is also unique to me. He is very closed off, anti social and doesn’t even go to parties. He lives with his teammates but rarely go out with them… Even when there’s a party in the house, he doesn’t come out from his room. He thinks too much but say only a few words 🤣 The hero in the past before college used to have one night stand but that’s also very rare he said, not every week or every month… And I’m glad that when he’s in college since day one, HE NEVER GET LAID. The heroine is the only woman he ever get laid from at college so that was great to read 😍 His past is not bad so not a damage hero… He is also not childish!

‼️‼️‼️THE HEROINE is a sweetheart. The heroine is friendly and beautiful… The heroine is a talented musician, she plays violin. She’s very famous from it at college but also she’s very humble about it. The heroine is also not childish which is amazing! The heroine is sassy but not too sassy… The heroine is smart. She is definitely not childish.

‼️‼️‼️IT HAS AN EX BOYFRIEND FROM THE HEROINE SHOWS UP LIKE COUPLE OF TIMES BUT NOT TOO ANNOYING AND NOT TOO MUCH….

NOOO EX GIRL OR EX FVCK BUDDY FROM THE HERO.

‼️‼️‼️NO BULLYING.

AND NOOO MEAN FRIENDS.

‼️‼️‼️NO PUCK BUNNIES.

‼️‼️‼️NO STRIP CLUB.

‼️‼️‼️LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT but because the hero never in a serious relationship before and the heroine at the time didn’t want to think much about it, both of them think it was nothing major. But deep down both know it was something when they saw each other for the first time… Especially THE HERO FALL SO HARD FOR THE HEROINE AND CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT HER!!

‼️‼️‼️NO UNNECESSARY CHILDISH DRAMA….

‼️‼️‼️THE HERO IS SOOOOO OBSESSED WITH THE HEROINE SINCE DAY ONE 💜💜💜 And after he meet her and talked to her, the obsession for her grow more stronger than ever… He even wants to try baked something for her which is wow so sweet. Seriously baking! He even have his entire team go on search for the heroine’s bracelet because it was her grandfather’s… The hero even start to go out with his friends but obviously invited the heroine because he loves to bring her around with his friends and them hanging out together 🥺💜 The hero even flew to new york to watch her concert and this is before they were official! Like wow! When the heroine is sad or crying, he got sooo worried and he will do anything to make her smile… The hero even bought every book that the heroine told him to buy! He always complements her almost every single day saying how beautiful she is ❤️❤️ They go to picnic together, bake together and many quality time together at the coffee shop 🥺💖

“It fucking eats me up knowing she’s feeling that way, and I’m going to breathe the biggest sigh of relief in my life when we finally find the bracelet. At least her having something to do, participating in the search, seems to help. But I still hear her sniffle now and then, and each time the sound is like a stab through my chest.”

“It’s waking up with her soft hair feathered over my chest, the way my hand fits so perfectly into hers when we walk side by side, the rush of prideful possessiveness I get when I call her my girlfriend and know it’s true. Those are the real highs, even more so than unraveling over her naked body and watching her cheeks flush with pleasure while my sweat drips onto her. Not to understate how fucking incredible that part is.”

“I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. Not even close. Lying on my bed and using my own hand just thinking about Summer was more intense than any real sexual experience I’ve ever had.”

“I like this too much.
I like kissing Summer too much. I like spending time with Summer too much. Shit, I like thinking about Summer too much.”



‼️‼️‼️MANY JEALOUS SCENES FROM THE HERO and none from the heroine…

“Seeing Summer in a Black Bears jersey, knowing it’s my jersey, sent such a rush of possessiveness through me that the sight of another man talking to her made me want to grab him by the neck and throw him not out the front door, but through it.”

“She needs someone who deserves her. Though I can’t imagine anyone who does, and I’m pretty sure if I could, I’d immediately imagine wringing his neck.”

“Tuck’s called Summer my hot girlfriend a couple dozen times now—and again, no one could dispute the description—but every time he does, jealousy ripples over me. I don’t want any other guy looking at Summer the way I look at her. I don’t want any other guy thinking about Summer the way I think about her.”

(This is before they were official)
My expression darken as I take in what she’s wearing. “That’s a … big hoodie,”
I say. I’m disappointed to hear the jealous edge in my own voice, but I can’t help it.
“Oh,” she says, glancing down at what she’s wearing self-consciously. “It, uh … it was Sean’s.”
My jaw clenches tight. Fuck that. “Take it off.”
“What?”
“I don’t want you wearing anything of his.”
The words come out before I can register how they sound. I get up and walk to the coat rack by the front door. I wore a zip-up hoodie over. I grab it and walk back to Summer, holding it out for her.
“If you’re cold, wear this.”
After a beat of looking at me silently, an unreadable expression in her eyes, she nods.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have anything of his still around. I should give it back.”
“No,” I counter. “Throw it away.”

🤣🤣😆 I LOVE THAT PART.

‼️‼️‼️IT HAS PUSHING AWAY FROM THE HERO MOSTLY but only couple of times and not too annoying and not too much… He was just confused sometimes because he never have a feeling like that before for someone… Especially the heroine is someone he cares soooo much about 💖

‼️‼️‼️THE ROMANCE IS VERY REAL AND YOU CAN SEE IT!!! FEEL IT!!! THE CHEMISTRY IS ON POINT.

‼️‼️‼️NO DRAMA WITH OW. Only with OM but not too annoying and not too much… It’s also less drama!

‼️‼️‼️For me personally this book is too heavy romance story. So if you want to read a light romance with many positives in it, read this one!

‼️‼️‼️VERY HOT S3X SCENES LIKE OH MY….

How the hero loves and addicted to the heroine’s body. And always serve her right! 😋

“That one’s not going to be hard for me to keep, not considering how I haven’t felt a shred of desire for any other woman since I saw Summer that first day of English class. If not for the fact that my dick springs to life whenever I’m around her, I’d worry that I was suffering from equipment malfunction bellow the belt.”

“Mine,”
he repeats when he kisses the sensitive skin between my breasts.
“Mine.”
When he kisses my belly button.
“Mine.”
When he kisses my inner thigh.
“All fucking mine,”
he says, planting a deeper, harder kiss on my lips again.

‼️‼️‼️TRIGGERS: drunk and little violence.
Even the triggers is low 🤣

‼️‼️‼️HAPPY ENDING… In the bonus epilogue book they are married and pregnant.














⚡️⚡️⚡️THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING MY REVIEW. Even if you hate my review i still say thank you so much cause you spend your time reading this one👻 I’m not a professional reviewer or professional reader. I’m just someone who likes to read novels that is safe and no cheating whatsoever. And many more that i like lol😆 I DID NOT GET PAID TO DO THIS. This is just basically me writing my review based on my personal opinion about the book if it’s safe or what I will write it all down just the way i like it 😏 I know my review can be very straightforward with the way i write it down all of it and not a professional writing because again I’m not professional reviewer anyway. And whatever negativity you might think of what i write or what my thoughts are on my review about a book, me and you are not the same person. I have my own types of book and you have your own. You have your own thoughts and same with me. You can’t control what I should write on my review and neither should I. I WILL NOT TOLERATE NEGATIVE COMMENT AND I WON’T EVER REPLIED TO IT. If you still don’t like what i write and my disclaimer here, IT’S A YOU PROBLEM. NOT MINE😙 HAVE A GREAT DAY❤️❤️❤️

Types of book that I’m looking for: SAFE, safe all the way from the beginning till the end🥵 No cheating, no unnecessary childish drama. Not too much OW DRAMA cause they are loud and annoying lol. NO to still having feelings about a ex especially wants go get back together tf no. NO to friends with benefits and still seeing other people type of sh*t. NO to hero or heroine who said i love you and have been obsessed but still likes to fvck around yeah big NO to that sh*t. NOOO to still married or still in a relationship with someone else while liking the main character, yeah they have to be single since the beginning. NOOO to a long separation and have someone else they have s3x with during the separation. NOO to too many times of separation and breaking up sh*t. NOO to toxic narcissistic characters.
I preferred the characters are loyal to the core, over the top possessive heroes since the beginning and never stops, main characters have unique jobs or talents, the hero adores and obsessed with the heroine so much, the hero fell harder for the heroine and don’t want let her go and fight for her. And most importantly EPILOGUE AND ESPECIALLY THE DECADES LATER SCENE…. HAPPY ENDING IS A MUST. Chemistry is a must too 🙏🏼

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐ (Can't decide whether 2 or 3, so 2.5 it is)


Don't we just love flighty and indecisive men?

While I do think Hudson does love Summer, I don't appreciate his push and pull, hot and cold moods, and pulling away every goddamn time their pretending gets too close to reality. This guy has no problem giving her a cold shoulder whenever he feels like it. If ghosting her for two weeks was bad, the cold shoulder treatment for a week because Summer dropped the love bomb was the worst. Istg, if getting inside a book is possible, I would gladly do it and knock some sense into this guy.

And Summer—freaking Summer—just took it all in, waiting patiently every single time for Hudson to come to his senses. She's so understanding that I can't decide whether to give her a hard shake or give her a round of applause. 😒

What's with these fictional men and their never-ending baggage? I know this is fiction and all, and dealing with personal issues may vary for every person, but I don't need that slap of reality in my romances. I honestly hoped Hudson would get his act together sooner, but that didn't happen here. The constant thought in his head of hockey vs. Summer was so exhausting to read. Why can't he have both?

Anyway, I do like the writing style at times, and there are instances where I don't. There's more telling than showing when the two of them were together. But if readers love detailed smut, they don't have to worry because all of them were vividly described on page.

As for the issue with Hudson and his father, the years-long strain in their relationship was miraculously healed within a few paragraphs. I feel like this is glossed over, even though they technically had the "talk".

And with the romance, this is a slowburn; they only acted on their horny thoughts at the 62% mark, I think. Maybe they did develop feelings for one another, but I didn't feel that emotional connection between them. Because even in the first half, most of the running thoughts in their heads are about how they're physically attracted to one another and how it would feel if they finally slept together. Sure, they did do and talk about some things, but the lust-filled ideas never stopped running and sometimes took away the attention from the actual scenes. But while I didn't feel that connection, other readers might say differently.

I'm still probably emotionally drained from the book I've read before this, so I don't think I can do a long rant in my review. It's just not worth the effort and I feel like I'm the wrong reader for this one. So I'm going to end it here. I hope this works for someone else.


Book info:
- College sports romance
- Death of a loved one (past)
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- No cheating
- No virgins
- No real OWD, breakup
- HFN (in a relationship)


Notes:
- She's the relationship type of girl and he's the one and done guy
- While there's no actual OWD, there are three instances where women throw themselves at Hudson. He ignored all of them, but he did think, not just once, about getting laid because he's so wound up about Summer. What a solid guy, right? 🙄
- When they're still fake dating, everything becomes too much for Hudson, so he ghosted her for two weeks. Then, when Summer accidentally slipped the dreadful "ILY", he gave her a cold treatment for a week.
- OMD. Summer's ex was the reason they started pretending in the first place, so he did appear here but didn't cause much trouble.

[Tea]

dnf 55% in

I don’t even know why I tortured myself this long🤡 I don’t necessarily think the book is bad, it just didn’t work for me.

- Slow, boring
- An insane amount of pop culture references
- Stop talking about romance books in romance books PLEASE😭😭
- Using the words ”mushroom head” deserves jail time
- I don’t need to be reminded every two seconds of how fake their relationship is supposed to be but don’t feel like and how it needs to stay that way no matter what, thanks.

[carol_imahater · Rating 1 out of 5]

“My mushroom head is swollen” … enough said

It’s giving ✨Colleen Hoover✨

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but lacks true depth

[susan soh · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a good book. ive already downloaded the sequel. do with that information what you will.

[1000_books_1000_lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun, cheesy as hell and the perfect book after finishing a majorly heavy one. It was just super cute- with great spice and a sweet plot.

[ashleyramirez · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s so embarrassing stopp 😭 DNF 10% i cringe so many times. She quacked at him😭😭😭

[Amarilis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creo que este libro empezó bastante bien, pero a medida que avanzaba se terminó desinflando todo.

Ambos personajes me gustaron y a la vez no. Hudson era un blandengue, en el sentido lindo de la palabra, y estaba flechado de Summer mucho antes de siquiera conocerla. Es un jugador de hockey gruñón, que no tiene amigos y tiene problemas con su padre. Ah, y tenía una preciosa gatita que rescató de la calle, y ella es la razón por la que le doy una estrella.

Summer, en cambio, es todo lo contrario a él. Es un rayo de sol y aparentemente perfecta en todo lo que hace.

Pero ninguno de los dos tiene profundidad ni un buen desarrollo. Solo sabían ponerse cacochondos cada vez que estaban cerca el uno del otro. Y cuando empezó su “relación falsa”, todo giraba alrededor de: “me gusta, pero no puedo sentir nada más”, “no puedo estar con él/ella por mi carrera”, “no puede ser cierto que sienta algo por mí” y bla, bla, bla. Y más bla, bla, bla. Ya estaba HARTA.

Y lo que más me chocó fue que me pareció completamente sin sentido que Summer prefiriera fingir estar en una relación antes que hablarle claro a su estúpido exnovio y decirle: “DÉJAME FKN EN PAZ. No tenemos nada y nunca vamos a volver a estar juntos.” 😩
¿Qué pasa, Summer? Está bien ser un rayito de sol, pero tampoco te pases 😐

En fin, tenía una buena trama y creo que por eso seguí esperando que en algún momento todo terminara de despegar, pero al final simplemente no fue para mí.

[Sadan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hudson & Summer

[Elizka · Rating 3 out of 5]

318 stron, a czułam, jakby to było dużo więcej. nie było to jakieś wspaniałe, za dużo "booktokowych" motywów upchnięte

[Jace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[gibbles · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a surface level romance book. Didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it prob won’t remember it

[Melo]

DNF

First and foremost who puts food on the floor???? Of a classroom, with goodness knows how many feet and what not stomp all over it eeek... this is why I don't accept food from people I don't know well. I know it's not a huuuuge deal but my mind was made up on the heroine just like that.

I tend to enjoy grumpy sunshine reads but honestly the MMC is not grumpy, reserved is more what I would say. Looking at it from that perspective the "romance" just fell flat for me. I suppose if one wants a no story easy read this could work. Just not for me.

3 stars because I have read so much worse.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out cute, but things quickly changed. It was just kind of boring. It was basically just a bunch of inner dialogue from the MMC about how much he likes her, but can’t allow himself to really like her because he’s a serious hockey player, and goalies have it harder than anyone else, blah, blah… and the FMC was basically saying the same thing, but replace the hockey stuff with insecurity, because he clearly can’t have real feelings for her. Also, way too many mentions of mushrooms. (New ick unlocked.)

[Alaine]

Literally the Deal by Elle Kennedy
Dnf 63%
Skimmed most of it just to get to the dirty bit and it was just as disappointing as the rest of the book.

[Venice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean it was a cute hockey romance!

[hea booktubes]

DNF 20% parts of the writing I liked, parts I didn’t.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A drama free read that had some super cute moments but also nothing really happened and I got bored

[Loco Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

​I gave this one 5 stars, and let me tell you, no one is more shocked than me! I'm stingier with my 5-star reviews than Nintendo is with game discounts, yet this is going into my elite "read before bed comfort" list. That list now holds 3 books including this, The Catcher by Kate Raven, and Hold by Claire Kent. What a wild spectrum! 😂

​Now, before you run out and download this book, let me give you the disclaimer that the 5 stars are based completely on my personal enjoyment. That might be exclusive to me, as there are at least 30 different things you could pick apart. For one thing, it borrows concepts from The Deal to the point where I had a terrifying moment of panic around page 100 thinking I had already read it, forcing me to hunt down the specific book to verify I hadn't. It's cliché and cheesy, the characters are stereotypical, the story is predictable, and it's very low angst with low tension and no major conflict.

​And yet...

​There was a solid inevitability and lack of tension that appealed specifically to the Basic Bitch in me. I felt like I was sitting under a sugar maple tree in the fall, drinking a pumpkin spice latte in my most comfortable hoodie with a slight chill in the air. It had the rare ability to make me drop all my hyper-critical and analytical reading tendencies so I could just feel the pure joy of the story as it came. I didn't have subconscious anxiety over what was going to happen next, nor did I feel frustrated by illogical character interactions or actions that didn't match their profiles.

​The FMC is practically Pollyanna: blonde, bubbly, and a little too optimistic, with just a tiny bit of quirk. She's also an accomplished violinist.

The MMC was tall, dark, and broody! He has a chiseled jaw, abs for days, and tattoos. He's a hockey goalie who seems grumpy, but actually has a heart of gold.

​Like I said, completely stereotypical!

​However, I found their POVs endearing. They are both very attractive, successful college students in their respective fields, yet they had just the right amount of relatable awkwardness and insecurity around someone they were enamored by. The sex scenes definitely were circa 2022-2024, which I know a lot of people are over, but I will sheepishly admit I could read over and over. Give me all the "baby" "good girl" and "taking it so well" dirty talk, hands on neck, dominant male energy! I have yet to get tired of it.

Unlike a lot of romance novels I read that go over the top with characterization to the point it feels grating, this felt well-balanced.​ It was cozy and predictable in a way that was simple and didn't try too hard to be anything other than what it was. There were no groundbreaking characters trying to invert stereotypes, challenge societal norms, or make a statement. I'm not saying I don't enjoy that, but it pushes me into a level of critical thinking and analysis that I sometimes just want a break from. This was something comfortable and familiar that let me unwind.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[tina ʚɞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐

i have one word to describe this book:
meh

while the romance was fun in the beginning it became boring towards the end because there was literally nothing going on.

i am gonna be super honest here, I think authors are getting busy writing and adding as much spice scenes as possible that they're forgetting that in order for a book to be a proper book, it needs a plot. so that's that.

[aanya ✧.* · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute stop it omg such a refreshing college romance they had such a healthy relationship

[Sammi B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25/5 | the plot, characters, everything js didn’t rlly feel developed enough

[rockey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - more hockey and character development, less spice

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and cutesy and what I was looking for in the moment. Boy OBSESSED, cute couple, ‘fake’ dating but both clearly into each other. Some topics were kind of rushed past pretty quickly even though they were kind of large and had been built up, but it was an easy read and I wasn’t looking for anything too serious. Probably not something I’ll come back to or think about often, but was perfect whilst jet lagged and struggling to stay awake or concentrate, and I’m going to continue the series (lowkey need to see what happens when Ryan and Maddie get together!!).

Perfect ‘airplane’ book, if you ask me.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted a no brainer, smutty book and this served its purpose. It wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t have a third act break up or a miscommunication trope so it was overall a pleasant read and I will continue with the series eventually.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Milena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nudne

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Really Loved This!!

I am obsessed with Hudson and Summer.

There chemistry throughout the entire book was off the charts and there communication was spectacular.