The Penalty Box

by Megan Cousins

Francine Henderson dreams of one day working in professional hockey. With a degree in applied statistics her dreams go beyond the ice, all the way to the front office. After years of disappointment, the Detroit Union comes Penalty Box Attendant. The penalty box is a long way from the front office, but something is better than nothing.

Stefan Morrow leads the Detroit Union in assists and penalty minutes. A third line forward who doles out justice on the ice when the need arises. When Stefan skates off the ice into Francine’s penalty box, she catches his eye, and he wants to extend his penalty minutes.

As Stefan and Francine get to know each other outside of the penalty box, sparks fly, but hockey – and life – threatens to get in their way. Brought together by the game they both love, Francine and Stefan face their challenges head on…together.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

143 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2024

About the author

Megan is a Michigan native who loves books, board games, baseball, and her family - not necessarily in that order. She loves books with wit and banter and scenes that wouldn’t make her grandma blush...so she wrote one.

Megan’s stories are filled with humor and heart, sometimes obscure baseball references, swoon-worthy heroes, and heroines who aren’t afraid to speak their mind.

Connect with Megan on Instagram: @authormegancousins

Or Twitter: @Meg_mcuzz

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Cousins has become my favorite baseball romance writer, so I was looking forward to reading her first sports romance featuring hockey and it didn’t disappoint. This was a charming & lighthearted hockey romance novella. As usual, she handled the representation of chronic pain well. I immediately fell in love with our two main characters and enjoyed every moment of their story.

[Bookish_Aly_Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not too familiar with the game of hockey, but that’s didn’t stop me from enjoying this hockey sports romance. I loved getting both points of view between Francine and Stefan throughout the story and how their interactions felt believable and natural even for such a short read.

I also appreciated the chronic pain representation in this book and felt that it was integrated well into the story.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stefan & Francine ❤️

🏒She hopelessly overqualified to be the attendant in the penalty box for Detroit Union ice hockey team, but Francine is happy to take the job when it’s offered to her.

🏒The hockey-obsessed redhead catches the eye of Stefan Morrow on her first day on the job, if only she will give him a chance to see more of her.

✏️Author Megan Cousins steps away from her trademark baseball theme in this novella that celebrates the overqualified-sports-obsessed friend of Charlotte Sullivan from her recently released Designated Hitter. With gentle attraction and heaps of kindness and compassion, Stefan and Francine are soon taking care of each other’s hearts. 💕

Read on Kindle Unlimited
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Connect with me: http://www.instagram.com/read.athon2021

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Megan’s books and this is definitely an amazing intro to the new series! I’m excited to see what else happens in the hockey universe.
Now for Stefan and Francine, first they were adorable from the beginning and couldn’t wait to keep reading the book. I loved how their story unfolded and how it included Francine’s recovery from an injury and Stefan trying to navigate that for himself with respecting her.
I just loved these two and can’t wait for more of Megan’s books

[Mystic Forest Crafts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros:

I still can’t say that I understand hockey at all, but with this author that really doesn’t matter. The characters are so much more important than the game it just gives them an arena to showcase their problems, emotions and growth which is what makes all of this author’s books lovely.

Cons:

I would say my biggest problem is that this is only novella. The characters and world are lovely and could have totally held up to a full book but for trying something new I highly recommend it!

[Abby Huffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one! Easily a new favorite. I have adored Megan’s baseball and to see that passion for Detroit sports carried over to hockey was so perfect! Devoured this novella! Here’s to hoping for more hockey books from her! Loved Stefan & Francine together and all the crossovers from other books!

[Lynn Hyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Hockey

I love hockey and Francine and Stefan and the friends and teammates. This is a fun book! I love the fact that Francine loves hockey and plays! She and Stefan are hilarious. This is a great read from start to finish.

[Angeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lupita_333 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute cozy romance with accurate chronic pain representation.