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Lucky Strikers Hockey Romance #1
Ice Mechanic
Fake dating a disgraced pro hockey player wasn’t in the cards. Neither was falling in love with him for real.
Being a female mechanic has it’s flaws. The sweet-talking hockey player who thinks I’m here to flirt with him instead of fix his car is proof.
Thanks to my broken heart, Chance McLanely’s crystal blue eyes and charming smiles don’t—ahem—barely affect me.
I fix his flashy Lamborghini, drop him off and expect to never see him again.
Except he’s at my garage the next day, asking me to jumpstart his career instead of his car.
And what do I get in exchange for our little ruse?
Publicity for my new garage and the sweet, sweet taste of revenge… as my cheating ex sees me getting fawned over by his favorite hockey player.
But Chance is a little too good at fake-fawning.
And fake dating.
And fake kissing.
A star athlete like him could never like a woman like me, so why is he looking at me like I’m more than just his mechanic?
Being a female mechanic has it’s flaws. The sweet-talking hockey player who thinks I’m here to flirt with him instead of fix his car is proof.
Thanks to my broken heart, Chance McLanely’s crystal blue eyes and charming smiles don’t—ahem—barely affect me.
I fix his flashy Lamborghini, drop him off and expect to never see him again.
Except he’s at my garage the next day, asking me to jumpstart his career instead of his car.
And what do I get in exchange for our little ruse?
Publicity for my new garage and the sweet, sweet taste of revenge… as my cheating ex sees me getting fawned over by his favorite hockey player.
But Chance is a little too good at fake-fawning.
And fake dating.
And fake kissing.
A star athlete like him could never like a woman like me, so why is he looking at me like I’m more than just his mechanic?
410 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
January 16, 2025
I can’t. This girl wore a RED FLOOR LENGTH GOWN to a minor league hockey game. I’m out.
January 3, 2025
yes i did read this in pretty much 1 sitting and yes i did kick my little feet at “i chose you” I AM LITERALLY JUST A GIRL unfortunately i didn’t realize there was not a drop of spice until i was almost done and it felt like something inside me chipped off a little bit because they would’ve had some crazy sex
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2025
The guy became obsessed way too quickly and they really milked the “women can be mechanics too.” Luna and the lie by MZ would never make it this cringy
January 16, 2025
DNF 83 percent in.
I could not TAKE Aprils character anymore. This girl could not stop getting angry and crying. And this is coming from somebody who regularly cries at IG clips of cute dogs.
I don’t know what more Chance had to do to prove himself. I know she was traumatized and healing from her trifling ex, but it was exasperating to see chance constantly apologize and speak to her insecurities.
No matter what he did, she seemed offended or took it personal.
April didn’t need a relationship, she needed therapy.
I volunteer as tribute to take Chance though. He had some amazing liners and was the only reason I made it that far. But when I got to the hospital scene and she was mad because Chance couldn’t get to her right away and she agreed with Evan, I realized I was over it.
April without therapy is not something I can read.
I could not TAKE Aprils character anymore. This girl could not stop getting angry and crying. And this is coming from somebody who regularly cries at IG clips of cute dogs.
I don’t know what more Chance had to do to prove himself. I know she was traumatized and healing from her trifling ex, but it was exasperating to see chance constantly apologize and speak to her insecurities.
No matter what he did, she seemed offended or took it personal.
April didn’t need a relationship, she needed therapy.
I volunteer as tribute to take Chance though. He had some amazing liners and was the only reason I made it that far. But when I got to the hospital scene and she was mad because Chance couldn’t get to her right away and she agreed with Evan, I realized I was over it.
April without therapy is not something I can read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2025
If you are going to write about someone being a mechanic, you need to get the details right. I was thrown out of the story from the beginning when and “ocb scanner” was used. It’s obd and it’s super common. The amount of times “diagnostic tools” was used… just nooooo. Please research the trade if you are going to write about it.
April 10, 2025
There were some glaring issues with this. First of all, we get it. April is girl mechanic. She's not like other girls. She has dirt under her fingernails and she doesn't like dresses. My goodness, this sentiment was absolutely jammed down our throats on every page. I mean, at one point, because April has had an attack of self-esteem issues, she wears a red floor-length gown to a minor league hockey game. What the actual fuck is that?
Then there was just April's personality in general. I love a black cat character any day. But April was reactionary, mean, and just miserable. She wasn't pleasant at all. I didn't even want to root for the relationship with Chance. Honestly, with the way April treated Chance throughout all of this, I actively rooted against the relationship.
And any review that says they had good communication was written by a crazy person. April was constantly attempting to ghost Chance. She'd go radio silent almost every time some obstacle came up. And if she didn't go. silent, then she'd play the ice queen and say shitty things to him. This wasn't the cute read it claimed to be.
Then there was just April's personality in general. I love a black cat character any day. But April was reactionary, mean, and just miserable. She wasn't pleasant at all. I didn't even want to root for the relationship with Chance. Honestly, with the way April treated Chance throughout all of this, I actively rooted against the relationship.
And any review that says they had good communication was written by a crazy person. April was constantly attempting to ghost Chance. She'd go radio silent almost every time some obstacle came up. And if she didn't go. silent, then she'd play the ice queen and say shitty things to him. This wasn't the cute read it claimed to be.
April 6, 2025
I sadly added this to my DNF list not even halfway through the book. I thought it sounded cute - female mechanic with a down & out hockey player, but ...
It's hard to like a character like April. She's so grumpy, so reactionary and has zero self-confidence. She is a walking pity party, and her attitude turned me off from the start.
Chance seems like a genuinely good guy, to be honest. From what I read, it's obvious he truly does like April, but she's so self-sabotaging ... the plot got old really quick, and I couldn't waste time to finish the book.
It's hard to like a character like April. She's so grumpy, so reactionary and has zero self-confidence. She is a walking pity party, and her attitude turned me off from the start.
Chance seems like a genuinely good guy, to be honest. From what I read, it's obvious he truly does like April, but she's so self-sabotaging ... the plot got old really quick, and I couldn't waste time to finish the book.
April 27, 2025
From seeing reviews, I think I have a lot of the same critiques.
The FMC April starts out really sassy, rude, black cat energy, etc., and I am for a beat-down, angsty and angry hero, really. Yet, she had absolutely zero character development through the whole story. Yes, towards the end, you can argue that she gained “confidence”, but she always had confidence, ESPECIALLY in her field. Yes, she is a woman in a male-dominated workspace, which is great(!), but she never changed her attitude in that regard (thankfully), so I don’t see why her continuing to spearhead that attitude there was supposed to be our character growth. A confident (in her career) woman continued to be confident in her career? Okay, cool, but why is she still acting like an asshole?
I can’t forgive this author for making me argue on behalf of a man. Really, thanks for that.
She’s honestly rude to her love interest, shows no real intrigue or romantic feelings towards him, and she’s incredibly SELFISH towards him and his dreams. Did Chance (MMC) choose to give up his ‘dreams’ in the league, yes. But, this was AFTER she practically dumped him for even (continually) pursuing the career she KNEW he was interested in.
And the love interest…? Boring. No complex backstory, no real “character flaws”. Like, yes, throw me another dark-haired, “HUGE” (her incessant wording, not mine), and goody-two-shoes hockey player. That will totally suffice for lack of personality and background. We don’t even really get the reason as to WHY he is kicked out of the league to begin with?? Sure, it’s implied but isn’t it sort of important? We had the lamest third-act semi-breakup that didn’t even relate to the most interesting part of his backstory? And we also had ZERO resolution with April’s crazy ex?
And, I really was liking the subplot with April’s Dad and his dementia. I love seeing raw and real life things in stories, and I felt like there wasn’t really anything real to this.. just raw… for what purpose? There isn’t any conflict resolution to be had with dementia as an illness, yes, but there was just a lot of weird things going on. Her dad can’t remember April, his own daughter, but he can recognize and keep up with a fresh and up-and-coming hockey player not of his generation? Come on.
There was so much potential from the FMC’s career, the town, the side characters, the subplots, and it all fell short. I would recommend almost any other sports romance and almost any other female mechanic romance. This was a complete waste of time and energy, and the book itself needs editing for the several errors, misspellings, and grammar mistakes (Yes, sorry, that was petty).
The FMC April starts out really sassy, rude, black cat energy, etc., and I am for a beat-down, angsty and angry hero, really. Yet, she had absolutely zero character development through the whole story. Yes, towards the end, you can argue that she gained “confidence”, but she always had confidence, ESPECIALLY in her field. Yes, she is a woman in a male-dominated workspace, which is great(!), but she never changed her attitude in that regard (thankfully), so I don’t see why her continuing to spearhead that attitude there was supposed to be our character growth. A confident (in her career) woman continued to be confident in her career? Okay, cool, but why is she still acting like an asshole?
I can’t forgive this author for making me argue on behalf of a man. Really, thanks for that.
She’s honestly rude to her love interest, shows no real intrigue or romantic feelings towards him, and she’s incredibly SELFISH towards him and his dreams. Did Chance (MMC) choose to give up his ‘dreams’ in the league, yes. But, this was AFTER she practically dumped him for even (continually) pursuing the career she KNEW he was interested in.
And the love interest…? Boring. No complex backstory, no real “character flaws”. Like, yes, throw me another dark-haired, “HUGE” (her incessant wording, not mine), and goody-two-shoes hockey player. That will totally suffice for lack of personality and background. We don’t even really get the reason as to WHY he is kicked out of the league to begin with?? Sure, it’s implied but isn’t it sort of important? We had the lamest third-act semi-breakup that didn’t even relate to the most interesting part of his backstory? And we also had ZERO resolution with April’s crazy ex?
And, I really was liking the subplot with April’s Dad and his dementia. I love seeing raw and real life things in stories, and I felt like there wasn’t really anything real to this.. just raw… for what purpose? There isn’t any conflict resolution to be had with dementia as an illness, yes, but there was just a lot of weird things going on. Her dad can’t remember April, his own daughter, but he can recognize and keep up with a fresh and up-and-coming hockey player not of his generation? Come on.
There was so much potential from the FMC’s career, the town, the side characters, the subplots, and it all fell short. I would recommend almost any other sports romance and almost any other female mechanic romance. This was a complete waste of time and energy, and the book itself needs editing for the several errors, misspellings, and grammar mistakes (Yes, sorry, that was petty).
February 14, 2025
I mean not a horrible story but seriously lacking development in every way
February 11, 2026
Etwas Oberflächlich aber süßes Couple
4,5 ⭐️
4,5 ⭐️
March 4, 2025
“You, Chance,” April’s green eyes sparkle at me as if she can read my thoughts, “you take great care of the car.”
This book is incredibly cheesy, but I love it hahaha Chance quite literally might be the most romantic softie I have ever read. April's character was so amazingly nuanced. I loved how her insecurities, strength and softness crafted such a loveable girl!
Ice Mechanic proves that you can have painful plot points, if you are also willing to have characters who are great communicators and ACTUALLY like each other.
I honestly loved how in love these characters were hahaha There were situations that happen later in the book, that I just KNEW would cause chaos, but they had such faith in their relationship. It was wild to experience.
Such a sweet read! I cannot even imagine the angst sequel that is planned. I do adore Rebel though, so I'm intrigued for sure!
This book is incredibly cheesy, but I love it hahaha Chance quite literally might be the most romantic softie I have ever read. April's character was so amazingly nuanced. I loved how her insecurities, strength and softness crafted such a loveable girl!
Ice Mechanic proves that you can have painful plot points, if you are also willing to have characters who are great communicators and ACTUALLY like each other.
I honestly loved how in love these characters were hahaha There were situations that happen later in the book, that I just KNEW would cause chaos, but they had such faith in their relationship. It was wild to experience.
Such a sweet read! I cannot even imagine the angst sequel that is planned. I do adore Rebel though, so I'm intrigued for sure!
June 27, 2025
There were some moments where I was charmed by the cuteness. Then there were moments where I was cringing.
And I'm still not over her wearing a FLOOR LENGTH GOWN TO A HOCKEY GAME??? WHAT ARE WE DOING PEOPLE?
February 5, 2025
I’m gonna be honest. I didn’t finish this book. I just felt like it was longer than it should be. And I was just bored from the start. But I might try and give it a second chance.
February 17, 2025
Sometimes all I need to cope with life’s cruel existence is a fake dating hockey romance book with the same general plot and characters as 45 other books I’ve already read. And this isn’t a drag on the trope being done too many times. I will eat it up every time. Every single time. I can’t even be annoyed when I know what’s going to happen next. Is the story predictable or am I just predictable in what I choose to read? This was some great escapism into a happy-ending world except for the part with her dad having dementia, that hit a little too close to home for me. I also wish they had fake dated longer as that’s my favorite trope and as soon as they became real, I lost some significant interest. But I didn’t lose enough interest to stop reading or to slow down. I did in fact devour this book. I also am not a huge fan of the cover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2026
No smut! I repeat No Smut! With that said I quite enjoy listening to this one. Sweet, easy listening. Hockey romance with a strong mechanic FMC.
May 8, 2025
banale, superficiale e pure brutto.
In che senso lui rinuncia al suo sogno di giocare a hockey per vivere con lei in mezzo al nulla e giocare in una squadra minore che ha pure il nome di una marca di sigarette. Se fosse stata lei avremmo gridato allo scandalo e quindi per me scandalo.
Il protagonista si chiama Chance?? Occasione?? Possibilità?? boh brutto
Sospeso/espulso dalla lega si comporta bene e puff amici come prima? ma che cos’è? nemmeno in oratorio ti fanno rientrare così facilmente
Evviva le donne meccaniche evviva evviva ma perché o sono come April (brutte anatroccole solo ai loro occhi e a quelli degli ex cattivi, in realtà sono ovviamente bone) o come Rebel (ribelle ??? ma ci ripigliamo) iper femminili iper bone che vanno in giro solo con i tacchi???? Io piena
Infine, PERCHÉ se è la figlia di mezzo si chiama April?? La
maggiore si chiama June e la minore May??? Non avrei sollevato questo tipo di domanda se non si facesse più volte riferimento al calendario. Aprile-Maggio-Giugno e non Giugno-Aprile-Maggio cioè non è nemmeno al contrario non ha solo senso.
In che senso lui rinuncia al suo sogno di giocare a hockey per vivere con lei in mezzo al nulla e giocare in una squadra minore che ha pure il nome di una marca di sigarette. Se fosse stata lei avremmo gridato allo scandalo e quindi per me scandalo.
Il protagonista si chiama Chance?? Occasione?? Possibilità?? boh brutto
Sospeso/espulso dalla lega si comporta bene e puff amici come prima? ma che cos’è? nemmeno in oratorio ti fanno rientrare così facilmente
Evviva le donne meccaniche evviva evviva ma perché o sono come April (brutte anatroccole solo ai loro occhi e a quelli degli ex cattivi, in realtà sono ovviamente bone) o come Rebel (ribelle ??? ma ci ripigliamo) iper femminili iper bone che vanno in giro solo con i tacchi???? Io piena
Infine, PERCHÉ se è la figlia di mezzo si chiama April?? La
maggiore si chiama June e la minore May??? Non avrei sollevato questo tipo di domanda se non si facesse più volte riferimento al calendario. Aprile-Maggio-Giugno e non Giugno-Aprile-Maggio cioè non è nemmeno al contrario non ha solo senso.
March 11, 2025
Overall a cute book! However, there were a few things I just couldn’t get behind. One being wearing a red gown to a minor league hockey game was crazyyyy. Also shocked that this is all over booktok and not a drop of spice. Honestly I think this book could have done with just a little more description of that sort of stuff. I think I can count on one hand how many times they pecked. However, I think this would be a great read for some kid that heard of icebreaker or the deal on tiktok and wants to read a hockey romance but this is wayyyyyy more appropriate.
January 6, 2025
Ice Mechanic
This was a simple and sweet romance book.
It was on the longer side but will keep you interested.
Clean romance book.
This was a simple and sweet romance book.
It was on the longer side but will keep you interested.
Clean romance book.
August 13, 2026
i’m sitting here trying to think of anything that was good about this and i genuinely can’t think of a single thing. this was actually so bad. after i finshed shatter me i was like “let me read a light hearted stupid book to avoid a slump.” no this shiz is going to PUT me in a slump. april was alright. chance was alright. didn’t really like any of the characters like that. there wasn’t even a single speck of relationship development. they meet one day, and the next day he’s like “I want to see her i miss her so much after the time we spent together i like herrr.” everytime he’s like “since i met april blablahvlah.” im like ok since two days ago like??? the writing was absolutely atrocious. he got obsessed way too fast. they (mostly him) are moving wayyy to quickly. like they just started officially dating like yesterday and he’s looking for houses and accounting for her needs talking bout some “when she moves in and we have 200 kids they are gonna need there own room, we’re gonna need to be by the nursing home bc of her dad, when hers sister comes to stay she will want her own room, i should pick a place that has nice land for when she upgrades her garage, blah blah.” mind you yall just started dating. the only conflicts was april being insecure about her last relationship and not wanting to trust him. did i mention how the relationship was underdeveloped asf. some stuff brought up for no reason, like why did june even exist if she wasn’t going to have a single part in anything. how does stuff like this even get published, stuff like this should stay on wattpad. actually no, this is BENEATH wattlad. some people on watt pad can actually write. genuinely a stupid waste of time.
they were absolutely MILKING the female mechanic shiz bro like i don’t care. nobody cares that ur a female mechanic. every time there was scene of her fixing a car or him playing hockey it’s just sounded like you asked chat gpt how a hockey game goes or how u fix a car. on the topic of milking this trope, let’s talk about how the other two books in this series are the EXACT SAME FKN THING. they synopsis for the all 3: I didn’t know i would get wrapped up in this hockey player from lucky hills… i mean i am just a lowly mechanic who everyone thinks is stinky and gross just because i have a job! but when we start fake dating..i wonder if our feelings are turning into more than just a contract..
what’s with this author and this trope that she absolutely can’t write. nothing wrong with being a female mechanic but it’s weird how all of her books are the same trope about female mechanic x hockey player, AND fake dating.
i was baffled when his teammates stole his clothes and he was holding the mascot head up to his d seeing if it will cover enough to leave the room and this man gos “Yep. should be big enough to cover up the maker of my future children.” STFU. and no, this wasn’t one of those books where it’s so bad that it’s good, it’s just bad. i didn’t enjoy reading bc it just sucked, wasn’t even funny. the only times i ever laughed was when i was sooo bamboozled at the bad writing. even the dialogue was just awkward. and he kept saying good girl and it creeped me out.
safe to say i will probably not be reading the next books i’m kinda mad bc i was a little bit interested in rebel and gunner bc it looks like they have an enemies to lovers thing going on alongside the fake dating, but im not interested enough to risk my sanity.
also the sisters are names April may and june. no thanks.
they were absolutely MILKING the female mechanic shiz bro like i don’t care. nobody cares that ur a female mechanic. every time there was scene of her fixing a car or him playing hockey it’s just sounded like you asked chat gpt how a hockey game goes or how u fix a car. on the topic of milking this trope, let’s talk about how the other two books in this series are the EXACT SAME FKN THING. they synopsis for the all 3: I didn’t know i would get wrapped up in this hockey player from lucky hills… i mean i am just a lowly mechanic who everyone thinks is stinky and gross just because i have a job! but when we start fake dating..i wonder if our feelings are turning into more than just a contract..
what’s with this author and this trope that she absolutely can’t write. nothing wrong with being a female mechanic but it’s weird how all of her books are the same trope about female mechanic x hockey player, AND fake dating.
i was baffled when his teammates stole his clothes and he was holding the mascot head up to his d seeing if it will cover enough to leave the room and this man gos “Yep. should be big enough to cover up the maker of my future children.” STFU. and no, this wasn’t one of those books where it’s so bad that it’s good, it’s just bad. i didn’t enjoy reading bc it just sucked, wasn’t even funny. the only times i ever laughed was when i was sooo bamboozled at the bad writing. even the dialogue was just awkward. and he kept saying good girl and it creeped me out.
safe to say i will probably not be reading the next books i’m kinda mad bc i was a little bit interested in rebel and gunner bc it looks like they have an enemies to lovers thing going on alongside the fake dating, but im not interested enough to risk my sanity.
also the sisters are names April may and june. no thanks.
January 25, 2025
Such a cute love story 😭
I love April’s healing journey throughout the entire book, and even when Chance was not sure about how she was feeling - he was still there for her.
The dynamic with Aprils sister and best friend is TOO cute, he is such a golden retriever.
His mom gives me the ick, but whatever.
I cannot wait to heat Gunner and Rebels story 🤐
I love April’s healing journey throughout the entire book, and even when Chance was not sure about how she was feeling - he was still there for her.
The dynamic with Aprils sister and best friend is TOO cute, he is such a golden retriever.
His mom gives me the ick, but whatever.
I cannot wait to heat Gunner and Rebels story 🤐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2025
Super cute easy fun hockey romance. Will admit my boy Chance fell for April immediately. I'm not a huge fan of instant love but I didn't mind it here.
Love a small town story where people help one another out and anything is possible. I need to know what's going on with the best friend Rebel so I will be reading book 2 when it comes out!
Love a small town story where people help one another out and anything is possible. I need to know what's going on with the best friend Rebel so I will be reading book 2 when it comes out!
June 5, 2025
I loved this book! I ate it up! I read the majority of it in one day! I didn’t know it wasn’t a spicy book but I didn’t care because I enjoyed the story so much!
Chance was so sweet and so patient! He did everything he could to get April to trust him, he was just such a good guy! I loved him!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🚫🌶️
Chance was so sweet and so patient! He did everything he could to get April to trust him, he was just such a good guy! I loved him!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🚫🌶️
June 3, 2026
I liked the concept of this more than the execution. I'm all for a "he falls first" scenario, but Chance was fully in love by chapter two and never waivered- despite the fact we were told he'd never cared about a woman before. I did really like April though, I was invested in her journey as a female mechanic dealing with harassment, money troubles and her father's health. This was an easy read, but not a life changing one.
December 14, 2024
this book is sweet
This couple was so lovely. I appreciated the authenticity of the novel from the car facts to the struggles women face in male dominated societies. This book felt real. Chance is a one of a kind man. He was so thoughtful and generous. He fell hard fast but it didn’t feel rushed. I’m glad I continued reading after his disbelief she was a mechanic. April is so precious. She is awesome character r with spunk and layers. I really enjoyed their story. Looking forward to Rebel’s.
This couple was so lovely. I appreciated the authenticity of the novel from the car facts to the struggles women face in male dominated societies. This book felt real. Chance is a one of a kind man. He was so thoughtful and generous. He fell hard fast but it didn’t feel rushed. I’m glad I continued reading after his disbelief she was a mechanic. April is so precious. She is awesome character r with spunk and layers. I really enjoyed their story. Looking forward to Rebel’s.
December 14, 2024
3.8⭐️
It was a really cute book. It was a good palette cleanser for me lol. I love small town romance, so as soon as I saw that it was a small town romance I was already grabbing it on KU lol.
It was a really cute book. It was a good palette cleanser for me lol. I love small town romance, so as soon as I saw that it was a small town romance I was already grabbing it on KU lol.
December 21, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
January 13, 2025
3.75✨ literally read in one sitting
February 15, 2025
i enjoyed this read!
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