Puck Drop

Austin Aces Hockey Club

by Andie Bale

They are the perfect couple no one can know about.

Logan Mantei is waiting for his big break. As a third line hockey goalie, that could take a while. But, if nothing else, he is patient and ready to put in the work. He is also in love and fully committed to his real-life love story. Unfortunately, the woman he’s crazy about is also the team owner’s daughter. That will be his downfall.

Elizabeth Brown is living her dream life. She is almost done with school, and she has the perfect boyfriend. The only problem is that she can’t share him with the world. As a player on her father’s hockey team, he could lose his position if their relationship came to light. When he gets traded to the Austin Aces, she sees an opportunity, and she seizes it.

Puck Drop is the steamy hockey romance for you if you love steamy love stories with happy endings.

Genres: Romance

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2025

About the author

Andie Bale lives in Ann Arbor (Go Blue!), Michigan, with her husband, daughter and awesome four-legged baby. Her love of reading started at a young age when sneaking her mother's romance books to read was the highlight of her day. Now, she is beyond grateful and excited to be able to bring the characters in her head to life.

Reviews

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puck Drop is part of the Austin Aces Hockey Club series. It's a steamy, forbidden, hockey sports romance.

Andie is normally one of my favorite hockey writers although I didn't like this one as much as others by her.

Logan is a third-string goalie for a New York hockey team with a no fraternization clause in his contract. Elizabeth is the coach's daughter. They have a secret relationship until they are caught by her dad. He gets traded a bit later to the Austin Aces and thinks Elizabeth "Lizzie", has cut him off, but she has moved to Austin to be with him.

I didn't connect with these characters as much as in other books. I didn't like Lizzie and Logan was just OK. We do get a happy ending after the drama, but there was a lot of miscommunication first. 3.5☆s.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bárbara Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

So thankful to have been one of the ARC readers for this lovely book!🥹
I loved how this was forbidden love, it’s always a good trope 👀
I do have to say, the one thing that made me not give this a higher rating is the damn miscommunication, I’m not a fan 🫠
HOWEVER, that did not stop me reading this in less than 24h. Very fun, great connection between the characters and also loved some of the secondary characters that were part of this story🥰

[Susete Kunkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I think so far, this was the one I struggled the most to rate.

The story line was great, the writing was also good, however I did not like the FMC at all, and even tho I did like the MMC most of the times, he also piss me off a few times.

I feel like they went back and forward so much that by the end, I didn't even care if they stayed together.

On the other hand, I loved the epilogue, and I felt so happy for them 😂.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite hockey players are the goalies . They are the last line of defense and the protector of the team. It is their job to protect the net and stop the opposing team from taking the win. Logan is the Austin Aces backup goalie, a recent trade from New York. He is still learning the team dynamics after being crushed by his previous teams' owner.

Elizabeth is the New York team owner's daughter and the woman who scored Logan's heart. Her father wasn't happy about their relationship and he traded Logan hoping that this would end their relationship. His plan backfired and Elizabeth followed Logan from New York to Austin and she cut ties with her father. She was independent for the first time in her life while trying to prove to Logan that she loved him enough to give up everything for him.

Logan was wary because he thought that Elizabeth had chosen her father and blocked him from any contact. He tried to move on but her loved Elizabeth. When he found out that Lizzie chose him and moved across the country to be with him he was scared it was too good to be true and that he wasn't good enough for her despite his love for her. Elizabeth had similar fears because she felt like a failure and a burden because she had no career and had previously lived a life of privilege provided by her father. She continually doubted Logan's love, thinking it came with strings.

With every relationship there are challenges and they thought they could weather anything that came their way until a devastating accident made Logan question his life choices and whether hockey was what he needed anymore. Without hockey, Logan felt he had nothing to offer Elizabeth and told her she was better off without him because he couldn't protect her from his downward spiral. Surprisingly, it was her father that pulled him out and pushed them back together, unwillingly though.

Logan and Elizabeth are the classic forbidden romance. A typical player/coach or owners daughter trope. I enjoyed reading Elizabeth and Logan's love story with its ups and downs.
I give this story 4 stars and a 1 1/2 spice rating.

Thank you Andie for the opportunity to ARC read your story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting into this book so I would give it a 3.25/5. This book of the Austin Aces series focuses on Logan Mantei and Elizabeth Brown.

Logan Mantei is the third string goalie for the New York Sliders when he falls in love with Elizabeth Brown. Unfortunately, he soon finds out that she is the team owner’s daughter. They keep their relationship a secret since Logan has a no fraternization clause in his contract, but her father finds them together and immediately separates them. Six months later, Logan has been traded to the Austin Aces and is shocked to find out that the team’s new junior nutritionist is none other than Elizabeth herself. Now they need to figure out if they can be together publicly or if their relationship has fizzled out.

I really liked the premise of this book. I love the forbidden romance and coach’s daughter tropes. However, I honestly did not really care for Elizabeth and even Logan at times. While I understand that she was supposed to be the pampered princess, I found her to be very whiny and insecure. I did not really care for the will they or won’t they which seemed to take up the first half of the book. I think Sebastian was my favorite character and I wish there had been more interaction with the team. There were brief mentions of Bell and Harrison from On Thin Ice, but that seemed to be it. Overall, I thought the premise was well written, but I didn’t connect with the characters. I also really want to know what happened with all of the players at the end. There’s no definitive answer and it’s driving me crazy.

[S Powell]

I really liked this book, and it had so much whip lash between both characters, I couldn't put it down. I read it in one day!

Lizzie is a 25-year-old daughter of the owner of an NHL team in NYC. When she graduated college, she had no real-life work experience and is used to getting what she wanted from her father. Logan is the 3rd string goalie for her father's team. These two meet at a function and don't know who the other is. When they find out, they decide to keep quiet about their relationship due to the clause in Logan's contract about fraternizing. When everything hits the fan, Logan gets traded to another team and it is 6 months before they can connect due to some interference. When Lizzie shows up in Texas, this couple is still attracted to one another, and they have a lot of SPICE! But they are also young and with that comes a lot of self-doubt, neither is confident in the other’s feelings about the relationship and so much miscommunication... it kept me on my toes, it was like watching a tennis match between these two and them trying to get into the head of the other, wondering about their feelings. This book is a great stand-alone and I love Andie Bale's writing style. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puck Drop, by Andie Bale, is a good look into the life of professional hockey, and the incredible commitment it takes to love someone from that world. Puck Drop is part of the Austin Aces collections, but like the others it can be read as a standalone.

The storyline is fast-paced and reasonably well written. It is filled with joy, heartbreak, tragedy, extreme family dynamics, team politics, team trades and the jockeying that goes on for line position. Hockey is not for the feint of heart, it is a tough, cutthroat game played with all of your soul. Love is no different. Logan and Elizabeth must fight with all they have to prove to themselves and others that their love is real. Logan must learn to believe in his love for Elizabeth while separating himself and keeping his head in the game before he loses them both. Elizabeth must decide if she has it in her to stand up to her father and show him she wants to be in his life while maintaining her relationship with Logan.

Overall, Puck Drop is a good mix of contemporary romance with a sports backdrop. I recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth is the daughter of the hockey team owner and while not explicitly off limits since she’s not an organization employee, it’s understandable why her dad would be pissed when he finds her naked in the locker room with the goalie. The owner trades Logan in an effort to keep him away from Elizabeth and he never expected she would follow him there.

This was an interesting premise but honestly pretty much every character acted super childish and whiny. It’s really frustrating to see so many grown adults acting so immature, not just Logan and Elizabeth but her dad too! She’s 25 years old it’s totally baffling that she doesn’t know anything about being an adult. Her dad treats her like she’s 15 and Logan is just over here trying to be an adult but acting like he’s right there with her in the teenage phase. The spice was pretty good but they’re constantly creating drama that didn’t even need to be there. Also the ending, what was that!? Were the other players ok?? Nothing was even wrapped up. Meh was an ok addition to the series, I like how the scenes overlapped but still grow up a bit.

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly this was such a fun and diferent book for me to read. I don’t usually find many MCs who arent the main character or star of their sport and ultra famous in some way, so this was so nice to see him fight and claw his way up the ladder and also to see the FMC fight and persue him rather then the other way around like in most romance books this days. I loved the whole premise of the story and their individual development as characters, also to see the fmc fix her life and her relationship with her father.. my only “flaw” with the book was the fmc calling her father daddy, as a kid its cute, in some its used as a kink but having a grown 25 year old call her father daddy gave me a minor ick. Otherwise the book was awesome, its filled with some banter, so many heartwarming moments and spice!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy Koske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan and Elizabeth aka Lizzie meet in NYC at an event. He is a third string NHL goalie on her father's team. He worries that he'll be traded or lose his job if her dad learns that they are seeing each other after months together. Just as they admit their 'love' for each other and are engaging in sex in the team locker;guess who walks in? Logan is traded to the Aces in Texas as 2nd string goalie. Elizabeth quit living or speaking with her dad after the trade. Her dad had always provided her with everything so when she moved months later to Austin to be with Logan. Big shock and surprise when she has to work and worry about expenses. TIME to grow up? Can Logan and her find the love that they expressed before? Logan worries about losing his job. What happens when she is fired from her job? Will things be resolved? How does a tragedy change everyone's minds?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forbidden love and hockey? Sign me up!

This book is full of ups and downs, fighting for your relationship, growing in said relationship, and finding your true happiness.

The book starts with two very in love characters, Elizabeth and Logan, and you quickly are thrust into the mess that they have made. Logan is a hockey player for Elizabeth's father's hockey team, talk about off limits.

Both characters go through a journey throughout the novel. Elizabeth goes through a lot throughout the novel, finding her independence and finding her true self, while also going after the love of her life. Logan also goes on his own journey of acceptable and found family, with some tearful lessons learned. There is a happy ending, so you will feel fulfilled in the end.

I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this amazing novel and am leaving a review of my own thoughts and feelings.

[Sofia Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan Montei is a talented goalie who gets his big break playing as a third-line goalie for an NHL team. He is living his dream and met a beautiful woman, who he loves. Unfortunately, falling in love with the team owner’s daughter ends up with heartbreak and a team trade.
Elizabeth Brown is a sheltered and spoiled woman, who falls in love with Logan. Her father doesn’t approve their relationship, so she decides to cut ties with, become more independent and chase Logan to Texas.
When they meet, after six months apart, things are a bit tense, but the love and attraction are still there.
Their journey isn’t an easy one as they have to deal with their own insecurities, fears and shortcomings.
Andie wrote a beautiful love story full on angst, sweet and spicy moments that will make you fall in love with the characters.
Thank you for this ARC.

[Reads lotsa stuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goalie and a girl. A complicated tale about choices made, mistakes punished, impulsive decisions. There are surprises. There are arguments. There are eye rolls. More about the relationships than hockey, but it starts with a third stringer and a daddy’s girl. At the age when adulting becomes necessary. The desire to do what will make one happy but also to have the ability to be support one’s self and be independent. With crazy sexual attraction throwing itself into the picture, there are racy interludes as well. Can a parents lack of support kill a fledgling relationship? Can it make or break a lifelong dreams? Can the decisions made in the heat of the moment be the right ones? Can the fate of a friend twist plans for the future?

[Traci Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love sports romance, and I love hockey. This book focused on a goalie, Logan. It's a forbidden romance trope because he has a non-fraternization clause and falls in love with Elizabeth, the coach's daughter.

I really liked the character development for the MMC. The FMC was a little whiny and annoying to me. The relationship had a lot of ups and downs, lack of communication, immaturity, and neither of them believed they were worthy of loving each other.

The storyline was fast paced and packed a spicy punch! There was joy, heartbreak, angst, a lot of family drama, and a great perspective of behind the scenes politics in professional hockey.

I recommend this book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jordan Fiest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puck Drop is part of the Austin Aces Hockey Club Series.

Logan and Lizzie go through a lot of trying times through this story. They go from hiding their relationship to embracing it to hiding again. It kind of flip flops with their relationship status. They had some valid reasons for hiding it when they did, but they both needed to think hard about what they wanted in their life.

We do get a lot of character growth from each character. I think Lizzie really grows a lot as she is able to finally stand up for herself and determine what she wants for herself without the influence of others.

[Megan McGrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan & Elizabeth
I had a harder time getting into this story than I expected. I'm not sure what it was, but I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. The storyline itself was OK, and I felt the MCs be given the chance to reconnect and recover their love.
I did NOT like the ending that Logan's friends Sebastian had. That was so unnecessary, and I don't think it helped the story at all.
This story also felt very disconnected to the Austin Aces series. There was a couple small mentions of Ethan & Bell from On Thin Ice, but there was very little to no interaction with the team much otherwise, and no ice time except in reference.

Overall, I can't say this book was a favorite of this multi-author series, but it was a decent read.

I received an authorized copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[Dara Wasalino Tremblay · Rating 3 out of 5]

MMC Logan is the backup goalie for the Austin Aces hockey team, a recent trade from New York. FMC Lizzie is the daughter of the owner of the New York team and her relationship with Logan is the reason he was traded. But their relationship doesn’t end. She turns her back on her father and moves to Austin to be with Logan. This was a great premise for a story, but these two and their miscommunication. Ugh. Just talk to each other already! This book was a rollercoaster (and not in the best way). These two characters just needed to shut up in their internal dialogs and thinking they knew what the other was thinking and freaking talk to each other.

[Jocelyn Whaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puck Drop is a part of the multi-author series Austin Aces Hockey Club. Logan and Elizabeth are in love. Unfortunately, their relationship is forbidden. If found out it could cause all kinds of trouble for Logan. When Logan is traded, Elizabeth decides to get her man. Things don't go as smoothly as she plans. There's a lot of miscommunications and misunderstanding between the two. I glad to see the two of them get their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really wanted to like this book. I really enjoy reading about hockey, and some of my favourite books are about hockey players. Unfortunately, this book just was not for me. The maturity level was closer to teenage vs the mature {explicit} community that it was supposed to be designated for. I encourage authors to hone their craft to the audience they are targeting. Which includes removing the unnecessary use of and, but, because & or to begin sentences.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Petty (Book Bangers Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Logan is waiting for the call the play hockey goalie, and he's been trying to stay positive. When he meets Elizabeth, he can't help but be attracted to her. They hit it off and have some good laughs together. Elizabeth is the daughter of the owners, but she's strong-willed and has plans. Logan, she never thought would be part of them. But they can't tell anyone, and it starts to put a strain on them. However, sometimes you have to make a choice, and these two may make one that could destroy a lifelong future.

[Mindy Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Book in the Austin Aces Hockey Club Series by this author, and. can be read as a standalone. It is an off limits romance between Logan and his coach's daughter, Elizabeth. These likeable souls and the unique plot make for an enjoyable read. It is a love story with drama and steam, sexual tension and chemistry, family dynamic, team politics, and twists and turns, plus appealing secondary characters. Entertaining.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book!! I loved the start and the ending. I was instantly hooked and stayed up all night reading. The love these two share for each other is so intense. There is some crazy unnecessary drama where you just want to shake them. Everything is against them being together but the love and passion they have for eachother keeps them fighting. A new top time favorite!.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Catherine Tripp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puck Drop was not for me. It was really about the FMC figuring out how to be an adult at 25. Which is great, and I am sure folks that like New Adult books will love it. It was just not for me. The couple while cute, were in love and together from the first chapter, so the HEA was a not really about them as a couple. Anyway, I read an ARC and if it sounds like something up your alley, you should check it out.

[QueenMum1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay. Didn't keep my attention.
Tropes:
Forbidden, ice hockey, sports, professional athlete, she chases him, HEA romance, novel, tragedy, steamy, angst.
Logan is a third line hockey goalie.
Elizabeth loves art, but she loves a hockey player more.

A special thank you to Andie Bale and Booksprout for providing me with an eARC book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I love the Austin Aces series and diversity of authors, this installment is not for me. Honestly, I gave up at 50%, because I just couldn’t stand Elizabeth or Logan. Both are indecisive and whiny. Elizabeth’s decision to relocate without discussing with Logan is creepy.

Also didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

Just not a good fit to the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Suzanne McNeill Taviner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an emotional read. Logan and Elizabeth seemed to be so together in the beginning, then things started to go wrong for them, but they found a way through. Only for life to start throwing obstacles in their way!
My heart broke for Logan when the thing with Sebastian happened but he did not handle that at all well!! And Elizabeth's dad turning out to be a nice guy, after all, so sweet!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance is certainly not outdated! This story is so romantic from beginning to end, in places the live and feelings displayed are somewhat juvenile. That is nothing that ruins the story, it sort of enhances the overall feeling of joy while reading this romance.
Fabulous four stars go to this fine hockey romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marianne W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of the multi-author Austin Aces Hockey Club series. Each book is a standalone read.
Goalie and a girl. There are surprises. There are arguments. There are eye rolls. With crazy sexual attraction throwing itself into the picture, there are racy interludes as well. Can the decisions made in the heat of the moment be the right ones?

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. This is a new author to me.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've really been enjoying this series and have loved the opportunity to check out some new to me authors. This was the 7th in the series that I've read and unfortunately it was just a miss for me. I kept hoping it was going to turn itself around, but it ultimately fell short. I couldn't really get behind Logan and Elizabeth, there didn't seem to be a lot of depth in their characters and the storyline was surface level at best.

[Alex Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will love survive when you’re forced to grow up and face the real world. The MMC is a third string goalie until he’s traded up to second string. The FMC decides to follow the MMC. But it’s a wake up call when she has to survive without her parents help. You see the team dynamics, the dedication, and competition.

This is a fast pace book that bring all the emotions. I love that the characters actually have to work for the relationship. It seems more realistic with the effort from both MCs.