Checking the Facts: A Grumpy Sunshine, Enemies to More Clean Hockey Rom-Com

by Faith Carter

He’s the stoic hockey captain with everything to lose. She’s the relentless journalist uncovering his team’s secrets. Sparks—and trouble—are inevitable.

I’m Isabelle Riley, a no-nonsense investigative journalist with one expose the truth. My latest assignment? Uncovering financial corruption within the Seattle Firebirds hockey team. It’s the kind of story that could launch my career—or completely ruin theirs. Either way, I’m not backing down.

The only problem? Ethan Sinclair.

The Firebirds’ captain isn’t just ridiculously handsome—he’s infuriatingly stoic, impossibly disciplined, and annoyingly protective of his team. He calls me a distraction. I call him “Saint,” because his squeaky-clean reputation makes him the perfect cover for the secrets I’m trying to uncover. Too bad for him, I don’t pull punches… even if his piercing blue eyes and quiet strength make me want to.

As I dig deeper, Ethan and I clash at every turn—on the ice, at the gala, even under the spotlight of a kiss cam. But somewhere between the sharp banter and stolen glances, the lines blur, and I start to wonder if there’s more to him than his carefully controlled life.

When the truths I uncover threaten to tear his team apart, Ethan has to decide what matters loyalty or integrity. And me? I have to figure out if chasing this story is worth risking the one thing I never expected to find—him.

Checking the Facts is book 1 in the sweet/clean Firebirds Hockey series, which features interconnected standalones about the players on a fictional professional hockey team.


* Grumpy sunshine
* Investigative journalist
* Enemies to more
* Slow burn
* Forced proximity
* Found family

149 pages, Paperback

Published June 26, 2025

About the author

Faith Carter has always been a fan of sports romance, hooked by the perfect mix of heart, humor, and chemistry on and off the ice. After skating through every clean hockey rom-com she could find, she laced up and took her own shot at writing. With her family cheering from the bench, a warm coffee in her glove hand, and a knack for crafting love stories that score big, Faith writes feel-good romances inspired by life’s everyday power plays.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a cute and quick read. I liked that there was a bit of a faith thread in the story and that Ethan was a strong moral character. I also liked that Izzy grew throughout the story and came back to a faith that she seemed to have stepped away from.

I struggled some to feel connected to these two characters and felt more as if I was on the outside looking in at what was going on as the book progressed. But the story did flow smoothly and is a quick read for those looking for a sports romance that could be enjoyed in an afternoon of reading.

(3.5 stars)

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book but wasn’t required to post a review. However, after reading it I had to write my honest, voluntary impression of it.

I loved this book! It’s about the captain of a pro hockey team who meets up with an inquisitive journalist who has gotten a tip about financial mismanagement within the team. He is a guy who plays straight and the idea of something being crooked within the team is unsettling to him. Plus she is someone who catches his eye as well!

Together they investigate and she uncovers some evidence backing up the tip she received. As the story breaks the offending individual accuses him of being complicit in the scandal even though he wasn’t.

It’s a sweet, no spice story of love, faith and the determination of friends who help him rise up once again over the false accusations!

I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this story as one I know you’ll enjoy reading! It shows just how important other people are in our lives to stand beside us when things take a downward turn shattering the image people have of us.

Love, faith and family ( not only biological but those we consider family because of our closeness to them) can make all the difference in the world when we know we are not alone!

[Destiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Izzy is a sports journalist known for her tenacity. A mistake in trusting the wrong source in her past has led her to be cautious moving forward. It also means she is eager to prove herself.

Ethan is the captain of his hockey team and has a reputation for being a golden boy who relies heavily on his faith.

Izzy heard rumors about Ethan's hockey team having financial trouble. For whatever reason, she decides the team's captain, who has no access to the financials, nor would he be in any of those meetings, is the person to help her discover the truth. She assumes that, due to his reputation, he would want to help uncover the truth.

Surprise, surprise, he agrees to help her.

Here is where it kind of fell apart. The premise of the story is that Izzy is a reporter following a lead. However, after she has the material for her story, there is no mention of her ever writing one! She essentially sits back and watches it unravel. In fact, it is one of Ethan's teammates who suggests she research to learn more. And she reacts as though that is a brilliant idea she hadn't thought about. Any reporter worth their salt would immediately think to research and dig deeper. This made her come across as an amateur. I expected her reporter skills to play some role in the resolution of the story, and they did not.

This book focused on the characters' feelings for each other and on God putting them in each other's path. It was a short book, but I feel it would have been beneficial to flesh out more of the story details, especially near the end (before the epilogue).

[Tina Lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a well-written book acknowledging faith, love, hope, and loyalty amongst the struggles. Ethan Sinclair's the faith-filled Team Captain of the Firebirds pro-hockey franchise. Izzy Riley is the skeptical journalist who is tenaciously covering the rumored stealing of the team's funds and budget. The battle has been waged to find the truth. If they find the truth, will it solve this overall question? Truly, I loved this book, as well as all references that God loves us and praying brings us closer to Him. It definitely leads us to a truth that will set us free to hope and love. The simplicity of faith within this story had me cheering. I would give this book 4.5 stars, but I had round it up to 5 stars to meet the need here.

[Mandy]

DNF | This new to me Author reached out to me via Instagram and asked me to read and review this book. It was clear to me from the start that AI was used to write and create the book. As a result, I found no authenticity or voice in the story and did not finish.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, felt ai-ish?

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Mary Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book. The story was written very well as the characters brought it to life. You will enjoy reading it.