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Pine Barrens University #5
The Longest Shot
A steamy new college hockey romance featuring a chaotic golden boy, a fierce ice queen, and a second chance that might just burn them both to the ground.
HER FORTRESS
Morgan “Morgue” Riley’s emotional fortress has no doors. As the captain of Pine Barren University’s brand-new women's hockey team, her guiding principle is simple: trust is pain, and letting anyone in is a mistake.
That lesson was forged in two devastating betrayals. The second, and most painful, came from the one boy who ever made her feel safe—James Fitzgerald, the human hurricane who turned their connection into a punchline and taught her that vulnerability is for fools.
HIS PERFORMANCE
James “Rook” Fitzgerald is the beloved, chaotic new captain of the national champion Devils, his life a symphony of off-key singing and locker-room jokes designed to drown out suffocating silence.
Raised in a high-conflict home, his one rule is to never let things get too serious or too quiet. But his one regret is the girl he drove away three years ago, because she was the only person who ever made the quiet feel safe.
THEIR COLLISION COURSE
Now, as rival captains, they’re locked in a collision course of unfinished business. Their professional battles quickly bleed into a secret, desperate addiction to each other in the quiet moments no one can ever be allowed to see.
But as the ruthless politics of college sports corners them both, all their old wounds resurface. This time, can she learn to trust, and can he learn that not everything needs to be a performance?
Key details:
Second chance romance (the ice queen meets the life of the party!)
Rivals-to-lovers (two captains, one rink!)
He falls first/harder (and has to grovel for it)
Fifth in series (but read as standalone!)
Steamy ‘open door’ spice level.
Happily-ever-after and no cliffhangers.
HER FORTRESS
Morgan “Morgue” Riley’s emotional fortress has no doors. As the captain of Pine Barren University’s brand-new women's hockey team, her guiding principle is simple: trust is pain, and letting anyone in is a mistake.
That lesson was forged in two devastating betrayals. The second, and most painful, came from the one boy who ever made her feel safe—James Fitzgerald, the human hurricane who turned their connection into a punchline and taught her that vulnerability is for fools.
HIS PERFORMANCE
James “Rook” Fitzgerald is the beloved, chaotic new captain of the national champion Devils, his life a symphony of off-key singing and locker-room jokes designed to drown out suffocating silence.
Raised in a high-conflict home, his one rule is to never let things get too serious or too quiet. But his one regret is the girl he drove away three years ago, because she was the only person who ever made the quiet feel safe.
THEIR COLLISION COURSE
Now, as rival captains, they’re locked in a collision course of unfinished business. Their professional battles quickly bleed into a secret, desperate addiction to each other in the quiet moments no one can ever be allowed to see.
But as the ruthless politics of college sports corners them both, all their old wounds resurface. This time, can she learn to trust, and can he learn that not everything needs to be a performance?
Key details:
Second chance romance (the ice queen meets the life of the party!)
Rivals-to-lovers (two captains, one rink!)
He falls first/harder (and has to grovel for it)
Fifth in series (but read as standalone!)
Steamy ‘open door’ spice level.
Happily-ever-after and no cliffhangers.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 4, 2026
Messy, emotional, and worth every second once it all comes together.
Emotional Damage Report 💔➡️❤️🔥
Okay, this one? It starts off tense and stays that way for a while. James (Rook) and Morgan (Morgue) do not have a soft, cute “meet again and fall in love” vibe. Nope. Their history is messy, uncomfortable, and very much unresolved when they cross paths again—and you feel that in every interaction. The tension? Thick. The hurt? Very real. And honestly, it made the payoff hit so much harder.
The Couple 🖤🔥
Rook and Morgue are one of those couples where you’re like… “how is this going to work?”—until suddenly, it does. Once they start breaking down those walls, the chemistry is absolutely unreal. We’re talking explosive, can’t-look-away, hold-your-breath kind of connection. Whew is right.
But what really sells them isn’t just the heat—it’s the growth. When they finally get on the same page, you can see how right they are for each other. They balance each other in a way that feels earned, not easy.
Rook’s Redemption Arc 🛠️
Let’s be real—Rook was not it at first. If you’ve read the series, you already know he’s… a lot. And not always in a good way. He had serious baggage, and it showed, , especially with his he treated Morgan.
What I appreciated, though, is that his growth wasn’t rushed. It took time, accountability, and a lot of patience from the people around him. His friends didn’t let him off the hook, and neither did Morgan. And honestly? That’s what made it believable.
Did I struggle with him? Yes.
Did he eventually win me over? Also yes.
But he worked for it—and that made all the difference.
The Growth 🌱
This story is really about pushing through past hurt and choosing to do better. Rook had to confront himself in a big way, and Morgan had to decide what she would and wouldn’t accept. Watching them navigate that was messy, frustrating at times—but ultimately worth it.
They’re not magically perfect at the end, and I loved that. They know they still have work to do, but they’re choosing each other and putting in the effort. That kind of realism just hits different.
Final Thoughts ✨
This wasn’t an easy, swoony ride from start to finish—but it wasn’t supposed to be. It’s a story about second chances, hard truths, and earning love instead of just falling into it.
Rook might test your patience, but stick with him—because when he finally gets there? It’s satisfying in the best way. And together, him and Morgan? Absolute fire.
Emotional Damage Report 💔➡️❤️🔥
Okay, this one? It starts off tense and stays that way for a while. James (Rook) and Morgan (Morgue) do not have a soft, cute “meet again and fall in love” vibe. Nope. Their history is messy, uncomfortable, and very much unresolved when they cross paths again—and you feel that in every interaction. The tension? Thick. The hurt? Very real. And honestly, it made the payoff hit so much harder.
The Couple 🖤🔥
Rook and Morgue are one of those couples where you’re like… “how is this going to work?”—until suddenly, it does. Once they start breaking down those walls, the chemistry is absolutely unreal. We’re talking explosive, can’t-look-away, hold-your-breath kind of connection. Whew is right.
But what really sells them isn’t just the heat—it’s the growth. When they finally get on the same page, you can see how right they are for each other. They balance each other in a way that feels earned, not easy.
Rook’s Redemption Arc 🛠️
Let’s be real—Rook was not it at first. If you’ve read the series, you already know he’s… a lot. And not always in a good way. He had serious baggage, and it showed, , especially with his he treated Morgan.
What I appreciated, though, is that his growth wasn’t rushed. It took time, accountability, and a lot of patience from the people around him. His friends didn’t let him off the hook, and neither did Morgan. And honestly? That’s what made it believable.
Did I struggle with him? Yes.
Did he eventually win me over? Also yes.
But he worked for it—and that made all the difference.
The Growth 🌱
This story is really about pushing through past hurt and choosing to do better. Rook had to confront himself in a big way, and Morgan had to decide what she would and wouldn’t accept. Watching them navigate that was messy, frustrating at times—but ultimately worth it.
They’re not magically perfect at the end, and I loved that. They know they still have work to do, but they’re choosing each other and putting in the effort. That kind of realism just hits different.
Final Thoughts ✨
This wasn’t an easy, swoony ride from start to finish—but it wasn’t supposed to be. It’s a story about second chances, hard truths, and earning love instead of just falling into it.
Rook might test your patience, but stick with him—because when he finally gets there? It’s satisfying in the best way. And together, him and Morgan? Absolute fire.
June 15, 2026
In the fifth book, the main characters are James "Rook" Fitzgerald and Morgan "The Morgue" Riley. They knew each other when they were lovers three years earlier, when they met at a Hockey gathering, but because of Rook's way of dealing with things, he chose to make a joke, causing Morgan to walk away and shut herself off, allowing herself to think only about hockey.
With Morgan being headhunted to create a women's hockey team at Pine Barren, being promised the same as the men's team, she learns that the actual experience is worse than promised, and Rook decides to continue to play the joker.
With Rook trying to help Morgan, they both incur the wrath of the athletic director, as Rook hands over supplies that Morgan was denied from ordering, they discover the previous spark from their previous encounter is still there. And Rook and Morgan need to change their thinking and how they act together if they want to get together.
I did find both characters annoying initially, but when the book went further on, and they adapted to each other and realised that their old personalities were causing issues in their day to day lifes and I enjoyed the later part of their romance. And because I was less involved with their romance early on, I gave the book three stars.
With Morgan being headhunted to create a women's hockey team at Pine Barren, being promised the same as the men's team, she learns that the actual experience is worse than promised, and Rook decides to continue to play the joker.
With Rook trying to help Morgan, they both incur the wrath of the athletic director, as Rook hands over supplies that Morgan was denied from ordering, they discover the previous spark from their previous encounter is still there. And Rook and Morgan need to change their thinking and how they act together if they want to get together.
I did find both characters annoying initially, but when the book went further on, and they adapted to each other and realised that their old personalities were causing issues in their day to day lifes and I enjoyed the later part of their romance. And because I was less involved with their romance early on, I gave the book three stars.
June 21, 2026
Second Chance Romance That Did Not Quite Land
The Longest Shot by Clara West was an okay read, but ultimately not a memorable one for me. Morgan and James have a second chance romance that begins when they meet as teenagers and continues when they reconnect in college.
My biggest struggle was with the handling of the sexism and sexual harassment storyline. Morgan and her teammates were consistently portrayed as strong, intelligent, independent women, so their decision not to report what was happening felt out of sync with the personalities established on the page.
I also found myself frustrated by how often the characters seemed to assume the other person understood what they were thinking without actually communicating. Then the next chapter would reveal they were not on the same page at all. It happened often enough that it pulled me out of the story.
Overall, a decent read with a solid premise, but the character choices and communication issues kept me from fully connecting with it.
The Longest Shot by Clara West was an okay read, but ultimately not a memorable one for me. Morgan and James have a second chance romance that begins when they meet as teenagers and continues when they reconnect in college.
My biggest struggle was with the handling of the sexism and sexual harassment storyline. Morgan and her teammates were consistently portrayed as strong, intelligent, independent women, so their decision not to report what was happening felt out of sync with the personalities established on the page.
I also found myself frustrated by how often the characters seemed to assume the other person understood what they were thinking without actually communicating. Then the next chapter would reveal they were not on the same page at all. It happened often enough that it pulled me out of the story.
Overall, a decent read with a solid premise, but the character choices and communication issues kept me from fully connecting with it.
December 20, 2025
Loved it
Good story line
Relatable characters
Highly recommen
It would have been good if author revised other characters. Or jumped the timeline 10 years.
Good story line
Relatable characters
Highly recommen
It would have been good if author revised other characters. Or jumped the timeline 10 years.
March 1, 2026
I really liked this one too!! Also that AD should’ve gotten fired I wish that had more resolution but it was super cute I loved both the characters and Morgan was such a badass leader!
June 7, 2026
4.25 💫
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews