Checking It Twice

Must Love Hockey #3

by Kendall Ryan

Fake dating a hockey player for Christmas wasn’t on my bingo card.

Clare Johnson’s job is handling PR for the Dallas Stampede—not getting tangled up with one of the players. But when Mitchell Drake—charming forward, fan favorite, and very off-limits—asks her to pose as his girlfriend for one week in small-town Minnesota, she reluctantly agrees. What’s the worst that could happen?

Mitchell’s had six months to get over his very public broken engagement, and his family is done waiting. The last thing he needs is pitying smiles and whispered gossip. Clare is smart, sharp, and strong enough to hold her own with both fans and family—the perfect fake girlfriend.

But holiday lights and snowy nights have a way of blurring the line between pretend and real. Clare fits too easily into his world—bonding with his grandma, winning at pond hockey, and looking unfairly good in his flannel. The more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.

Full of small-town holiday magic, meddling relatives, and sizzling chemistry, Checking It Twice is a hockey romance about second chances and falling in love when you least expect it. Perfect for fans of fake dating, one-bed tension, forced proximity, and happily-ever-afters wrapped in Christmas lights.

Because sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree—they’re standing right in front of you.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Audiobook, Holiday, Sports, Hockey, Hockey Romance

400 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2025

About the author

Kendall Ryan is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of flirty, feel-good romance filled with heart, heat, and plenty of banter. An American author who has lived all over the world, her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into multiple languages. She writes swoony heroes, bold heroines, and stories that make you laugh, blush, and fall in love. When she’s not dreaming up new plotlines, she is a proud mom to two amazing sons and the wife of her real-life hero.


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Reviews

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I love hockey romance and holiday books, so I knew I had to check out ‘Checking it Twice’. It was a fun and sweet Christmas story that had some great fake dating. Mitch and Claire working together made things a little more complicated for Claire due to a past relationship, but once she got past that, it was obvious that these two belonged together.

Audio book source: Netgalley
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Grayson Owens & Rose Dioro
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 7h 30

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Checking It Twice is a short, Christmas-themed, fake-dating romance. It's definitely cliche, both in terms of the romance tropes and the Christmas tropes. And like with all Christmas romances, the characters fall in love within a crazy short timeline, but it was still a fun read. I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, and this book was perfectly paced to keep me reading. It's far from a perfect novel, and it's definitely not the most original thing I've read, but it's good holiday fun. Despite how short the novel is, I thought the characters were decently developed and had good chemistry. And the holiday scenes were all cute and cozy. I did feel like the conclusion was a little drawn out, but otherwise the pacing was all good. As a whole, I'd say this book is worth the read if you like the fake dating trope and want something short and sweet you know you'll like, even if you've read something like it before.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another easy entertaining read from Kendall Ryan. I enjoyed the audio narration and the characters.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good gracious, it’s called a thesaurus. The story was sweet, but the same few phrases were used over and over and over again. The redundancy was comical and I don’t mean knowing how the story would play out. (sports pun totally intended).

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHECKING IT TWICE
● Claire (28) & Mitch
● PR for hockey team / NHL player
● Mitch asks Claire for a favor - pretend to be his gf and go to his family's Christmas in Minnesota
● Mitch wants to prove he's over his ex
● slowish burn
● fake dating
● holiday time

Audiobook source: Netalley
Narrator: Grayson Owens & Rose Dioro
Length: 7h 30m

[Neermboop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll round up to 3 stars for this, but it felt more like a 2 for me.
It seemed like we were going through the checklist of everything she wanted to put in the book and being told how we should feel about it. I didn't feel any chemistry between the MCs either. 🤷‍♀️
MFC was a bit of a pushover too 👎

[Kyla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable holiday romance, easy read up until chapter 45. If the book had ended at chapter 45, I would’ve given it 4 stars. When the protagonist is all of a sudden needy and weak at the end of a book, totally ruins the whole thing.

[MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.8 Stars)
Clare Johnson is the PR for Hockey Team Dallas Stampede. She does not mix business with fun. That is until Mitchell Drake needs a favor. He is getting over a broken engagement and needs a faux girlfriend to make his parents leave him alone about moving on. Can these two keep it just a favor or will the lines get blurred when feeling emerge? Another easy and fun read in this holiday hockey series. Mitch is such a sweetheart. Loved seeming them build a real relationship together and all the moments with his family. Told in first person and dual POV.

[Sarah 🌺 Books in Their Natural Habitat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 100% need to read more hockey romances after reading Checking It Twice!

Clare does PR for a hockey team in addition to masterfully navigating the players’ egos and stubbornness. She swore she’d never mix work and personal life again, but one proposition has her second guessing.

Mitchell has been miserable since the breakup with Hannah. He doesn’t want pity when he goes home for the holidays. Maybe a fake girlfriend will do the trick! The hard part is getting Clare to agree.

I had a hard time putting this down. Clare and Mitch are really endearing. I loved watching them slowly grow and open up about challenges in their lives. The slow burn was just right - so much tension and build up! Mitch’s family is so sweet; I’d read a series of books about all of them!

If you’re looking for a holiday romance with a hockey player, wit, migraine rep, only one (twin) bed, and slow burn, look no further!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little underwhelming compared to what I was hoping to get from this book. The FMC narrator sounded depressed the entire time, so it was hard to feel anything but morose when listening to her. I always love fake dating, and this had good moments when they were with his family, but then once it was time to go "back to real life" it steadily just started going downhill. And then, near the very end the author did a few things that made me hate the characters and I was just over it. I should've stopped at chapter 40 apparently, because the rest put a bad taste in my mouth.

[Jodi - JodiReadsnListens · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Audio Review **
Swoony! Checking It Twice by Kendall Ryan was a sweet and charming holiday hockey romance that did deliciously good things to my heart. I couldn't get enough of Claire and Mitchell's fake dating to forever romance that made me all warm and gooey inside and put me in the holiday spirit.

Rose Dioro and Grayson Owens perform this audiobook in dual narration, and these two perfectly emobodied Claire and Mitchell. Rose's soft, soothing tone captuted Claire's passionate and dedicated persona while Grayson's warm, rich timbre enveloped Mitchell's guarded, charismatic demeanor. Both narrators created just the right amount of longing and tension making me fall head over heels in love with this couple.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of a holiday romance with a broody hockey hunk, a devoted publicist, meeting the family, fake dating, one bed, slow burn spicy times, all the holiday feels, and a HEA that will warm your heart, then you will love Claire and Mitchell's story. I always look forward to more from Kendall Ryan.

[Amber Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake dating
Found family
Forced proximity
One bed tension
Hockey romance
Small town
Cinnamon roll mmc
Boss energy FMC
Meddling relatives
Happily-ever-afters wrapped in Christmas lights

“Fake dating a hockey player for Christmas wasn’t on my bingo card.”

“...I do want to stay here. I want to watch Clare laugh and see her eyes light up when she successfully cuts a perfect star-shaped cookie. I want to memorize the way she looks with flour in her hair and happiness on her face. I want to forget that this is all pretend."

This novel was narrated by Grayson Owens and Rose Dioro. I loved how they brought the characters to life and I could feel their emotions! There's lots of great funny banter and romantic scenes. I enjoyed how funny parts of this book were 😂
Their rendition pulled my heart. The sweet whispers, the quiet cuddles, and the fake it to make it real moments were so 🔥 perfection. The tension! Their performance was fantastic even I felt safe with Grayson. The way he cared for her. I loved it. Loved them and his family and how welcoming and accepting of Clare. 💯 would recommend this book! I love this author it isn’t my first book by her and definitely not my last!

[Lindsey Domokur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a holiday romance and a holiday hockey romance makes it even better. I read the first book in the series and enjoyed it so I knew that I would enjoy this one as well, and I did. Clare and Mitch were coworkers that became more after he asked her home for Christmas. Fake dating usually ends in one or more of them catching feelings, but they really tried to keep it professional, until they couldn't anymore. I liked the fact that she fit into his family so well and that they were so accepting of her. They really seemed to love her instantly. I also liked that there wasn't OW drama like I thought there would be.
The one thing I will say about this ALC, was that there were a lot of inconsistancy through chapters. It didn't take away from the overall vibe of the story, but it did distract me when something was said that didn't happen that way in the chapter before. There were more instances of this than I would have liked, but I thought the pining and tension between the two overshadowed any issues I had.
I also really liked that it didn't wrap up right after the visit home and we got to see more of their interactions after they returned to the real world.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checking It Twice by Kendall Ryan is the perfect holiday escape — equal parts steamy hockey romance and small-town Christmas magic.

Clare, the team’s PR manager, finds herself fake-dating star player Mitchell to help clean up his image. What starts as a work assignment quickly turns into something more when they head to his cozy hometown for the holidays — cue the snow, the meddling family, and the one-bed situation that practically crackles with tension.

Kendall Ryan balances the sweetness of small-town charm with the spice you’d expect from a hockey romance. Mitchell is charmingly possessive in the best way — confident on the ice, yet tender when it comes to Clare. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the slow build from professional boundaries to holiday heat feels natural and satisfying.

If you love:
🏒 Fake dating with real feelings
🎄 Cozy Christmas settings
🛏️ Forced proximity and one-bed tension
🔥 Hockey smut that delivers

…then Checking It Twice deserves a spot on your holiday TBR. It’s flirty, heartwarming, and just the right mix of naughty and nice — the perfect romance to curl up with under a blanket and a cup of cocoa.

⭐️: 5/5
🌶️: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy! All opinions are honest and my own.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion!

I listened to the audiobook, and enjoyed both narrators, along with their dual POV narration. It kept me interested in the story!

Clare and Mitch were so cute and wholesome together, so I loved seeing them squirm through their forced proximity fake dating while they went back to Mitch’s hometown for Christmas. I liked that the build up of them exploring their feelings actually felt so natural, and wasn’t as quick as I’d typically is in other books with fake dating. Their happily ever after was just the sweetest, especially their time jump epilogue back at Mitch’s family celebrating a future Christmas!

The book was full of so much holiday goodness, so if you’re looking to deck the halls with a festive read pick this one!


Tropes:
🥅Hockey player x PR girl
❤️Sports Romance
🏒Forced proximity
❤️Fake dating
🎄All the Christmas cheer

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️

Okay, let’s be honest—I initially requested this one because Grayson Owens was narrating. The man could read a grocery list and I’d give it five stars. And once again, he absolutely nailed it as Mitchell Drake. Total charm, total swoon. Rose Diorio as Clare was great too—smart, confident, and just the right amount of sass.

The story itself? Exactly what I expect from a fake dating Christmas romance. Cute. Heartfelt. A little spicy. And dripping with small-town holiday vibes. It’s predictable in the best way—like a Hallmark movie but with better banter and hotter chemistry.

Do I know how it’s going to end from the first chapter? Yep. Did I still love every minute of the ride? Also yep. Sometimes you just need a cozy, low-stakes, feel-good listen with snow, flannel, and a hockey player pretending to be your boyfriend.

Thanks to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this (audio)book.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake dating • Workplace Romance • He Falls First • Hockey Romance • One Bed • Small-Town Christmas

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤'𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩."

This was a cute little holiday story. I’m always a sucker for a good fake-dating trope, and when you add a sports romance into the mix, what’s not to love? I was looking for a fun audiobook to listen to while getting ready and driving, and this fit the bill perfectly. Grayson Owens and Rose Dioro did a great job narrating and really brought the story to life.

This is the third book in the Must Love Hockey series, but each one is a standalone. I haven’t read the first two yet, and I’m not entirely sure I will. The story didn’t pull me into the side characters the way some books do, which usually makes me eager to continue a series.

"𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙩."

I really felt for Clare. Aside from her best friend, she doesn’t have much of a support system. After a difficult breakup, she swears off mixing work and dating—until a coworker asks her to fake-date him and spend Christmas with his family after his own heartbreaking split. For the first time, Clare gets a glimpse of what it’s like to be part of a real family and to be with a man who genuinely cares about her. As expected, the lines between what’s fake and what’s real start to blur.

"𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮, 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥-𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙙, 𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙄 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛."

Mitchell has been on and off with his high school sweetheart for years—until she finally ends things to be with his childhood best friend. Facing Christmas back home, he doesn’t want to go alone. Clare is sweet, funny, and gorgeous, plus she runs the book club and works as the team’s PR girl, making her the perfect fake girlfriend to bring home for the holidays. As the trip goes on, Mitchell starts seeing a new side of her, and before long, his family is falling for her just as hard as he is.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, but once again Christmas was more of a quick blip than the center of the story. At this point we all know my stance on Christmas, I want my “Christmas romance/holiday love story/snowmance” to be fully Christmas-centered. Also there is a fair amount of repetition, like more than a fair bit, with the same phrases popping up over and over and over again, which pulled me out of the story.
Rose Dioro and Grayson Owens narrated the audiobook and they were solid overall. I especially enjoyed Grayson's tone and inflections, which added a nice layer to his performance and kept me more engaged during his chapters.

[Jasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ALC REVIEW**
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Checking It Twice by Kendall Ryan, book three in the Must Love Hockey series, is a sweet, cozy sports romance with charming small-town holiday vibes. The writing is smooth, the characters are lovable, and the ALC narration truly takes the experience to the next level.

Rose Dioro and Grayson Owens shine in the duet narration, bringing Clare and Mitchell to life with authentic emotion. They captured the tension, chemistry, and warmth of the story perfectly.

I enjoyed watching Clare and Mitchell’s fake dating slowly turn into something real. Their chemistry was off the charts, and their banter frequently had me giggling. The slow-burn dynamic worked so well, and I loved seeing their individual growth and mutual support. I also adored how warm and welcoming Mitchell’s family was.

Overall, this is a delightful listen, perfect for anyone looking for a small-town holiday romance filled with fake dating, family meddling, and plenty of heart.

Thank you to Kendall Ryan, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jen Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a book to put you in the Christmas spirit, grab Checking It Twice by Kendall Ryan immediately! This swoony hockey romance is holiday must-read!

Clare and Mitchell’s journey from fake dating to forever is utterly irresistible. She's a heartbroken publicist who swore off players... especially of the hockey variety. He's a hockey hotshot who just needs a temporary date to survive his meddling, holiday-obsessed family.

The chemistry is explosive! Prepare for hilarious family antics, intense will-they-won't-they tension, and a slow burn that absolutely pays off. This book will make you laugh out loud and leave you with feel good tears. While it is the third book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

The audiobook narration by Rose Dioro and Grayson Owens is gold! The way they embodied the characters fit perfectly. If you love broody hunks, holiday feels, the "one bed" trope, and a guaranteed HEA, this is your next obsession. Stop scrolling and start reading (or listening)!

[angelictaleslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cozy, flirty holiday romance that gave me exactly what I wanted from a festive read. Holly coming home for Christmas and unexpectedly hosting Declan the sweet, charming hockey player was such a fun setup. Their chemistry felt natural, the banter was cute, and the story had just the right balance of warmth and spice.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Hoopla) Rounded up 3.5 stars. 🌟
Very Cute Holiday Hockey Romance. 🏒 😍 Fake-dating trope that was never truly fake. Minnesota Christmas with a loving family straight out of a fairytale ✨️ NHL player that is humble, helpful, and genuinely good. Overcoming fear from previous bad-experiences. I love adding a little Holiday Romance to my December reads. 🎄 Combined with Hockey it's even better!!

[NurseKelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️
🌶️

This book is so predictable and full of gag inducing tropes that it reads like AI. I expected so much more out of this author given I have loved so much of our previous work. If you want a sappy & sickly sweet Hallmark-esque book that is completely predictable, this is for you. I only finished it because I kept hoping it would get better.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the best book I’ve ever read but it was a fun, quick read. Shoutout to Kate for this <3

[ivy]

DNF @55% - repetitive, terrible pacing, characters have no personality

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitive? Absolutely. But oh well, still enjoyed the book

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ cute holiday read that moved very fast!

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.

[Jess DeLisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounding to 4. cute, hockey and Christmas. a good, cozy read 🎄

[Alexandra Poma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Someone get this girl a thesaurus! Stat!