What do you think?
Rate this book
Connor: the Jennings Brothers: a small town hockey rom-com
It all started at the town's Holiday Charity Auction. I donated my services for a good cause. The services?
Those are a little sketchy.
Apparently I'm someone's idea of a local celebrity hunk because I play pro hockey.
The upshot is I was talked into donating my services for a date with the lucky highest bidder.
The lucky bidder? Carmela Rossi. She could be voted the least likely person in the entire town who should be bidding on the likes of me.
She's too young at 18, a senior in high school, and I'm way past high school by now in every way possible.
More importantly--I know, hard to believe something more important than a seasoned bachelor like myself on a date with a high school girl--she's a treasured ( sheltered) daughter of the one family in town who hates me, hates my entire family in fact.
The Rossis and the Jennings are arch enemies, as in the Hatfields and McCoys, only without the weapons and killing. At least until now.
But Carmela happens to be very persuasive, so we have our date.
Fast forward past the debacle of the auction, the date and her high school graduation, and in spite of threats by her father and brothers to do me bodily harm or worse, that's when my judgment seems to waiver.
Because she's determined, gorgeous, smells like fish and has the kind of laugh I recorded to cheer me in my desperate moments, I can't help wanting to see her again. And again.
Carmela Rossi is the kind of treat--a Garden-of-Eden-Apple--that I'm having trouble resisting.
Please pray for our souls...
the Jennings Brothers is part of the Hockey Boys series of small town hockey romcoms where super hunks compete on and off the ice against their nemesis--the family they've been feuding with in their small fishing village for three generations--to find success in their families' fishing businesses, in hockey and especially love. Connor & Carmela's story is as angsty as it is full of humor and heart warming moments with tan extra satisfying ending in spite of all odds.
( adult language and sex.)
Those are a little sketchy.
Apparently I'm someone's idea of a local celebrity hunk because I play pro hockey.
The upshot is I was talked into donating my services for a date with the lucky highest bidder.
The lucky bidder? Carmela Rossi. She could be voted the least likely person in the entire town who should be bidding on the likes of me.
She's too young at 18, a senior in high school, and I'm way past high school by now in every way possible.
More importantly--I know, hard to believe something more important than a seasoned bachelor like myself on a date with a high school girl--she's a treasured ( sheltered) daughter of the one family in town who hates me, hates my entire family in fact.
The Rossis and the Jennings are arch enemies, as in the Hatfields and McCoys, only without the weapons and killing. At least until now.
But Carmela happens to be very persuasive, so we have our date.
Fast forward past the debacle of the auction, the date and her high school graduation, and in spite of threats by her father and brothers to do me bodily harm or worse, that's when my judgment seems to waiver.
Because she's determined, gorgeous, smells like fish and has the kind of laugh I recorded to cheer me in my desperate moments, I can't help wanting to see her again. And again.
Carmela Rossi is the kind of treat--a Garden-of-Eden-Apple--that I'm having trouble resisting.
Please pray for our souls...
the Jennings Brothers is part of the Hockey Boys series of small town hockey romcoms where super hunks compete on and off the ice against their nemesis--the family they've been feuding with in their small fishing village for three generations--to find success in their families' fishing businesses, in hockey and especially love. Connor & Carmela's story is as angsty as it is full of humor and heart warming moments with tan extra satisfying ending in spite of all odds.
( adult language and sex.)
Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 29, 2026
CONNOR unravels with one of those stunningly intriguing elements that right away made me wonder how everything could possibly go wrong!!! Connor Jennings is a professional hockey player, a local celebrity, and the unexpected winner of a Holiday Hunk charity auction, Carmela Rossi is the girl who bids on him, which would be enough to cause trouble even if her family hadn't been battling with his for generations, the feuding between Rossi and Jennings is what gives this story a wonderful forbidden edge, especially because Carmela has grown up knowing how much her family dislikes him. Connor understands that the arrangement is a bad idea, but Carmela will do her best not to leave even though the circumstances need her to!
.
I thoroughly appreciated how the auction turned into a trigger for a series of events no one in the family could have foreseen! Carmela's crush is also such an obsession that you can't help but be caught up in her dreams, disappointments, and relentless tiny successes. Connor's point of view presents richness to the plot since he is always debating what he wants and what he believes he should do, his hockey career is saturated with discipline, dedication, and sacrifice, yet Carmela continues to appear where his confidence should be. Connor by Stephanie Queen was an enthralling adventure filled with forbidden love, familial feuding, hockey elegance, and the obvious threat of danger!
.
The book constructs a path for their connection to evolve when Carmela graduates and their circumstances surrounding them change! That change is essential since Connor's hesitancy is never completely based on desire, his family, job, obligations, and troubled relationship with his father all weigh heavily on him. Carmela must also choose how much of her future she can control, given her family's high expectations of her, their personal struggles are therefore linked to greater concerns like independence, loyalty, ambition, and selecting the life you truly want! Connor's chats with his brothers and conflicts with his father give personal significance to his actions while maintaining the comedy that keeps the novel engaging, I really loved how the Author has developed the personality of both main characters and the structure of their emotions was very well-researched from the professional life to the personal life everything was magnificent, it really was a page-turner and an unputdownable read!
.
The emotional pull between Connor and Carmela becomes increasingly compulsive because both of them eventually have to decide whether family expectations deserve more power than their own happiness, the hockey element in CONNOR is exactly what I look for in a small-town hockey romance, since Connor's profession has a significant effect on the emotional stakes, the strain of competing, the locker-room banter, the scouting reports, the coaching choices, and the cruel unpredictability of playoff hockey were all intriguing to read and they brought to Connor's already difficult situation at home. I like the difference between the confident athlete everyone sees on the ice and the man who grows progressively uneasy when Carmela enters his mind!
.
Connor must deal with his family, his father's expectations, and figure out what his job and personal life should be like on his own terms. Carmela experiences a similar battle as she begins to ponder independence and a future other than the one her family has planned for her. I enjoyed seeing Connor develop more confident in his dreams because it eventually stretches beyond hockey and into the rest of his life. Carmela also develops into a person who understands what she wants and refuses to let fear rule her every move, the emotional high point is especially fulfilling because so much of the novel is around uncertainties, familial pressure, and two individuals attempting to figure out where they fit!
.
Stephanie Queen delivers Connor a remarkable mix of hockey-star status, family baggage, ambition, vulnerability, and outrageous romantic angst. Carmela enchants the plot with drive, emotional depth, and delectable forbidden-romance energy, while the Rossi-Jennings bitterness threatens to set everything on fire. I finished reading CONNOR and appreciated the pairing of hockey, small-town rivalry, familial dysfunction, comedy, emotional strain, and steamy romance. Five stars for the compelling chemistry, the fun hockey atmosphere, the epic family feud, and a hero who recognizes that going all in on the people and dreams he cares about is the riskiest move he's ever made, and it was all worth it!!!
.
I thoroughly appreciated how the auction turned into a trigger for a series of events no one in the family could have foreseen! Carmela's crush is also such an obsession that you can't help but be caught up in her dreams, disappointments, and relentless tiny successes. Connor's point of view presents richness to the plot since he is always debating what he wants and what he believes he should do, his hockey career is saturated with discipline, dedication, and sacrifice, yet Carmela continues to appear where his confidence should be. Connor by Stephanie Queen was an enthralling adventure filled with forbidden love, familial feuding, hockey elegance, and the obvious threat of danger!
.
The book constructs a path for their connection to evolve when Carmela graduates and their circumstances surrounding them change! That change is essential since Connor's hesitancy is never completely based on desire, his family, job, obligations, and troubled relationship with his father all weigh heavily on him. Carmela must also choose how much of her future she can control, given her family's high expectations of her, their personal struggles are therefore linked to greater concerns like independence, loyalty, ambition, and selecting the life you truly want! Connor's chats with his brothers and conflicts with his father give personal significance to his actions while maintaining the comedy that keeps the novel engaging, I really loved how the Author has developed the personality of both main characters and the structure of their emotions was very well-researched from the professional life to the personal life everything was magnificent, it really was a page-turner and an unputdownable read!
.
The emotional pull between Connor and Carmela becomes increasingly compulsive because both of them eventually have to decide whether family expectations deserve more power than their own happiness, the hockey element in CONNOR is exactly what I look for in a small-town hockey romance, since Connor's profession has a significant effect on the emotional stakes, the strain of competing, the locker-room banter, the scouting reports, the coaching choices, and the cruel unpredictability of playoff hockey were all intriguing to read and they brought to Connor's already difficult situation at home. I like the difference between the confident athlete everyone sees on the ice and the man who grows progressively uneasy when Carmela enters his mind!
.
Connor must deal with his family, his father's expectations, and figure out what his job and personal life should be like on his own terms. Carmela experiences a similar battle as she begins to ponder independence and a future other than the one her family has planned for her. I enjoyed seeing Connor develop more confident in his dreams because it eventually stretches beyond hockey and into the rest of his life. Carmela also develops into a person who understands what she wants and refuses to let fear rule her every move, the emotional high point is especially fulfilling because so much of the novel is around uncertainties, familial pressure, and two individuals attempting to figure out where they fit!
.
Stephanie Queen delivers Connor a remarkable mix of hockey-star status, family baggage, ambition, vulnerability, and outrageous romantic angst. Carmela enchants the plot with drive, emotional depth, and delectable forbidden-romance energy, while the Rossi-Jennings bitterness threatens to set everything on fire. I finished reading CONNOR and appreciated the pairing of hockey, small-town rivalry, familial dysfunction, comedy, emotional strain, and steamy romance. Five stars for the compelling chemistry, the fun hockey atmosphere, the epic family feud, and a hero who recognizes that going all in on the people and dreams he cares about is the riskiest move he's ever made, and it was all worth it!!!
Read
August 10, 2026This book is available at Shop.StephanieQueen.com or on Amazon at https://amzn.to/4xS5dNV
Unfortunately the link provided by Goodreads doesn't work. Sorry about that!
xoxo
Stephanie Queen
Unfortunately the link provided by Goodreads doesn't work. Sorry about that!
xoxo
Stephanie Queen
September 9, 2026
Connor and Carmela have a connection but any relationship, even friendship, is forbidden thanks to a generation’s old feud between their two families. He’s dreamt of making it to the NHL and she wants to captain one of her family’s fishing boats. So, what’s the problem? Their fathers with their own ideas of how they should live their lives. But Carmela is determined to make it work and change Connor’s pessimistic ways to optimistic.
September 23, 2026
✨📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖✨
📕 Title: " Connor: the Jennings Brothers "
✍️ Author: " Stephanie Queen "
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★ / 5
🖋️ My Review:Stephanie Queen’s Connor: The Jennings Brothers has the kind of setup that immediately promises trouble: a charity auction, a pro hockey player, an unexpected date, and two families who have spent generations disliking each other. Connor may be used to attention, but Carmela Rossi is the one person he definitely should not be getting involved with.
What caught my attention most is the mix of romance and family tension. Carmela’s determination clashes with Connor’s better judgment, while the feud between the Rossis and Jennings gives their attraction real complications beyond simple chemistry. The story also seems to lean into humor and awkwardness, which helps balance the angst and keeps the premise from feeling too heavy.
This is clearly aimed at readers who enjoy forbidden romance, hockey heroes, small-town drama, and messy family history. It also comes with mature language and sexual content, so it is definitely for adult romance readers. If you like your love stories complicated, playful, and full of tension, Connor: The Jennings Brothers looks well worth picking up, with plenty of emotional conflict along the way too.
A beautifully crafted read that deserves a place on your bookshelf. 🤍
#BookReview #Bookstagram #BookLover #FiveStarRead #BookRecommendations
📕 Title: " Connor: the Jennings Brothers "
✍️ Author: " Stephanie Queen "
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★ / 5
🖋️ My Review:Stephanie Queen’s Connor: The Jennings Brothers has the kind of setup that immediately promises trouble: a charity auction, a pro hockey player, an unexpected date, and two families who have spent generations disliking each other. Connor may be used to attention, but Carmela Rossi is the one person he definitely should not be getting involved with.
What caught my attention most is the mix of romance and family tension. Carmela’s determination clashes with Connor’s better judgment, while the feud between the Rossis and Jennings gives their attraction real complications beyond simple chemistry. The story also seems to lean into humor and awkwardness, which helps balance the angst and keeps the premise from feeling too heavy.
This is clearly aimed at readers who enjoy forbidden romance, hockey heroes, small-town drama, and messy family history. It also comes with mature language and sexual content, so it is definitely for adult romance readers. If you like your love stories complicated, playful, and full of tension, Connor: The Jennings Brothers looks well worth picking up, with plenty of emotional conflict along the way too.
A beautifully crafted read that deserves a place on your bookshelf. 🤍
#BookReview #Bookstagram #BookLover #FiveStarRead #BookRecommendations
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2026
Connor: the Jennings Brothers is professional hockey player Connor Jennings and Carmela Rossi’s small town, forbidden romance. It’s book two in the Hockey Boys Series and I was drawn in and it didn’t take me long to become invested in the Cha and their story. This author is fairly new to me and I’m struggling to understand why she hasn’t crossed my path sooner.
Connor is roped into the Holiday Hunk Charity Auction in his home town and the last person he expects to bid in him is Carmela as their families have been battling for generations. So imagine everyone’s surprise when she has the winning bid ………
Carmela has crushed on Connor for years and now they are both adults she decides it’s time to show him how she feels, so does he feel the same about her and how will their families react if they cross the line.
What follows is an entertaining and captivating journey as this couple go from enemies to lovers. This is a well written story with so many layers, I smiled and I swooned as I cheered this couple on.
Connor is roped into the Holiday Hunk Charity Auction in his home town and the last person he expects to bid in him is Carmela as their families have been battling for generations. So imagine everyone’s surprise when she has the winning bid ………
Carmela has crushed on Connor for years and now they are both adults she decides it’s time to show him how she feels, so does he feel the same about her and how will their families react if they cross the line.
What follows is an entertaining and captivating journey as this couple go from enemies to lovers. This is a well written story with so many layers, I smiled and I swooned as I cheered this couple on.
September 14, 2026
Small Town/Forbidden Romance/Hockey Rom-Com
Two families who don’t get along. Why? Two people, one from each family, who obviously have feelings for the other. Can their families except this? What would their relationship do to the ones they love?
Connor plays hockey. He’s told he will be doing the Annual Holiday Hunk Benefit for a good cause. Carmella is the one who bets the highest on him. From there it seems the chemistry between the two definitely sparks. The only problem is Connor has to focus on hockey, while still being pressured by his dad to follow their family business. Carmella is pressured by her dad to carry on the family fishing business. Both their dads are definitely a handful. There are obstacles and challenges they face, but in the end what will they choose? Will they choose what their dads want or be together forever?
Two families who don’t get along. Why? Two people, one from each family, who obviously have feelings for the other. Can their families except this? What would their relationship do to the ones they love?
Connor plays hockey. He’s told he will be doing the Annual Holiday Hunk Benefit for a good cause. Carmella is the one who bets the highest on him. From there it seems the chemistry between the two definitely sparks. The only problem is Connor has to focus on hockey, while still being pressured by his dad to follow their family business. Carmella is pressured by her dad to carry on the family fishing business. Both their dads are definitely a handful. There are obstacles and challenges they face, but in the end what will they choose? Will they choose what their dads want or be together forever?
September 15, 2026
Connor Jennings plays professional hockey, aiming to get into the NHL, despite his father’s intent to have Connor run the family business.
Shy of 18, Carmela Rossi wants to be a boat captain and is crashing real hard on Connor. The problem is not the 4years age difference, the problem is that the Jennings and the Rossi are sworn enemies.
Here comes the town’s Holiday Charity Auction and Carmela decides to be bold by bidding $10K to a date with Connor.
This is a sweet small town romance filled with funny moments, lots of anticipation, some steamy hot scenes, complicated relationships and so much more.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
Shy of 18, Carmela Rossi wants to be a boat captain and is crashing real hard on Connor. The problem is not the 4years age difference, the problem is that the Jennings and the Rossi are sworn enemies.
Here comes the town’s Holiday Charity Auction and Carmela decides to be bold by bidding $10K to a date with Connor.
This is a sweet small town romance filled with funny moments, lots of anticipation, some steamy hot scenes, complicated relationships and so much more.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy.
September 8, 2026
Two families that have been feuding forever. Can the rift be mended by one from each of the families getting into a relationship? Heartache, heartbreak, chaos, secrets and determination. Scorching chemistry with lots of complications.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews