Goalied Duet: The Chicago Burg Hockey Series - Books 1&2 combined

by Tabitha Krueger

Goalied and Goalied, Again have been combined into one book for easier reading enjoyment!

Stella Brody lost her boyfriend, job and apartment all at the same time. Moving in with her younger brother seemed to be the cherry on top. Things finally start looking up for Stella when a chance encounter with an old college classmate lands her a job as the assistant to the Head Coach of the Chicago Burg hockey team. The first day on the job, Coach Bud makes it clear there is no dating any of the hockey players. No problem since Stella has sworn off athletes after a bad experience in high school. Now, at 32 years old, Stella doesn’t know how long she can deny the chemistry between her and the Burg’s goalie, Carson Monroe. When Stella’s ex-boyfriend starts acting erratically, she’s forced to move in with the brooding, tattooed goalie.

Carson Monroe was left high and dry when his fiancé left him for another man just days before the wedding. After spiraling out of control and almost losing everything, Carson has sworn off any semblance of a relationship. He’s committed only to one-night stands and puck bunnies on the road. That is, until the luscious Stella showed up. Any dreams of Stella being his are quashed immediately when Coach says she’s off limits and Stella makes it publicly known she doesn’t date athletes. That should be that, but Carson can’t seem to get Stella out of his mind. When Stella’s safety is in jeopardy, he takes the opportunity to move her into his house. Having the woman he’s lusting after live with him has got to be the most brilliant and agonizing idea he’s ever had. Can Coach’s rules and Stella’s resolve stop Carson’s advances?

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2025

Reviews

[Hollollolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemingly vapid (or maybe just missing a personality) FMC. Obsessed with her weight and body image, unable to have interactions with female characters, didn’t know to bring a jacket to an ice arena, can’t tell a screw driver from a hammer (literally), but also somehow tutored through college? As she says, “Finances, numbers, math, none of it is in my wheelhouse.” Given her last job at her ex’s parents company, then given this job at a hockey team by a friend. What was her college degree in?

Plot lines just disappear or are awkwardly tied up in a bow toward the end. Disappointing conclusion to the first book, which was already meh.

Editing issues - spelling, word choice, storyline, repetitive

Stars because it’s a smutty hockey story, and that deserves some stars.

Spoilers! Below are the tags I included in my personal tracking that other users may find relevant: Chicago, contemporary, fmc-stella, mmc-carton, roommates, sports, sports-hockey, start of series

Fiction, contemporary, romance, sports, fast paced
Plot or Character Driven: plot
Strong character development: NO
Lovable characters: NOO
Diverse cast of characters: NOOO
Flaws of characters a main focus: yes

[Dusty · Rating 1 out of 5]

God, where do I start? There was zero spell check (Carson's name was spelled as "Cason" a few times), random punctuation marks (sometimes ending sentences in a comma), and apparently the author only knows one term for the FMC's genitalia ("pussy" is used 85 TIMES).
Also, any "suspense" that happened was laughably short.... as in 1-2 pages long each. This book is so bad, but I finished it because I refuse to DNR books on the rare chance that they improve as the book goes on. This book just got worse after every chapter I read. I'm just glad I read it with KU and didn't pay a single cent for this trash.

[Stacy Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goalied and Goalied again is a forbidden workplace, plus-size MFC, with a possessive, obsessive, he-falls-first MMC. Upon learning Stella is being harassed by her ex, Carson becomes instantly protective and moves her in. One thing leads to another; this can't happen again keeps recurring until they both wake up in Vegas married. Now that he has her, he refuses to let her go.