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Off The Score Sheet: A Spicy Grumpy Sunshine Gay Hockey Romance
HENRIK
They call me The Golden Boy, and I’ve never lost a game I truly wanted to win. My next goal? To prove I belong in the NHL. That, and to crack the icy exterior of my captain, Sebastian Buchanan. He’s grumpy, disciplined, and watches me like he can’t decide if he wants to bench me or pin me against the boards. He thinks he’s immune to my charm, but I see the fire behind his eyes. And I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.
SEBASTIAN
My job is lead my team to victory. That means focus, discipline, and no distractions. Then Henrik Ljungberg shows a flashy, insufferable rookie who’s as infuriating as he is magnetic. He’s a walking penalty, and he’s stirring things I’ve kept locked down for years. I need him to be a professional. I need him to fall in line. Most of all, I need him to stop looking at me like he knows every secret I’ve ever kept. When we’re named roommates on a six-day road trip, keeping my distance becomes impossible, and the one rule I’ve always lived by—team first—is about to get shattered.
They call me The Golden Boy, and I’ve never lost a game I truly wanted to win. My next goal? To prove I belong in the NHL. That, and to crack the icy exterior of my captain, Sebastian Buchanan. He’s grumpy, disciplined, and watches me like he can’t decide if he wants to bench me or pin me against the boards. He thinks he’s immune to my charm, but I see the fire behind his eyes. And I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.
SEBASTIAN
My job is lead my team to victory. That means focus, discipline, and no distractions. Then Henrik Ljungberg shows a flashy, insufferable rookie who’s as infuriating as he is magnetic. He’s a walking penalty, and he’s stirring things I’ve kept locked down for years. I need him to be a professional. I need him to fall in line. Most of all, I need him to stop looking at me like he knows every secret I’ve ever kept. When we’re named roommates on a six-day road trip, keeping my distance becomes impossible, and the one rule I’ve always lived by—team first—is about to get shattered.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2025
52 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2025
I really wanted to like this but it just wasn’t possible. The characters were completely unlikeable. There was nothing remotely interesting about either of them, and I didn’t feel connected to them or invested in their relationship in the slightest. It all just felt a bit pointless? There wasn’t really a story being told, it was just a series of events that happened.
The dialogue was so repetitive I actually couldn’t believe it. Sometimes exact phrases of dialogue were repeated multiple times in a single conversation, like the author had already forgotten what they’d written. It just felt like everyone was saying the same things over and over again.
It also read like the author has no knowledge on hockey or how the NHL works; there were so many errors that it completely took me out of the story.
The dialogue was so repetitive I actually couldn’t believe it. Sometimes exact phrases of dialogue were repeated multiple times in a single conversation, like the author had already forgotten what they’d written. It just felt like everyone was saying the same things over and over again.
It also read like the author has no knowledge on hockey or how the NHL works; there were so many errors that it completely took me out of the story.
February 5, 2026
Too many continuity issues and plot holes.
I wanted to enjoy this, but the number of continuity errors and logic gaps made it hard to stay immersed.
There are repeated timeline issues throughout: warmups are described as already happening (they’re on the ice and seeing signs), then the scene cuts to the locker room where they talk about going out for warmups. An 8 a.m. meeting is said to be happening “tomorrow,” that day arrives and they meet at the gym at 6 a.m. beforehand — then the story suddenly jumps to evening and the meeting is now happening “tomorrow” again. After a press conference, they say they’re playing a game the next day, but when they’re at that game, it’s stated the press conference was three days ago. The first Cup game is also written as if they could win the Cup that night, only for the story to jump straight to Game 7 with no mention of the games in between.
The dialogue often contradicts itself. In the livestream scene, Henrik says he’s about to go live and will keep Sebastian out of frame, then appears to start immediately. Minutes later, Sebastian comes out of the shower, walks into frame, and afterward says Henrik should “tell him next time”—which he literally just did. Similarly, when the GM says the team rallied around them both, Sebastian “corrects” him by saying they rallied around “us,” and the GM responds as if corrected saying yes, they rallied around them both—even though they’re saying the same thing.
The relationship development is rushed. We’re told feelings happened, but never shown the transition from casual sex to emotional connection, so the emotional payoff doesn’t land.
There’s also no real character growth for Sebastian. We’re told he learns that his father’s “play through anything” mindset is wrong and that there’s more to life than hockey, but his actions never change—he continues to push through serious injury exactly as his father taught him to do. The story claims growth without showing it. Personally, I would have rather seen him get the surgery before doing all of that damage, come back stronger and they win the cup in an epilogue.
The hockey realism is also shaky. The six-day road trip is framed as if it’s by bus, which would be extremely unlikely for an NHL team. Either it wasn’t clearly described or it’s simply unrealistic.
There’s a good premise here, but it needed far stronger editing, clearer timelines, and more believable character and plot logic to really work.
I wanted to enjoy this, but the number of continuity errors and logic gaps made it hard to stay immersed.
There are repeated timeline issues throughout: warmups are described as already happening (they’re on the ice and seeing signs), then the scene cuts to the locker room where they talk about going out for warmups. An 8 a.m. meeting is said to be happening “tomorrow,” that day arrives and they meet at the gym at 6 a.m. beforehand — then the story suddenly jumps to evening and the meeting is now happening “tomorrow” again. After a press conference, they say they’re playing a game the next day, but when they’re at that game, it’s stated the press conference was three days ago. The first Cup game is also written as if they could win the Cup that night, only for the story to jump straight to Game 7 with no mention of the games in between.
The dialogue often contradicts itself. In the livestream scene, Henrik says he’s about to go live and will keep Sebastian out of frame, then appears to start immediately. Minutes later, Sebastian comes out of the shower, walks into frame, and afterward says Henrik should “tell him next time”—which he literally just did. Similarly, when the GM says the team rallied around them both, Sebastian “corrects” him by saying they rallied around “us,” and the GM responds as if corrected saying yes, they rallied around them both—even though they’re saying the same thing.
The relationship development is rushed. We’re told feelings happened, but never shown the transition from casual sex to emotional connection, so the emotional payoff doesn’t land.
There’s also no real character growth for Sebastian. We’re told he learns that his father’s “play through anything” mindset is wrong and that there’s more to life than hockey, but his actions never change—he continues to push through serious injury exactly as his father taught him to do. The story claims growth without showing it. Personally, I would have rather seen him get the surgery before doing all of that damage, come back stronger and they win the cup in an epilogue.
The hockey realism is also shaky. The six-day road trip is framed as if it’s by bus, which would be extremely unlikely for an NHL team. Either it wasn’t clearly described or it’s simply unrealistic.
There’s a good premise here, but it needed far stronger editing, clearer timelines, and more believable character and plot logic to really work.
December 22, 2025
⭐️⭐️
Off the Score Sheet by Faith had, on paper, almost everything I usually enjoy: familiar tropes i normally eat up, a setup that should have worked and flowed easily, and the promise of a compelling romance. Unfortunately, the execution completely missed the mark for me.
The biggest issue was how emotionally distant the writing felt. I never connected with the characters, not even a little. Reading this felt like standing on the outside, watching things happen from across the street, you’re told what’s going on but you’re never in it. There’s no intimacy, no emotional pull, no sense of actually knowing these people. You’re informed, not involved. The pacing was uneven, and nothing flowed naturally: not the storyline, not the romance, not the way events came together. Instead of a story that unfolds, it felt more like a checklist of events: this happens, then this, then that, and that’s it. There was no emotional buildup, no payoff, and no sense of purpose behind the narrative choices.
What frustrated me most is that it didn’t feel like a story that needed to be told, it felt like someone simply writing things down without shaping them into something meaningful or immersive. A good story doesn’t have to be realistic, but it should feel alive, relatable, or at least emotionally engaging. This one never got there.
I ended up DNF’ing around 60%, and honestly, the only reason I made it that far was because it was the only book I had with me during a night shift. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it past the first couple of chapters.
Overall, this just wasn’t engaging for me. The books is emotionally flat, structurally awkward, and missing the connection that makes a romance worth reading.
Off the Score Sheet by Faith had, on paper, almost everything I usually enjoy: familiar tropes i normally eat up, a setup that should have worked and flowed easily, and the promise of a compelling romance. Unfortunately, the execution completely missed the mark for me.
The biggest issue was how emotionally distant the writing felt. I never connected with the characters, not even a little. Reading this felt like standing on the outside, watching things happen from across the street, you’re told what’s going on but you’re never in it. There’s no intimacy, no emotional pull, no sense of actually knowing these people. You’re informed, not involved. The pacing was uneven, and nothing flowed naturally: not the storyline, not the romance, not the way events came together. Instead of a story that unfolds, it felt more like a checklist of events: this happens, then this, then that, and that’s it. There was no emotional buildup, no payoff, and no sense of purpose behind the narrative choices.
What frustrated me most is that it didn’t feel like a story that needed to be told, it felt like someone simply writing things down without shaping them into something meaningful or immersive. A good story doesn’t have to be realistic, but it should feel alive, relatable, or at least emotionally engaging. This one never got there.
I ended up DNF’ing around 60%, and honestly, the only reason I made it that far was because it was the only book I had with me during a night shift. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it past the first couple of chapters.
Overall, this just wasn’t engaging for me. The books is emotionally flat, structurally awkward, and missing the connection that makes a romance worth reading.
January 3, 2026
Sebastian Buchanan and Henrik Ljungberg
5/5 ✨️
Such an amazing book to read wish it was a little longer but it just perfect and very emotional wish things would be simple and easy for both of the characters. Sebastian is a veteran hockey player who's like his life private for a reasson and Henrik is a rookie who doesnt mind the spot light. Unfortunately not everything you want can have and hope things can be different for both of them. Well things work out for them or the chemistry they have on and off the ice will be over.
I highly recommend reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
5/5 ✨️
Such an amazing book to read wish it was a little longer but it just perfect and very emotional wish things would be simple and easy for both of the characters. Sebastian is a veteran hockey player who's like his life private for a reasson and Henrik is a rookie who doesnt mind the spot light. Unfortunately not everything you want can have and hope things can be different for both of them. Well things work out for them or the chemistry they have on and off the ice will be over.
I highly recommend reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 3, 2026
unfortunately this book was really not good.
the characters were pretty bland and uninteresting, the conversations were SOO repetitive and they had the same conversation over and over again…the love story wasn’t good and the overall story felt really pointless
the characters were pretty bland and uninteresting, the conversations were SOO repetitive and they had the same conversation over and over again…the love story wasn’t good and the overall story felt really pointless
December 24, 2025
Boring
December 30, 2025
Dnf - 64%. Struggled to hold my interest. Didn’t really make sense?
January 10, 2026
The premise of this book is so good, but the execution of it really didn’t live up to standard unfortunately. This felt more akin to a badly written fan fiction rather than an actual published piece of work. The timeline felt so rushed, I wish we got more of a chance to see the relationship build between the characters rather than the “tick all of the romance trope” boxes if felt like.
January 14, 2026
cute but kinda boring
January 22, 2026
I did really enjoy this book, was so cute. The romance was good the spice was great, I did feel there relationship progress to quickly tho, but still a cute MM romance.
February 7, 2026
solid 3.75 🌟
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews