Crushing on the Coach

Love on the Line #5

by Brenda Rothert

As a curvy style influencer with half a million followers, I'm used to commanding attention. But Noel Turner—head coach of the Cleveland Crush and the most distractingly hot man I've ever met—won't even look at me.
At forty-seven, twice-divorced, and allergic to complications, he's made it I'm off-limits. When I'm hired as the team's social media coordinator, his icy stare and clipped commands tell me everything I need to know. He thinks I'm a distraction. A liability. Someone who'll disrupt his carefully controlled world.
He's not wrong.
Because every time he brushes past me in the hallway, every time his jaw tightens when I'm laughing with his players, I want him more. I've built a career on confidence and knowing what I want—and I want him to lose that iron control. Just once.
When a travel mishap forces us to share a hotel room, the truth comes Noel has been fighting this pull between us just as hard as I have. One bed. One night. And suddenly every wall he's built comes crashing down.
Falling for him is one thing. Being the woman who costs him everything? That's another. When our secret gets out and he's forced to choose between his team and me, I'll discover if I'm worth the risk—or if I'm just another mistake he'll regret.

_____________



Age Gap
Forced Proximity
Grumpy Sunshine
Forbidden Love
Found Family
Hockey Romance

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Crushing on the Coach is the fifth book in the Love on the Line all books are interconnected standalones about a team of professional hockey players and the women they fall hard for. The books don’t need to be read in order, but future characters appear in each book.

Genres: Hockey

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2026

About the author

Brenda Rothert is the author of more than thirty Contemporary Romance novels. You can learn more about her books at her website, www.brendarothert.com, which features teasers, excerpts and trailers for her books. Follow her here:

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Website: http://brendarothert.com/

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Reviews

[Zeen]

This cover is actively infuriating me

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jules and Noel are absolutely adorable- getting to see this side of Noel after reading so much about him in the other books really helps to add a layer to the Crush world. While I wasn’t a huge fan of Jules in the first few chapters (her first chapter makes her seem a bit shallow or focused on money?), seeing more of her relationship with her family and her true character helped to give her more depth that made me love her by the end.

While the number of spicy scenes is limited, they’re definitely packed full of spice- readers who are sensitive to rougher scenes or certain language may want to skip the scenes.

Spoilers incoming: I did feel that the third-act make-up was a bit rushed, as I would have loved to see more of a transition from “we’re fighting” to “proposal”. If you’re looking for a quicker read with a happily ever after, this book is perfect- if you’re a huge BR fan who has been following the characters through the series, you may find yourself hoping for some bonus scenes or a little bit more depth. I was also expecting a little more drama, possibly involving Jules’ mother, so I was surprised that didn’t come back up somehow.

Having read previous books in the series will help your understanding of the various characters, but you could still read this as a standalone without difficulty.

Overall, a solid 4.5/5 from me. I’ll definitely re-read as part of the series and I enjoyed it! I’m also super excited for Magnus in the next book!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

So we kinda meet Noel through his daughter’s relationship with one of his players which really had me interested in him. He seemed like a mess. A hot mess! Two divorces, 4 kids and a tough relationship with one of his daughters.
Jules is perfect for him! She has her life together and although a man is nice in her life, she doesn’t need a man. He’s fully self-sufficient and knows what she wants out of life.

I think it’s funny he’s mad at her before seeing her then he sees her and his tune changes in reference to social media coverage. And the scenes with the two of them plus Issac?!?! LMBO!!! I love how jealous he was even though if he thought logically about it he would I have known they would never make a good couple.

I thought this age gap love story was fun and a good page turner.

[Annie Tasaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was everything I wanted it to be, fast paced, hot as hell and we got a Darling sighting. 🐖

* 📱Age gap. He is 47, she is 29.
* 🏒Grumpy, sunshine.
* 📱Curvy + Sassy FMC. (Note, I wished the cover reflected this better.
* 🏒Opposite attracts.

« She puts a hand on my shoulder, her eyes finding mine. “Don’t regret this. Please.” “I won’t.” I kiss her gently. “I’ll relive it a thousand times in my fantasies.” »

This series continues to be a ton of fun, this one may take the top spot for me. I maybe wanted a little more grovelling in the end before they jumped into an HEA but I loved it. Thank you to the author Brenda Rothert for the advanced copy, all my opinions are my own.

[Jenifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think anyone would have a crush on this Coach!
Coach Turner and Jules, the new team social media influencer. There's a pretty big age gap - we're not talking Bill Belichick size age gap, but Jules is around the same age of his oldest daughter (who also works for the team).
Everyone likes Jules. She's sweet, bubbly, and a very successful beauty and fashion online influencer. The more she works with Coach Turner, the more their attraction grows. It grows hot and steamy and then even deeper. But that's all in secret. How will this work once people start finding out about their connection?

Wow, what a fun read!!

[Dawn Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I love a good age gap romance & grumpy sunshine. Crushing on the coach had both.. it was enjoyable from the very beginning.

I absolutely loved the spunk from the FMC towards the MMC. She knew what she wanted and she got it.

This is a quick little spicy read but it has everything to keep you wanting more.

[Karin Gesell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5 in the Love on the Line series, and it’s all about Coach. Grumbly, serious, keeps to himself unless it involves his kids. Then he meets Jules, the new social media coordinator. She’s bright, lively, very chipper and very beautiful. And younger. And she knocks his socks off. I loved these people & their story. I can’t wait for the next one in the series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crushing on the Coach, book five in the Love on the Line series is the perfect age gap romance! It was easy to fall for both Noel and Jules as they fell into their easy relationship. They definitely had a few hurdles to overcome to make things work but in the end they both made the right choice to take a chance on love.

[Erica Houck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jules and Noel are in two different stages of their lives. The situation they were in was complicated but; their situationship was exactly what they both needed. I have been reading Brenda Rotherts books for a very long and it just keeps getting better.

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this age gap romance!