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Hooking Nash: A Spicy Hockey Romance
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26After years of putting her professional life first, 25-year-old Kennedy Miller has finally secured her dream she is officially an advertising executive. Though shy and reserved, Kennedy begins her new chapter in New York City, and things couldn’t be more perfect. Until a celebratory night out reunites her with a long lost best friend—and childhood crush.
Taller, fitter, and hotter than ever, 25-year-old Nash Reed is a hockey superstar. Growing up to become one of the most sought-after players in the league—both on and off the ice—he now plays center for the New York Empires hockey team.
When the old friends run into each other at a bar, flames reignite. But what starts off as a hot and exciting love affair turns into a challenge. With the fame and flashing lights of Nash’s career, Kennedy is brought into the spotlight in ways she never expected. Not to mention the added stress of managing the high demands of her new job.
Through the journey of re-discovering one another, handling meddling paparazzi, a jealous teammate, and flirty fans, Kennedy and Nash’s ability to trust each other is put to the test. As their opposing worlds do everything to pull them apart, they must decide whether their love is worth fighting for.
Taller, fitter, and hotter than ever, 25-year-old Nash Reed is a hockey superstar. Growing up to become one of the most sought-after players in the league—both on and off the ice—he now plays center for the New York Empires hockey team.
When the old friends run into each other at a bar, flames reignite. But what starts off as a hot and exciting love affair turns into a challenge. With the fame and flashing lights of Nash’s career, Kennedy is brought into the spotlight in ways she never expected. Not to mention the added stress of managing the high demands of her new job.
Through the journey of re-discovering one another, handling meddling paparazzi, a jealous teammate, and flirty fans, Kennedy and Nash’s ability to trust each other is put to the test. As their opposing worlds do everything to pull them apart, they must decide whether their love is worth fighting for.
320 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 10, 2026
I need everyone to understand that this book committed one of the most insane rating collapses I have ever witnessed.
The first half? Inject it into my veins. Childhood friends to lovers, years of mutual pining, a hockey player who has been down catastrophically for the same woman since they were kids, supportive friendships, found family, good communication, and chemistry that had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Nash Reed, I was rooting for you ✋🏼🤠
Then somewhere around the halfway mark this book drove directly into a wall.
The miscommunication became unbearable. These are grown adults making decisions that made me want to put my head through drywall. Kennedy believes anything anyone tells her except the man she’s supposedly in love with. Nash’s entire ability to function as a hockey player seems to depend on Kennedy existing in the same zip code. Everyone starts acting irrational. I start losing years off my life.
By the end I wasn’t invested anymore. I was just sitting there like wondering what was happening.
The craziest part is that I genuinely loved the beginning. The friendships were adorable, the romance had me hooked, and yes, the smut was smutting. Unfortunately, the second half completely lost me and never recovered.
Final rating: 2 stars because I am mourning the 5 star book this could have been.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘥 𝘞𝘌𝘉𝘛𝘖𝘖𝘕 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!
The first half? Inject it into my veins. Childhood friends to lovers, years of mutual pining, a hockey player who has been down catastrophically for the same woman since they were kids, supportive friendships, found family, good communication, and chemistry that had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Nash Reed, I was rooting for you ✋🏼🤠
Then somewhere around the halfway mark this book drove directly into a wall.
The miscommunication became unbearable. These are grown adults making decisions that made me want to put my head through drywall. Kennedy believes anything anyone tells her except the man she’s supposedly in love with. Nash’s entire ability to function as a hockey player seems to depend on Kennedy existing in the same zip code. Everyone starts acting irrational. I start losing years off my life.
By the end I wasn’t invested anymore. I was just sitting there like wondering what was happening.
The craziest part is that I genuinely loved the beginning. The friendships were adorable, the romance had me hooked, and yes, the smut was smutting. Unfortunately, the second half completely lost me and never recovered.
Final rating: 2 stars because I am mourning the 5 star book this could have been.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘥 𝘞𝘌𝘉𝘛𝘖𝘖𝘕 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!
May 23, 2026
ARC provided by NetGalley. 3.5 stars. I found that the book spent too much time in the “third act break up” than was necessary. It felt like a second half break up. The characters didn’t feel fully developed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
For fans of:
-Icebreaker
-The Au Pair Affair
This book follows Kennedy Miller, a shy but ambitious 25-year-old girl who finally lands her dream job as an advertising executive in New York City. Just as she begins settling into her exciting new life, a night out unexpectedly reunites her with her childhood best friend and longtime crush, Nash Reed, now a professional hockey superstar for the New York Empires. As Kennedy and Nash reconnect, old feelings quickly turn into a passionate romance. But balancing their relationship proves difficult as Kennedy struggles with the demands of her career while also navigating the intense spotlight that accompanies Nash’s fame. Between paparazzi, jealous teammates, and constant public attention, the two are forced to decide whether their relationship is strong enough to survive their very different worlds.
Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. The writing and character dynamics felt very juvenile at times, almost like a YA novel with explicit scenes. I struggled to connect emotionally with both Kennedy and Nash because I felt the characters lacked depth, which made it difficult to invest in their relationship fully. I also found the conflict involving Nash’s teammate to feel underdeveloped and somewhat unnecessary. While I understand it was included to create tension and move the plot forward, it never felt fully convincing or impactful. On top of that, the romance relied heavily on the miscommunication trope, which is not a favorite of mine. Much of the third-act conflict could have been resolved if the characters had communicated honestly and given each other the chance to explain themselves.
I received this eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Annica Dahl, and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | W by Wattpad Books for the opportunity to review Hooking Nash. This review has also been posted on my Goodreads: @jack-pusloskie.
-Icebreaker
-The Au Pair Affair
This book follows Kennedy Miller, a shy but ambitious 25-year-old girl who finally lands her dream job as an advertising executive in New York City. Just as she begins settling into her exciting new life, a night out unexpectedly reunites her with her childhood best friend and longtime crush, Nash Reed, now a professional hockey superstar for the New York Empires. As Kennedy and Nash reconnect, old feelings quickly turn into a passionate romance. But balancing their relationship proves difficult as Kennedy struggles with the demands of her career while also navigating the intense spotlight that accompanies Nash’s fame. Between paparazzi, jealous teammates, and constant public attention, the two are forced to decide whether their relationship is strong enough to survive their very different worlds.
Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. The writing and character dynamics felt very juvenile at times, almost like a YA novel with explicit scenes. I struggled to connect emotionally with both Kennedy and Nash because I felt the characters lacked depth, which made it difficult to invest in their relationship fully. I also found the conflict involving Nash’s teammate to feel underdeveloped and somewhat unnecessary. While I understand it was included to create tension and move the plot forward, it never felt fully convincing or impactful. On top of that, the romance relied heavily on the miscommunication trope, which is not a favorite of mine. Much of the third-act conflict could have been resolved if the characters had communicated honestly and given each other the chance to explain themselves.
I received this eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Annica Dahl, and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | W by Wattpad Books for the opportunity to review Hooking Nash. This review has also been posted on my Goodreads: @jack-pusloskie.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm always drawn to a second-chance romance, and with the NHL season winding down, I've been on a huge hockey romance kick, so this was the perfect combination. I really liked it for the most part - the dual POVs, non-cheesy writing, many likable characters, and well-done spice - but there were a few things I didn't love. Some of these things made the characters feel more realistic, but a few things didn't track.
There was a pregnancy joke towards the end that felt icky to me after something that had happened earlier, and I felt like Kennedy and Nash had decent communication at the beginning but it got worse as the book went on. They also felt a little naive about birth control, which didn't really track with Kennedy's high-powered career and Nash's history. Kennedy also felt like a caricature of an innocent person at times, and I hated how her company just walked all over her. I find it hard to believe she wouldn't push back sooner on the transfer they forced her into.
I did really like Nash and Kennedy's relationship, and most of the side characters (Sammy, both sets of parents, the siblings, and Mitch) were great. I think the flashbacks were introduced at the perfect times and although the initial conflict took a while to introduce (while having them jump a little too quickly into the relationship), it all ended up making sense. Overall I enjoyed this debut and would definitely read more by this author.
There was a pregnancy joke towards the end that felt icky to me after something that had happened earlier, and I felt like Kennedy and Nash had decent communication at the beginning but it got worse as the book went on. They also felt a little naive about birth control, which didn't really track with Kennedy's high-powered career and Nash's history. Kennedy also felt like a caricature of an innocent person at times, and I hated how her company just walked all over her. I find it hard to believe she wouldn't push back sooner on the transfer they forced her into.
I did really like Nash and Kennedy's relationship, and most of the side characters (Sammy, both sets of parents, the siblings, and Mitch) were great. I think the flashbacks were introduced at the perfect times and although the initial conflict took a while to introduce (while having them jump a little too quickly into the relationship), it all ended up making sense. Overall I enjoyed this debut and would definitely read more by this author.
June 8, 2026
Title: Hooking Nash by Annica Dahl
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️ 🌶️
Hooking Nash caught my eye it’s a hockey romance, best friends to lovers romance.
Nash & Kennedy grow up next door from each other, both having older brothers, Nash & Kennedy were friends up until high school still friends but didn’t hang out every day like they used to, Kennedy grew feeling for Nash & watching him with other girls wrecked her heart she didn’t think he would ever go for a girl like her so she pulled away, eventually they drifted apart, went to different colleges and eventually living in different city’s he went off to be in the NHL and she went off to be in marketing, until a promotion in her job allowed her to move back to New York, where she would move in with her best friend and collage roommate!, when the roommate, Sammy wants to bring Kennedy out to a bar to celebrate her finally being back in New York and then being roommates again, can you find herself at the same bar that Nash‘s team goes to after a game when she spot him she tries to avoid him, but ultimately it doesn’t go as planned 😉.
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️ 🌶️
Hooking Nash caught my eye it’s a hockey romance, best friends to lovers romance.
Nash & Kennedy grow up next door from each other, both having older brothers, Nash & Kennedy were friends up until high school still friends but didn’t hang out every day like they used to, Kennedy grew feeling for Nash & watching him with other girls wrecked her heart she didn’t think he would ever go for a girl like her so she pulled away, eventually they drifted apart, went to different colleges and eventually living in different city’s he went off to be in the NHL and she went off to be in marketing, until a promotion in her job allowed her to move back to New York, where she would move in with her best friend and collage roommate!, when the roommate, Sammy wants to bring Kennedy out to a bar to celebrate her finally being back in New York and then being roommates again, can you find herself at the same bar that Nash‘s team goes to after a game when she spot him she tries to avoid him, but ultimately it doesn’t go as planned 😉.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A huge thank you to W by Wattpad Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. Overall, I thought the writing was solid and the story was enjoyable, but it took me a little while to fully get invested in it. One of the biggest challenges for me was the amount of miscommunication throughout the story. That's a trope I personally struggle with, so this is more of a personal preference than an issue with the book itself. I did enjoy watching Nash and Kennedy's relationship develop over time. Their progression felt earned, and I appreciated seeing them get their happily ever after. While this wasn't a perfect fit for my reading tastes, I can see it working well for readers who don’t have an issue with this trope!
I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. Overall, I thought the writing was solid and the story was enjoyable, but it took me a little while to fully get invested in it. One of the biggest challenges for me was the amount of miscommunication throughout the story. That's a trope I personally struggle with, so this is more of a personal preference than an issue with the book itself. I did enjoy watching Nash and Kennedy's relationship develop over time. Their progression felt earned, and I appreciated seeing them get their happily ever after. While this wasn't a perfect fit for my reading tastes, I can see it working well for readers who don’t have an issue with this trope!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hooking Nash reads like a Wattpad book. The writing is just fine, but leaves much to be desired. It all feels so rushed and very high school, despite the fact that the characters are in their mid-twenties. Kennedy and Nash simply aren’t fleshed out. The reader doesn’t learn why Kennedy has always been in love with Nash. They’re just told Kennedy loves Nash.
People will like this book; it’s not blatantly terrible. But it is remedial. The characters aren’t compelling, the writing is plain, and the plot is boring while simultaneously absurd. Kennedy and Nash are reckless (and naïve) in an unrealistic way.
Hooking Nash isn’t bad per se, but it isn’t a book I would recommend to my friends and acquaintances. It’s juvenile with scenes that are only appropriate for mature audiences.
People will like this book; it’s not blatantly terrible. But it is remedial. The characters aren’t compelling, the writing is plain, and the plot is boring while simultaneously absurd. Kennedy and Nash are reckless (and naïve) in an unrealistic way.
Hooking Nash isn’t bad per se, but it isn’t a book I would recommend to my friends and acquaintances. It’s juvenile with scenes that are only appropriate for mature audiences.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A very big thank you to W by Wattpad Books for the ARC!
This book took me a bit to get into and finish. For me, it started slow. The plot was easy to follow though.
We have Nash (a professional hockey player) and his lifelong friend Kennedy (she moved back to New York for a new job). It was definitely not a slow burn because everything happened really fast.
It was a cute read and Annica Dahl definitely set the book up to be a series so I look forward to see what happens next!
This book took me a bit to get into and finish. For me, it started slow. The plot was easy to follow though.
We have Nash (a professional hockey player) and his lifelong friend Kennedy (she moved back to New York for a new job). It was definitely not a slow burn because everything happened really fast.
It was a cute read and Annica Dahl definitely set the book up to be a series so I look forward to see what happens next!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received this book as an arc
This is a friends to lovers, hockey, romance. Two best friends who reconnect, having to endure struggles, pain, and jealousy. This book is a great read, had me wanting to finish it in one sitting. The characters are detailed well, they’re relatable. The side characters are fun as well, makes me interested in their stories!
This book does come with a warning, with the talk miscarriage, heart break, and everything else that comes with it.
This is a friends to lovers, hockey, romance. Two best friends who reconnect, having to endure struggles, pain, and jealousy. This book is a great read, had me wanting to finish it in one sitting. The characters are detailed well, they’re relatable. The side characters are fun as well, makes me interested in their stories!
This book does come with a warning, with the talk miscarriage, heart break, and everything else that comes with it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have never heard of this author but now I can add her to my want more books by her.
Kennedy has known Nash since forever, they lived next door to each other growing up. She always had a crush on him but he was a ladies man. Fast forward many years, Nash plays NHL hockey in NYC, where Kennedy just happens to be newly employed. She catches a NHL game and reconnected with Nash. Will her feelings from years ago come rushing back or will Nash even care about her?
Kennedy has known Nash since forever, they lived next door to each other growing up. She always had a crush on him but he was a ladies man. Fast forward many years, Nash plays NHL hockey in NYC, where Kennedy just happens to be newly employed. She catches a NHL game and reconnected with Nash. Will her feelings from years ago come rushing back or will Nash even care about her?
May 24, 2026
3.5! Cute but miscommunication trope was a bit of a bummer.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love me a cute fun hockey romance. This one definitely delivered!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Continuing my hockey romance indulgence with this book provided by NetGalley!
Quick and cute read!
Quick and cute read!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dnfed because unfortunately it pissed me off.
dnfed because unfortunately it pissed me off.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews