They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.
I say the best way is to get under his rival.
Enter Shaw: smooth, sexy, British—and my ex’s biggest enemy on the ice. What was supposed to be a one-time revenge fling turns complicated when he invites me to his game… and catches me in my lie.
Turns out, nothing turns him on more than payback.
And now I’ve got a hockey player who won’t stop chasing me.
You can find Lauren on TikTok at @laurenblakelybooks! A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
This was short, sweet, and a super quick read. I would have loved it even more if it had been a bit longer, but I really enjoyed it for what it was. Blakely did a great job with the pacing and keeping the story moving.
I loved the revenge plot of getting together with her ex’s hockey rival. Such a fun setup. If you love the Love & Hockey series, this is definitely a hockey romance you don’t want to miss.
⚠️𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:⚠️ One open door scene with explicit descriptions Strong language
Camden has been dating Erik, who is so full of himself that he thinks any woman having a piece of him should be lucky, until Camden realised he has been cheating on her.
To get revenge on Erik, Camden decided to date his rival- Shaw Coleman whom he is obsessed with since Cole is so much better at everything that Erik could be.
This was really sweet and I am so glad Camden came clean to Shaw before they get together about her identity.
I turn to him. “Do you want to come to the opening of my club with me next week?” The corners of his lips curve up. “Like a date, Camden?” It’s a question full of delight. “A real one?” “Was tonight not a real date?” “It was a revenge fuck,” he says. “But it sounds like I revenge fucked my way right into your calendar, didn’t I?” The man is simply too pleased. But it’s well deserved. I laugh. “You definitely did, Shaw.”
4.5 stars ⭐ A MF romantic short story! It's got a rockstar x hockey player, ex-boyfriend's rival, revenge fuck plan which leads to so much more 😁. It's been forever since I read a MF story but I got this as a promo audiobook freebie & couldn't resist a duet narration 😍, especially of only 50min. Plus, the ebook was free - so I grabbed that too!
The 3 narrators did good. C's felt blasé but it worked for her. I liked S's british accent. E's did good to show him as carefree & jackass too in the short time he was here.
Camden is a tattooed rockstar, who just finds her bf had been cheating. It was a weird start, her pointing his annoying traits but now I get the lead up 😅. Girl, u were kind to him but u should've aimed higher lol. C's fiesty, planner & honest. I'm glad she told Shaw the truth before going further!
Shaw is C's (now) ex's rival, a British dude who's a gentleman & knows how to treat a lady right on & off the bed 🤭. He had a crush on C which was cute & I liked how all in he was from start!
This is pretty straightforward story with their meet & spicy times. I'm glad we get to see them on dates! It's a sweet HFN ending & there's not much else but I liked this short story. It's been so long since I'd read a Lauren book!
✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ/ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ: 21 ꜰᴇʙ/21 ꜰᴇʙ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ: ᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟʟᴀ, ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇ, ꜱᴘᴏʀᴛꜱ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ɪɴꜱᴛᴀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ✦⚬───────────────────────────✧───────────────────────────⚬✦ Rating 2/5 | Spice 3.5/5 on the romance.io scale (1= Glimpses and kisses, 2=Closed door, 3=Open door, 4=Explicit open door, 5=Explicit and plentiful)
This book is just way too short to care for it, at least with the revenge trope + the way it's written. It wasn't for me. I like most of Lauren Blakely's books that I've read and went into this kinda blindly, that's on me, but I didn't care for either of the mc's. The revenge plot is lame and everything happens way too fast due to the length. It felt juvenile and rushed.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ ⋆┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹ FMC wants to use MMC as revenge on her ex, and MMC doesn't give a shit and just wants to get with FMC and show he's better. They go from strangers to kissing to sex within 24h and 1 week later they're in a relationship. Alright.... MMC keeps calling her "princess" which was cringe to me.
⊹₊ ˚‧┈┈┈┈୨୧ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ୨୧┈┈┈┈‧ ˚ ₊⊹ MMC About: Shaw Coleman, British, hockey player Appearance: Dark hair, brown eyes, carved cheekbones, chiseled jaw, scruff FMC About: Camden Tinsley, pop star Appearance: Redhead, dark green eyes, freckled nose, strong cheekbones, tattooed arm
I know it was supposed to be short and fun and that deep. but I felt no connection between the two characters. I only liked the first chapter. The fact that she perused him because he's her ex's rival is so bleeh I hoped it's going to be an organic "accident ".
The Rival Upgrade hit the is a fast-paced, spicy novella that hit the spot!
Camden's an upcoming and coming singer who is opening a club. Overall, she's satisfied with her boyfriend, Eric, a professional hockey player. Although, the shine is starting to wear off, and the blemishes are starting to become more glaringly obvious. When she discovers he's been cheating, she decides the best way to get back at him is to hook up with his rival, hockey star, Shaw. What she doesn't expect is mutual attraction and fireworks to fly between them. How will Shaw feel when he finds out about her payback plan?
This novella, left me wanting more. I'd love to see how their relationship develops after the final page.
The audiobook is performed in duet, and Erin Mallon, Shane East, and Evan Parker perfectly captured their characters personalities.
The Rival Upgrade is part of Lauren Blakeley's Love and Hockey series, which has been on my TBR for a while now. After getting a taste of this world, I know I need to start this series ASAP!
Camden is dating Erik, a professional hockey player. Until she finds out he's cheating.
She's a strong, independent woman with a successful career in music. She's about to open her own club that is based on female performers. And, she's decided the best way to get over her ex is to get revenge on him. And the best way is by dating his biggest rival on the ice.
Lucky for her, Shaw feels the same way.
Lucky for both of them, they were already "coffee shop acquaintances" but neither of them had actually made a move. And now, it's definitely the right time.
What it is about: What to do when you catch your hockey boyfriend cheating on you? They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. 🤷♀️ Like... his hockey rival. 😉
What I loved: 🎡he is British - Shane's voice is just D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. 🥵 😈she is out for revenge 😏
What you need to know: 📚interconnected standalone, part of The Love and hockey Series ⌛novella (50') 🫂dual POV 🎙️duet narration, multi-cast 🏒hockey player x popstar ☕missed connection 💖he falls first, he falls H.A.R.D. ❤️HEA
This short story is about a young woman who kicks her no-good ex to the curb. It turns out that she is attracted to her ex’s rival in hockey and after her ex trash talks her on tv, she decides to get revenge by going out with the rival. This quickly becomes something more.
While the story was much too short, I still enjoyed it and will continue to wait for more new books by this author.
Oh my goodness. I read this in one sitting. From beginning to end this book didn't fail. This book will be a reread. It was fun and couldn't stop reading. I wish I had a "Shaw".
Amazing story, just wish it was longer. Had so much potential as the characters were great and the story line was a really good one. But felt it ended as soon as it started Good for a quick light read though
Super cute short hockey novella! So glad Erik was short lived because I couldn’t stand the guy. Exactly what I was looking for… finished in one sitting. The audio was perfection! I love Lauren’s writing so much!
Super short but definitely another cute fun romance by her! Great for a quick cute in between read! Hockey player and rival to jerk ex-boyfriend of a famous singer is the perfect mic for revenge!
This was an OK short read. While I can’t pinpoint exactly why I felt it was just OK, I still feel like it was a good FREE book. I wanted a quick read and this fit the bill.
I was really enjoying this, but the last chapter was super rushed. I know this is supposed to be a short story, but a couple more chapters would have helped & it would have still been considered a short story. I needed more. They didn’t even get to know each other on page. He didn’t even know her name until page 30 of 48. 😩 I know they’re a fictional couple but I don’t think they’re going to last. 🫣
This could have had so much potential but it was way too short. Even though she got to the point really quickly I didnt enjoy it as much as the rest of the series...Camden and Shaw were perfect for eachother though.
This was a super short book, it was a good read, but I think the author had a good storyline that she could’ve used to write a bigger story! This was insta-love, when I looked again she was already his girlfriend! I wished I could’ve seen a more longer scene where her ex is put in his place, but I liked it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.5 ⭐️ I didn’t know this was a short story, I thought to myself “wow this is progressing pretty fast” and then it was over lol For a short story it was really good, but this is a story I would’ve loved to have more of.