Shutout

by Luisa Dituri

She’s sworn off hockey players. He needs her to win.

When Ella Gillard catches her high school sweetheart across the country and in bed with another girl during her freshman year, she makes a promise to herself to never date another hockey player—no matter how tempting it may be. Preparing for law school is complicated enough without the distraction of a relationship. But her plan proves to be difficult when she's met with the very persuasive goalie of the Fenton Falcons.

Fenton University's hockey team is full of pre-game rituals, and their starting goaltender, Hendrix Tate, is as superstitious as they come. When the team's losing streak is broken after he finds Ella's bracelet minutes before a vital mid-season game, Hendrix is adamant about keeping his good luck charm around, especially with his position being threatened by the team's new pickup.

The question is: will Ella break her promise to herself, or shut him out?

__________

Book 1 of the Fenton Falcon series.
Perfect for readers of the Off-Campus series and the D.C. Stars series.

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2026

About the author

Luisa Dituri is an elementary school teacher who uses her breaks from the classroom to pursue her passion and write steamy contemporary romance. She currently lives outside Toronto with her husband and her two dogs, Bauer and Fila. When not writing, you can find her baking, drinking matcha, adding books to her overflowing book cart, or attempting to conquer all of the escape rooms in the GTA.

Reviews

[Esrat Zahan]

Just finished reading Cali and Lincoln’s book. Can wait for this one 🥰. So excited 🥳

[Victoria]

4.5 stars I loved this book! Hendrix is literally the book boyfriend I think we all desire I loved him omg! Really liked the book and can’t wait to read more from the series when they come out!

[GeorgiaReads234]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

If you love a good Hockey romance, especially with our beloved goalies, this one is definitely for you.

I am in love with Hendrix and Ella and yet another man at the top of the green flags list of book boyfriends.

Ella comes from a background of pain from her previous relationship and she not only swears off all men, but hockey players too. She shuts herself off from finding love and trusting relationships believing that nothing will ever make her happy or safe again.

Enter Hendrick, goalie for the Fenton Falcons. Bought together by a superstition of luck, and the need to commit to fake dating, this golden retriever, green flag king shows Ella how special love can be when you are with the right person who will treat you like you are their world. Nothing is to big or to small, he will be there for her whenever she needs even in their toughest moment.

This one definitely made me tear up at certain points and their chemistry throughout… even I could feel the tension through the screen. The development of their relationship was so special, and watching Ella come out of her shell to allow herself to feel love again was so beautiful to read.

These two definitely make it to my list of top couples within all of the books I have read and I can not wait to see what Luisa Dituri writes next.

[Indigo Nubila]

This book is probably one of the sweetest romances i've ever read, Hendrix is such a green flag golden retriever mmc. I absolutely adored the way he supported Ella throughout everything, his patience, love and care for her was so so sweet to read.

And oh, sweet Ella, her character was a bit more complicated, she struggled with the trauma of her past which affected her, and i felt this was written very well into the story. I couldnt laugh any harder at her directness, i loved it so much Hendrix and her are the perfect match for eachother.

I loved that the sport was an actual subplot in this, ive read sports romances where the sport is regarded, but its not a subplot. This book however, does this in such a good way! You can really tell the author took her time to investigate said sports, and i love that, having the practices, warmups and games themselves described often made me forget i was reading a romance, which was something i didnt expect, but caused me to love this book even more!

And dont even get me started on the side characters! Everyone was written so well, i loved seeing the side characters (except liam) on the pages as much as the main characters, they were hilarious at moments!

[Haveabookwilltravel Em]

~eARC~
Shutout by Luisa Dituri

Shutout is the follow up to Extra Credit featuring Cali and Lincoln which was a fantastic debut. Although adjacent, Shutout will be the first in a new series centred around the Fenton Falcons.

Ella has had a bad run with a cheating boyfriend and a busy course load. She is certainly not looking to become entangled with an athlete, let alone one that believes she is his lucky key to success.

Shutout has plenty of great moments, the walking green flag that is Hendrix Tate, the action of the ice hockey and introducing the Fenton Falcons are high on that list.

This felt like it was a full of...not enough but too much. I do wonder if it got caught in telling us rather then pursuing the emotional depth. I would have loved more of the relationship that Ella and Tate build. Ella has a lovely story arc of trusting again but, there's this balance between keeping the pace rolling along and letting the pauses happen to just breathe in the love story that felt out of synch.

There is something in Luisa Dituri's writing that will bring me back for more. The potential in the Fenton Falcons found family is enormous.

My thanks to the author for the eARC ahead of publication.
All opinions are my own.

[Breanna]

This was such a cute read!! Ella caught her previous boyfriend cheating on her, and as a result has sworn off hockey players and really just men in general. She's built up her walls, and talked herself into thinking that relationships will only bring more pain.

Then comes Hendrix. Goalie for the Fenton Falcons, golden retriever in human form and walking green flag. He's highly superstitious, and after finding Ella's bracelet right before an important game (in which they won) he's insistent on keeping his "good luck" around. The man is pure book boyfriend material. He's patient, gentle, supportive, and understanding with Ella despite her past traumas. He truly shows her what it's like to be loved and cherished. I loved watching Ella slowly come out of her shell, too! I feel like so many women can relate to her on some level. Obviously, we need more Hendrix's in the world.

Thank you so much to the author Luisa for allowing me to read and review! It was a joy and I'm looking forward to the next one!

[Rachel Neary]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Fake dating
-Forced proximity
-He falls first
-Green flag MMC

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Hendrix was such a good book boyfriend! The absolute sweetest southern man, and he treats Ella like gold. Such a sweet read!

[Hanae]

4 🌟

I had the privilege to receive an ARC for this book. What can I say ???? Tate is going high up on my book boyfriend list that's for sure. I'm usually not a big fan of college sport romance but this one got me hooked from the beginning. I dont wanna give any spoilers away but definitely go check it out when it released. Can't wait for what coming next 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[Kevina]

Arc Review

For any hockey romance fans, this is the one to add to your tbr list! Ella and Hendrix have the kind of romance where they understand each other. Hendrix provides Ella something her ex did not: balance and availability. Hendrix is able to give and receive, Ella does the same. She is skeptical at first of his actions and because he's a hockey player, but as she said, he's very kind. A southern gentleman wrapped in a hot hockey player. He uses his charm in the best way. Even though he wanted her as a lucky charm, he showed respect to Ella. Once again, Luisa has proven why she's one of my favorite authors! The romance, the spice, the buildup. Four stars, or I should say four fire emoji signs! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Rebecca]

3.5⭐️

This was such a cute, fun read!! One key thing I found with this book was that the story felt real, and Ella and Hendrix's relationship felt believable. I loved reading about Ella's development specifically as I felt like I could relate to her experiences and attitudes. Hendrix was such a dream to read about, and he came out with some of the sweetest words for Ella. We all need a man like Hendrix! I also thought the scenes involving hockey were really well-written, and as a hockey fan, it was a pleasure to read them and be able to envision the scenes. Additionally, I think the balance between the romance and deeper themes, such as self-doubt and relationship issues, was well done.

However, I do wish we saw some more development of their relationship, as I think that would have strengthened their story a bit more.

Huge thank you to the author for the ARC of this book!