Fake Dating the Hockey Star: An Opposites Attract Small Town Sweet Romance

by Gracelyn Addy

The last thing I needed was a grumpy hockey star pretending to be my boyfriend.

I run a peaceful little café in Aspen Ridge.

Drama is bad for business.



Unfortunately, Brady Kavanagh showed up in town.

Broody NHL superstar. Grumpy, guarded, and way too handsome for my sanity.

Also the man who knocked me flat and sent six coffees flying across the rink.

Then someone posts a photo of us laughing.

Now the entire town thinks we're dating.

So Brady makes a deal.

Fake date him. Save the fundraiser. Convince the world it’s real.

Easy.

Except now he fixes my café tables before opening.

Coaches kids like their dreams matter.

And when he looks at me, it feels very real.

Somewhere between coffee refills, small-town gossip, and holding his hand for the cameras — I fall for him. Hard.

But Brady isn't only hiding from fame.

He’s counting down the days to return to the NHL.

And when the truth about our relationship comes out,

I won't just lose the man pretending to be mine -

I’ll lose my reputation and my heart with him.

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2026

Reviews

[Lindsey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️/ ️🌶️

New to me author Gracelyn Addy was amazing to get to know through her book Fake Dating the Hockey Star. Her writing is sweet, endearing, and allows you to enjoy the story in its entirety. What starts out as a coffee disaster, slowly turns into a relationship neither MC saw coming.

Brady wants to keep a low profile while in Aspen Ridge, but that quickly comes to an end when someone gets a picture of him and a local cafe owner that is misinterpreted. He finds himself asking Piper to fake date him until the chaos dies down. She agrees, but the lengths that Brady takes in their fake relationship makes her stomach swoop and her heart beat faster. They are fake dating, but he makes it feel real and makes her feel treasured.

As these two tiptoe the line between fake dating and real feelings, Gracelyn takes readers on a journey of romance, letting others in, and that first impressions can be wrong. Part of an interconnected series, I will definitely be reading the first book soon.

As always, review any author notes before reading.

What to Expect:
🏒Fake Dating
☕Hockey Romance
🏒Broody MMC
☕Small Town Romance
🏒Closed Door Romance

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a relationship starts with a multi cup coffee spill it could go any way. But when he stands there dripping coffee, all he says is, "Please don't say my name." She knows this is something special.

A leisurely paced book that will hook you and keep you engaged about a small town business woman and a renowned hockey player. Her backstory interpreted by small town gossip and his talked about by the press. Impossible odds for even a fake relationship that is proposed for the good of the hockey program for the community.

I was impressed by the calm yet realistic situations and feelings that shaped this book. The second in the series, and just as wonderful! I loved reading this book!.

[Mary Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper James owns Sugar & Pines, a café in Aspen Ridge.
When she first encounters NHL player Brady Kavanagh who is visiting his friend Nate, he knocks her for six literally and sends her and her coffees flying.
Not a great first impression!
He's trying to keep a low profile until someone posts a photo of them and suddenly their fake dating.
Somewhere between coffee refills, small-town gossip, and holding his hand for the cameras the lines get blurred between fake and real.

Such a great story made for enjoyable reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cafe owner, a hockey player, and spilled coffee. Who would ever think this would turn into a fake dating scenario? But it did. And it was sweet and fun, Brady and Piper were so wonderful in this story. I enjoyed these two tighter so much. There were the sweetest ever. And I loved watching their relationship blossom into something more. An absolutely wonderful story. This was my first time reading this author and I’m really looking forward to more.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story. This quick, easy read, captured my attention from the beginning. I loved that, even in a fake relationship, the only thing Brady and Piper asked for was honesty. These two did such a great job of letting the other be themself and then seeing the real person beneath the armor.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Momasitta · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet story

Sweet story about a cafe owner abd a Hockey star. Finding each other when neither one was looking. Loved it. Was a great story. Thank you

[Cindy Wilson]

The writing felt really bland, like I couldn’t feel any emotional connection to either character and got bored after a while.