Campus Secret

CFU Hockey #3

by Cadence Keys

When my brother's best friend discovers the very private, very spicy bucket list I never meant for anyone to see, he does the last thing I expect—he volunteers to help me check it off.

Liam Farrell is the hockey team's most notorious playboy, and trust me, the reputation is earned. One flash of that smile and the subtle lilt of his Irish accent and I'm forgetting every reason this is a terrible idea.

My brother will kill us both if he finds out, which should be reason enough to say no, but I've spent my whole life fading into the background next to Drew. Being the invisible twin and feeling like I was a secondary character in my own damn life.

It’ll no doubt end in disaster. But…I trust Liam. And after getting called boring in bed, I need someone I can feel safe with to check these items off my list.

We agree to be exclusive until the list is done, but with every item that gets checked off, the more the lines blur. And now I’m falling for the last person I should.

Because Liam doesn’t believe in love, and has made it clear that he’s not built for forever.

And I’m starting to fear forever is exactly what I want.

If you love:
🏒 Brother's best friend
🤫 Secret relationship
🔥 Spicy bucket list
😈 Playboy falls hard
💪 Touch her and d!e
🏠 Forced proximity
💔 "I'm not built for this"
...then you won't want to miss this one.

Campus Secret is a steamy best friend's sister college hockey romance with a secret relationship, a bucket list arrangement that breaks every rule, and a hockey player who discovers that the woman he tried to protect from himself is the only reason he wants to be a better man. It is the third book in the CFU Hockey series, but can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Hockey, College, Sports Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Hockey Romance, Romance

430 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2026

About the author

Cadence Keys writes steamy contemporary sports romances about complex alpha males and the women who love them. She loves football, coffee, and watching Gilmore Girl marathons. She has been writing for almost a decade, but only recently got the gumption to really do something with her work. She looks forward to publishing many more novels, specifically her LA Wolves series.

You can also find more information about all future releases at www.cadencekeysauthor.com/

Reviews

[Shaye]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️.5
🏒Brothers Best Friend
❤️‍🔥Spicy To Do List
🏒He Calls Her Sunshine
❤️‍🔥Found Family
I loved everything about this book! There was a very fun spicy to do list story line, but also a depth to the characters and their development as the story unfolded and their relationship deepened. Vanessa Vasquez and Ryan Stone did an amazing job bringing the characters and their story to life in this duet narrated audiobook.
Thank you to Cadence Keys for the alc, I can’t wait for the next book! I need Sam’s story immediately!

[Sim-fully Ever After]

5🌟, 3🌶️

ARC Review 📖

I knew this book would be special, but I wasn’t expecting it to own my heart.

What started as a fun, flirty romance quickly turned into something far more emotional, and I was completely invested in every step of Liam and Ava’s journey. Their chemistry was incredible, but it was the vulnerability beneath it all that made this story unforgettable.

Ava was impossible not to love. Watching her finally step out of Drew’s shadow and discover her own confidence made me so proud of her, while Liam completely stole my heart. Beneath his playboy reputation was someone carrying years of hurt, and seeing him slowly believe he deserved love was both heartbreaking and beautiful. They challenged each other, supported each other, and together created one of my favorite couples I’ve read in a long time.

This had everything I look for in a romance. Heart, humor, tension, emotional growth, unforgettable chemistry, and a found family that made the story even more special. Liam and Ava completely owned my heart.

This story had my whole heart from beginning to end.

~~~~

ALC Review (Audiobook) 🎧

Listening to Liam and Ava’s story made me fall in love with them even more. Ryan Stone and Vanessa Vasquez were the perfect pairing for this audiobook. Ryan captured Liam’s confidence, vulnerability, and Irish charm so naturally that every emotional moment hit even harder, while Vanessa brought so much warmth, strength, and heart to Ava’s journey that I couldn’t help but root for her. Their duet narration made the chemistry feel effortless, elevated every emotional scene, and completely immersed me in the story. If you’re debating between reading or listening, I can’t recommend the audiobook enough.

~~~~

I was lucky enough to receive both an ARC and an ALC, and being able to immersive read and listen to this story made the whole experience even more special.

~~~~

Huge thank you to Cadence Keys and Team for the ARC! 😍 All my bookish thoughts are completely my own. ✨

[Amber (Amber Reads Romance)]

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Campus Secret is the 3rd book in the CFU Hockey series, but it was my first book by this author and you can definitely read it as a standalone. This was such a sweet and spicy hockey romance with the brother's best friend.

Ava has just broken up with her boyfriend after he cheated on her. He left her feeling insecure, so she makes a spicy bucket list. Her twin brother's best friend and teammate finds the list and offers himself up to complete all her fantasies. Liam and Ava dive headfirst into the list and things heat up quickly. They start to fall for each other as they check things off the bucket list, but they have to keep their relationship secret from her brother.

Liam is kind of a playboy because he doesn't think he can be in a serious relationship after his father's cheating ways. This leads to some issues where he feels he is not good enough for Ava, but he proves himself in the end and has a good grovel.


AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
🎤Duet narration by Ryan Stone & Vanessa Vasquez

This has duet narration by Ryan Stone and Vanessa Vasquez. I flew through this audio, due to the amazing performances by these narrators.

Thank you to Must Love Audio for providing the ALC.

[CourtneyS]

OVERALL: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
•Storyline: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐.5
•Duet Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
🎙️ Ryan Stone and Vanessa Vasquez
•Spice Level: 🌶🌶️.5

•Trope:
Hockey Romance
Brother's best friend
Secret Relationship
Spicy Bucket list
Playboy and he falls hard!

Series: CFU Hockey: book 3

• THOUGHTS:
Ava and Liam! My oh my how I loved them! I loved everything about their story, the secret attraction on Ava's side, The Playboy perception who loves hard and protects! Their secret Relationship. I loved it all!!!
This was my first book by Cadence and I am dying to go back to books one and two. It was well written, it had my attention from the very beginning! Absolutely loved and I definitely recommend it!


Oookkaayy, narrator chat time:
Vanessa Vasquez is a favorite of mine. I love her voice and her acting abilities. She was perfect for voicing Ava and brought her to life!! Ryan Stone. Gah I love him to. He is so fun to listen to! I definitely need more of his narrations in my library!! I LOVED the audiobook!! Go get it!

** Advanced Listener copy. My review is honest and my own thoughts. Thank you to Must Love Audio for my review copy!

[Emma Långström]

Really loved the audiobook since its a duet AND the voice actors have the right accents🙏🏻 Also the book itself was very entertaining and sweet aswell as it had some good spice in it🔥❤️

I feel so lucky to have received an ALC of this🫶🏻

[Krystin]

I didn’t have internet while I read this so I could rage text my book bestie so I took notes. I’ll share those as my review:

• Not the MMC using his Dad being a cheater and people telling him he’s just like him to justify being a commitmentphobic manwhore 🙄 like he doesn’t make his own choices.

• She’s in love because why? Bc he can f*ck good?

• Kinda selfish to be upset that you can’t tell your brother that you’re f*cking his best friend when he’s going through a breakup
“No one ever puts me first” 🙄 whiny much.

• Why did I think it was almost over until the end of chapter 43 and then we get an ominous warning 🥴 ugh thought we were getting lucky with no 3rd act breakup but this is only the 80% mark

• I can’t even with this MMC and his Daddy issues…f*cking stupid. Genetic predisposition to cheat? come on 🤦‍♀️

• The first book in this series was clearly an anomaly

[Laura Fabian]

ARC & ALC kindly provided for the author in exchange for an honest review

I was dying to read Liam & Ava since I finished the previous book, and I enjoyed them immensely. Their story is more complex than it seems; they broke my heart in ways I never imagined, and I think that's why I loved them even more. I really enjoyed their love story, how Cadence Keys wove it so well into Ava's list, and how she also intertwined the timeline between Campus Secret and the previous book.

I loved Ava from the first time I read her, and learning more about her in this book only made me love her more and want to protect her. It broke my heart to learn how she feels living in Drew's shadow, how she's learned to cope with it, and how her relationship with Liam intensifies it, that's why I wish the author had delved a little deeper into this aspect of Ava, because it's something that defines a lot about the character. I loved her personality, her love for dance, and how she decided to prove herself after breaking up with her boyfriend, because that was the best proof of how strong this girl is, I also really enjoyed reading about how much Drew loves her and especially about her friendship with the girls.

Liam is supposed to be the typical playboy, but for me, it's too obvious from the beginning that he has feelings for Ava, unfortunately, he has a lot of past trauma due to his parents' relationship that prevents him from truly experiencing his feelings, something that frustrated me throughout the book, but also made me feel very bad for him, especially because Cadence Keys constantly showed me the damage his father's presence can do to Liam even when he's never with him. It also broke my heart to read about Drew using his insecurities against him, and Liam himself assuring that he's not worthy of Ava and letting his fears get the better of him. But despite all this, I loved that Liam was always the sweetest while helping Ava with her list, always making her feel comfortable and safe with these new experiences.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

🏒Vanessa Vasquez & Ryan Stone
💜Duet Narration
🏒Narration: 5/5

I was so excited for this audiobook because it features one of my favorite narrators, and it exceeded my expectations. Vanessa Vasquez is always wonderful, and as Ava, she made me love her work even more, especially those moments when the author conveyed the most vulnerable, sincere, and painful feelings of this beautiful girl. Vanessa's voice always makes me feel like I'm right there with her characters, and I also loved hearing her bring to life the bold, brave girl who begins to recognize her own worth after so much suffering.

Ryan Stone was also the best Liam we could have had; the accent and the sexy moments were great, some of my favorite parts of the book. But I also enjoyed this narrator giving me Liam's most insecure moments so well executed, making me empathize with him despite how frustrated I felt at times.

🏒Ava: 5/5
🏒Liam: 4/5
🏒plot: 4/5
🏒love story: 4/5
🏒secondary characters: 5/5
🏒cover: 5/5
🥵: 3/5

ARC & ALC amablemente proporcionadas por la autora a cambio de una reseña honesta

Me moría de ganas de leer a Liam & Ava desde que terminé el libro anterior y los disfruté mucho, su historia es más compleja de lo que parece, me rompieron el corazón de formas que no imaginaba y creo que por eso los amé un poco más. Me gustó mucho su historia de amor, como Cadence Keys lo mezclo tan bien con la lista de Ava, y como también dio la linea de tiempo entrelazada entre Campus Secret y el libro anterior.

Ava me encantó desde la primera vez que la leí, y conocer más de ella en este libro solo me hizo amarla más y querer protegerla: me rompió mucho el corazón saber cómo se siente vivir bajo la sombre de Drew, la manera en la que ha aprendido a sobrevivir con eso y como su relación con Liam lo intensifica, por eso me hubiera gustado que la autora ahondara un poco más en estar parte de Ava porque es algo que define mucho del personaje. Me encantó su personalidad, su amor por el baile y como decide demostrarse a si misma quien es cuando termina con su novio porque eso fue la mejor prueba de lo fuerte que es esta chica. También me gustó mucho leer lo mucho que Drew la ama y más de la amistad que tiene con las chicas.

Se supone que Liam es el típico playboy pero para mi es demasiado obvio desde el principio que siente algo por Ava, desafortunadamente tiene muchos traumas del pasado debido a la relación de sus padres que no lo dejan vivir sus sentimientos realmente, algo que me frustró a lo largo del libro, pero que también me hizo sentir muy mal por él, especialmente porque Cadence Keys me mostró contantemente el daño que la presencia de su papá puede hacerle a Liam aun cuando no esta nunca con él, también me rompió mucho el corazón leer a Drew usar sus inseguridades en su contra, al propio Liam asegurándose a si mismo que no es digno de Ava y dejándose llevar por sus miedos, pero a pesar de todo esto me encantó que Liam siempre fuera el más dulce mientras ayudaba a Ava con su lista, que siempre la hiciera sentir cómoda y segura con estas nuevas experiencias.

🎧Reseña del audiolibro🎧

🏒Vanessa Vasquez & Ryan Stone
💜Narración en dueto
🏒narración: 5/5

El audiolibro me tenía muy emocionada porque tiene a una de mis narradoras favoritas y superó mis expectativa. Vanessa Vasquez siempre es maravillosa y como Ava me hizo amar su trabajo mucho más, especialmente esos momentos en los que la autora me dio los sentimientos más vulnerables, sinceros y dolorosos de esta chica tan hermosa porque la voz de Vanessa siempre me hace sentir junto a sus personajes. También amé escucharla darle vida a la chica atrevida, valiente y que empieza a reconocer su valor después de tanto sufrimiento.

Ryan Stone también fue el mejor Liam que pudimos tener, el acento y los momentos sexys fueron buenísimo, de mis partes favoritas del libro, pero también disfruté a este narrador dándome los momentos de mayor inseguridad de Liam tan bien ejecutados, haciéndome empatizar con él a pesar de lo frustrada que me sentía por momentos.

🏒Ava: 5/5
🏒Liam: 4/5
🏒trama: 4/5
🏒historia de amor: 4/5
🏒personajes secundarios: 5/5
🏒portada: 5/5
🥵: 3/5

[Isabella Grace]

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️ 2/5


Okay, after my recent tour through:

🏎️ F1
⚾ Baseball
🤠 Cowboys
✨ Fae
🐺 Increasingly suspicious shifter curiosity…

WE’RE BACK ON THE ICE.

🏒🥹

Home.

My natural habitat.

😂

And we’re returning with:

🏒 Hockey romance
💕 Brother’s best friend
🤫 Secret relationship
❤️‍🔥 Spicy bucket list
😏 Playboy MMC
🥹 He falls HARD
☀️ He calls her Sunshine
💕 Found family

Oh.

You had me at hockey. Everything else was just showing off.

Campus Secret is book three in the CFU Hockey series, and Ava and Liam were SO much more emotionally complicated than I expected them to be.

Because on the surface?

This sounds like we’re here for a fun little:

My brother’s hot playboy best friend helps me complete a spicy bucket list.

👀

Excellent.

No notes.

😂

But underneath that?

Hello, emotional baggage.

Apparently nobody can just make questionable decisions with an attractive hockey player anymore.

There have to be FEELINGS.

Rude.

😂

Ava has secretly been attracted to Liam, but Liam is her brother Drew’s best friend.

Which means we already know the rules.

She’s off limits.

The sacred sports-romance law that has prevented exactly ZERO fictional relationships from happening.

😂

Seriously.

Has “best friend’s sister” EVER stopped one of these men?

Because they always start with:

I can’t touch her. That’s my best friend’s little sister.

And approximately seventeen chapters later:

That’s my fucking girl.

Sir.

Your loyalty had a remarkably short shelf life.

😂

Liam also has a reputation.

He’s the playboy.

The guy who doesn’t do serious.

The one everyone assumes is perfectly happy keeping things casual.

Except…

👀

This man is NOT nearly as unaffected by Ava as he wants everyone to believe.

And I loved that it becomes increasingly obvious that his whole:

I’m not relationship material

routine is carrying some serious emotional damage underneath it.
I’ve got some
Liam grew up watching a relationship that completely warped his perception of love.

His father’s influence still affects him even when the man isn’t physically present.

And because of that, Liam genuinely believes he isn’t good enough for Ava.

🥺

Sir.

We’re going to need you to stop that immediately.

Because watching him care SO deeply about her while simultaneously convincing himself that she deserves better?

PAIN.

And apparently that’s what we’re doing now.

😂

But what really got me about Liam was how he treated Ava.

For all the playboy reputation…

He’s SWEET with her.

Protective.

Patient.

Attentive.

And when he’s helping her work through her bucket list, his priority is making sure she feels comfortable and safe.

🥹

Oh no.

THE PLAYBOY HAS DEPTH.

My defenses are down.

😂

I love this trope for exactly that reason.

Give me the man everyone thinks will never settle down.

Then introduce ONE woman and suddenly he’s internally malfunctioning.

Liam:

Relationships aren’t for me.

Also Liam around Ava:

🥹☀️ Sunshine.

SIR.

THE COURT HAS QUESTIONS.

😂

And Ava?

I loved getting deeper into her character.

She’s spent so much time feeling like she exists in her brother Drew’s shadow.

That insecurity influences how she sees herself and even how she processes her relationship with Liam.

And honestly?

I wanted MORE of that.

Because it felt like such an important part of who Ava is.

I would have happily spent more time digging into her feelings about Drew, her identity outside of him, and how that affected her choices.

Especially because Ava has so much going for her.

She’s strong.

She’s determined.

She loves dance.

She has wonderful friendships.

And after her breakup, watching her decide she was going to reclaim parts of herself?

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

YES.

The bucket list could have easily felt like nothing more than a device to manufacture spice.

But I actually liked what it represented for Ava.

It’s exploration.

Confidence.

Taking control.

Figuring out what SHE wants.

And Liam helping her through it creates intimacy between them beyond simple attraction.

Which obviously becomes a tiny problem when the entire arrangement is supposed to stay secret and uncomplicated.

😂

Because these two are TERRIBLE at the “no feelings” portion of this assignment.

Absolutely failing.

Zero stars.

See me after class.

😂

And the secret relationship element?

YES.

I eat this up every time.

The stolen moments.

Everyone else being oblivious.

That constant:

Your brother absolutely cannot find out about this.

👀

It’s catnip.

Especially when the brother is Liam’s BEST FRIEND.

Because eventually…

Someone has to find out.

And when Drew’s reaction hits Liam exactly where he’s already insecure?

😭

OUCH.

That hurt.

Liam already believes he’s not worthy of Ava.

So having someone he loves reinforce that fear?

Yeah.

That landed.

And it helped explain why Liam could be frustrating at times.

Because BELIEVE ME…

There were moments where I wanted to grab this man by his hockey jersey and say:

SHE LIKES YOU, YOU IDIOT. PLEASE SEEK THERAPY AND PROCEED ACCORDINGLY.

😂

But his fear made sense.

Frustrating?

Yes.

Understandable?

Also yes.

And that’s usually where I want emotional conflict to land.

I don’t need characters making stupid decisions simply because the plot requires drama.

Give me baggage.

Give me history.

Give me a reason their brain is actively sabotaging their happiness.

I will still yell at them.

But affectionately.

😂

I also loved Ava’s friendships and the found-family atmosphere surrounding everyone.

You know I’m weak for a sports romance where the team and friend group actually feel like PEOPLE rather than background characters waiting for their own books.

And apparently…

SAM.

👀

I’m hearing things.

I have questions.

I am ready.

😂

The romance itself was fun, emotional, sweet and spicy without the spice overshadowing the relationship.

🌶️🌶️.5

And Liam being this supposedly unserious playboy while actually loving HARD?

That’s exactly my weakness.

Because I don’t want the playboy who suddenly changes personalities when he falls in love.

I want to discover that the capacity to love deeply was there the entire time.

He was just fucking terrified of it.

👏🏻

That’s Liam.

And Ava?

She deserves someone who sees HER.

Not Drew’s sister.

Not someone living in another person’s shadow.

Ava.

🥹

That was the emotional heart of this romance for me.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

🏒 College hockey romance
💕 Brother’s best friend
🤫 Secret relationship
❤️‍🔥 Spicy bucket list
😏 Playboy MMC
🥹 He falls hard
☀️ “Sunshine” nickname
💕 Found family
💃 Dancer FMC
🖤 Family trauma
💕 Protective MMC
🔥 Secret attraction
🖤 Emotional baggage
💕 Strong female friendships
🔥 Forbidden-ish romance
🥹 “I’m not good enough for her”
💕 Sweet playboy underneath the reputation
🌶️🌶️.5 Spice


FOUR “HE CALLED HER SUNSHINE AND SUDDENLY THE PLAYBOY ALLEGATIONS WERE UNDER REVIEW” STARS.

😂🏒

After flirting with approximately seventeen new genres and sports lately, returning to hockey feels almost reassuring.

Like:

🥹 Oh good. I still know who I am.

😂

Because apparently my Kindle can throw F1 drivers, baseball cowboys, fae warriors and potentially suspicious supernatural creatures at me…

But give me a hockey player who falls hopelessly for the one woman he’s not supposed to touch?

HOME.

Liam tried so hard to convince himself he couldn’t be the man Ava deserved.

Meanwhile he was already showing her through his actions exactly who he was.

Sir.

Please stop self-sabotaging.

Your Sunshine is waiting.

And someone get me Sam’s book.

Immediately.

[Dhawy Febrianti]

Review of an advance copy received from author

Sometimes, words are all it takes to stop pursuing the woman you love. That’s what stays with me the most after finishing this book. After asking myself, what hits the hardest?

Yes, my answer goes to words. Especially words from a parent figure.

Words like

“The kindest thing you can do for whatever girl has you smiling at your phone like that is let her go before you hurt her the way I hurt your mother.”

They don’t even make sense, but they’re powerful enough to shake a young soul.

I really get why those words keep haunting Liam. I wasn’t upset with him. I was upset with his dad.

And as I’m writing this review, I quietly find myself thinking… have I ever been influential enough to poison someone with my words? If I never have, then will I ever end up doing that in the future?

⸻

Campus Secret is another book from the CFU Hockey series. The story follows Ava Dumontier’s secret relationship with her brother’s best friend, Liam Farrell.

One ridiculous spicy bucket list from Ava turns into something deeper than they ever expect. Set on a college campus in a small town, they slowly cross off every point on the list while building a secret relationship they don’t want anyone else to see.

But a bitter truth has been following Ava ever since the whole thing starts.

Liam is a playboy. He doesn’t do forever. So, dating Liam should only lead her to heartbreak.

For Liam, though, the bitterness is three times harder.

First, he has to admit that he really falls in love with Ava. Being with her makes him go completely off market. No more hitting on random girls at bars.

Second, hiding the whole relationship from Drew is an absolute torture. Drew knows exactly who Liam used to be. If he gets caught, Liam believes Drew will do anything to protect his little sister from a playboy like him.

And the third, the hardest one of all, Liam keeps wondering if being his father’s son means he will become the same kind of man.

What if seriously loving Ava turns him into his dad? What if he hurts her the way his dad hurt his mom?

Remember, he doesn’t want to hurt Ava. He loves her now.

And because Liam remembers everything, his dad’s words never stop haunting him.

“You’re my son, Liam. You’ve got my face, my charm, and whether you want to admit it or not, you’ve got my restless heart.”

⸻

To Kadence,

I’ve only read two of your books. There’s still so much I don’t know about your work yet, but I can already say you’ve become one of my favorite authors.

Your romance stories are not just about the romance itself. They’re not just about hockey series either. They’re about making your readers think deeper and reflect on their own life journeys long after they finish reading your books.

I can’t wait to read and review more of your books. Also, I’m really excited for Sam and Gordy’s story.

[Ashley]

This series is incredible!

I honestly didn’t think anyone could top Harper and Drew for me because I absolutely loved their story, but then Liam and Ava came along and completely stole the spotlight. These two absolutely took the cake!

From the very beginning, I was hooked on their dynamic. The chemistry between them was undeniable, the tension was perfection, and the heat? YES PLEASE. Every interaction between them had me completely invested, and I found myself smiling, swooning, and desperately turning pages to see what would happen next.

And can we talk about the list? Because that added such a fun and unique element to the story. It created so many entertaining moments while also helping drive the emotional journey forward. I loved how it tied into their relationship and how it became such an important part of the story.

Now let’s talk about Liam.

This man is officially my Book Boyfriend of the Week.

Seriously, he was perfection. What I loved most about Liam was that he felt real. He wasn’t perfect, and he had doubts, fears, and struggles that made him incredibly relatable. Watching him navigate his family dynamics, work through his insecurities, and slowly come to terms with what he truly wanted out of life and love made his journey so rewarding to read.

There were so many moments where my heart just ached for him, but those moments made his growth even more satisfying. Seeing him finally realize what was right in front of him and embrace what he wanted was such a great part of the story.

And then there’s Ava.

Oh, I absolutely loved Ava.

She is such a strong FMC, and her sass? Top tier. She brought so much personality to every scene she was in. I loved that she knew who she was, knew what she wanted, and wasn’t afraid to go after it. She was confident, determined, and never backed down when things got difficult.

The thing I loved most about Ava was that she challenged Liam in all the right ways. She didn’t let him hide from his feelings or settle for less than he deserved. She pushed him to grow while still being supportive, and together they created such a balanced and compelling relationship.

Their banter was fantastic, their chemistry was off the charts, and the emotional connection between them made me root for them from start to finish.

This book had everything I love in a romance—humor, heart, incredible chemistry, emotional growth, and characters that feel impossible not to love. Liam and Ava completely won me over, and honestly? I think they’re my favorite couple in the series so far.

A fantastic read and another reason why this series continues to be one of my favorites. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💕📚🔥

[Jo Cooper]

CAMPUS SECRET by CANDENCE KEYS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Campus Secret is the third (#3) book in the CFU HOCKEY series.

When her brothers best friend Liam Farrell finds her spicy bucket list, Ava is astounded when he volunteers to help her complete the list.

With his sexy Irish accent, a killer smile and a body to die for, Liam is a notorious playboy, commitment adverse and the last person she should be considering spending sexy time with, but Ava finds herself agreeing despite knowing it’ll end in disaster, especially if her brother finds out.

Agreeing to be exclusive whilst they check the items off her list, they spend time together but the lines start blurring and Ava finds herself falling for Liams charms……

—————————————
Campus Secret is a sweet hockey romance with a delightful found family, a secret relationship ( although they’d deny it), a sweet MMC and a strong MFC, determined to be treated as she deserves.

Ava and Liam sneak around trying to complete Ava’s bucket list, both agreeing to keep it surface level with no feelings involved, but inevitably, they both start catching feelings.

This story is predominantly about Liam’s feelings about his relationship with his father and how that impacts his own behaviour. Although in truth Liam is caring and considerate, his father has made him believe that his genetics have predisposed him to play fast and loose with women, never settling down.

Ava has spent her life in the shadows. She feels that her twin brother’s success has always outshone her own achievements, that no one sees her for who SHE is, that she’s just the amiable one in the background. When Ava and Liam start their ‘relationship’, Ava finally starts to feel SEEN and when Liam lets her down she is determined that she’s never going to be left in the shadows again.


This book contains A LOT of open door spicy scenes in fitting with the theme of the story, and I mean a lot. There is a third act breakup.

I read an ebook version of this book, with around 400 pages, good editing and an illustrated couples cover. It releases on July 16th

With thanks to Candence Keys and Hambright PR for an early read of this book. All comments are my own honest, unbiased opinion.

🏒 Open Door Spice 🔥🔥🔥🔥
🏒 Brothers Best Friend
🏒 Forbidden Romance
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 College Hockey
🏒 Spicy Bucket List
🏒 Protective Alpha Hero

[DanniOnThePages]

I had the opportunity to not only ARC read this book, but I also received the ALC and it did not disappoint! Campus Secret is the 3rd installment in the CFU Hockey series.

Hockey romance is my new obsession, and I can add Campus Secret to the list of amazing hockey reads. And Mr. Ryan Stone sir, you did AMAZING narrating. Ryan truly brought Liam to life and the accent 😍🥵.

Ava, a dancing marketing student has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her. What worse…or best, her brother’s best friend, Liam, was also there. Thankfully, Ava is not hung up on her ex boyfriend; however, she is upset with the lack of honesty. Accepting that there was no spark between them, Ava would have been fine with an honest conversation, hold the cheating. It’s what he says next that puts her over the edge. She was “boring in bed”. This send Ava on a mission to create a spicy bucket list where all her wildest dreams could come true, she just had to find the right person to complete the list with. And when her brother’s Irish hot best friend/teammate offers up his services, Ava finds herself on a roller coaster of emotions…and takes Liam for the same ride.

Ok, let’s get into how I truly feel about this book. Short answer, I loved it! Extended responses, omg I need more!! And I cannot wait for book 4 to come out. I enjoyed all of the characters! And while this could technically be read as a stand alone, the experience is better when you read the previous 2 books. Each book follows one of the 4 main hockey players of the CFU Hockey team. From the beginning of Campus Secret, I was hooked. Liam is the playboy MMC who’s actually a protective sweetheart, and can I just say that I detest his dad for giving him a complex. Just because you are a sad excuse of a human, and continue to choose to be, does not mean that anyone who shares DNA with you is going to come out with the same characteristics. Ava is the rational yet bravely vulnerable FMC who sets her mind to a goal and is losing the war between how she feels for Liam, and how she feels what her brother will think.

Did I mention that Ryan Stone does a wonderful job narrating Liam??? I would highly recommend this book, and give that audio a listen to. I promise you will not regret it.


Tropes/Warnings

💗 Hockey Romance
💗 Protective MMC…Who Falls Hard
💗 Dancer FMC
💗 Spicy Bucket List
💗 Brother’s Best-friend
💗 Found Family
💗 Secret Hookups
🚨 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🌶️

[Manda Doorley]

Number 3 in the CFU Hockey Series by Cadence Keys. This was probably my favorite of the series to date, but I will say after this I can’t wait for the next one!
Liam- growing up with a single mom, he saw what loving someone who never loved her back did to break her over the years. Having been told his entire life that he is just like his dad, by his dad, that he is not meant to settle down. After hearing this for so long, one starts to believe that it is true. So he gets in his own head that he is not one for relationships. He doesn’t do commitment and is upfront about that with all of his encounters. The Dumontier family is like a second family to Liam. Growing up it was always him, Drew and Ava. Ava, the girl whose smile lights up his world. The girl who is absolutely off limits because she’s his best friend’s twin. The girl who he has seen at her lowest and has seen him at his. The one that he can absolutely no touch!
Ava- Just caught her boyfriend having sex with someone else in the library and was then told that she is boring. She has always made herself smaller, and been able to just fade into the background. Well, she’s tired of doing that so she makes a list, more specifically a spicy to-do list and now she just needs to find someone to help her check off the items on her list. After making the list and having a little too much to drink at the bar, she ends up being escorted home and realizes the next morning that the person who brought her back to her room saw her list.
This book is spicy! If you’re a sucker for an accent, get the audio version. The checklist is covered and then some and you won’t be disappointed! Add in the conflict the characters are dealing with in the internal struggle of accepting their feelings about who they are and what they want versus what others tell them how they should be is part of their own growth. Both of them have some demons they must face in realizing that they need to choose who they want to be as well as who they want to be with.
This is a great continuation of the story and the teaser at the end for the next book in the series is amazing!

[Melissa]

🏒✨ARC Review | Campus Secret: CFU Hockey by Cadence Keys ✨🏒

📚 If you've been wondering whether hockey romances deserve all the hype... they absolutely do! 😍 This was my very first hockey/sports romance, and wow... it absolutely did NOT disappoint!

First, I want to say how incredibly honored I was to receive an ARC of this gem. Thank you so much-it was truly appreciated! ❤️ This book is expected to be published around July 16, and sports romance fans should definitely keep it on their radar.

🏒 Set on a college campus where hockey is everything, this story follows Liam and Ava whose chemistry is impossible to ignore. What starts as secret hookups quickly turns into something much deeper as friendships, family bonds, and unexpected feelings complicate everything. With laugh-out-loud moments, sizzling tension, heartfelt emotion, and plenty of swoony hockey goodness, this romance kept me invested from beginning to end. And bonus points- if you're like me, and you hadn't read the first two in the series, don't worry, this can be read as a standalone. But I will definitely be going back to read the first two!

🏒 College Hockey
🤫 Secret Hookups
💙 Brother's Best Friend 
🌶️ Spicy Bucket List
🏡 Found Family
😍 Playboy Falls Hard

This book had the perfect balance of humor, heart, and spice. The chemistry between the main characters felt natural, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. Both the FMC and MMC were strong characters. Liam had swag but could be tender and protective. While Ava was vulnerable, confident and a badass whenever she needed to be. I especially loved the found family dynamic and how the relationships extended beyond just the romance. And can we just take a moment to applaud the Spicy Bucket List?!!? Liam helped turn Ava from a lamb into a tiger!

As someone completely new to hockey romances, this book was the perfect introduction to the genre. It was fun, emotional, flirty, and had me smiling through so many scenes.

⭐️ 4.5 stars! If you love college/ sports romance, hockey players, secret relationships, found family, and steamy chemistry, make sure to add this book to your TBR

[Cassie]

One of the first hockey romance series I read, the CFU boys and girls have a special place in my heart. This time we get to know Ava and Liam better, Ava being Drew’s twin and Liam being his best friend. What starts as secret hook ups to complete her bucket list quickly turns to real feelings. I love brother’s best friend dynamics, especially when it means the MCs are childhood friends as well. There is just something so heart melting about a guy who knows (and sees) the real her.

Ava is coming off of a break up where her last boyfriend called her “boring in bed” so she decides she is going to do something about that and push herself to try to do new things. She also resolves to speak up for herself more, after feeling like she has spent her life in her brother's shadow.

Liam is dealing with his own inner demons which sound just like his unreliable dad. His dad who has told Liam all his life that Liam is just like his dad - never meant to settle down and always meant to break hearts. I’ve gotta say one of the things I hate the most in books (and life) is when parents start telling their kids they are just like them. It always makes me root for the kid, waiting for them to push back and realize that they are their own person. Of course, that's hard to do since so much of our inner self worth is influenced by our parents, but as a reader it always feels like such a victory when the character finally breaks free.

This is the third book in the series, but they are standalones and enough background is given to get caught up on the previous relationship dynamics. This book does cross over time wise with book two, Campus Rivals and I’d always recommend you read the whole series. But I’m a mood reader myself so I very often just jump to whichever book has the tropes I’m looking for right now.

Audiobook Review -
Duet, spicy, Irish accent… who can ask for anything more? Vanessa Vasquez and Ryan Stone do amazing jobs bringing Ava and Liam to life, complete with Liam’s delicious Irish accent. And the spicy scenes are definitely on fire!

Thank you to the author for an ARC and ALC.

[Jennifer Amaral]

Campus Secret completely stole my heart. What starts as a fun, spicy arrangement quickly becomes a heartfelt romance full of trust, vulnerability, and a hero who falls so hard you can't help but fall right along with him. 🏒❤️🔥

The premise immediately hooked me.

A spicy bucket list accidentally discovered by your brother's best friend?

And instead of judging you... he volunteers to help you complete it?

I was invested from page one.

Liam is everything you want in a hockey romance hero.

Confident.

Charming.

Protective.

And underneath his playboy reputation is a man who cares far more deeply than he lets anyone see.

I absolutely loved watching his walls slowly crumble as his feelings for the heroine became impossible to ignore.

The heroine was just as easy to root for. After always feeling overshadowed by her twin brother, seeing her step into her own confidence throughout the story was incredibly satisfying. Her journey wasn't just about checking items off a list—it was about discovering what she truly wanted and finding the courage to ask for it.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts.

Every stolen moment.

Every secret glance.

Every item they crossed off together brought them closer, making it impossible not to cheer for them.

The secret relationship added just the right amount of tension, especially knowing how disastrous it would be if her brother found out. But beneath all the steam was a genuinely emotional romance built on friendship, trust, and two people helping each other become the best versions of themselves.

✨ If you love:

🏒 Brother's best friend
🤫 Secret relationship
🔥 Spicy bucket list
❤️ Friends to lovers
🏡 Forced proximity
🩵 Playboy falls first
🛡️ Protective hero
💍 Emotional happily ever after

Campus Secret is sexy, funny, emotional, and completely addictive. With unforgettable chemistry, lovable characters, and a romance that grows stronger with every page, this is one college hockey romance I won't be forgetting anytime soon. 🏒❤️✨

[yue]

Campus Secret by Cadence Keys is a book that I really enjoyed reading. I was lucky enough to receive both an ARC and an ALC, so I'll be sharing my thoughts on both in one review.

I'll start with the ALC. The narration was really good, and I was able to feel the emotions of both characters through the performance. My only small issue was that Liam's voice sounded a bit older and more mature than I imagined for his age and character. Other than that, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

Now for the ARC itself. I had such a great time reading this. Both characters were easy to love. I felt bad for Ava because of how she saw herself after all the jerks she had dated. Liam was a playboy, and in theory, he shouldn't have been someone I'd enjoy reading about, but there was a reason behind why he was like that, and it made his character more understandable. I loved watching both of them grow together throughout the story.

Don't let me start on that spicy bucket list... I did not expect that from Ava at all. I understood why Liam was shocked as well when he found out about it. That spicy bucket list turned into something much deeper and unexpected that they had to confront whatever they were feeling for each other.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the character growth. Both Ava and Liam were carrying burdens from their past, and I loved seeing them work through those struggles together. I also thought her brother's reaction when he found out about their relationship was very realistic, and I completely understood where he was coming from.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and one that I would definitely recommend to readers who love spice-filled college romances with emotional character growth.

Many thanks to Cadence Keys for providing me with advance copies of both the ALC and ARC. I truly enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more from her and continue with this series.

[Sarah]

Thanks to the author for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
This book is the third in a stand alone series, but the first book I’ve read from the series.
I loved so much about this book, and the authors writing style. This book has A LOT of spicy scenes, and upon looking back at my notes written throughout reading, majority of them just say this is hot. That should tell you all you need to know about the spice, but the bucket list was interesting and saw the two main characters engage in a variety of different spicy scenes. The MMC’s dirty talk was immaculate and I’ll be thinking about it for weeks.

In regard to the other aspects of the book, it’s well written and easy to engage with. I HATE a third act break-up and whilst reading it I was thinking we potentially wouldn’t get one given the amount of miscommunication and fear around saying that they really wanted to from the main characters throughout the book, but we did. I understood why Li initiated the break up but was devastated by it, and I loved his conversation with his best friend about it. I felt punished by Li’s dad, so I can empathise with Li’s thought processes and wrangling with feeling like it was inevitable that he would eventually become his father, without reflecting on what a great and different person he was. I loved the epilogue and how that really highlighted how different he was from his father also. I loved Ava, and her relationship with other characters in the book. Her constant anxiety is relatable but became annoying when she never really did anything with it and wouldn’t really talk to anyone about it. I was super proud of her for finally stepping up and putting her needs first though at the end of the book.

Overall, I loved this book. The spice was hot, I loved the characters and Li was a gorgeous book boyfriend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Rebecca Hill]

Campus Secret is the third book in Keys' CFU Hockey series. This is a steamy best friend's sister, college hockey romance, with a secret relationship. It features Ava Dumontier and Liam Farrell.

Ava's twin brother, Drew (aka Monty), is Liam's best friend. Drew and Liam have been best friends for years so Liam sees Ava as a sort of sister... until he doesn't. When Ava catches her boyfriend cheating on her, it breaks her. He said horrible things to her, including that she was boring in bed, leading Ava to write up a very spicy bucket list to prove to herself that she's so much more than her ex accused her of being. It was supposed to remain private, but when Ava attends a party and has too much to drink, Liam being the good guy he is, carries her back to her dorm room and tucks her in. It is then that he sees the list, and it certainly makes an impression.

When Ava realizes that Liam saw her list, initially she is embarrassed. Neither brings it up... until they do, which leads to an awkward conversation. Liam has always been attracted to Ava but put her in the friend zone long ago knowing that anything between them would impact his relationship with Monty. He offers to help Ava clear off her spicy bucket list explaining that he would be the best person to help her since she would need someone she trusts, and she trusts him. Ava has been attracted to Liam for a long time but she is typically someone who cannot separate sex and feelings. Liam is known to be a bit of a playboy, and she trusts that he is experienced in this area enabling her to get through the list. That said, she is concerned that she will end up having her heart broken once the list is finished. With much trepidation, she sets up clear boundaries before accepting his offer. Only time will tell whether those boundaries are respected or neglected.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook performed by Vanessa Vasquez and Ryan Stone. I thoroughly enjoyed Stone's Irish accent. While I know he isn't Irish, Stone had me picturing Gerard Butler as I listened. Both voice actors did a fabulous job of bringing Keys' writing to life. I found them to be believable as Ava and Liam.

While this book started out as a simple spicy romance, the character development, their feelings and insane chemistry, brought the story to another level. I could sympathize with both characters and appreciate their perspectives. The author quickly drew me in, and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

I have yet to read the other books in this series as they can be appreciated on their own, however I'm now keen to check them out. I hope you do too.

[Jen Wycech]

College hockey
Brother's best friend
Playboy falls gard
Secret hookups
Found Family
Spicy Bucket list
Dual POV -1st person

Duet narration - Ryan Stone & Vanessa Vasquez
Stellar narration! These two have such fantastic voices.

Book #3 CFU Hockey series

Brother's best friend is a favorite trope of mine and this one did not disappoint me! With the added spicy bucket list trope I was in heaven while reading this fun college romance. I loved that the two MC"s are friends, study buddies, and know each other so well before anything romantic happens. I truly felt their connection especially with the narrators performances. Being told your boring and bad in bed by your cheating boyfriend... well now ex boyfriend is awful! But the way she found out he was cheating was also terrible. So creating a spicy bucket list of items to prove to yourself that you are not boring is exactly the thing to do.

I have enjoyed each book in this series but I think this is my favorite so far. Liam is such a green flag. Seeing his mom be treated poorly as he grew up made him do everything he could to avoid putting a significant other through that heartache. Ava is a sweet girl that has never felt like she could truly be herself. Making herself fit into what everyone thinks she should be. Liam & Ava balance each other, they truly understand the other, and their level of communication is very mature.

Overall, this is a fantastic college hockey romance book but it is so much more than just that. The characters are well developed and captivating. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. I can't wait for more in this series!

[Marci Crawford]

This audiobook completely stole my heart.

I honestly don't know how this story managed to be one of the sweetest hockey romances I've ever read while also being incredibly spicy, but it pulled it off perfectly. Every time I thought it couldn't get any hotter, it somehow did. 🥵

And that ending? If you aren't in tears, do you even have a heart? 😭

Ava was such a wonderful heroine. She starts out doubting herself, but watching her step out of her twin's shadow and finally take control of her own life was so satisfying. Her growth felt authentic, and I loved seeing her become more confident.

Liam completely stole the show for me. His insecurities and struggles felt so genuine, and the emotional depth in his chapters made him impossible not to love. His comeback had me cheering, and he officially earned a spot on my list of top-tier book boyfriends. 🥹

The audiobook elevated an already amazing story. The duet narration by Ryan Stone and Vanessa Vasquez was phenomenal, and Ryan Stone absolutely nailed every emotion in Liam's chapters. Their performances made it so easy to get lost in the story.

I gave Harper & Drew's (Ava's twin brother) book five stars, but somehow this one managed to top it.

And that teaser for the next book? Now I'm counting down the days until I can get my hands on it.

If you love hockey romance, brother's best friend, sweet but spicy romances, spicy bucket-list moments, and duet narration, this is one I highly recommend.

Thank you for the advanced listening copy!

[Danielle]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book, and I’m so glad I did.

This was my first Cadence Keys book, and honestly, by chapter two I had already downloaded books one and two because I knew I wanted to read the rest of the series.

I loved the way this book was structured. The opening hook immediately grabbed my attention and created so much tension that I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened. It was such an effective way to pull me into the story, and I found myself wanting to keep reading.

I’m a sucker for a brother’s best friend romance, and adding in the secret relationship and college hockey elements made it exactly the kind of trope combination I love. The chemistry between the MMC and MFC felt natural, and I found myself smiling through so much of their story. The spice was also spot on for me—not over the top, just the right amount.

I really liked the MMC. Even though he spent a lot of time convincing himself he wasn’t good enough and would end up like his father, you could tell he had a genuinely good heart. I also really felt for the MFC. She’d spent so much of her life feeling like she was in the background and never anyone’s first choice, and that made her really easy to connect with.

The only reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me is that I would’ve loved just a little more character development from both the MMC and MFC. Even so, I flew through this book because it was addictive, fun, and full of tension.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

[BeccaFay]

Ava has just been broken up with for being “too boring”. She’s tired of always coming second to her twin brother, Drew. Her ex was too vanilla and never wanted to try anything in the bedroom other than plain ol missionary 🙄 she writes out a spicy bucket list of 12 things she wants to try that her ex never would’ve dreamed of trying with her. She sets the list down in her room and carries on. She gets too drunk at the bar and is taken back home by her brother’s best friend, Liam. They’ve all grown up together and he’s vowed to always look out for her.

Liam finds her list 😱 and offers to be the one to help her work through it. It takes her a day to think about it but she ultimately agrees, but with some ground rules. All of the rules almost immediately get broken because of course they do! As time goes on and things are being checked off the list, they both realize that they don’t want this to end 🥲 Liam has always been a non committal guy because his father is a womanizer and broke his mothers heart. He thinks he’s destined to become his father and break any woman’s heart who falls in love with him.


I am so happy that Ava got her happy ending 🥹 the epilogue was so good 😭😭 finally she’s out of her brother’s shadow with someone who puts her first. The plot was great and the spice was so good 🥵
This book is a standalone but characters from the first 2 books are in this one as well. It’s not necessary to read the first 2, but you totally should just for the full story on everyone 🤓
I can’t wait for book 4!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

[Lorena Garcia -- Brittany's Book Blog]

Oh my god, this book was sexy as sin!

Ava created a list of naughty things to do once her ex told her that she was boring in bed, so she was determined to think otherwise. Liam, her brother's best friend and hockey mate saw her list and thought immediately who better than him to complete this list she created.

Liam has always found Ava beautiful but he knew he couldn't go there because of his friend and so he strictly stuck to being friends, but when he saw that she created that list he knew that was his perfect opportunity to get in her pants. They both agreed that it was going to be secret hookups until the list was complete, and let me tell you they sure made well on what was on that list!

As they were experimenting the list, they both found themselves in a pickle because it was starting to feel real and not fake anymore. Liam thinks he can't love anyone because of how his father is and his father is always telling Liam that he should never settle down because good looking men like them had way too many options to just stick to one woman and he believed him, but after being with Ava for months he felt like what his dad told him was a lie. Liam had always been the one and done type of guy but since he's been hooking up with Ava, he hasn't been with anyone else nor does he care to.

I can't express how much I enjoyed reading this book. It's one of the sexiest I've read in a long time. If you like this kind of read, I suggest you pick it up and read it because it will have your toes curling and unable to put it down!

[Anisha Choudhury | A Literary Autopsy]

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐ | 4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC and ALC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Campus Secret, the third book in the CFU Hockey series, follows Ava, the "invisible twin" looking to break out of her shell, and Liam Farrell, her brother’s best friend and the team's notorious playboy. When Liam discovers Ava's secret bucket list, he volunteers to help her check off the items, leading to a high-stakes, exclusive arrangement.

The premise leans heavily into classic tropes like "brother's best friend" and "forced proximity," providing a fast-paced environment for the protagonists to interact. The intimate scenes are undoubtedly the highlight of the story, written with a high level of heat that keeps the momentum moving.

While the bucket list arrangement creates an engaging setup, I found the character dynamics and the narrative choices to be a bit uneven. The story leans into traditional playboy-meets-damsel archetypes that felt a bit dated, which made it difficult to fully invest in the emotional journey of the leads. The production quality of the audiobook was quite good, but the overall storytelling didn't quite reach the heights of the previous book in the series, Campus Rival.

If you are looking for a quick, steamy hockey romance that focuses primarily on the spice, Campus Secret delivers on that front. However, readers hoping for deeper character growth or a less traditional approach to relationship dynamics might find this one a bit middling.

[Joanna]

Campus Secret was such a fun, flirty college romance that blended spice with genuine emotional growth. While the chemistry between Liam and his brother’s twin sister was undeniable from the start, what really kept me invested was how their relationship evolved beyond the physical.

The brother’s best friend and forbidden romance trope was executed well, with plenty of tension, stolen moments, and the constant risk of everything blowing up if they were discovered. Liam’s charming Irish accent, confident playboy persona, and unexpectedly caring side made him incredibly easy to root for. I also loved seeing the heroine step out of her brother’s shadow and finally start putting herself first instead of feeling like the invisible twin.

The bucket list premise could have easily been all spice and no substance, but I appreciated that it became a journey of self-confidence, trust, and vulnerability. Watching Liam slowly realise that maybe he was capable of more than casual relationships added plenty of heart to the story.

The pacing occasionally felt a little rushed towards the end, and I would have loved a deeper exploration of a few emotional moments, which is what kept this from being a full five stars for me. That said, the banter was entertaining, the romance was addictive, and the emotional payoff was satisfying.

If you enjoy brother’s best friend, college hockey romance, forbidden love, exclusive arrangement, emotional healing, and a playboy who falls harder than he ever expected, Campus Secret is definitely worth adding to your TBR!

[Jessica]

Received an Advanced Reader/Listener Copy from the author.

Ava has had a crush on Liam for a ling time, however she has kept it a secret because he’s her brother’s best friend. While heading to a study session with Liam she discovers her boyfriend cheating on her. After she processes her rage she confronts him and he insinuates she is frigid. This leads to her Spicy Bucket List.

Liam is afraid of becoming his father, a no good cheater that says fidelity isn’t in his genes. Because of this, Liam has become a very loyal friend who has been fighting his attraction to Ava. He finds her drunk in a bar and brings her back to her dorm. Here he finds her bucket list.

They make a deal to complete the bucket list together and let me tell you, the spice is spicing in this book! The way he fulfills all her fantasies is ooff! While working through the list they fall for each other, however they are afraid to confess their feelings.

While they hide the relationship at first when Liam says: “She’s my girl!”, wow!

Things seem to be working well until his father reappears and things get dicey. Thankfully Liam’s mom makes him see the light and they get their HEA.

This is my first book from this author and will definitely read more from her. That teaser for the next book left me intrigued so I’ll definitely be reading this full series later.

Please be aware this book contains spicy scenes, reader discretion is advised :)

[Stephanie]

I absolutely loved Liam and Ava's book. They had so much chemistry and fire. Both had secret crushes on each other but thought because of Liam and Drew's friendship they could never cross the line into more. Then Liam takes a chance and offers to help Ava. He was so sweet to her when they were together. His father is a toxic piece of crap. He could see how awful his dad was and how hurt his mother was that he should have cut him out of his life. Liam spent his life trying not to be his dad but really ended up just like him till Ava showed him he was nothing like him if he just stop listening to the BS his dad spewed. Ava spent so much time in Drew's shadow that she lost sight of how special she was. Liam helping her showed her she didn't have to hide her ture self, she just needed to see it inside herself to let go. They both had their own self esteem issues they needed to work out but once they saw the issues they were able to work together to be happy. I was mad at Drew when he got upset that they kept their relationship a secret but he did the same thing with his and Harper's relationship so he really had not right.
I can't wait for Sam and Gordy's book.

Thank you Cadence Keys for letting me be apart of you ACR and ALC group. This was my first ever ALC and it was so cool being able to list to the book while reading or just doing everyday tasks. I am not much of an audio book girl but it was so fun list to this book.

[Chelsea]

ALC Review

To start I wasnt sure if I would continue this audio after the first few chapters just beacuse I didnt feel the male narrator worked for a college student however I decided to keep going and trust me when I say the last thing I had on my mind was their ages... it was a really good audio, you could hear the chemistry between our MCs and I was so invested. It was such an easy listen once I got hooked and I finished it too fast because at the end I wanted more.

I was really looking forward to Liam and Ava's story after what we got in book 2 of this interconnected series
And I definitely was not disappointed
This was a brothers best friend romance that was both sweet and spicey

Ava has lost a bit of confidence due to her idiot of an ex and her solution well that was never ment to be seen especially by her brother's best friend who doesnt hesitate to offer to be the one who helps her

Liam doesnt believe in love, at least not that it will happen to him, he has made sure of it and that is all thanks to his dad. But when he sees Ava's list he cannot help but be the one to help her, he wont let anyone else do that with her. He swore he would keep his distance from her as she is his best friends twin sister but that all went out the window after he read her list and yes its spicey.

It doesnt take long for feelings to form between these two and in then end all you feel is love for these two, there love is so natural

Excited for what comes next in the CFU Hockey series, there is more too Sam and Gordy's story and I need the tea

[Alyssa]

Rating: 5⭐️ / Spice: 3🌶
"“F**k,” he whispered. “You feel like everything I never let myself want.” His gaze locked with mine. “I want you so much it scares me, but not enough to stop.”" -Liam 🥵
Since the author decided to release audio at the same time as the ebook I was able to immersive read the book and it was an amazing experience! Bonus the audiobook is duet narration and the mmc has an accent so what's not to love? It's a preferred method for me but most times you have to wait a long time for the audiobook to be released for a new book. Not for this book! The book draws you in from the first chapter. The book may be based on doing a spicy to-do list but there is still plenty of plot, so much banter and flirting between the characters, and depth to the story. There was a lot of emotion in the book too, not only from the main characters but also from side characters. It checks off everything I love in a romance: off the charts chemistry, banter, humor, and some great spice.
If you're interested in the following:
🏒 spicy secret bucket list
💃 forced proximity
🏒 secret relationship
💃 twin brother's best friend
🏒 touch her and ☠️
💃 found family
🏒 calls her sunshine 🌞
💃 hockey romance
🏒 tattooed mmc
💃dancer fmc
🏒 mmc has an accent
💃 audiobook is duet narration
Then this is the book for you!

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.