Secret Baby for the Hockey Star: A Second Chance Enemies to Lovers Hockey Romance

by Kayla Martyn

Genres: Hockey Romance

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2026

About the author

Hi romance lovers! 💋

If you enjoy Age Gap, Enemies-to-Lovers, or Forbidden Romance wrapped in high-stakes danger, you’ll feel right at home here. My books are full of heat, heartbreak, and the kind of love stories that will leave you breathless.

I love to write steamy, high-stakes contemporary romance where passion collides with danger. My heroes will risk everything, my heroines never back down, and the sparks between them? Always explosive.

I enjoy showing you strong heroines with minds of their own and all have missions that drive them! Of course, they always find love with handsome, strong men!

Let me know what you think! Love to hear from you!

With love,
Kayla Martyn 💋

Reviews

[Whit]

Cutie pie page turner!

5 year old Finn is too cute! Hockey is his first love but finding Liam, his father, is his dream!

Liam chose to go to Sweden to play professional hockey, so PT Anne chose to keep her "condition" secret so Liam could hold on to his dream. Unfortunately, he didn't see it that way. Therein lies the conflict!

Great hockey story of how fate tied Liam and Anne together!

[Lisa Stout]

There is something about a well-written second-chance romance that always gets me, and *Secret Baby for the Hockey Star* by Kayla Martyn absolutely delivered.

Liam and Anne were college sweethearts whose relationship ended because life pulled them in different directions. Liam chased his NHL dream while Anne pursued her career as a physical therapist. Neither realized that only weeks after Liam left, Anne discovered she was pregnant. When she couldn't reach him, she believed moving on was her only option.

Fast forward six years, and they're unexpectedly reunited when Anne is assigned to rehab Liam's injured shoulder. The tension, lingering chemistry, and unresolved emotions between them made every interaction engaging. You could tell they never truly stopped loving each other—they simply let circumstances and miscommunication get in the way.

Finn was easily one of my favorite characters. He's witty, intelligent, and full of personality, bringing so many heartwarming and funny moments to the story. Watching Liam learn he had a son and slowly build that relationship was one of my favorite parts of the book.

This story is packed with emotional moments, healing, forgiveness, family, and finding your way back to the person who always felt like home. If you're a fan of hockey romance, secret baby, second chances, workplace proximity, and plenty of heartfelt family moments, I definitely recommend picking this one up.

[Susa]

This plot develops from the start, where Liam - star hockey player for the St. Louis Blaze - needs to deal with his busted rotator cuff weeks before the most important time of the season.
Enter: Anne, therapist par excellence, is flown in to do the almost impossible.
So Liam gets reunited with his former friend/lover Anne who’s now the only therapist who can fix him in time for the finals and maybe the Stanley Cup?
The two have a bit of a dramatic start, as both believe they wronged the other when they split up, cause Liam decided to go to Sweden to start his hockey career, but Anne stayed back in Chicago to work on her career … However, she kept a sweet secret, she was pregnant and had their son, Finn.
Will their strong attraction help them overcome all troubles and can they get together again - this time stronger than before?

I loved the characters in this book, but my absolute favorite is Finn, Anne and Liam’s son, who steals the show completely.
An absolutely recommendable read!

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

[Sheila M.]

Ah, the foolish decisions of youth. Sometimes those decisions are made for selfish or unselfish reasons. In the case of this book, the MCs made decisions thinking they were for the benefit of the other, yet they both suffered for those decisions The present has given them the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, but can we ever truly forgive past indiscretions?

The author did a good job with character development, creating wonderfully flawed characters that you couldn’t help but cheer for and hope they got their HEA. There were a lot of supporting characters to keep up with, with my favorite being Finn, the son of Anne and Liam. He was such a sweet and intuitive little boy. The story was a steamy, emotional and engaging drama with enough tension and angst to keep the story entertaining. I enjoyed this single mom, hockey romance book and look forward to reading more books from this author.

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

[Lady P]

Second Chance Secret Affair

Cole is a widower with two kids. He is the quiet one on the Blaze team. He believes he has lived his best life with his wife and this is now his life. Single and content with the hand he's been dealt.

Sloane is the psychiatrist hired by the Blaze team. She has already been thru a divorce and keeps every one at arms length. If you don't care then you can't be hurt.

Neither of them was ready for fate to intervene on a cold terrace at a mutual friend and team mate's wedding.

And fate is surely laughing when they both are thrown together to work on a Benefit event in honor of Cole's wife.

This is a secret affair. This story lays it all bare. The risk, the consequences, and the struggles.

Are you willing to sacrifice your career if you are exposed?

This story pulls you in from the beginning. By the second chapter you're vested! Make no mistake, this is no joy ride but the HEA is well worth all the emotions you experience during their journey.

Highly recommend.

[De Smith]

This book had me in all the feels from the first chapter until the last word. It pulled on heartstrings I didn’t even know I had. My heart was broken. And it was repaired, filled with love. Liam and Anne were absolutely amazing together. We got tension and beat and hurt and healing and so much love. The chemistry these two share was off the charts. So heated. You could feel it rolling off the page with every interaction. But it was their connection that had me swooning. It felt so genuine and natural. It still had its ups and downs. And past hurts had to be addressed for sure. But in the end those two were always meant to be. I couldn’t have been happier with the ending they got honestly. It felt perfect for this family. And I just have to say that Finn was the best character by far. He is so full of wit and personality. He was just such a sweet boy. And his budding relationship with Liam was the cutest thing ever.

[Rebecca A. Bamford]

Liam and Anne ❤️

I had never read a book from this author before, but I do love hockey romances. I was sucked in right From the moment I began. I was pleasantly surprised with this story and it was so much better than I expected. The agonizing decision Ann had to make at the beginning, not to tell Liam she was pregnant in order to let him have his life, and putting hers on the back burner for a bit, then five years later the way they met up again and reconnected as if nothing changed. She was his physical therapist and he was a hockey player needing help. The spark was still there. It had never left. I loved how this story unfolded and you could just feel the agony in Ann trying to find a way to tell Liam he had a son. I especially loved their little boy Finn. He was adorable and precocious and sweet and everything that was perfect for these two . I can’t wait to read the next story. I will now be a fan forever.

[D]

“A Lesson in Communication”

Anne & Liam are both strong characters.
* Anne is a top notch physical therapist.
* Liam is a great professional hockey player & good teammate.
* Finn, their son, is an amazing child.

In all aspects of life, communication is the key to any relationship. It is also the lack of communication that created a huge divide for Anne & Liam. As with any miscommunication, it stays misunderstood unless one or both parties asks for clarification instead of assuming they knew what the other person was thinking or meant. So much can be resolved &/or clarified if the parties just ask.

Read on to discover if they can unravel their misunderstanding / miscommunication & reunite what started as a wonderful relationship.

I hope you love this book as much as I did.

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

[Cathy Rodriguez]

Second chance romance and a baby that dad didn’t know existed. Who doesn’t love that storyline? This book doesn’t disappoint! The MMC is a hockey player and the FMC is physical therapist. Each realize their dream without discussing it with each other, not understanding how this will impact their lives. They meet again some years later when the FMC is to help with the recovery of a shoulder injury. The way the characters navigate old wounds, lingering feelings, and challenging of rebuilding trust kept me fully engaged and turning pages. It was endearing to see the MMC become the father Finn deserved. Loved Finn’s character, his interactions with his parents made me smile. Overall this was a great read

[Debdutch]

“Secret Baby for the Hockey Star” by Kayla Martyn

-A sweet second-chance hockey romance with plenty of emotion, chemistry, and family. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.

Liam and Anne’s reunion is filled with healing, forgiveness, and the realization that one misunderstanding changed both their lives. Little Finn is the true standout, bringing warmth, humor, and heart to every scene while Liam’s journey to becoming the father he never knew he was is especially touching.

With a secret baby, workplace proximity, and a satisfying happy ending, this is an engaging, emotional romance.

[Frances Paschall]

If you like stories involving athletes and lost and found again love, you’ll enjoy reading this book. Liam is at the top of his career, playing the game he’s always wanted to play, but there is something missing in his life. Just the description of his apartment might be symbolic of his life. The apartment is expensive, but there’s nothing vibrant about it. It’s just beautiful and sterile with no warmth. It’s only when Anne, the physical therapist starts working with Liam that his life starts to change for the better. Liam, Anne and Finn have an interesting story that’s both enjoyable and entertaining.

[Rachel]

First, being this book was an ARC read, this isn't an easy review. There were quite a few mistakes that made it a little frustrating. A lot of repetition as well as sequences that were out of order.

The author requested feedback and was very lovely to communicate with. I hope the feedback helps.

That being said, the story itself was a good one. It was emotional and the hockey games were exciting.

I enjoyed the story and wish the author well!

[Michelle Shamy]

I loved this. Anne walked away from Liam six years ago when he signed a Swedish hockey contract. She never told him she was pregnant. I loved that she pursued her dreams of being a physical therapist. And when stress added to help with a player, she heads in not thinking sniffing of it, but it Liam…my jaw dropped. Especially when all her feelings came flooding back. And then remind him they had a son…this was intense and sweet, and I loved every minute of this one.

[Marilyn Smith]

Good One

Liam and Anne date in college then he leaves to play for a team in Switzerland and she finds out she is pregnant. She doesn't tell him as she knows he would give up his career and come home and she is afraid he would regret it later. Five years later he is back playing for the team in St Louis and hurts his shoulder they call her to come give him therapy as she is the best. Really good story.

[Karen]

This enjoyable sports romance has drama, chemistry, steam, secrets, miscommunication, a reunion, a child, great secondary characters, and defined MCs who are intelligent, determined, talented, and meant to have a HEA. I enjoyed this entertaining and engaging book.

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

[Fiona Abbott]

OMG, where do I start….. absolutely loved everything about Anne and Liam’s story. Liam is most definitely book boyfriend material of the highest standard. Only reason it was a 4* is down to multiple plot errors which I’m certain will be rectified once highlighted. Fabulous read however.

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

[Desiree]

Loved this story. Finn is a hilarious five year old. I love this story for Anne and Liam also. It pulled on my heart strings because we all hope it will work out with the ones we love and we try to do right by them and ourselves only for life to show us something different than we planned. Waiting for Carter and Jess story next.

[Angee Owens]

Another great hockey romance by Kayla Martyn. The story had all the feels. The characters were made for each other. They had chemistry, banter, tension, humor, and a HEA. Great Job!.

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

[Michelle]

WOW!! So Good!!

Well written story and well developed characters. This book was fantabulous!
He chose his career over her.
She chose not to tell him about her pregnancy and making him give up his career.
They both chose wrong!!

[Myrna Moulton]

Great Read!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Characters development excellent, plot had enough twists that kept it interesting and realistic. Finn stole my heart. I highly recommend this book!❤️

[Amy]

Holy cow!! This book was awesome!!! There was so many parts that had me tearing up. And Finn was my top favorite. That boy was so fun to read about. His energy was contagious!.

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

[Cherrie B]

Great

Another great book by an amazing author. I truly enjoyed reading this book. It has a wonderful storyline and amazing characters and so much spice.

[Mary]

Brilliant book I loved it. Can't wait for next book.

[Maria Diaz-Gonzalez]

Family

This was a very catching story reuniting a family. I would of loved the ending for them to have expanded their family.

Loved the story.

[Reader]

3.5🌟