Undercover 101

Monarch College Hockey #3

by Melanie Ting

Evie Smith has waited her whole life to attend Monarch College and find a place where she finally fits in. So when her first weeks are painfully awkward—wrong clothes, wrong references, wrong everything—she’s ready to crawl back into her shell. Then a group of Alpha Zeta Mu sorority sisters make Evie an enticing offer: a makeover, a fast-track into the top sorority, and even lessons in flirting. All Evie has to do in return is date campus heartbreaker Viktor Zelenko long enough to make him fall hard, then dump him on behalf of every girl he’s ever discarded. Simple…right?

Viktor, captain of the Monarch Mustangs hockey team, is used to being wanted. What he’s not used to is being targeted. He takes one look at Evie’s too-perfect glow-up and clocks the setup immediately, rejecting her before she can even lace up her lies. Except when Evie lands in trouble at a frat party, it’s Viktor who shows up, annoyingly heroic, unfairly handsome, and nothing like Alpha Zeta Mu promised. And the more time he spends with the real Evie—brainy, earnest, and quietly brave—the more Viktor believes she's his dream girl made just for him.

But Evie’s new life is built on a plan she can’t confess, and Viktor’s reputation makes trust a full-contact sport. As their relationship shifts from revenge to something real and the Alpha Zeta Mu sisters become increasingly hungry for payback, Evie and Viktor will have to decide whether what’s growing between them can survive the truth…or if the secret that brought them together will end it before it really begins.

This revenge-plot-turned-real-deal hockey romance is the third book in the Monarch College Hockey series!

273 pages, ebook

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

Melanie Ting is a U.S.A.Today best-selling author of hockey romances. Her books include: the Vancouver Vice hockey series; the Holiday Hat Trick trilogy of holiday romances; and Hockey is My Boyfriend—a choose your own ending love triangle.

Reviews

[Pearl Nkomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Melanie Ting for kindly sending me an ARC copy of Undercover 101!

This book felt like watching an early 2000s rom-com in all the best ways. It has fake dating, college shenanigans, hockey, found family, and two characters who slowly realize that what started out as pretending has become something very real.

Evie is desperate to earn a place in the Alpha Zeta Mu sorority, and when she's tasked with getting close to campus hockey star Viktor, it seems simple enough. Of course, nothing goes according to plan, and watching their fake relationship turn into something genuine was such a joy.

What really made this book stand out for me was the emotional depth beneath the fun premise. I deeply related to Evie's desire to belong and to find people who truly accept her. Her journey felt authentic, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way.

Viktor was equally compelling. While everyone else sees the popular hockey player, he's quietly carrying the weight of worrying about his family in Ukraine during the ongoing war while remaining devoted to his teammates and the Monarch Mustangs. That vulnerability added so much heart to his character and made him far more than just the stereotypical campus athlete.

Beyond the romance, I absolutely loved the friendships. Mia, the Alpha Zeta Mu sisters, and the hockey team all made Monarch College feel like a real community. The banter, support, and chaos of college life were so much fun to read, and every side character added something to the story.

The romance itself was incredibly sweet. I loved that this was essentially the first real relationship for both Evie and Viktor, making every milestone feel meaningful. Their connection develops naturally through trust, friendship, and genuine care for one another, which made me fall in love with them even more.

This book completely pulled me out of a reading slump and was exactly the feel-good summer read I needed. If you're looking for a college hockey romance with fake dating, lovable characters, heartfelt friendships, and plenty of rom-com charm, I'd definitely recommend Undercover 101.
An easy 5-star read! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Alyssa Reads and Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undercover 101 is a delightful college hockey romance. Perfect for Off Campus fans who love a fish out of water story, Melanie Ting expands her Monarch Hockey world with engaging characters along with some real world reality checks.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Evelyn is having a tough time adapting to college life in Minnesota after a lifetime of overseas homeschooling. She has her heart set on pledging a sorority, and is devastated when she doesn’t get in. So when a few of the sisters come to her with a wacky revenge plan against heartbreaker hockey captain Viktor, she agrees. Only, it turns out the two have already met and Evelyn definitely made a lasting impression. Oops. Can she still capture Viktor’s interest, and then break up with him according to the mean girls’ plan? Does Viktor even have time for this nonsense, with hockey season, classes, and his other responsibilities?

Read Undercover 101 if you love:
🏒 Hockey romance
🥅 Fish out of water MC
🏒 Found family
🥅 MCs who love consent
🏒 Awkward meet cute
🥅 Smart characters
🏒 Real world issues
🥅 Lots of chemistry and steam

While the initial plot is a little convoluted, it’s such a charming book once Evie and Viktor are together. They have wonderful chemistry, and both see qualities in each other that they don’t show the world at large. And the found family of hockey players is terrific; while this book is part of the Monarch Hockey universe, it’s easy to read as a standalone.

Undercover 101 is fun book, and it’s also rooted in some real life issues along with the fantasy of college hockey hotties. It’s great spending time with Evelyn and Viktor, and watching both of them figure out how to adapt to their current situations. If you are looking for a college hockey romance to read poolside this summer, you can’t go wrong with Melanie Ting’s latest story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this ebook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Chelsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good set-of-three interrelated series and Melanie Ting writes some of my favorite series! Though her books can be read in standalone novels, I think it makes the most sense to read them in order. The Monarch College Hockey series is set in Minnesota and features hero characters, who play on the men’s ice hockey team with fun, thoughtful females, who also attend Monarch College. This is the final book of the series and all were full of romance, banter, and teammate camaraderie.

In Undercover 101, the hotshot captain and the sheltered, socially awkward heroine meet in the funniest of ways - makes you think twice about those noise-cancelling headphones. With the dual POVs, Melanie gives the reader a glimpse into both the male perspective and female perspective through the timeline of their relationship and both the hero and heroine are very introspective. Even though the plot weaves gently through the topic of war and safety of loved ones overseas, I thought Melanie did a wonderfully beautiful job to navigate through the human reactions and emotions through a difficult topic. There are also lighthearted, funnier moments as the characters move through everyday college life.

This book had me reminiscing about my college days. I love Melanie’s writing and the character dialogue is always witty and hilarious. I can tell that she put in a lot of research to give her characters such wonderful depth and personas. This was a heartwarming happily ever after read and the perfect way to wrap up the Monarch College series.

*Thank you to the author for the reader copy. This review is a reflection of my honest thoughts.*

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book in the series yet — and that’s saying a lot because I loved all the others too! I’d been waiting for Big Z’s story and this did not disappoint. I don’t think I’ve ever read a revenge plot trope but I couldn’t put this book down. Evie is an adorable little weirdo and I loved seeing her come out of her shell and make friends. I just really liked that there was more depth and heart to this story. Plus her chemistry with Viktor was off the charts 🥵 10/10 and as per usual will read anything Melanie writes!