The Penalty Game: A Steamy Second Chance Hockey Romance

by Maddie Langley

Genres: Second Chance

422 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 20, 2026

Reviews

[Kristen Kelley]

I had the honor of Beta reading The Penalty game. Be prepared to laugh at the antics this found family gets into and cry, but I promise they will be happy tears.

Liam and Quinn stole my heart! I knew I would love their story after a few glimpses of them in The Blind Side. I loved how patient Liam was with Quinn, how he steadily proved he was the man she deserved, and how hard Liam put in the work.

"This. The way I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin if I don't touch something, hit something, do something." My voice cracks on the last word. "Alcohol isn't my root problem. It's the cover-up. It's the lie I tell myself. You're my addiction and my cure, Quinn. You always have been. And I don't know how to be in the same space as you without losing my mind."

The Penalty Game is a love story about second chances and takes you through the hard road of finding their way back to each other, sharing hard truths, slowly deconstructing walls until the full truth is present in front of them with a decision to put those walls back up or to finally bet on them and take the risk.

It was so beautifully written and handled with care as it addresses addiction. Having experience with a family member with addiction, I read the warning prior to reading and - I cannot stress this enough - Maddie handled this with so much care and love. ❤️

[Kayla Berger]

I have actually only read one hockey romance that wasn’t Why Choose before this, and that was Mile High by Liz Tomforde. I absolutely LOVED Mile High, so the fact that The Penalty Game somehow ranked even higher for me says a lot.

Second-chance romances already have such an emotional feeling to them, but Liam and Quinn’s story hit different. Seeing how broken Liam was absolutely broke my heart, but watching him work through everything and become the man Quinn always needed him to be made it so worth it.


Some of the topics in this book hit very close to home for me, and I honestly think that personal emotional connection made me love it even more.

They say some love stories are written in the stars, and that’s exactly how Liam and Quinn felt to me. Two people who went through such a hard time, lost themselves, lost each other, and somehow still found their way back. Watching Liam change, grow, and fight for her while Quinn slowly let those walls come down was everything.

Another thing I absolutely loved was the found family throughout the series. The banter between the team, the way they all show up for each other, and all of those little moments between them truly brought the whole book together. It made me even more excited to see what’s coming next for the rest of this series.

I’ve been in such a reading slump lately, and it’s been a LONG time since I’ve been able to sit down and read an almost 500-page book in about 7 hours…but The Penalty Game had me completely hooked from start to finish. 🏒🤍

This one is definitely going to stick with me for a while.

[Kris]

Austin Stampede Hockey: Liam & Quinn

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh, this one hurt.
This was quite an emotional and hard-hitting second-chance romance, and Maddie Langley did such a great job building the tension between Liam and Quinn. Their history, the hurt, and everything left unsaid made their journey back to each other feel hard-won.

The alcohol addiction storyline was handled in a way that really showed the impact it can have… not just on the person struggling, but on the people who love them.
Please, mind your triggers for this one.

Liam’s reasons for his actions were absolutely heartbreaking, and seeing him finally face his demons and do the work made his redemption arc that much more satisfying. He never stopped loving Quinn, and you could feel it.

I also loved the team dynamics and found-family chaos. There were some lighter moments to balance out the heavier subject matter, and the romance had plenty of tension, chemistry, and spice.

An emotional, angsty, but not overly angsty, second chance where he has to earn his way back into her heart.
And honestly?
I was rooting for them. 

Thanks, Maddie, for the opportunity to be an early reader.

[Kirsten Valencia]

Thanks for making a girl cry on a Tuesday morning, Maddie!

This book is for the ones that love a hockey romance with a big personality MMC and a highly intelligent, independent FMC. Unlike the 1st book in this series, this book discusses deeper topics of alcoholism, miscarriage, and mental health struggles. It has deep moments and light hearted moments with the gang. Then BAM 💥, the spicy springs on you and you are in it to win it.

I appreciate the brotherhood and sisterhood of the characters, the routines of Wing Wednesday, and the display of true struggles in life. Relationships are not always easy, but the right one, is worth the fight.

[Leanne | Reading Between Games]

First of all, thank you Maddie for the ARC of The Penalty Game 🩷 All thoughts are my own and honest opinion. I am grateful that I got to read this early because I’ve been impatiently waiting for Liam (aka Crash) and Quinn!

This book touches on sensitive topics so be sure to check out the triggers beforehand. That being said, Maddie discusses two sensitive and important topics in the book with absolute grace.

The Penalty Game brought out so many emotions in me. I love the depth of her characters and at the same time the humour and banter she brings.

Highly suggest reading The Blindside and then The Penalty Game. Then you can patiently wait with me for the next book 😜

[Elizabeth Neal]

Thoughts:

1. Based upon things said or implied in the first book (regarding why they broke up and Liam's "activities" since), I'll probably skip this.