Doll

by Samantha Lane

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2026

Reviews

[Lidia]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review 💙

I thought Doll was such a cute story! Things definitely moved FAST at times, but I still really enjoyed the story and the characters.

I really liked the found family aspect too. I loved seeing the friends being there for Miles and Evie and how supportive everyone was of them.

One of my favourite parts was their questions game and how they used it to actually get to know each other. I thought that was such a cute way to build their relationship and learn more about them.

Miles is honestly a sweetheart through and through. He might seem like a grump to everyone else, but with Evie he was such a sweet guy. I do think he was a little dramatic about the whole “thing,” but at the same time, I understood why he was upset.

AND SADIE 🥹 I absolutely loved this part of the story. It was so cute and I was genuinely so happy for her.

Overall, Doll was a really cute and easy read, and I had a good time reading it. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re looking for a sweet romance with some fun characters and found family vibes!

4 stars from me! 💙

Thank you to Samantha Lane for the ARC! 💙

[Neeki Badiee]

⭐️⭐⭐.5/5

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I really wanted to love Doll, but something just kept falling short for me.

The story follows Evie, a woman in her late twenties, as she navigates a friendship-turned-friends-with-benefits-turned-relationship with Miles, a 22-year-old college hockey player. I absolutely loved their chemistry and the completely unjudgmental love they shared. There was something really sweet about the way they accepted each other and the relationship they built despite being in very different stages of life.

But the story itself felt incomplete in certain places. There were SO many chapters that ended on cliffhangers that didn’t really need to be cliffhangers. Sometimes I was literally thinking… you could’ve just given us the answer to the question before ending the chapter 😂. It started to feel more frustrating than suspenseful.

My biggest issue, though, was the ending. Evie’s “grand gesture” didn’t feel all that grand to me, but I could understand it as a way to open the door for reconciliation. Miles’ grand gesture, however??? After they hadn’t spoken for WEEKS?! That happened way too quickly for me. I needed to see them actually reconcile, talk through everything, and rebuild their relationship first. Normally, I’d expect a moment like his grand gesture to happen in the epilogue after we’ve gotten that resolution, not immediately after weeks of no contact.

Overall, Doll was an okay read. I loved Evie and Miles’ chemistry and the way they loved each other without judgment, but the pacing and some of the storytelling choices kept me from fully connecting with it. There was a lot of potential here; it just fell short for me in a few areas.

[Abbey Wales]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Doll was such a fun, spicy hockey romance and I really enjoyed Evie and Miles together! 🏒

Miles Parker is the tattooed, intimidating goalie who might look like he could scare just about anyone away, but underneath all of that he is SUCH a softie. Then we have Evie Sinclair, who works at Apple Ridge Senior Center and is older than Miles, and I loved having an age-gap romance where the FMC is the older one for a change! Their chemistry is there from the beginning (and trust me, this book wastes absolutely NO time on the spice), but I really enjoyed watching their relationship become something much sweeter as the story went on. Miles calling her “Doll”, his protective side, the hockey moments and all those little acts of care definitely won me over.

And then there’s Sadie. 🐶
The way she becomes such a cute part of Evie and Miles’ relationship was probably one of my favourite parts!

There are also some heavier moments underneath the romance, particularly surrounding Evie’s past, which gave the story a little more depth amongst all the hockey, friendships and spice.

Overall, a really enjoyable four-star read with plenty of spice, a tattooed hockey goalie who is secretly a giant softie and a couple I had so much fun rooting for.

Thank you so much to Samantha Lane and Love Notes PR for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Danielle Kramp]

Tropes:
Second chance romance
One night stand
Hockey romance
Older FMC
Miscommunication
Found family
Prior emotional abuse by family and ex
3rd act breakup
Grumpy/ sunshine
Micro trope:
He cums in his pants

I loved Miles. Goalies are literally the best! I love how Sadie and Miles connected immediately. How he took Sadie in because he saw a likeness in himself. I love how Evie took control of her sexuality when her previous partners did not give her what she deserved. Most of all i loved Ellen! The scene where Miles describes meeting Ellen had me dying laughing because I can literally picture my best friend turning into an Ellen when she gets old! Great book! Can’t wait to read the next book!

[Janine Taylor]

Doll is Book 2 in the Western Minnesota Hockey Series & another beauty by Samantha Lane!
Unfortunately it lost a star from me as it had a 3rd act breakup which I am not a fan of. I really thought the characters were mature enough to communicate properly to avoid this annoying trope.
Otherwise it was an amazing read & I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with Ryan & Ari!

🌸 I received this book as an ARC, and all opinions are my own🌸

[Dimitra]

Doll🧸
Firstly,I want to thank LoveNotes PR & Samantha Lane for trusting me with this ARC!🥥
what happened to hello,how are you,my name is?🫪
no ladies,STRAIGHT TO THE 🫚
Lane literally gifted us a spicy heaven for us to drown,without needing OR wanting to be saved from.
I completely fell in love with all her characters,not just Miles & Evie,our main stars,while the representation of care giving had their big moment in Doll's pages.Generally,the book flew by really,really quickly,leaving me waiting on pins and needles,until the release of the next romance in Western Minnesota Hockey universe.
Getting into the characters,I loved seeing women thrive in male dominated fields & my girl left him right there wondering what happened ON THE FIRST NIGHT🙂‍↕️. yep,a BIG clap for my lady,Evie.Apart from that,my girl is such a ray of sunshine,a true care taker ,not only in profession, and an amazing dog mom (Sadie 🐶 got so,so incredible lucky).During the story we see her falling in love,build her own character from scratch and truly navigate life,in the way she really wants it to be.Miles on the other side,has a specific place in my heart,because not only this boy is trying so hard to be tough,when he is just a little,cute golden retriever deep down at his heart,but also he will make a wonderful life for himself and his family,leaving behind each damn voice who wanted him down or even laughed at what he can or cannot achieve in his career.
Those two shared a spicy but deeply emotional romance,became each other comfort person since day one,& the beautiful impact they had on one another's life cannot be easily unseen.💝
Out On Sep,15th🏒
4⭐

[Bec]

This was a simple easy read focused on the romance of the main characters. The characters connections and relationships with the supporting cast had been established in the previous book which I had not read but I was still able to get a sense of the friendship group. Whilst I knew this was a romance going into the story I found that the book leaned to heavily into that aspect and the love scenes, I would have liked more character development alongside this. The main characters have emotional baggage from their pasts that has shaped who they are now and how they are in a relationship, this could have been explored further, making the characters more real and meaningful, leading more insight into the relationship the two are building. The addition of Sadie the dog was a nice aspect but again I felt that was rushed and nit fully explored to its potential.
I received an E-arc of this book from Love Notes Pr to review.

[Stephanie Poon]

I haven't read Firecracker, the first book to the Western Minnesota Hockey Series but it did not affect or impede my experience when reading Doll. I loved the mature and respectful relationship between Evie and Miles and how they healed their respective past trauma by being there for each other. Similar to other hockey romance series, Doll had an excellent balance between hockey, friendship, spice and romance and I couldn't put it down!

Doll was full of surprises and as a craft and dog lover, I loved Sadie and Ellen so so much!! I can't wait to read Samantha's next book for the series and will definitely check out Firecracker while I am at it!!

Would also love to take the opportunity to thank Samantha and Love Notes PR for giving me the chance to receive my first ever ARC!! Looking forward to future reads!!

[Nicole Wills]

Evie and Miles are perfect for each other! We fell in love with them in Firecracker, and I’m ecstatic with their story! It has that level of ‘what’s going to happen next’ that I’ve come to understand will always be in Sam’s book - and every moment is worth it. Evie really comes into her own and it’s so beautiful. Miles? Well, that soft grump is absolute perfection. I love him so much! He is the caretaker women dream about that only has eyes for Evie. Sadie and Ellen definitely steal the show with crafts and stuffed ducks (iykyk) - they will have you laughing hysterically, I promise. As in any relationship, there are hiccups but stick around. It’s worth the ride! I genuinely cannot wait to see what Sam writes next!

[Gia]

once I started this ARC I couldn’t stop! It’s such a solid sports romance that pulls you in from the beginning with lingering questions of “Wait… What happened? Why’d ___ leave????” Evie & Miles are so sweet. I was sold with sports romance, adoptable therapy dog, and sweet relationship/found family with a senior adult. the only thing I did not love was the third act breakup trope. They loved and cared for each other so deeply that it was not believable that Miles would shut down on Evie like that. The ending is satisfying and sets up Ari’s story so well that I will be diving into the next book.

Thank you so much LoveNotesPR for my advanced copy!

[Aleksandra]

Doll is a fun, spicy hockey romance with a tattooed goalie, an older FMC, and plenty of chemistry. I loved Evie and Miles together, especially their mature, respectful relationship and the way they help each other heal from their pasts. Miles’ protective softie side and his “Doll” nickname completely won me over, while Sadie added an adorable touch. The story balances hockey, romance, friendship, and spice beautifully. My only complaint is that I wanted more of Evie and Miles’ story!

[ReadingWithNikki]

Review to come