Taking a Shot

by Taylor Leigh

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2026

About the author

Taylor Leigh writes contemporary hockey romance with steam, sarcasm, and just enough emotional damage to keep things interesting.

Welcome to the Wolfpack. 🏒

Reviews

[Natalie]

Book Review 🏒
↳ Taking a Shot by Taylor Leigh

Taylor Leigh is the new queen of hockey romance.

Honestly, hear me out because this is a masterclass. Taking a Shot so perfectly captures every thing I love about the genre. It’s the perfect blend of butterfly inducing romance, sizzling chemistry, sexual tension, intelligent wit and true emotional depth. It’s incredible how the author has blended all the best elements of hockey romance into a heartfelt and meaningful piece of prose.

We first meet Brett, the MMC, and you wouldn’t be remiss to think you’re in for another hockey bad boy persona, but Taylor is clever because what she’s done is take a character you so easily could have brushed off as just another hockey jock and made him an emotionally intelligent so called bad boy, with a complex past that unravels as the story goes on. The author plays with elements of assumption vs reality and provides a realistic reflection of professional hockey. This isn’t a fluffy romance with no substance, Taylor Leigh’s knowledge of hockey is clearly evident.

The MFC, Chelsea, like Brett is written in a way that you instantly gravitate to her from the outset. She’s real and feels like someone you’d want to know in real life. Together their chemistry feels natural, the banter with the growing sexual tension, the undeniable pull they have and the intimacy of their relationship throughout was outstanding.

This is one of the strongest hockey romances to come out in recent years and I can’t wait to see what comes next for this series.

[Deepa]

“And coming from the man I respect more than anyone on the planet? Well. I don’t quite know how to parse that.”

I first read Taking a Shot as spin off series to Taryn Taylor Leigh’s Portland Storm series in 2023. This is an ONS to something more romance. We follow our once wide‑eyed rookie, Brett Sillinger, years later, after he is forced to leave the Portland Storm for the Montana Wolfpack, the only team willing to give his career a last shot.

It is in Montana that Brett meets Chelsea London, daughter of the owner of the Montana Wolfpack and the team’s charity coordinator. Chelsea is also looking for fresh start of her own.

“Respect the sanctity of the Lambo. This is a truth zone.”

The truth is I held a breath until I knew for sure that Brett was still the same person deep down. I can like things multiple ways. I will adapt. But I do love hard and loyally. I waited until I was sure both times around. He is never not going to be a younger bro but he is the lead. That comes with poise, dashingness, and seduction. It’s his time:

1) I think the series feels more grown up than the first rendition of the book. Like I remember both our leads being more nervous and emotional and coming in with that in tow. ( And I loved it . They were my people. Still are.) This rendition is less nerves and more settled in. They’re both kinda calmer. If that’s a thing. I think it is.

2. Chelsea gets more filled in backstory. I think seeing Andrew in the picture is something I’m looking forward to. Hey everyone is finding love. I kinda wanna know what’s up with Ruby and his life.

3. Shanna —I gave her such a hard time round 1. I loved the fight and it’s still here. I think it’s the kind of real prob I wanna see. Friends are afraid to change in front of each other. Talk about it.

4. Portland Storm by Taryn Taylor Leigh- I love Portland Storm so much. I am not a hockey reader dude. I started this series after the Business of Pleasure series. I think the author is a pro. I just loved her dynamics, fights ( arguments —that’s where it’s really at for me) and the romance. This was my first hockey series. I stay picky because PS really set the bar high. Strong heroines, contemplative male leads, friendships, and whole lot of sincerity.

5. Newbies-- I love having new relationships, bromances, mentees, and just the whole roster. I have got theories. I love opening that up past Portland. ( I will say I was so shocked PS would drop Brett like that. But it did pay off. )

At my core, I love a character who wants love they see others have and it’s low key eating them up inside. I just think learning to see yourself clearly is never a one‑off. Starting life anywhere, leaving your roots, or merely changing is scary. Again, I am so risk averse. Like I alluded earlier I was little sad to think PS would drop my boy. I really needed Montana Wolfpack to make that worth it.I think it has been.

I want to thank Taylor Leigh for providing an arc in exchange for a honest review.

[Lamia Amiri]

Well i would like to start with a thank you to the author for sending me this book as an ARC. I’m so happy i got to be a part of the asvanced readers of this book.

So i looooved it i liked how the intimacy beyween them is threw the whole book not after like half of around 70% or they just do have spice moment at the begining and then to the end no its was good even graduate threw the book it felt like a real thing not a book romance. For once a ONS doesn’t end up with a pregnancy 🤣.
Chealsee is a badass boss i looooved how she always tries and does her best and goes after what she wants to. I liked how bret was soooo gone for her and crazy with her.

The funy banter and jokes yep those were hilarious.

I’m still lost on the whole wolfpack there was a lot of names to hold but i’m so exited to read all there books.
Coop and lainey i need there book seriously they are hooot spot couple.

I loved the novella its was sexy spicy and funny and this one even moooore.

The only thing that bothered me and stopped me feom giving this book a total 5 ⭐️ was the fact that Chelsea came back to him both times they had a fight i mean yeah he was open to her ect but i wanted him to grovel a little at least after HE broke up with her. She has a good reason for not watching the whole video i wouldn’t to if i was in her place. She had shit to deal with to and i wanted him to stand up for her i feot like she did the whole effort in there story more wich i liked from the FMC but i needed from the MMC.
Still i enjoyed it and finish it in one day

Can’t wait for the next books. Gives is all the team please give me a serie of 10 books i’m up for it 😍😍😍😍 i’m a hockey lover

[Emily Moore]

ARC review of Taking a Shot

Give me a hockey romance, and I will read it! This was a super fun workplace romance about a hockey player (obviously) and event director for said hockey team’s charity foundation.

Having spent most of her life being the “obedient good girl”, Chelsea wants to switch things up and just be bad for once. What she doesn’t account for is the stranger she has a one night stand with is actually the newest member of the team she works for. Things quickly become awkward when she realizes she has to hide her relationship and attraction towards a coworker, and Brett just wants to find love after having his heart sent through the wringer. I think both characters flow together so well because of their past and childhood traumas, but they give each other time to heal, grow and evolve, which only makes their relationship stronger.

The banter and flirting were in full force throughout the book, and the fairy tale jokes were spot on🤣 If you love a sweet, sappy, funny hockey romance - make sure to add to your tbr!

Tropes:
🏒Workplace Romance
🏒Secret Hookups
🏒He falls first
🏒Found Family
🏒Forbidden relationship

[Kirsten Valencia]

ARC Book Review— Taking a Shot by Taylor Leigh

Let’s talk about the magic of Chelsea and Brett— hockey team owners daughter, she’s a good girl whom runs the charity events, and he is the newest guy on daddy’s hockey team with a paper trail for nothing good but his stats. Okay, that was long winded! But they are so good together!

The Vibes:
•They met at a bar— she didn’t know who he was, but they instantly knew what they had was different.
•His reputation— he is known for being a messy man in the streets, but a beast on the ice. He comes from an ice hockey playing family, stuck in hand at age 3.
•Her image— she is the good girl, the responsible, reliable girl. The one who notices the smallest details and makes all appear “perfect.” But deep down, she wants to do something different, be something different. Be happy.

This is not a clean, meet fall in love and live happily ever after situation. It is messy. It is trying. But it is wonderful in the end! @taylorleighromance made this realistic, she gave us just enough spice, and she gave you some warm hugs throughout.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#rookiemistake #hockeyromance #hockeyread

[Randi Braun]

I loved this book! I stumbled across this author on social media, signed up to be an arc reader and boy am I glad I did! I’m already anticipating the next book come October!

This is the perfect hockey romance that features a ONS, forced proximity, boss’s daughter, bad boy rep. There was the perfect amount of banter and spice which made this book such a good read.

Brett comes off as a total bad boy with tattoos and a reputation that makes you judge a book by its cover, while Chelsea is his total opposite who settles for easy and everything good. What I love about these characters is that they are nothing like they are originally perceived and it’s so fun getting to know them throughout the book.

The author makes references to another series about the Portland Storm and you can bet that I’m going to go back and read that one too! I can’t wait to see how the rest of this series evolves!

[Belle Y]

5⭐️/3🔥

I ADORE BRETT AND CHELSEA. ADORE.

I love their dynamic - the good girl and the bad boy, but they’re both so much more than that. Theres an aspect of inversion to the dynamic, in that Brett truly wants a chance with Chelsea, and Chelsea wants to keep things casual (-ish…. we all know how this goes).

We get to see them become friends as much as fall in love, and find that one person they can be truly vulnerable with, which both desperately needed. They’re there for each other, teasing apart the hard emotions - when Brett’s niece is born, when Chelsea’s brother gets the promotion. It’s a beautiful relationship we have the privilege of experiencing.

Don’t sleep on this one, y’all. I’m telling you - it’s one to read, and an author to watch.

[Erica]

I have to admit, I'm a bit undecided on this one. I saw an author account post ARC applications on socials and saw them mention they were somewhat local to me. I love Hockey Romance, I follow hockey, I was like yes! I want to support an author close to home.

Review Update *The Amazon listing is definitely revamped from years ago, happy to see that the author is re-releasing this team, just wish it was a bit more clear to her ARC readers so it didn't look so shifty*

The story itself had sooo much promise for tropes I enjoy, the forbidden owner's daughter, a bad rep player that gets traded to a new team after too much drama, unknown identity ONS, like so many good things. I really enjoyed the novella prologue too so I was looking forward to the first full length couple.

Maybe it's just I'm reading too much, but it fell a little flat. Like the outside noise in the book overshadowed all of the things that I was looking forward to. The spice had potential to be super spicy and build tension, but it felt like they were fighting with their own identities and futures more than the forbidden/spice they had together.

Not to say it was a bad book, I still read it in a few sittings and got through it fine, but when I finished I went oh okay.

Thank you to Taylor for providing this couple in advance, I'm interested to see where the series goes, but I may wait to see how quickly they release and read a few back to back to get into the team more next time.

[Readbyines]

Wow!!! I loved this book, it was perfect.
And the novella about Shep and Peyton was amazing.
This book was a great introduction to this series and these characters. I loved the banter between Brett and Chelsea, even though some people might find it a bit childish, I loved the references they kept making.
The whole forbidden vibe, because she's the team owner's daughter, was done to perfection.
As for Brett's ex, I think we can all agree that we hate her and that nobody deserves to go through what Brett went through at her hands.
I have no more words... I simply loved this book.
I can say that many of the other team members intrigued me, and I can't wait for what's coming next.
Thank you so much for the ARC.

[Bi’s Reading Journal]

4,5
What a delightful hockey romance! 🥰🥰

Couldn’t put it down. I loved watching a one-night stand turn into something so much more special.

Loved every second of it! 💕