Astrid has a 1 night stand, this is what she is used to. But when she realizes he lives upstairs from her and is on her father’s hockey team things get interesting! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Walk Of Shame is a hot hockey romantic comedy, as you know I love a good hockey romance. Unfortunately, this one did not do it for me. Something was missing for me between the two main characters and the whole storyline.

It started off really well and I was invested, it's probably the only reason I continued it. But once the spice started I felt like the plot just got stagnant. Their relationship was very superficial, I didn't feel any growth.

I didn't feel the love between them or was truly rooting for them. I needed more yearning and angst to make me crave them together. I really wanted to love it more, but it fell flat for me.

🎧 The narration by Robert Hatchet & Savannah Peachwood was very enjoyable they made me stick through the story with their performance. They were funny and played their parts well.

✨️ Thank you to @netgalley & RB Media for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC (Advanced Listener Copy)!

Walk of shame is the second book in the downside to dating series, though it can be read as a standalone.

Astrid has decided that dating is no longer for her after being left at the alter by her childhood sweetheart. Years later she has perfected the art of one night stands. She meets Cal who she can’t seem to stay away from despite the fact that they have to work together.

The attraction was strong with these two! They tried so hard to stay away and keep things professional. Cal is sweet and swoon worthy! I loved the growth we got to see from Astrid over time as she got closer to Cal. She finally found someone who was worth of her time and attention. Cal helped her heal in a way she didn’t even know she needed.

Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood do a fantastic job bringing the story of life. I like that each character had their own voice, it all blended very well together! They are both new to me narrators and I can’t wait go hear more from them!

Very spicy. Not much plot. There is a lot of chemistry between the two main characters but not much else. The audiobook narrators for Astrid was great. Her performance felt nuanced - as nuanced as it could be with the character. There were some plusses when it came to the supporting characters. I enjoyed Astrid's dad along with his supporting hockey family. Overall, there are a ton of hockey and hockey adjacent romances on the market today and this wasn't the best.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read and enjoyed Flynn's precious works

I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did!! It had spice and wit! I was laughing and crying while reading. What a fun read.

Sexy and full of fun banter!! Bailey really brings the spice in this one!! I was laughing all the way through! Love how easy and fun this book was the time flew by.

(audiobook) There wasn’t much of a story–they meet, they have what’s supposed to be a one night stand, but they end up working together, they seduce each other, one tiny setback then happily ever after. The characters and their struggles were interesting though, and it was a lot of fun, and a lot of sexy.

After being left at the altar, Astrid writes off serious relationships and hockey at the same time. Cal is supposed to be one more notch on her bedpost, except the man lives in her building, and he works for the hockey team her father coaches. Where her dad asks her to come back to work. With the groom that never was. Too many complications for someone who’s trying to figure out her life.

Cal isn’t that more stable. He’s just lost the one thing that was most important in his life: his career as a hockey player, after a serious injury. This job as a coach is his one chance at staying relevant. But what happens when he realizes there are things more important than hockey?

Their relationship is what helps them heal, help them going forward. They support each other right from the start, which was nice, since they barely know each other. But there’s an instant connection between them. They also have great interactions with other characters–their family, their friends, their co-workers, even their so called enemies. The book works a lot on conversations and interactions. That’s where you find the funny, and the deep feelings too.

As for the level of steam, it’s pretty high. Astrid and Cal start with a bang, and they never let go. There definitely is a lot of attraction between them.

I’d have liked to have a more developped plot, but it works as it is. There are still some interesting themes like relationships with family members. And great side characters.

And the narration is perfect. The female narrator expresses all nuances of Astrid–her strengths and her softer side–and the male narrator’s voice matches with older Cal. They both give life to their character, and they sound good in the duet style texting chapters. Spot on on the funny and the sexy.

Quickie

- Series: Downside of dating #2 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #hockey romance #workplace romance #age gap
- Triggers: N/A
- Main couple: Astrid O’Malley & Cal Madsen
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + how Cal seduces Astrid
- – such a thin plot

Goodness! I love me some Avery Flynn. I was excited about Walk of Shame and loved listening to it. I am not great at audio books, but this one had my workouts flying. The two narrators Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood are both spot on with the voices for Cal and Astrid. Even though is not a duet I still heard their respective voices in my mind. Very funny and very spicy. Avery Flynn knocks it out of the park with laugh out loud RomCom and spicy spiciness. So good.

I am definitely in my sports romance era and this book kicked so many goals for me. I listened to this as an audio book and the narrators, Robert Hatchet and Savannah Peachwood, were amazing! Mind you Robert could read my shopping list and it would sound hot. However, I really enjoyed the plot and the character growth of both main characters. The dual POV worked really well. The spice was fantastic! Overall a great listen.

I had no idea Avery Flynn wrote so many books. I'll be going back to read her back catalogue.

Big thanks to Netgalley, RB Media and Avery Flynn for an early release copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.

If you love sports directed rom-coms with heavy spice, you can't go wrong with Avery Flynn and this book follows suit.

Astrid grew up on the ice with her hockey coach dad. When her goalie fiance dumps her at the altar for another hockey opportunity, she is done with men and done with hockey. Until a stranger comes in to shake up her hockey hating ways...

#netgalley
#walkofshame

This was an enjoyable contemporary romance, with some spicy scenes and excellent narrators, but it didn’t feel particularly memorable to me and I actually found myself wanting a bit more angst (something I rarely search for) and more of an emotional connection. I’m admittedly not a fan of insta-lust anyway, but at the very least I need something more to believe in the couple. They had some banter and the Diet Coke surprises were fun, but I felt like I was missing something.

One thing I will take from this book though is the relaxation trick to picture a porch swing, swinging back and forth as you inhale and exhale, slowing the rate of your breath as you slowly swing back and forth. That one works well for me!

I found this romance to be based more on sex than any emotional connection. I didn't feel anything towards the characters despite the story being mildly interesting. I do enjoy hockey romances so maybe I'm more interested in hockey than I thought previously. I did enjoy the dual point of view and that came across really well in the audiobook. The narrators did a great job bringing life to this book.

This audiobook was so cute! I really enjoyed it and I will be picking up a copy of it as well. I liked the flow of the book and the fact that it wasn't *Instalove* Don't get me wrong, I love a good instalove story, but this is more "I like him but don't want to admit it to myself." However, I didn't find it to be annoying, it was actually really cute. Very steamy, but also an amazing plot. It had a not seen before plot line, which was fresh and new for me. The spice was SPICY, but it didn't seem unrealistic. Astrid was such a well-developed character, who came across confident at times, as well as well as shy in other situations. I really enjoyed how Astrid developed over the course of the book. Cal was so perfect too. Their banter made me laugh out loud and they both pulled at my heartstrings throughout the book. The world building was very good and I could picture the world that the author put them in. I also really liked the narrator and the story didn't go too quickly or too slowly. Highly recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded books for this audiobook for review. I have read books by Avery Flynn before so I was excited to read another one. I didn’t know going in that this was book #2 in a series, but, honestly, it didn’t seem to matter. Main character is Astrid, whose life revolved around hockey, until 5 years ago when her super star professional hockey goalie fiancé stood her up at the wedding. Oh, and her dad is his coach. Since then, it’s been no attachments, no hockey. One night only fun times, until she meets a guy, hooks-up with him, only to later find out- he lives in her building AND works in hockey with father. What’s a girl to do?! Would have enjoyed more banter and storyline with the meet up/sexy times between these two, but overall this was short and fun. Audiobook was narrated both characters well and fit with each person’s personality and storylines.

One night. No strings. And a really good puck.

Astrid has sworn off dating and hockey players for good. After being jilted at the altar by her pro hockey goalie fiance, she's made some big changes. After spending a year banging it out around the world, she's back home and settled in with some new life rules to protect herself. No dating, she won't mix sex with anything that might resemble a date. No repeats, one night only . No hockey talk. No hockey players. She never counted on Cal though...
The meet cute here is so good, and it just builds from there. Avery Flynn handles the humor and spice with real finesse, blending both so they don't lose their punch. If spicy rom-coms are your thing, look no further! The characters have depth and motivations that make sense within the story, and the pacing just builds the tension the whole way through. As an oldest daughter, the idea that Cal sees that she takes care of everyone and wants to be the one to take care of her...SWOON. There are some surprises to be had in this book, and some things I didn't see coming as it ended.
Savannah Peachwood is high on my list of favorite female narrators, but this is the first time I've heard Robert Hatchet do his thing, and I am here for it! The spice is SPICING here, and both narrators do a fantastic job of keeping it hot and not sliding into cringe or awkwardness. This is a really fun listen, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB media for the ALC and opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the audiobook distributer for providing me with a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.

Walk of Shame was such a fun, spicy, hockey romance! I loved that it had a dual POV and two different narrators that were truly awesome and perfect for the characters of Cal and Astrid! I really enjoyed listening to each of their stories and how they grow throughout the book. The supporting characters were also great as well! Even though this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did. But now I plan on going back and reading the first book in the series! Overall great story, great characters, and great audiobook!

Thank you go NetGalley and RB Media my advanced reader audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Walk of Shame fits into the trope of hockey spicy romances that have been a hit lately! That being said, I felt the content was predictable and lacked originality given the trope. However, the spice and romance was top notch. The narrators were very good at holding your attention while telling the story. I think the inclusion of the little romantic things (ie Diet Cokes, kittens, etc) were a nice touch of nostalgia of falling in love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a funny story! I loved Cal and Astrid and their banter. They were great characters and I was so glad they became a couple. This story was funny and was a great romance novel.

Walk of Shame was funny, cute, and spicy. It's also a sports romance, but it's light sports. I know the bare minimum about hockey, and I could easily follow along.
Astrid was a great FMC. I'm glad she stood up for herself and didn't let herself fall into old habits while still being able to support her dad like she wanted to. She was whip smart, sassy, and confident yet she had a soft side about her.
Cal was a perfect MMC. I also liked how he did research and listened to her so he could find little ways to surprise her. Those parts were sweeter than their declarations of love.
Astrid and Cal's banter was top notch. The spice was fantastic. And I'm soooo glad there wasn't a love triangle plot as I feared there would be in the beginning.
One of the best characters was the nosy old next door neighbor. Her don't take shit and boss bitch attitude was hilarious.

I felt the narrators were perfect for their characters. They did an amazing job! I was able to listen at my normal speed of 3x speed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend!
4/5.

I LOVED THIS!!!! It was so funny and hilarious. Also any hockey romance is going to be a win from me. The character development was amazing as well for a romcom. I loved both our main characters and the audiobook narration was phenomenal! Of course Astrid’s one night stand ended up being her neighbor. The relationship between Astrid and her dad was also really sweet. Can’t wait to read more from her❤️