While maybe a little too graphic for me, the love story was amazing and beautiful. I loved Josh and Sara together and I appreciated the hockey aspect of their relationship. I thought some dialogue like Sara's fan interactions were a little too cliche but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Whenever I get my hands on a new Kelly Jamieson book, I should know better than to try and get anything done that day. Sara is an influencer with a very popular YouTube channel and a Podcast. She tries not to show things as shiny and perfect - but as real, open, honest, funky, and silly. She's been almost entirely focused on her job for the last six years. Her publicist sets up an interview with Josh Heller, new team member of the New York Bears, and she and Josh really hit it off. Josh is a member of a big time hockey family (hellllooooo Heller family - I've really missed you!) He was also involved in the tragic bus crash that killed many of his teammates and critically injured him. Since that time Josh has been all about control. He doesn't like surprises and he likes everything planned and totally known in advance. Sara is 100% the opposite of that. She is spontaneous and truly vibrant. They are very much an opposites attract situation.

I loved that Josh gave Sara the support she needed to stay true to herself and her style. He really grounded her. Sara, in turn, gives Josh the emotional openness he is desperately in need of and a little touch of controlled chaos.

Overall - this book just made me happy. Even when I was crying over some of the incredibly emotional moments - I was just glad I read the book.

I do want to put a content warning on here about some unexpected content <spoiler> the death of a child from cancer. Its beautifully written and important to Josh's overall arc as a character.</spoiler>.

Overall - I have been loving this and I am hoping for at least another book about Josh and Easton's old friend Hunter (at least). I'd love to read about some of the other teammates too - the brief glimpse we had into Red left me very curious!

If you love hockey romances (like me) - this is definitely one for you!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Ever since his near-death experience, Josh had an aversion to spontaneity. He liked to plan things in advance and would rather his life be predictable and boring than filled with unknown surprises. During a podcast interview, Josh met Sara. There were sparks, and the two immediately clicked, but she liked to live by the seat of her pants. Will Sara's impromptu ways keep Josh from giving her his heart?

I was really looking forward to this book after finishing Must Love Dogs...and Hockey. There, I learned a bit about Josh's backstory as it related to Easton. These two had been avoiding the fallout following the accident for many years, and I loved that fate brought them back into each other's lives so they could fix what was broken. This was a small part of the story, but I was glad to see it dealt with, and there's a part of me hoping we get the third friend from their past in the next book.

Now the romance! I adored this couple from the very beginning. Sara helped Josh break a few of his boundaries, while he helped her get more focus. They were simply fantastic together. Their first date was definitely, um, memorable, but it only got better from there. There was chemistry and banter, but there was also some real deep discussions, where they bared their souls. Lots of fun and feels with these two.

Both Josh and Sara had some baggage to unpack. Josh carried a lot of resentment and fear following the accident. I would say Sara helped a lot with him accepting the unexpected a bit better, but the person who helped him work through his emotions related to the accident was very special. I am warning you, this person will make your heart both burst and break.

Seeing where Sara was in her life, it was hard to believe what she experienced in her past and in her romantic life. She was a social media influencers with a large following, who was best known for being real. She didn't filter, edit out the mistakes, and had no issue being seen with bedhead or no make-up. Regardless, she still struggled with feelings of inadequacy. She felt she was "too weird" to be loved and couldn't understand why people followed her. It was good to see her gain some confidence over the course of this story, and honestly, there was nothing not to love about her.

I had such a great time watching this lovable grump yield some control and take a chance on love. It was wonderful to see these two people learn to mesh their lives without losing parts of themselves and be better for it.

This is the second installment to Kelly Jamieson's Bears Hockey series and showcases one of the things that makes her a fantastic author- great characters. I loved Sara. She's a social media influencer and she gets the opportunity to interview Josh, a hockey player who was just traded to the Bears. She's the total opposite to him- totally open to new experiences, a bit wacky and fun and oh so sweet. She defines spontaneity. Josh is, well, not. He's all about rigidity and being prepared for everything- with good reason due to his past. Together, they make an odd couple. But they treat each other so well and I loved to see Josh opening up to new experiences. I loved how they supported each other. I smiled through most of the book although there were a few poignant moments when I was crying. Initially, I have to say that I didn't see the "spark" between the two but that quickly evolved because of how well they treated each other. And then I wish Josh opened up more but the end was more than worth the journey. Definitely a 4.5 stars book for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Loveswept for the early read.

This is a strange review. There are things that this book does extremely well (addressing virginity, having sex scenes where one character says, “this isn’t working for me”,and the characters handle it well, addressing male vulnerability, building likeable and interesting characters, good hockey scenes). These things are great and made me really like the book! But then I didn’t quite ever get why these two characters were so drawn to each other. It’s told but not shown. And Kelly Jamison is a good enough writer that I’m not sure if there was something that was supposed to register for me that didn’t. But I kept being told, “they have a connection!” but I didn’t really see it outside of the great sex scenes. Not a bad read by any means; I enjoyed it! But I wanted the connection between Sara and Josh to be stronger. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.

WOW!!!! Kelly Jamieson did it again. If you enjoy sports romance, this one is for you. I loved this story. Very entertaining, funny, heartfelt, and steamy romance story. The two main characters, Josh and Sara compliment each other perfectly. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I would recommend this book.

I received an advance copy from NetGallery for my honest opinion.

This was amazing. This was Enchanting! This felt true and inspired.
I loved every second of this story.
Sarah is fun and quirky. Her raw honesty is inspiring. Sarah could be any of us. Even as she battles her depression, she isn’t afraid to keep reaching out and trying new things. Five years ago Sarah’s depression was so debilitating she left college and moved home. Once she was stable she knew that she could not stay in that world. She took a chance and moved to NYC. Using her Vlog as a way to connect in the world. Her Vlog has made her famous, and with it you see her true self and raw honesty. She isn’t over editing or trying to be something she isn’t. She eats the cookies off the floor! Sarah is a character who has depth and so much to offer the read. Her insights into her world is as if you are looking at some of your own hang ups. Her thoughts and reactions were genuine. She is the kind of character you connect with on so many levels.
In comes Josh Heller. This man likes order in his world. He likes things to be neat and tidy. He doesn’t do anything on a whim. Being traded from his Dallas team to the NYC Bears was such a huge gut punch for him. He isn’t handling it well. Coming face to face with one of his former teammates is not a happy reunion. Instead it is creating stress for him and effecting his play. Josh meet Sarah while she is interviewing him for her podcast, Random Acts of Sarah. They hit it off and a causal invite to lunch leads to a fun read.
Kelly Jamieson is an automatic yes read for me. I love her stories. Her heroes are always these tough guys, but they seem to have a magical ability to bring the swoon when they need too. I will say Jamieson should stick to writing romance not poetry! But the Natures Seaman poem lead to some great laughs and had me reading it out loud to my husband! This was a 5/5 read. I am sure I will be reading it again. Because a man who knows the exact shade of pink you love and the cookies that bring you joy deserves to be read a couple of times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a new to me author. I would recommend if you're looking for

-sports romance
-friends to lovers
-insta attraction/chemistry
-opposites attract
-a first date that ends in a hospital visit
-so much steam
-a virgin heroine and a grump who was hiding his cinnamon roll goodness

Meet my newest Josh book boyfriend. I related to his desire to have everything planned so much. Every time Sara suggested something new and fun he was willing to go along, but his instinct to stick with the plan was something I understood. This book also dealt a lot with mental health. How events effect people differently, and trauma stays with you.

Sara was a fun, light character, hiding her deeper turmoil. Josh was equally complex. Their chemistry and banter was so much fun and I really enjoyed reading. I also need ice bumper cars to be a thing because it sounded like so much fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 3.5


Trigger warnings: cancer, grief, trauma, and depression

So I’ve read all of this author’s books and really like them. That being said, something about this fell a little flat for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

After reading the first Bears hockey book in this series, I was looking forward to getting Josh's story and it didn't disappoint. While I know nothing about influencers as I don't watch or follow any, I liked that Sara's goal was to be authentic and true to herself.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from this author, and while I realized a few pages in that it was the second in a series, that’s fine. I wasn’t lost at all and easily understood what was going on (though I’ll likely go back to the beginning just because I can). Josh and Sara are opposites in some aspects, but in the most balancing way. He’s a tad unbending, she’s spontaneous. But they’re both trying to find their way in life while figuring out how to be true to themselves. And that made this such an enjoyable read.

I wasn’t expecting the emotions and some of the sadness or angst, but those all only served to make this a better read for me. Sara is so utterly realistic because who hasn’t felt like they’re too much for people to handle? Josh is just as real because who hasn’t felt lost and like they just need to slap a happy face on and keep going? The author managed to touch on very real fears and worries without making it all feel like too much, and I really liked that. I’m definitely going to continue reading what she has to offer!

Good book! This book was all up in the feels!! It definitely had some heartache and heartbreak! It was a good story , I didn't like it as well as the first book in this series but it was still a decent read! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!