I really enjoyed the differences in the two main characters. Regan Lane is all about living and enjoying life. She's not going to sit back, she's going to speak her mind. Then you have Tierney McGovern, she's private and focused on getting things done. She's also very protective of her daughter, who is her number one priority. They both have complicated childhoods When the meet again as rival coaches more than the hockey team on the ice is hot, their attraction is enough to melt the ice they both love. Navigating their jobs and dealing with a child in the mix while trying to figure out if the attraction will run its course or become the new goal for them both.
Enjoy the story which reminds us we're all damaged somehow, it's find the people that fit our broken pieces that's worth the risk.

DNF at 40%. This just wasn’t my type of sports romance. I couldn’t really relate to the characters as they were a good bit older than I am. This normally isn’t a problem for me but in combination with the big hockey jobs I just couldn’t connect with them. The story also goes into a lot of detail of the hockey games which honestly kind of bored me. I’m not saying this is a bad book, but it just wasn’t for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I’m a huge fan of sports romances, particularly hockey romances and really enjoyed this one from a new to me author. This is the third installment in this series but I definitely enjoyed it as a stand-alone and plan to read the prior books in the series. This was a fun, quick read and very enjoyable.

Regan and Tierney are both head coaches for teams in the female hockey league with a prior past that has created tension. They are cordial and courteous to each other when necessary for press events but their polar opposite personalities clash. Tierney is reserved and all business where Regan is unapologetically loud and the center of attention. Their dynamic is fun to read from their rivalry to their budding relationship. I thought it definitely added to the story how much Tierney’s daughter was included. She’s definitely an important character in Tierney’s storyline and how that factors into the relationship between the two MC’s. The romance scenes in the book is fade to black but there is definitely enough slow burn tension between these two characters.

I normally read MM sports and some MF sports so it was a nice change to read from the female perspective. Important issues were brought up and discussed about inclusivity and equality for women that are often missing.

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley and Carina Press and this is my honest and fair review.

Ein super seichter, recht austauschbarer Liebesroman. "Calling the Shots" ist Teil einer Reihe, aber es liest sich gut ohne die anderen Büchere gelesen zu haben.

I enjoyed the previous book in this series and happily jumped into this hockey based romance. Kudos for the cute colorful over of this opposites attract romance. (Although the suit needs a vest.) And the story can be read as a stand alone novel. Regan Lane is a colorful, outspoken retired hockey superstar turned Coach. After a year assisting a weak mens team she takes a dream head coaching job in Boston for the women’s pro league.

Tierney McGovern is head coach for the New York Lady Libertys. She has the winningest coaching record in the league. She is also a divorced, mother, trying to co-parent 8 year old Hope with her ex, a youtube health celeb. Although successful she has lived her life feeling overshadowed by her father and than her ex-spouse.

Fifteen years before Regan and Tierney had a brief fling. Tier was more invested and hurt by the brush off from Regan. (The dalliance was so short I wouldn’t call this a second chance romance.) But now the team rivalries have them seeing each other on and off the ice. They have familiarity and now can be friends and eventually more.

The book covers a full year. There are fun moments of team rivalries and challenges. And sweet moments of Tierney allowing Regan into her private life with Hope. Farmer writes closed door for intimacy but there is no question of the heat the two have for each other. (My preference is for open door.) Both characters have baggage form growing up the product of divorces and I love their trust compact with each other.

There are major side characters like Hope and Tierney’s dad or Regan’s half siblings. And there are almost an overwhelming amount of minor side characters like players and other hockey people. The minors blended to me and I didn’t worry about keeping track of them. I did like knowing the couple from the previous book are still together.

I really enjoyed the romance and the rivalry. The story feels realistic as do the issues the characters bring trying to start a new relationship. I’m not sure if the series is finished but I’m on the watch for whatever Kelly Farmer writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

I’ve been hearing so much about Kelly Farmer’s books, so when I got approved for this ARC, I was really excited to read it. It’s got so many great things—it’s a sports romance, rivals to lovers, second chances, single mom, opposites attract—and Kelly tied all of this (and more) together to create a really captivating story. I love my hockey romances, so it was really interesting to see this from the coach’s viewpoint instead of the players, especially when both leads as coaches for rising hockey teams.

Regan and Tierney were such well-rounded and interesting characters. Years ago, they had a fling that ended quite abruptly, sending them in different directions. Now years later, Tierney’s gone through a marriage and a divorce and the adoption of a child, as well as coaching the New York Lady Libertys while Regan’s also given up her hockey playing dreams to focus on coaching—moving from the men’s team to the women’s Boston Ice team. And when the two of them cross paths again, they issue a challenge that sets the course for the rest of the book. The story is told through both their perspectives, so you get a lot of what the past was like for them and how they’re handling all these old feelings cropping up again.

I gotta give credit where it’s due, because the rivals to lovers angle was so well done. Between their shared history and this challenge and the fact that both Regan and Tierney are coaching two of the rising hockey teams in the country; the rivalry is strong. And it’s so delicious too. All that sexual tension and frustrations they feel on the ice, how differently the two of them work and the way they are with their teams and each other. I loved the slow burn of their relationship too. There’s a lot to unpack for Tierney especially, now that she’s got a child to consider when getting involved with someone like Regan. And that’s where their differences come into play.

Reading this book also got me super curious about the previous two in the series since we get to see those couples a few times. So I’m going to be looking into those really soon.

This was a fun read. I like how this book took some classic tropes and made them their own. The characters were compelling and this book flew by.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: sexism, family tensions

While the third book in the series, I had no problem picking it up as a standalone.

This was a lovely single parent, team rivalry romance.

Steam:1

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Queer romance is my current favorite genre, and as a casual sports fan I was excited for this one. I wanted to love it, but it was just middling for me. The protagonists had somewhat complicated lives, but still lacked depth. And I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. That said, it was still a solid effort and I enjoyed it.

This was a lovely, second chance romance + single parent romance + grumpy/sunshine romance book between two rival hockey coaches.

💫 I loved the way the MCs went from rivals/enemies/long ago sweethearts, to friends with benefits, to true love
💫 Imo, the book dealt with the lingering trauma that children face when their parents divorce and/or cheat on each other in a very realistic and heart-tugging way.
💫 Legit had tears in my eyes during the whole third act breakup + getting back together, it was done so well
💫 The hea!!!! ❤️

This was my first hockey romance, and I am definitely happy about it! The beginning dragged a little, but it picked up about halfway through to the point where I didn't want to put it down. Regan is quirky and fun and Tierney is dedicated and sweet. I love their chemistry and their growth.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

As soon as I saw this cover and saw the book was about hockey, I was interested. When two women hockey coaches, Regan and Tierney, with a past, come face to face again sparks start to fly. Overall this was a good book and a cute romance. I’ve read many hockey romances and am always looking for new ones, I really enjoyed how this hockey romance was handled. The characters were fun and complex and I really liked how Regan was handled and how much she advocated for womens hockey.

Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book, but I really wish it would have been in the first person. I feel like it would have read so much better that way. I’m some ways I found the writing hard to get into, but looking past that, I did love the story. I think hockey romance fans looking for something a little different would enjoy this book, just like I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

This was a really cute and sweet read. I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation and how it really showed strong women leading women’s hockey. I liked Tier and Regan as a couple and Hope was an adorable kid. The middle was a little slow for me and even some of the beginning was a slow burn. However, the ending picked up but managed to have both main characters having epiphanies. It’s a romance so it’s not surprising, but it wrapped up in a neat bow by the end. Spicy moments are mentioned but not in detail (1/5 for spice)

Little bit of a slow read for me, but all in all I enjoyed.
Regan and Tierney are quite opposites, truly rivals as their hockey teams literally play each other, and friends/lovers/enemies/friends/lovers.
Their were a lot of characters to keep track of, but to be fair there's a lot of players and staff involved with a hockey team and there's two featured due to their coaches being the main characters.
Loved the relationship built between Hope and Regan.
Thanks to the publisher for Netgalley ARC.

DNF at 29%. There's just too much going on and too many people and I can't follow any of it. Chapter seven is what specifically sealed the deal for me. Too many people and not enough differentiation between them.

I loved this second-chance, rivals-to-lovers romance. Regan Lane and Tierney McGovern are rival hockey coaches—and they also shared one hot week together years ago. After their fling, Regan ghosted Tierney, and they both moved on. Tierney got married to another woman and adopted a daughter, but now she's divorced. Regan went on to become the biggest superstar in women's hockey, winning an Olympic gold medal. Meanwhile, Tierney began coaching at the college level and went on to a job as a head coach in the national women's hockey league, the NAWHL. When Regan leaves her job as an assistant coach in the NHL to coach an NAWHL team, she and Tierney are thrown back into each other's orbit.

These rival coaches are complete opposites—Regan is loud and brash, with a reputation for saying whatever's on her mind, and Tierney is an ice queen. The more they see of each other, the harder it is to resist their attraction. Tierney especially doesn't want to give in because she has an eight-year-old daughter, Hope, who's struggled with her moms' divorce. Tierney is understandably protective of her and wants to be careful about introducing her to a new partner. But as Tierney and Regan spend more time together—and Tierney sees how good Regan is with Hope—they start to consider a possible future.

Tierney and Regan's romance was tender and sexy. Like the other books in this series, Calling the Shots is fade-to-black, but it felt a little hotter than the other books. These two are REALLY into each other, and I loved it. I also loved that their backstories and fears made them feel like real people with real stuff they needed to work out before they could be together. They're both carrying a lot of baggage from their childhoods, and they know it. I liked that the low moment included them realizing how their pasts were impacting their present.

This was a really enjoyable read with a great cast of characters, especially Tierney's daughter. She had such a fun personality. Her and Regan's friendship was one of my favorite parts of the story.

While this book is part of a series, it can stand alone. You should check out the other books in the series because they're fantastic, and you'll enjoy seeing some familiar faces in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC.

DNF at 29%

I really thought I would love this one. After all, it has all the tropes I love. I gave it a solid shot, but I just couldn't bring myself to read it. I was bored. And I couldn't tell the characters apart. Not my type of book

Thank you, Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin), Carina Press, for allowing me to read Calling The Shots early!

This was fun, but I didn't really love it? I mean, it was okay, but nothing more.

Tierney McGovern is focused. Focused on being a mother to her daughter, Hope, focused on coaching the NY Lady Liberty's hockey team. She is most definitely not focused on Regan Lane. She has spent years forgetting the memories of their week together. When Regan becomes the head coach of the rival Boston Ice and Tierney finds herself around Regan again, she is absolutely not focusing on the way Regan made her feel.  Instead she will focus on how Regan ghosted her and how she will never let her guard down around that woman again.

Regan Lane is brash and intense. After being an assistant coach in the men's game where her every action was scrutinized she jumps at the chance to be a head coach for the women's team in Boston. She loathes the disparity in pay between men and women in sports. She is also not a big fan of commitment but the more time she spends with uptight Tierney McGovern, the more she thinks being tied down to just one woman sounds pretty good.

This is the third book in Kelly Farmer's Out on the Ice series. I enjoyed the first two books but this may be my favorite. I really enjoy a couple who are opposites. Tierney brings a little Ice Queen to the party as well. Although, once we get to know her she isn't an ice queen at all. She's someone who has always felt like she isn't seen on her own merits. Her father being the hockey legend, she's always been in his shadow.  The chemistry between Regan and Tierney is sizzling and they just work as a couple. And I really enjoyed the connection Regan forged with Tierney's daughter, Hope along with appearances from characters from the previous books.  Another enjoyable read from Kelly Farmer. 

An Arc was received from the author for an honest review.

Calling the Shots by Kelly Farmer
This was a lovers- to enemies- to lovers ice hockey Sapphic romance. It was super cute, with good banter, and I really liked it. My only complaint is that I wish it would have been told in the first person point of view. I would have rather read from Regan and Tierney’s perspective, alternating back and forth. I also didn’t realize that this was the third book in a series, but it didn’t make a difference. It read as a stand a-lone. All in all, very good book and I definitely recommend.
Many thanks to Kelly Farmer, NetGalley, Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.