I loved this book! This was almost like a more mature modern retelling of The Mighty Ducks, which was one of my favorite movies growing up.

Professional hockey player Mitch is a repeat offender for game misconducts and is suspended for 15 games. In this time he is told to coach a youth hockey team to help restore his image. While coaching this team he meets Andie. Andie is the legal guardian of her much younger brother Noah.

All three of them have suffered trauma in their life and this is a love story with found family. They find each other when they really needed to and I loved reading it. Mitch acts like a father figure/older brother to Noah and developed a wonderful relationship with him. With Andie, you will be screaming for these two to get together immediately. They were a perfect match and such a cute couple.

You should definitely check this one out and I can’t wait to check out other books by Leah Brunner.

Mitch the Machine is suspended for five weeks after an on-ice fight and is mandated to attend therapy and be an assistant coach for a youth league team. The only thing Andie knows about hockey is that her younger brother loves playing. As her brother’s new guardian, if Noah loves something she’ll make it happen, even if that means yelling at the new coach for being too hard on the kids. Mitch is intrigued by the feisty sister of his most talented player, a player whose talent and temper remind him of himself. Who will help who?

I enjoyed the humorous interplay between Andie and Mitch, and the growth of Mitch and Noah. Brunner keeps things warm-hearted while exploring why Mitch and Noah fight. Narrators Anderson and Picard smoothly trade off between Mitch’s and Andie’s point of view. If you enjoy humor, sports, and closed-door romance, pick this up. Recommended

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an audio ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVED this book!!! I got an advanced copy of the audiobook from NetGalley. Let me just say Dane Anderson was the PERFECT narrator for Mitch Anderson's pov! He has a nice deep voice that I could listen to all day!!! Alex Picard has a nice, sweet voice that also matched her character, Andie Downsby.

This is the first full-length book in this series. Mitch is a pro hockey player, and he has a bad reputation for having a temper! One game a player insults his family, and well, Mitch does what Mitch does best and flies off the hook! And winds up with a 5 week suspension, penalty, AND it's asked to coach a pee wee hockey team. Things couldn't look worse for Mitch.

Andie and her brother Noah lost their parents earlier in the year, and she finds herself as Noah's guardian. Noah is a hockey prodigy, but he's getting teased on his team. When Andie and Mitch meet, they hate each other! She yells at him, and he throws her over his shoulder and carries her off the ice. Can they come together to get Noah to the next level?

This book was super sweet, Hilarious, and I did NOT want to put it down!

Okay so I read an ebook of this and when I saw that there was an audiobook available I knew I had to sign up for it. I LOVED the narrators, I felt like they captured the book perfectly and they enhanced the story!

A grumpy hockey player? A sunshine nurse? Hockey teammates/ friends with amazing antics? A little boy just looking up to his idols? Sign me up! I loved the story of Andie and Mitch so much! Seeing Mitch fight going to therapy until he learns that Andie’s little brother Noah goes to therapy and sees it as a positive think was the most precious thing ever!!!

Desire or Defense is part of the Hooked on a Feeling series by Leah Brunner. I had previously read the book before and loved it! I was so excited to have the opportunity to revisit it and listen to the audiobook version. It did not disappoint! The narrators do a great job.

Mitch Anderson is a hockey player that spends a lot of time in the penalty box. After a hard hit, Mitch receives a stiff sentence of being suspended from games as well as attending therapy and helping to coach a youth hockey team. This is where Mitch meets Andie, one of his player's sister. Their romance is very sweet and heartwarming as well as Andie's brother's relationship with Mitch.

This is a closed door romance with no spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Leah Brunner for the opportunity to review the audiobook of Desire or Defense for my honest opinion.

I read this book back in April but recently had the chance to review the audiobook version.

I enjoyed this story! Sweet hockey romance with the grumpiest guy for the win! Great tension and chemistry.

I loved meeting all the teammates and love that I have their books to look forward to.

The audio was good. The female narrator, Alex Picard, was new to me and wonderful! The male narrator, Dane Anderson was good too, but at times fell a little flat.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to listen to an advance copy.

Desire or Defense by Leah Brunner
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 0️⃣
REVIEW:

“This one also has Anderson on the back, because I’d die before I saw this woman wear anyone’s jersey but mine.”

I’ve been eyeing this book by Leah for a while but just struggled to fit it into my schedule. I’ve been in an audiobook season of life lately with my kids and life. Getting this audiobook from NetGalley was perfect timing for me!

Do you love hockey? Do you love strong women? Do you love protective men? Then this book/audiobook is for you, friend.

Mitch is an NHL hockey player with a temper. His temper got him placed on suspension and given a job coaching youth hockey.
Andie is a fiercely independent women who’s taken on a huge role after an even bigger loss. Her little brother plays hockey.

The two of their lives intertwine and they get to know each other + fall for each other. 😍

He’s protective and has a hard shell to crack. But Andie + her brother find a way through that rough exterior as Mitch & Andie fall for each other. Their romance is a beautiful closed door, he fell first love story.

I loved this book and it was a quick listen!! I finished my chores around the house and realized I’d already finished half the book! I didn’t want to stop listening!

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series 🫶🏼

In this heartwarming romance, the author paints a world where love works its magic even on a tough hockey player. The story follows their journey of self-discovery, showing how love can change people. Beyond the ice rink, the book reveals the joy of life's simple pleasures.

The characters, from different backgrounds, highlight the beauty of diversity. The story addresses deep topics with care, making it emotionally touching. Each character's struggles feel real, making them relatable.

The plot weaves seamlessly, building anticipation and leading to a satisfying conclusion. Overall, this sweet romance is a captivating read that celebrates love, growth, and life's little wonders.

Desire or Defense is a the story of Andie, a nurse who has gained custody of her 9 year old brother after their parents death, and Mitch a very grumpy NHL player who meet when Mitch is forced into helping young hockey players after he gives an opponent a concussion during the game.

First – I love hockey romances. Love. Them. I, however, didn’t love this book. Mitch was supposed to be the surly player who finds love and is redeemed, but he was too grumpy even for me. He hates his teammates, doesn’t like playing at home because he doesn’t want to see them happy with their families – and is basically just a jerk who I didn’t find redeemable at all. He had problems with his family and had a pretty horrible upbringing, but still…

Andie is feeling over her head with trying to care for her brother, work, and both of them deal with their parents death – a devastating blow to both of them. She meets Mitch and has a contentious relationship with him at first.

I wanted to love or at least like this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get over Mitch’s surly personality to enjoy his redemption.

I also listened to this and I think the male narrator is part of the reason for my dislike. He narrated very monotone and sounded like he hated reading the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

**Updated Review**

Book - 5 stars
Audio - 3 stars

Andie is doing the best she can to stay balanced while caring for her younger brother Noah and working a full time job at the hospital. Her brother’s new hockey coach is ready to knock her off kilter. Mitch is assigned to temporarily coach a youth team while he is out on suspension from his professional hockey team. He knew it would be challenging working with kids but he wasn’t prepared for one kid’s determined older sister to put him in his place.

Desire or Defense is the first book in the D.C. Eagles Hockey series. This is a closed door romance but there is quite a bit of innuendo. If that’s something you are not comfortable with, this book may not be a good fit for you.

The chemistry and tension between the MCs is electric without being too angsty. I like that readers get to see not only the progression of Andie and Mitch’s romance but we get to see Noah’s growth. Throughout the storyline he starts trusting those around him more and begins to open up to both his sister and Mitch.

I love a good sports romance, especially hockey. I also like variety. I don’t need spice in everything I read and this one really is a top-tier closed door romance. I adore Leah Brunner’s Under Kansas Skies series and wasn't sure what to expect with this new series. She did not disappoint and I can’t wait to see whose story we get next.

This is one of the rare times in which I enjoyed just reading the book over listening to the audio. Mitch’s narrator, Dane Anderson, sounds rather bland. I’ve heard other audiobooks read by him and he was excellent so this may just not have been a good fit for him. This was my first time hearing anything with Alex Picard, Andie’s narrator. She was delightful and I’ll be looking for more of her work.

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have only read one other book by this author but have been meaning to read more of her works. I’m glad this was on Netgalley to review! What a perfect time after finishing my last audiobook.

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Andie and Mitch. They get off on the wrong foot and they become the definition of the grumpy x sunshine trope. It is one of my favorite tropes and the author did a great job with it.

Andie is learning to deal with the loss of her parents and becoming the guardian of her younger brother in a town she hadn’t lived in since she left home. On top of that she is a nurse and works long hours but still tries to do everything for her brother. I loved seeing the relationship between the siblings blossom. I feel like Mitch helped them as much as they helped him overcome his skeletons in the closet. There is also a bit of found family and it was just really sweet to see Andie make friends with those in Mitch’s circle. Mitch also builds a relationship with her brother Noah as well. Their romance was a fun one. I liked seeing them become friends and move onto something more.

The great thing about this author is that her audiobooks always get me listening and then I can’t stop. I have to finish it all in one day, haha.

Overall, this was a great book! I haven’t ready that many hockey romances but because of this one I would definitely try more.

When NHL hothead, Mitch “the Machine” earns himself a 15 game suspension, he didn’t take it well. What he liked even less? His team mandated therapy for his anger issues, and his manager sentenced him to a month of coaching minor hockey to clean up his image. What he didn’t expect? The gorgeous sister of one of his players to storm onto the ice in the middle of practice to yell at him. A woman who knows nothing about hockey, doesn’t care who he is, and is fiercely protective. Maybe this month won’t be so terrible after all…

On top of being incredibly sweet, I was so impressed by the presentation of therapy in this novel! Noah and Mitch being able to talk to each other about therapy and accept their feelings and past trauma was really special to read, especially knowing how toxic hockey culture can become, and how media training can prevent them from being vulnerable or speaking their minds.

I loved the squad of players that obviously love Mitch, from the support of his coaching to being his support on the ice, and everything in between. It’s so sweet to see a group of men supporting each other so genuinely, and to see the friendship grow stronger throughout the book.

Andy and Noah’s journey is so heartbreaking, but seeing them come together as the novel progresses was very sweet. The sassy jar, their protectiveness for each other, and the slow progression of their relationship after Andy takes over guardianship for her brother are so great.

I just genuinely enjoyed every minute of this closed door romance, and would recommend it!

After reading Passion or Penalty, I was looking forward to returning to the world of the D.C. Eagles! Desire or Defense tells the story of grumpy Mitch and firecracker Andie. He's been benched from his pro hockey position and is rehabbing his image coaching youth hockey. Andie has recently lost her parents and become guardian to her much younger brother, Noah, whom Mitch is now coaching.

I really enjoyed the character development in this book. The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job portraying the main characters' growth from beginning to end. This was a sweet, closed-door romance that beautifully and tenderly explored the processes of grief and rebuilding. I highly recommend giving this book a listen!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for gifting me with an ALC to review. I enjoyed it!