I would have perhaps liked this story more if it were longer and a bit more developed in terms of both plot and characters. It started off promising for me with the visit with the psychic and finding a naked hockey player in her apartment, but I found the aunt's actions, Rock and Drea's interactions and the evolution of their relationship were just not at all believable. I do love a good Instalove story, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

I would have perhaps liked this story more if it were longer and a bit more developed in terms of both plot and characters. It started off promising for me with the visit with the psychic and finding a naked hockey player in her apartment, but I found the aunt's actions, Rock and Drea's interactions and the evolution of their relationship were just not at all believable. I do love a good Instalove story, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

This book was stunning. I absolutely adored it. It was fun. It was flirty it was sexy. I also just generally love hockey romance and I would devour any other book from this author. I hadn’t read from her before so I was a little bit sceptical but the front cover is gorgeous. The description was amazing and the book generally was completely worth my time. I plan to read more from the series going forward and I will definitely be checking out the backlog from this author.

3.5 ⭐

Overall I enjoyed this book - a fun little novella, however my main issue with it was the pacing of the story. I know that novellas typically are fast paced and things can happen quickly the pace difference between the first half and the second half threw me off a bit.

The first half was a good pace in setting up the story and the annoyance/conflict between the characters. Then the second half suddenly was very fast paced, with the characters very quickly getting along and then together. I wanted to see more of the transition/a more consistent pacing between the two halfs

That said Ill definitely be checking out the rest of the series once it comes out

- prequel novella to a series
- sports romance (hockey)
- small town
- forced proximity
- fast pace

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc - all opinions are my own

This is the prequel novella to a new series, The Zamboni Diaries, and after reading this, I can't wait to dive into the series! If your looking for a fun, sexy, laugh out loud good time, you should definitely pick this up. Drea arrives at the duplex she is renting to find it is already occupied by Rock. In all fairness, it is his duplex, but his aunt made a mistake and rented it out not realizing Rock would be in town. And this gives us a forced proximity, only one bed story that had me laughing and smiling all the way through. It's well-written and entertaining and a great introduction to the series and now I am totally hooked! A quick easy story that I am glad to have had the opportunity to read!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

CHECKING THE CENTER By Delancey Stewart

You have to be pretty desperate to consult someone referred to as the Drunken Psychic for insight into your perennially single status.
But that's me... Until now.
Because tonight, after trying to make heads or tails of the psychic's mysterious pronouncements about my love life, I arrive home to find a man on my couch.
A very naked, very muscley, very handsome man.
Did I mention he was butt naked?
And things only get more confusing from there. We have a whole conversation, in which he reveals that he's the star center for the Wilcox Wombats hockey team, Rock Stevens. And that Rock is actually his real name. And that he's in town for a week for an all-star pickleball tournament. And that my apartment is actually his apartment.

😊What i liked -

✔ Sports/Forced Proximity/Small Town.
✔ I snort laughed after their first meet and the phone call that followed.
✔ Loved the MC's and a few side characters.
✔ I liked the Insta-attraction between Rock and Drea.
✔ This was a quick humorous spicy read.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ It ended a bit too quickly for me.

📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝Romance Lover
🏡Small Town Romance
🏒Sports Romance


📈My Rating : 3.5/5


Thank you, Delancey Stewart and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for a copy.

I thought that this was a great short story at 90 pages and it had a really good storyline.

I really enjoyed getting to know the different characters and their different personalities.

A romantic and sexy story

It is 4 stars from me for this one, highly recommended!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a short novella-89 pages. It is a short quick fun read. It has very likeable characters with forced proximity. Rock is a hockey player. I liked his Aunt Natie. I have no idea what pickleball is and could quite frankly care less. This book did make me smile. 4 stars

A cute and funny novella that is a good sampling of what to expect in this new series. I'm looking forward to reading more about the Wombats. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Quick read. Forced proximity. Not sure why they fell in love beyond sex. Good writing. This is my first book by Delancey Stewart, but now I'm pretty curious about the Drunk Psychic.

This novella was just so good. The romance was sweet. It was spicy. It definitely makes me want to read the series. I am a fan of hockey romances. Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy hockey books. Where that came from--me from a tiny town where hockey is not a thing-- I have no idea. The character play was fun. I enjoyed the situation that tossed them together. I read, I was enjoying and then suddenly the book was over. I felt like it ended suddenly and I could have used a few chapters to wrap everything up.

This sucked me right in and I’ve already pre-ordered book one! Rock and Drea were perfect. For a novella, it certainly packed in a lot of sweetness, steam, angst, and quirky side characters. The teasers for the next book are pretty good too. Consider me hooked!

Thank you to NetGalley, Delancey Stewart, and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Checking the Center
By Delancey Stewart
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy for an honest review.
Checking the Center was a sweet, funny and steamy, I found it a quick easy read and I found it really enjoyable. I liked the duel POV and the hockey romance. It is fast-paced so I didn't get board. I will be differently be picking up the rest of the series.
Rating: 4 Stars

It's really hard to write a novella and have characters connect in just 100 pages, but this was sweet, funny, and steamy. Not to mention I'm a huuuuge fan of hockey romances and I can't wait to read some more from this series!

This is a dual-POV romance, that has instant love, forced proximity, and the cutest connection. It is pretty fast-paced so get ready to dive into the story immediately. Also, the little detail of the drunken psychic was hilarious. :)

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Delancey Stewart's novella, Checking the Center, offers a delightful taste of what's to come in her upcoming series, The Zamboni Diaries. In this quick and charming read, we meet Rock Stevens, the star center for the Wilcox Wombats hockey team, and the down-to-earth baker, Andrea (Drea) Coppersmith, whose lives collide in an unexpected and hilarious way when Drea finds a naked man on her couch. The novella is a perfect teaser for romance lovers, blending humor, magnetic chemistry, and witty banter. Although it's a brief read, it leaves readers eagerly anticipating more from the Wilcox Wombats and their charming escapades. Delancey Stewart's storytelling shines through, making Checking the Center a must-read for those in search of a heartwarming and laugh-out-loud romance.

oh wow!! this book blew me away!! it has it all! laughs and tears and excitement and sadness and fun!! what a great time! thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this one early!!

A cute little novella. This is a prequel to the new series but was brilliant all the same, i would love to read more about these characters and it was nice to see the mentions about characters from previous books and series

I loved every minute of reading this book! I’m a huge sports romance reader especially with the sport being hockey. This was my first read from this author and I can’t wait to read more by her. I thought it was a cute and fun sports romance book. The main characters had great chemistry together and loved their banter together

such a cute little novella. can't wait to read the rest of this series.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.