I want to start off by saying I really enjoyed this book and it's the perfect book for someone who wants to read a hockey romance, but doesn't want smut. I feel like most of the hockey romances out there have a ton of smut and this book is very much a closed door romance. This book had great neurodivergent rep, the male MC had Asperger's and really described what he was thinking and feeling. While I can't speak personally if this is a good representation or not it really felt like it was and helped me understand him better. The way the relationships are formed in this story is really sweet. I don't typically go for friends to lovers, however, in this situation it feels like something that would truly happen. They really grew and evolved through the story in a believable way. Which in a fantasy story enemies to lovers can be a thing, but in a realistic fiction friends to lovers seems much more of a plausible thing. However, I understand it's fiction and doesn't have to be true - this book feels like it could be. This story made me feel warm and fuzzy without being heavy on the physical romance, and sometimes that's the kind of book I'm in the mood for. The romance is still there, but it's done through other ways. I can 100% agree with Amber when she said that him acting like a dad was sexy. The descriptions of the characters was done well, it was really easy to picture all the characters - especially when they compared their traits and features to dogs. This was a really cute, fluffy romance - perfect summer read. I can't wait to read more of the books in the series, it was just that good and really gave me exactly what I wanted in a romance novel.

Tropes/Tags: single mom, friends to lovers, marriage of convivence, sports romance, golden retriever MC, Dual POV

Thanks you #netgalley for an e-copy of #betrothalorbreakaway by Leah Brunner to read and review.

ALC Review
I absolutely adored Betrothal or Breakaway, and experiencing it through the audiobook was pure delight. Ford holds such a special place in my heart—he was incredibly sweet to Amber and Nella, always there to support and provide for them without hesitation. Reliving their story through the audiobook was just perfection; it truly brought the characters to life again. Thank you so much Leah and Net Galley 💕🎧


Book review
OMG!!!!! THIS BOOK—it’s an absolute MUST-READ! 🌟 I’m seriously head over heels for Ford—I fell in love with him on every single page, like, I can’t even count how many times! 😍 This story is just too precious for words, seriously, it’s like the cutest thing ever! 💖 From their adorable second-grade shenanigans to grown-up love, it’s all just *chef’s kiss* perfection.

Let me tell you, the way Leah brought Ford and Amber’s journey from BFFs to lovers to life is just magical. ✨ It’s hands down one of the most heart-fluttering romances I’ve ever read! And can we talk about Ford’s bond with Amber’s daughter, Nella? OMG, I melted into a puddle of feels—it’s just too cute for words! 🥺 Throughout the whole story, you can feel the love and support between Ford, Amber, and Nella—it’s PURE PERFECTION 💕

And can I just say, Ford? He’s the epitome of the shy but swoony MMC! His dedication to Amber and Nella had me screaming internally with joy! And can we talk about that protective streak? *Swoon*! Plus, having a neurodivergent hero like Ford just adds so much depth and authenticity to the story—I’m here for it! 🙌

Seriously, this book had me reaching for the tissues—the writing is just that good! Ford, you’ve stolen my heart forever! 💘 This book has officially secured its spot in my top reads for 2024, and you bet I’ll be reading it again and again! I’ve been living for this series, and I’m already counting down the days until I can get my hands on Bruce’s story! 📖 Bring on all the swoons, Leah! ✨ I’m so excited! 🎉💖

✨️Tropes:
Best friends to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Single Parent
Sports Romance
Neurodivergent Representation
Closed door romance

✨️First and foremost, I loved that the main characters were people in their 30s, closer to my age! Second, woo 🥵, this may have been a closed door romance, but it got steamy. The MMC, Ford, had me swooning so hard 😍😍. Who doesn't love a tall, dark, and handsome hockey player? Tag on that he takes in his female best friend and becomes a hot step daddy ❤️❤️.

I definitely recommend you give this a book a read if you like friends to lovers and/or sports romance. ❤️

This was my first book by Leah, and after reading this, I want to go back and read the others in this series!

“I love you, Ambs. I loved you when we were eight years old, and I love you still.”

Ahhhh!!! This perfect beautiful book!!! It was full of so many amazing tropes!

•Childhood best friends to lovers
•Mutual pining
•Marriage of convenience
•Hockey Romance
•Single mom
•Neurodivergent hero
•Found Family

And there was no third act breakup!!! 👏

❤️

Ford was the PERFECT MMC! Leah did such an incredible job with his character. Neurodivergent heroes are my favorite. And Ford checked all the boxes! His golden retriever personality mixed with his possessive straightforwardness was perfect! Not wanting to come off like he was different, he had learned to mask his autism from year of being treated like an outcast, mirroring his teammates' characteristics and following their social cues.

"I stare at him; I’ve always loved his laugh. Ford doesn’t always connect with people’s humor, and jokes sometimes don’t make sense in his beautiful brain. Which makes his laughter all the more special when it appears."

Amber was so sweet. She was a single mom just wanting the best for her daughter. Unfortunately, life hadn't been very kind to her, but Ford was her constant always there when she needed him! And Amer was his safe place. These two had a beautiful connection! I loved her ability to read him, to know when he was stressed out, and to know how to get him to open up and tell her what he was thinking!

"Ford, this is a once in a lifetime…once in a universe, type of love.”

❤️

I loved his sweet conversation with Nella (She was 3 months)

"So, I’d like your permission to stay married to her. I’d like your stamp of approval, because as much as I’d like you two to be mine forever, I want my girls to choose me too.” She grins, and I smile back. “Good. I’m glad we agree on the matter.” I clear my throat. “Now, how do I look?” I glance down at my dark jeans and white polo. Nella burps loudly and my eyes widen. “Wow. That seems harsh. Is it really that bad?”

The way he took such good care of her was so sweet!

“You need to understand something.” He pauses, and I nod. “What’s happening between us, not the fake marriage stuff, but the real stuff. It means something to me. I take this seriously. It’s my honor to take care of you both—it’s a privilege. And I plan to take care of you very, very well. For as long as you’ll let me.”

This book was so wholesome. I loved the side characters. Ford's relationship with his family and his teammates! 😍

This book was a closed door book! But it had such angst and perfect moments leading up to the bedroom scene that I didn't even find myself thinking about it! I honestly thought even that was done perfectly!

This was a super cute book and I'm sorry I finished it because I didn't want it to end.
It's a fast paced book with laughter, some tense moments and all around comfort.

The characters were absolutely lovely.
Ford, respesenting and navigating through every day with autism, I loved loved LOVED seeing his relationship bloom with his girls.
The Side characters bought an extra dose of fun to the story and I will be looking into their stories as well.

This was the first book I read/listened to from this author, definitely will not be the last.

Betrothal or Breakaway
by Leah Brunner
Narrated by Alex Picard; David Bendena

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

Amber and Ford are easy to love because neither of them is perfect.

Amber’s fiancee left her when he found out she was pregnant, oh, and her mother disowned her at the same time. Now she’s a single mother of a 3 month old and needs to get heart surgery. Who better to help than her best friend since 2nd grade?

Ford is the team captain for the D.C. Eagles. He has a loving family including a mother that worries about him endlessly. He has great friends in his teammates and a nice house and a lot of money. But, he has no one to share his life with; especially not the woman who he’s loved since he was 8 years old.

Over Thanksgiving Ford proposes marriage to his best friend, Amber. She needs money, surgery, insurance, and someone to take care of her adorable newborn while she’s in surgery and recovering. He’s lonely and he’s sick of his mom feeling sorry for him.

Can this fake marriage become more? Yes, it can!

I loved the narrators (Alex Picard; David Bendena)! They were perfect!

And, I love this audiobook by Leah Brunner! It’s magical. This whole series is fabulous! I highly recommend this audiobook!!! Don’t miss out on a beautiful romance!

Love love loved this sweet hockey romance. I just adored Ford and Amber and their friendship. The glimpses into the past to show how their friendship started and grew were so sweet. And can we just talk about how stinking adorable all of the hockey players were with the baby?! Swoony! I am a huge fan of the marriage of convenience and single parent tropes and this book did not disappoint. I can’t wait for more books featuring the DC Eagles!

I enjoyed this story more than I expected, not having read the prior two in the series. Despite this being my first, the author made it easy to fill in any gaps.
I especially liked the ending of this "friends to lovers/marriage of convenience" trope. The way the relationship between the MCs evolved felt believable.
Another aspect that I liked was the dual POVs. It was nice to get Ford's perspective as well.
I can't say that I loved the audio narration. Ford's voice sounded "too old" for his character. The female narrator was easier to listen to.

Cute love story that kept you wanting more.

I listened to the audio version of this and the narrator was great....Thank you to Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This was a cute read! I loved this book Virgin heroes single mom golden retriever, hero, childhood, best friends, marriage of convenience these are just some of the troops that make this book so great. I love a hockey romance and marriage of convenience. It’s just the icing on the cake. I got to read. Listen to this arc from NetGalley.

I listened to the audio version of this. Thank you to Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Amber and Ford take turns doing the narration and there are different voices for each character. It's great to have the different Pov. The readers are really perfect for the characters. Ford is high functioning autistic so that adds a dimension to the story that gave it some depth. Amber's back story also added some understanding. I loved that the author gave us snippets of the relationship between Ford and Amber from different times in their lives so we could see how they grew together. 2nd grade, middle school, high school, and graduation.I have only read this book and book .5 of the series. This book was much more interesting than book .5. I was much more invested in it. But... marriage of convenience is my favorite romantic trope so it had that going for it from the start. It is very well done.

I loved this title and especially the way a neurodivergent character was represented. It was a beautiful story of life-long love, despite the odds and I look forward to more by this author.

I was so excited to be back with our DC Eagles crew and learn more about Remi! And boy was he just the sweetest🥹 I loved watching him grow out of his comfort zone with his teammates and best friend’s baby.

Read if you like:
🏒hockey romance
🍼 baby (but not his)
🏒 childhood friends to lovers
🍼 marriage of convenience
🏒 found family
🍼 closed door romance

This is book 3 of the series (though there is a novella to set it all up). While they can all be read as standalones, I highly recommend reading them in order! This one is out now and I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the audiobook. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Ford and Amber have been friends since childhood and when Amber’s life takes an unsettling turn Ford wants to do everything he can to help.

They agree to an arranged marriage to help with her health issues, but it’s obvious from the start that Ford is in love with Amber and has been for a long time.

I loved watching Amber slowly realise that her best friend is also the man for her.

They are both nervous about changing the status of their relationship, but it’s obvious to everyone around them that they belong together.

I loved how he wanted to protect and support her and how she gave him a safe place to land when his world got too chaotic. She was strong, beautiful, talented and caring. He was serious, loving and gave her the family she had always longed for.

I loved the narrators, they really made the characters come to life for me.

I absolutely adore the books in the D.C. Eagles Hockey series. The author has crafted characters who feel so real and set them in the exciting world of professional hockey. Well, after listening to Betrothal or Breakaway, I know that Ford and Amber are my favorite characters. And that is really saying something, because each book and each set of characters has had something that captured me and made me feel connected to them. It is why this is one of my very favorite contemporary romance/romcom series. These books are sweet and closed door, with only a bit of mild language occasionally.

I loved the dual narration! The narrators really captured and brought to life Ford and Amber. This is the ultimate “he falls first” novel, too. Not only does it have the marriage of convenience and best friends to more tropes, but Ford has loved Amber since they were children. And we, the readers, get to experience some of their moments as children through flashbacks that were just the right peek into their friendship. And even though Amber didn’t see Ford in a romantic way until they were married, I liked that she wasn’t simply overlooking him all of those years. He truly was the most important person in her life and her love for him and their connection to each other through friendship was beautiful.

This book gave a peek into what Ford dealt with regarding his high functioning autism in a very realistic way. The way he approached life and the way he managed those things that overwhelmed him were part of who he was. I loved that Amber loved and understood him. They were so sweet together and their little family, with baby Nella, was wonderful to read about.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book, although I also purchased the print version. All opinions are my own.

When Amber got pregnant, her fiance bolted and hasn't contacted her since. Now 3 months after giving birth to a cute babygirl Nella, she's in need of a heart surgery, which she obviously can't afford. Her best friend since childhood, Ford, who is a famous and wealthy hockey player, offers to marry her, so she can hop on his insurance plan.

What a delightful quick read!

I just loved it. It's such a heartwarming story. I loved how absolutely sweet Ford was with Amber and her daughter. He's an amazing husband material! I also loved the neurodivergent representaion.

This one has got to be my favorite book from this series so far. I still love all the guys from the team and adored all their cameos.

I'm hoping Ford's sister story is next!

Best friends since second grade, Ford and Amber had been there for one and another through the good and the bad. She is the only person, apart from his family, that accepts him with his Asperger and his struggles. He has been her rock since childhood, sharing his family and accepting her. Now a marriage of convenience is what Amber needs from Ford. Can they stay friends or will Ford finally shaw Amber how he really feels about her? The audiobook with Alex Picard and David Bendena makes a great story an even better one.

Betrothal or Breakaway has taken over the top spot for me in this series!

I adored the friendship between Amber and Ford and how they cared for each other.

I loved Amber's strength, positivity, and resiliency.

Ford is the sweetest! I love how the author handled Ford's autism. She didn't just label him and move on. She showed how it affected him and the ways in which he learned to cope with the situations with which he struggled.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job of bringing Ford and Amber to life. They sounded age appropriate, they brought the full spectrum of emotions, and the pacing of the narration was great.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved Ford and Amber’s story! I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience and forced proximity so this one really hit home for me. Also who doesn’t love a man that loves your baby?!? He’s a keeper. Loved the autism rep as well. I would definitely recommend this one. I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator did a wonderful job!

I am so in love with Ford. I loved this book and I loved it even more in audio. The narrators did a fantastic job. I loved Ford and Amber so much. Their marriage of convenience progressed perfectly. There wasn’t a constant back and forth about their feelings…their relationship progressed naturally. I identified so much with Ford. Leah did such a great job with his character. I felt like she was describing me when Ford was describing what it felt like when people touched him or how he starts to feel in a crowded room. (Not sure if my “quirks” are from autism or childhood trauma🤷🏼‍♀️I have no official diagnosis of autism)
I loved how well Amber understood him and his needs. I loved how protective he was of Nella and Amber. I have loved the entire series so far, but Betrothal or Breakaway is definitely my favorite.