Hockey romances are still having their moment, and this recently released multi-author series capitalizes on that. If you aren’t familiar with multi-author series, each book can stand alone, but they all share a common setting. Protagonists from one book will likely be side characters in another. Stores, events, and side characters will also be repeated, allowing multiple views of the setting.

This particular series revolves around a hockey team that is put together as a fundraising event for a ranch that serves underprivileged children, with a limited season of games against a Canadian team. The Ice Breakers are based out of the small-ish fictional Western Washington town of Maple Falls (not to be confused with the real town of Maple Valley).

Unlike the Appies series, each of these books was written by a different popular sweet romance author, each with her own style. There are some differences from book to book, but nothing so serious as to mar the series.

Similar to the Appies series, all of the female main characters exist beyond their potential as romantic partners. They have actual lives, careers, and struggles.

The male main characters have various reasons for their singleness at the beginning of the series. Several have (mostly undeserved) reputations as serial daters. All are dedicated to hockey.

The situations that get the various couples together are varied and interesting. Of course, there is an element of predictability: when there are two POV characters, you know they’ll end up together. The question is: what will happen to them before they get there? Will there be a third-act breakup, or will there be something else that tests the relationship?

I find that the passage of time is a bit confusing. There is a Halloween party mentioned in several of the books, and there’s a corn maze and haunted house at Maple Fest. There is pumpkin spice everything. The Ice Breakers practice together for a while before the first of their five games, but the space between games is a bit fuzzy. Days? A week? It all seems to be over before Thanksgiving though. Especially since some of the epilogues mention Christmas lights.

Also…what’s wrong with an otter as a mascot? (If you know me, you know I adore otters.)

Possible objectionable material:
Very mild cursing. Various issues such as parental divorce or neglect, alcoholism, death of a parent, chronic illness, infidelity, sexual harassment. This is hockey, so there are injuries and the occasional fight. People drink. This is closed door romance, so we don’t see more than passionate kisses. There is a hint that sex happens.

Who might like these books:
Romance fans, hockey fans, hockey romance fans. Anyone who likes well-written books where characters grow and develop over the course of the story.

These books are also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-hockey-romcom-era-continues.html
Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing ARCs in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:
The overall plot is cute, but there’s not much depth to this one. I’m not asking for it to be Great Literature, but there’s just not much there. The biggest conflict is that she’s his publicist and he’s her client, however can they make this work? There’s no real backstory to why Cooper is so closed off and grumpy, just a couple of mentions of a difficult childhood. We see a bit of Blair’s parents, but again, all we know is that she’s confident, chipper and upbeat. She goes through no change in this story. Cooper…learns to smile more? That’s really it.

The running joke of Cooper calling the town by the wrong name was cute. There are some flaws here. Blair constantly talks about giving Cooper the itinerary for his day. Itineraries for traveling from place to place. It is related to the word itinerant. What she really wants is an agenda. And calling the final segment of play in a hockey game the fourth quarter?

I picked this up for a short little palette cleanser of a book with cute, small town vibes.

I was all in for the first half of this book, but then it shifted to insta-love and rapid-fire timeline jumps that made it really hard to have a developed and meaningful emotional connection to any of the characters. I wish there was a bit more depth to this relationship and overall scene setting.

I honestly can’t remember what this book is about. I’m not saying that it wasn’t good had some good moments but if I can’t remember even the characters names, it must have been something that made me struggle to read it

This was a cute closed door romance!
It was short and sweet!
I liked how this book actually featured some hockey in it!
It was a really quick basic read, and it was HEA!
This can be read as a standalone but does mention characters from the other books in the series!
I would recommend this!

Grumpy Cooper falls for his publicist at a charity tournament. Both have reservations about whether their relationship will affect their professional careers. It’s an okay story in a series continuation.

I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley.

love this multi author seires and the small town they based everything in, and the characters, these two characters I. really liked but the story was just okay

I love these little small town romcoms they are such a warm fuzzy read I literally such read them in one sitting.
This was no different it was so cute and I just loved it.

I loved the fact that she was his publicist and he was just awkward and uncooperative she broke them walls down with a sledge hammer and turned that grumpy man into a ray of sunshine.

Such a feel good book.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While it’s not the most groundbreaking plot, sometimes you just want a feel-good romcom that leaves you with a smile—and this book delivers exactly that. If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, hockey players with a soft side, and small-town hijinks, you’ll enjoy this one!

I love hockey romances and this one did not disappoint1 I have never read anything by this author, but I will definitely be looking out for this author! The pace was great and I was hooked from just a few pages in!

Love in Overtime by Melissa Baldwin is part of the Love on Thin Ice series and invites us back to the charming small town of Maple Falls for a sweet hockey romance.

Cooper Montgomery is a tough NHL player for the Tennessee Wolves who has a permanent scowl on his face—mostly because he’d rather be on the ice than at any public event. When his longtime publicist retires, Cooper reluctantly agrees to work with his new representative, Blair Radcliffe, who has fresh ideas about how to boost his career. One of those ideas? A charity hockey tournament that Cooper isn’t exactly excited about.

Blair is a young, driven publicist eager to make a name for herself. Accompanying her NHL client to the tournament in Maple Falls feels like a lucky break, especially since it’s in the hometown of her college roommate Keira (The Rebound Play).

This book delivers the small-town charm readers have come to love in this series. Fans of Love on Thin Ice will enjoy catching up with familiar faces while getting to know Blair and Cooper. Sparks quickly fly between them, but both are hesitant to act on their feelings, fearing it will complicate their professional relationship. But sometimes, as the saying goes, the heart wants what it wants, and Cooper and Blair will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap.

The fourth book of the Love on Thin Ice multi-author series tells the story of Blair and Cooper. When pro hockey player Cooper's publicist retires, new to the industry Blair steps in. Neither expect their mutual attraction leading that complicate their professional relationship.

This is a super short book that could be read in a day or a few depending on how fast you are. It is apart of a multi author series so I highly recommend reading all of them!

Love in Overtime is set in a small town in Washington state (which I loved because I live in Washington!). It's slow burn, grumpy-sunshine, workplace romance set in this small town with all the sizzle and chemistry, but none of the spice.

Love in Overtime is a contemporary hockey romance novel written by Melissa Baldwin. It is book four in the Love on Thin Ice series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books in order to read this one, but characters do intersect throughout the series.

Summary: Blair is Cooper’s new publicist.

Cooper hates change, but Blair is determined to do a great job.

Can she win him over-without losing her heart at the same time?

My Thoughts: If you want to read a sweet little romance, this book works.

However, not much else happens. They fall for each other-the end.

I guess I was looking for a little more substance-a problem to be solved, or something.

For me, this one was just OK and more of a one-time read.

This book was independently published, and I received a free digital copy in exchange for my review. Thank you.

I have loved read the maple hills series and like the rest of the books, found this very sweet, an easy read and a really lovely read and as a whole series something I’d definitely recommend! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this!

“At least I have Blair in my corner. Dan the man can have his legions of supporters, but Blair is the best fan squad I could have.”

Cooper is a hockey player who has agreed to participate on a charity team for six weeks in Maple Falls while he gets used to his new publicist Blair.
From the beginning there is a spark between them, so Cooper tries to keep his distance from Blair, although as the story progresses he starts to want her by his side all the time.
It is a very quick story to read, and has very sweet moments between the main characters. One of my favorite moments is when Blair and Cooper go to Maple Fest together, and they enjoy all the activities although Cooper is reluctant to cooperate at first.🍂❤️‍🔥
The only drawback is that the plot focuses on the time they spend in Maple Falls, where they still have a professional relationship, and you don't get to read them when they are already a couple.
Also i’m looking forward to read more about this series.

I received an advance review copy thanks to netgalley, and i’m leaving my honest opinion.

First of all, Thank You Netgalley for the ARC granted to me. Another cozy and enjoyable story. This is the best season to read sport romances books that are set in the fall.

So glad I could read the next one in this series as well. I am pretty much binge reading them. This is definitely a 5 star series for me. I loved all of them so much and Love in Overtime was another great one. I don't know what makes this series so special for me but I just love all the different characters and the different tropes in each book. I also love sports romances so I guess that explains it😄 can't wait to read the next one!

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cooper Montgomery is losing his longtime publicist, Estelle. As a professional hockey player who hates being in the spotlight, he needs all the help he can get maintaining a positive persona.

Blair Radcliffe is an up and coming publicist. After connecting with Estelle, she will be taking over her existing clients. While Blair has limited experience she has plans to take Cooper to the next level.

The small town of Maple Falls is hosting two professional hockey teams to raise money for local children in need. After Cooper secures a spot on one of the teams, it is guaranteed to give him good press. Will the weeks Cooper and Blair spend together foster a good working relationship, or will it demonstrate they are not compatible?

Melissa Baldwin’s Love in Overtime is the fourth book in the Love on Thin Ice series. This is a multi-author, interconnected series. While the order in which the books are consumed does not necessarily matter, it is highly recommended that ALL seven are read.

This is such a sweet read. Baldwin’s writing was highly entertaining. She had me cracking up, especially every time Cooper mistakenly called Maple Falls, Pine Falls. In the same way, she had me swooning over their love story. They were so stinking cute.

Read this book for:
-grumpy/ sunshine
-slow burn
- workplace romance
-sports romance (hockey)
-found family
-small town
-clean/ closed door

Special thanks to Netgalley and Melissa Baldwin for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm really enjoying this series and this one did not disappoint! Cooper is a bit of a grump, compared to Blair's sunshine, it makes for fun interactions. Add in that pull they have, and you get so much from their connection. The story is sweet and light, and just overall a great read for a little escape.

Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favourite tropes! I ate this book up reading it in one sitting!

Cooper and Blair were drawn to each other instantly, and the development of their feelings was well written. Despite predicting how the story would go, the storyline still held my attention. Blair was able to see there was so much more to Cooper than the grumpy hockey star who didn't smile, and it wasn't long before Blair became the reason Cooper found himself smiling often.

It only lost a star for me due to the hockey references being inaccurate, showing little research had gone into the book using incorrect terminology, which was a bit of a miss for me.