Thank you NetGalley and Susan Renee for this ARC ! I’m a sucker for a good hockey romance but this was terribly written. The dialogue was at times super cringe. The corny phrases thrown in made me gag. It had potential but that quickly felt flat. I couldn’t wait to finish just to get it over with.

Expected release April 29, 2025.

I liked this one I loved the characters and the story definitely will want to keep going with the series I just found myself comparing it to other hockey romances and loving the other ones I have read a bit more

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC provided by Victory Editing!

Off Your Game follows Carissa, the new marketing rep for the Chicago Red Tails hockey team, and Colby, the captain of said hockey team, as they go from arguing over the last Lucky Charms box, to hating each other and finally, to falling in love.

This book wasn’t for me. I have read countless hockey romances and I’m usually a big fan, but this book rubbed me the wrong way from the start.

First of all, for a book that was self-published before, there is a serious need for more editing. There were a bunch of typos and the overall writing, dialogue and plot could have been more planned.

Second, Colby was unbearable and then the best guy in two seconds. I did not like at all the way he spoke about women and the comments he made. He constantly referred to them in very demeaning ways in which they really did not deserve. I understand his frustration over the Lucky Charms, but it was over the top and did not validate how he was acting towards Carissa who was just trying to do her job and be nice to him. I had trouble getting over how mean he was at the start because it was so unwarranted and she did not deserve it at all.

And then, all of a sudden, he’s kind and she gets over how mean he was so quickly and they kiss but he leaves her on her own with no explanation. After that, he doesn’t do any grovelling, even as he was about to go sleep with two random women, and she forgives him immediately. Another weird pacing thing was when they would sleep together right after talking about very traumatic family issues; it didn’t sit right with me.

I just felt overall that everything was too easy and didn’t really have much obstacles. It didn’t keep me engaged. The obstacles that happened were things that could have easily been avoided or did not make any sense; no marketing rep would have an unlocked phone in a charity event with many compromising pictures on it. And they were also basically having sex on the dancer floor surrounded by hundreds of people; this conflict just felt so forced.

I had trouble getting through this book, but if you want to read a very fast-paced romance book about a PR rep and a hockey captain who start off hating each other but quickly fall in love, this book is for you!

The review will be posted on Goodreads, Fable and Instagram!

Off Your Game by Susan Renee delivers a hilarious, steamy, and heartwarming romantic comedy with the perfect mix of tension, humor, and unexpected twists. The story follows a charming but cocky hockey captain whose world is thrown off course by an encounter with a fiery and headstrong woman who refuses to be charmed by his looks and cash.

The protagonist, Colby, is used to getting whatever he wants—whether it's a victory on the ice or the box of his favorite cereal at the store. But his luck runs out when he finds his cherished box of cereal being claimed by none other than Carissa, a feisty and confident woman who isn’t impressed by his usual charms. Their first interaction is a hilarious yet frustrating one for Jordan, setting the stage for a rivalry that quickly turns into a more complex and undeniable attraction.

Carissa is a breath of fresh air. She's funny, unapologetically confident, and down-to-earth, making her the perfect foil to Colby's cocky exterior. Her no-nonsense attitude and sharp wit are just as captivating as her beauty, making it impossible for Colby to ignore her. As the story progresses, the tension between them grows—whether it’s their banter-filled exchanges or their undeniable chemistry.

One of the book’s highlights is how well the author develops both characters. Colby's transformation from an arrogant hockey captain to a man who has to confront his feelings is done with great care, and Carissa’s journey is equally enjoyable. Their chemistry feels genuine, and their interactions are filled with humor and depth. As a reader, you can’t help but root for them, despite their differences.

Renee’s writing is engaging, and the pacing of the plot keeps you hooked. The combination of humor and romance makes Off Your Game a page-turner, and the tension between Colby and Carissa keeps you invested in their journey. The chemistry between them is sizzling, and you can’t help but be excited to see how things unfold, especially with the promise of more books in the series.

If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers stories, witty dialogue, and characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Off Your Game is the perfect read. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series and highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and steamy romance with plenty of heart.

Is Love the Ultimate Power Play? 🏒💘
Enemies-to-lovers? ✔️
Laugh-out-loud banter? ✔️
A swoon-worthy, stubborn hockey captain? ✔️

If you love witty, steamy rom-coms with a side of sports drama, then Off Your Game by Susan Renee needs to be on your TBR ASAP! 📚✨

Plot That Scores Big 🏆
Nate, the Captain of the Chicago Red Tails, is used to getting what he wants—until a feisty woman named Carissa snatches the last box of his lucky charm cereal. (Yes, you read that right. Cereal. 🥣😂) A heated grocery store standoff turns into an unexpected rivalry when Carissa shows up the next day as the team’s new marketing rep.

Now, Nate is facing his biggest challenge yet: keeping his head in the game while this infuriatingly attractive woman shakes up his world. Will he hold his ground, or will Carissa be the one to make him lose control?

Characters You’ll Love (and Laugh At) 😍🤣
Nate: Cocky, confident, and all about winning—until Carissa throws him completely off his game. He’s got the charm, the talent, and just enough arrogance to make you want to smack him…and then kiss him.

Carissa: Strong, sassy, and totally unbothered by Nate’s fame. She’s not afraid to call him out, and their back-and-forth is chef’s kiss perfection. 👏

Their chemistry? Absolutely electric. ⚡🔥

Why You’ll Love It 💕
✔️ Witty Banter Galore – Their playful arguments are pure gold. If you love fast-paced, snarky dialogue, you’ll eat this up.
✔️ Tension & Swoony Moments – The push and pull between these two? Perfection. 🔥
✔️ Hockey + Romance = Winning Combo – Even if you don’t know icing from offside, you’ll still love this sports romance! 🏒💙
✔️ Perfect for Tessa Bailey Fans – If you adore her spicy, hilarious romances, you’re in for a treat!

Final Verdict: A Hat Trick of Humor, Heat, and Heart ❤️🔥😂
Off Your Game is an absolute blast from start to finish. Whether you’re a die-hard sports romance fan or just love a good enemies-to-lovers rom-com, this book will have you grinning, swooning, and maybe even craving some cereal. 🥣😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A must-read for rom-com lovers!

You know the ice hockey romances go hard. I really enjoyed these characters and their trajectory. The plot is a bit standard and you know exactly whats gonna happen, but sometimes you just need that. Sometimes you just need to enjoy a lovely, cheesy, hella spicy romance that you know will suit your exact needs.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

2 ⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC

This was a cute sports romance which I’m always a sucker for. But it just fell flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Also the plot kinda just jumped around and I had a hard time following along. I did however laugh a few times. Wasn’t the best also wasn’t the worst 😉

This was my first hockey romance read. Though I do consider this a reasonable read, I felt like it lacked depth to the main characters and had a weird ending. Parts of this book were funny and cute, while other parts just felt cringey. It is a very easy to read book and I appreciate the way the author wrote it. I really wanted to learn more about the characters past, so I could get to know them better. The setting fit the story, which I liked! it was cute, spicy, romantic and humorous at times.

This book is about a female main character and a male main character. The male character is a hockey player named Colby, who plays for the Chicago Red Tails. The female character, whose name is Carissa, is a marketing representative for the same hockey team that Colby plays in. Before she became the representative, she met Colby by accident at a store and they had a debacle over some cereal. She did not know he was a hockey player and he was in disbelief that she didn’t recognize him.The characters were somewhat interesting but not enough to have me continue the series. Like the whole thing starts because the dude is so stressed out about his Lucky Charms. I get the reasoning but maybe plan better? They don't magically disappear. And there are other stores ... you're in Chicago, I'm sure there's a 24/7 store open with you cereal. You shouldn't absolutely loathe someone because she wouldn't give you her box of cereal. Like how entitled can you be?

Not to mention the kind of cheating. Like you were so pissed at her about something (I can't even remember what) that you were ready to take two girls to your room WHEN SHE WAS IN THE HOTEL. That's a dick move even when she's not there but even more so when she is. And it's not like you weren't doing anything with them in the bar. You spent an hour with them and at least kissed one on the neck ... I'm betting there was even more done. Colby is lucky Carissa even looked at him after she caught him pulling that shit. I can't even with it.
The hockey romance in this book was such a thrill! The forbidden nature of their relationship added an intense level of tension that made every moment feel high-stakes. I loved watching the characters navigate the challenges that came with their secret connection. It kept me on edge, wondering how they would make it work despite everything standing in their way.

Off Your Game by Susan Renee is an enemies to lovers, hockey romance.

Carissa is the new social media manager for the Chicago Redtails, working hard to get out of debt. Colby is the captain of the team, attempting to work through childhood trauma. There were some great moments, but overall this book was just okay for me. It just did not make sense how the characters went from hate to love WAY too fast with no real transition period. There were definitely some funny and sweet moments, but the plot was just a miss.

Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing, and the author for this e-ARC.

It was an ok read.( I see no changes since the first release.) To much swearing though in the book (the word fuck is said 324 times)- kind of kill the mood when reading it so often.
The story between them was doing ok. The only thing that I really didn't like was when Colby liked her and wants to be with her (they kiss at some point and have some touches ). And then don't see each other and don't speak for some days and he just decide he wants a threesome with some random 2 girls(one resemble Carissa).
And the end, I think he nedded to do more so she can forgive him. It was rushed.

enjoyed this book! I liked the struggles both Colby and Carissa had in their personal lives. I liked the twist with carissa and what was happening. I would of loved to see more of Colby towards the end but I really enjoyed it. I liked the writing style, I liked the plot, and I enjoyed watching them grow, I'd of loved to see more of it in this book!

In the book “Off Your Game”, you follow along with Carissa Smallson and Colby Nelson. Their first encounter is at the grocery store and Colby goes to buy Lucky Charms but Carissa got there first and won’t sell them to him no matter how much he offers. He has a ritual before his games to eat lucky charms and the last game he didn’t eat them and they lost and he also played like crap in his opinion. As fate would have it, Carissa is hired to be the social media manager for the team and her job is to make them look good. On her first day on the job who does she run into? None other than Colby and he makes it quite clear that he will not be her friend now or ever. How long will that last? You’ll have to read to find out! Their energy and chemistry is great. I rate this book 4 stars. Looking forward to adding it to my bookshelves.

this book was super cute. the only complaint i have with it is mostly regarding the ending. it felt weird and rushed. i would have also enjoyed learning more about the characters themselves rather than just focusing on the romance.

A really nice hockey romance, with enemies to lovers trope and a spot of forbidden romance in this novel.

It was quite nice to read how Colby and Carissa started off, fighting over some cereals, to see how it developed.

A fast read that I can easily recommend if you're into the tropes listed above.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was your typical enemies to lovers hockey romance and sadly it just wasn’t remarkable in any way. The ending was very… odd… and there was no character depth or development. Sadly, there are much better hockey romances out there and I am not able to recommend this one to anyone. Thanks for the opportunity for this ARC. Due to the lower rating & potentially negative review, I did not review on Goodreads

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I didn't really find anything appealing about the MMC and couldn't relate to the FMC. There were too many characters introduced. The plot was sometimes confusing and lacked depth.

I hated the way most characters spoke about and treated women. It felt dehumanizing, as if they were nothing but body parts. It's frustrating to read a story marketed to women who enjoy hockey romance, only to see those very women referred to as "tramps" among other things... disapointing in 2025.

3.5 stars

Firstly the MMC is kind of a HUGE asshole? Like he’s so mean? Over a box of cereal he started sexually harassing her?? And he didn’t even apologize?? And not like hot asshole vibes, he gives off straight MEAN vibes AND THEN SHE APOLOGIZED TO HIM???? Doesn’t make sense.

AND THEN AFTER KISSING HER AND GHOSTING HER, HE GOES TO THE BAR IN THE HOTEL THAT THEY ARE BOTH STAYING IN AND PICKS UP 2 WOMEN???? SHE TELLS HIM TO TAKE HIS HANDS OFF HER AND HE IGNORES HER???? I would have slapped him as well. And then he has THE AUDACITY to say “you feel how hard I am for you” WHEN HE WAS LITERALLY ABOUT TO SLEEP WITH 2 OTHER WOMAN? Okay my guy. Sure thing. Fuck you very much.

And then he goes around and hurts her, literally SCREAMS at her, and then turns around and says “I know you’ll never hurt me” but he hurt her so many times???? No thank you. This is such a toxic relationship I can’t.

This book is making me so heated, the FMC deserves so much better and if I was her friend I would have really slapped some sense into her.

ALL THAT BEING SAID - there were some cute moments, I enjoyed the writing style and the side characters very entertaining though so I’ll probably continue the with the series.

The hockey romance in this book was such a thrill! The forbidden nature of their relationship added an intense level of tension that made every moment feel high-stakes. I loved watching the characters navigate the challenges that came with their secret connection. It kept me on edge, wondering how they would make it work despite everything standing in their way.

What really made this story stand out was how tender and sweet their relationship felt. Even with all the tension, there was this beautiful softness between them that made their bond feel real. The chemistry was undeniable, but it was their emotional connection that truly touched my heart. It was the perfect mix of passion and genuine care for each other.

This book offered a fantastic balance of intensity and warmth. It was exciting yet uplifting, leaving me with a smile as I turned the last page. A truly heartwarming read!

I really struggled with this sorry and the romance as I just couldn’t connect with the MMC, his introduction made him incredibly unlikeable and I find that many of his actions came off as immature, inappropriate and disrespectful with no real pushback until later. The relationship didn’t click with me for this reason as I thought the FMC deserved better.

I was very sceptical about this, because as much as I love hockey romances there are some which are somewhat lacking in plot! However, this was not one of those books and I absolutely loved following Colby and Carissa’s story! I loved how both characters developed and changed as the story went on, becoming more vulnerable with each other and how they ultimately worked through issues together. I was even more excited when I realised this was part of a series and there are several other Chicago Red Tails books for me to devour!