Pros: hockey romance, 6+ foot man, he-falls-first

We love a simp who knows how to treat a woman right.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the whole D.C. Eagles series! I adore a good hockey romance and this one didn’t disappoint. I love Bruce and Farrah and their journey does take you on a wave of emotions especially with the struggles Farrah faces with her PCOS. This series with the boys friendship group and later with the girls truly makes this storyline. I love the found family aspect and the way they all support each other. Highly recommend this one and the whole series.

Five stars--chefs kiss.
The perfect blend of actual hockey scenes, swoony moments, hard moments, and a woman run business.
I was so tickled to get to read D.C. Eagles Hokey, #4 (Secret or Shutout) so quickly after finishing Betrothal or Breakaway (#3.) The story picks up at a great spot compared to where the previous one ended and then backs up just enough to give us some much needed pieces of Bruce's story.

Bruce was given so much depth in this book and matured immensely that it was impossible not to root for him.

Farrah is doing an awesome job adjusting to her new life post divorce as she takes care of her niece while living in a studio apartment above her newly married brother.

I loved all the baking and her business with Mel.
I loved all the female friendships among the WAGS.
I loved the aspects of fostering and adoption.
It was all just so very enjoyable--and after reading the bonus epilogue, I'm so curious if we'll get to enjoy stories from a different NHL team in the future.

I received a complementary copy from NetGalley.

Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner was so good. I really loved this storyline and the characters are immaculate. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second.

Enjoyed the story of Bruce and Farrah. The sneaking around from her brother who’s also his team “Captain” allowed more laughter and even sadness. Overall another fun read in this DC Eagles series. Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy. #SecretorShutout #NetGalley

I love hockey romances and was eagerly waiting for this book in the DC eagles series. This is book 4 in the series. This is the story of Remy's sister Farrah and Bruce.

After sharing an unforgettable kiss one night with a stranger at a bar while celebrating her divorce being finalized, Farrah is shocked to find out the next day that handsome man is none other than her brother's teammate and best friend who is off limits.

Fast forward a year later Farrah is living at her brother's and is a nanny to her niece. She also loves to bake and runs a catering business with one of the teammates wives Mel. There is no denying their attraction every time they are in the same place. She suffers from PCOS and infertility and has an emergency one night and no one to help her but Bruce. He falls hard and fast for Farrah and they secretly start seeing each other but she is very hesitant to get serious with Bruce since she can't have children and he is much younger than her.

This is such a heartwarming story. I think Leah did a great job with the PCOS and infertility representation in this book. As someone who suffered from both and had to undergo IVF treatments to conceive, this story just hit so close to home.

I loved this entire series! If you love hockey and clean no spice wholesome romance. This book is for you. It can be read as a standalone as the side characters are easy to follow but I highly recommend reading the entire series. Leah Brunner is a great storyteller and writer.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

tropes:
friends to lovers
Forbidden romance
secret relationship
hockey romance
steamy kissing/closed door
infertility
divorced MMC
reverse age gap

A delightful story about a fictional D.C. hockey team, the players, their wives, family, and relationships. It's a love story that gives hope. A great mix of characters with all sorts of personalities is combined with a woman dealing with divorce and infertility. She happens to be the sister of the hockey team captain, lives in an apartment over his garage and is a care provider for her niece. When the goalie of her brother's team pursues her, things get weird.
So many complications and the perfect grand gesture swirl together to a perfect ending! I loved it!!

This book is a great ending to the series. Bruce was my fave throughout the series and it was great to see his cinnamon roll self finally get his moment in love. Farrah,Bruce’s best friends’/teammates’ sister loves to bake. She’s reeling from a recent divorce as well as a medical diagnosis. she tries to fight against her attraction, but he’s just too damned lovable and persistent. Seriously, who doesn’t want a big strapping manly man that confident enough to admit he likes watching romcoms and wants a family?!

Secret or Shutout is a romance about finding trust again. Though this story is written as part of a series, I jumped in cold and had no trouble getting to know the characters and their past stories! I loved meeting Farrah and Bruce and all the other D.C. Eagles hockey players and wives as well.

This story played on the idea of forbidden love, and while that's not my favorite trope, I did enjoy this story. As Farrah learned to move past her pain and see the good in others again, she was able to release fear and experience the love being offered to her. While Bruce is a hockey player, I didn't feel like this book revolved around hockey, it more centered on the characters as people and I appreciated that!

While still closed door, this book had quite a bit of innuendo and some steamy moments that I hadn't necessarily expected.

Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner was a great feel good book. The devotion Bruce shows to Farrah, even when she's getting in her own way, is so sweet.
Farrah who recently got divorced because she couldn't get pregnant due to PCOS didn't think anyone could love her and want to be with her. But one night Bruce meets her and does everything in his power to change her mind.
The only con I have for this book is Farrah resisting Bruce got annoying after awhile, I just wanted to come through the book and shake her!
Overall, this book was a fun, light read and I'll be definitely be reading the other books in this series. Thanks, #netgalley, for allowing me to review this book!

I have loved every installment of the D.C. Eagles Hockey series by Leah Brunner but I think Secret or Shutout was by far my favourite! Following the Eagles’ goalie, Bruce McBride as he convinces whose team Captains little sister, Farrah, to give their relationship a chance after an unexpected meeting in a bar before either knew who the other was. When fate (and Bruce) continue to bring them together, Farrah must face the insecurities for her recently failed marriage and Bruce is there to help her along the way. This was such a heartwarming story, I really enjoyed being back in the D.C Eagles university and learning more about Farrah and Bruce. Overall, I highly recommend! While it can be read standalone I think it’s a richer reading experience when you have read the previous book or at least, Betrothal or Breakaway. Thank you to the author, Victory Editing and NetGalley for the ARC!

This review has been published on Goodreads and will be posted to Amazon AU on the publishing date.

✨Review of 'Secret or Shutout' with thanks to author, Leah Brunner for providing me with an e-copy to review✨

What to expect:
🏒Best friend's sister
♥️He falls first
🤫Sneaking around
🏡Found Family
💛Golden Retriever Hero
😉Nicknames
❤️‍🩹He takes care of her
🚪Closed door

📖Summary:
When NHL goalie Bruce McBride finds out that his bar hook-up is none other than his team captain's little sister, he knows he's in trouble! Sneaking around ensues and when the truth finally comes out, Bruce finds himself in the fight of his life to keep from losing his soulmate, his best friend and the playoffs.

✏️My thoughts:
Bruce McBride is the ultimate Golden Retriever. He falls first and he falls hard. If you are anything like me, your heart will completely melt as he gives his all to show Farah that she can rely on him.

Be sure to read the TWs listed by the author before you jump into this one though, as there are some heart-wrenching moments, including medical emergencies. That said, there is also plenty of fun and a lot of laughs. I particularly enjoyed the snippets from the Eagles Fan Forum that appear throughout the story.

As with the rest of the D.C. Eagles series, the found family dynamic in this book is beautiful and one of the reasons that the series has become a comfort read for me.

If you enjoy closed-door, dual POV, heart-warming hockey romance (and Kristoff in Frozen makes you feel some kinda way), I highly recommend adding 'Secret or Shutout' to your TBR! It's out on March 27th, 2025.

Farrah and Bruce were a delight to read. Bruce is such a golden retriever and I am always here for that. He never wavered in his feelings for Farrah and I liked how forthcoming he was with Remy. The friendships/found family and team mates sister tropes are always a winner.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Leah Brunner writes sweet hockey romance very well. I’m sad that it seems like this was the final book in this series but after reading the free bonus scene which takes place 8 years down the road, now I’m hoping Noah will get his own book and include the next generation of the DC Eagles clan!

This series was one of the first hockey romance books I read and fell in love with the characters, so of course I couldn't wait to read about Bruce! This is a closed-door romance book with several great kissing scenes 😍

I couldn't relate to Farrah feeling like Bruce was too young for her, but I understand others will relate. I personally don't consider this an age-gap romance because I think there was only a 5 year(?) gap. When I think of age-gap romances, I'm thinking more of a decade or bigger gap. But... maybe I'm just biased because my husband is 5 years younger than me 😂. However, when both parties are close to 30, I don't think 5 years is that big of a deal.

Bruce was a perfect match for Farrah!! His goofiness always makes me smile, but he proves he can be serious with her.

If this was the final installment, which I believe it is, it has a perfect ending!! This book also brought the other couples back throughout the majority of the book and it just felt great reading about them again!

"I'm not falling Ambs, I'm crashing and burning and don't know how to stop."

If you want a cute sports romance story that will make you kick your feet and giggle, this is for you! This is the fourth book in the D.C. Eagles Hockey series and I read this as a stand alone but I am immediately going to need to run to read the first 3 books in the series! This book is about Remy's sister Farrah and his goalie teammate/best friend Bruce. It checks so many boxes for the perfect romance!

"You're a shameless flirt."
"Only with you."

- Sports romance
- Brothers teammate/best friend
- The MMC is a goofy fun loving cinnamon roll/golden retriever/teddy bear
- He literally watches romcoms before games for good luck
- Good luck charms
- Lots of baking and desserts
- Cute texts

Also, there is mention of PCOS and infertility but I thought it was handled very well!

Thank you so much to Leah Brunner and the NetGalley team for the arc!

Brothers' best friend, hockey romance.

Farrah's divorce is final, and she spends it at a bar and experiences the best kiss of her life. She is struggling to cope with her PCOS and is not looking to get into a relationship, so she leaves without even getting his name.

Bruce has watched all of his friends and teammates pair off and get married. He is no longer interested in casual hook-ups. He meets the girl of his dreams but lets her go without getting any of her information.

Both of these characters are surprised when the very next morning they meet up again. Farrah is the little sister of Bruce's team captain Remy!

This was a cute, closed-door romance. I am always a little confused at the protective big brother trope, especially when they are friends, and the guy is a pretty good guy. The first part of the book was a little boring for me. Not a lot happened but at about the 30% mark it really picked up. I absolutely loved Bruce! He was such a nice guy. I also love it when authors compare characters to something real. I have a hard time visualizing people but when Bruce is compared to Kristoff from Frozen it really let me visualize what he would look like.

Farrah frustrated me a little through, I am not crazy about tropes where characters try to decide what is best for someone without getting their input. I am super happy she finally came around. I thought Bruce and Farrah where such great characters together.

Thank you to NetGalley and LBP LLC for this title. This is my very honest review.

Brother's best friend done right!!! I love reading Leah's books. They make you swoon with just the right amount of yearning and fade to black spice. Farrah and Bruce's story was a wonderful way to complete the DC Eagles series.

Farrah is in her 30s, recently divorced and had fertility issues with her ex-husband. Bruce is in his late 20s in his prime as NHL's favorite goalie. The two meet unexpectedly at a bar after Farrah has signed her divorce papers and do not know who they are to each other. They quickly find out and realize that getting together would not be prudent as Farrah is Remy's younger sister and Bruce is Remy's best friend. Their journey to realizing that being with each other is worth the risk was heartfelt and sweet. Seeing all of the other DC eagles and their significant others was the cherry on top.

Thank you Leah Brunner and NetGalley for this ARC! Highly recommend Secret or Shutout- especially to those who enjoy a hockey romance on the sweeter side!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Hockey romance is my favorite sport romance and boy did this book deliver!
Farrah and Bruce meet one night at a bar but never share their names. After a steamy makeout session they go their own ways. The next day, they find out that Farrahs older brother is Bruce's captain.
Farrah is recently divorced and thinks Bruce is too young for her. She's also dealing with infertility issues and doesn't want to put that on Bruce.
The author did a great job with the sensitive topic of infertility. Many women suffer from PCOS but you don't hear much about it. I found myself rooting for Farrah and I feel like Bruce was the perfect loving, considerate and caring man she needed in her life!
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to ARC read this great book!

I loved all the books in this series but I have to say I think Bruce and Farrah just might be my favorite.