I have enjoyed every book so far in the Vancouver Storm series, and this was no exception! In fact, it might now be tied with The Fake Out as my favorite, since what could be better than the fake dating from that book? Fake marriage!

Alexei Volkov is a 36 year old hockey player who knows his retirement is on the horizon, but is determined to prolong his time in the league by any means necessary. Georgia Greene is a doctor for his team who recommended him for retirement, and let's just say he didn't take it well. That sets up two years of animosity we get to see sprinkled throughout the other books, and had me so excited to finally get to their story. Knowing they disliked each other for such a long time made this enemies to lovers story more realistic than many others I've read. I really enjoyed watching them both slowly open up and get past their preconceived notions. I also found it amusing to be in each of the POVs as they did some real mental gymnastics to convince themselves they still hated each other. Add in all the banter, some incredibly swoony "my wife" moments, and flowers as a love language, and this book had all of the components I absolutely love. I cannot wait to add the physical copy to my collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Dell Romance for the ARC!

It took 4 books but Stephanie finally got me. I had a great time with this one, and it hit the exact spot it marketed itself to. The aggravatingly flimsy enemies-to-lovers was felt (as it usually is) from the beginning, but I thought she balanced it nicely with the purposeful misrepresentations the characters were giving to each other. This wasn't a miscommunication trope so much as people actively not being able to trust each other with the truth, and that's what made it interesting and worthwhile. Solid read, with a lovely drive in the FMC for her career and passions. I devoured it for a reason!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced readers copy, I continue to owe you my life!

I'm a SUCKER for fake marriage and this one did NOT disappoint! I did feel at times that the "enemies" part was a little over the top, and maybe as a workplace or doctor/patient romance would have been better. Overall, the banter was pretty good and when they finally admit their feelings its "chefs kiss". Perfect for fans of the hockey romance genre.

This was a LOT better than I expected it to be. My expectations weren’t super low, but I just wasn’t sure this was going to work for me. And it being the fourth in a series that I hadn’t read didn’t bode well for me.

BUT I really enjoyed this book! It gave me strong “The Wall of Winnipeg and Me” vibes, which is a huge compliment from me.

Was some the story cheesy? Sure. But apart from that, there was some really great stuff. Both Volkov and Georgia had preconceived notions about the other, but were fairly open minded once they got to know each other. I felt the progression of their relationship wasn’t rushed and felt natural (as natural as a marriage of convenience can be).

I absolutely loved that there was no third act breakup. If there had been, it would have been forced. Instead, we see each love interest grow and let the other person make their own choices without emotional manipulation.

The trauma that both Georgia and Volkov brought into the relationship was valid and fit with the storyline. It really shaped their motivations, but left room for understanding and change.

I definitely want to go back and read the other books in this series, and I’ll definitely read what I assume will be next book. The author set it up reallllllly well.

I loved everything about this book. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and when they started to begrudgingly respect each other... Ugh, chef's kiss.

I’m sad to say that I won’t be reading any of Stephanie Archer’s new releases for a while after this. I requested the ARC of Gloves Off because I was desperately hoping it would make up for how much I disliked The Wingman, but sadly, that just didn’t happen.

The first 60% or so of the book was enjoyable. I really liked the subplots and conflicts that were being explored, as well as Alexei and Georgia's dynamic. I liked their antagonistic banter and the more realistic "enemies-to-lovers" setup. The romantic tension was engaging, especially as they got to know each other better and started second-guessing their perceptions of each other. I loved seeing them live their lives outside of their relationship and deal with the conflicts that initiated their marriage of convenience. But after the 60% point, everything I liked went out the window. The story devolved into focusing solely on the romance, with the characters continually expressing the same thoughts and feelings chapter after chapter. The repetition made it difficult to stay engrossed in the story, and I found myself often skimming portions (especially the spicy scenes). When the subplots that I'd enjoyed finally came back around, there was minimal resolution to them, which left them feeling shallow and incomplete. I also didn't love the ending, which felt a a bit rushed, a bit out of left field, and too neatly tied up.

I genuinely hope this book finds its audience because I think it’s clear that it just wasn’t me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed Georgia and Alexei’s story! It was so fun watching it unfold and I loved how long they tried to deny what was clearly right in front of them. Enemies to lovers trope is by far one of my favorites, and the flower meanings were so funny and adorable. Also an author who correctly refers to Frankenstein’s monster?! Sign me up ✅

This is the 4th book of the Vancouver Storms series. This follows Alexei and Georgia who have hated each other throughout the previous 3 books. That means there is a lot of tension, a lot of words thrown at each other but best of all a lot of pent up spice. Georgia is not only the team doctor but also a doctor at a hospital as well as a soccer coach for girls who have injuries. She has had to work her way up to her position and will not take any shit from anyone. Then we have Alexei, he is one of the senior hockey players and will do absolutely anything to not think about his retirement. He also will do anything to get his visa for not only him but also himself. So what happens when each of them don’t want to marry anyone but need to be married to get something. For Georgia it’s her inheritance to help out the program from injured athletes. For Alexei it’s his green card.

The fourth book of Stephanie Archer's hockey romance. SQUEAL

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own

stephanie archer is one of those authors that can absolutely do no wrong in my eyes!!!

this book had everything that is like catnip to me - marriage of convenience, REAL enemies to lovers (none of that i pretend to hate you bc i like you so much, lets bone asap enemies to lovers vibes), hockey, a bad ass FMC and the GROVELINGGGGG.

theres nothing i love more in a romance book than a female who can fully take care of her own self and doesnt need a man to do it but WANTS him to. thats without a doubt one of my favorite things about a stephanie archer romance!!

alexi and georgia had some of the best banter ive read in a long time, i absolutely loved how quick witted georgia was in her responses to him 🤭 i really appreciated how that banter didnt go away after they came to terms with their very real feelings between one another.

truly im already looking forward to doing a reread through the audiobook bc these two were just something else in the best of ways and i cant wait to hear them brought to life 🤭

Alexei and Georgia absolutely hate each other… so naturally, they get married. He needs Canadian citizenship, she needs her inheritance to save her rehab program and boom, we’ve got a marriage of convenience that’s filled with top-tier banter, enemies-to-lovers tension, and so many swoon-worthy moments.

I’m obsessed with this trope, and Gloves Off delivers everything. The teasing, the bullying, the slow shift into real feelings, it’s perfection. As with all the Vancouver Storm books, the chemistry is off the charts, but this one might just be my favorite.

Alexei falls so hard for Georgia, like groveling-on-his-knees hard. He’s literally “step on me, I’ll thank you” levels of in love, and I LIVED for it. And Georgia? She’s such a strong, grounded FMC with killer style (seriously, I want her shoe collection). Her two bunnies are named Stephen and Damon because she’s a TVD girl, and I respect that.

Beyond the romance, I loved their individual growth. Watching them each figure out who they are and what they want made the love story even richer.

Gloves Off is heartfelt, hilarious, and seriously addictive. A forever favorite in a forever favorite series. Thank you so much to Dell Romance for the gifted copy!

Gloves Off is a perfect enemies-to-lovers hockey romance! You won't want to put this one down once you start reading. This is book four of the Vancouver Storm series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed Gloves Off so much that I can't wait to read the other three books in series.

Stephanie Archer can do no wrong in my mind. This book was FANTASTIC. It was the perfect 4th book in the series. I love that Stephanie weaves her other characters into each book so I’m not missing them at all. This marriage of convenience trope was done perfect.

Marriage of convenience with a side of enemies to lovers? Say less!

I LOVED Georgia & Alexei’s story. People always hype up a misunderstood MMC, but I am a sucker for a misunderstood FMC. He hates her but has a completely wrong perception of who she is? He gets closer to her and has to unpack all of the wrong preconceived notions her had about her? Falling in love with her as he learns who she really is? Yes, yes, and yes!

I honestly think this takes the top spot as my favorite book in the Vancouver Storm series! Already pre-ordered my physical copy!

Netgalley ARC

AAHHHH Alexie and Georgia!!!! The banter, the hate, marriage of convenience and the love for each other ughhh top tier *chefs kiss*.
I'm absolutely in love with these characters and loved seeing the other couples from the series. Can't wait for the next book in the series and to see the all the characters again🥰

4.5 ⭐️

This book ended up exceeding every expectation I had. I was uncertain at first, wondering if it could live up to the anticipation—but then one scene shifted everything. It reminded me why I always come back to Stephanie Archer’s books: she knows how to deliver exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

Stephanie Archer’s writing continues to be a favorite of mine. Each character feels distinct, which is rare in interconnected series. So often it can feel like the same FMC and MMC just copy-pasted into different outfits. I expected Alexei and Georgia to share a similar dynamic to Rory and Hazel with all that built-in hate and tension. Their chemistry is entirely its own, and it might be my favorite yet. Nothing tops The Fake Out when it comes to banter. This one does brings its own kind of magic though—flowers, sleepwalking, damon and stefan—and somehow makes it all work.

One thing I really appreciated about this book—especially compared to The Wingman—was that it starts before Alexei and Georgia get married. I loved getting to see how and why they made that decision, instead of it just being stated as a given. That was one of my biggest disappointments with The Wingman. Even a short prologue of Darcy ending the relationship would’ve made such a difference in how connected I felt to their story.

And can we just acknowledge that Alexei gives serious Lukas Blomqvist energy? That same brooding presence, and yes—the same need for control when things get heated in bed. You can disagree, but I stand by it.

Now onto Book 5 business. I have been hoping for this since The Fake Out, and I cannot believe it is happening—Ward and Jordan are next. The glimpse we get into their lives in this book—from Tate’s hockey past to both of their family histories—completely caught me off guard. But (minor spoiler), it looks like the single-dad trope is happening. Yes, I screamed.

❄️ Tropes
🏒 Marriage of Convenience
🏒 Hate to love
🏒 Love language: Flowers
🏒 Friendship bracelets
🏒 You’ve heard of nightmare to one bed… now let me introduce you to sleepwalking to one bed.

Stephanie Archer I will always love you writing about hockey players. SO excited to start recommending this one

4 ★

This was sooooo good. The banter was unmatched. The slow-burn was slow-burning.

If you know me, you know I love a good hockey romance. However, I do not like it when it feels like there is no plot to the story, and Stephanie Archer surely delivered a delicious plotline to keep me hooked. They both need to get married (he needs Canadian citizenship, and she needs her inheritance for a rehab program she is passionate about), so they decide to marry one another even though they hate each other...

This was PEAK enemies to lovers, and the character growth + development for both characters was so fun to see unravel.

I can't wait to read more from Stephanie!

Your typical “Marriage of Convenience” trope and Hockey Romance. Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good Hockey Romance. “Gloves Off” by Stephanie Archer takes the classic “Enemies to Lovers” and “Marriage of Convenience” tropes we all know and love and creates the love story between badass Dr. Georgia Greene and grumpy hockey star Alexei Volklov. I like the two main characters and really enjoyed their witty banter throughout the whole novel. The one thing I will say is that there seemed to be a lot of “fluff”. I kind of kept on waiting and thinking there would be more to the plot but it just never arrived. Now, that might just be my opinion because I like books with a little more to them but if you just want a nice, fluffy romance with no third-act breakup than this is for you.

Just as a side note: I think another thing that impacted my rating is because this book is a hockey romance and I am a huge fan of the sport. My biggest annoyance when it comes to reading hockey romance is if the sport is not explained correctly or the lingo is incorrect, I will notice it. Stephanie Archer did a decent job most of the time but there were some parts that just did not add up and make sense.

#IndigoEmployee

this is a great interconnected series! I loved the enemies to lovers, fake marriage tropes and the way they were done in this book! it was really well written and i loved both of their characters and the sweet /funny peaks into the relationships of the couples from the other books! My only wish is that i got to see more groveling from our mmc when he started realizing that he unfairly misjudged our fmc. But i think part of that is because I loved her so much and she can do no wrong in my eyes haha!