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Member Reviews

I love a good enemies to lovers story, especially when it’s a marriage of convenience trope. He needs citizenship, she needs an inheritance that requires her to be married. Only problem, they hate each other. They definitely have sexual chemistry, but they still can’t stand each other, until they can.
There were some really sweet and heartwarming moments. There was also a good amount of romantic tension, longing, and spice!
The books had cameos of all my favourite characters from the first three books, which I always enjoy in an interconnected standalone series.
If you liked “The Wall of Winnipeg” by Mariana Zapata, but thought: this is too slow burn and needs more spice, than this is the book for you.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next book that will highlight Tate Ward, their coach.

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This is a great hockey romance, would be perfect for a book club pick. Stephanie Archer's writing and story telling continues to be a favorite.

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4.25 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✨

“If I’m kerosene, my wife is the match. We’d kill each other within the week.”

Gloves Off is the fourth instalment in the adult sports romance series, Vancouver Storm. Each novel is an interconnected standalone so while they are set in the same world around the same hockey team, you do not need to read them in order. Written in dual first person POV, we follow Alexei and Georgia through their angsty marriage of convenience.

Georgia and Alexei do not get along - the gruff veteran enforcer and the sports doctor with a heart of gold and a penchant for expensive shoes - but each are in desperate need of something only the other can provide. Alexei needs help fast tracking his citizenship status as his retirement looms near and Georgia needs her inheritance to help fund her sports injury program...and marriage is the solution for each. So for the next few months they must pretend they are the perfect couple locked in a whirlwind romance...but what happens when it starts to feel like something more?

When the sparks fly between these two...oh MAN!

Georgia is fierce with her passion for sports medicine and her coaching. I loved seeing the different nuances to her that showed just how much Alexei was underestimating her. She stands her ground with him and I felt he needed that from her.

Alexei is quite the gruff guy but when he starts to fall, he falls FAST. He is a man who's actions speak louder than his words and I loved seeing what they revealed about him. He was a supporting partner Georgia always needed but never received and that has left her a little jaded. Alexei, too, is jaded from his past and these wounds nip at them but as they become more comfortable I fell so in love with them.

“We said no kissing,” I whisper in his ear.
“I don’t care,” he murmurs in my ear. “Do you?”

In terms of spice, I would like about 2.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. Spice begins around the 42% mark and there are about 4+ spicy scenes. Spice is explicit and detailed and happens in places other than their home for extra fun. I felt the spice did an excellent job bringing Alexei and Georgia closer and closer and while they aren't in love initially the spice changes to match that love that grows, which I adored.

The story itself is character driven. Georgia is pushing to ensure her program continues despite funding being cut but she also associates the success of it with her identity, especially given her backstory with her ex boyfriend. Alexei is struggling with his retirement on the horizon as well as ensuring he and his family can remain home in Canada. There isn't necessarily any specific action they must take with these in mind after the initial marriage but by living and doing they move a step closer. The first half of the book is a bit slower as we see these two struggle to co-exist but once they begin to see the other in a different light we get this bloom of romance that just grabs your attention. It leads into more around the marriage and also ultimately guiding the characters down new paths, which I felt was quite seamless in how it flowed. I also want to shout out to Damon and Stefan for being the sweetest floofs out there and they really helped break the tension at times. I also found the different side characters fun - if you have read the previous books it will definitely be more meaningful. The ending had a twist I was expecting but I really liked where it went!

Overall, this was a fun read and as a hockey romance fanatic I will definitely be continuing with this series!

Thank you so much Dell Romance for this arc!

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Thanks to Dell and Netgallery for the ARC of Gloves Off from Stephanie Archer, in exchange of an honest review.

Gloves off is book 4 of the Vancouver Storm series by Stephanie Archer, and to be completely honest, my first book from this author. I am a sucker for marriage of convenience so when I saw this one on net gallery I had to try an apply, I was lucky to get the arc and although there are aspects of the book I didn't particularly vibe with, overall it was a good story with great characters, AMAZING banter and overall great chemistry. I do think it was TOO long, even when the book is pretty straight forward, I found myself looking at how much I had left of the book while reading. overall great book and can't wait to read more from this author, because I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I will check the rest of the series. Thanks to Dell Romance for the ARC.

Read if you like:
- Hockey romance
- Opposites attracts
- Enemies to lovers
- Marriage of Convenience
- No third breakup

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Gloves Off starts off at a bit of a slower pace, but once the story gains momentum, it becomes a genuinely engaging and heartfelt read. Stephanie Archer has a way of drawing you in gradually, and while the beginning may require a bit of patience, the payoff is worth it.

The standout for me was the main male character. His love and devotion were portrayed in such a tender and sincere way—it was impossible not to root for him. The way he cared for and supported the female lead, always putting her needs first, made him a truly memorable and swoon-worthy character. His quiet strength and kindness really carried the emotional weight of the story.

The female lead was a bit more of a mixed bag. She was likable overall, with some quirky, endearing traits that added charm, but at times she didn’t feel as compelling as her counterpart. Still, their dynamic worked well together, and their chemistry grew naturally throughout the book.

Overall, Gloves Off is a slow burn that transforms into a heartfelt and rewarding romance. If you're willing to stick through the quieter start, you'll be treated to a story with a deeply loving hero and some genuinely sweet moments.

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⭐️ 4.5

🩺 marriage of convenience
🏒 forced proximity
🩺 enemies to lovers
🏒 black cat x doberman
🩺 pro hockey player x doctor

I definitely enjoyed this one, every Stephanie Archer book I’ve read has been an absolutely solid read!

This was heavy on the enemies in the first half and they both gave as good as they got, though the ‘real reason’ for their hatred was a bit disappointing, a bit of a mix of miscommunication and ‘I never really hated you’.

Saying that I absolutely loved seeing them start to see each other for real and the little secret acts of service Alexei did for Georgia (the flowers!!).

This is part of a series but can definitely be read as a stand alone, I’ve only read the first in the series before this and didn’t feel like I was missing anything, though I will be going back to read the other and can not wait for Coach Ward and Jordan’s book 🙌🏻🙌🏻

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The banter?! HELLFIRE 🔥 MY WIFE. Vampire Diaries references. Seriously Stephanie, say less.

Alexei is book husband goals and I will accept no negativity- except.. CONTROL YOUR TEMPER aka sass when you have sad boy feelings.

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3.5 ⭐️ | 3 🌶️ | 4 🎧

Gloves Off is the fourth book in the Vancouver Storm series, and follows Dr. Georgia Greene and Alexei Volkov. Georgia needs to get married to access her inheritance and save her athletic recovery program. Alexei needs to get married to get his citizenship. Although they can't stand each other, they decide to enter into a mutually beneficial fake marriage arrangement. What could go wrong, right? As they spend more time together, they start seeing each other differently, feelings come to the surface, and their relationship begins to feel real. Gloves Off didn't hit for me like the other books in this series, but I still enjoyed the story.

Alexei and Georgia hated each other for far too long. I didn't like the misconceptions Alexei had about Georgia, and it seemed to take a long time for him to change his mind. These two were true enemies. The banter was good, but at times, Alexei was just mean. What I did like were the sweet and genuine moments they had together. Once Alexei and Georgia both started to let their guards down, and learned to be more vulnerable, seeing them give in to their feelings was super satisfying. The found family element is always really good, and the teammates bring the laughs when they get involved. This book was a bit of a miss for me, but I am still looking forward to continuing with the series.

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I honestly didn’t want it to end. I liked the banter and chemistry between the main characters! It had that perfect mix of tension and tenderness. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic was so fun to read about. Besides the flirty and fast romance, there was vulnerability and growth with Alexei and Georgia. They both had to deal fear and letting people in. This book also had some laugh-out-loud moments that I felt like it even out the boon and made the romance feel earned and believable.

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Thank you so much to Dell and NetGalley for a chance to read and review!

Unfortunately this one wasn't my favorite, so I'm going to have to stop reading at around 25%. I definitely see the potential and the way they could be interested in each other, but I didn't feel the chemistry. Plus, the way neither of them worked on making the marriage seem believable (especially since they had hated each other for years??). I'm sure it'll pick up and work, but for now, I will have to stop.

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Thanks to Dell for th ARC of this one! This was the perfect hockey romance with a marriage of convenience plot. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it was a quick read. If you are a sports romance fan and like authors like Bal Khabra and Elle Kennedy, it would likely be a it for you. Definitely lots of spice too if you enjoy that. Thanks for the opportunity to review it!

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I am usually not a fan of the enemies to lovers trope. The conflict often feels contrived and takes too long to resolve for me. However, in Gloves Off, the author did a good job of showing why Alexei and Georgia thought they hated each other because of assumptions based on their past relationships. The progression from supposed hate to recognition of love in this book felt natural. The mix of wanting, angst, caring and humor was a masterpiece and I read it twice before writing this review because I couldn't believe I liked it this much.

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I love the world of the vancouver storm players. These books are the perfect escape for someone who wants a quick read. Alexi and Georgia are a really good enemies to lovers trope and I loved that he fell first. This book was a little long but all in all it was a solid read.

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I’ve been waiting to get to this book since Hazel and Rory’s book because I knew it would be one of my favorites of the series, adding in the cliffhanger from The Wingman finding out it’ll be a marriage trope of some kind and I read this one as soon as I could fit it in! Alexi and Georgia both need to get married for legal reasons and so they do it, and then end up having such a good marriage of convenience storyline for me as a reader I couldn’t out it down! I loved their anger, hatred, prejudice and everything that kept them fighting and just being pure mean for a good portion of this book. I love it as the stakes get higher and higher, while also finding small things to start to show mercy and love, like with how Alexi handed Georgia’s sleep walking. When they started to actually become vulnerable, letting each other see the real versions of themselves and finally let down their guard this just becomes the sweetest love story of all. If you like enemies to lovers you’ll like this story no questions asked.

There are so many one-liners, pranks, and fake stories that will make you laugh, heartwarming parts that will make you just fall in love with both Alexi and Georgia, and some great life lessons, what else more could you want?

A note on the series, I read this series all in a week, and I noticed a lot of formulaic and reused plot lines, actual lines, we see two of the four main FMC talk about how their ex wouldn’t handle them wearing bright colors well, and overall I felt like the backstory of the old relationships for each of the main female characters were the same, and I would have preferred to see a little more variation on that, but overall I have really liked this series and can’t wait for the next book!

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This was so fun!! I didn't like it as much as the Fake Out but it was a close 2nd. Great enemies to lovers. I wish the reasons for the marriage of convenience weren't just brushed over, I was hoping for more of an explanation/focus on that. But overall super fun read!

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This book had me laughing, swooning, and highlighting line after line. The balance of humor and heart is spot-on—every moment feels authentic and unforgettable.
The pacing is great and once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. Reading this one also made me really want to read the rest of the series, because while it stands alone well, I have to read the rest.

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THIS BOOK, hehehe THAT ENEMIES TO LOVERS BECAUSE THEY GOT OFF ON THR WRONG FOOT 🤭🤭
But also “hating” was talking about all the qualities they actually liked about each other lol. I loved this book! I wouldn’t say it was my fav of the series but I absolutely enjoyed this book. The reasons why both needed to do it, the slowly seeing them fall in love with each other was such a beautiful thing to read!

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great book cant wait to read the next one already, ive loved every book in the series and this one was just as great

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I truly truly enjoyed this book.

So easy to read and fall for these characters! The plot made sense and was well paced.

The banter between the two main characters was incredible and I loved how they handled their issues and differences without making me cringe.

I wasn't blown away by this book, but I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. Perfect for romance readers and hockey lovers!!

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Obsessed is an understatement. Marriage of convenience? Ummmm yes pleaseeeeee…. But with a little bit of hate.

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