The way I am obsessed with this book is not healthy!!

Miss Stephanie you have done it again.

the characters:
Dr. Georgia is now tied with Hazel for my favorite FMC in her universe. I loved how strong, badass, and resilient she was. Like she truly may be my hero now. Like being an attending MD, sports MD, and soccer coach? What can’t she do???

Alexei grew up. He genuinely was a dick but I’m glad he groveled / apologized / bought Georgia lots of things (as he should!). His relationship with his parents was so precious (side note: lowkey love the political implications of his parents speaking out against the Russian government). I was swooning when he started taking mentorship up seriously with Luca and the soccer girlies.

I loved all the other characters being in the book. It’s so fun to read about how their relationships have developed!

I want a Ward and Luca book IMMEDIATELY. I just know I’ll eat it up.

the plot:
I thought the marriage of convenience was handled really well. I genuinely was so curious how Georgia and Alexei would find themselves in a relationship, but it made sense given the situation!

I loved the progression of their romance. It felt almost like a slow burn to me which I loved. Maybe moreso slow burn in the sense of actual feelings developed. But they were so cute (and hot!).

Alexei coming to terms with retirement was also handled so well. I love that he’s a coach! It feels perfectly suited to him.

And ofc I’m obsessed with everything Georgia does. Our queen!

the book cover:
It’s cute! Not my favorite, but that’s okay.

Overall, I loved this!! I cannot wait for more books in this universe.

thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

A solid hockey romance read that features a marriage of convenience with forced proximity. I was invested in Alexei and Georgia's story and seeing their dislike transform into love. I also really enjoyed Georgia's bunnies and seeing Alexei's relationship with them. This book was also great because there was no third act break-up, and the characters communicated their feelings with each other.

I loved this book. Fake marriage and enemies to lovers is one of my favorite combos, and Stephanie Archer absolutely nailed it with Georgia and Alexei. Their chemistry was so good, it was equal parts tension, banter, and genuine emotion. I couldn’t get enough of them.

Georgia needs a husband to unlock her trust fund. Alexei needs to stay in Canada and keep playing hockey. Neither of them actually wants to get married... so of course they end up fake-marrying each other with a set of strict rules that last about five minutes. Georgia is fierce and driven badass FMC, and Alexei is the classic grumpy-softie who tries (and fails) not to catch feelings. Well they both try and fail at doing so.

The way their relationship developed felt natural but still had that slow-burn payoff I was hoping for. It’s the kind of romance that makes you want to rewatch The Proposal and then re-read your favorite scenes just to relive the tension. I’m still thinking about it days later. It had all the tropes I love, done really well, and I flew through it in like a day. Now I obviously need to reread the whole Vancouver Storm series because I’m officially obsessed again.

Tropes:

💍 Marriage of convenience
😤 Enemies to lovers
🥶 Grumpy x sunshine
🏒 Sports romance
🔥 Slow burn
💘 He falls first
🏠 Forced proximity
👰 My wife
👠 Sexy designer heel fetish
💍 “My Wife. My love. My everything” 😍

Stephanie Archer has done it again (and possibly better than ever before!). Gloves Off blew me away, and I say this as someone who worried that this installment in the Vancouver Storm series would be my least favorite. Alexei and Georgia were so precious together, and I was squealing and giddy the whole way through! Archer writes the most thoughtful, "down bad" MMCs, and Alexei blossomed into a character that I adored!
The use of tropes and execution of the plot were so well done, I never felt that the story was dragging and (in fact) wished that it could slow down so that I could bask in the absolute genius that is Stephanie Archer's writing.
This was such an easy five stars for me, and I will recommend Stephanie's books to anyone who will listen!!

I loved the characters and laughing around the way. The hidden messages and miscommunications were cute without being annoying. And the little bit of steam made this a fun read and perfect vacay book!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Man, these enemies had some sick burns on their way to the lovers portion of the trope. I wish the main characters had opened up to each other and gone a bit more in depth about their last relationships and those past hurts, but really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to Ward and Jordan’s book. I really hope Walker gets a book. He gives mad Bedsy or Celebrini vibes.

A marriage of convenience when a hockey player needs a fast track for citizenship and the team Doctor wants to claim her inheritance.

What would you do if you had to marry the one person you swore you hated but secretly desired. It's time to figure out how Alexei Volkov and Dr. Georgia Greene feel. Will they finally see what everyone else has all these years?

Lots of tension, banter, chemistry, and spice in a hockey romance that is off and on the ice fun.

While this is the last book in a series that I just discovered I enjoyed it as a standalone and look forward to reading the previous books over the summer.

This is book 4 in the Vancouver Storm series by Stephanie Archer. This book would be perfect for all fans of hockey romance! Perfect for those that love marriage of convenience, one bed, enemies to lovers, and possessive hereos!

4.5 stars ⭐️ I love everything Stephanie Archer writes!! This is no exception. In Gloves Off we get enemies to lovers x marriage of convenience executed to perfection! Our FMC, Georgia, is the badass hockey team’s doctor. Her chemistry with Alexei off the charts and their banter was top tier!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

Gifted [Thank you to Stephanie Archer and Random House for allowing me early access to this story!]
⭐️ 4 🌶️ 3 💀 0


Source: ARC Get it on June 17th


Length: 464 Pages


Tropes/Themes:
✨ Marriage of Convenience
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Workplace
✨ Mutual Hate


What it’s about:
Despite living in Canada since he was a child, he needs citizenship in case the worst happens and he can no longer play professional hockey. Her program at the hospital is losing its funding, but the only way she can access her trust fund left by her grandfather is to get married. Only issue, they both hate one another.


My Review:
I loved this book so much. Their anger was palpable and you just knew their misconceptions of one another would bring about a great reckoning. If you haven’t read the rest of this series, do yourself a favor and go devour it. This one, however, stands apart for me as I adore a good marriage of convenience story!

There’s nothing I love more than a fake dating/marriage of convenience trope. And there’s nothing Alexei Volkov loves more than calling Dr. Georgia “my wife”.

Alexei needs to get married to keep his and his parents Canadian citizenship, Georgia needs to get married to get an inheritance. So what happens when two people who claim to hate each other, get married?

I love Georgia, between her and Hazel idk who is my favorite FMC in this series. I love that she’s smart, kind, takes no shit from anyone, and her favorite show is The Vampire Diaries. Alexei is a silent, broody, acts of service type of guy. Even when he’s claiming until the bitter end that he hates her (spoiler he never did) he’s always doing things to help her.
(The flowers were such an inventive way for him to communicate his feelings)

Overall, easy 5 stars. I’m obsessed with this series and I can’t wait for the best one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC. I very much appreciate it.

Stephanie Archer has done it once again. Gloves Off, the newest book in the Vancouver Storm series, was fun and steamy. Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, grumpy sunshine, possessive hero... how could you not love this book?

The thing I love about Archer's writing is how believable, relatable, and distinct she makes each character across her series. There were many "I've been there!" moments when reading Georgia's chapters. I also loved how the characters grew individually and together. Both of these characters are protecting themselves from past relationship trauma by pushing people away. Seeing them learning to trust someone enough to be vulnerable and take a leap made me feel all the feels.

I will happily read anything Stephanie Archer puts out.

Enjoyed this next book in the Storm hickey romances. A good enemies to lovers troupe. Strong professional woman meets strong hockey player. Looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy. #GlovesOff #NetGalley

3.5 stars

I usually love a good enemies-to-lovers, but this one just felt forced and honestly, kind of dumb. The “enemies” part was more about miscommunication and immature behavior than genuine conflict, and some of the things they said to each other in the beginning were just annoying. I couldn’t get behind the FMC’s reasoning for letting him believe certain things — it didn’t make sense and dragged on for way too long. The whole marriage of convenience setup was rushed, and their terrible acting made it painfully obvious that it was fake (it made me cringe internally).

Once they stopped hating each other and genuinely started forming a friendship, the story felt more grounded, and I found myself rooting for them. Once they finally started opening up to each other, the emotional payoff was satisfying, and the way their relationship evolved felt authentic. I also really enjoyed the incorporation of flower meanings and how they subtly mirrored the growth of their feelings — it added a unique, thoughtful touch.

If you’re in the mood for a hockey romance with a lot of angst, a slow-burn vibe, and some sweet, symbolic moments, I would check it out!

Thank you to Ballantine, Stephanie Archer and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great Canadian hockey romance where the man is a strong loveale athele but at home they are non stop fighting. On the ice he is star but when he gets home things are not as good.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! After receiving the ARC copy, I realized I’d missed the first three books in the series, so I went back to complete them prior to diving in to this installment. Let me say, I am SO glad I received this copy to open my eyes to the world of Stephanie Archer! All of the books in these series were absolutely wonderful, leading me to laugh, experience frustration, kick my feet in joy, and leave me with an overall sense of happiness.

For this book in particular, I went into it with an open mind, not completely feeling a connection between the two characters from the previous books. However, the grumpy/black cat trope is my new favorite. I don’t need sunshine and golden retrievers… this is what I am here for! After getting into it, I loved the dynamic between these two, along with the glimpses into past (and likely future) MMCs and FMCs. It was great watching these two people, completely set in their ways and minds made up about one another, grow as the story progressed.

While good as a standalone, I’d highly encourage reading the other books first to really give a better picture of the relationship between these two. Fabulous book!

Am I a sports romance girlie now??

I tend to avoid enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience in contemporary romances as the reasons never seem to match up to the level of hatred, but Archer pulled it off here!! Volkov needs a green card, Georgia needs her inheritance, what’s to do but marry each other? Too bad they can’t stand each other and everyone knows!

These two hate each other and are legit mean to each other! Like, for no reason than they find the other hot and make a bad first impression. It was intense and I LOVED it!! Watching them try to act the loving couple in front of their closest friends and family was very entertaining. As they get to know each other more, feelings start to emerge and they have to decide if their hatred may be getting in the way of their happiness.

Volkov is the ultimate “my wife” guy and Georgia has a serious praise kink and they compliment the other so well! The banter and tension between this two is phenomenal and had me laughing and gasping out loud.

This is the first book I’ve read by Archer, but I’m going to have to read the rest of this series because this one is so amazing!

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

Gloves Off was such a fun and romantic read! Loved the marriage of convenience, the emotional growth, and the swoony romance. Spicy, funny, and totally satisfying.

Gloves Off was such a cute, feel-good read! Stephanie Archer delivers another swoony rom-com packed with charm, tension, and just the right amount of spice. I absolutely loved Alexei — he’s the perfect mix of grumpy, guarded, and secretly soft. His banter with the heroine was top-tier, and watching his walls slowly come down was so satisfying.
The chemistry? Off the charts. The emotional beats? Surprisingly tender. had me going MEEEP!

Gloves off was so good! I really enjoyed this book! I have read the first three in the series and was really excited for an enemies to lovers book! I’m not going to lie I was scared because some authors cannot write enemies to lovers without taking me hate a character but I seriously loved these two! The Banter between Georgia and Alexei was TOP TIER! They are so down bad for eachother and I’m already in suspense for the next book! I love them so much and I can’t wait for more!!