A very cute friends-to-lovers with a suprise single-dad troupe, and spice!
It's a sports-romance setting with a male maincharacter giving both golden retriever and alfa-male vibes!
There is a lot of heartwarming moments and self-healing - and especially the female maincharacter really finds her self.

An easy fun romance with a suprise baby, a Daddy and spice!

A thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This has a lot of emotions tied to it. Sadness, grief, happiness, hope, worry. All of them. And somehow? Somehow, it just all fits together perfectly. You see, Andi and Ford are friends. Neighbors. But then they become more. Partners in unexpected baby-raising. More than friends. And while I was stunned to know that Willa could walk away, the truth is so very much more than I’d imagined.

This is an excellent story of rolling with the punches, figuring out how to change routines when necessary, and letting love have the wheel. To know what a sacrifice is made for the good of the future by one, to see just what a mother’s love is, and to know that two people who never wanted “responsibility” for an innocent life just makes this a book you won’t want to put down. It’s really that good. Yes, you’ll tear up. Maybe some will spill over. But it’s worth the ride in the end. Trust me.

I have mixed feelings about this one.
There were some parts I really enjoyed- hence the 2 stars- but overall it wasn’t really for me.
I struggled to connect with either main character and felt that for a lot of the book Ford was just using Andi as convenient child care, that he completely took for granted. She felt she owed him it but it wasn’t ever really clear why, and she went way above and beyond just helping occasionally.
I didn’t see the twist near the end coming and would have liked a trigger warning for it, so I hope there is one in the final published book (though I appreciate it is also a spoiler) but I did like that it explained the biological mother’s actions that for most of the book didn’t make any sense.
The ending was nice, and I’m intrigued by Smitty and the pop star.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Keeping the Score by Kelly Jamieson
What does a Goalie in the NHL do when a former one-night-stand shows up and says this is your baby, and leaves the baby....
This is a heartwarming story with just enough spice. Single dad x neighbor. Surprise baby and all the chaos and crying that comes with a new baby and two adults who have zero experience with a baby.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Keeping the Score but it does have some heartbreaking elements in it, as well as fun and funny moments.

Keeping the Score was a lot of fun to read. Ford and Andi have been neighbors for years. Andi recently went through a yucky divorce and Ford has stood by as her friend. When Ford finds out he's a father when a baby is dropped on his doorstep, Andi steps up to help him. Neither has wanted kids or knows anything about babies but they figure things out together. Parenting together brings them closer together in ways they never planned.

I loved how honest this story was about the characters not knowing what to do with a baby and maybe not ever wanting to do anything with one at all. Usually, it's the woman sweeping in instinctively knowing or having had experience taking care of the baby. That wasn't the case here and I found it refreshing. The way Ford and Andi worked together to figure things out and fell in love along the way was really sweet. Little Matilda was adorable. It was fun to see characters from the first book in this series, and I hope there are more to come.

I freaking LOVE this series. Now, I am honestly not sure if it is being called a series because these are definately stand alone books but this is the second book referencing the same hocket team and players and I absolutely adored it. Ford was an intriguing character during the first book and I am so, so happy he got his own story with Keeping the Score.

Ford is a slightly nerotic, set his his way, goal-focused goalie that doesnt have time for true relationships or anything outside his highly regimented schedule. Until an adorable, and unexpected, baby is dropped on him. So now Ford's whole life is upturned and he needs help. In comes Andi, his amazingly sweet neighbor who is getting over a recent divorce, like him doesnt want kids or have time for relationships. Together they navigate some emotionally shark infested waters (IYKYK).

Beyond the fact that this is just a flat out well written hocky trope romance, it also has heart. The characters are ones you want to invest in and the story is well developed. I also love that there are characters and references from the previous book that are woven into this one. Both Ford and Andi are flawed, but not in an over the top way. Instead, their challenges are absolutely relatable making this a binge worth book with an absolutely satisfying happy ending.

My only suggestion? Add a recipe for those beer meatballs because they sound awesome!!

5 stars. Loved this!

After reading the first of this series, I was so happy to receive the ARC for the second part of the series. And oh boy I loved this even more than the first part!

This had a different take on the surprise baby trope. Ford has to care for his baby who he didn't know existed. He doesn't know anything about babies, and neither does his neighbor Andi. However these two have to take care of the baby. We also see a lot of Ford's teammates who undoubtedly will have their own books later.

This made me feel both sad and happy. I literally had tears in my eyes at one part. I love how this series is spicy and fun but also handles mental health themes and sadness, and these themes are handled well.

I can't wait for the next part of the series!

WHAT I LIKED: I loved Ford and Andi together. It was well described how they didn't want the baby at first but how they both very quickly started to love Matilda. I liked how they had some problems with communication but they understood how important it is to talk!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: I have to admit that there was nothing too irritating, it was overall a very good book!

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pov: dual, 1st person
Heat: open doors
Pacing: slowburnish
Communication: mostly healthy communication
Third act: hiccups
Ending: HEA

Main characters:
* Alpha Hero
* Cinnamon roll hero
* Friends to lovers
* Millionaire
* Single parent

What?
* Dirty talk
* Forced proximity
* Found family
* Sports romance: hockey

Where?
* New Jersey

Drama?
* Surprise baby

Other vibes:
* Mental health rep
* ”We’re just friends”

So, so good! This story has lots of feels-laughter, grief, insecurity, angst but (obviously) most importantly love! Andi & Ford-so good together! All the supporting characters are great too. And Tilly is the icing on the cake! This is the 2nd in what I hope is going to be a series! I definitely recommend both books! It helps to read the first one first but to me they can definitely be standalones.

Keeping the Score was a great friends to lovers story mixed in with the single dad trope. I really liked how Andi and Ford grew as characters and both fell in love with Tilly. I found the twist towards the end very unexpected but loved how it played out in the last few chapters.

My biggest problem with the book is that it was not marketed as the second book or a follow up story. I was extremely confused about information and side stories that were dropped or mentioned because I haven't read the other related work- I think it's really important to make readers aware this is a follow up and they should read the other book first

I absolutely love Ford and Andi! Their friendship and bond is so beautiful and I love that Andi steps in and helps Ford in his time of need!

What was a crazy situation turns out to be the most absolute blessing and was life changing for them both. Ford stepped up in a huge way and the growth that you get to “see” and experience with them both had me reading this book in one sitting.

Their steamy moments are absolutely fire and will have you melting. I loved this story so much. It was more emotional than I anticipated and I couldn’t get enough.

Andi and Ford are neighbors. Andi is still somewhat recovering from her divorce and Ford is happily single until his world is turned upside down when a one night stand shows up with his daughter that he needs to take care of. He enlists Andi as help reluctantly. Neither of them wanted kids and it's a huge adjustment. Along the way, sparks start to fly. They both fall in love with the baby and each other. They learn about themselves along the way. It's a wonderfully written story with both characters growing into better people along the way.

I have read previous books by Kelly Jamieson, so was familar with her writing style. Keeping the score is a standlalone. Ford and Andi are neighbors and friends for years. They both are attracted to each other and neither of them is looking for a serious relationship at the moment. Ford unexpectely finds out that he is the father of a baby. Andi steps up to help him take care of his baby while he deals with his hetic professional hockey schedule.

A rollercoaster of emotions, snark, surprises, insecurities, and more than enough sizzle and spice. Great series, more than the usual romance with strong plots and serious circumstances - mixed with a bit of humor and a lot of emotion.

Ford, a competitive hockey player, needs Andi to help with a newborn baby outside his apartment. Andi falls in love with him along the way...

Lots of hot scenes. Love the slow burn. Very sexy. Love Ford and Andi's chemistry! Both characters have their own issues to work on. It's emotional in the best way... Enjoy the story very much.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Welp, I wasn’t expecting! While I had anticipated a good spicy hockey romance, this book offered a fantastic single dad/recent divorcee storyline. Ford, the goalie from Crossing the Line, receives an unexpected paternity revelation. The baby’s mother has to leave town to handle a family crisis and entrusts baby Tilly to Ford. Understandably shocked and overwhelmed, Ford seeks help from his recently divorced next-door neighbor and friend, Andi. Despite her lack of experience with children, Andi feels obligated to assist Ford, remembering his support during her traumatic divorce.

This story truly resonated with the theme of how even the most well-intentioned plans can be upended and how crucial it is to have people in our corner. A major twist later in the book had me in tears during my lunch break, so thank you for that! While this is a sequel to Crossing the Line, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone. If you’re a fan of hockey romances, I highly recommend checking it out.

Thank you, Boldwood Books, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.