I love this series. This book was devoured. Such a great cast of characters and storyline. I loved it!

A sweet hockey romance. Maple Falls is a special place and when Clara and Cade meet they have great chemistry.
Read if you like:
Small town, single mom, and hunky forbidden hockey players.
Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read an early copy via NetGalley.

Small town Maple Falls considers itself lucky as it has a lot going for it with a pro hockey team.
And you know what that means, yeah hockey players but there’s one who has turned over a new leaf. Tired of the partying lifestyle and endless flirting with a different woman all the time, Cade Lennox is ready for something new.
Clara Johnson, social media manager of the team should be used to being around the guys and taking lots of pictures but when an assignment has her literally falling into the arms of Cade Lennox it’s over.
Will this be her downfall, the hockey player with a smile and flirting for all the ladies, could he possibly be ready to find the one?
I’ve read a few other hockey romances, and I’ve enjoyed this one just as much.
A closed door romance we see a hockey player who gives it his all not only on the ice but in this fast paced and fun romance.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a very good book ! I love Kate’s books very cute and funny !
I love the storyline and characters in it
Thank you for NetGalley and the publishers

Light, funny and cute. Very Hallmark! The disability rep added a nice depth to the story, and I loved the development of the relationship between MCs.

2.75⭐️ | NetGalley Review

Thank you for the ARC!

This was a cute and easy read. It had great mental health rep which is always a plus. However, it felt a bit rushed and shallow at times. I would've wanted a bit more depth, both feelings and story wise.

And the part where they needed to save the town? That part of the plot fell through and was tied together very shortly at the end. No real build up, no money-panic and drama around it.

It was short and sweet

Offside and Off-Limits by Kate O’Keeffe is a fun, heartwarming romance that had me smiling from start to finish. Clara and Cade’s chemistry leaps off the page, and their banter is as charming as it is addictive. The mix of humor, sweet moments, and genuine emotion made this a delightful read. I truly enjoyed this book and rated it five stars.

I always enjoy a Kate O'Keeffe story and this one did not disappoint. I love a sweet hockey romance! These characters were great! Clara and Cade are great, along with secondary characters. I always enjoy when a chronic illness is added in with a main character that is also battling work and being a single mother! She worked so hard and I just loved it. This story did not disappoint!

In this closed door romance, single mom Clara meets reformed bad boy hockey player Cade when she takes on social media management for his new hockey team. It’s a forbidden romance, though— this team has strict HR policies! Is Cade worth risking her heart and her job?

This was a fast little read, although it felt disjointed at times where paragraphs seemed to conflict with each other or repeat the same themes within a few pages. Frankly, it made me wonder whether this was AI-assisted writing. I did appreciate the focus on chronic illness and how the author handled it in an empathetic, gentle way.

Although the writing was too slow for me, there were moments when it made me laugh. I hate those books were ML/FL are judged for their past, so it made me annoyed at the start, however after a while, Cade and Clara were so cute! But I'm not going to lie, I had a lot of trouble continuing this book, Cade povs were making me bored and Clara's were too short. I was struggling to continue reading this because of the writing and pacing. 2 stars for the plot!

We first met Clara as Ellie’s sister in The Rebound Play. She has not recovered from her chronic fatigue syndrome, but she is managing it, and she’s the new social media manager for the Ice Breakers. When she encounters Cade, with his past reputation as a playboy ladies’ man, she is determined to keep things professional.

Cade has other ideas. His playboy days are in the past, and he came to Maple Falls to reinvent himself. He just has to convince Clara that he’s not the man she thinks she knows.

When they have a moment in a video that wasn’t supposed to be livestreamed, the fans love their chemistry, and Clara’s boss wants her to do many more videos with Cade.

One thing I liked about this one is that there is no third-act breakup. Although Clara has a non-fraternization clause in her employment contract, she is a grownup and lets her boss know that she and Cade have started a relationship. She does, however, have to wait a few days for official word from up the chain of command on whether that will be okay—which causes a grand gesture from Cade. It wasn’t needed, but it was grand.

There’s also a subplot with Clara’s online relationship with a fellow chronic fatigue warrior. I had a suspicion of who it might be, and it was completely wrong. It was a great twist and gave Clara a real opportunity to stand up for herself.

O’Keeffe takes an opportunity in the epilogue to mention characters from her other books who all tie into the families in this one. So you’re probably going to have to add to your TBR.

There are a few continuity errors in this one. The announcement to the town about the impending problem it faces comes a little too soon (I’m keeping a timeline). Cade mentions at one point that his sister has twins, Oliver and Olivia. In the epilogue, they have completely different names. In the “Drench for Defense” fundraiser, Clara is surprised by a woman who throws water on Asher, but in his book, he has discussed his attraction with Clara and she gave him advice.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Mention of chronic illness and mental health. Kissing. A deadbeat ex-husband. Cade mentions his playboy past and how he took many different women home. Catfishing.

Who might like this book:
If you like witty banter, humor, hockey, and romance, here you go!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

#NetGalley #BookReview #Biblioquacious #RomCom #Hockey #CFS #Forbidden #KateOKeeffe #OffsideAndOffLimits

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/08/welcome-back-to-maple-falls.html

I have been a book lover for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I always had a book tucked under my arm, ready to sneak in a few pages whenever I could. I even got in trouble for reading at the dinner table once or twice. Romance has always been my comfort zone, and lately I have fallen hard for sports romance, so this book was right up my alley.

I will admit, I was a little nervous going in since it is part of a series where each book is by a different author. Sometimes that can make it feel like you are missing pieces, but this one worked perfectly fine on its own. From the first chapter, I was hooked. The back-and-forth first-person storytelling made it easy to connect with both main characters, and it felt like I was getting the inside scoop on each of their thoughts.

I have read other hockey romances before, but this one still managed to surprise me with a fresh perspective on the sport. The only thing that tripped me up was the final chapter introducing a crowd of new characters all at once. As someone who is brand new to this author, that part felt a little overwhelming. Even so, I closed the book with a smile on my face and a new addition to my sports romance favorites list.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Offside and Officer Limits Honest ARC Review:

4.5⭐️
When I first read the summary for this story I expected a hockey romance and nothing more. It had a lot more depth! Clara, the FMC was a single mom with two young children. She was forced to overcome obstacles and rebuild her life.

Clara’s ex husband cheated and left with her close friend shortly after Clara discovered that she had a chronic illness. Being a stay at home mom at the time, Clara focused on finding the right place of employment.

The Ice Breakers Hockey team was new to Maple Falls and needed a social media manager to advertise for the team. Clara seemed to be the perfect fit. What Clara didn’t expect was to have to fend off attractive professional hockey players.

Cade, the MMC, had depth as well. He did not have the opportunity to have a relationship with his father. That loss inspired him to be a better person. He seemed genuine and kind as he built a relationship with those around him.

⭐️Hockey Romance
⭐️Small Town Romance
⭐️FMC with Chronic Illness
⭐️Understanding and kind MMC
⭐️Single mom with children
⭐️Developer Billionaire attempting to take over small town


This was a great story. I look forward to more from this author. Thank you Net Galley and Wild Lime Books for sharing this ARC with me.

This was an easy, quick read with small-town charm and a hockey romance between a single mom and a playboy athlete trying to change his reputation. The no fraternization clause added a fun layer to the tension, and the story had a light, Hallmark-style vibe. I personally wanted more depth, but for readers who enjoy a cozy, feel-good romance with sports and small-town warmth, this would be a great pick.

This book is your quintessential small town hockey romance. It is a sweet romance that is a great quick read. The relationship between Clara and Cade grows to something beautiful and the way Cade treats Clara’s kids is absolutely amazing. I loved the chronic illness representation throughout and loved that Cade was understanding and supportive of Clara’s issues. This is just an amazing easy read that makes you feel that bit happier after reading it.

This was such a heartwarming read. Thank you to the Author, Kate O’Keeffe & Wild Lime Books for this eARC.

Clara - single mum, chronic illness warrior, survivor of a piece of work ex & social media manager of a hockey team is such a RELATABLE character and I truly loved seeing her journey in this book.

Cade, the hockey god who has the bad boy image but it truly isn’t who he is deep down! I loved his redemption to his true self in this story line!

And their dynamic in this book was sooooooo good!

This was such a good hockey read, with forbidden romance / workplace romance vibes !

Would recommend !!

3.5

Clara is excited to start her new job as social media manager for the Ice Breakers. There's just one problem. Cade. He seems to be everywhere. From the bookstore, to shirtless in the locker room, to dancing for TikTok, to her chronic illness support group, to catching her before she falls on the ice. That no fraternization clause is going to be hard to abide by.

Read if you like:
-Reformed Playboys who are Also Huge Nerds
-Off Limits
-Single Mom
-He Falls First
-Chronic Illness
-Viral Videos

Offside and Off-Limits was so fun! Cade was unbelievably flirty and unapologetic in his pursuit of Clara. I was pumping my fist in the air when he volunteered to be in everyone of her social media campaigns sight unseen. That takes confidence. It was so satisfying to watch Clara let her walls down for Cade. She was crushing it as a single mom living with a chronic illness, but she also needed a little help (who doesn't honestly). And Cade was ready to step up.

I can't say I loved it and I can't say I hated it. It was cute and cozy with good chronic illness rep, but I also really didn't like the main male character and wish we had a bigger confrontation with the fmc's ex. The fmc being a single mom was a great aspect and was done well too!
The mmc was obviously written by a woman. He would constantly say "Come on, I'm a guy, of course I notice she's hot" or something similar and it was very off-putting. Also his other teammates were kind of assholes to him in the beginning and I wasn't a huge fan of them either based on their demeanor. All of the males acted like horny idiots.
It was fun but I probably won't read it again.

Loved every moment of Cade and Clara's story. Single parent books are one of my favorite tropes to read.

Offside and Off-limits was funny, romantic, swoon-worthy, and easy to read. Kate did a great job of building the story with the side characters and town that play a part in the other stories to come. You become curious about the other plays and when they will have their chance at love.
Kate also did a great job of adding situations that can be found in the real world that we do not see in books. An example would be Clara CF condition. I've never read a book about a character having that character. There have more books released this year that have different conditions or situations for the main characters that make is easy to connect with the reader.

Tropes:
Small Town
Workplace Romance
Hockey Romance
Single Mom
Closed Door Spice

Loved this hockey romance that has all the tropes we love as well as fully developed characters and a surprisingly well developed plot.