Love & Hockey by Monty Jay is narrated in dual style by Amy Hall and Benjamin Sands and written in first person dual POV.

This book is the love story of Valor Sullivan and Bishop Maverick. Valor has lived a life of harsh experiences and hardships. Bishop stitches her back together, but it is not an easy adventure. Bishop is the best friend of her father, and completely off limits. She has been shown time and time again to not trust men. This story is heartbreaking and harrowing.

Monty Jay’s Love & Hockey is a raw, emotional debut that blends romance, pain, and passion on and off the ice. Bishop and Valor’s connection—spanning years and marked by an intense age gap—is messy, real, and unforgettable. The characters are deeply flawed but fiercely lovable, and the emotional rollercoaster will hit you right in the gut. While the timeline jumps can feel fast-paced, the payoff is worth it. If you love angsty sports romance with depth, this one delivers.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I inhaled it, devoured it, and loved every minute of it. It transported me back to my 17 year old self like no other book has done before. I loved Valor, her personality, her potty mouth, her love for hockey. I felt for her not having a mother figure in her life to help her navigate the ins and outs of womanhood, and then being told by adults she wasn’t refined enough or girly enough. Her tears broke my heart. Bishop is just everything my 17 year old self would have ever wanted. I love how good he was to her and it infuriated me how he couldn’t just be open about her. But then to see how he waited for her… just loved it. The vulnerabilities shown by all characters in this story was amazing and the plot twist near the end left me reeling! The spicy scenes were amazing and the narration by Amy Hall and Benjamin Sands was sensational.

As a hockey girl I was really excited for this book. Sadly I think I was not the target audience for this book.

Age gap romances are not my favorite but there are still many I really enjoyed. The one thing I did not like about this book was the constant bond these characters felt and the descriptions of them being drawn to each other even when she was a preteen and he was not. That made it weird. I would have enjoyed the will they won’t they if the attraction on his end was a little more sudden or they hadn’t seen each other in years and he was surprised at his attraction. But keeping her favorite candy and describing their special bond when she is attending her first sleepover at thirteen … it gave me the ick. I wil never yuck anyone’s yum but this was not my yum for sure. It made me feel a little uncomfortable.

That being said I loved the twist of the birth mother element of the story and the female main characters reaction and friendships. I think even though this story was not my favorite the set up for her friends story sounds a little more my speed. Recovery from suicide and the other hockey player asking about her and worrying about her. YES! Now that I am here for. I would definitely be down to read that story. The writing, pacing, and story were definitely there for me in this book. It was just the characters romance that wasn’t. I think I will continue this series and see if the other couples are more my speed.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this story!!

This is an age, crap romance, and if you like that kind of stuff, then this is the book for you. I did not particularly care for the age gap in this romance. Not my cup of tea, but if you like hockey and you like romances and you’re like a good age gap, this is a good one for you.

Those first few chapters were 😬
Very close to DNFing… The age gap was def crazy.
Esp when she was only 16…

Val def gave I’m not like other girls vibes in the beginning lmfao. So cringe.
I’m glad she became more bearable later on, but I was ready for a F/F romance ‘cause Aurelia was my fave lol. Also, solely ‘cause the love interests were not my type at all…
*I still have beef w/ Riggs’ parents.

Bishop was def big brother turned possessive lemon fiend ☠️ He did not let me forget for one sec lmfao. I don’t mind an age gap, but maybe if the FMC wasn’t so young… I wouldn’t have minded so much.
It can still be considered a forbidden romance if she were in her 20s like pls. I think that’s what put me off.
I also still feel like he didn’t really make it up to her after what he did, esp after sm years?
It took Salmon for him to finally make a move?
*Salmon was not it either. I forgot his name, but LOL. That’s what I nicknamed him.

I mean, other than that the storyline was very real. We got more than just Love x Hockey!!
Mental health rep was in the building. It was def interesting how Monty tied in her Mother to this…
I did find the epilogue a bit weird though. We def got a time jump, but he was still worried about the Dad reacting?
After it’s been that long & so much has already happened? Like ok lmfao.
Benjamin Sands & Amy Hall did a good job narrating!!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen and review this book. I love me my hockey romance books, so I knew I’d like this but wasn’t sure how much I would like it but honestly this book was a 5/5 stars for me! I laughed, got angry, cried (a lot at parts) and was so happy for Bishop and Valor. I have to say though they aren’t my favorite relationship in this book (dont get me wrong, I love their relationship and they are a great couple) BUT the relationship that Valor and Riggs have and the relationship that Valors dad has with her and Riggs are probably my favorite. You can see the love the three of them have for each other and it is amazing, they truly get each other through the good, bad and the ugly. They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and also each other’s greatest protectors. I think that the narrators did a great job with this story and Monty Jay, what a fantastic writer being able to not only get this story across so well but also bring so many emotions so fiercely throughout the book! I can’t wait to read and listen to more but Monty!!

4⭐️, 2.75🌶️

Okay. So my problem with this book was I did not realize the prologue was Valley’s moms POV. I thought it was hers and for the longest time I was so confused 😅 oops.

Other than my confusion I really enjoyed the story. Valley and Bishop were a great age gap romance and I personally never felt like it was a gross relationship. I thought they were a friends to lovers journey and the added emotional drama with side characters made the final 40% very dramatic.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review

I am convinced that Monty J can do no wrong. If you have not read anything by them I need you to do so now. The fact that this is their DEBUT novel and it’s this good is mind blowing! If you love the Hollow Boys series then this will not disappoint.

First of all i listened to this audiobook in one sitting. Staying up until 1 am to finish it because I could not put this book down! I was a wreck while reading this the rollercoaster of emotions that this book took me on. I laughed, cried, was so pissed off at certain points I wanted to throw my phone.

The story was so well written and perfectly thought out. The narrators did an amazing job with their performances. I cannot stress this enough, READ THIS BOOK!!

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGally for the ALC!

Yep, another favorite for me.

What to expect:
Childhood friends
Dark themes
Hockey
Dual POV & Narration

*check content warnings if you have any triggers

I loved this one and the audio was so good. I loved the narrators that were chosen and they completely brought Vallie and Bishop to life for me. It's dual narrated which added to the emotional impact for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this book and the timeline that the author used. I loved the development of the characters and feel like they were both fully flushed out. The romance elements just hit for me. And the spice was not so prevalent but perfectly complemented the plot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Excited to read the next book!

This might be my favorite Monty Jay book ever plus it got me out of a serious audio slump. Very bingeable!

Check trigger warnings, there suicide, parental abandonment, drug and alcohol abuse, age gap and the romance starts young.

Since it’s an audio read, I’ll review writing and narration separately.

Writing - the pacing was consistent and clear. The story starts when the FMC is a young teen and proceeds into her mid~20’s but the time jumps are handled well and aren’t jarring at all. They really set the stage for Valor’s personality - raised on the ice by a single father/hockey coach, her family is her dad, his players and a few girls she plays with. They’ve raised her to be tough, but she’s always felt a lack of femininity. Bishop Maverick, the MMC, is older, one of her father’s players, and has always thought of her as a younger sister…. Until he doesn’t. He falls for her but doesn’t know how to admit it to the world and so he loses her.
World building is straightforward and characters are memorable. There’s a twist about Bishop’s foster family that strained credulity, but I also read a lot of fantasy so I’ll roll with it.

Narration - Amy Hall is perfection as Valor, perfectly showcasing her relative youth and inexperience as well as her fierce spirit. And Benjamin Sands as Bishop? Super growly and conflicted! Both narrators spoke clearly with consistent speed and were easy to understand.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook was ok- I think I would have enjoyed it more if I enjoyed the contents of the book more. I found both characters insufferable ESPECIALLY the FMC. Social ques could have taught her a little something about manners & couth so the excuse of not having a mother to teach her things could only go so far.

While I’m generally okay with age gap romances, their meeting when she was so young and he much older felt off-putting to me, and I just couldn’t fully get into the story.

This just didn't work for me at all. while the age difference is not horrible in the adult world, the connection and first contact, regardless of being "legal" was ICKY

This book won me over. I almost DNF at 15% but Bishop’s POV helped me move past the “grooming/ick” vibes. This is an age gap romance, they meet when she is 10 & he is 18 & moves throughout the years & their friendship turned romance. There is a lot of hockey, since both characters love the game & I appreciated that this was almost equal parts hockey & romance!

I love Month Jay’s books & writing. I enjoyed the audiobook, both narrators did a great job!

Tropes:
Age gap
Dads best friend
Forbidden
Hockey romance
It was always him

✨ Overall Rating 4.5
📈 Plot 5/5
🖊️ Writing 5/5 (based on audio)
👤 Characters 5/5
⚖️ Interpersonal Relationships 4/5
🗺️ World Building 5/5
🔥 Spice 3/5
😭 Emotional Damage 3/5
🤩 Entertainment 5/5

🎧 Audiobook 4/5
🎙️ Narrators 3.5/5
🎚️ Quality 5/5

I really enjoyed this story and the audiobook—I literally listened to it all day while working!

The friendship between the main characters, Valor and Bishop is so sweet and has a depth that is rare. These two are truly twin flames. As they both age, things change and they begin to see each other more than friends.

A romantic relationship building from knowing each other from such a young age, with an 8 year age gap is not an easy thing to write. Monty did a great job at finding a healthy balance in their relationship despite this. I was worried that I would get a gross grooming vibe from it but I think things flowed well. I do wish they waited just a little bit longer to turn things physical though.

The audiobook is great; the sound and tones were pretty level which is appreciated. However I feel the narrators spoke just a bit too slow at times.
The male narrator didn’t completely suite Bishop—it was an “okay” fit in my opinion. I think a more gruff voice would have suited him better….but thats also just a general preference of mine.

All in all, I’m happy with this and would recommend the book and audio to others.


Thank you to Monty, the publisher and Netgalley for the ALC

Narrators of this book did a great job.
Amy Hall and Benjamin Sands.

To sum this book up in one sentence:
An angsty age gap, forbidden, hockey romance, where he just happens to be dad's best friend.

I gave this book 5⭐️ because it had me on a roller coaster of emotions. I tend to stick with your typical hockey romance for the most part with a lot of dark romance in there. This is not going to be your typical light and fluffy hockey romance. Please check your trigger warnings.

Tropes:
💗 Age gap
🏒 Dads best friend
💗 Forbidden
🏒 Hockey romance
💗 It was always him
🏒 Star crossed lovers

Valor had her mom walk away from her at the age of 2. She was always missing the part where she was taught to put make up on, fix her hair, or just be "lady like." She had a hockey player for a dad so she was always around the sport and realized at the age of 10 that she loved one of the guys Bishop that played on her dads team. Of course he only thought of her as a little girl. Over the years they became close friends. Nothing happened with them until they kissed when Valor was 17yrs old. After the kiss he did pull away. Bishop always said that he would not fall in love. He lost his mom at the age of 12 and he never wanted to feel that pain. He saw what it did to his dad.

This book covered years from Valor and Bishops POVs. It was hard at times just knowing the hurt they were going through. I loved how strong Valor was after she left. I did want to fight Bishop and tell him to grow up. Dude your 26 acting 12. Of course that is what keep me hooked while reading this book.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC for my honest review.

#LoveHockey #NetGalley

No this is so wrong. I usually enjoy Hockey romance, age gaps but this not for me... DNF'ed at 25%!! Wdym they had their first sexual interaction when she's 17 and He's 25!? Their first meet was when she was 10 and him 18, hell nah thats literal grooming and the fact he saw her a sister and in an instant seeing her as more like no sorry.. This wasn't for me.. This is literal grooming. And i couldn't connect for the fmc either.

Thank you Netgalley And to author for the audiobook.

DNF at 38% - I love me a good age gap... but I can't get over the fact their friendship started when she was 10....
Amy Hall for that 38% was 10/10

I love Monty Jay.....so really that was the only reason I didn't DNF it.

It was very melodramatic for me. I can tell she has evolved in her writing since this was first written.

Read her Hollow Boys series instead!