Slap Shot Surprise, an all new opposites attract, steamy, small town hockey romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow is LIVE!

 

Released – October 2024

 

Amazon/KU  |  Discreet Paperback  |  Model Paperback from Melanie’s website

 

 

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Blurb

In my defense, I thought the plane was going to crash.

Otherwise, I never would have blurted out those embarrassing things to a perfect stranger.

Did I mention he turned out to be a scorching hot superstar of professional hockey?

But wait, there’s more.

When the plane lands safely, I rush off, praying I’ll never have to face him again. My luck holds out for less than twenty-four hours, when I realize he’s a groomsman at the wedding I’m attending.

We end up having a drink and a good laugh about my panicked confessions, and when he invites me up to his room for some no-strings-attached fun, I say yes. After all, a headboard rattling one-night stand with a guy who knows how to put the puck in deep isn’t something a bookworm like me ever thought she’d experience.

Neither are those two little pink lines.

Now what’s crashing are all the plans Joe Lupo and I had for our lives–separately.

After all, we’re totally wrong for each other. He’s commitment-phobic and completely focused on his career. And I want to plant roots in my small town–with someone who chooses me.

Love? It’s out of the question.

Until Joe Lupo lines up his shot and aims straight for my heart.

 

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Review

4.5 stars!

Mabel and Joe meet on a plane and when she thinks the plane is about to crash, she mentions some embarrassing things that she would have never revealed if she didn’t think she was going to die. She is thankful when they touch down safely, and thankful she won’t have to see him again to relive the embarrassment. However, fate brings them together again when Mabel sees Joe again at a wedding. Able to laugh things off, they enjoy the evening and it ends in a one-night stand. They go their separate ways but two pink lines bring them back together again.

Mabel is shocked when she discovers she is pregnant, and she knows that Joe is busy with hockey and doesn’t want to mess up his life with a baby. She does tell him about the baby and though she doesn’t expect anything in return, Joe surprises her in the best way.

The pregnancy is a shock and Mabel and Joe know it’s best to keep things platonic as the pregnancy complicates things enough. However, they have chemistry, and oh my goodness, Joe is so swoony and sweet I couldn’t wait for Mabel to give in because how can she resist him?! Everything he does for her induces butterflies, and his support – he’s just so great from the beginning and they weren’t even together.

I loved that the story is realistic. Mabel and Jow don’t just dive into a relationship because of the pregnancy. Also, like in real life, everything isn’t perfect. They live in two different cities, and are in different places in their lives. His job doesn’t allow for a lot of free time and she is busy herself.

Still, these two are great as friends and even better together. They are amazing while navigating a new future. I loved Joe’s feelings when it came to the baby growing inside Mabel and also how he truly sees her. And she never wanted to change him and accepted him for who he was, even though he ended up realizing what truly matters in his life. I loved that there is commitment, compromise, and growth along with all the love they share.

This is a fun, sweet, swoony, and sexy surprise pregnancy story that was well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a fantastic addition to the series and it was so great being back in Cherry Tree Harbor.

*ARC generously provided by the author*

 

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Cherry Tree Harbor

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About the Author

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Ted, Lasso, Schitt’s Creek, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the BELLAMY CREEK series, the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

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