Off Season by Jodi Oliver

🤍 Song to set the mood🤍

“Don’t argue with me. You wanted today to be like a date, so this is my rule.
You want a book? I’ll buy you the book.
You want a hundred books? I’ll buy you every damn one.”

Chicago Thunder #2

Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Blurb

Ethan

Finding out my ex-fiance is the best man at my cousin’s wedding is the cherry on top of my problems.

I can’t turn up alone, so finding a fake boyfriend is the only option.

My relationship with Jacob isn’t supposed to be real, but he gets me in a way nobody ever has and now I’m questioning everything.

After nearly two decades in the NHL, retirement is nearing and I have no idea who I am outside of hockey.

I need to focus on winning one last Cup, not falling in love.

Jacob

Ethan Parkes became my savior when he offered me a deal that would solve all of my problems. So when he asked me to be his fake boyfriend for a wedding in England, I jumped at the chance.

Besides, so what if I already have a crush on him?

When we give into the chemistry between us, he tells me we only have the off season. But I’m determined to show him that he’s more than just a name on a jersey, even if it could cause my heart a world of hurt.

What to expect:

❥ Dual POV ❥ MM Romance ❥ Low Angst ❥ Spice
❥ Friends To Lovers ❥ Hockey Romance ❥ Fake Dating
❥ Hurt/Comfort ❥ Age Gap (10 years) ❥ Grumpy/Sunshine

Review

Yes, I went and read the second book in this series in one sitting.

Okay so, if you’re looking for a good plot and action, then this is not the book for you. If you’re looking for sappy romance with basically no angst, then this is for you. My 5 stars is for being the ultimate comfort book.

We know from the previous book that Ethan is a bit of a grump (Sorry for assuming you’ve read the first book, but I am). We know he’s a great captain for the hockey team, and he praises his teammates when they play well. We also know from the last book’s ending, that Ethan has something going on with Jacob.

In this book we find out why Ethan is a grump, why he has built these tall walls that not even his oldest friends can cut through. One of those why’s is his ex fiancé who happens to be the best man at his cousin’s wedding. His friends give him the idea of bringing a fake date, and they suggest Jacob, who’s the only guy Ethan feels strangely comfortable around, and very attracted to.

We also met Jacob in the last book, he’s the brother of Alex (MMC in the last book), and owns the not-so-little-anymore bakery. Ethan helped Jacob and Alex with their financially problems with the bakery, and because of that, Jacob doesn’t want to cross any lines with Ethan, even though he’s crushing on Ethan hard.

It was actually very surprising to see Jacob the way he’s described in this book, because he was kind of boring in the last book (sorry), but he’s finally able to shine with the heavy cloud of debt removed from his shoulders, and shine he does. He’s the sunshine to Ethan’s grump.

Jacob accepts to be Ethan’s fake date to the wedding, but they’re really not very good at pretending to be fake, and it ends up in a “just for the summer” fling, and we all know how that goes.

Both guys are struggling with their past, and they both open up to each other in a way they’ve never done to anyone else, but getting over the defense mechanisms they’ve both built over the years due to their past traumas isn’t an easy task, and someone might get hurt.

Grieving is a sign of love that has nowhere to go, and that is such a powerful thing.

I’m really excited for the next book for Zach and Carter, a childhood friends to lovers book, and November can’t come soon enough! But mostly I’m excited for Elliot’s book. I wonder if Nate, Alex’s friend, manages to catch Elliot’s attention or if Elliot gets his happy ever after with a hot firefighter.