The Romance Line by Lauren Blakely | Audiobook Review • Ana's Attic Book Blog

The Romance Line (Love and Hockey Book 2) by Lauren Blakely

Narrated by Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton

Standalone in a related series. Sports Romcom.

My thanks to Lauren Blakely and her team for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post contains affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission should you purchase using those links, but this does not affect my ratings.

.
It seems like half of the new release romance books these days are about hockey players. Having grown up figure skating, I’ve spent a lot of time around hockey players and, to be honest, I didn’t quite see the appeal. So when I found out one of my favorite authors, Lauren Blakely, had jumped on the hockey trend, I was a little hesitant. But if there’s one thing I love about Lauren, it’s her ability to take common tropes and make them uniquely hers.

After loving The Boyfriend Goal (the first in the Love and Hockey series), I was excited to dive into The Romance Line. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, and the combination of a grumpy goalie and a sunshiney PR pro was the perfect distraction during hurricane prep.

“If you can say yes, say it.”

Everly, the PR pro for the Seadogs, has her hands full with Max, the team’s grumpy goalie. After a high-profile breakup with a pop star, Max is avoiding the press, and Everly—who’s up for a promotion—has to maintain her professional demeanor despite their frequent bickering. When they accidentally switch suitcases, things take an unexpected turn, especially when the contents of those suitcases stir up some rather racy thoughts.

Max gets an offer to be in a documentary, but only if he can clean up his image. Naturally, Everly is tasked with helping him—and that’s where the fun begins. I loved how their dynamic shifted from adversarial to flirty, then steamy, and finally into something more.

Everly’s character growth was another highlight for me. She’s struggling with PTSD from a car accident that left her with physical scars, and watching her gain confidence through her relationship with Max was beautiful. Oh, and let’s not forget Max’s foster kitten! The gruff goalie with his tiny kitten? Pure awwww. Their relationship is off-limits due to Everly’s job with the team, but watching their secret romance unfold was a treat.

“I want to keep earning your love, Everly. Every damn day.”

Likes:

Lauren’s ability to take a common trope and make it feel fresh
The cameos from the couple in The Boyfriend Goal
The friendships and bromances in the story
Just the right amount of hockey for someone like me who’s not super into sports romance
Max’s foster kitten—seriously, adorable
Everly’s pole dancing classes and how her relationship with Max boosted her confidence
Everly is smart and strong, like all of Lauren’s heroines

Dislike:

The player/publicist trope blended with other books I’ve read, so it didn’t stand out as much as it should.

The Narration:

I only listen to Lauren’s books because she writes them with specific narrators in mind, and it shows. Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton were phenomenal in this duet-style performance, perfectly bringing Everly and Max to life.

The Down & Dirty:

Lauren Blakely never disappoints. I’ve read (or should I say, listened to) over 60 of her books, and each one delivers smart, mature, diverse characters that make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. The Romance Line has everything I love about her writing, and even if sports romance isn’t typically your thing, Lauren Blakely might just change your mind.