Tropes: opposites attract; pro hockey romance; found family; grump/sunshine; librarian FMC with a heart of gold; misunderstood MMC; marriage of convenience
The fear of being vulnerable in love will always be my favorite romance theme. It makes my heart race and brings tears to my eyes every time. There’s nothing more terrifying than trusting someone with your heart, knowing they could destroy it with a single harsh word or action.
Helena Hunting absolutely nails this in If You Claim Me, her latest Toronto Terror book featuring Mildred “Dred” and Connor. This story took me on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish – and it’s easily my favorite in the series.
What I loved:
Connor’s quiet, devoted love for Dred
Dred’s ability to love even the most difficult people
The amazing friend group and found family
Connor calling Dred “darling” (swoon!)
The perfect balance of grumpy/sunshine and marriage of convenience tropes
The way these two struggle to open up to each other, even when it’s obvious they’re deeply in love, absolutely wrecked me. Hunting masterfully builds the tension until you’re practically screaming at them to just be honest with each other. And when they finally do? Happy tears guaranteed.
This reminds me so much of Little Lies (Lavender and Kody’s story), which is my other favorite Hunting book. Both couples share that same fear of revealing their true feelings, terrified of losing everything. The emotional depth in these two books shows a different side of Hunting – beyond her trademark steamy humor, she can write heart-wrenching emotion that stays with you long after the last page.
If You Claim Me is easily in my top 5 romance reads of 2025. If you love stories about two people learning to trust each other with their whole hearts, this book is an absolute must-read. Helena Hunting has earned a permanent spot on my auto-buy list.
Tropes: second chance; forbidden romance; close proximity; sports romance; workplace romance; age gap; hockey romance; found family
Helena Hunting’s latest Toronto Terrors installment, If You Love Me, delivers a refreshing take on hockey romance that will delight fans of the series. Roman emerges as a surprising and complex male lead. Readers who met him as the protective father in If You Need Me will be delighted by his transformation into an unexpectedly dominant romantic partner. Hunting skillfully reveals new dimensions to his character while maintaining the protective nature established in previous books.
What distinguishes this romance is Roman’s nurturing personality. Despite workplace complications creating the primary tension, his devotion to Lexi and her sisters forms the emotional core of the narrative. Rather than following the conventional third-act breakup formula, Hunting focuses on the challenges of navigating professional boundaries.
Lexi stands out as a particularly well-crafted character. As a female coach in men’s hockey, she brings distinctly feminine qualities of empathy and connection to her coaching style. Hunting avoids the common pitfall of masculinizing female characters in male-dominated settings, instead showing how traditionally feminine attributes can be strengths in professional environments. This approach demonstrates how female perspectives can enrich traditionally masculine spaces.
The familial relationships, particularly Lexi’s commitment to her sisters, add meaningful depth to the story. These bonds, along with the hockey team’s found-family dynamic, create a rich emotional landscape that extends beyond the central romance.
The novel’s departure from the typical romance structure creates both strengths and weaknesses. While the absence of a third-act breakup feels refreshing, it does affect the narrative tension in the latter portion of the book. Even potential professional conflicts lose their edge against Roman’s steadfast support. The story transitions from compelling drama to sweet affirmation, which may satisfy readers seeking comfort but slightly diminishes the narrative momentum established early on.
If You Love Me showcases Hunting’s talent for creating multifaceted characters and sweet yet spicy romances. The novel skillfully balances workplace drama, family dynamics, and romantic development, even if the pacing slows toward the conclusion. With tantalizing hints of future pairings, this new story reinforces why Helena Hunting remains a master of romantic comedy, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next Toronto Terrors story.
NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her adorable, emotional cat, who thinks the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from emotional contemporary romance to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her adorable, emotional cat, who thinks the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from emotional contemporary romance to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
It’s release day for Hollis and Hammer and I’m so so excited!
This one is for you if you love:
hockey
slow burn
plenty of
age gap
dad’s best friend
forbidden
There’s no one more off limits than my best friend’s daughter.
Peggy Aurora Hammerstein. The Toronto Terror’s unofficial team princess. I would never do anything to mess with our team dynamics this late into the hockey season, but seeing her work in the front office changed something for me.
I see her as she is now: a powerful woman with ambition for miles.
When I hold her against me, she fits perfectly.
Her little flirts and taunts push my buttons, if she doesn’t stop–my control just might break.
But I can never cross that line. I can never know what it could be to call her mine.
I’ve never wanted anyone more than Aurora and no one can ever know.
It’s time for the “best of” types of posts as we near the end of 2023. These stories left behind pieces of themselves. These are the types of stories that I continue to ruminate on as the year ends, and I’m pained to let them go for stories coming in 2024.
Thank you to all of these authors who have gifted us a bit of themselves in each of these books.
Tropes: single mom; single dad; insta-attraction; prequel
Helena Hunting’s Where It Begins is the romance you didn’t know you needed. This engaging novella, a tome under the 1001 Dark Nights press, is the prequel story of Skye, Violet’s mom from Hunting’s beloved Pucked, and Sidney, Miller’s father from that same book. There isn’t much complication in this story; it’s one of those reads that will put a smile on your face because it breeds nostalgia for one of Hunting’s favorite series. Skye is the OP to Violet’s characterization. If you loved Violet in Pucked, you will adore Skye because Violet is a carbon copy of her mother. This means lots of nervous, inappropriate chatter, gut problems, and huge ti…knockers. Sidney’s characterization is underwhelming in this story because he’s simply her love interest. That isn’t to undermine his character development. Where It Begins is a love note to Hunting’s Pucked series fans. It’s intended for you to read and feel nostalgic for that series (at least that’s the case for me). I finished this fun and entertaining novella, pining for a re-read of Pucked. And that is the brilliance of this story.
Even if you haven’t read Helena Hunting’s Pucked series, you can read Skye and Sidney’s story. When you’re done, jump into the Pucked world. You will not regret it.
Single dad, hockey coach, and the last guy this single mom should fall for.
Where It Begins, an all-new swoon-filled Pucked novella from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting, is available now!
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting comes a new story in her Pucked series. The untold story of Skye and Sidney, and the origin story where Vi and Miller are teens when their parents start dating and fall in love…
I accidentally grabbed the wrong drink at the coffee shop. On the upside, the hot guy it belonged to chased me down to kindly swap with me. On the down side, the reason I grabbed the wrong drink in the first place is because the hot guy had just caught me checking out his ass…sets.
In my defense, his rear view is rather magnificent.
In true, humiliating form, I word-vomited a bunch of horrible nonsense. Including an unnecessary explanation of the trauma I’d evaded thanks to his chasing me down. Nothing could ruin my lactose-intolerant day faster than my one true nemesis: dairy.
I did not expect him to ask me out on a date after that.
I also didn’t expect the date to go well since my tendency to truth-vomit is high, and not everyone finds that quality endearing.
But apparently he does. Because he asks me out again. And again.
Sidney Butterson (yes, it’s a weird last name) ticks all my boxes. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s employed and he’s ridiculously hot. There’s one catch.
We’re both single parents. With teens.
And if our kids don’t like each other? Well, we’re doomed.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Hubert, the barista, calls out, “Skye and Sidney! Your lattes are ready!” I rush forward and grab mine, muttering a hasty, “Thanks!” Then beeline for the exit. Of course, that’s the moment a hoard of teens barrel through the door, forcing me to hold it open until the entire gaggle has stormed the café. Once outside, I hustle to the crosswalk. I punch the button and glare as the sign counts down from thirty. And then I hear my name being called. I glance toward the café and, much to my horror, the attractive man whose butt I was admiring is rushing toward me, coffee in hand. “Hey! You’re Skye, right?” he asks. “Yes. That’s me.” Maybe he didn’t mind my checking out his butt. “You took the wrong coffee.” He taps the side of the cup with the name SKYE written in Larissa’s lovely cursive. “Oh.” I turn mine around and see Sidney scrawled on the side. And it’s a pumpkin spice latte. Half sweet, skim milk. “Wow. I would have spent the rest of the afternoon working from a bathroom stall if you hadn’t caught me.” At his questioning expression, I continue with the embarrassing word vomit. “I’m lactose intolerant and this much dairy would mean stomach cramps for days.” I bite my lips together and close my eyes. “Sorry. You didn’t need to know that. I haven’t taken a sip. See. No lipstick prints.” I thrust the cup toward him and reluctantly crack a lid. He’s smiling. Widely. “I’m very glad I caught you when I did then. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for an afternoon of prolonged discomfort.” We exchange takeout cups. “It would’ve been my fault for not checking more than the S, but I was trying to escape my embarrassment. Seems like it’s following me around and making things worse.” I step away from this exceptionally hot man who inspires an unprecedented amount of word vomit. “Thank you for stopping me. You, uh…you didn’t drink out of mine, did you?” “I didn’t.” His eyes are blue. So vibrant and pretty and his teeth are straight. I glance at his hand. His ring finger is bare. Then I realize he’s giving my hand the same inspection. “Do you work around here?” “Just across the street.” I thumb over my shoulder. “You?” “No, but I’m in the area often.” He tucks a hand in his pocket. “Maybe you’d like to grab a coffee later this week?” I blink at him. Then open my mouth and ask a stupid question. “Are you asking me out?” “Unless you’re already seeing someone. I didn’t see a ring, so I was hopeful.” His bottom lip slides through his teeth and for a moment, he looks boyishly handsome. “But…you don’t know anything about me.” I don’t know why I haven’t said yes yet. He’s attractive and thoughtful enough to stop me from drinking the wrong coffee. His kindness saved me from ending up curled in the fetal position on a bathroom floor. He rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve seen you here before. I’ve been working up the nerve to introduce myself. Looks like the universe gave me a push in the right direction.” He holds up a hand and gives his head a little shake. “I’m probably making this awkward. I’ll be here Wednesday at eleven-thirty. Hopefully, I’ll see you then.” And with that, he turns and disappears into the crowd.
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