Offside (Rules of the Game) Paperback – 10 Nov. 2023

Reading this book it was like watching an entire movie in high definition, the details were so clear and there was so much feeling throughout that the author managed to bring an entire story to life full of romance, steam, drama, some humor, and charismatic characters that were full of depth.

I am truly in my hockey romance era; the vibes are just SO GOOD. For a 600 page book this read super quickly - I wish I’d had more time to sit and binge!I love a journalism girly so I hard related to Bailey and loved her character. She was absolutely the sunshine to Chase’s grump. I also LOVE the whole reformed playboy trope. Totally unrealistic but I just love it. One girl who is his total weakness and soulmate? Sign me up.I loved all the side characters - one element about hockey books I adore is the found family and that’s no different here. Shiv and Dallas were so cute, the journo girls…even Derek in the end. It’s one of those universes where you care about reading everyone’s story.I found myself getting so so so mad at Luke who was the “villain” so I was rooting for the characters to screw him over so hard. Avery did a great job evoking emotion when it came to him. The third act conflict was also pretty different to anything I’ve read before. Slight “Consider Me” vibes (I preferred this) but a different take on it. I do feel it was solved a little quickly and easily. I kept thinking god if he wasn’t rich or a man this would be so much harder - but I mean the nature of the book is literally that he’s a rich man so I don’t know what I was expecting.The only reasons I didn’t give this 5 stars were - I felt I was lacking a connection with the characters. I loved them but I wasn’t ultra invested to the point where I would cry over them, you know. The other reason is I just got a little confused with all the names. A lot of the characters were referred to by both their first name and surname and I got so mixed up at points.Also - can we PLEASE stop assuming that everyone wants to see babies in epilogues?As a woman who does not want children and is constantly torn apart for it, I am TIRED.Anyway I had loads of fun, highly recommend.

This was my first book by this author. Enjoyable but I did find the MMC needy at times and the FMC irritating. Still enjoyable though! I actually preferred the next book in this “series” so definitely read that next!

The first hockey romance I ever read and I think I was ruined! This was a fantastic story. Incredibly well written (will and have read anything Avery now writes) and brilliant character development.I have read many other books, including other hockey romance books, but this will remain one of my all time favourite. I love yo go back and reread. If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend Avery’s other books especially The Enforcer. Very much looking reading both this series’ going forward.

Okay so I have wanted to read this book for awhile and what better way to do it than with my girls for a Buddy read.Give me a hockey man and I will surely eat him alive, I was no different with this book. It’s actually my first book by this author but you can bet on it not being the last!Some of what to expect;- ex boyfriends rival- Sports romance- He falls first- Protective yet cinnamon roll mm- College romanceOur two leads are Chase and Bailey.. they are from opposite schools and rival teams. They meet at a bar, cheesy lines are exchanged, someone is sick and the rest as they say is history… only it’s not as smooth as that.Chase is the hockey player we all hate to love, he is argumentative on the ice and loves to rile up the other players. He is cocky, confident and a ladies man.His whole life revolves around hockey, he doesn’t have a backup plan, doesn’t even put much effort into his studies knowing he won’t be there to finish out the year. So what happens when this girl comes along, turns him down and only to come back and cøckblock him later in the night. He can’t get this girl out of his head, he knows he should just stay away especially with her being from the rival school but he can’t ignore these feeling.Bailey is the girl who loves all things sports, she wanted to play hockey herself but her brother was better and from a family with a low income she decided to cover it for the paper instead. Picture this it’s your 21st birthday, you’re in a dress that costs more than you can afford out for a night with your scumbag boyfriend and then he breaks up with you… yeah this dude didn’t deserve her in the first place, he cheated so took him back, like no girl no. But after that she starts to realise who her real friends are. She meets chase, having already known who he is she isn’t interested in his womanising ways but Damn she can’t deny he’s handsome and fun.These two become quick friends, they have a lot in common and can’t deny their attraction for each other. Chase is the freakin’ cutest with her honestly.Will they make it through all the drama?Are there two many obstacles in the way?A rivalry can make or break you for sure.So let the fun being… college drama, ice fights, sêx tape scandal and more.

5 ⭐ - I found myself falling down a rabbit hole of hockey romances, and this one did not disappoint. Even though the genre can feel a bit repetitive, this story felt new. The friendship and romance dynamics in this book was particularly enjoyable. I saw this author has other books in this genre and I look forward to exploring them more in depth.

Mis expectativas fueron superadas con este libro. Chase y Bailey son de esas parejas que nadie veía venir (ni siquiera ellos) pero que al final con tan solo verlos juntos sabes que están perdidamente enamorados y que su química se puede se puede percibir a kilómetros.Después de tener que soportar a un terrible novio 😤, Bailey por fin tuvo a su chico que haría todo lo que estuviera a su alcance para hacerla feliz y ponerla como una prioridad, pero sobre todo que la tratara con respeto y amor.Y Chase encontró a la chica que alteró todo su mundo, la chica que lo hace ser una mejor versión de si mismo.Sin duda alguna Bailey y Chase se aman incondicionalmente.

Welcome to my Top 5 Favorite Hockey College Sports Romance Author List, Avery Keelan, because... you just blew my socks off with this book - with your writing - with your characters. I'm obsessed! Now, hand over your entire back catalogue so I can binge. Please and thank you!Now, admittedly, I do enjoy a good college sport romance and my Top 5 List is STRONG! It is stacked! And it's pretty unwavering, to be fair. So to unseat someone on it and blow my doors in like you just did... phewww - giiiiiiiirl. I'm so obsessed. I'm obsessed because from page one, Avery's writing completely transfixed me, I was so hook-line-and-sinker in the story and characters and their world. When that happens, it's a rabbit hole that I love because when I fall like this for an author's writing it is the best kind of feeling. I get giddy and need to be left alone to binge-read, because there is no other choice. You simply cannot put the book down!And binge-read this book is what I did. Chase and Bailey were... there was so much to them between the kind-of enemies-to-lovers; fake dating-ish; he falls first (God how I love that!); he's a tough guy but protective over- and sweet to her; she's so smart and beautiful... but Avery made them also so unexpected. While reading and simultaneously recommending this book, I described the writing as "crisp" because it felt so refreshing! Beyond that, the twists and turns, the chemistry of the characters, the depth of story and lives, the unexpected as well as the expected... I am straight-up fumbling with my words right now because I can't properly articulate what this book did for me.When reading I had the deep seated urge to devour the entire story, yet I was having anxiety over finishing it because I didn't want it to end. Is this a thing? I was grateful that the page count in this book was a little more than your average book (but it did certainly not feel long or drawn out, so don't misinterpret my comment about the page count), and I was so grateful for the extra pages of this story. I could have read hundreds of more pages of Chase and Bailey's story!I don't want to even get into any of the specifics of this story for fear of giving something away, because I didn't know much when I went into it and I absolutely looooove when the story reveals itself and I have no idea and no expectations. But all you have to know is this: Avery's writing is ahhhh-maaaaa-zzziiiiinnnngggg!!! Her story, the plot, the characters... omg, so top notch. The tropes, ohhhh the tropes. This one had a bingo card full of my favorite tropes. My rec? Well, besides totally recommending that you devour this book, is that don't even read the description - just check the tropes. But honestly, if you're into college sports romance or hockey, this is a book for you and you'll be beyond grateful that you met Avery Keelan's writing - just prepare yourself for this: as soon as you finish this, you will IMMEDIATELY be jumping onto book #2 in this series, and you're not even sorry about it. Just block off two days to binge these two books, because OMG! It's what you need in your life.

chase & bailey are the meaning of perfection from the beginning of the book, until the last page, you sigh, love and adore this couplethe author's writing is incredibly fluid, engaging and you really see their relationship being built and you can fall in love with them both. sos i need a chase carter in my life ❤️

Se sei un amante degli hockey romance, questo libro non può mancare alla tua collezione. Bailey e Chase sono bellissimi, e la loro storia resterà con me per molto tempo. Dolce, divertente, e TANTO spicy!