The Wedding Winger

By: Delancey Stewart

Narrated by: Alex Kydd, Stella Bloom

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Sly Remington has a plan. And it does not involve falling in love with his high school crush, the literal girl next door. But sometimes, fate makes plans of its own....

Pro hockey has always been my destiny. And now that I’m right wing for the Wilcox Wombats? It’s my past and present, but I’m not so sure if it’s my future. I’m on the older side now, as hockey stars go, and I’m starting to worry about my lack of a backup plan.

The issue?

I’m no rocket scientist. Hockey’s what I’m good at. Sure, I graduated high school (with the help of my ultimate high school crush, Clara Connor, who was literally the girl next door), and I got through college because everyone there was pretty invested in keeping me on the ice.

Now?

I’m working on the next phase of my life, but I can’t pretend I’ve got much faith that it’ll work out. I know who I am and what I’m good at. The same thing the women I date see: an athlete. Period.

But when my little brother drops the bomb of his engagement and Mom insists I come home solo, everything gets thrown into question. Not because Mom doesn't want me bringing a puck bunny to the wedding, but because she's got a matchmaking master plan up her sleeve.

And guess who she has in mind? None other than my HS tutor, Clara Connor, the newly divorced single mom living right next door. Did I mention she has a five-year-old daughter who’s better at getting my goat than my little brother on his best day?

Clara is a scientist now, and she’s got a lot on her plate already. So when Mom thrusts us together repeatedly, I do my best to be a good guy. Stand-up. Respectable. Friendly.

The thing is, Clara still gets under my skin. And when she tells me she had a crush on me back then too and that maybe she still does?

The gloves are off.

©2023 Delancey Stewart (P)2023 Delancey Stewart

Big Feels & Swoon

Loved this book. Sly and Clara are very cute and sweet together. To me, this couple felt super meant to be, and their romance gave me big feels and left me swooning. This book offers a wonderful blend of humor and heart that easily has you smiling and laughing and then turning right around and tugging hard on your heartstrings. The performances given by the narrators are very well done and I found their voices pleasing to listen to. Altogether, I thought this was a delightful book, a great start to the series and a perfect way to boost your mood and brighten your day.

All the swoony feels amidst the laughs

This book. The narration. The love. The laughs. The anticipation. The teenage fantasies. The painful inadequacies. The big feels. I loved it all. Sly and Clara’s high school crush, opposites attract, single mom was a beautiful romance of all the things. It will give you all the swoony swoons while also pulling at your heartstrings with all the emotions. Sly is a professional hockey player who is staying at his childhood home during the team’s off season break. Clara is a single mom to a 5 year old, Katie, and a wildlife biologist. Sly and Clara lived next door to each other as teenagers and Clara tutored Sly in math for a time. They both also unknowingly had unrequited crushes on each other. Despite the chemistry and the deepening connection the more time they spend together, there are lots of obstacles to a relationship and a lot of baggage to unpack. But what a funny, sweet, and steamy journey to their HEA it is. I have a soft spot for the people who are a bit uncomfortable in their skin because they don’t feel like they fit in or are worthy, like Sly. So I love when they finally see their truth and they get swoon worthy HEAs. I also loved that Katie was a wonderful and integral addition to the story rather than a flimsy story prop. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline as shown through sweet moments, steam, laughs, messy families, painful pasts, surprises, and all the love. I am excited to read more in this series and I will never think about Yahtzee the same way again.

The narrators were perfect for this story. They made a fantastic story even better - more swoony, more steamy and more funny. Alex Kydd and Stella Bloom did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly. I really love the added dimension listening brings to a story.

Fun characters

In the first full novel of this series, Sly and his neighbor Clara get a second chance at a relationship when he comes home for his brother's engagement celebration. Sly had a huge crush on Clara in high school but figured a smart girl like her would never go for a jock like him. But his mother is doing some serious matchmaking now, so he thinks maybe he will give it a shot. Now if he and Clara can get past their erroneous ideas about each other, maybe they can sort out the other obstacles in their way.
I enjoyed the characters in this one, especially Katie (Clara's daughter). She and Sly were very funny together. There is also a zamboni in here! You don't get that in many novels. I am looking forward to the books for the other guys on the team.
The narrators did a fine job with the humor and emotion in this. Stella Bloom did an especially good job with making Katie cute.

step daddy

love this book... love the whole step daddy story line.. Love that he loves the mother just as much as he loves her daughter..

Secret Crush Second Chance

Pro hockey player Sly Remington has had a secret crush on girl next door Clara Connor for years. When fate and his meddling mother bring the together again Sly finally has the chance to go for what he’s always wanted. Grown up Clara is a single mom with an adorable daughter and her own secret crush on Sly. The Wedding Winger is a sweet but steamy story of taking advantages of second chances when they are offered and recognizing you are not limited by the lies you tell yourself that you’re good enough.
As with all of Delancey’s romcoms, this story is full of quirky, memorable characters, humor, heart, and heat, and a small town you want to visit. Add in hockey, and it’s the perfect romcom for me! I want season tickets to the Wilcox Wombats and can’t wait to watch more hot hockey players fall in love.
The audiobook narration by Alex Kydd and Stella Bloom was great. It was a wonderful listen.

Great story, excellent voice work!

I had already read “The Wedding Winger” in print when I got the chance to listen to the audiobook. Alex Kydd and Stella Bloom were so convincing as Sly and Clara. I especially enjoyed hearing from Julius Ramon, the Zamboni driver, complete with accent (Boston? New York? Who can say…). The narrators had a great story to work with, and I enjoyed it immensely.