The Winning Score

The Playmakers Series Hockey Romance, Book 4

De: G.K. Brady

Narrado por: Marcio Catalano, Samantha Brentmoor

She can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual. Can they make it through quarantine together?

When it comes to hockey, I'm as good at scoring off the ice as I am on it. With puck bunnies in every city, I’ve got my bachelor life dialed in—no strings, no problem. I’ve got a type: hot, blonde, and easy. So when Sarah Nelson, my teammate’s brunette sister, storms into my life, I’m not interested. She’s feisty, way too serious, and not my kind of fun. But my mom, who’s now living with me and complicating everything, likes her, and COVID-19 just put us all on lockdown.

Sarah’s fresh out of a breakup and staying at her brother’s place, looking for work—fast. When I offer her a temporary job that means living under my roof, she reluctantly agrees. Sure, she’s got me pegged as a player, and I know she can’t stand me. But neither of us sees what’s coming when we’re forced to be around each other 24/7.

We’re oil and fire, and someone’s bound to get burned.

©2020 G.K. Brady (P)2023 G.K. Brady

Fireworks Can Be Romantic

The fourth book in "The Playmaker Series Hockey Romance" was very entertaining. Family difficulties have caused Quinn Hadley to become his disabled mother's caregiver. Upon meeting Sarah Nelson, Quinn's mother liked her, so Quinn decided to offer Sarah a job to help with his mother's care. This story was based on two of my favorite tropes: forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers. I enjoyed the sparkle of Sarah's personality and the sizzling repartee of the characters. There were some steamy descriptions. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Marcio Catalano's and Samantha Brentmoor's dual narrations added to the enjoyment of the story. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Great hockey romance!

The Winning Score is the fourth book in The Playmakers series and my first book by this author. Quinn is that sexy hockey player living his best life. He takes good care of his mother, who needs assistance in the home due to Parkinsons. Sarah is an engineer who is currently out of work and living with her brother after escaping a cheating liar. She is also that forbidden fruit that is the teammates sister who ends up working for him. They have an opposites attract relationship of avoidance until he hires her to care for her mother and they end up sheltering in place when the world turns upside down. They have great chemistry and their banter is excellent! Throw in a bit of a mystery with some suspense and you have a great 4-star story! I plan to go back and listen to the rest of the series.

Samantha Brentmoor is her typical fabulous self and does a wonderful job bringing Sarah to life. Marcio Catalano is a new narrator to me and I enjoyed his voice and performance. They fit well together and both did a great job with all of the secondary characters as well.

Great Audiobook!

The narrators did a great job on this book. Really brought Quinn and Sarah's characters to life. I really enjoyed listening to this book. This is based around the start of the pandemic so it is relatable. Quinn is a cocky, playboy hockey player and Sarah is his teammates sister who is going through some life changes. The banter between these two is hilarious. There is a fine line between love and hate and these two walk it. All the characters are likeable. I love Quinns mom. Another great book in this series. Definitely a 4.5 star book.

I was sent a free audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Great Close Proximity Romance

As this author was new to me, this listen was narrator-driven as I adore both Samantha Brentmoor and Marcio Catalano’s works. I thought Samantha was terrific in the role of surly, fed up with suave playboys, standoffish Sarah Nelson. Marcio gave a great performance as the grumpy, young, flirty, puck-bunny chaser Quinn. While at times I didn’t love these characters in their unstable landscape and slow-burn, acerbic dynamic, I thought Samantha and Marcio complemented each other beautifully. Navigating love in a bubble with an ailing mother and outside dangers certainly made for a scintillating romance.

The narrators are perfectly cast—the MMC a little deep and rough, the FMC a little sweet but still sassy.

Thanks to Home Cooked Books for the ALC of this beautiful story/audiobook and the chance to give my candid review.

The Winning Score
by G.K. Brady

(book 4 in the Playmakers series but totally works as standalone).

Narrated by Marcio Catalano & Samantha Brentmoor

Story Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Audiobook Rating: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Hockey romance, teammate’s big sister (now prickly sister), workplace romance, forced proximity.
🤩 When Quinn’s mom requests Sarah to be her caregiver. Oh, my goodness, she’s adorable.
🤩 Pet/therapy dog beauty—Archer is the sweetest!
🤩 Such a clever and brave attempt at a Covid pandemic timeline.
🤩 Enemies-to-lovers banter.
🤩 Quinn’s mom’s reaction to Sarah calling Quinn Sparky: “Oh, that’s priceless.” Quinn’s mom is the best side character, adding such fun.
🤩 Smutty romance book read-aloud time—love it!
🤩 “I’m not sweetheart. I’m sunshine.” Great nicknames. Quinn also calls her Toots sometimes.
🤩 When Quinn takes care of Sarah and starts calling her babe.
🤩 Slow burn that is so worth it—some jealousy fireworks and protective love.
🤩 “Because I can’t take my eyes off you.”
🤩 The detailed closet of mirrors—so stinkin’ hot and might be my favorite scene.
🤩 The suspense part made for an interesting plot and actually made me nervous more than once, all while knowing there would be an HEA.
🤩 I love when the MCs become the best versions of themselves with and because of each other.
🤩 The narrators are perfectly cast—the MMC a little deep and rough, the FMC a little sweet but still sassy.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 The ending is super cute and wonderfully entertaining. I wish there was more physical closeness (steam) after the time apart