Against All Odds

Holt Hockey, Book 2

By: C.W. Farnsworth

Narrated by: Connor Crais, Erin Mallon

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Rylan Keller is dreading the start of spring semester. After choosing a college across the country and spending the past fall abroad, she’ll be a Holt University student. Worse than starting over at a new school? Starting over at a new school where your dad is the head coach of the men’s hockey team. And reluctantly agreeing to tutor a player, then coming face-to-face with the guy you thought you’d never see again.

Aidan Phillips has a reputation on campus. One he’s carefully curated to include limited reliability or responsibility. Outside of hockey, he spends his free time drinking, partying, and flirting. Often all three.

He’s a player off the ice as well as on it. Gorgeous, carefree, reckless. His one goal is to finally win Holt a championship, which he can only do if he keeps up his end of the tutoring arrangement. Hooking up with his tutor would be stupider than failing in the first place, even if the tutor in question wasn’t his coach’s daughter.

Rylan is determined to excel at Holt and make her fresh start a success. To finally have some fun, and not with a hockey player. Except, the more time they spend together, the harder it is to hold back.

But no matter how tempting giving in might be…the odds are stacked against them.

©2024 C.W. Farnsworth (P)2024 C.W. Farnsworth

Another great NA Romance!!

A steamy college romance that follows the school’s hockey playboy and the good girl tutor.. who happens to be his coach’s daughter

On audio, Connor Crais and Erin Mallon, two of my favorites, did a great job bringing the characters and undeniable chemistry to life. It was so easy to fall in love with Rylan and Aidan and the entire Holt Hockey crew.

Read if you like:
-Coach’s daughter
-He’s my tutor
-One Night Stand
-Hockey player
-He falls first

Coaches Daughter x Hockey Playboy

This book is everything I could ever need and want in a hockey romance!

🏒 College Hockey Romance
🏒 ONS
🏒 Tutor/Student
🏒 Reformed Playboy
🏒 Forbidden (Coach’s Daughter)

I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn’t know i’d love it like this. I’m walking around with hearts in my eyes. I just sat down and listened to this book instead of accomplishing anything else.

It made me SO HAPPY! Erin and Connor are such an incredible team and their narration had me hooked immediately.

When Aidan Phillips needs a tutor to allow him to graduate and stay on the team, his coach suggests his daughter who just transferred in. Only, Rylan is the girl that Aiden hooked up with and can’t get out of his head over break. And she knows his playboy rep and wants nothing to do with him.

Their friendship, the way they fall… their chemistry? All of it was wonderful. This book is exactly what I needed.

4 ⭐️ story.

very spicy, very sweet. wish there would have been a little more depth with his family stuff and his fear of success but otherwise, very enjoyable. narrators were awesome. if it had been a duet narration it would have been 5 stars.

Aidan and Rylan

5/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️
5/5 🎧

I'm kinda obsessed with the Holt Hockey team. They're sweet, funny and hot as hades, not to mention I love a story that takes place in the greater Seattle area as that's where I'm from. Rylan and Aidan were so cute together and I adored their story.

Coach's daughter romances are so fun, the forbidden aspect is always a check in the plus column for me. I really loved how their romance started too, it was unexpected and fairly hilarious when they first meet.

I was really surprised when I realized this book is on almost the exact same timeline as Famous Last Words, and I wonder if book three will be too since most of the players we've met and come to love are seniors alongside Conor and Aidan....

The audio was amazing. Two of my absolute favorite narrators teamed up on this one and Erin Mallon and Connor Crais were incredible as always. I'll be listening to this one again for sure.

Loved Rylan and Aidan in audio!

Holt Hockey for the win! Against All Odds by C.W. Farnsworth was a sweet and swoony college hockey romance that left the biggest grin on my face. Rylan and Aidan’s love story had the perfect amount of challenges, heartfelt conversations, and heat. I loved everything about how these two supported and loved each other to find their happiness together.

Erin Mallon and Connor Crais perform this audiobook in dual narration. An Erin/ Connor pairing in a new adult romance is always a win! Erin’s lively vibrant tone matched Rylan’s feisty and bold persona as she started fresh at Holt University and gave into her desire for Aidan. Connor’s warm enticing voice portrayed Aidan’s confident and vulnerable demeanor that made him simply irresistible once his layers were peeled back. Plus, the chemistry between these two was instant and both narrators created that longing and connection in their performances.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of a college hockey romance with a hot cocky hockey player, a sassy sophisticated coach’s daughter, hot tub spice, tutor sessions, intense hockey games, library spice, lucky charm bracelets, painful past, back massages, championship games, secret dates, sexy reviews, found family, and a HEA that will beat the odds, then you will love Rylan and Aidan’s story. I look forward to more from C.W. Farnsworth

Rylan and Aidan

Against All Odds is book two in the Hold Hockey series. It focuses on the relationship between Rylan Keller and Aidan Phillips.

Rylan is a new transfer student at Holt University. The same university where her father is the coach of the hockey team.
Aidan has the reputation of the campus playboy and is having a rough time with one of his classes. Luckily, his coach has a solution for his problem - a tutor. His daughter.

This was such a fun listen with excellent chemistry between the main characters. There is some excellent smut scenes and caretaking scenes!

Narration by: Erin Mallon & Connor Crais
The narration duo of Erin & Connor is always a treat. Erin has a tone that works well with a college student that is bold and isn't afraid to show her sassy side. Connor's voice is *swoonworthy* as always. The way he is able to jump between the quick banter, the inner monologue, and the longing/desire Aidan's character required is impressive.

* College hockey romance
* Tutor x hockey player
* Coach's daughter
* Campus playboy
* Forced proximity

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Narration rating: 🎧🎧🎧/3
Angst level: Low
Spice and blush-o-meter: Rose

4 stars

Rylan went to college abroad and decides to transfer to Holt University where her dad is the coach for the men’s hockey team. She gets chosen to tutor a hockey player and later finds it's the same guy she had a one night stand with a few weeks ago. Enter Aidan. He's known for his reputation with the women. So to his surprised he can't believe she goes to the same school has him now and will be his tutor.

I listened to the audiobook and it was performed in dual narration by Connor Crais and Erin Mallon. They were fantastic as Aidan and Rylan. Connor showed Aidan's confidence and conveyed Aidan's feelings toward Rylan. Erin portrayed Rylan's easy going personality and she showed Rylan's struggles with Aidan.

This author is new to me. I liked her writing style. I liked the character development especially with Aidan. He wasn't very likable in the beginning. It took me awhile to warm up to him. I loved Rylan's personality though. She was very relatable and down to earth. I also liked the progression of their relationship. There's definite attraction. Overall, I enjoyed this one. Loved learning about the side characters as well.

good but not great

though i didn’t dislike this one unfortunately it just wasn’t as captivating as FWL. the relationship between ry and aidan felt extremely surface level the entire time and i just didn’t really feel the chemistry between them when they weren’t having sex 🥲

i really enjoyed all the cameos from other characters in this series, i thought the narrators were great but unfortunately this book fell flat for me