Blindsided

A Moo U Hockey Romance

By: Victoria Denault, Heart Eyes Press

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Erin Mallon

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

What if Romeo wore hockey skates, and Juliet was raised on a farm next door?

As a lifelong Vermonter, there are three beliefs I’ve always held true:

1. Our family farm is everything.
2. Hockey is a close second.
3. The Todds next door are our sworn enemies.

But this season will test everything I stand for. 

I have an illicit side job that could cost me my hockey scholarship. And now Maggie Todd knows my secret. She’s waiting for the right moment to use it against me. But every time I face off against her, I learn things I shouldn’t want to know. Like how deeply her competitive streak runs, and how sexy that is. And how easy it is to make her blush...everywhere.

An Adler and a Todd cannot be lovers. Breaking that rule is like pulling a pin on a grenade - everything in my life could blow up. Can we surrender to these feelings...or will our families’ feud make us its next casualty?

©2021 Victoria Denault (P)2021 Heart Eyes Press LLC

Enemies to lovers at its best!

I loved listening to this book. Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton did an outstanding job as Maggie and Tate. As they always do. Their voices are perfect for these characters, and their chemistry is always on point. The story in itself is outstanding, but these narrators make it even better. I recommend this book, it’s 100 percent perfection.

This book completely blindsided me. In the best possible way. I loved everything about it. It is beautifully written for starters. And it is literally unputdownable. I just didn’t want to stop reading. Victoria Denault wrote a masterpiece. The story, the characters, the setting, the plot twist, the ending! Blindsided deserves more than five stars. It’s brilliant!

Blindsided is a very entertaining, laugh-out-loud, steamy, and emotional enemies to lovers slash secret relationship slash forbidden love story that will have you rushing to the end to find out what happens. And I’m telling you, the way everything comes together at the end is just brilliant.

Tate Adler and Maggie Todd live in neighboring farms, but a feud between their families has made then lifelong enemies. And they have no idea why. But the hate is real, though. And their banter is hilarious. Their animosity is mostly inherited and it developed when they were kids, so when they find themselves forced to spend more time together as adults, they realize that they actually have a very volatile and explosive chemistry. And when it catches fire, things will never be the same again.

I loved everything about Blindsided. It is hilarious, but it has an emotional counterbalance that gives it depth, not only to the story but to the characters and what they’re going through. It’s the perfect introduction to the Moo U series based on Sarina Bowen’s World of True North. The college atmosphere blends perfectly with the rural environment and the hockey. And the side characters will have you wanting for more. I cannot wait for all these hockey players!

I also loved the Vermontyness of it. I’m sure that’s not even a word, but it should be. All the farm work, the farmers’ market shenanigans, the family dynamics, the apples, and the goat cheese insults had me smiling from ear to ear. And let’s not forget the barn.

Blindsided is a dream come true for True North fans. It has that Vermonty magic about it, but it’s perfectly wonderful as a standalone. It really is outstanding on its own, and I recommend it to anyone who loves hockey, farmers, and great romance stories.

Firecracker and Tater Tot

Blindsided was exactly the book that I needed. It was hilarious, heartfelt, sexy, and so much fun! I was already a fan of Victoria Denault's books, but this book blew me away. It fits seamlessly into the world of True North, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This childhood enemies to lovers, forced proximity, new adult sports romance will hook you right from the start.

Is it bad to say that I loved how snarky and mean Tate and Maggie were to each other at times? LOL It wasn't cruel or vicious, but was more like a really good roast. They both gave as good as they got and the chemistry was off the charts. They make some mistakes and judgements about the other early on, but the shift occurred so naturally and really added to all the build up. And boy was it worth it. *fans self* Two words. The barn.

There is some drama along the way, but I appreciated that it was more external to Tate and Maggie. Once things get going, their feelings and wishes are clear. I loved that it was Tate who often initiated the conversations between them that moved things forward. The majority of the drama in the book was centered around the Todd and Adler families and Victoria Denault tied all the pieces together so brilliantly. It set up the conflict nicely and added a fantastic twist to the end. I would have loved to see just a little more of Tate and Maggie's progression and evolution as a couple though. Blindsided introduces readers to some wonderful side characters and I'm hoping we might see a story for Daisy and Hank, as well as Jace in the future. The bonus epilogue was chef's kiss perfect and I can't recommend this book enough!

I originally read this one when it first released and I loved revisiting Tate and Maggie via audio. Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon were absolutely perfect. They were able to convey all the excitement and emotion so well and I enjoy all of the different tones and variations that they use to differentiate characters. Their voices complement each other very well and the audiobook made me fall in love with Tate and Maggie all over again.

CW: alcoholism, infidelity, sexual orientation discrimination

Really, really, really good!

This is a unique twist on the enemies to lovers trope and it totally works.

While the HEA is always a certainty, the inner workings of this story and how they get there is not predictable. This is refreshing.

I don’t always find that Erin Mallon’s punchy vocal style is a good fit with a character. That said, when it does fit it’s magic. And her female portrayal of male voices is one of my favorites.

Teddy Hamilton’s voice is dreamy as always.

Bottom line, a credit is a fair price for these hours of enjoyment.

good listen

very unexpected had my stomach in knots, worried about how they were going to work things out!!! whew relief 😅 great book.

Oh My Word, Love

Wow. Big fan of Sarina Bowen. Read the website looking for more books of hers, found the WOTNorth Universe. Skeptical, but interested, and trust her enough to buy this first MooU book. Read titles of hers with MooU characters, hockey, Vermont Farmers, etc, and have loved them.

This was so good. The writing was so good. The romance was heart pumping. The sex scenes were thigh clenching. Great take on the Romeo & Juliet/Hatfields & McCoys story with great writing and context of the True Northverse. Enjoy!

Oh, and PS? Fantastic, pantry dropping and heart wrenching performances by both narrators. Brava!

Don’t like Erin Mallons male voice

She is awful. I couldn’t make it thru the story because she is so difficult to listen to

I'm in love

I just found a new Author and a new series! I'm in love. not only with the characters and Author but the performance was great! I recommend.

NoNoNo

Of course I love Hamilton and Mallon, but I got so bored at about chapter 6 that I skipped to chapter 22 to get me out of the misery that I knew would be the rest of the book. I couldn’t get into any of the characters and the storyline was a big zero for me. Sorry not sorry.

a great listen!

First story by this author but she definitely writes a great story. And, of course, the narration was top notch from 2 of my favorite performers!

Very good enemies to lovers plot

I don’t know why one reviewers didn’t like this. But I decided to give it a shot. I loved the tension and release as the hero and heroine fall out of hate into love. My only complaint is that it is a college novel so we don’t know how they end, and the male narrators voice for the female was a little whiny. Overall a good book worth the credit.

Easy read

I was already familiar with the world of True North, so it’s nice to have a new (to me) author include some familiar names and locations.

I will be interested to see what else is in this series, although to be fair I already read Sabrina’s book from the series.

This was exactly what I needed it to be

Love this. So much. Literally, no notes. I’d been in such a reading/listening slump lately and Moo U saved me. Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon are the best of the best.