Center Ice

Boston Rebels, Book 1

By: Julia Connors

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Andi Arndt

I’ve always been a wild card–the first to start a fight on the ice, and the life of the party off it–but appearances can be deceiving.

Being traded to the Boston Rebels could not have come at a better time. With serious family obligations to fulfill and a contract renewal with a new hockey team on the line, I have no time for anything else. I return to Boston knowing I need to buckle down and focus on what really matters.

But the first night I’m back in town, I come face to face with Audrey, my college calculus tutor. We had a brief fling right before I was drafted into the NHL. Now, her five year old son is standing by her side, and I don’t need a tutor to do that kind of math.

Audrey insists she doesn’t want me involved in Graham’s life unless I can commit to being a dad. With everything else going on, this is the worst possible timing.

But every minute I spend with Graham and Audrey feels exactly right, and I’m left questioning everything I thought I wanted.

Because now my goals are shifting, and getting what I really want might come at the expense of the game I’ve given my entire life to.

©2024 Julia Connors (P)2024 Julia Connors

Amazing narration that brings this heartwarming hockey romance to life!!!

I just adoredddd this book!! I love a secret baby and sports romance so this was right up my alley! It was such a sweet romance with a swoony golden retriever MMC, a strong independent single mom who is an architect, he takes care of her moments that had me in a puddle, and some FaceTime spicy scenes that were off the charts HOT. This was my first book by Julia and I already cannot wait to read more from her!

🏒Pro Hockey
🏒Single Mom
🏒Second Chance
🏒He Falls First

📖Drew and Audrey met in college where she was his math tutor. Their attraction to each other grew and they hooked up one night. He was drafted into the NHL and she never heard back from him. Fast forward to six years later and Drew just got traded back home to Boston. While at a party at his agent’s house he sees Audrey again but now she has a little boy who looks awfully familiar to him.

🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
This is an audiobook that truly brings the story to life with an incredible casting of narrators who make you feel the chemistry, connection and romance between Drew and Audrey. It’s a dual narration by Teddy Hamilton & Andi Arndt and their performance had me unable to hit pause on this heartwarming and sweet story.

Teddy is becoming my new favorite narrator for a “he halls first romance.” He has the perfect swoony and caring tone to his voice that brings out all the vibes of these characters! It fit Drew so well as this man is doing everything from taking care of his mom, to trying for his second chance with Audrey while also trying to be there for her and their son. Teddy made me just absolutely adore this man as he showcased just how gone Drew was for her.

Andi has such an enjoyable tone to her voice that just captures you into her performances every time. She completely brought out Audrey’s personality but then also has so much depth to her voice to showcase what Audrey is going through from her strength as a single mom to her vulnerable moments and allowing someone to be there for her now too.

Overall, Andi and Teddy put on a performance that just elevated this story!! It was so easy to listen to that I ended up binging it all in one day! I cannot wait to listen to more audios from Julia!

I loved Audrey and Drew

New audiobook release: listened to August 2024

Book narrated by Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton. I just loved this book on audio. They embodied Audrey and Drew. The characterizations, and emotions brought to this story was a chefs kiss. I couldn’t stop listening. Highly recommend.
Book read: Jan 2024

Center Ice is the 1st book in the new Boston Rebels Series. The series will be interconnected standalones.

I love a good hockey romance, and Julia does an amazing job with this one. Nothing like a secret pregnancy, second chance, he halls first, to get me flipping the pages. I loved the cross over with the Frozen Heart Series. Jameson is Audrey’s older brother. A casual run in 6 years after their college fling and the secrets are out. From the beginning the chemistry and tension bled off the pages. It was sexy, sassy and once Audrey let her guard down it was full steam ahead. But, it took a short while for them to find their footing. Audrey is strong, but because of her past she is full of insecurities when it comes to life and love. Drew recently traded to Boston was labeled as someone he’s not. Little did he know that he would have to prove himself in more ways than one. Drew had his flaws but he stepped up to the plate. He was swoonworthy, hot, sexy, so supportive. He had a lot on his plate professionally and personally, but he managed to prove to Audrey and his teammates that he wasn’t his past. He fell so hard for her and Graham. He showed her that she could have the family she always wanted for herself and Graham. I loved the bonus content at the end of the book. I can’t wait to read book 2 in the series with Colt and Jules. Great read.

Really good!

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It was well written and at no point did I think the characters lacked development, or didn’t make sense. Drew is pretty consistent (for someone with impulse control issues). This is my first book by this author and I will be reading the second one! The narrators were superb!

Secret baby daddy

Audrey is amazing. I love her grit, drive, determination and motherly love. She had done everything for her son not only in a nurturing way but she completed her own personal goals as well. She was an admirable woman. Drew was young and dumb but as soon as he figured out graham was his. He was there for it. I love this world so much. The narration was done so well, I loved seeing these characters come to life!

Can you go wrong with Teddy

This is my second time experiencing Center Ice by Julia Connors. This is the first book by Julia's I kept hearing about on Bookstagram, and I added it to my TBR back in early 2024. I started with her first series, Frozen Hearts, which I loved, and then moved on to the Boston Rebels series. I loved it...I loved all of them. Julia has become one of my go-to authors, and I devour her books as soon as I can. I first read Center Ice almost two years ago, but as I've gone on my reading journey, I've realized I prefer to annotate and highlight the stories for Easter eggs and favorite moments. I decided that, for the second time around, I wanted to listen to Center Ice. If you want my full review of the story, you can check out my Goodreads. Here, I will focus on the audio performance of Andy and Teddy.

Let's start with Teddy. I mean, people, I know you agree with me when I say that we understand the hype, right? I don't know what it is about Teddy and his vocal acting abilities, but he knocks it out of the park every time. It's not like he has a deep timber or a super deep, rich, sexy voice, but there is something about the way that he portrays the words on the page, especially those spicy moments, that just leaves us wanting more. I've listened to about 15 of his books, but his catalogue is extensive. I don't think I could get through it in a year, even if I dedicated all my "reading time" to listening to his work. There is a reason Teddy is so popular amongst listeners of romance books. He knows how to convey humor, sadness, and lust with equal skill. He is just an amazing performer. Teddy is just one of those performers that, if I see he is associated with a book, I will most likely add it to my list of books to listen to, even if I have never heard of the author, the series, or the title. (Which is rare because Teddy has worked with many popular authors in the bookstagram and booktok communities).

Andy...despite having heard of Andi Arndt, this is the first, and to date only, book where I have heard Andi work. She is good. I have no complaints and think she did an excellent job. While Andi didn't particularly stand out to me as overly memorable, I do think she paired well with Teddy in this book. Having researched her catalogue of work, I can see that she has narrated across a variety of genres, which isn't surprising, as her voice has many facets and her vocal acting ability seems to span a wide range. It was good, and I didn't find that she has a voice I personally would avoid or turn away from. I know it sounds harsh, but believe me. There are some narrators that just turn you off and make you want to pick up your Kindle instead.