Flow

A Childhood Friends-to-Lovers, Fake Dating Hockey Romance (The New Bradfords, Book 1)

By: Tia Louise

Narrated by: Ryan Lee Dunlap, Stefanie Kay

He's loved her since childhood; one fake date might finally make it real.

I was 15 years old when I stood on a hill in a peach orchard with the girl of my dreams, contemplating marriage. Now I'm a hockey star, The Maverick Murphy.

I have flow on the ice and on my head, but I still have trouble forming sentences when she's around.

And she's all around—living in my house, sharing my space, so close, I can smell her perfume on my clothes.

I'm all grown up, and I'd still do anything for her.

I was 15 when I stood on a hill in my family's peach orchard with the cutest boy I knew and said I'd marry him on the spot.

Now that boy is a grown man, a hockey star with muscles and dimples and smoldering hazel eyes.

He's also my new roommate, but I'm not here to fall in love.

Our beloved peach trees are dying, and I'm here to find a cure.

When the town's rich bully threatens to own our land and me along with it, I kind of snap. I kind of say Maverick's mine for real.

It's a lie. We're only faking, but with every kiss, every touch, every stolen moment, reality starts to blur.

Still, as much as we want to pretend, he's LA's hockey champion, and when the semester ends, I'll have to leave.

That's reality.

(Flow is a hockey romance with a golden retriever hero, a STEM FMC, childhood friends to lovers, he falls first [and so hard], fake dating, close proximity, roommates to lovers, it's always been you, hilariously meddling family, and loads of spicy fun. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and no third-act breakup.)

©2026 TLM Productions LLC (P)2026 TLM Productions LLC

Sweet temptation.

A feast of the senses that starts at the heart. Maverick and Dove bursts the soul wide open with combustible results. From humor to heartache is sweet temptation. Louise pushes the boundaries of emotion to create hauntingly, irresistible romance. My favorite of the series, so far. Nostalgia bubbles over. Dunlap and Kay tiptoe across the senses. Maverick and Dove are sweet temptation. Louise brings the heat without ever losing sight of the heart.

Sweet, spicy, and full of heart

This audiobook was a really fun, easy listen if you like romance with a lot of heart and a bit of chaos.
The story is about childhood sweethearts who never really stopped loving each other, even when life pulled them in different directions. He’s now a hockey star, but around her he still turns into the awkward boy who can barely speak. She’s focused on saving her family’s peach orchard, not falling back into feelings she’s been trying to ignore. Of course, sharing a house makes that impossible.
I liked the fake dating setup a lot. It starts as a way to deal with outside pressure, but it quickly turns into something way more real. The chemistry is obvious from the beginning, and the “he falls first” angle is strong here. You can tell he’s been gone on her forever.
The audiobook narration made the tone feel light and easy to follow, especially during the funny family moments and the more emotional scenes. It really leaned into the playful energy of the story.
It does follow familiar romance tropes—fake dating, roommates, childhood friends, forced proximity—but it uses them in a way that feels comforting rather than repetitive. There’s no cheating or breakup drama, which keeps the story from getting too heavy.
Overall, this is a sweet, spicy, low-stress romance with a soft hockey hero, a determined heroine, and a lot of “we’ve always belonged together” energy. A good pick if you want something fun and feel-good.
I received a complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A Must-Listen Hockey Romance

If you love hockey romance with all the best tropes, Flow by Tia Louise is definitely one to check out.

This story blends friends to lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity—and somehow still feels fresh and unpredictable. I honestly couldn’t fully guess how everything was going to play out, which I loved.

I listened to this on Audible, and the narration by Ryan Lee Dunlap and Stephanie Kay was amazing. Their duet style really brought the characters to life, and you could feel the chemistry and emotion in every scene.
Overall, this is a really enjoyable romance, especially if you’re into sports romance with strong character connection.

I definitely recommend the audiobook for this one.

fantastic narrators

This is Mavericks story and wow what a story, Dove and Maverick gave me so many feels, I very much loved the story line about the farm. Highly recommended addition to this series

NOT BOOK 1

This is book 3 with Pinch and Cage coming before. It’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read with 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 vocal performances. Spice is good 🌶️🌶️🌶️. I’ll read more books by this author. Duet narration.