Behind the Net

A Grumpy Sunshine Hockey Romance

By: Stephanie Archer

Narrated by: Tim Paige, Savannah Peachwood

He's the hot, grumpy goalie I had a crush on in high school...and now I'm his live-in assistant.

After my ex crushed my dreams in the music industry, I’m done with getting my heart broken. Working as an assistant for an NHL player was supposed to be a breeze, but nothing about Jamie Streicher is easy. He’s an intimidatingly hot, grouchy jerk who can't stand me. The guy has a massive ego. Keeping things professional will be no problem, even when he demands I move in with him.

Beneath his surliness, though, Jamie’s surprisingly sweet and protective.

When Jamie learns how bad my ex was in bed, his competitive nature flares, and he encourages and spoils me in every way. The creative spark I used to feel about songwriting? It’s back, and I’m writing music again. Between wearing his jersey at games, rowdy parties with the team, and being brave on stage again, I’m falling for him.

He could break my heart, but it might be worth it.

Behind the Net is a grumpy-sunshine pro hockey romance with lots of spice and an HEA. It’s the first book in the Vancouver Storm series, and can be listened to as a stand-alone.

Tropes:

• grumpy sunshine
• slow burn
• boy obsessed
• pro hockey
• forced proximity (boss vs. assistant + roommates)
• spice coaching

©2023 Stephanie Archer (P)2023 Stephanie Archer

hockey romance + a man with a dog 🥰

4/5 Stars 3/5 Spice

Tropes:
Hockey Romance
Boss x Assistant
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Mutual Pining

🎧 Narration: hearing tim paige say “songbird” melted me. tim & savannah did a phenomenal job with jamie & pippa. they both showed excellent range of emotions & made both characters feel very real. i listened on 2x speed & they were still very clear & easy to listen to.

i am such a sucker for a man with a dog. make him grumpy & it’s basically my kryptonite. this story was such a fun read. i loved jamie. it took me a minute to get used to his brand of grump but gosh i fell hard for him. the fmc, pippa, was funny & relatable. & the chemistry & spice between the two was 🥵. i really enjoyed how the story arc was done for jamie’s relationship with his mom - the mental health rep for both of them was very believable. stephanie writes such an easy to binge stories. if you’re like me & forever in your hockey era this is a good one to add to your tbr.

Amazing!!!

This story was so well written I fell in love with Pippa so fast! I love love love Tim Paige, hearing him as the grumpy character was nice. First time hearing a woman voiced by Savannah Peachwood and I love her now!

Love it!!

This book is so cute!!! One of my favorites now! The characters are great! The story is more than just the romance. Deals with exes, panic attacks, and is funny! The narrators are amazing! And it’s a duel style narration! So even better! Book is concluded and can be read as a stand alone.

Good love story

I did not like the dirty language… it was not necessary. The same story could have been told but could have been less offensive language.

guy sounded like a sportscaster

guy sounded too old and his infliction made it sound like he was reading a news broadcast. gave the ice. story made me roll my eyes too many times.

Loved it!

This is one of the best hockey romances I’ve read! Their chemistry is so swoon worthy

Ok

Too long. Male narrator was too dramatic and it sort of ruined the book for me.

Love This

This was my first read/listen by this author. I chose it because it was included in the membership but if I’d used a credit, it would have been a credit well spent. The character development both as individual people and as a couple were well developed; I didn’t feel like they changed too much in a short span of time, rather it flowed seamlessly into the story arch.

Towards the end, I was waiting for the usual romance trope where something “bad” happens and they break up, but then discover he/she needs she/him and they work it out and get back together. I’ll try not to spoil, but I was pleasantly surprised that it did not go that typical way.

Narration was really good; I didn’t realize it was in duet and I absolutely love that.

Awesome story

I just love grumpy goalies. They story was great, the dog was cute, and the heroine was feisty.

Everything you want & more!!

This book was the perfect combo of everything you want from a romance book! The content and build up was great and felt genuine- loved it! Can’t wait for the next book in the series!!