Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner review

Title:  Secret or Shutout 

Author: Leah Brunner 

Ch: 42 plus epilogue 

Pg: 338 

Series: DC Eagles 

Genre:  Rom Com Hockey Rom com 

Rating:  5 stars 

Publisher: indie 

I thought Wes and Mel’s story was sweet, Mitch tugged out my heartstrings. Colby made me swoon. Ford melted my heart. But Bruce, well Bruce stole my heart. And at the beginning of the series, I didn’t see the goalie being my favorite or that he’d still my heart. Bruce was easy to see as the friend but not the love interest. However Secret or Shutout changed that.  I started falling for Bruce in the first chapter when I realized that my high school French hadn’t little me down and I knew what he was calling her. And that tidbit a lone made me realize there’s more to Bruce than meets the eye. The dual chapters make the story so much better. As you get to see them get to the same page. And watching Bruce fall was so sweet. Though Bruce did break a big hockey rule when it comes to teammate’s sister. 

 

Now I knew Farrah was going to be my favorite heroine when I meet her in Betrothal or Breakaway. But it was in Secret and Shutout that I saw how much I related to her. Farrah was the first time I’ve seen a heroine with PCOS on the page. And as someone with PCOs I loved seeing a heroine with the condition in a rom com. There was plenty of times in this one where my heart broke for Farrah. But there’s literally a moment in the book that Bruce not only starts healing Farrah’s heart and starts her trusting but I think a fictional hero started mending mine. And it’s this quote, “Farrah, I don’t want to build a life with you because of what you can give me someday. I don’t cherish you for your ability to have children or not. And I don’t love you based on any conditions.”  All I can say is where’s the real-life Bruce’s at?  

 

Bruce and his old truck remind me of something my grandma use to say if a man drives an old truck he knows how to stay when things get tough because he’s got patience and he’s stubborn. Which I think sums up Bruce perfectly. 

 

I loved that even though it’s Farrah and Bruce’s story we still get closure for the DC Eagles.

 

I will say Leah’s books on the steamy side of clean as there is some language, innuendo  and a fade to black scene with married couple. 

 

#secretorshutout #dceagles #hockeyromance #closeddoorromance #pcosrep #booktour

#bookedwiththeemilys

@bookedwiththeemilys @leah.brunner.writes

 

I received a copy of this book from the author  as part of a blog tour  I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

 

Tropes:

Hockey romance

Teammate’s sister

Reverse age gap

NHL goalie

Curvy heroine