by Lauren Blakely
Published
August 21, 2024
Pages
478 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Not found
Hardcover
$24.99
Paperback
$15.29
Audiobook
$0.00
Audio CD
Not found
A forbidden romance with my brother’s hockey teammate wasn’t on my to-do list when I moved across the country… Neither was getting locked out of a friend’s place wearing next to nothing. Or spending the night with the sexy stranger who rescues me. But I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone so getting out of the rest of my clothes with him seems like a good way to start.
In the morning, I learn the filthy-mouthed man with the talented hands is not only the hotshot new hockey player on my brother’s team: he’s also – wait for it – my brand new roommate . I’m a good student turned good librarian. A rule-follower.
I’m not the kind of girl who does complicated flings. So we agree to another rule: friends-only . It’s not easy though.
Wes is bossy, flirty and generous. He gives me rides to work. Pitches in at my library’s fundraiser.
Takes care of me when I get hurt. And looks at me like I’m the only one. Soon, I’m falling hard for my brother’s teammate.
Especially when Wes comes to my door and tells me exactly how he’d like to break our rules. Every single one. Tropes: A brand new MF teammate’s little sister, roommates-to-lovers, forbidden, forced proximity hockey romance that brings all the feels and heat!
In the exhilarating world of professional hockey, passions run high both on and off the rink. In The Boyfriend Goal, readers are taken on a heartfelt journey of love, determination, and the imperfect perfection of relationships. The sport may be physical, but the emotions are even more intense, showing that the heart’s most significant victory is in embracing vulnerability and trust.
Hockey forms the thrilling backdrop for exploring the intricacies of romance. Characters face personal and professional challenges balancing ambition with love. Authentic emotional depth brings realism to the sentimental journey of the protagonists.
Set against the dynamic fast-paced world of professional hockey The Boyfriend Goal artfully weaves a narrative rich in emotion and personal growth. The protagonists each with their own set of challenges must navigate not just the rules of the game but also those of the heart. As the spotlight of their careers demands sacrifices and alters their perceptions they realize love isn’t always the simplest path.
Through a series of poignant moments both on the rink and in the quiet spaces of their shared lives they discover more about themselves and their true aspirations. Underneath the surface of competitiveness and ambition lies a tender exploration of trust and vulnerability. The story invites readers to experience the thrill of first goals and heartfelt confessions painting a vivid picture of love’s unpredictable nature.
Fans of romance and sports alike will find themselves captivated by a narrative that challenges its characters to redefine success and happiness. The ice may be cold but the unfolding love story brings warmth and depth. With seamless storytelling and authenticity The Boyfriend Goal becomes more than a simple romance; it’s a testament to companionship’s ability to evolve supporting ambitions dreams and moments of togetherness.
Uniquely blending the adrenaline rush of hockey with the tenderness of falling in love results in a narrative that's both thrilling and heartfelt The author skillfully depicts the electrifying atmosphere of sports while highlighting emotional connections.
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Based on 2706 ratings
Talk about getting things off to a fantastic start! Josie and Wes's story was a treat, with that trademark Blakely combo of swoony romance, scintillating sexy times, and smart-alecky wit and humor. Having a sibling's teammate and a teammate's sibling falling for each other is a popular romance trope, and for good reason. The additional creative touch of having Josie turn out to be the person who was going to be rooming with Wes gave that whole close proximity thing that has me always thinking how long it would be before either main character would break. Of course, this whole setup came with its complications, and even though you know love will win out in the end, seeing Josie and Wes figure out how to go to that much coveted point made for some absolutely great reading. The Boyfriend Goal has set the bar high for the rest of the Love and Hockey series to come. 4.5 stars!
I’m a Lauren Blakely binge-reader, and I’m proud of it. I have been known to read one of her books right after another because her stories have truly swoon-worthy MMCs, the right amount of steam, a suitable dosage of angst, and always a HEA. “The Boyfriend Goal” has all that as it follows Wes and his hockey team Captain’s younger sister, Josie, as they go through the perils of transitioning from hook-up to roommates and then to more. Josie and Wes were such a sweet couple, as was the story. I loved how they connected. The notes that were written teared me up. I love their text exchanges and am usually not a big fan of those. Josie’s support for Wes’s dyslexia was written well. And I survived the little bit of angst in there as well.
I really wanted to love this book. Especially after all the rave reviews, but sadly, I didn’t feel the main characters had any chemistry.
Talk about a feel good, fun roommates to lovers read. Shy librarian Josie has always felt invisible to her parents with her hockey playing brother being their main focus, except for her aunt who instills in Josie a love for life. When her aunt dies, it takes almost 2 years for Josie to address the bucket list of sorts her aunt left her. First on the list? Have a one night stand. And boy does she. A hot guy who swoops in to save her from a fashion disaster. Then rocks her world. Only for Josie to have to sneak out for an emergency the next morning, leaving behind a note and her scarf and leaving only knowing the man’s name is Wes. How was she to know Wes happened to be a teammate of her NFL playing brother. Oh and, new landlord. As always Lauren wrote a story that sucked you in from the begging and made it easy to finish this in one sitting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Erin Mallon and Connor Crais narrate The Boyfriend Goal, Book 1 in Lauren Blakely’s new steamy rom-com hockey romance series Love and Hockey in first-person POV Duet narration. I love this sweet, steamy, banter- and chemistry-filled one-night stand to love romance. Josie moves across the country to San Francisco to start her new job as a librarian. She gets locked out of her college friend Maeve’s apartment—barely clothed—where she’s temporarily staying. Miles is reluctantly attending an event at the art gallery where she comes to get the code to get back into the apartment and he saves her. Sharing an immediate mutual attraction with Miles, Josie takes a risk and steps outside her comfort zone by spending the night with him. They don’t discover until the next day that he’s a teammate on her brother’s hockey team. Complicating things even more, Miles becomes her roommate after her new place falls through at that last moment. Initially, neither expected their night together to be anything more than just that one night. However, each changes their mind. Of course, it’s impossible now because it’s forbidden for a hockey player to become involved/sleep with a teammate’s sister. As they live together and get to know one another, becoming friends, it becomes more difficult for them to resist the powerful attraction and connection forged between them the night they met. They give into their desire, growing even closer and falling deeper. A good girl, nerd, and librarian, Josie, has lived most of her life in her brother’s shadow. But her move to San Francisco is a chance to start fresh, take risks, and finally live her life separately, doing what makes her happy, and isn’t what’s expected of her. Talented, sexy, flirty, bossy, and focused, Miles is a genuinely good guy. His life is hockey-centered—all about being perfect and his career because his father, who is also his manager, tries to control every aspect of his life. Josie and Miles are a perfect match, balancing each other. She brings fun into Miles’ life, something besides hockey. He helps Josie and saves her over and over because he wants to. Miles matches Josie’s freak, and with him, she can safely explore her sexuality. They encourage and support one another, enabling them to take risks and do things that scare them. I love Miles and Josie’s snarky, sweet, sexy, steamy, intimate banter, conversations, interactions, and love scenes. They are so intensely sensual and emotional at the same time. It’s one of my favorite things about Blakely’s writing and novels. I also like that her love scenes never feel like filler. Instead, they draw the characters closer together and deepen their emotional connection, and further the evolution of their characters and the story. I love that The Boyfriend Goal’s narration is in Duet style first-person POV for Josie and Miles. It’s exactly right for their story and characters. Mallon’s and Crais’s dynamic and expressive narration and voices fit each character, bringing them wonderfully to life. They capture their fiery chemistry, snarky and flirty banter, and the humor and emotion that runs through Blakely’s multilayered romance. Using accents, dialects, pacing, tone, inflection, intonation, and emotion, Mallon and Crais give the characters distinct voices, revealing their personalities, feelings, quirks, and state of mind. I love how effortlessly they express Miles’s Josie’s loneliness, desire, and passion for each other, especially in their intensely sensual and emotional love scenes. The narrators superbly portray the intimacy between characters and their chemistry, sensations, and moods during the novel’s intimate scenes. Blakely’s lively storytelling and writing are vibrant, with detailed descriptions that use the characters’ descriptions to bring the story to life and pull you into each of the scenes. She skillfully develops her characters to make you love and root for them to achieve their goals, fall in love, and for their dreams to come true. Josie, Miles, and the secondary characters are likable, fascinating, relatable, genuine, complex, flawed, and conflicted. Blakely develops them deftly through their charming, engaging, interactions with each other. Her colorful, flirty, funny dialogue perfectly fits her characters, story, setting, and theme. Sweet, steamy, funny, sexy, emotional, and fast-paced, The Boyfriend Goal is the perfect audio listen for fans of a teammate’s little sister, roommates-to-lovers, forbidden romance, hockey romance, all the feels, forced proximity, a to-do list, and heroes who fall fast and hard for the heroine, and book love romances. Thanks to Lauren Blakely for the ALC. Content warnings: death of a loved one (off page), grief/loss.
Lauren Blakely’s The Boyfriend Goal is a light-hearted and fun roommates-to-lovers hockey romance that perfectly balances forbidden desire with heartfelt emotion. The story kicks off with a sizzling one-night stand between Wes, a professional hockey player, and Josie, a charming librarian who just so happens to be his teammate's little sister. I listened to the audiobook, narrated in duet by Connor Crais and Erin Mallon. Both of them delivered fantastic performances, full of natural, authentic chemistry that translated perfectly to the characters. Despite knowing he shouldn’t, Wes can't stop thinking about Josie, and when she winds up moving in with him as a favor to her brother, their forced proximity intensifies their undeniable connection. Blakely's natural storytelling shines as she weaves together electric chemistry, witty banter, and a steamy romance that deepens through their sweet love letters and genuine connection. A captivating blend of passion, humor and emotion, The Boyfriend Goal is a not-to-be-missed must-read for hockey romance fans. Five smooches from me for The Boyfriend Goal by Lauren Blakely!