I always love hockey books so I was so thankful to get this ARC from Netgalley. I really enjoyed the romance between Lars and Adeline, but I also liked how they grew as their own person too. They helped each other work through their insecurities and become better people. It was a really sweet story to read. And little Mabel was just too cute! Watching Lars learn to become a father was heartwarming!

The whole book was filled with so many great characters and set things up for some great future books so I'm looking forward to the next books that will be coming out!

This was a cute book with a little bit of everything: single dad, cute baby, hockey player, age gap, secret relationship. I'm honestly usually anti-secret baby books and intentionally avoid them. But after reading the blurb of this one and knowing the baby mama wouldn't end up with the male lead, I decided to give this a read.

Lars, Adeline, and Mabel were so adorable together and made a cute little family. Lars was thrust into fatherhood, literally, and even though it was a rocky start, he turned into such a great and protective father. I loved how real it was at the beginning and appreciated the added humor. Adeline was wise and mature beyond her years. She really played the mother role well. Mable was just the cutest little baby. Cute babies always make a story better.

There's the whole 'I can't date you because your dad is one of my best friends and teammates' trope in this one that is a big focus of the book. They have to keep their relationship a secret because of that. I did feel the blowup was a bit dramatic and I didn't appreciate Theo's throwing insults about Lars' dad towards Lars. It was a low blow and I lost a bit of respect for Theo then.

This book was a bit of a slow burn, but for once, I didn't mind since it helped keep thing interesting with the push-and-pull of their relationship.

My only complaint is that there were an awful lot of characters to keep up with and it was a bit overwhelming to remember who exactly the secondary characters were.

This was the first Kate Meader book I've read, but I'll definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series after that teaser of an epilogue.

This was such a cute sports romance! I love sports romance, and this was so amazing to! The fmc and mmc were so cute together, and I loved all the tropes!!

I haven't read anything by this Author before but after this book I've just done a hefty add to my TBR! I loved this book and if you like Hannah grace, Tessa Bailey etc I predict this will be right up your street!

Adeline is the daughter of Theo Kershaw, all star defence man of the Chicago Rebels. Lars Nyquist is Theo's team mate and Adeline's teenage crush. A surprise change in circumstances for Lars brings them together but can Adeline convince Lars she's a woman now?

I loved the overall universe this is written in and how Lars grew as a character.

Kate Meader is back with more Rebels hockey this time it's the kids' turn. That's right the we're getting the second generation starting with Theo Kershaw's daughter, Adeline and who does she happen to fall for but her father's line partner and best friend, Lars "NyQuil" Nyquist. It starts with Adeline returning from traveling abroad to bump into her crush Lars who in the same night discovers he's a father... because a one night stand bumps the baby on him in the middle of a bar. Soon enough Adeline is pitching in on nanny duties and Lars is finally letting himself see Adeline as a grown woman.

The plot in this standard 330 page romance is a bit busy. There's one too many character plot lines that get sped through towards the end to reach the romantic conclusion but other than that it's the typical funny, hockey filled romp. Lard and Adeline are absolute fools for each other an dyou love to see it plus there's a cute baby.

This was my first book by this author and let me tell you, I love their writing style! I am definitely going to go and read the other romances that sweet thing reference.

As for the book, it was enjoyable! If you like sports romance it has so many classic tropes: age- gap, forbidden romance, best friends daughter, nanny etc. There was also a really fun twist on the single dad trope and how he became a father, which I absolutely LOVED.

However, there were certain aspects of the book that dropped the rating for me. One being that it felt as though Lars and Adeline only really bonded through sharing their trauma but we didn’t really get to see them having fun together outside the bedroom. I also didn’t love the whole “men are biologically more protective”, because… well that’s just not true. I think it was used to almost excuse some of the undertones of misogyny and infantilization of Adeline. I do, however think it was realistic because that is likely how she would be treated in real life. I honestly related to her character so deeply and empathized with a lot of how she felt others viewed her. As for just some nit picky thoughts; there was one part that lacked consistency. A few chapters prior, Adeline states that she’s not foolish enough to think Lars loves her, but knows he cares about her. Then, without anything about their relationship changing and no conversations between them, she says “I know he’s in love with me”. This had me feeling like I missed something (which maybe I did?). And finally, there was a part where it’s being said that Adeline is so selfless and she “puts herself above everyone else”. I assume this was just an error but it had me doing a double take and re reading a couple times to make sure I wasn’t confused.

Overall i genuinely had a great time reading this book and feel SO lucky to have gotten to read an ARC! Kate definitely has a new fan and I’m excited to read more of her work!!

✨ This is a review for an arc provided by NetGalley ✨

This is my first book by the author and let me tell you, I loved it! It features some of my favorite tropes so I had high hopes for Adeline and Lars but I was thrilled by not only loving them but also all the other characters except Vicki but that was to be expected.

In a true rom-com fashion, both Addie and Lars were funny but there is always an underlying sense of electric chemistry between them that keep the plot flowing seamlessly. Mabel is an adorable baby and Tilly quickly became my favorite toddler ever. As a byproduct of reading this book, now I want to dive into the rookie rebels series to find out more about all the first generation characters mentioned throughout this book.

Both Lars and Adeline have some growing up to do regardless of their actual ages and their emotional evolution was wonderfully written. I also adore nicknames in a foreign language.

I was hoping to guess the next couple but according to the epilogue I am not getting my way but I am still excited for the next one to come. Thank you NetGalley for turning me into a Kate Meader fan!

Sweet Thing is a beautifully written story. Adeline had a schoolgirl crush on Lars, who happens to be her dad’s teammate and best friend. Lars is 36 and Adeline is 23. This age gap, nanny x hockey player single dad romance was so fun to read. Lars got the surprise of a lifetime when his daughter was given to him in the middle of a bar. Not only do we get to watch Lars fall in love with his baby girl and become a father, we watch him and Adeline’s forbidden love come to life as they learn to find their best selves with the help of each other. Loved being able to watch the growth in both characters.

I really enjoyed this book and am grateful for the arc! Lars and Adeline had great tension the whole book and the pacing was really good. The only thing that took me out of it a bit was having Adeline’s dad be so old but still actively playing hockey with his son. To me, it would’ve been better if it was a brother’s best friend romance rather than dad’s, but i still enjoyed it!

My first Kate Meader read, and definitely won’t be my last! Really enjoyed this - fun read, well written, characters whose chemistry we could believe, and all my favourite tropes! Really happy to have gotten this ARC, thank you :)

This was my first book from this author, and it will most certainly not be the last!
Even if you took away the hockey or the romance the book’s family, and friend dynamics are so intertwined and interesting. It makes you want to read the rest of the series before this offshoot.

I really appreciate that in the contemporary romance world of nonstop miscommunication tropes, the two mains are pretty good at saying exactly what they want and need from each other, that level of openness is definitely unusual in this genre.

The crux of their issues isn’t necessarily each other, but the FMC‘s family, which has become the MMC’s family and all but name while during her year abroad after college
Though she might have left her parent’s house at 22 a little naïve, she arrived back 23, a woman of the world and a little worse for wear.

As secrets come out, can the two mains work out all of their fears or will familial demands, new and old crush their love?

This is a great age gap/finding yourself story.

I enjoyed the story and how both characters came into their own. Lars unexpectedly became a father and trying to get his mind out of the shadow of his own father was hard. Adeline is trying to find herself in a family of athletes.

These two together had fireworks going on. I love how the reveal happened at the end. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!!

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️

Hockey defenseman Lars Nyquist certainly didn’t expect to fall hopelessly in love with a woman 13 years his junior, who is also the daughter of his team captain and best friend, and the nanny to his 7 month old daughter that he didn’t know he had. But that’s where we find ourselves…

Sweet Thing was filled with intrigue, likable characters and an all round feel good story!

Tropes:
Hockey romance
Age Gap
Single Dad/Nanny
Best Friend’s daughter
Father’s Best Friend

Thank you to Netgalley and Kate Meader for this ARC copy!

I absolutely loved every minute of this story. 

If you love a single dad, nanny,  age gap, forbidden, sports romance then you are going to love Lars and Adeline's story. 

To Lars, Adeline is his friend and team mates oldest daughter, he has never seen her as anything else. Adeline on the other hand has a major crush on Lars, she just wants the ground to swallow her up.... thank goodness she is heading off on her travels! Fast forward a year and a half  and circumstances bring them closer when Lars has an unexpected surprise and Adeline very helpful family throws them together when she becomes temporary nanny to Lars' adorable 7 month old baby girl Mabel.

The sparks soon start flying and Lars soon realises that he doesn't see Adeline has his friend and team mates daughter, he sees her as much more.  

I was completely hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down.  I loved the familiarity of seeing my favourite Rebels make an appearance, it was like being back with family.

This is my first book by Kate Meader and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing is well done, the story flows seamlessly and the plot is easy to follow.

I love a good hockey romance and this one didn't let me down. Throw in a surprise baby and dad's best friend trope? Yeah, I'm all in.

The spice was pretty light in my opinion, but it was still a really great read. I am looking forward to digging into Kate's other books about the Rebels hockey team.

I can’t get over how much I enjoyed this book. This is my first book by Kate Meader, and I am now a fan. I experienced all the emotions throughout this book. Lol. Sweet Thing is a hockey romance between Lars and Adeline, who happens to be his best friend’s daughter. 👀 And guess what? They’re also teammates. 😱

Lars’ life completely changed when his one-night stand dropped a baby girl in his lap and informed him that he was the father. Seven-month-old Mabel was the star of the show. Lol. Adeline and her family jumped into action and helped set Lars up for the night with baby Mabel. Despite her childhood crush on Lars, she offered to be his temporary nanny. Little did they know what would come of this arrangement.

Watching Lars be a dad was so cute. He had zero clue what to do with Mabel at the beginning. Over time, and with the help of Adeline (and her family), he got the hang of it.

Both Lars and Adeline struggled with the way people viewed them. Lars strived daily to be everything his father wasn’t. Adeline constantly worried that her family saw her as the weak link. They helped each other discover they were more than they gave themselves credit for.

I loved Adeline’s family. The Kershaws are what every family should strive to be. IMO. Lol. They aren’t perfect, but they are loyal to a tee. They care, and they are always there for one another. They were also obsessed with Mabel. She was a doll. 💕

Sweet Thing had its heavy moments, but it also had moments where it was light and fun too. I thought it was an all-around good book. I don’t feel like anything was missing. I’m excited to read more from Kate.

First in series, 2nd Gen series
Age gap (13 years)
Dad's friend/teammate
Single dad
Nanny
Slow burn

Lars is suddenly thrown into fatherhood when a one night hookup shows up with a 7 month old and claims the baby is his. She wants nothing to do with motherhood anymore and he has no clue what to do with a baby. Additional plot twist baby mom is married and was at time of hookup but Lars didn't know this. I wish he had reacted more to the married part because that felt glossed over in his reaction.

Addy is his team captain's/friend's oldest daughter and reluctantly agrees to help until he finds a nanny. She's had a crush for years and throughout their time in his house together it returns and it's mutual. They each fight it until they finally give in. And she insists they can't tell anyone.

I was actually really glad to see she was the one who pushed not to tell anyone. So many books have the MMC suggest it.

The booked grabbed my attention from the start. There were a few places where it felt like a character drop, lots of people in a scene who didn't really bring anything to the scene, but are likely going to be part of future books or are part of the first Gen series, which is typical in a series starter so it wasn't too distracting. It is told in first person dual POV. Some chapters show both POVs with a chapter break and other chapters are just one person's POV. I I'm someone who would prefer either both POVs in each chapter or one POV per chapter just for a more smooth read.

The book gave the reader everything that the blurb set up and everything that you typically expect from the different tropes. There was no unexpected curve ball, which I really appreciate. It was an easy read. There were enough characters introduced for the new series that make you want to know what happens in the next book and the epilogue chapter did a great job of giving us a cliffhanger that leads directly into that book

ARC by Netgalley Review 💓!!

This was my first book by this author—and it definitely won’t be my last. I’ve been loving this trend where authors create entire worlds filled with interconnected characters and stories, and this one fits that mold perfectly.

So, why did I pick this book?

1. Hockey.
2. Single dad.
3. She’s the daughter of one of the older hockey players on the team.
Basically: YES. This is my kind of trope. This is my happy place.

Their relationship was absolutely beautiful. Yes, we had a bit of family drama (as expected) when their connection came to light, but it was handled in a way that felt genuine and satisfying.

I adored the female lead—she was determined, confident, and knew exactly what she wanted, how she wanted it, and who she wanted it with. Meanwhile, our male lead? Whew. He was thrown into a new lifestyle and handed a responsibility he wasn’t ready for. Unsurprisingly, he struggled. He made mistakes. But there’s always a price to pay for growth.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. That ending? That epilogue? DEAD.
Now I have to go read the book about the heroine’s parents from the previous series because clearly, I’m in too deep.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Adeline: Lars Nyquist overheard me say while recounting my embarrassing crush on him. Yeah, that Lars Nyquist. Defenseman for the Chicago Rebels. Owner of the thickest thighs in the league. More than a decade my senior. Oh, and my dad’s teammate. My only option? Leave the country, of course.

Lars: I just found out I’m a dad.
My one-night stand dropped a baby bombshell in my local bar where I was celebrating my team’s win. Then she hoofed it, leaving me holding my new daughter.

Adeline the fixer of the Kershaw family steps up to help Lars with Mabel until he can hire a nanny. Neither of them knowing that they would need each other to overcome some big things that they have went through over the last year.

I know this is fiction but I have to say the way Kate wrote Lars as not so prefect at the dad role in the beginning made me love this book more. Most books the MMC just falls into being the "best" dad without any issues or negative self reflection on themselves. Not Lars which made it even better to watch him grow into the loving dad that he was by the end. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Mabel.


Surprise single dad
Nanny
Age gap
Dad's teammate and friend
Years long crush
Off limits
Touch her and die
Slow burn

First book by this author but I cannot not wait for the next one.

Thank you Kate Meader, NetGalley, and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#SweetThing #NetGalley

ARC Review: Sweet Thing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Sweet Thing delivers on the tropes we love—single dad, hockey star, age gap, and a nanny with a complicated connection. Lars, a professional hockey player, is suddenly thrust into fatherhood when a one-night stand drops a baby in his lap and disappears. Enter his teammate’s 23-year-old daughter, Adeline, who steps in as a nanny… and things get messy, in all the best ways.

I’ll admit, the beginning was a bit overwhelming. There were a lot of characters introduced early on, and not all of them felt relevant, which made it hard to settle into the story at first. But once the dust clears and the main plot kicks in, it really finds its rhythm.

What sets this apart is the added tension of Lars being best friends with Adeline’s dad—a dynamic that brings depth and drama to what might otherwise be a familiar setup. If you’re a fan of found family, sports romance, and the chaos of unexpected parenthood, this one will check a lot of boxes for you.