I enjoy a well told enemies to lovers/forbidden romance and this book meets the requirements! Carissa is the new marketing manager for the Chicago Red Tails hockey team, and Colby is the captain of the team. They had a disagreement over a box of cereal in the grocery store the previous evening, which left them both with a negative first impression.
However, their chemistry is very strong and they need to figure out a way to be together without obviously breaking the rules

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An easy to read hockey romance that features Colby and Carissa. They met at a grocery store and have an argument over some cereal. She doesn’t recognize He is a famous hockey player and he later learns she is the new marketing rep for the team. The sparks fly between them, but can they make a go of it?

I like the setting of this one.I enjoyed the witty banter between the main characters. It had me laughing at times, but I was equally frustrated with the way Colby acted. I felt she could do better than him. Overall, a good read, even though I didn’t really care for Colby.

Off Your Game is the first hockey romance in the Chicago Red Tails series. Colby has been haunted by his brother’s death for years and even now he can’t escape it. That’s the reason he needs Lucky Charms, the last box of Lucky Charms the feisty woman in the grocery store refused to give him. She quickly becomes enemy number one in Colby’s eyes, but when she turns up as the latest employee of the Chicago Red Tails franchise Colby can’t keep his eyes off her. Carissa the exact type of woman Colby didn’t know he’d been looking for. Will they be able to overcome their terrible first meeting or will they ignore the chemistry that’s burning between them.

Hockey romance is one of my go to sub genres and I appreciate a good enemies to lovers romance. I really enjoyed Colby and Carissa’s first meeting over the last box of Lucky Charms and the tension it created between them. I liked the storyline and writing style, but didn’t fully connect with either Colby or Carissa like I had hoped. It was a good romance and I really liked parts, but other parts didn’t fully pull me in. Overall it was a good hockey romance and I will read more in this series, but it also wasn’t the best hockey romance I’ve ever read (but I have read a lot so there is some stiff competition!).

I really struggled to connect with this book, and in the end, it didn’t feel like the time I spent on it was worthwhile.

To be completely honest, my expectations were low from the moment Colby propositioned Carissa in exchange for a box of Lucky Charms—and things only went downhill from there. The story felt like it was trying too hard, especially when it came to exploring Colby’s trauma and the emotional complexity of the characters. Rather than drawing me in, it left me feeling detached and, frankly, bored.

By the time I hit the 30% mark, I found myself skimming through the rest. The dynamic between Colby and Carissa didn’t resonate with me at all—their constant back-and-forth between obsession and hostility felt forced and unrealistic.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t find the characters compelling or the romance believable, and overall, it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

.....................................................................................................................

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ 2 stars 🌟

arc review 📖


🏒 ice hockey romance
🥅 enemies to lovers
🏒 spicy
🥅 cocky mmc who pines

This was not as I hoped, but might still be enjoyed by non-hockey informed readers.

I am around enough hockey to know the things that just irked me. It was still tolerable though but definitely got under my skin.

This is a typical boy-meets girl, boy is cocky and arrogant but doesn't get his own way. Followed by the close proximity now that he has to work alongside the annoying girl who got him all worked up.

It was an ok read with open door spice.

────୨ৎ────

⋆˙⟡ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑐

LOVE LOVE LOVE.
All over a box of lucky charms.
Carissa has always figured it out on her own. She doesnt need help, she toughs it out and pulls up her big girl panties.
Even though she lives in a sketchy apartment, paying off debts she doesnt owe, she doesnt want help.
She gets the perfect job doing social media for the local pro hockey team, with no hockey knowledge or exxperience and has zero interest in any players, after the very stern warning from her boss.
Colby Nelson, team captain, has other plans, and doesnt give up easy. Colby is determined to get Carissa to let him help her, and get her to trust him no matter what it takes. This book is swoonworthy romantic (He drives her homes so she doesnt have to take public transport), steamy hot (with lots of secret meets in hotel rooms) and as always, a grand gesture to win the girl back in the end. You absolutely want to read this one ASAP! Colby and the Chicago Red Tails are as hot as they come!

✨ Publication date: April 29, 2025✨

Off Your Game is a steamy hockey romance, the first in the Chicago Red Tails series by Susan Renee.

Carissa Smallson starts her new job tomorrow and can’t believe the audacity of the man preventing her from finishing her grocery shopping and get home to bed. After refusing to give him the last box of lucky charms, as hot as he was she hopes she doesn’t see him again!

Carissa’s new job is the social media manager for the Chicago Red Tails. To her surprise the broody man she met at the grocery store is Colby the captain of the team and he’ll do anything to avoid her.

Carissa and Colby are thrown together through team events and eventually find some common ground. As they spend more time together there is definitely an attraction. They have both sworn off relationships but can somehow see a future together until Carissa’s past comes back to haunt her and Colby isn’t sure she’s the woman he thought she was.

This was a good steamy hockey romance. There were a few bumps including some cringey moments between the main characters. He was also over the top grumpy and then all of a sudden wasn’t. I would rate this 3.5 stars and will definitely read the next instalment!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #susanrenee #offyourgame

4:5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am definitely back in my hockey era!!

This was such a fun series to come across and I always love the first book in the start of a series😍

Colby was so frustrating at some points but you could tell he really cared about Carissa and just had not dealt and grieved with his past properly😭

Their initial meet cute was hilarious and I couldn’t stop laughing at the hockey players in this book, the sense of found family was amazing!!

I can’t wait for Milo next but I already know I will love Dex’s book😂😂

“This woman is enough to keep me warm. To keep me grounded. To make me whole. She’s everything “

Off your game by Susan Renee is book 1 of the Chicago Red Tails series. Off your game is a hilarious enemies to lovers romance between a hockey player and the team's new marketing rep.

Told in alternating points of view from Colby and Carissa. Colby is the team captain and Carissa just got a job as the new pr social media specialist for the hockey team. The hockey team loses the game and Colby decides to go to the supermarket to get his lucky charms cereal, which he believes is his literal lucky charm. The two meet at the supermarket when Carissa takes the last box of Lucky Charms serial. The banter between the two is hilarious. I do think the characters could have been a bit more well rounded, with a bit more back story to them, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Genres for this book: hockey, sports romance, enemies to lovers, contemporary romance, workplace romance

Thank you Susan for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book since hockey romance is one of my favourite genres, but I didn’t enjoy the writing style at all and I didn’t like the MMC:(

I really struggled to read it!

I wasn’t sure if this was going to be something I liked even though I absolutely love sports romance. The MMC wasn’t for me at the beginning. He did redeem himself once you found out more about him although it was a slower progress than I would have liked. Overall the story was decent the FMC was a great strong character her background was really surprising that things like that do actually happen but the rabbit hole that I went down suggest it happens alot in America! So shocking that parents can do that to their children.
Overall a good start to a series and I there are deffo some team members I want to know more about and I can’t wait for their books!
🌟🌟🌟🌟

For me, this didn't hit, predominantly because the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope is too often hard to take seriously, even in a meet-cute such as this. It really has to be brief, or a minor conflict that ultimately builds the strength of the relationship for a greater trial. In the case of this book, it was kind of the core conflict.

That being said, if you're looking for a light and fun read, with decent banter and mild spice, this might be for you. Colby and Carissa have a lot of fun and adorable conversations, side-characters were fun (some really intriguing; even more so than the mains, at times), and it has all the usual things that we love in a light sports romance.

For me, though, that miscommunication just felt too much like manufactured drama for the sake of it, and I personally need more.

I adore a Hockey Romance and I love the chance to read this book hockey and forbidden romance say less! Give me 10 more! Can not wait to read more of this series!

Hockey and grumpy x sunshine - this book has everything you need. It was such fun to read and if you are a fan of a hockey romance then you will enjoy. Carissa was an amazing FMC to follow and I really enjoyed her.

Hockey books are always a 5 star with me. Susan Renee is a new author for me, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to be introduced to her and this series. I look forward to book two. From the first chapter, I was cracking up! The witty banter between Carissa and Colby was amazing. It is a quick and easy read. This is a cute, spicy, romantic and laugh out loud story. The main character Colby, who plays for the Chicago Red Tails and Carissa, the new marketing representative for Colby’s team. Before she started as the marketing representative, she met Colby by accident at a grocery store as they fought over the last box of cereal. She was unaware of who he was, and Colby was shocked that she did not recognize him or know who he was. Wouldn’t you like to be in the room when they met and recognized each other. As the story begins to unravel, they find things in common and form a bond, which later turns into something more serious. However, could this serious bond that they have ruin him? Do they end up together or being swept away from one another?

If you love hockey romance then this one is definitely for you! I found the read enjoyable, but at times I did find myself putting it down and taking a couple of days to pick up only because I didn’t get attached to the main characters like I usually do. However, it was still a solid read and I would still recommend it to those who love hockey romances! I enjoyed the plot and the writing style, but character development could have been beefed up a bit more. Colby and Carissa often times had the same verbiage which is probably why I felt like their characters weren’t dissimilar. I appreciated the enemies to lovers aspect which kept me engaged and on my toes.

I absolutely love it and highly recommend it. Great writing, amazing characters and a great plot.
Carissa and Colby are absolutely great together and I love their story and chemistry

Thank you for letting me read and review this book on Netgalley.

I really liked reading this book. It was such a fun read.

What to expect:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Hockey Romance
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Slow Burn Romance

Love a good hockey romance! This was fast paced and enjoyable to read. Great main characters and supporting characters throughout.