My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Leah Brunner writes sweet hockey romance very well. I’m sad that it seems like this was the final book in this series but after reading the free bonus scene which takes place 8 years down the road, now I’m hoping Noah will get his own book and include the next generation of the DC Eagles clan!

This series was one of the first hockey romance books I read and fell in love with the characters, so of course I couldn't wait to read about Bruce! This is a closed-door romance book with several great kissing scenes 😍

I couldn't relate to Farrah feeling like Bruce was too young for her, but I understand others will relate. I personally don't consider this an age-gap romance because I think there was only a 5 year(?) gap. When I think of age-gap romances, I'm thinking more of a decade or bigger gap. But... maybe I'm just biased because my husband is 5 years younger than me 😂. However, when both parties are close to 30, I don't think 5 years is that big of a deal.

Bruce was a perfect match for Farrah!! His goofiness always makes me smile, but he proves he can be serious with her.

If this was the final installment, which I believe it is, it has a perfect ending!! This book also brought the other couples back throughout the majority of the book and it just felt great reading about them again!

"I'm not falling Ambs, I'm crashing and burning and don't know how to stop."

If you want a cute sports romance story that will make you kick your feet and giggle, this is for you! This is the fourth book in the D.C. Eagles Hockey series and I read this as a stand alone but I am immediately going to need to run to read the first 3 books in the series! This book is about Remy's sister Farrah and his goalie teammate/best friend Bruce. It checks so many boxes for the perfect romance!

"You're a shameless flirt."
"Only with you."

- Sports romance
- Brothers teammate/best friend
- The MMC is a goofy fun loving cinnamon roll/golden retriever/teddy bear
- He literally watches romcoms before games for good luck
- Good luck charms
- Lots of baking and desserts
- Cute texts

Also, there is mention of PCOS and infertility but I thought it was handled very well!

Thank you so much to Leah Brunner and the NetGalley team for the arc!

Brothers' best friend, hockey romance.

Farrah's divorce is final, and she spends it at a bar and experiences the best kiss of her life. She is struggling to cope with her PCOS and is not looking to get into a relationship, so she leaves without even getting his name.

Bruce has watched all of his friends and teammates pair off and get married. He is no longer interested in casual hook-ups. He meets the girl of his dreams but lets her go without getting any of her information.

Both of these characters are surprised when the very next morning they meet up again. Farrah is the little sister of Bruce's team captain Remy!

This was a cute, closed-door romance. I am always a little confused at the protective big brother trope, especially when they are friends, and the guy is a pretty good guy. The first part of the book was a little boring for me. Not a lot happened but at about the 30% mark it really picked up. I absolutely loved Bruce! He was such a nice guy. I also love it when authors compare characters to something real. I have a hard time visualizing people but when Bruce is compared to Kristoff from Frozen it really let me visualize what he would look like.

Farrah frustrated me a little through, I am not crazy about tropes where characters try to decide what is best for someone without getting their input. I am super happy she finally came around. I thought Bruce and Farrah where such great characters together.

Thank you to NetGalley and LBP LLC for this title. This is my very honest review.

Brother's best friend done right!!! I love reading Leah's books. They make you swoon with just the right amount of yearning and fade to black spice. Farrah and Bruce's story was a wonderful way to complete the DC Eagles series.

Farrah is in her 30s, recently divorced and had fertility issues with her ex-husband. Bruce is in his late 20s in his prime as NHL's favorite goalie. The two meet unexpectedly at a bar after Farrah has signed her divorce papers and do not know who they are to each other. They quickly find out and realize that getting together would not be prudent as Farrah is Remy's younger sister and Bruce is Remy's best friend. Their journey to realizing that being with each other is worth the risk was heartfelt and sweet. Seeing all of the other DC eagles and their significant others was the cherry on top.

Thank you Leah Brunner and NetGalley for this ARC! Highly recommend Secret or Shutout- especially to those who enjoy a hockey romance on the sweeter side!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Hockey romance is my favorite sport romance and boy did this book deliver!
Farrah and Bruce meet one night at a bar but never share their names. After a steamy makeout session they go their own ways. The next day, they find out that Farrahs older brother is Bruce's captain.
Farrah is recently divorced and thinks Bruce is too young for her. She's also dealing with infertility issues and doesn't want to put that on Bruce.
The author did a great job with the sensitive topic of infertility. Many women suffer from PCOS but you don't hear much about it. I found myself rooting for Farrah and I feel like Bruce was the perfect loving, considerate and caring man she needed in her life!
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to ARC read this great book!

I loved all the books in this series but I have to say I think Bruce and Farrah just might be my favorite.

I have loved this series from the very first one, and Secret or Shutout did not disappoint! I loved getting to see all our old friends, make some new ones, and cannot wait for this series to continue!

Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner is hockey romance excellence!

I love her series but I always love a good golden retriever mmc that adores and is down bad for the love interest. I love that they have a bit of a history. She's a baker, he's a hockey player and she's the one he can't stop thinking about despite thinking she would never see him again but fate is funny but she's his captains litter sister and the tension of that was perfection. I love the "we shouldn't" but they do anyways because who doesn't love a pining golden retriever hockey player thats also 6'5? I am down bad. I loved their dynamic. I loved their chemistry. It's fun, seeing the older characters and how they are all one big family and I thought this book was so fun and sweet and steamy. A perfect hockey romance to devour in a sitting!

I received an ARC from NetGalley but I have read the previous books in this series not as ARCs and loved them. I absolutely loved this book also. Bruce is amazing and so sweet and supportive. I love Farrah too and love her personality. Bruce and Farrah are definitely one of my favorite couples from this series. I also enjoyed how she wrote about Farrah's PCOS and her infertility. If you love hockey romance, sports romance, or have read any of the books from Leah Brunner you should definitely read this book.

This was such an amazing book to read. The whole teammate's sister is such a fun trope to read. How they met was so cute and how they finally got together. Also the infertility storyline is so well written. How women feel when dealing with infertility and the insecurity about it. I read it in one sitting and I absolutely love it.
5 stars

I want to say thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for all allowing me the privilege of being able to read this book.


This was a really good book! I've never read the three before this one, which I only found out about once I started it. That doesn't matter though because this author is fantastic at making her book work as a stand alone and then make you want to catch up on all that came before! It was very cute and sweet, but with a lot of realism. The characters were also very likeable, and were able to all pull you in and feel like you were along for the ride. I also really liked that well this was a romance it wasn't "sex romance" which in my head is where most of the romance is sex based, so for the people who really love that in their romances this doesn't have that. It also didn't need it either, it made the romance feel more genuine and real and I've really really missed that lately in my reading!

The only issues I have are kind of minor. There's a good handful of spelling errors or repeated word errors throughout especially towards the ending. There's also really big and really noticable timeline errors all throughout this book and I hated having to double check whether I missed something or not. In this story that timeline part actually matters because its a big premise for the whole of the book. But apart from that I really liked this book!

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart again for allowing me to read this book I really liked it!

Four starts with plus, for my immense enjoyment while reading.

Each of us sometimes needs a book that will make us smile with tenderness while taking public transport and shed tears into our pillow in the middle of the night. A romance with a man who supposedly belongs to the “fiction” category but, in reality, is much closer to “fantasy.” This was probably the saddest book of the series, but at the same time the closest to my heart and the most uplifting.

I love the sweetness of these books—they’re like strawberry hard candies: bad for your teeth but good for the soul. After a long, hard day of being an adult and pretending to have everything under control, reading about a true knight in a fancy suit who comes to the heroine’s rescue rekindles a tiny spark of faith in humanity within me. A spark that, believe me, is buried very deep. This is what women dream of—unwavering support, emotional maturity, and keeping one’s word. That is far sexier than all the muscles in the world… though Bruce isn’t lacking in that department either.

I also think the theme of PCOS and infertility, which this book addresses, is incredibly important. Farrah’s story is the story of millions of women worldwide—often dismissed by doctors, overlooked, and not taken seriously. Our pain can’t be that bad, and that’s just the way we are, right? The world needs change, and speaking out about it is the first step in the right direction.

The D.C. Eagles Hockey series is for you if you’re looking for a charming romance that lets you escape reality for a couple of afternoons. Each book is like a comforting cupcake with a different flavor, and their sweetness is gently balanced by the characters’ sometimes painful pasts. Their lightness will make you melt and take you back to the memories of your first teenage loves. They won’t change your life, but they will definitely make it a little more bearable.

I was SO excited when this book was approved on NetGalley! I have quickly become a huge Leah Brunner fan and I have read all of her books. This one being especially exciting since it was about another DC Eagle, Bruce McBride. I have been so excited for his book to come out ever since being introduced to him in other books in this series. Bruce and Farrah’s had me in a chokehold from start to finish! A new divorcee meets a handsome man in a bar and watch the relationship (not so secretly—just ask Andie) flourish. The witty banter, the blushes and smoldering looks, and everything in between you have to add this to you TBR!

•Hockey •Age Gap
•PCOS/Infertility Rep •HEA
•Closed Door Romance •Mild Language
•Cinnamon Roll MMC
4.5 ⭐️

As soon as you see a book from Leah Brunner, it's a no brainer. You should dive straight into it without delay.

Once again, this book meets all the expectations. It's incredibly refreshing to read a close door romance, where we can live vicariously through a FMC who is living a life for herself, and not just entering the hanky panky every chapter :D

The perfect blend of tropes are present in this book, delivered in a perfect package with a lovely pretty bow. Delightfully entertaining and heartwarming.

5 stars!! 🌟 This is my favorite book of the D.C. Eagles Hockey series and I’m so sad it’s the last!

You need to read this if you love:
- he falls first and hard
- closed door romance
- hockey romance
- dual POV

FYI there are mentions of PCOS and infertility but they’re handled with care.

This is part of an interconnected series but can be read as a standalone.

Oh my gosh! I love this book. Secret relationships, unknown identities (ok just for a little bit) adorable babies, cute older kids, and friendships that don't stop! The dc eagles series has all that. I stayed up way to late 3 nights in a row reading this book.

Set in Washington DC, Farrah has built a new life post divorce, as nanny to her niece as well as baker and co-owner of an event business. She hasn’t started dating again though, as she still struggles with the emotional scars from her ex. But she can’t help but remember the kisses she shared with a man she met at a local bar a year and a half ago who turned out to be her brother’s teammate.

Bruce is goalie for the DC Eagles. He has built a community around him but still struggles with feeling like he is missing his person. He also hasn’t gotten over the kiss they shared, but Farrah won’t give him the time of day. When Farrah’s event business partner has to step back a bit, Bruce shows up and helps Farrah again and again. She finds her walls falling down as Bruce proves to be very different from her ex.

This is a great addition to the series! I loved seeing Bruce finally find his person (and it being Remy's sister) plus the interactions with all the other couples. Andie's constant cheering was so great.

Things I loved:
🏒 Professional hockey player (goalie) MMC
🧁 Baker / nanny FMC
🏒 Golden Retriever energy
🧁 PCOS + Infertility Rep
🏒 Adoption / Foster Care Rep
🧁 Brother's teammate / forbidden romance
🏒 Age Gap (MMC five years younger than FMC)
🧁 All the delicious baked goods
🏒 Good luck charms
🧁 Romance through fancy appliances
🏒 "Yeux Bleus"
🧁 Frozen references
🏒 Flirty texts
🧁 Dual POV

5 / 5 stars (especially for that epilogue)

Closed door / kissing only with innuendo

Thank you to Leah Brunner, Victory Editing, and Netgalley for this eARC!

I loved this reading this book!! I love a good slowburn, and it was done so well. Farrah was rightfully protecting her heart as a result of past relationships. Bruce was patient and waited for her, which is the sexiest thing a man can do. I was yearning for more moments between Farrah and Bruce after learning they had a past. It was a great ending novel to an even greater series!!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗.𝗖. 𝗘𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿!

I've been reading this series for almost a year and a half, waiting not so patiently for each release. I-marked-the-release-day-on-my-calendar kind of excitement. So you can imagine how special this series is for me.

After reading the third book and seeing Bruce's reaction to meeting Farrah (Go read Betrothal or Breakaway!!!), I couldn't stop thinking about how incredible a romance between them would be. He was speechless! The boyish funny goalie and the captain's little sister that just got divorced? Amazing!
But what I didn't expect was that they had a past. More specifically, the night before, they shared the best kiss of their lives, but not their names. C'mon, doesn't that sound like the best book ever?

This book is more than a simple hockey romance, although the romance is just perfect. The found family in this series is unmatched. We've been seeing the team friendship grow through the previous books, so at this point, they are just a big and loud family. It was amazing to see the girls forming a sisterhood and how they cared for Farrah even though she wasn't officially part of WAG.

It is important to note that this book also deals with some serious topics, mainly related to Farrah's PCOS and infertility. It is wild that so many women are led to think themselves damaged just because they have fertility or health issues. Thinking about that makes me sad about how society perpetuates those stigma. The author was very careful and sensible when discussing this topic, mainly because of her own experience. She also did a great job when talking about adoption, which shows how extensive her research was. I would recommend checking the TWs.

To wrap it up, this book was a delight. I read the whole thing in a day and couldn't recommend it (or the series) more. It's kind of bittersweet to think one of my favorite series is over, but the ending was amazing! Also, don't forget to check the bonus epilog at the end of the book!!

The D.C. Eagles is a closed-door hockey romance series, but the books can be read as standalones (just do yourself a favor and read the whole thing, you'll love it!).

Thank you so much to Leah Brunner and the Netgalley team for access to this ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

AVAILABLE MARCH 27TH 💜🏒