Cute story! Very different from the usual hockey romances I read. It was witty, funny and had all the sweet spots for a romance.

This was a good hockey romance story. The story was unique in it premise and in what the characters do and who they are.

It was a slow start to the book, but did get better a few chapters in. I did spend a portion of the book confused as to what was happening.

Brock was my favorite character in the book. He is a golden retriever type character and is sweet, understanding, and just a general good guy. The trouble that I have with his relationship with Val is that it is had to figure out and isn't really stated why he is interested in her when they first meet besides the author says so kinda thing which threw me off a little bit as well.

This would be a good read for someone who likes Hockey Romances that is looking for a unique one that isn't quite like other hockey romances.

The Hockey Experiment by Ava Miles is a fun, witty, and romantic story that had me smiling all the way through. Valentina and Brock’s chemistry was irresistible, and I loved how their relationship blended humor, charm, and heart. It was an entertaining and delightful read. I truly enjoyed it and give it five stars.

If you’re into quirky, nerdy, laugh-out-loud, and slightly spicy sports romances—especially with a strong female lead wrapped in academic sarcasm and a grounded, heartwarming NHL captain—this is your jam.

The Hockey Experiment zips you in, flirts shamelessly with rom-com tropes, and leaves you grinning—even if a few elements skated past reality checks. Perfect summer escapism.

I thought this one had a fun premise and an interesting take on the hypothesis. Our FMC is a researcher, and her hypothesis is that hockey players are modern cavemen. I mean there are so many similarities— the gruffness, the sticks, the routines that border on religious ceremony— I mean the captain’s name is even Brock. But even though her study is proving her study right (which naturally has a way of backfiring), there is also the aspect of cavemen that people don’t think about, and I thought brought a wholesome approach to the whole study.
I also loved Valentina and Brock’s little forbidden romance. It could mess up the study sure, especially with Valentina’s dad being the coach, but these two just can’t keep away from each other.

Thank you GetRed PR for having me! I enjoyed this book.

I struggled with The Hockey Experiment by Ava Miles. On the surface, the concept seemed really amusing; comparing hockey players to cavemen? Sign me up! But all in all, it didn't read well. There was nothing wrong with the writing, it was more just so bland to read. It felt dated, and it also felt like the characters had no life to them. Val and Darla read like grannies in my head and Brock's niece and nephew also bored me. The way Val and Darla fawned over Kinsley the first time they met her made Kinsley feel way younger than her supposed mid-teen years.. The jigsaw pieces just didn't fit my puzzle, but it may fit someone elses.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me at this time.

I’m so bummed as I really wanted to love it, but, unfortunately, it just isn’t for me.

The writing style just isn’t one I’m connecting with, and there’s some word choices and terminology used throughout that I don’t feel are the best choices. I don’t think the author meant anything by them specifically, but, they feel jarring to me and totally took me out of the story.

I do hope other readers will decide for themselves whether to pick up this book or not.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ava Miles Inc., and Get Red PR for the e-ARC of this book, and to Get Red PR and Ava Miles Inc. for the physical copy as well. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Hockey Experiment
by Ava Miles

Rating Factors
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing/Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Final Rating: 3.60 ⭐️ (Rounded down to 3.5 ⭐️)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Review

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For our MCs we have Dr. Valentina Hargrove and Brock Thomson. Val is a cultural anthropologist who’s been hired by her father to study his hockey team and to help figure out a winning strategy. She’s never been one to put consideration into romantic interests until she meets Brock.

Brock “The Rock” Thomson is the captain of the “Eagles” hockey team. He’s also doing his best to help his sister with her kids in the middle of a divorce. He’s always put hockey above all in the past, resulting in a failed marriage, but he vows to change that if another chance and a relationship presents itself.

Our side characters consist of:
* Dr. Darla James, Val’s best friend and another cultural anthropologist.
* Ted Bass, Val’s father and “Eagles” hockey team owner.
* Susan, Brock’s sister and mother to Zeke and Kinsley.
* Zeke, Brock’s nephew who wants to follow in his footsteps.
* Kinsley, Brock’s niece who’s struggling since her parents divorce.
* Chuck Collins, “Eagles” hockey coach.
* Finn Landry, Brock’s best friend and teammate.
* Mason “The Marvel”, “Eagles” player with too much ego and arrogance.

I thought this was a solid group of characters. They all fit together well and added something to the story. I didn’t really become attached to any of them, but they were overall good characters.

Romance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The romance wasn’t bad by any means, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. Things felt a little fast moving at times and I just didn’t fall in love with their love story.

Spice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I feel pretty much the same about the romance and spice. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t in love with the scenes either.

Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thought the storyline was very promising. The execution was fine, I just wanted more.

Writing/Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was not a huge fan of the writing style and the pacing felt a little too slow sometimes and a little rushed other times. I don’t think it was bad, I think it’s more a matter of personal writing style preferences.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Overall, it was a fine read, it just wasn’t my favorite. I think a lot of my dislikes are more personal preferences as opposed to me thinking the book wasn’t good, so don’t let my review dissuade you if you’re interested in reading this.

Thank you to Ava Miles and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Val and her best friend, Darla, were anthropologists. And they end up studying the hockey team Val’s father owns. When Brock sees them, he was instantly drawn to Val.

I struggled to get into this. It’s told in third person dual POV, and third person for romance is not my preference. It also seemed like their relationship was very insta-love but also slow-building at the same time.

Brock was sweet and caring, and he had such a huge heart. He had more going for him than just hockey.

Val was quirky and intelligent. And she was a little awkward, but Brock never judged her.

This was cute, funny, and a low-angst read.

This book scratched an itch in my soul I didn't know I had, having a brilliant PhD holding woman question her entire outlook on life because she's found the love of her life and him still loving her even when she's talking like everything is one massive experiment and she just can't stop.. fabulous I loved it and the only reason it's not 5 whole stars is because I'm disappointed there's not more.. if you don't like science this book might not be for you.. but it happens that I do like science..

🏒 Book Review 🏒

3⭐ 3🌶️

I really wanted to like this one because the premise was hilarious. Unfortunately, I feel like this one fell a little flat. While the plot fit the premise quite well, I felt like it was not well executed. I didn't really believe that these two extremely opposite characters could fall in love.
It all felt too surreal, which I found very disappointing because what nerdy girl doesn't want the love of a jock?! The side characters were the absolute highlights of this book, however, there were too many and it left me wanting to know more about them. I would need a compelling reason to read another book by this author.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Ava Miles for a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

The story of Valentina and Brock. She is undercover to try and help his hockey team when, but when he finds out will he be able to forgive her? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

Brock is team captain of the The Eagles hockey team. He wants to win the Stanley Cup and retire at the end of the season. He has no idea why the team hired the two women who now follow the team around but if it will help the team to win, he is willing to go along with it. Val is a cultural anthropologist. She and her partner are hired to study the team dynamics to help the team win. She doesn’t tell anyone but the owner and coach what she is doing or why. She is at a turning point in her career. She really wants this project to work so that she can pivot and do this type of work going forward. He’s her test subject and she’s the boss's daughter. Can they navigate the challenges and figure out a way to be together?

Brock is a good guy. He has worked hard to have a successful career in hockey. He has plans for his post hockey life. I understood his drive to win the championship before retiring. I like that the author had Brock butting heads with people as he tried to motivate the team. Val is funny and quirky. She is very smart and works hard studying the team. I understood why she was attracted to Brock and was willing to pursue a relationship with him. The way that they navigated their relationship was fun and it made me smile. And the big reveal about Val’s job was well done. In the end, I believe that Val’s team dynamics study helped the team to succeed and that Brock was the kind of man that could understand the work she was doing.

This is a sweet love story with hockey as the backdrop. This story takes place in Minneapolis. I enjoyed the journey and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

As always, thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
This story follows two anthropologists conducting an experiment over the behaviour of a group of hockey players. One of the girls soon starts to have feelings for th captain… and if you keep reading, you’ll see all the drama and secrets that unfold.
I have some thoughts on the generalization of hockey players as uneducated and dumb; as a Leafs fan, I know players like Joseph Woll (musician!) and others pursuing degrees while playing professionally, which shows that not all players lack intelligence, and if this was meant to reflect the FMC’s bias it didn’t land—especially given that the FMC has a PhD in anthropology and should understand social interactions this basic. Moving through chapters 2–6, we do love an obsessed man, yet women aren’t that confusing—calm down; the “stupid man” act persists. Lines like “I wish I could cut off one of Darren’s balls and use it for pick practice while he watches, bleeding and crying from the stands” leave me asking what in the world that is—these are grown men. The narration is third person yet feels like stream of consciousness?? Additionally, there were some basic terms in both hockey and figure skating that were told wrong. I caught quite a few. (As someone who used to be a figure skater and is a huge hockey fan, I can reasonably speak on this.) Salchow isn’t the hardest jump—it’s a simple waltz jump—and using a toe pick for a 180-degree spin would almost guarantee a face-plant. Bag skates are rare in today’s NHL and only a last resort. And oh my days… “Ms. Sexy Librarian” as a nickname gives me the ick, they’re smashing constantly, and the main conflict seems to start 240 pages in; honestly, who let this idea become a book? In the end, I finished it and I’m leaning toward 1 star.
Please note: while I am a “lots of spice”-free reader and reviewer, I was not aware that this book had spice when I received it. I’m not going to comment on any of the smut for that reason. To be honest, I didn’t read most of it.
Overall, while I wouldn’t recommend this book, it still was interesting at times. (insert me blushing during the entire hot tub scene). That’s it!

Ava Miles delivers another fun, feel-good romance with The Hockey Experiment. The story blends opposites-attract tension with a sports backdrop that adds just the right amount of excitement. The chemistry between the leads is engaging, and the dialogue has that trademark warmth and humor Miles fans will recognize.

While the hockey setting might not be groundbreaking, it provides a strong foundation for character growth and emotional beats. If you're looking for a light, romantic read with a sporty twist, this one fits the bill.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I have read a lot of Ava Miles’ books and enjoyed them.
There was something quite cute about the scientific response of Val to Brock. I thought her nerdiness was shown well and made her an endearing character.
But I found the language and the way the book was written in some parts was a bit clinical so I struggled to feel the emotions were genuine.
This was an easy to read romantic story which I liked but didn’t love.
3 stars

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel and how Val and Darla were sort of undercover to do their experiment. It wasn’t really clear until closer to the end how comparing hockey players to cavemen was going to help the team. I liked Val and her quirky personality. She talked in a more analytical way and it was nice to see her open up when talking to Brock. I absolutely loved Brock’s family and how they bonded with both Val and Darla. The romance was sweet and I loved the small bits of humor in it.

Thank you @avamiles @getredprbooks for the gifted copy.

I’ve been into nerdy romances lately, and I gotta say—this one did not disappoint. The premise felt pretty unique, especially since it was so different from the hockey romances I usually read.

In an effort to win the Stanley Cup, Darla and Valentina were hired by Valentina’s father to study how modern hockey players correlate with cavemen. They hoped to use their research and findings to motivate the team to win the next championship. The primary subject of their study happened to be the team captain, Brock. He is said to be the most ruthless offensive player in the NHL.

I absolutely loved Brock. He was hilarious, sweet, and definitely gave off golden retriever energy. Val, on the other hand, was more reserved and determined to keep things strictly professional—especially since her father owns the team and is funding the research. But all professionalism went out the window once Brock entered her orbit. They were total opposites, yet somehow they just worked. I loved their dymanic.

There were also some great side characters, like the Val’s bestfriend/partner, Darla and Brock’s family members, who really contributed to the growth of the main characters. I loved Brock’s relationship with his family and how close Val got with them.

What To Expect:
• Hockey Romance
• Rom Com
• Forced Proximity
• Work Place Romance
• Hidden Identity
• Slow Burn
• He Falls First

Thank you to the author and GetRedPR for an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

The Hockey Experiment is a good read, what you would expect from Ava Miles. She is a consistent author and this book isn't an exception. It isn't as good as Country Heaven, which is my favorite of hers, but it is very good. 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Thank you to Get Red PR and the author for the free book. These opinions are my own.

This book blends two of my favorite things to read about in romances: hockey and academic research. I quite liked the main characters. Val is the team owner's daughter and a former figure skating champion. She goes incognito to observe and analyze the hockey team. Brock doesn't fit her mental image of hockey skaters. While she is wondering whether hockey teams are made up of cavemen, his college degree is from Harvard, and off the ice, he is a business leader.

In terms of the writing, I appreciated the mirroring of chapters from his and her perspective, with each chapter starting with a question. I found the academic research and results less believable than the characters and their other interactions. I suppose that the two female leads not being affiliated with a university helps to explain their unorthodox approach to research.

The secondary characters add a great deal. I love his family, especially his niece, Kinsley. And her best friend and co-researcher is fabulous, too.

3.5 stars rounded up