Hockey romances hold a place in my heart and Tegan did not disappoint with this book.

Ellis is a strong, stubborn, single mom, that just happens to have a chronic illness. One night with her college ex, Liam, changes her world and she has to learn to accept help and know that Liam means what he says and his actions show that. There is a found family aspect in this book, that makes my heart happy. Liam will kiss the ground Ellis walks on and that just makes their growth and love even better.

I love the representation that Tegan placed in her debut novel as well as the ending hopefully setting up for her second which I will be ready to read when that time comes. Thank you NetGalley and Hera books for the Arc!

I’m a sucker for a sports romance (especially a hockey romance) so I was thrilled at the opportunity to review Tegan Phillips debut novel “Melting for You”. 10 years after their break up, Ellis and Liam run into each other by chance at a bar where he is celebrating with his hockey team—and end up hooking up. Ellis is convinced it will be nothing more than a one night stand, Liam is a famous hockey player after all, he doesn’t have time for her…or so she thinks. Ellis is ‘the one who got away’ for Liam and he is convinced that this is the opportunity he’s been waiting for to win her back. They soon find out that Ellis is pregnant and have to navigate not only becoming co-parents together but determining what this means for their past, present…and hopefully future.

Admittedly I had a difficult time getting into this one in the first half, but found myself eager to find out if this would be a happily ever after for their little family. There were so many sweet moments (AND spicy moments of course) that I found myself sucked in!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tegan Phillips and Hera Books for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy! You won’t have to wait long—Melting for You will be available on shelves near you on its pub date of May 22nd, 2025!

#netgalley #meltingforyou #ARCreader #2025reads #hockeyromance

Mein Leseerlebnis

Ich habe mich vor dem Lesen auf eine unterhaltsame und lockere Liebesgeschichte um eine zweite Chance gefreut. Auch habe ich mich auf eine faszinierende Heldin gefreut. Nach dem Lesen des Romans bin ich leider etwas ernüchtert, denn das Buch konnte mich nicht überzeugen.

Von Anfang an wirkten der Schreibstil und der Aufbau des Liebesromans auf mich eher einfach. Die Charaktere waren ok, aber auch sie ließen mich eher unzufrieden zurück, da ich sie mir nicht als echte Personen vorstellen konnte.

In Bezug auf die Heldin hat mich ihr Verhalten teils verwirrt. Ich konnte nicht immer nachvollziehen, warum sie so agiert hat, wie sie es getan hat (weder in der Vergangenheit noch in der Gegenwart). Von ihrer persönlichen Geschichte habe ich mir wesentlich mehr erhofft.

Als Kurzgeschichte hätte "Melting for you" vielleicht für mich funktioniert, als längeres Buch konnte es mich nicht überzeugen. Aus mangelndem Interesse an den Geschehnissen habe ich die Liebesgeschichte nicht beendet.

Keine Bewertung, da abgebrochen.

Für wen?

Wer kurzweilige sports romances mit zweiten Chancen mag, für den lohnt sich vielleicht ein Blick in die Leseprobe. Erwartet von dem Liebesroman bitte nicht zu viel.

This was an hot spicy hockey romance that I just adored.

I fell in love with Tegan writing style it was gripping and I was hooked into the caracters from the start.

Thank you NetGalley & Hera for the early read!

The good:
- The chronic illness representation! I empathized with El’s struggles with fibromyalgia and how it impacts her as a mother, professional, and woman as a whole.
- I thought that the familial aspect of a hockey team was really brought home and the team felt like a very warm and inviting dynamic to be a part of
- Jack’s innocence!

The bad:
- The writing. I understand it is a debut novel but the amount of inner monologue written was overwhelming and consistently overdone/unnecessary. So much of it could have been more impactful as conversational dialogue between the two of them but it was pages upon pages of inner monologue that consistently spoke about the same things in the same vain.
- On the topic of the writing, I feel like we quickly glazed over several subplots that could have brought more depth into the plot. They were repetitively talked about but it never felt more than one-dimensional (i.e. the stuff about Eleanor, randomly plopping that Michael seen in, etc)
- El’s stubbornness. I completely understand that she has experienced several complex multifaceted forms of trauma that has left her with clear abandonment issues but she just never seemed to know a good thing even when it knocked her in the face.
- It was, unfortunately, very cringey at several points (i.e. the insta lovey aspect of it all [I know it’s a second-chance romance but still lol would have loved more of a build up])
- Despite El’s considerable efforts to isolate her and her son from everyone, she still maintains that all she’s ever wanted in life “is a big family surrounded by love from so many people”……… but you keep making active efforts to push everyone as far away as possible?!
- The “eh” at a lot of the end of the presumably Canadian hockey player’s sentences lol we don’t talk like that

I’m both a huge hockey AND hockey romance fan so maybe I just have unfairly high expectations???

This book was lots of fun! I always love a hockey romance. Single parent is not usually a trope I enjoy, but Ellis and her struggle with fibro while having a normal life was very refreshing. Thank you Tegan for writing from your lens and sharing your experience!

I have found some of the romance books that I have had the best time with through browsing on Netgalley and Melting for You was no exception for me. I had a fantastic time with this book, I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading the full book in 24 hours, which is always a great experience.

Melting for You follows Ellis Ainsley who runs into her ex-boyfriend and is quickly reminded of why she fell for him and what was only meant to be only one night turns into something more when she sees the positive pregnancy test.

There were so many parts of this book that I loved including the chronic illness representation, the characters and the exploration of the relationships between the characters.

From the very beginning of this book the characters had me interested and intrigued to keep reading. Ellis was a character who I loved reading about and a romance heroine that is definitely now on my list of favourites. She was a character with depth and well included representation that helped explain her actions but wasn’t all of what she was. I would definitely read more books following her. Ellis wasn’t the only character I loved, I also found Liam and Jack to be characters that I wanted to read about. Liam was a really good book boyfriend that I quickly fell for and the way that he supported Ellis was really heartwarming to see. In addition to this seeing him be there for and develop a relationship with Jack, Ellis’s son, was really special. I also loved reading about Liam’s hockey team and am looking forward to seeing more of them if this is the series I think it is.

One of my favourite parts of this book was definitely watching the relationships and romance evolve. It was really nice to see how much Liam was there for Elle and Jack along with seeing Ellis begin to open up again to Liam after what she had been through. Along with this the friendships between Liam and his teammates and Ellis and her best friend definitely have me wishing that this will be a series.

I am now really glad that I requested this one on Netgalley because otherwise I wouldn’t have been likely to pick it up and Tegan Phillips is definitely an author I will be coming back to and recommending. I am looking forward to seeing what she releases next as this felt like a really strong debut.

I have never read a romance book that has a character who has chronic pain before, and Melting For You only showed me I need more of that.

I loved how real this book was. It didn’t glorify Ellis as being “strong” or “resilient.” She did what she had to do in order to live her life and provide for her child. The author very clearly wrote from experience, and that truly enhanced the book. As someone with chronic pain, I was so impressed with how Ellis was written, but also with Liam. Liam is not some picture-perfect knight in shining armour; he’s a human who cannot fully understand what Ellis is going through, and there are times when he messes up, but he does what he can to fix it for the future.

I truly loved this book, not only for the plot and the story itself, but for the representation of people with chronic pain, as well as their partners and the people who love them. As someone who lives with chronic pain (arthritis), though my experiences are different, this book made me feel seen in how Ellis was written.

I really look forward to reading more from Teagan Phillips (especially when it comes to Lyndsey’s love life), and I’m going to be adding her to the list of authors I want to see more from!

@TrishSparklerReads Bookstagram:

“Melting for You” by Tegan Phillips
Series: The Spears Players Series, Book 1

Genre: Sports Romance
Rating: 5 ⭐️
Spice: 3 🌶️
Darkness: 2🩶
POV: Dual

Highlights:
💙Single Mom With a Chronic Illness
💙NHL Sports Star
💙Second Chances
💙One Night Stand
💙Accidental Pregnancy

Thoughts:
I loved how the author portrayed Ellis as a regular girl with chronic illness. It is so nice to see representation of a disabled character that is just as deserving of being the lead in a romantic story. The author describes her challenges accurately, with compassion and I could really relate with the challenges she faced. Liam is such a sweet book boyfriend- he was charming and fun and down to earth despite being a professional athlete. He was so supportive of Ellis especially with the high stress he found as a professional hockey player. I love how he embraced the ready made family of a five year old boy that Ellis was raising alone.

I really liked that despite being past lovers, their relationship grew really slowly once she found out when was pregnant. Liam was all ready to start being a couple again, even after their one night stand. It was Ellis who tries to keep a distance and she seemed quite wary as she was so devastated after they broke up at the end of college.

Despite being pregnant already, we got to see the slow redevelopment of their love for each other and them growing slowly into being a family. The author really goes deep into the feelings and motivations of each character. I love that despite each having some flaws, they were such wholesome lovable people. I felt a whole range of strong emotions reading this story. Some sections so sweet I was crying, while others were super spicy bedroom scenes. I hope you love this classic hockey-player-woos-single-mom story as much as I did.

🛑Please read all the author warnings as themes and events in this book could be triggering. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a really hard time getting through this book but it’s not the writers problem, it’s just not what I was in the mood to read right now. I feel terrible for applying but I’d rather stop reading before I give a more negative review than the book deserves just because I’m a mood reader.

I do apologize for not being able to complete reading this book.

2.5

Ellis was the one that got away until ten years later Liam finds her at a bar. He whisks her away for one night but when Ellis learns she's pregnant, everything changes.

Read if you like:
-Second Chance
-The One that Got Away
-Single Mom
-Chronic Illness Rep
-Surprise Pregnancy

I really wanted to love Melting for You, but I struggled with it. Ellis had such great potential as a character, but everything was all about Liam. He was the focus of the book while she faded into the background. And the pacing was off. Things felt out of order (even taking the surprise pregnancy into account) and rushed while others felt repetitive and slow.

This book was adorable and funny. Unplanned pregnancy tropes always hit the spot, adding a second chance romance on top was just icing on the cake. Very cute and hot. Highly recommend!

Rating: ★★
Spice: 🌶🌶.5

Quotes:

“I will hold on to the hope that when the time is right, when we need each other the most, we will find our way back.’”

Short version:

This book had all the ingredients for a compelling romance—an NHL player, a chronically ill heroine, and an accidental pregnancy twist. But unfortunately, the execution didn’t rise to the occasion. While the setup promised emotion and tension, the story unfolded in a way that felt rushed, emotionally shallow, and lacking in authentic character development. The dialogue was often awkward, the pacing erratic, and the conflicts too easily resolved. It’s a story that wants to be heartfelt, but doesn’t quite earn it.

Recommended for:

- Low drama, low angst romance
- Stories about women advocating for themselves
- Second chances

Full review below:

Tropes:

- Second Chance Romance
- Hockey Romance
- Single Mom
- Accidental Pregnancy
- Chronic Illness Representation

Plot Summary:
When Ellis Ainsley unexpectedly runs into her ex-boyfriend Liam Ruinsky—now a professional ice hockey player—their decade-old chemistry sparks immediately. One impulsive night together turns into something far more permanent when Ellis discovers she’s pregnant. Already a single mom and navigating the daily challenges of living with fibromyalgia, Ellis must now figure out how to co-parent with a man she hasn’t seen in ten years.

As Liam reenters her life with good intentions and lingering affection, the two attempt to find common ground. But between lifestyle differences, emotional baggage, and a lack of real communication, their reunion is less about romance and more about logistics. As they try to navigate a future tied together by circumstance, they’ll need to decide if there's anything deeper than just shared history.

The Good:

The portrayal of Ellis’ chronic illness was thoughtful and grounded. Chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia are rarely represented in romance, and this book handled it with care. The author captured the unpredictability and emotional toll of chronic pain without making it Ellis’ sole defining trait. Her struggles felt real and nuanced, and that authenticity gave the story a brief glimmer of emotional weight.

Ellis’ son, Jack, was a bright spot. Oddly enough, the most believable dialogue came from a five-year-old. Jack added warmth and realism to a story that otherwise felt emotionally flat.


The In-Between:

The pacing was jarring and underdeveloped. Scenes often jumped without clear transitions, leaving the story feeling disjointed. While a sense of urgency can work in certain romances, here it mostly undercut the emotional build-up and made the relationship development feel unearned.

The banter missed the mark. Attempts at charm—particularly the ongoing bit about American vs. British dialect—fell flat and sometimes bordered on irritating. Dialogue meant to be flirty often just felt forced or unnatural.


The Bad:


The emotional depth wasn’t there. The story hinges on major life changes—reconnecting with an ex, navigating an unexpected pregnancy, dealing with chronic illness— and yet, there was a surprising lack of emotional resonance. Conflicts were glossed over rather than explored. When Ellis tells Liam she’s pregnant, the conversation is so clipped and shallow that it barely registers. And their rekindled romance jumps straight into bed with little reflection or buildup, which made the intimacy feel disconnected.

The characters lacked dimension. Neither Ellis nor Liam felt like fully realized people. Her motivations shifted without much explanation, and his character, while supportive, was far from a believable partner. Their connection never truly felt earned, and the imbalance in emotional labor made the relationship feel lopsided.

The writing style leaned on telling instead of showing. There was a heavy reliance on exposition and a tendency to “dump” information rather than weave it naturally through dialogue. Ellis had a nearly insufferable amount of inner monologue. This made scenes feel more like summaries than lived-in moments.


Spicy Chapters: 1, 20, 26, 39
Cheating: No
Third-act Breakup: No
HEA: Yes
OWD: No

I liked this book. It was heartwarming. I thought maybe there was a little too much description for some parts. It was great to see Liam step up to be a dad to Jack. I’m glad there wasn’t any major conflicts between Liam and Ellis. Overall good read

This was a soft, emotional second-chance romance with real-life struggles. Ellis is a single mom dealing with a chronic illness and a lot of pain from her past. I really liked seeing a main character with fibromyalgia, it felt honest and refreshing.
Liam was a total sweetheart. Ex-hockey player, and he’s never really gotten over Ellis. I loved how he didn’t just come back for her, but also fully accepted her son like his own.
That said, the story had a lot of back-and-forth. There were lots inner thoughts, and I got a bit tired of the miscommunication. Some parts dragged unfortunately. Still, I felt the love between them, and the way they slowly came back together felt natural. Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early. I’m sharing my thoughts voluntarily and with genuine appreciation

Melting for You is a second chance hockey romance.
It had the emotional depth and a promising story line but there was way too much inner monologue for me. I love how hard Liam loves Ellis but it just wasn’t enough to keep me invested in their story.

This book is beyond cheesy. The illness, although I know it is real, is over the top and not my style. I know that you can bring awareness to the world in fiction about an illness, but it was not handled well. Also, the characters were ridiculous. Did not finish but I wanted to give my opinion.

Melting for You follows the second chance relationship of Ellis and Liam. They dated in college and broke up before Liam was drafted to the NHL. 10 years later, they see each other at a bar and go home together. Ellis swears it’s “just one night”, but Liam has never given up his love for her.
The book follows the struggles Ellis faces as a single mom with fibromyalgia and when Ellis sees those two pink lines after her one night with Liam, everything changes. Ellis is an overthinker (though rightfully so on many fronts) and we see her struggle to let Liam, our cinnamon roll-golden retriever, back into her heart and family. This book is full of deep thoughts and emotions so be ready to bring out a tissue!

Tropes:
🩵 Second chance
🩵 Surprise pregnancy
🩵 Single parent
🩵 Found family
🩵 Chronic illness rep
🩵 He falls first (and hard)
🌶️🌶️ The spice was spicing! Not too much, not too little.

What I loved:
-The plot & the characters. Liam is such a golden retriever, cinnamon roll MMC and Ellis is our chronic illness rep, single parent FMC. Jack is her 5 year old, a sweet and gentle soul. He reminds me of my kiddo.
-I related to alot of Ellis’ inner thoughts. The overthinking, the worry/stress.
-Seeing Liam love Jack like his own. From the beginning, Liam was willing to help and do what he could to make life better and easier for Ellis and Jack.
-Reading the realistic struggles of a parent. Mom guilt, feeling alone, and second guessing everything. It was so relatable as a toddler mom myself.
-The found family aspect. Seeing Ellis go from feeling so utterly alone to having her family was heartwarming.
-There were quite a few times I laughed out loud.
-“F#ck it”

What I didn’t love:
-The inner thoughts and monologues felt lengthy at times. There were a few scenes I wished we had gotten dialogue for, such as when Liam & Ellis discuss how he told his teammates about the pregnancy, and when they found out about the baby’s gender. There was a strong build-up for both of these events but when the actual events happened, they were written as thoughts. (I see this as Liam and Ellis are two people who are very much in their heads often and while I relate, I just wanted a bit more dialogue).

-Sometimes I just wanted to scream at Ellis “Girl just let him love you!” 😩🤣

-I wanted to get to know Lindsey, Ellis’ best friend & employee, more! It seemed like they have a great relationship and it was nice knowing Ellis had her to lean on.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hera for letting me read this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me the eARC!

2,75⭐️
What a fun idea! I must say I really liked the storyline with the FMC’s chronical illness which I haven’t seen in a book before, so that was interesting to read about.. I also loved the MMC who was the golden retriever type that I love.

Unfortunately this book had many downsides in my opinion.
There was a lot of time jumps which I understand, but at the same time I feel like we jumped over a few scenes, which would’ve been nice to read about in a chapter not in one paragraph. Many parts we were just told about and not showed. For example, they mentioned going on their first date in 10 years, which I think would have a impact on the story and seeing more of their connection.

Also I think some of their arguments started completely out of nowhere and even though the FMC was hormonal and she was aware she was being mean it was just a total whiplash and sometimes it was going back and forth.

But I also must mention that I loved seeing the side characters and their relationships with the main characters that I really felt the found family there. And also Liam’s moments with the kids was sooo cute!

I think I’ll give the next book in this series (judging by the ending of the book) a chance to see what happened there.

🥹 Heart? Shattered. Healed. Then melted completely.

Imagine Life As We Know It meets The Deal meets a Pinterest board titled “hot hockey dads with emotional depth.” Now throw in a ton of pining, quiet healing, and a man who has never stopped loving her---and you’ve got Melting for You. Teagan Phillips came for my soul with this debut. It’s warm and angsty and tender in a way that sneaks up on you, and suddenly you’re 300 pages deep whispering “just kiss already” while also sobbing over a found family breakfast scene. It’s that kind of book--a second chance romance that feels like coming home after a long, messy storm.

Ellis Ainsley is a survivor. Living with chronic illness, raising a son, and managing a high-pressure job, she’s built walls that feel necessary. Watching her wrestle with vulnerability and slowly let someone back in? It’s frustrating sometimes, yes---but it’s also honest and deeply moving. And Liam Ruinsky… I don’t even know where to begin. NHL legend, total softie, the ultimate “he fell first and never fell out” hero. He’s not here just because there’s a baby--he’s here because he’s always loved Ellis. Patient, loyal, and so endlessly kind, he is the moment. Someone give this man a medal. Or my number. Honestly, either.

The surprise pregnancy didn’t feel like a plot twist-it was an emotional anchor that gave the story weight and heart. Liam with Ellis and their son Jack? Utter perfection. Their little found family had me in pieces. The chronic illness rep was handled with so much care and nuance. It added depth to Ellis’s journey without ever turning her pain into a plot device, and I really appreciated that. And I need to shout this from the rooftops: NO third-act breakup. 🙌 Just two people slowly, messily, tenderly choosing love again and again. The whole story unfolds over a year, and it makes their healing feel earned.

Also, the side characters? I’m obsessed. The team dynamics, the friendships, the sense of community--it felt like stepping into a whole world. Lyndsey and Edge better be getting their own books because I’m already too invested.

That said, Ellis girl... please. Let the man LOVE YOU. The emotional push-pull was a little much at times. And there were quite a few moments where I was begging for just one good heart-to-heart to clear the air. But when they finally opened up? It hit so hard.

And then there was this quote-

“Being around Ellis Ainsley is like waiting for the sun to rise, like watching the first hints of light flow over the hills and brighten everything it touches. She bursts through the darkness of the night. That’s why I call her Sunshine.”
😭😭😭 Liam, my emotional stability depends on you now.

Melting for You is everything I want in a second chance sports romance: emotional, character-driven, messy in the best way, and ultimately full of hope. Teagan Phillips didn’t just write a love story-she wrote a homecoming. If you’re in your “soft hockey heroes who would do anything for their girls” era, this book needs to be on your radar. It’s not just swoony--it’s soul-deep. 🩵