Hockey romance, with a baby, age gap and grumpy MMC, sign me up. I really enjoyed this book. It was cute and made me want to keep reading. I look forward to the next in the series, and am excited to add Kate’s others books to my TBR!

Thank you Netgalley and to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op as well as the author for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Age gap x hockey x nanny romance. Lars is a grumpy older guy who finds out he has a daughter when she is dropped off by her mom on a random day at a bar. Adeline is his best friend's shy, quiet, daughter who steps up to help him with the baby. I love me hockey romances and this once did not disappoint. This was my first book by this author. Very excited for next book, and made me want to read previous series about Adeline's parents.

Sweet Thing covered every trope I love and it absolutely delivered! I devoured it. Could not out it down. Smiled the entire time!! Lars and Adeline are perfect for each other!

What to expect:
✨ single dad x nanny
✨ hockey romance
✨ slow burn
✨ age gap

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Meader for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

I really enjoyed Sweet Thing by Kate Meader. This was a super cute hockey romance that featured some of my favorite tropes such as single dad, nanny, and the perfect amount of hockey.

Sweet Thing was such a fun and heartwarming read! I really enjoyed how the story combined hockey vibes with family feels and a swoony romance. Lars, the hockey player suddenly thrown into single dad life, was surprisingly relatable and super sweet once you got past his tough exterior. Adeline stepping in as the nanny brought a lovely warmth and lots of adorable moments, especially with the little baby Mabel stealing every scene.

The age gap and their complicated connection through friends added a nice bit of tension and made the romance feel more real and grounded. I appreciated the found family theme throughout—it gave the story extra depth beyond just the romance.

If I had to be picky, the pacing in the second half felt a bit rushed, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the characters and their journey. Definitely a great pick for anyone who loves cozy, sports-related romances with heart.

This was a delightful read and I want to now read more by this author. The tension, plot, and spice were blended together nicely and it made for a good story!

I finally got around to reading Sweet Thing. The overall story was predictable and followed similar tropes of previous hockey romances I have read. I honestly could not get over the age gap. The chemistry for the characters was good, but the fact there was an age gap continued to weird me out. Age gaps are not typically my preferred trope, but gave this a try due to a friend’s recommendation. Not my jam, but for others who enjoy age gap/single dad and nanny trope, you may enjoy it. Thanks to the ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Content notes:

Spoiler: Hide
Abused by a parent – the MMC was abused, physically and emotionally as a child, by his father.
Assault: the FMC was mugged by a stranger while overseas

Dear Kate Meader,

Lars Nyquist is a defenseman for the Chicago Rebels. He’s part of the ‘dream team’ on defense with captain, Theo Kershaw. Theo is in his mid-40s and the coming hockey year may be his last. Theo has won multiple championships but Lars has yet to win his first. The Rebels are hungry for a championship win and giving Theo the send-off he deserves. This year, Theo’s eldest son, Hatch, has now joined the Rebels too so there’s even more to play for.

Lars’s dad, Sven, was a pro hockey player too but he was disgraced and banned from playing after a second lot of betting on games. He was mean and a drunk and a few months earlier, he was killed in a single-car crash when he drove into a tree. Lars hadn’t had any contact with his father since his dad was banned from the game but he still has complicated feelings about it. Theo and Theo’s family, took Lars under their collective wings and Lars has become a regular at the dinner table and almost part of the family himself.

Adeline Kershaw is Theo’s eldest daughter. She had a crush on Lars which he found out about after overhearing Addy talking to her bestie, Rosie, at a party one night at the Kershaw’s house. Lars is embarrassed and gently turns Adeline down. But her confession does get him thinking.

Addy is 13 years Lars’ junior, his captain’s daughter. Theo is arguably Lars’s best friend. The idea of Lars and Addy together is, to say the least, fraught with problems.

After Addy’s confession, she and Rosie leave for what is effectively a world tour, planning to be away for 18 months or so. But now Addy and Rosie are back a couple months early. They cite homesickness and, for Addy, wanting to be around for Theo’s (possibly) final playing year but really what happened was that she was mugged in Greece and has trauma from it. She’s still working through her reaction to the assault and wants to be near her family. She hasn’t told anyone about the assault. She doesn’t want to worry anyone and she certainly doesn’t want her dad to be off his game.

Now 23, Addy is convinced her crush is done with. Except then she sees Lars and… maybe not so much. Oops.

Lars is determined to be not like his dad and not-so-secretly worried he is a chip off the old block. He had a hook up in a bar bathroom and it turned out the woman he was with was married. She had omitted that important piece of information. Still he has regrets.

Then, Vicki, his hook-up from the previous year, bobs up with a baby in tow. Her husband is not so into raising someone else’s daughter and Vicki wants to try and save her marriage. So, she dumps 7-month-old Mabel in Lars’ arms and does a runner. (While I wasn’t a fan of Vicki, I did like that Lars was concerned about her wellbeing despite being unhappy with the situation.)

Theo has five children, including a “surprise”, Tilly, who is now aged 4. When Tilly was born, Addy took a year off college to help raise her so her mother, Elle, could continue with her business, which I gather was just getting off the ground. (This is not presented as a bad thing in the book. It’s just a thing that happened. Elle is a very devoted mother and Theo is a doting dad. Addy felt no resentment and she wanted to be home anyway. She didn’t like being away for college.) Anywho, Addy has experience with babies and Lars has none. There is a game in only two days and Lars needs childcare immediately if he’s to play.

Lars is understandably thrown for a loop to know he’s a dad. He knows nothing about babies and his own experience with his father leads him to believe he would not be a good dad. (He’s wrong of course.) It takes time to hire the right nanny, so Addy ends up being nannying for Mabel and Lars until Lars can find a candidate he’s comfortable with.

This of course puts Lars and Addy in close proximity and eventually the attraction that simmers between them boils over. It’s only a matter of time until Theo and the rest of the team finds out. Oh dear.

I did think Addy and Lars were good together and Addy did not end up having any qualms about taking the stepmother role on. The ages were just a tad confusing to me. I ended up under the impression that Theo was extremely young when he and Elle first got together. Their book, Instacrush, is on my TBR but I haven’t read it yet. Maybe it’s because maths isn’t my strong suit but I got a bit squinty about how everyone’s ages fit together.

There are many many books about the Rebels and those who have read the earlier books will probably get a kick out of glimpsing the lives of previous characters.

I liked that there was more to Lars’ reluctant to be with Addy than just his relationship with Theo or the team’s season. He had some deep issues about his father that he had to work through and this turned out to be the main reason. I liked Addy and Lars together and felt confident that Addy was able to hold her own in their relationship. On the other hand, the way the conflict between Theo and Lars (after finding out about the relationship) was both a bit over the top and a bit hand-wavey.

Ultimately, Sweet Thing was an entertaining read from a reliably good-for-me author. It didn’t reinvent any wheels and it wasn’t earth-shattering but then again, it didn’t need to be.

Grade: B-


Regards,
Kaetrin

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I’ve enjoyed this series from the start, and it’s so wild to see the original characters with fully-grown children of their own now. The star of this book is Adeline, Theo and Elle Kershaw’s eldest daughter, and Lars, Theo’s defensive partner on the ice. Adeline has had a crush on Lars since high school, when she first saw him, and he overhears her friend talking to her about it. He’s embarrassed, and so is Adeline, but he assures her he won’t make a big deal about it.

Adeline leaves the country with her best friend Rosie to travel the world and is gone for about a year. On the night that she returns, she goes to see her dad at The Empty Net, the after-game bar frequented by his team, and runs into Lars. She’s still uncomfortable about what he overheard, but she covers it with politeness, as does he. Suddenly, a woman drops a baby into Lars’ arms, announcing she’s his and she can’t take care of her anymore. She leaves a diaper bag with a birth certificate and minimal supplies, and takes off. Turns out, she was married, and her husband discovered the baby wasn’t his and made her choose. She chose the husband, which worried Lars (she might be in an abusive marriage). He doesn’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby, but reluctantly agrees to care for her until he determines whether he’s actually the father. Of course, he falls in love with the little girl. Meanwhile, Theo and his family jump in to help, offloading all of the baby supplies they already have on-hand from their 4-year-old daughter. Theo encourages Adeline to help Lars until he can find a nanny, and eventually, she reluctantly agrees.

It’s obvious the attraction between Adeline and Lars is mutual, but Lars fights mightily to deny it. Theo is his best friend, and in Adeline’s absence, he has become a regular in the Kershaw household. He hates the idea of lying to Theo and betraying the trust of his family. Adeline doesn’t like the idea of lying either, but she doesn’t worry as much about alienating her family because…well…they’re her family. Lars puts off hiring a nanny because, as long as he doesn’t, Adeline will remain there with him. But it’s obvious, someone is going to see what’s happening, and there will be repercussions and broken trust.

As always, in Kate Meader’s stories, you can expect humor mingling with deep emotions.

In one of the earlier scenes with baby Mabel, Adeline determines the cause of her crying. “I think I know what’s up. This little mite needs to be changed.” Lars’ response is priceless. “Into a baby that doesn’t scream?” To which Adeline explains, “Into a new diaper,” and he feels like a complete dolt for not figuring it out earlier.

There’s a Halloween costume party to which the participants wear a number of very clever costumes, but I think this may be my favorite, from Adeline’s POV.

Summer “…was wearing a Disney princess dress, a la Beauty and the Beast, though this one had weird detailing in the seams. Like brown and green rosettes.
‘What did you come as?’
Summer patted her blonde wig and grinned. ‘Taco-Belle.’”

Adeline and Lars, though separated by thirteen years in age, are actually quite well-matched emotionally and intellectually. Lars’ father was a piece of garbage—a hockey champ expelled from hockey for gambling, an abusive father and husband, and an alcoholic drug addict. Lars worries he didn’t have the proper modeling to be a decent father. Adeline has an older brother who plays hockey and was just signed to the Rebels, so he’s playing with their dad. Her younger twin brothers are both athletic, with one also pursuing hockey. And Adeline feels like a shy misfit who loves books and music more than sports participation. They both have growing to do, and they help one another build confidence in those skills they think they lack. It’s a sweet story in which two people, hesitant to open their hearts, learn to love one another. I recommend it.

Get ready to swoon with Sweet Thing by USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader! This absolutely delightful romance is the first in her new Chicago Players series, and it hits all the right notes for a truly captivating read.

Meet Lars, a hockey player whose life gets a surprise shake-up when a baby bombshell is dropped in his lap. Enter Adeline, the daughter of his teammate and best friend, who steps in as the new nanny. What unfolds is a deliciously forbidden, age-gap, single-dad romance that is as tender as it is steamy. The chemistry between Lars and Adeline is undeniable, sparking off the pages from their very first interaction.

Meader masterfully weaves together emotional depth, humor, and plenty of heat. Watching Lars embrace fatherhood is incredibly heartwarming, and Adeline's journey to find her own identity beyond her family's expectations is relatable and compelling. The supporting characters, particularly Adeline's hilarious brothers and loving parents, add a wonderful found-family element that makes this world even more engaging.

Readers are already raving about Sweet Thing, calling it "fabulous," "super cute," and a book that had them "smiling and chuckling the entire time." If you love age-gap, forbidden romance, single-dad tropes, and a story that's both sweet and spicy, Sweet Thing is an absolute must-read. You'll be frothing at the mouth for the next book in the series!

I’m not completely sure how I felt about this one? I do enjoy a baby left on the doorstep trope, and I absolutely swoon over hockey romances (I’m Canadian, afterall), but this one has a few spots that lost my attention and things about it that didn’t make me too excited (I hesitate to say rubbed me the wrong way, but, yeah - that’s true).

I read the blurb and since I like the author, I figured it would be a great read - a hockey player who has a baby dropped in his lap who gets his teammate’s daughter to nanny, and they fall in love. But, the fact that she’s had an unrequited crush since she was a child makes me extremely uncomfortable, and she’s still super young with such an age gap… it’s quite yucky.

If she was older (yes, then I know that would be problematic for her father to still be playing hockey), it would make me less uncomfortable, but that’s just not how I roll. I’ve never been keen on big age gaps, and this one has several other things that made me squirm, but she’s still a great writer, so it still gets a so,I’d 4-star rating. I know there will be plenty out there who love it! I did enjoy a lot of it, but parts still made me uncomfortable (and I read a ton of romance tropes without issue…).

Thanks to the ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the advance copy. This is my honest feedback.

Lars and Adeline✨

First of all, I am in love with the name Adeline. It’s so timeless. Her name fits her personality and how she presents herself.

This was such a cute slow burn story mixed with a single dad forbidden romance!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7664575494

I am a sucker for a good hockey romance. Add in a single dad and a found family and I am hooked. A solid 4 ⭐️. A little predictable at times and I hate a 3rd act break up. But all and all the growth of the characters and the support the MMC received was great. The spice could have used a bit more spice. It over all was a solid 2.5 🌶️. Will definitely be reading the next one in the series when it’s released!

3.5/5 - This was a fun read! Loved the premise - she’s 23 and had a childhood crush on her dad’s teammate and good friend - he’s in his 30s, unexpectedly becomes a dad and needs a nanny - lots of good stuff here! I liked both characters a lot, but wish there was more of a chemistry build and we got to know the crew a bit better. Lots of dropping of names that didn’t become significant in this story. I liked Adeline’s growth and character arc the best!

Thank you to @netgalley and Kate Meader for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review!

I don't know. I wouldn't have an issue with the age gap had Lars not known Adeline's dad :/ Something about that makes me feel icky. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be taboo or not, but I couldn't get that notion out of my head. I think the love story was sweet, but Lars knowing her dad really made me struggle

This book was a fun read! Lars ends up with a completely unexpected baby, and is in desperate need of someone to help him out. Adeline is the oldest daughter of the captain on Lars’ hockey team and her parents convine her to help Lars out until he can hire a nanny.

Of course you know that chaos is going to ensue! So it makes it difficult to put this book down.

I would’ve given this book 5 stars, but I couldn’t help but get hung up on how the baby would go back and forth between being described as having skills that were developmentally correct but in the next few pages, the skills seemed low for the supposed age of the child.

Sweet Thing is swoon-worthy, heartfelt and emotional. I adored Lars. His character growth was great. He went from being grumpy and detached to stepping up and becoming an amazing father to his daughter. I wish Adeline had a little more character growth though. It felt like to much of herself was centered around the men in her life. These two together has amazing chemistry. I enjoyed the witty banter, there was the perfect amount of tension, and the spice was fantastic. I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine hockey romance.

This was my first by the author so thank you for letting me expand my love of reading. This one was definitely cute and easy to follow along. The pace was good and the whole set up lead me to wanting to know what would happen next. Overall it was great but not my favorite. Definitely a quick and cute read when you need a change of pace or sweet read.

This is my first Kate Meader book, although funnily enough, Instalove (the book about our female main character, Adeline,'s parents) has been recommended to me by a bunch of people. Chicago Players is Meader's new series about the second generation of hockey players on her Chicago team - although the majority of it takes place in Evanston.

The book does a great job not only setting up the romance between our main characters, but the extended family who are going to become our main characters over the next few books. Lars and Adeline have an easy chemistry. My one quibble with the series is that I wished that they had drawn the character of Mabel's mother with a little more nuance and complexity. At one point there is a brief concern that she is experiencing domestic violence, but the book backs away from giving her more shading than the device to get Mabel to Lars.

Overall, this was a solid fun hockey romance and I'm excited to read the others in the series. I'd recommend to fans of Elle Kennedy and Avery Keelan.

Sweet Thing is a heartwarming, emotional romance featuring Lars, a professional athlete whose life is turned upside down when he suddenly becomes a single dad to baby Mabel—his daughter from a one-night stand he never knew about. With the baby’s mother gone, Lars is overwhelmed until his teammate and the teammate’s daughter, Adeline, step in to help. Adeline, recently back from a difficult year of traveling, agrees to be Mabel’s nanny. This story weaves together several beloved tropes: age-gap, forbidden romance, single dad/nanny dynamic, and found family. Adeline is quietly strong, struggling with past trauma and insecurities about her identity, but she grows into her own with Lars’ support. Meanwhile, Lars proves to be a devoted, loving father, determined to break the cycle of pain caused by his own upbringing. Their chemistry is undeniable, and despite the forbidden nature of their relationship—particularly with Adeline being the daughter of Lars’ mentor—the story unfolds into a deeply satisfying romance filled with growth, love, and healing. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.