Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC for review.

I really wanted to like this book, but the story and the characters felt really flat to me and the writing style just didn't grab the way that I wanted. It came across as very rudimentary, with the sentence structure very simple. It was not very engaging and it read a bit stilted and awkward at times.

The characters were a bit awkward and one dimensional, and I didn't really see where the chemistry was between Lars and Adeline came across as a bit immature, which if you're trying to make an age gap romance work, it seems prudent to have your characters exhibiting similar levels of maturity.

Not my favorite book, but I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy

Adeline has a massive crush on Lars, an older man and her father's teammate. She knows that can't happen so she focuses on her world travels. Just after she comes home, Lars is presented with a baby he didn't know about. Theo (Superglutes!) suggests that Adeline would make the best nanny while Lars gets details in place. For her own reasons, she can ignore that there was ever a crush and help out the team. But the chemistry between Adeline and Lars cannot be ignored, even by the reader. That makes it hard to put the book down. I liked the twists on the single dad/ nanny trope. I loved visiting with the Kershaws again.

This book is cute I'm just not vibing with it at the moment there were a few points where I found it cringey so it's a dnf for now but I might come back to it in the future.

I was hooked right from the start of this book. The main themes are:

-Single Dad (Hockey Player bonus)
-Best Friends daughter (who doesn’t love a forbidden romance)
-Age Gap

There was lots of spice throughout this book, all I wanted was for Lars to declare his love to Adeline. I loved the character development, already looking forward to book 2 (even more so after the epilogue!!)

Sweet Thing was an entertaining read – exactly what I was looking for in an ice hockey romance. The story focuses on Lars, his daughter Mabel, and Adeline, the daughter of his best friend and teammate. While the plot was quite predictable and didn’t offer many surprises, I still enjoyed the dynamic between the characters. A sweet and feel-good romance, perfect for a cozy read in between.

Thank you to Kate and Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this single dad x nanny romance, add in a touch of hockey, and this book was perfection. Lars and Adeline were great characters, I enjoyed the connection that developed between them. They were determined characters, and I enjoyed the relationship that formed between Mabel and Adeline. This plot was easy to follow, and I loved how it flowed and built to the perfect ending.

I look forward to reading the next book.

I loved Adeline and Lar's journey along with Mabel.
I also loved getting more Theo Kershaw.. he reminds a hoot!
when Lars a star defenseman finds himself in the middle of a bar with a baby in hand, he panics.
Lars has Theo and Elle and then finds Adeline is home and willing to help Lars find a nanny.
Adeline has had a crush on Lars for years but she went traveling with best friend Rosie. only to return a bit broken.
Lars is so thankful for Adeline and she teaches him so much about caring for Mabel.
Lars finds Adeline in a nightmare and helps her deal with her issue.
Lars and Adeline start a fling but Adeline falls hard along with Lars. Lars tries to push Adeline away but is miserable.
it take Theo, Lars partner for Rebel to call Lars out on his carpet with Adeline. Lars let's go of his feelings and risks his career but take the gamble.
Luckily it all works out for them.
I can't wait for more from this new series!

Rating/ Recommend
2.5⭐️/3🌶️/ Maybe??

****SPOILERS****

My Thoughts:

The storyline was good but it could’ve been executed better?
Overall, I was okay with this book but I was a little weirded out by the MMC being referred to as “uncle”. I know he was just a family friend so the younger children called him uncle but it was weird to read when she was the oldest of family? (She never referred to him as an uncle thank goodness.)I guess them calling him uncle was meant to be endearing. But personally It’s an ick and honestly not necessary for the story line at all.

The FMC felt a bit young. She was 23. A grown women who was treated like a kid by everyone around her?

The FMCs dad went all caveman when he found out but as soon as the MMC says he loves her he’s like “oh okay. You have my permission” ????

If you’re fine with taboo stuff then you’ll probably enjoy this read and not mind it. Personally, I would’ve rated it higher had the Uncle stuff not been involved.

CW: Adult only read. A few open door scenes that are not super descriptive. Adult language.

Sweet Thing
By Kate Meader

This is an age gap, surprise baby, forced proximity trope.

Lars Nyquist loves hockey, he's given up everything else to get there. He's got the perfect fit with his teammate and captain and they are on top hoping for an amazing year. Now his focus is turned upside by a daughter he didn't know about. Scrambling to make it work with his crazy schedule, the solution may create bigger problems.
Adeline is the people pleaser and is happy to be home where her safety net is. She's not expecting to be pulled in as the nanny for her not at secret crush. Now with tight quarters and secrets being revealed they lines are definitely blurred. Whose to say that they aren't the perfect solution and the doubts be damned.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this eArC copy of Sweet Thing by Kate Meader.

If you love an age gap, single dad, nanny, sports romance, this will be your jam. The story is a standalone, but you can definitely tell it is a part of an interconnected universe. I’ve read one other book by Kate Meader (Good Guy, really cute too), and I could tell the stories were connected. It didn’t take away from this one, if anything, it made me want to go back and read the earlier books to find out more about the players mentioned throughout the book, especially Adeline’s parents!

Lars and Adeline are super cute. Watching Lars grow as a father was adorable. I also loved all the side characters. It had just the right balance of hockey and real-life moments. There were a lot of familiar tropes, but they didn’t feel overdone. If you’re looking for a sweet little spicy sports romance, I’d highly recommend it.

Hockey romance, best friend's daughter/secret romance...... need I say more? If you like sweet sports romance novels, then you are going to love Sweet Thing by Kate Meader. This is book one in a new series by Meader and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Fans of Jenny Proctor will enjoy.

I really wanted to love this because I am a sucker for a single dad romance, and a forbidden love on top of that! I was ready for the feels, but this book didn’t do it for me. Addy and Lars were cute, but they didn’t make me fall in love with their story. And honestly, I couldn’t get past his name, it just didn’t work for me and pulled me out of the story more than once. What actually got me in my feels were the relationships outside of the romance. Lars and his daughter were so sweet and I loved seeing him fall in love with her. And then that final heart-to-heart between Addy and Theo? That’s what stuck with me way more than anything between Addy and Lars.The hockey team names also stuck with me, I laughed every time one was mentioned. If you’re gonna write about pro hockey, at least make the teams sound somewhat believable.

Sports romances and Kate Meader make for a good combo - and she delivers yet again in Sweet Thing. With lots of other things going on, this story had emotional depth, character growth, and sports drama all wrapped into one nice package. If you’re into fiercely independent sunshine FMCs and grumpy, single dads who are hopelessly in love, then this is the book for you.

If you like hockey romances this is a fun one for you! Lars is a sweet dad. Adeline is trying to figure out her life and has a crush on Lars; but she can't go after him because he is her dad's teammate. Adeline decides to help out Lars as he is looking for a nanny. Now they just need to make sure they don't fall for one another.

Read if you like:
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Age Gap
🏒 Single Dad
🏒 Some Spice

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you love sports romance you need to read Sweet Thing!

Adeline Kershaw had returned to Chicago so she could be around for her dad’s probable final season playing hockey for the Chicago Rebels after touring Europe to get away from her crush on her father’s teammate Lars Nyquist. But Addy never thought that she would asked to be the temporary nanny for Lars’ surprise daughter Mabel after the mother dropped her off with him at a bar and left.

Lars never thought he would be falling in love with his nanny Adeline since she was the daughter of his teammate and best friend Theo and he knows that he should shut it down since he was older than Addy but he had to admit that they were creating a family together with Mabel.

If you want to read about Addy’s parents Theo and Elle Kershaw their story is Instacrush about all of the Chicago Rebels.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars, 2.5 spice.

I cannot believe this is my first Kate Meader book but I am over the moon with the fact I have an entire back catalog of her books to now go and devour.

Lars, I'll be honest, Lars Nyquist, the name wasn't my favourite, but it is very on brand for a scandi ice hockey player, so I get it. Lars is your typical brooding, grumpy, drop dead gorgeous, hockey player. Best friends and part of the star defensive Rebels duo with Theo Kershaw. Known ladies man.

Adeline, three brothers and a much, much younger sister, daughter of the iconic Theo Kershaw, quiet one of the family. Very self conscious and unaware of her impact on everyone around her.

Adeline returns from travelling overseas with her bestie earlier than expected due to feeling unsafe after a mugging. Goes to see her dad after his game at the local hockey hangout, where she sees her long time crush and dads teammate, Lars. During this reunion, Lars' one night stand from roughly 16 months prior rocks up and drops a bombshell at his feet and hoofs it out of there. Literally, a little cutie bombshell, named Mabel.

Lars' world is rocked, now a single dad overnight, unsure how to make it all work, Adeline steps up and volunteers to nanny whilst she figures out her next moves. Problem solved.

Only Lars and Adeline fight their feelings, then fall into their feelings and thereafter deal with the fallout of their feelings. Their relationship doesn't just affect them, it affects the Kershaws and the Rebels!

Side note: Vicki is a waste of space and I hate that she just dropped Mabel off with Lars, a complete stranger, and disappeared. Poor little Mabel.

Overall, loved this book. There was great chemistry, the spice was top notch and we always love hearing tidbits from the side characters knowing we'll be reading their story soon!

I really enjoyed reading this book and I really wanna read more by this author now.
The beginning of the book was already really intriguing and the pacing was great from start to finish. I also really loved that the cast of characters was really diverse but they’re just brought into it casually and it didn’t feel forced like in some other books. I also really loved the characters, their dynamic was really realistic but also like perfect. When I first read the Nickname “sweet thing” I found it kind of weird but as it went on I really liked it, I also loved that we had a Nickname switch up between “ankelini” and “sweet thing” so it didn’t feel repetitive.
I was also dying at the quote “ then we have to make sure he doesn’t find out” I was screaming.

There were some things I didn’t like though and that could be possible spoilers so I wouldn’t read this part it you haven’t read the book yet.

One thing that really gave me the ick was when they mentioned that Addie basically raised Tilly. Like what do you mean. I am kind of sensitive when siblings as kind of parents are mentioned, so maybe it wasn’t that deep but I just can’t deal with things like these.

I am also not really a fan of Elle maybe that will change when I read her book but I felt like they only had their breakup because of her and she was just an asshole at that point so I don’t know if I should like her or not.

This is book one in the Chicago Players series. I love all hockey romances, but when you add in a single dad and a nanny, I am completely hooked. I read this one late into the night because I could not put it down.

Lars is trying to escape the shadow of his father, who left a stain on his reputation in the hockey world. His life revolves around hockey, and there is no room for distractions. One night, he is stunned to learn he has a daughter when a woman he had a one-night stand with shows up at the bar and leaves their little girl with him.

Adeline has had a crush on Lars for years, but since he is her dad’s teammate and a close family friend, he has always been off-limits. When Lars needs help caring for his baby girl, she steps up because she does not want to ruin her father’s final hockey season. Moving in to be Mabel’s nanny, she does her best to ignore her feelings.

Lars and Adeline grow closer as they care for Mabel, and eventually, their connection leads them to the bedroom. Knowing they cannot tell anyone without risking the team’s stability, they agree to keep it a secret. When the truth finally comes out and everything falls apart, they have to decide whether their feelings are worth the fallout.

I loved watching Lars grow into such a caring and devoted father despite his toxic upbringing. Adeline is the most selfless person, and she deserves far more than she allows herself to believe. Their love story is one I will definitely read again.

If you are looking for a romance about a hockey star who discovers he is a dad and falls for his family friend’s daughter as the nanny, this is the perfect pick. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the chance to read this book.

This is a four star hockey single dad romance novel that I got to have a advanced copy of thanks to Netgally, the publishers and the author Kate Meader.. This new novel releases Tuesday July 15th 2025.

Lars plays professional and is off his playboy ways; especially when a passed hook up who is a married women comes into the bar his teammates and him go too and drops the baby in his hand saying see ya it's not my husbands kid.

Adeline just got back early from traveling the country with her best friend bringing a traumatic feeling back with her. She got mugged and no one but her best friend knows. Her dad and brother play on Lars hockey team. Her dad and lars are best friends. Adeline needs a part time job until she finds the full time one she wants. She is good with kids and babies so her parents volunteered her to help Lars out.

This is a cute found family. Lars and Adeline have wonderful fun chemistry and they fight their attraction for one another a lot, but the heart wantd what it wants. They have the up and downs and if they can make it through their downs they can make it through everything.

Book Trope:
Single Dad
Hockey Romance
Age Gap
Found Family
Grumpy/ Sunshine

“Alexa add Sweet Thing to my Blood Lines by Alex Warren Playlist!”

This book was just what I needed to get me out of a slump. It’s an easy going hockey romance with an age gap and forbidden love. There’s just something about reading about a man just finding out he’s got a child out of the blue that makes me all happy inside. I think I really like seeing how they develop and grow from being this single man with no responsibilities to a single dad who now has another person to look after. Seeing Lars grow when learning how to look after Mabel was my favourite thing about this book. The found family in this book is exactly what the found family trope should be like. I just love how they all rallied together when Mabel turned up and Lars was not left behind at all without any backup.
This is the first book I’ve read from this author but I will definitely be catching up on Theo & Ellie’s Story as well as looking out for future books in this series.