Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Leighson, and HL Books Co.

This book was okay. The writing style, while good, didn't work for me, and I found it hard to connect with Leo and Caleb as characters and as a couple. I do think there are readers out there who will enjoy this!

I have to be honest here, the only reason that this isn't getting a higher rating, is because I'm beginning to find these type of age gap romances a bit grim. I really enjoyed the interaction and romance between Caleb and Leo, but not only having Leo old enough to be his father, but also being the father of his best mate is a bit much. I know that's just me though.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so returning for a second time was great. As I mentioned the romance between the two was lovely and I enjoyed the book as a whole.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I have read dozens of mm hockey romance books and this one is without a doubt going down as one of my favorites. I read this within a day. I just happened to stumble across this book and I'm so happy that I took a chance on it even though I'd never heard of the author or read the first book. For starters, hockey is a perfect element to the story not too much, and not too little. Just right and the drama that unfolds on said ice had me shook! I was NOT expecting that from this book. I was also not expecting the amount of spice that was going to take place in this book. I was PLEASANTLY surprised and I ate it up. Older mmc, virgin mmc, best friend's dad, younger goalie/older goalie coaching, etc etc. Caleb and Leo had so many moments that made me fall for them, while watching them fall for each other. Caleb brought the life and happiness back into Leo's life and you could watch it happen on page. The intimate scenes in the book were very hot, if you can make me want to trade places with one of your characters you are doing something right! Where is my Leo! All in all, this has the angst of an age gap romance and kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the best friend/son/and hockey world to find out what these two were doing behind closed doors.. and open ones! I hope you give this book a try. My only complaint is that it's not longer, and that's not to say it wasn't a well rounded enough story, I am just greedy and wanted more of these characters! Can't wait to see them in book 3! I bought my physical copy of Penalty Zone, and am on the hunt for the first book in the series. I have some catching up to do!

This is the second book for me by this author. And I was so excited to get an arc copy for it. It was fun to be back with the characters I already got to know in book 1.
I fell in love with Caleb - cute and sweet, a little bit quirky goalie, who is also struggling with anxiety (very relatable). And here comes Leo - Caleb's best friends dad and his secret crush, also someone who can ground him and give him structure he needs. While I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and change, I wasn't fully convinced with their romance. It was too inta-lovey for me.
But after saying that, I still had a good time and I am excited for more books to come.
3.5 ⭐

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. It has many themes and tropes that I like but I couldn't get into it. It felt like all the information was being told to me and I didn't feel any emotional depth. The writing style and characters didn't work for me but I did stick with it to find out how things would end. My positive takeaways from the book is that I liked that Caleb has an interesting outlook on life (wearing crystals during games, meditating, trying to be in touch with the earth) and has a great relationship with his parents. I also liked how supportive the team is and that there are other queer players.

Penalty Zone had everything I love in MM romance. Heat, heart, and one of my favorite tropes: best friend’s dad.

Caleb and Leo’s chemistry was off the charts and the emotional layers, especially Leo’s strained relationship with his son, made the story even more compelling. Making it more relatable and wholesome.

It’s spicy, comforting, and full of second chances. The HEA was satisfying and well deserved, and I’m already excited for what’s next in the series.

“Penalty Zone” by Heather Leighton
(Tropes: Age Gap, Best Friend’s Dad, Daddy Vibes, MM Hockey Romance, Virgin MMC, Found Family, Family Drama)

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. Penalty Zone hit every single one of my favorite tropes and delivered it with heart, heat, and emotional depth.

I love MM hockey romances, but this one easily became a new favorite. The dynamic between Caleb and Leo was electric. The author absolutely nailed their dual POVs—Caleb’s chaotic, ADHD-fueled energy paired perfectly with Leo’s calm, grounding presence. The contrast made their chemistry even more satisfying, especially as their mentor/mentee relationship blurred into something deeper and forbidden.

“I’m supposed to teach him discipline between the pipes, not ache for how he’d respond to my indecent commands.”
This line from Leo absolutely wrecked me. That struggle between professionalism and desire was so raw and perfectly written—it pulled me in hard.

Leo gave such strong, possessive MMC energy without ever crossing lines that made me uncomfortable. He was so responsible and thoughtful, especially when it came to protecting Caleb’s job and future. Even in the midst of all the heat (and wow, the spice was top tier), he always had Caleb’s best interests at heart. And yes—this was very daddy/boy coded (without age play), and I was so here for it.

One scene that stood out to me (and got me a little choked up): Caleb has a full-blown panic attack before a big game, and it’s Leo who talks him through it. He doesn’t just bark orders or tell him to “man up”—he’s calm, present, and emotionally available in a way that grounds Caleb in the moment. That’s when Caleb truly realizes how safe he feels with Leo—not just physically, but emotionally too. 🥺

Caleb’s family was an unexpected highlight. His parents were chaotic but accepting in all the right ways, and their support added such warmth to the story. On the other hand, I was furious with Mason—his betrayal hit hard. I understand Leo’s guilt over not being a present father during his pro career, but honestly, the way he forgave Mason so quickly felt like it was just in Leo’s nature. He’s a good man, through and through.

The ending? I cried happy tears. There’s one scene in particular that choked me up in the best way. This book made me laugh, smile, and sob—all in a single sitting. I stayed up way too late reading it, and I don’t regret a single minute.

So the set up was not my favorite - very lusty, not a lot of depth - and like this is a sex book for sure. But the character development came around for me in the second half and I was happily invested in their HEA and read the extra epilogue online afterward. I do think it is weird that the Montreal character had a Canadian accent but like not French Canadian? Like he was from Manitoba or something? IDK I'm not French Canadian but that was pretty weird. Fairly low angst for the main characters once they were together, more circumstantial stuff but not a ton of the whole I'll save you from me bit which I really hate. Thanks to NetGalley and HL Books Co for the ARC. All opinions mine.

Penalty Zone by Heather Leighson is an MM, age gap hockey romance following goalie Caleb and his mentor and best friend’s dad Leo. Caleb’s team brings Leo on, who is a legend in his position to prepare him to be the main goalie for their team, and Caleb freaks out because Leo was his bi awakening and has had a crush on Leo. Leo signed with the team also to be closer to his son on the team who wants nothing to do with him.
They fight their attraction because of how Leo's son Mason will react but keep it secret when they finally give into each other. Caleb does not want to come between Leo and his son so tries to distance himself, but Leo refuses to choose and will do everything he can to have it all.
I am usually not into age gap romances, especially more taboo relationships, but I did still enjoy this book.

I gave Penalty Zone 4⭐️ and 4🌶️

This was my first book from this author and also my first MM book!
Although this book is listed as a standalone, I probably would have benefited from reading book 1 first so I have added this to my TBR. I appreciated the guide and name listing at the beginning but I found it quite hard to follow along with to begin with.
Penalty Zone is a short, hockey based MM read with forced proximity, forbidden romance and age gap.
Overall I did enjoy this book once I got into it, it is a good short read and a good ease in to MM romance i believe 😊 and a good level of spice not too much.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC!

Okay I devoured this book in one sitting and I have zero regrets.

Caleb stole my heart from page one — he’s sunshine personified, total golden retriever energy, and just impossible not to love. And then there’s Leo, the grumpy, emotionally closed-off hockey dad who somehow ends up being the perfect match??? I wasn’t sure how that was going to work at first — like, how is this man going to handle Caleb’s sunshine chaos?? But y’all… Caleb unlocked him. Watching Leo slowly soften and open up?? It was everything.

Also, the fact that Caleb is best friends with Mason (aka Leo’s son) definitely added some tension — especially when Mason literally yeeted a puck at Leo during their bust-up 😅. But I loved that the drama didn’t overtake the story. Their friendship was strong enough to bounce back quickly, and the conflict felt real without dragging things out.

It’s funny, sweet, a little steamy, and sooo easy to read. If you love a good opposites attract / sunshine x grump / forbidden-ish vibes combo — Penalty Zone needs to be on your TBR yesterday.

4.75⭐️

4⭐️ 3🌶️ This book had me hooked from the first page! I would recommend really the first book in the series before starting this one. While it is a standalone, the beginning of this book was a little confusing with all the different characters names and nicknames. I’ll definitely be adding it to my TBR.

Leo and Caleb are so perfect together! They are the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and every green flag there ever was! I was so nervous for the 3rd act when Mason found out about their relationship and it was way worse than I was anticipating 😭 thankfully it all worked out and they got their HEA! 💙

Penalty Zone is unfortunately going to be a DNF for me. I really enjoyed Misconduct Zone, but this one was not giving what I wanted it to be especially when it had tropes I was really excited about.

I knew this book was not for me when I had to look up what "cum gutters" were because I have never heard that descriptor before. For those curious it's a v-line. Why couldn't we just say v-line?

Anyways I think this is where my journey ends for this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.✨

thank you so much to netgally and the publisher for the arc of this book i am so grateful. I loved this book though the first half i didn’t think the plot would be for me. the characters were amazing and i enjoyed them deeply. there were plenty of kinks that i have not read about but are there and were beautifully written. this being my first book my leighson is a great start to the author and i can’t wait for the next book

This book was a weird experience for me. I absolutely loved the two MCs and I loved their chemistry and all their moments together. I struggled with the story as a whole. For me it jumped all over the place or so quickly from one thing to another that I wasn't always able to follow. I loved Caleb's parents and their relationship and i loved his friendship with Mason. Some of their kink dynamic felt very natural and other parts felt like they should have been talked about more....but again.... I loved them together.

It was a book I could pick up and put down and that's not a bad thing, but also not my norm. Overall I would consider this a palatte cleanser.

While I like the premise and tropes of this book, I thought it was only okay. I enjoyed the hockey bits, but the relationship between Leo and Caleb left a lot to be desired in my eyes. I didn’t like Leo at the beginning, and unfortunately that didn’t change throughout the book. I can see the appeal of this book and believe others will like it, but it wasn’t for me.

The Penalty Zone is just the right blend of a slow-burn best friend’s dad to lovers and age/gap hockey romance that I devoured in one sitting.

Caleb has idolized Leo from a very young age and stops dead in his tracks when the team hires him as a mentor for the players. Leo also happens to be Caleb’s best friend’s father. Getting to watch Leo and Caleb develop their relationship was beautiful. This story is more than just hockey and spice. It’s building a relationship from the ground up, realizing what they needed from each other, and figuring out how to go about getting it, while also taking into account Leo’s son’s feelings. Leo hasn’t been a great dad for Mason and he needs to heal and re-establish their relationship. I really appreciate that the author did not gloss over that process.

There was plenty of hockey action and don’t worry the spice was definitely spicing… there is some mild D/s happening which fits perfectly for this couple. This story is about finding the one person you always knew you were meant to have in your life. It was an enjoyable read with some really incredible moments.

This is an adorable m/m hockey romance! It’s got all the fun tropes—age gap, forbidden love, and forced proximity—and I’m here for it. Lighthearted and sweet, it’s a great pick for Pride Month or really any time of year. Penalty Zone was a nice, easy read that worked well as a palate cleanser, and I appreciated that the author included a breakdown of the team's positions and ranks—it made things easier to follow. Even though it’s part of a series, it reads perfectly fine on its own, so no need to start with book one!

Another great book by Heather Leighson!! I absolutely loved Leo and Caleb, and the way their undeniable chemistry is written is just perfect. Definitely one of the best MM hockey romances coming out this year!!

On paper, this book had everything to become a favorite of my 2025 reading list. Unfortunately, I was disappointed and even struggled to finish it even though it was a really short read.
The beginning was honestly a bit of a dumpster fire, there were a lot of names but no context, this was just a poorly done in medias res start. Despite that, I soon came to like Caleb and his chapters, so I forgave it until I realized that I hated Leo and the way he was written with all my heart. His insta-lust felt icky and his instant obsession cannot be the basis for the healthy relation the author was trying to sell us. Five pages in, and he was already hard just looking at him and had told us about three times how green Caleb’s eyes were. A lot of his reactions were also very excessive and came off as unhinged.
The writing itself probably had a lot to do with it, but I never rooted for them, not for one second of this book. This always felt like a very unbalanced relationship and this is the first time I’m reading an age-gap book where the gap was so obvious and cringe.
Most of the book was telling, not showing. Leo felt cold, even when he realized he was in the wrong about something, there was never a focus on his emotions or feelings, it was just facts stated about what he did wrong and what he should do to correct it. This also made the dirty talk especially cringy to me.
I think this author is honestly just not for me.