Read by Austin Rising & Melissa Moran
Cyclones Christmas, Book 1
From the publisher:
A Holiday Hockey Rom Com
‘Tis the season to get even…
When Maddie Grainger’s longtime boyfriend dumps her on TV for the entire world to see, she thinks she’s hit rock bottom.
Until her parents announce that they’re spending the holidays with her ex’s family… And he’ll be bringing the woman he left her for.
All Maddie wants for Christmas is to stick it to her cheating ex. But how?
Enter Sebastian Slater, the NHL’s most infamous player.
On a drunken night out in Vegas, Maddie asks the superstar athlete to pose as her new boyfriend. She’s kidding, mostly. But Seb shocks her by making a counter offer: he doesn’t want to date Maddie for the holidays… he wants to marry her.
Show up at her ex’s cabin alone, or with a surprise new hockey-playing husband? Maddie opts for the ultimate level up.
Because maybe, just maybe, revenge is a dish best served betrothed.
Sparks fly and Christmas cheer is abundant in this festive marriage of convenience rom com. Season’s Schemings is a closed door/fade to black romance that includes mild language, innuendo, and tons of sizzle without the spice..
This holiday hockey rom-com was the perfect read for me! Everything I like all rolled up into one terrific read. I consider myself still a somewhat new audiobook reader, and as many as I have enjoyed, this one had me popping in my airPods all the time. I even watched a hockey game on TV while listening; it was a very meta experience!
Maddie entered a baking competition along with her boyfriend of over ten years in order to help him with his career as a pastry chef. Maddie cooks too, but her emphasis is on healthy treats. The boyfriend dumps her on national TV, she shoves his face into red frosting, and we are off to the races!
Maddie lands a good job as a nutritionist/kitchen help for a fictional NHL team in Atlanta, the Cyclones. Having a bit of a meltdown because the ex has become engaged to the woman he was cheating on her with, she ducks into the public restroom at the stadium. Except she doesn’t realize it’s the men’s room until Seb walks in.
Sebastian is the star center for the Cyclones, and only been with the team a year. Their meet-cute ratchets up a notch when he wanders into the kitchen looking for a snack, and there’s Maddie again. They chat for a while, then it’s back to work for both of them. Seb has been singularly focused on hockey for most of his life. He hooks up with the puck bunnies now and then, but he barely has time for his family much less a relationship.
The team flies to Las Vegas for a game, and Maddie gets to go. When it turns out Seb’s visa has expired (he’s Canadian) he is benched and really upset. He runs into Maddie in the hotel bar where she is already three sheets to the wind. Tearfully, she tells him that her parents are expecting her to spend Christmas with her ex, his family and new fiancée. She comes up with the wild idea that Seb should come with her and pretend to be her boyfriend. He is her ex’s favorite hockey player. But Seb has a better idea – he proposes – literally. If she marries him, he can continue to play while the immigration paperwork is in process, and he will accompany her to the family nightmare of a Christmas. They’re in Vegas, so a drunk Elvis marries the drunk couple Seb also invites her to move in with him. She’s been sleeping on the couch in her brother’s apartment since the breakup, so it’s a win-win all the way around.
It turns out Seb is the perfect husband, especially when they reach Aspen, the family, and her ex. Seb is surprised by how much he enjoys Maddie’s company and living with her. He looks forward to coming home after work, which is a first for him. And their relationship moves to the next level. Maybe this marriage shouldn’t be temporary? While I was thinking that the ‘Canadian marrying an American for citizenship’ plot was reminiscent of one of my favorite rom-com movies, The Proposal, up pops a mention of it in the book!
Happy endings are why I read so many romances, and this was such a fun read. I loved these characters and watching their relationship bloom and grow. The narrators were terrific, too, they really made the story come alive. Can’t wait for the next book in this new series.
12/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
SEASON’S SCHEMINGS by Katie Bailey. Narrators: Austin Rising & Melissa Moran. Dreamscape Media; February 27, 2024. ASIN: B0CQ18T61Q. Listening Length: 7 hours and 38 minutes
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