Narration by Grayson Owens & Rose Dioro
Must Love Hockey, Book 3
From the publisher:
Fake dating a hockey player for Christmas wasn’t on my bingo card.
Clare Johnson’s job is handling PR for the Dallas Stampede—not getting tangled up with one of the players. But when Mitchell Drake—charming forward, fan favorite, and very off-limits—asks her to pose as his girlfriend for one week in small-town Minnesota, she reluctantly agrees. What’s the worst that could happen?
Mitchell’s had six months to get over his very public broken engagement, and his family is done waiting. The last thing he needs is pitying smiles and whispered gossip. Clare is smart, sharp, and strong enough to hold her own with both fans and family—the perfect fake girlfriend.
But holiday lights and snowy nights have a way of blurring the line between pretend and real. Clare fits too easily into his world—bonding with his grandma, winning at pond hockey, and looking unfairly good in his flannel. The more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.
Full of small-town holiday magic, meddling relatives, and sizzling chemistry, Checking It Twice is a hockey romance about second chances and falling in love when you least expect it. Perfect for fans of fake dating, one-bed tension, forced proximity, and happily-ever-afters wrapped in Christmas lights.
Because sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree—they’re standing right in front of you.
Clare loves her job in PR for the Dallas hockey team, but she has one firm rule: never get involved with the players. After being burned at her last job, she’s determined to keep her distance. That resolve wavers, however, when Mitch enters the picture. Despite his profession, she thinks highly of him, so when he asks her to pose as his fake girlfriend and go home with him for the holidays, she actually considers it. His family has been relentless since his ex left him for his best friend, and even six months later, he’s still not fully over it.
Clare reluctantly agrees, and the holiday adventure begins. The two are forced to share Mitch’s childhood bedroom—complete with the tiny bed he grew up in—and his family’s meddling only adds to the chaos. Clare rolls with it, reminding herself it’s all pretend and will be over soon. Of course, the more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.
As real feelings start to surface, Clare does her best to keep them in check, while Mitch is more than ready to lean into whatever’s happening between them. He understands her hesitation and past hurt, and his patience and kindness only make him more irresistible. Eventually, they surrender to the simmering attraction, and sparks fly.
This is a charming holiday romance filled with warmth, humor, and plenty of heat. Ryan proves once again that she’s a dependable storyteller who delivers every time. My only real complaint was the female narrator, whose constant whispery delivery made her sections frustrating to listen to. Mitch’s narrator, thankfully, did a great job. I found myself constantly adjusting the volume—turning it up for her parts and down for his—and while driving with Apple Maps, the sudden blare of navigation directions was genuinely jarring. It wasn’t the most enjoyable listening experience, even though I liked the story itself. I may need to start keeping track of narrators I don’t enjoy and steer clear of their audiobooks in the future.
12/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CHECKING IT TWICE by Kendell Ryan. Narrators: Grayson Owens & Rose Dioro. Dreamscape Media. November 25, 2025. Listening Length: 7 hours and 56 minutes.
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