Center Ice cover art

Center Ice

Boston Rebels, Book 1

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Center Ice

By: Julia Connors
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Andi Arndt
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About this listen

I’ve always been a wild card–the first to start a fight on the ice, and the life of the party off it–but appearances can be deceiving.

Being traded to the Boston Rebels could not have come at a better time. With serious family obligations to fulfill and a contract renewal with a new hockey team on the line, I have no time for anything else. I return to Boston knowing I need to buckle down and focus on what really matters.

But the first night I’m back in town, I come face to face with Audrey, my college calculus tutor. We had a brief fling right before I was drafted into the NHL. Now, her five year old son is standing by her side, and I don’t need a tutor to do that kind of math.

Audrey insists she doesn’t want me involved in Graham’s life unless I can commit to being a dad. With everything else going on, this is the worst possible timing.

But every minute I spend with Graham and Audrey feels exactly right, and I’m left questioning everything I thought I wanted.

Because now my goals are shifting, and getting what I really want might come at the expense of the game I’ve given my entire life to.

©2024 Julia Connors (P)2024 Julia Connors Sports Boston Heartfelt Feel-Good Hockey

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Listener received this title free

Drew is a professional hockey player who was prepared for the changes that the trade to Boston would mean regarding his career and his new team, but the personal changes were a surprise he didn’t see coming. The last time he saw Audrey was over five years ago when the closeness between them when she became his tutor ended with a night together until they went their separate ways.

Audrey has worked hard to be the best mother she can be for her son Graham, and it isn’t only her heart that she needs to protect. Before she lets Drew back into her life, she needs to know that she can trust him, and he is up for the challenge.

From the moment that Audrey and Graham come into his life even though he is all in he is patient and understanding as he shows Audrey that he is the man that she and their son needs. The narrators did a wonderful job of ensuring that you could feel what the characters were feeling both when it came to the challenges they faced and the emotions between them.

Drew and Audrey!

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Listener received this title free

I've discovered a new-to-me author AND as I'm deep in my sports romance era, I've just secured a 2 for 1 result with Julia Connors and Center Ice.

As a friends to lovers / second chance / secret baby / sports romance Center Ice ticks a lot of boxes making it attractive to a wide range of readers and listeners, especially me!

I love it when children play a significant part in the development of a story and Graham's five year old enthusiasm for almost anything is especially endearing.

The way in which Audrey and Drew navigate their new normal is a mix of funny and frustrating with a fair amount of spice thrown in. But, I cannot lie...I had a tear or two in my eye more than once as this couple, who are quite clearly meant to be together, find the route to each others' hearts.

This novel has opened a door to a new author for me and I'll most definitely be searching Julia Connors' back catalogue.

A new series AND a new-to-me author

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Listener received this title free

This was a surprisingly light, fun read for me. I enjoyed Audrey and Drew's reconnection and how easy it was for them to fall for each other again. I didn't find this overly angsty or filled with drama. I was very happy that it didn't rely on miscommunication or lying by omission as the main conflict (as so many secret baby romances I've read do). That's not to say they had great communication, but it wasn't the main focus of the story. I do feel like this centered more around Audrey and Drew as opposed to Drew and Graham (to be fair it is a romance story), but I still enjoyed the relationship building between father and son that did appear on page.

I loved the narration for this book. Andi and Teddy were great, and as go-to narrators for me I knew they would be. They both have such great range as performers and very complementary styles and pacing. It's so easy to listen to them together as the chapters flow well and keep you immersed in the story. Always enjoyable 💜🎧💜

Sweet & low angst

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Listener received this title free

If you are looking for a low angst second chance romance you'll enjoy this. Audrey and Drew reconnect after years apart and Center Ice follows their relationship. This is a standalone in a shared universe and although I did feel I was missing a some context in relation to the other characters, it didn't have too big an impact on my engagement.

I liked how this dove right in with Drew finding out about Graham pretty much at the beginning of the story and how earnest Drew was in his relationship with both Audrey and Graham. I found Drew so likeable and he is definitely a green flag guy to the point that when he had his blip at the end it felt like such a 180 from the character we've seen fall in love with Audrey. I loved Drew's brand of possessiveness; the moment with the jacket as well as the matching jerseys were some of my favourites. I would have loved to have seen more of Graham and Drew's relationship on page though rather than Drew and Audrey being the primary focus but what I did see I liked.

There is not any kind of high angst tension which I was quite surprised at as there were a couple of red herring hints that could have gone that way; I initially suspected Audrey's brother was the reason Drew hadn't received her messages as the fact Audrey left 20 voicemails kept coming up and I also thought there was some OW drama coming after Drew's playboy past was mentioned (I was keeping an eye on the team doctor!). Although I was expecting some kind of third act break up I was pleasantly surprised that this was a low angst listen and these characters actually communicated with each other throughout.

This is a dual style narration and Teddy Hamilton and Andi Arndt were great as Audrey and Drew; the epilogue in particular was so good to listen to!

My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely until I finished it and it is one I will re-read

Second Chance Romance

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Listener received this title free

Center Ice is the first book in Julia Connor’s Boston Rebels series. This is a second chance, surprise baby, hockey romance. Audrey and Drew met in college. Drew needed a math tutor and Audrey was the girl for the job. She would have never dreamed the hot hockey player she was tutoring would ever be into her. They had a quick fling when both of their lives changed. Drew got drafted to the NHL and Audrey found out she was pregnant. Almost six years later Drew gets traded back to his hometown and his agent happens to be Audrey’s older brother. At a team BBQ he sees Audrey and hunts her down. Drew finds out that he has a son that is five years old. Drew now has to manage the trade to his new team, his mother’s health and make room for Audrey and Graham in his life. Drew is the hockey player baby daddy their every woman dreams for. He falls first and immediately is ready to be an amazing father to his son.

Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton did a fantastic job narrating this book.

Center Ice

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Listener received this title free

I listened to the audiobook. I'd give the narration by Teddy Hamilton and Andi Arndt five stars. They both did a great job adding more to the story.

The story itself could be read as a stand alone, but it seemed more like it was a later book in a series that I wasn't familiar with. I can see now that it's related to the Frozen Hearts series, also by Julia Connor. I haven't read that one to know how much overlap there is, but I'm wondering if it's more of a continuation of that series.

I received a copy of the audiobook at my request, and the options here are my own.

Excellent narration

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absolutely loved this.. from a surprise kid to working g things out and coming together the while story was cute and adorable and obviously has hockey so that's always a bonus

adorable

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Listener received this title free

This one is sweet, with these two characters navigating a while new experience for them. Drew becomes a dad, and Audrey finally lets someone into her life and be there for her that she's been afraid to before. The two of them are cute together, but then you add in their son, and it makes for a heartwarming book.

The narrator's did a great job bringing this story and these characters to life. But their vice for the characters well and they well bringing emotion into the story. Definitely recommend!

Sweet

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Listener received this title free

Teddy Hamilton and Andi Arndt bringing Drew & Audrey's story to life was a treat. Their performance of this story was impassioned and heartfelt.

I adored Audrey. While she was a resilient and caring single mother she was also someone who had to come to terms with her hidden truth. I understood her reasoning behind keeping her secret, though I didn't agree with it.

Drew had a lot on his plate and I often wondered when he would become overwhelmed. It wasn't until near the end of the story that the scales tipped and everything almost fell apart.
However, the way that Audrey put herself (and her heart) on the line—to fight for their relationship when Drew didn't have it in him any more—was very satisfying.

In between all of this, there were some heartwarming and sweet moments.
Watching Drew prove himself to Audrey and own up to his past mistakes was so gratifying.
I love it when the hero turns out to have a huge heart and wants to correct his past mistakes.

Great audio

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Listener received this title free

Beautifully written!

Center Ice is the first book in the Boston Rebels series. This is a second chance, surprise baby, hockey romance starring our MCs, Audrey and Drew. They originally met at university (college) when Drew needed a math tutor. Although they both had an attraction to each other, they never were sure about the other’s attraction for them so they kept their feelings locked away until one night when they had a quick fling that changed their lives forever. Following that, Drew got drafted to the NHL and Audrey found out she was pregnant. Six years have since past, and Drew has now been traded back to his hometown. He bumps into Audrey and finds out he is father to 5-year-old Graham. He now has to grapple with this new reality and make room for Audrey and his son, as well as some other things that need his attention like his family and mother’s health issues.

My overall thoughts of this book = Chef’s kiss! 🤌💋 I truly loved it! I’m not normally into the secret/surprise baby trope but this trope was executed so well in this book. I loved the explanation of why Drew did not find out about his son all those years. As for Audrey and Drew’s connection, it was just top-tier! They were just so sweet. They had such great chemistry and you could see how much they both liked each other in the past and how neither forgot about that past relationship with each other. But we still got to see them develop their relationship in the present as they have obviously grown since their college years.

Their story was beautifully written. I loved how strong, caring, and independent Audrey was. And, we cannot forget how sweet and supportive Drew was throughout. I also really liked seeing how well the characters grew from page one, all the way through to the end. Specifically, Audrey carried so much weight as a single parent at the beginning; I really enjoyed seeing her let Drew in and allow his support and comfort. Drew was such a delight as well; seeing him adjust to parenthood and have that relationship with Graham, as well as adjust to his career in a new team, also, with him helping out his mom, whilst allowing that space for her own independence. His character was just such a joy to read (listen) about. This was my first Julia Connors book, and it certainly won't be my last!

Narrated by Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton. Teddy was amazing at capturing the supportive, caring, and sporty moments that Drew provided. Meanwhile, Andi’s performance as Audrey was perfect. I could feel Audrey’s strength, her independence, and her sass in Andi’s performance. They were both fantastic and brought these characters, and this story to life.

5 Stars!

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