LUCKY SHOT

An Arizona-based romance author ventures to Montana to learn about hockey in Jenshak’s series-starter.

Promising 20-something vampire-romantasy author Ruby Madison has been stuck in a brutal slump ever since her ex-boyfriend stole her book idea and spun it into a bestseller. Her own latest release flopped, and she hasn’t sold anything since. Just as she’s starting to feel hopeless, an editor at a top publishing house expresses interest in an old baseball romance she’d written years ago. There’s a catch: They want her to rewrite it as a hockey-themed romance, and Ruby knows absolutely nothing about the sport. Luckily, her agent comes up with a plan: Ruby will travel from Arizona to Moonshot, Montana, where she’ll spend six weeks interviewing the famous—and ruggedly handsome—hockey player Nick Galaxy while staying in a cabin next to his house. What she doesn’t realize is that 31-year-old Nick’s well-meaning father has orchestrated the entire arrangement to play matchmaker for his son. Nick isn’t thrilled by the surprise houseguest, but Ruby’s contagious, chaotic enthusiasm eventually breaks through his guarded demeanor. As she embeds herself in his world—getting to know his teammates and his tween son, Aidan—she finds that Moonshot is beginning to feel like home. A looming question becomes unavoidable: What happens when she finishes the book, and she and Nick are 1,000 miles apart? Jenshak tells her tale from Ruby’s and Nick’s alternating first-person perspectives, and the characters’ chemistry is palpable. The novel manages to strike a balance between playful banter and emotional depth. Along the way, the author handles Nick’s health anxieties and Ruby’s imposter syndrome with care, and it’s heartwarming to watch them work through their insecurities as they fall for each other. Ruby’s relationship with Aidan is especially wholesome, adding warmth to the narrative without feeling forced. Jenshak’s novel combines the bookish charm of Emily Henry’s work with the sporty-romance appeal of Elle Kennedy’s. Readers will be eager to book a return trip to Moonshot.

A smart hockey romance that will leave readers swooning.