4.5 Lick the Tattoo ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

Stay was just absolute sweet goodness wrapped up in a fluffy black golden retriever's heart called Rufus. I giggled, I swooned, I squealed, I squeeeeeeed, I laughed, I smiled, and I just felt so many warm fuzzies.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Hailey Taylor Emery, or HoTtiE (according to Matt Eriksson), is the co-owner of Fetch, an anonymous virtual assistant service that she runs with her ex-husband—awkward, but okay— She has been personally assisting on one of the VIP accounts, Sniper87. She believes that Sniper87 happens to be Matt Eriksson, her total hockey crush, whom she happens to be the biggest fan of; however, confirming his identity is totally against the company's rules and values, so she just fawns over who she thinks he is. One day, Sniper87 needs help walking his dog. Haley knows she shouldn't cross that boundary, but she can't help herself, so she walks his dog and pretty soon their harmless chatting turns into flirtatious testing. Once she confirms he is IN FACT Matt Eriksson, it makes her life difficult. You see, Matt Eriksson is almost instantly besotted and enamoured with Hailey and wants nothing more than to break down her walls and get under her skin for maybe a kiss or two. But he is also cautious because he has just come out of a very messy divorce. Now both Hailey and he need to navigate who they are now that they are no longer with their previous partners, and who they can be together.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Hailey was hilarious. I loved how cute she was and how she turned into a little bumbling idiot when she came face to face with Matt Erickson. I know people tend to do that when they meet celebrities, but it was really cute to see how she would get super embarrassed and wouldn’t be able to interact with one of her all-time favourite players, especially because he was giving her attention—it was so cute. I know this can seem "immature" given she is almost 30 but I loved it...
Despite her being successful, she is a little bit insecure. Given that she is divorced and currently living in this limbo. She has never known how to be single. She has never known another man besides her ex-husband. She is very careful because everything with Matt is unexplored territory. She doesn't want to be a puck bunny even though she is obsessed with hockey. She doesn't want to be one of his conquests and she is terrified that is all she is to Matt. She knows that hockey players tend to do that, so she guards herself closely to not let herself fall too quickly for his charm.

Matt is just a lovable goofball, and if I had to describe him as a cliché type of character, he would be a golden retriever—even though his dog in this book is a black labrador. He is the sweetest father, so gentle and caring but oh so hard on himself. He has been gaslit and manipulated by his ex-wife, who is an absolute bitch of a woman and feels so guilty for ruining their marriage. He struggles to make that additional commitment to Hailey or even open up to her because he's scared he's just going to hurt her and make her feel unwanted and like she doesn't matter.

It was sweet and charming to see how they overcame the scars and issues from their previous relationships and grew together as a couple. I just felt utter happiness reading this. I definitely preferred this to Good Boy, and I really liked Good Boy. I just cannot get over how SWEET THIS WAS.

The only reason this wasn’t five stars is because it had that mini "third-act breakup" before Matt came to his senses. Most of the time it felt like the two of them could communicate with each other and were open but during that section, it felt like they were talking over one another, with Matt not listening to what Hailey was saying. It took a while for him to see she wasn't his ex-wife and was different from her.

I really love the Blake and Jess cameos in this. We don't see as much of Wesmie in this one as we did in Good Boy, but we do see a little more of the other guys. I find their bromance adorable and I love how the wives are all there for each other. I loved that the girls welcomed Hailey so easily into their circle, accepting her as one of them.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Hockey Romance
▶ She's his biggest fan
▶ Single Dad
▶ He Fall's First Vibes
▶ Mirror/Reflection Sex
▶ Look At Me

Overall, if you want something cute and comforting that is just pure rom-com gold and bliss, read this!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kenney for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own