Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 324 pages
Author: Katie Bailey & Leah Brunner
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: August 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He wants to prove he’s more than a pretty face with a trust fund…

NHL rookie Archibald Fisher is wealthy, handsome, and appears to live a charmed life without a care in the world.

But behind closed doors, Fisher’s pretentious family treats him like a liability. A problem to fix rather than a person. And when his granddad passes away, he’s given an ultimatum: Get married, or say goodbye to every penny of his inheritance.

His family thinks it’s a foolproof plan to control their rebellious youngest son…but they clearly don’t know him very well.

…She’s fighting to save everything she loves

Lila Chen practically grew up in San Francisco’s historic firehouse turned art collective. Her fellow artists are like family to her, especially since her mom passed away.

So when she discovers the firehouse is going to be destroyed by Fisher Group, Lila is desperate to save the only home she has left. But after multiple dead-end attempts, she’s running out of hope.

Until Archibald Fisher shows up with a proposal she can’t refuse…

Their marriage was meant to be on paper only, until real feelings creep in. But new love is fragile, and between Lila’s secrets and threats from the Fisher family, there might be no way to stop it from shattering…

(This is a new adult hockey romance with moderate language, frequent innuendo, and references to sex. Though the romance fades to black, there are themes of grief and emotional/verbal abuse. If you are sensitive to these subjects, please use this content warning to make an informed decision before reading this book.)

Thank you Leah Brunner for the eARC.

Y’ALL KNOW I LOVED THIS.

Marriage of convenience is my kryptonite and I am down bad. JUST LIKE FISHER. I was obsessed with this book from the get go and it did not let up on the swoon and banter and chemistry and all the things.

I loved the way Fisher and Lila met. I loved every single interaction. I loved them on their own. I just ate up all of the moments together. What really makes for my favorite romances are when I feel like every scene serves the romance. AND SERVE IT DID. And Fisher and Lila stood strongly on their own which only made me love their arcs too.

And of course I loved seeing the previous couples too. This mish-mashed found family and how well they take care of each other in endearing and HILARIOUS and New Girl coded in all the best ways.

There’s plenty of hockey content, a lot of good conversations about privilege and grief, beautiful paintings that I wish I could see in real life and more. It is so hard to pick a favorite from this series because I love them all but this might have squeaked out on top.

Overall audience notes:

• NA Sports romance
• Language: mild
• Romance: fade to black
• Violence: mild
• Content warnings: loss of a parent (recounted but brought up throughout), toxic family relationships, emotional abuse

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