Desire or Defense: An Enemies-to-Lovers Hockey Romance: 2 (D.C. Eagles Hockey)

Mitch had to clean up his image after getting a 15 match suspension for giving another player concussion. He was told to coach the younger ones as part of his punishment where he met Andi. Her brother Noah had committed a foul and he got told off by Mitch with Andi coming to his defense. The great big hockey player was told off by Andi. Mitch saw something in Andi that he liked and his therapist started to get through to him and his anger issues. Its a nicely written story showing how people are affected by their parents and how things can be turned around. It was a nice change to read a hockey romance with no sex scenes!

I love hockey romances and this one didn’t disappoint. The character development was fresh to read and the dual pov is always welcomed. Would have liked some spice there but good overall

Light fluffy read that had amazing character development. Just lacked any spice or more romance for my liking. It was an easy read and I could be tempted into continuing the series but I was a bit disappointed.

Living in england I'm not a NHL fan and know very little about it. But I will say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mitch is a real grump who you cant help fall in love with. Andi is an icu nurse and Noah's sister. She is bringing Noah up after their parents death. Can she take this grumpy player whose now coaching Noah's team. This is a real rollercoaster of laughs and hope that they will work out the constant hurdles thrown in their path. I dont like spoilers so all I'll say is this certainly a book you wont want to put down I certainly didn't.

Thoroughly enjoyed this booked that flowed well and had such great characters.Great storyline and loved the hockey guys camaraderie. Would have liked payback against stef and more against his agent.

I loved the start, it was really promising then it went flat and repetitive with the obvious absence of any intimacy whatsoever without which I am not sure how the connection and commitment is believable.

Love conquers all given time, patience, and hope. I really enjoyed this sweet story. No spice, just good, honest make-out sessions and a bit of innuendo. I loved the acknowledgement of therapy being a great way to work through your mental health issues and fully commend the author for the subtle and informative way she wrote about it with bravery shown by each character. Just a lovely, laugh out loud story of friendships and family. I will be reading more by Leah 😊

I really enjoyed reading this book. Being honest it’s nothing special but it’s a really nice, cozy, feel-good romance. I like the way the topic of therapy was integrated into the story as well as a good tool to use in improving mental health.

Es un buen libro para leer después de una lectura pesada o de un bloqueo de lector.Trama simple, personajes bien desarrollados y aunque un poco cliché no deja de ser divertido y fácil de leer.

Wow - this story was so much more than I expected going in (from the blurb) - it was not just a grump/sunshine, hockey romance, it was a brilliant cinnamon roll hero who never wanted to settle down that met that bossy nurse and in a second, was a changed man.It was an angry hockey player with a 15 game suspension forced to coach a youth team that actually started to bond with the kids and really enjoyed it… plus the older sister guardian of the one player, with both of them learning so much about themselves through the whole story.I loved every word in this book and cannot wait for the release of Passion or Penalty next month! Looking forward to that and the next single teammate to fall! I’m also going back to find her other back catalogue books (which I have most definitely been eyeing for ages), and I’m going to devour them now.The audio version of this one was perfect, and I definitely recommend picking this up, not just the KU ebook (though I had both and read along while I listened). Dane Anderson was a great and growly Mitch, while Alex Picard was a perfect, protective, big sister and nurse Andie. Bravo to them both!I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

This book was really sweet, super cute! Such an easy read, loved it! I wish it was longer tho, I wanted to see more of the characters and their friends

Desire or Defense, book 1 of Leah Brunner’s DC Eagles Hockey series, takes two broken people, missing their families, and knits them together in a new family configuration.Mitch “The Machine” Anderson is the meanest, least social DC Eagle in the NHL franchise. He’s from Wisconsin and has endured being abandoned by his mother and blamed by his father for making him unhappy by leaving him, then having his drunk father arrested for drug dealing and living with his grandfather in lieu of ending up in foster care. That stage of his life was the best, but when his grandfather died he was left with nothing but John Wayne movies and ice hockey talent. He hates seeing his teammates’ wives and children wearing their jerseys and hugging their men; he has nobody in his life, and he takes out his hurt on the ice, racking up penalties and eventually getting suspended by the league. Before returning to the ice, he must attend anger management therapy and (his agent’s idea) coach youth hockey to improve his image. He huffs but agrees to the terms.Andie Downsby, an ICU nurse, lost both of her loving parents in a horrific auto accident nine months earlier and became the legal guardian of her much younger brother. Coincidentally, 11-year-old Noah plays on the team Mitch is coaching. Andie comes to practice, sees him yelling at the kids, and marches onto the ice to give him a piece of her mind. That’s how they meet—nothing cute about it!Mitch hauls Andie off the ice over his shoulder, then lectures her about wearing safety gear as if she knows nothing about hockey. (Spoiler: she does know nothing about hockey!) She has no idea who the overbearing coach is, unlike the hockey moms near her who swoon over “The Machine”.Over the next few months they get to know each other and open up about their lost parents. Each feels bad for the other—and strangely attracted—but his teammates tease him about her hopeless lack of hockey knowledge—she’s never heard of Wayne Gretzky!—and Noah continues to fight his youth teammates over their obnoxious comments about his sister. Seeing Noah’s natural talent and recognizing his familiar temper, Mitch offers to coach him one-on-one. This apparent preference for the pretty sister’s younger brother rubs one of the hockey moms the wrong way, especially after he meets her flirting with indifference. She uploads photos of them to a gossip blog and grants the blogger an “exclusive” interview about Andie buying special treatment for Noah by sleeping with his coach. Andie is devastated, but the team’s good-looking players explain that it’s part of the risk of being with a pro athlete—unwanted attention from national paparazzi or local gossip blogs. She protests that they’re not together. Mitch characteristically remains silent, but Brunner implies that he disagrees.In therapy, Mitch finally begins talking about Andie and receives excellent advice:love is a risk, but don’t assume that everyone will leave you if you love them. Focus on what you can control and don’t feel responsible for what you can’t; she will stay or go, and either way you can control your reaction to it. He decides to take his therapist’s advice, and they kiss and admit their feelings for each other. She doesn’t leave!I thought Mitch and Andie were a “mismatch made in heaven” and rooted for them even before they met, but I really appreciated Leah Brunner’s subtle commentary on family being not what you’re born into but who you choose. Mitch learns this in a locker room brawl with West (hero of Passion or Penalty, the introductory novella), who tells him that his team is his family; Andie learns it watching Noah and Mitch waiting on the porch after Mitch accidentally spent the night asleep with her on the sofa while a John Wayne movie played in the background. Gross, Noah thinks. Then Mitch offers to drive him to school instead of Andie, who doesn’t trust him in the hands of a school bus driver since her parents’ crash. Cool, Noah thinks!I loved Leah’s characters, life lessons, and humorous asides regarding bubble baths and audiobooks, which work well for Andie but not for Mitch. His mad dash from the tub to silence the book that got too graphic too soon was priceless, and his attempt to disguise his bubble bath choice by ordering a different scent backfires royally. Busted!I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes rom-coms, hockey (or learning about it), and contemplation of the meaning of “family”. I fall into all three categories—though I do know about Wayne Gretzky! Read the book—you won’t regret it!

Superb read. Finished it in a day.. Great characters n a beautiful story!! Noah was sweet. Remy n others were amazing