Overtime by: Mari Loyal

Overtime (St. Cloud Hockey Series #2)
Author: Mari Loyal
Published: June 2024
Publisher: Mari Loyal
Format: ARC eBook
Pages: 348
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
He’s the grumpy hockey captain with a bad boy reputation, and now I’ve been assigned as his tutor for the rest of the semester.

ARAN

The pressure is on in my senior year to wow hockey recruiters no matter what. My only outlet was casual dating until the latest fling makes a scene in the middle of my team’s locker room, and gets me in trouble with the coach. And that’s without him even knowing I’m about to flunk an elective.

So I have a Step one, swear off girls for the rest of the season. Step two, do some overtime school work with the help of a tutor.

Except said tutor is about to ruin the whole plan.


MADDIE

Just a few months left of college and I’ll officially start my career as an author. But before that, I’m in desperate need of more income to move away from my fatphobic roommates. So I ramp up my tutoring gig, and start working on a hockey romance idea that I can self-publish quickly. There’s only one I know nothing about hockey—or real life romance.

Insert Aran. Not only I’ll get paid for tutoring him, but maybe he can also teach me about the sport. All I have to do is remember that a real-life romance is off the table.

The overtime tutoring sessions start getting less academic, but can we beat the ticking clock?


Overtime is a dual POV, closed door hockey college romance with mild language, and heat without spice. It’s the second book in the St. Cloud Hockey trilogy, set six years after book one, and can also be read as a standalone.

Review:

First, I want to thank Mari Loyal for sending me a copy of Overtime in exchange for an honest review! I have to say, this is my favorite of the series so far without a question! While you know that this is a closed door romance, I have to say there is so much more to the story that you're not really even thinking about that. And let's be honest... you can still have some spicy make-out sessions, and Mari Loyal delivered! I do think that if there was open-door spice, it would be out of my 5 star rating scale, because this book had me SWOOOONING!

Right from the beginning, I was so attached to Maddie. She's plus-sized, a soon to be published author just trying to make it through college, while not only dealing with health issues (that I did see coming, but it was played out so damn well!) but dealing with the scrutiny of her so called friends and mother. Then enters Aran. He's hot, tall, knows what he wants, has a great family and group of friends who care about him, and so quickly falls for his tutor...

Since this is a hockey romance, I of course loved getting to read more bits about hockey games, the fact that Maddie is learning more about it since she's writing a hockey romance herself. The way that Aran and his friends so easily brought her into their circle, was amazing to read. Found family is something I love the most, and it was giving those vibes!

Maddie and Aran's banter was top notch to be honest. Right from the beginning they were going back and forth and somewhere in between, real feeling were laced throughout, even if they didn't want to admit it much. But then there's a few moments where Aran is taking care of Maddie and I swear he could not get any more perfect. Like obviously having a family with women in them, he's used to the general monthly things, but the way he senses something is wrong and finds a way to take care of her is amazing! There's a moment of course where things take a turn and while I was pretty heartbroken about it, all I'll say is the box Aran has. I can't say more without spoiling it, but damn that scene and the way he would always call her by her nickname Strawberry...had me by a chokehold!!

I DEVOURED this story, and I had to actually force myself to stop at the last hour, just to soak up more of Maddie and Aran. Can I take a second to talk about her mother. There's a turning point that giving Penelope from Bridgerton, and honestly I was clapping at the way that her mother finally opened her eyes to her daughter to see things and accept them. It was so beautiful.

Overall, I really loved this story! It had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to read more as fast as my eyes could read. I was laughing out loud, swooning, and things did get spicy in between the library shelves.... IYKYK! This was a great book that not only dove into romance, with a character who is a romance author, but also things that women face, especially plus-sized women. Maddie's so called friends were the worst, and the way I wanted to reach in and give them a good slap...

That's all for my review, I hope you enjoyed it and seriously, don't sleep on this romance! It has all the things! Swoon, hockey, college romance, plus-sized FMC, hilarious banter and oh so sweet moments between the characters!

So until the next time, keep reading!

Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)