THE PUCKS WE FREEZE (Rixton U .5) by Brooke O’Brien-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 22, 2025

I never expected to see Willow Anson again—not after the way she left.

No warning. No goodbye. No explanation.

She was the girl who got under my skin.

The one who kissed me like she meant it… and disappeared like none of it mattered. I’ve spent every day since convincing myself it didn’t.

Now she’s back in Rixton, staying at her family’s lodge while her dad recovers from surgery. And thanks to our parents’ surprise wedding, we’re stuck under the same roof.

She’s off-limits. My new stepsister. But the way she looks at me says she remembers everything.

And the tension between us? It’s anything but frozen.

I’ve trained my whole life to handle pressure—on and off the ice. The last thing I need is a distraction in the middle of a season that’s already falling apart.

Games are being thrown. Players are faking injuries. And Willow’s holding on to the photos that could expose everything.

They’re watching. Threatening. Waiting for us to slip.

But I’m not just playing defense anymore.

I’m fighting for the truth. For my team.

And for the girl I never stopped wanting.

•••

REVIEW: THE PUCKS WE FREEZE is the introductory novella in Brooke O’Brien’s contemporary, new adult RIXTON U hockey romance series, a spin off, set in the author’s BRAYSEN U world., This is journalism student Willow Anson, and university hockey player Kade Brooks’ story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Willoa and Kade) THE PUCKS WE FREEZE focuses on the return of Willow Anson to her hometown in the wake of her estranged father’s surgery, and his marriage she knew nothing about. Working at the family owned lodge, Willow will come face to face with her one-night stand from months earlier, Kade Brooks, the Rixton U hockey player whom she will discover is her new step-brother. Struggling to remain distant, Willow finds herself pulled into the aura that is our story line hero, a man who is about to find himself the target of threats as the team for which he plays, may be under attack.

The world building introduces some of the characters are back ground of the author’s new Rixton U series, a series focusing on university hockey players, the women with whom they will fall in love, and a potential case of betrayal and revenge.

The relationship between Willow and Kade begins as a one night stand months earlier in which our heroine ghosted before Kade awoke. Kade is determined to seduce the woman that has starred in his fantasies and dreams but our couple find themselves investigating a possible betrayal that places them in the direct line of fire. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Willow’s father, Kade’s mother Lynette; several members of the Rixton U hockey team including Gavin, Rowdy, Owen, Talon, coach Dawson; and Governor Perry’s daughter Wren.

THE PUCKS WE FREEZE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and threats, investigations and mystery, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is fated and impassioned; the characters are desperate and determined. THE PUCKS WE FREEZE ends on a happily ever after-for now-there is more story to tell. The conflict has yet to be resolved.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

USA Today Bestselling author Brooke O’Brien writes steamy and swoon-worthy new adult and contemporary romances.

She believes a love worth having is worth fighting for, and she brings this into her stories where her characters risk it all for love.

If Brooke’s not writing or reading, she’s probably spending time with her family, binge-watching the latest crime documentary, indulging in chocolate, or watching Hawkeye football or NBA basketball.

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