The Moo U hockey team is here, and I’m excited to be a part of it. What’s Moo U? Moo U is the nickname for the fictional Burlington University, created by Sarina Bowen in her book Heartland. Moo U hockey is also a part of a bigger fictional universe called the World of True North. The world is set in Vermont and includes books about hockey as well as small town series set at the Busy Bean Café, the Speakeasy Taproom, and an LGBTQ series at the Vino & Veritas bookstore/wine bar.
I’ve written a book called Snowballed for Moo U hockey. One of the perks is getting to read all the books early. So I thought I should do some mini-reviews so you can decide which book to read first. But once you start reading Moo U books, look out. They’re like potato chips, once you read one you’ll want to read them all.
I got to read an early copy of Blindsided by Victoria Denault. Although each Moo U hockey romance is freestanding, there is a chronological order and Blindsided is the first book. Victoria describes this book as “Romeo and Juliet with goats,” which is a perfect synopsis. The Todd and Adler families have been feuding so long that nobody remembers the original rift. But the feud fuels a great crackling dynamic between Maggie Todd and Tate Adler. This is a true hate-to-love relationship. And Blindsided features a surprising ending that really ties up the loose ends of the book.
Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak is the story of Kaitlyn from Heartland. Kaitlyn was a villain in that book, but she’s completely reformed here. Lex Vonne is the hero in this book, and their meet-cute involves Lex getting a beer thrown on him. Then Kaitlyn enjoys the wet t-shirt view which is a funny reversal of sex roles. Lex and Kaitlyn have a rocky path to true love with lots of parental issues, but it’s a fun ride all the way.
Holdout by Jaqueline Snow is the third book in the series, but takes place in Year Two. It’s the story of accidental roommates, Jonah Daniels and Ryann Reiner. Although getting together is a bad idea for many reasons—but, hey you know what’s going to happen. If you’ve read my books, you know that one of my favourite things is a serious hero who needs to loosen up, and Josh is exactly this kind of hero. He’s all hockey, but trying to be more sociable and Ryann is the perfect guide.
I was excited to get to read ARCs of these books, and really dive into the Moo U universe. Because they’re all teammates, I get to include some of these characters in Snowballed. Although Tate Adler has graduated by the time my book takes place in Year Four, both Lex Vonne and Jonah Daniels appear in Snowballed, so you can look forward to some cameo appearances.
To make up for my tardiness in writing these reviews, I’ll give you a heads up on two more books in the Moo U series: Darkroom by Kate Willoughby and Halftime by Kim Findlay. I’ve read and really enjoyed both books! They don’t come out until April 26 but you can preorder now. I’ll talk more about these books once they’re out.