Sweet, warm, and occasionally heart-meltingly gooey, Hearts on the Fly is a fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookie of a book that is a nice cure for the end-of-winter blues.

The game is expected to be violent and injuries are par for the course, but one devastating hit upends hockey player Jabari Hall’s entire life when what the doctors hoped would be a simple concussion resulted in macular degeneration. Now Jabari is not just facing a future without a career but without his vision. His two besties figure this is the perfect time to distract him with a little romance and set him up for a blind date with the nicest girl they know.

Val Elliott may have been praying for an end to her dating dry spell, but God’s response proves that he really does have a sense of humor. Being set up with the guy who broke her sister’s heart is bad enough, but having that dude not even recognize her makes the whole thing far worse. Val politely calls Jabari out on his faulty memory only to learn that his fading vision means he can’t actually see her. He literally had no idea who she was until she introduced herself. Proving that Jabari’s friends were right about her being the nicest girl they know, Val immediately offers a sympathetic ear to Jabari, not just sharing a lovely dinner with him but providing friendship, laughter, and support in the days ahead. As his life slowly darkens while his vision fades, Val becomes a bright, cheery, guiding light in his existence.

Val is happy to be there for Jabari, but it’s not as easy for her as she’s making it look. Val works in the family firm and is totally enmeshed with her siblings. Jackie, her sister with the (allegedly) broken heart, has been a drama queen ever since their parents’ divorce. As the eldest, she (supposedly) was the most damaged by the event and ever since, has ensured that the family dances to her tune. Which means that how Jackie feels about someone better be how the rest of them feel about that person. Val has always given Jackie what she wants, and what Jackie wants is for Jabari to be seen as the villain of their ill-fated love story. But as Val gets to know Jabari and hears his side of things, she sees the whole issue in a new light. When Jabari lets her know he wants to move from friends to dating, Val is pretty certain she wants that, too. But will her family support her newfound love? Or will Jackie turn everyone against the fledgling couple?

There are so many things to love about this story. The two leads are wonderful – Val really is incredibly kind and giving, not just to Jabari but also to her younger sister Fran and pretty much everyone else she meets. She’s intelligent and capable, managing the complex sports agency founded by her father so smoothly that everything runs perfectly. Val is also presented as having a soothing energy that calms people in her presence, which is useful in their high-energy field. Her only flaw is her (occasional) lack of backbone. She gives so much to everyone that she sometimes ends up with nothing for herself.

Jabari has a will of steel, but he has always applied it only to himself. That drive is what has made him excel in a competitive sport and rank among the top players on his team and in the league. He lived his life for the arena, and losing his vision means losing pretty much everything that matters to him. His mom suffers from severe depression and is more of a hindrance than a help, since he has to stay upbeat and put a positive spin on everything for her. Val and two of Jabari’s close friends from the team are the only things keeping him standing in the turbulent mess that has become his life. Something I really admired about Jabari was how he mourns what he’s losing but takes steps to find positive ways to deal with his new reality. He never lashes out at the people around him, but he does lean on them and reach out to them for support. His calm, his drive, and his connectedness make him a great hero.

As a couple, Val and Jabari are golden. Jabari has incredible patience and understanding for Val’s issues with her family and their attitude, and Val is so positive, helpful, and cheerful that she really does brighten Jabari’s days. They strengthen each other, bring out the best in each other, and (corny as it is) they complete each other. They are one of those couples made up of individuals who are good on their own but even better together.

The supporting characters are very well fleshed out, especially Val’s family, with each individual having a unique personality. The exploration of how those diverse perspectives and natures interacted to shape one another was beautifully written. I also appreciated how the Val/Jabrari/Jackie situation is managed. Jackie has run roughshod over her siblings and parents for years and it’s time for a reckoning; the Jabari situation was the perfect impetus to get some things out in the open and to create a new path for how things will be handled going forward.

This is an Inspirational romance, and I would put the religiosity level at high. Jabari is not hostile to faith, but he is more agnostic or an atheist at the start of the story than anything. After his diagnosis, Val and another of his friends assure him they are praying for him, but they don’t shove their faith down his throat. Jabar’s attitude changes as he watches Val navigate some tough situations, and he becomes curious about why she believes. She shares her faith journey with him in a gentle, low-key manner that shows no judgment and makes no demands on him. All the changes in his faith are made on Jabari’s schedule and driven by his own interest in tapping into the source of Val’s peaceful, kind nature. I liked how all this is handled; the author does a great job of weaving Christianity into her message without ever devolving into preaching.

Two small issues aren’t as well handled are race and the too-perfect ending. I obviously can’t discuss the ending much, but I will say I would have preferred it to have been less unrealistic. On the race issue, the fact that Jabari is a Black player in a sport that is overwhelmingly white is only addressed very superficially and briefly. I’m confident he would have faced racism, if not from the other players, at least from the fans. I would have appreciated that being spoken of more.

That said, Hearts on the Fly is still a really good book. I would recommend it to anyone who reads Inspirationals and enjoys contemporary romance.