The Game Changer is the latest offering from Lana Ferguson following her big hit, The Fake Mate. This is a hockey romance with the brother’s best friend trope and for those that like their books spicy, this one is just as steamy as her last two books. The first half of the story is lighthearted and flew by but the angsty second half didn’t work as well for me. But, overall, this is a pleasant read.

Delilah (Lila) has a baking show on a local TV station and her ratings are dropping. She and her team come up with the idea to have a hockey player from their local Boston team come on her show. Lila’s brother, Jack, is on the team but is injured, however, his best friend Ian just returned to Boston and badly needs to improve his image. His ex-wife is remarrying and this is bringing up bad publicity from their past when their marriage broke up and pictures of him with another woman are going viral. Lila and Ian knew each other when they were young but he is surprised when he sees she is all grown up now – she’s got curves and is beautiful. Ian was Lila’s childhood crush and the two have great chemistry. On air, they flirt and bake. Viewers loved their dynamic and so do Lila and Ian.

This story did not feel as though it was set in the real world nor does it make much of its hockey backstory. It starts out in hockey preseason but there isn’t much talk about hockey. I missed hearing about the excitement of scoring goals, the pain of losses, and the big rivalries. I was surprised to see that Ian’s parents own the team that he plays for but he doesn’t get along with them or talk to them much. There is a charity hockey event to raise money for an orphanage where Jack and Lila lived after their parents died in an accident, before they were able to move in with their loving aunt. This pulled me out of the story because there hasn’t been an orphanage in the U.S. for over fifty years. But I went along with the story and it is nice to see Lila organize a fundraiser and raise enough to build a hockey rink behind the orphanage. Still, the setting of the book didn’t wow me.

The author’s last two books were hot and this one is just as steamy, maybe even more so.  It’s got a forbidden love trope because Ian is her brother’s best friend and he’s protective of her, so she and Ian have to sneak around. There’s a sizzling hot locker room scene after a game Ian plays for charity. He likes it when she whispers to him in French. (She learned to speak French when she went to culinary school in France).

The story focuses on the main characters’ drama, especially Ian’s. His father is critical of everything about him and they don’t get along. His mother is sweet but he doesn’t see her much because he doesn’t want to see his dad. Plus there’s the mystery of who the woman is from the pictures earlier in the story. Lila calls Ian Cupcake and he calls her Brat and while it was cute at first, after a while it felt cringy to me. I really enjoyed the first part of the story when Lila and Ian were reconnecting and cooking together more than the last half.

However, if you like spicy hockey romances or are a fan of the author, I think you will enjoy this heartwarming story. It’s not my favorite from this author but it’s still a good time.