Book: Just Don’t Call It Love by Erin Nicholas
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4.5/5
ARC REVIEW
Just Don’t Call It Love by Erin Nicholas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)
Alex used to play hockey in sold-out arenas until a wrecked knee benched his career. Now he’s headed to Rebel, Louisiana, a bayou town that already hates him, to play FPHL hockey for a team his sister just bought. The plan is simple: sell out the arena with his name recognition, learn what it takes to run a team, and return to Portland in a year to take a job with his former team.
Enter Nora Delaune—Parks & Rec director, chaos enthusiast, and the only person in Rebel willing to give Alex a chance. She’s determined to save the town’s ice arena, and when Alex’s sister suggests fake dating might soften the town’s collective grudge against Alex, Alex and Nora agree. No feelings. No complications. Definitely no falling in love.
Between late-night practices, bonkers small-town antics, and the way Nora looks at him like he’s worth rooting for, Alex’s comeback plan starts to crack. He came to Rebel to rebuild his career. Losing his heart was not part of the deal.
This was my second trip to Rebel—and it absolutely won’t be my last. Erin Nicholas has officially earned a permanent spot on my must-read list with her signature mix of humor, heart, and spice. I legit cackled more than once watching Alex attempt to survive Bonkers Hockey and the Otter Club. Rebel has all the chaotic fun of Stars Hollow, but with characters who feel grounded instead of cartoonish.
Nora is the town sweetheart for a reason. She pours herself into her role as Parks & Rec director, determined to make every event joyful. She’s quirky without being annoying, sunshine without the “not like other girls” energy; I would absolutely be her friend IRL (though I would need to reorganize her office immediately).
And Alex? His determination to show Nora that she deserves someone who puts her happiness first is wildly attractive. Also. The mouth on this man. Three words: Dirty. Talking. King.
I will absolutely be reading the next Bayou Blades book and diving headfirst into Nicholas’s backlist. I cannot get enough of Rebel.
Thank you to Erin Nicholas for providing an ARC!
For fans of: 🏒 Hockey Romance | ☀️😒 Grumpy x Sunshine | 💘 Fake Dating | 😂 Rom-Com
🏡 Small Town Romance | 👴 Meddling Older Folk | 🏘️ A Town That’s a Character | 🏒🤪 Bonkers Hockey
JustDontCallItLove #ErinNicholas #HockeyRomance #SportsRomance #FakeDatingRomance #GrumpySunshine #SmallTownRomance #RomComReads #BookstagramRomance #ARCReview