Love and the Hockey Heist, going live on June 12, is the second book in the series. It starts out with the theft of a treasured travel alarm clock and that triggers a hilarious series of events when Dr. Piper Roblin tries to steal it back! It involves a fake engagement with popular pro hockey player, Brent Dean. The theft of a travel alarm clock is based on a real-life experience of mine. I never did get it back, but turns out, it’s a fun premise for a story.

I also love escape rooms with the challenge of clues to decipher and puzzles to solve. I thought I’d weave that type of white-collar crime mystery into a romance. Add in a smart, sassy doctor and a swoon-worthy professional hockey player, and the stage is set for a fun, clever hockey caper. All of the (stand-alone) stories in this series will have an element of white-collar crime – like a cozy mystery without murder!

Blurb from Love and the Hockey Heist ~ 

Dr. Piper Roblin is peeved. She’s pretty sure her new neighbour stole her travel alarm clock. It may not be worth much, but it has sentimental value. Piper hatches a plan to get it back, but her plan relies on Brent Dean, popular forward of the Brighton Edge hockey team, to finagle a dinner invitation to gain access to her neighbour’s house.

Brent thought the invite from the stunningly beautiful cardiologist was based on a thoughtful gesture to welcome new neighbours to Brighton. He didn’t realize the gig included subterfuge, thievery, and a fake engagement. But he didn’t get to where he is without a lot of hustle and determination, and since he’s always up for some fun, let the games begin.

Enjoy an excerpt from Love and the Hockey Heist ~ 

“I need a fiancé.” Piper Roblin tucked her purse under the stool and sat down heavily. Her shoulder-length hair, the colour of rich dark chocolate flounced around her heart-shaped face. Her three best friends, already seated at the workstations waiting for the cooking class to begin, turned and stared at her with identical expressions: open-mouthed shock. 

Bailey Jansen, a dermatologist with an adventurous spirit, and the most outspoken of their group, was the first to recover. “Excuse me?”

Piper pulled back her shoulders, trying to make the most of her one-hundred-fifty-seven-centimeter height, and raised her chin. “I need a man, a hockey player to be exact.” 

Bailey grinned at the determination in Piper’s brown eyes and waved a hand. “I’ve been saying the same thing for months.”

They looked expectantly at Abigail Clark, a levelheaded emergency room physician, who sat at the workstation in front of them beside the fourth pea in their pod, Sierra Westlake, a serious-minded general surgeon. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Abigail asked.

“Two words. Del Braebury.” Bailey pointed at the impressive diamond ring on Abigail’s left hand. “You’re engaged to the captain of the Brighton Edge hockey team.”

“You can make it happen,” Piper said. 

Sierra raised a hand. “Whoa. Let’s just pump the brakes here. Why do you need a fiancé? Last I heard you were too busy being the chief of cardiology to worry about dating, never mind planning a wedding. And didn’t you say that your parents are big on the whole pre-arranged marriage idea?”

Piper waved that aside. “This is just temporary. I have no intention of settling into a relationship. I accepted an invitation to a dinner party, but the only reason I was invited was because I sort of mentioned that my fiancé played for the Brighton Edge.”

Sierra shook her head. “What? Why would you do that?”

“I was backed into a corner.” Piper gritted her teeth. 

Bailey laughed. “I hear you, sister. You don’t know how many times I’ve needed to use that.”

“Really?”

“No, never. How did that even come up?”

Buy, Love and the Hockey Heist

Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, romances – with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.

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