The Sunshine Offensive by Anne Kemp: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

She worked hard to keep her life quiet. She didn't expect a hockey player to blow it wide open.

Juliette Gianelli has built her world on intention—her small plant shop, her carefully managed routine, and the fierce love she has for her ten-year-old son. After one very public heartbreak involving a jumbotron at an ice hockey game, she's learned her lesson: be invisible, stay quiet, and whatever you do, stay away from hockey. Plants don't make headlines. Hockey players? They are the headlines.

Then the city assigns NHL star Sawyer Stockton to her shop for a mandatory community outreach program—whether she wants him or not.

He's 6'3" with an easy smile, relentless optimism, and the kind of charm that probably works on everyone else. He's loud. He's public. He's everything she's spent years avoiding. And he keeps almost knocking over her succulents.

But here’s the problem: Sawyer isn't actually the disaster she thinks he is.

He shows up on time. He learns the difference between a pothos and a philodendron. He's patient with her son, who thinks he's the coolest person alive. And somewhere between teaching him how to repot a fern and watching him win over her most skeptical customers, Juliette realizes she might be in trouble.

Because the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to remember why she swore off this kind of risk. But when old wounds resurface and the spotlight threatens to return, she must decide: keep hiding in the quiet—or trust that this time, she won't be standing in it alone.

The Sunshine Offensive is a closed-door grumpy sunshine hockey romance filled with sizzling chemistry, undeniable tension, and all the heat—without the spice!

Tropes in The Sunshine Offensive

Grumpy / Sunshine

Opposites Attract

Forced Proximity

Single Mom Romance

Golden Retriever MMC

Black Cat FMC

Found Family

Protective Hero

Ice Hockey Romance

The Author

Anne Kemp is a bestselling author of romantic comedies. She loves reading (and she does it ridiculously fast, too!), gluten-free baking (because everyone needs a hobby that makes them crazy), and finding time to binge-watch her favorite shows. She grew up in Maryland but made Los Angeles her home until she encountered her own real-life meet-cute at a friend's wedding where she ended up married to one of the groomsmen. For real.

Anne now lives on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, and even though she was married at Mt. Doom, no…she doesn’t have a Hobbit. However, she and her husband do have a terrier named George Clooney and when she’s not writing, she’s usually with them taking a long walk on the river by their home.

You can find Anne on her website - come say hi! She’d love to hear from you: www.annekemp.com

On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest: @missannekemp

Book Review

Two tropes that will never fail to win me over: grumpy/sunshine and hockey. And when HE's the sunshine and she's the grump? Even better. But let's be honest, after a VERY public heartbreak, Juliette certainly has reason to be camera shy about the publicity that comes Sawyer, the NHL player tasked to work in her plant shop as part of a community program. Still, despite her hesitations, the chemistry between these two is undeniable right from the start. I just adored these two. They had a really great dynamic together, but when you add in Theo (her 10-year-old son), it was even sweeter. I loved how Sawyer showed up for Theo, even when he didn't have to. Their story is on that is full of laugh out loud moments, but also full of heart and healing too... and I found myself enjoying every single moment. If you love hockey romance, this is certainly one not to be missed. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen in the series next. 

The Sunshine Offensive is a closed-door romance with kisses only and very minimal minor language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4rNPVWH