“A fantastically fun, HOT love story.” – Kendall Ryan, New York Times bestselling author All I want is to play hockey on the Ice Knights, instead, I’m in a viral video for all the wrong reasons and my mom–yes, my mom–has taken over my dating apps. Then, when I think it can’t get any worse, the fates deliver Zara Ambrose, a five-feet-nothing redhead with more freckles than inches and who’d … freckles than inches and who’d rather be anywhere other than on a date with me.
Now a bet with her friends and my PR nightmare have us both stuck in this go-on-five-dates-with-the-same-person hell situation. But if we band together, we can get the whole thing over with and go on with our lives. It’s perfect! No feelings. No future. No fuc– *ahem* fun. No naked fun.
What could go wrong? Nothing–as long as I remember the rules. Don’t notice the way she looks in a dress. Don’t react when she does that little shivery sigh thing whenever we touch. Don’t think about the fact that she’s never had a toe-curling orgasm that wasn’t self-delivered and just how badly I want to change that.
Five dates–that’s it–and then we go our separate ways. At least, that was the plan…
Each book in the Ice Knights series is STANDALONE:
* Parental Guidance
* Awk-Weird
* Loud Mouth
more
When Caleb finds himself on the receiving end of his mother and team’s anger, it lands him in a tough position – he has to go on dates picked by his mother, that will be shown on social media. Zara is the lucky girl who gets to “date” Caleb.
I thought Parental Guidance was adorable! Caleb and Zara are so cute together. He’s unlike the typical hockey hero – he’s not a playboy, he’s not a jerk, he’s a really great guy from the get go. Zara is feisty and focused, and those qualities really resonate with Caleb. Of course their dates end up with them developing feelings, because of course! But the journey from their first meeting, to the epilogue was fun, a little sexy, and sweet. Bring on more of those Ice Knights hockey players!
4.5 Stars
I always look forward to a book by Avery Flynn because I know I’m going to be for a great book and one you’re just going to gobble up. I laughed a lot while reading this book. It packs the humor, but it also delivers on the feels. I love Avery Flynn’s Ice Knights hockey series. the characters are great. I loved Zara. I want to be friends with her. Her quirky dog Anchovy is awesome. He just added so much to the book. You can’t go wrong with adding pets to books. Caleb messed up big, but what should be torture to make it right may just be the best thing to ever happen to him. Zara and Caleb bring out the best in one another and great support for each other as well. I highly recommend this one! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!
I had been waiting to see more of the Ice Knights after Tomboy, and I wasn’t disappointed!! I loved watching Caleb & Zara struggle with the reasoning behind their “relationship”. It was such a great story!! And I seriously loved Anchovy! I can’t wait for the next book from Avery!
Avery Flynn lights the lamp with PARENTAL GUIDANCE (Ice Knights #1). In this novel, Hockey defenseman Caleb Stuckey gets caught in a PR nightmare. To help the situation blow over, the team requires him to participate in promoting a new dating app where his mother, Britany, has control over selecting someone whom he must go on five dates with. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for adult readers.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE is a fun and entertaining story. Caleb’s Uber fiasco totally reminded me of the Ottawa Senators Uber incident in November 2018. I think it was great that Avery Flynn used this in her story. I thought the parental influence dating app was also an interesting spin. Both parents had fascinating quirks that added to the novel.
I enjoyed the characters. Caleb is a good guy. I felt horrible about what he went through with his dyslexia. Zara Ambrose is a vibrant character. Her job was unique. I like that neither of the characters initially wanted to impress the other. I think they genuinely got to know each other that way. I like that they had fun on their dates and confided in each other. They had great chemistry. I love Zera’s dog, Anchovy. He was always doing something amusing.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE was skillfully written. The plot was clever. The story was easy to read and hard to put down. The epilogue was a perfect ending to the book. PARENTAL GUIDANCE is a great foundation for the Ice Knights series. I am looking forward to Avery Flynn’s next book in the series. I recommend this book to people who enjoy humorous/sweet sports romances. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
Parental Guidance is the hot hockey RomCom you need in your life! His mom takes over his dating apps. Can you imagine?! Hockey hero? Hilarious banter? A Great Dane named Anchovy? Go grab Parental Guidance by Avery Flynn —> books2read.com/u/4AQN5K #books
“He hadn’t realized it until this moment, but he’d been waiting for Zara Ambrose. No-relationship rule or not, he couldn’t lose her now.”
Caleb saw a night out with his teammates turn into a PR nightmare. With the bad repercussion of the viral video, the only alternative left is to try to solve the situation. But the solution found has everything to be his worst nightmare.
Zara is a workaholic. Her profession as a miniatures artisan pay the bills, a fact very important to her, but her dream of having her work recognized is her main goal. With a difficult childhood, relationships are not in her plan because her entire focus is on her career.
But what does a famous hockey athlete and an artisan have in common? A profile in a dating application may be the answer.
Caleb is required to be part of launching a new app to cleanse his image. The icing on the cake? His mother will choose the woman, and interviews will be recorded and used as advertising. His own version of a reality show from hell.
Zara, meanwhile, is blackmailed by her friend to participate in the experiment in exchange for an invitation to a party that can leverage her career, as well as pressured by her father, who is seeking a new endeavor doomed to failure.
Does Caleb’s control freak and competitive mother, and Zara’s dreamy, irresponsible, and somewhat eccentric father, hit their choices?
Forced to have a total of five dates together, the two make a pact to survive this fiasco. But as time passes and the dates progress, the two begin to trust each other, to share secrets and even admit that they are attracted to each other. And so, the most important rule among them, of not to get attached, may be hanging by a thread.
Add a huge dog who thinks he’s human and has anxiety issues, creative dates, a TV presenter with indiscreet questions, and the hilarious merchandise scenes involving Zara’s father, and we have a highly entertaining, funny, and even sweet book in some points.
Caleb is sweet, Zara irritates at the end, with the bullshit she tells Caleb when he just wanted to help her, and the team players show that they are more than just coworkers, they are a family.
A good lightweight book with a funny story and a couple with chemistry.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
Haha!! Totally smitten with this sweet and adorably hilarious romantic comedy! Over the last year or so I have read at least four Avery Flynn books and I’m just so happy to have found an author this just plan tickles me pink!! I love the storyline of a hockey player being disciplined and the punishment is his mom taking over his dating life… or at least with an app he doesn’t really want to do… I mean, don’t you just FEEL the hilarity coming for ya?!
In my odd way of reading between the lines, I like the deeper meaning that it isn’t ok to just let things happen around you. We should always stand up for what’s right. But more so, hockey players should be defending their teammates even if it’s from a verbal assault behind someone’s bad. Anyway, Zara and Caleb are fabulous together!! I laughed throughout their troubled road while getting where they need to be. I sure hope Avery Flynn keeps these quick-witted and fun characters and storylines coming! I can’t seem to get enough of them!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
I love the fake relationship trope, and when I heard about this book I knew it was going to be near the top of my summer list. I so loved Zara & Caleb’s dates, because they were just the right level of fun, flirty, and sexy. I laughed out loud several times while reading, and read the book from cover to cover in a single sitting. This author has such a fun sense of humor! Anchovy, the Great Dane, was an added bonus to the story. As a former dane owner, I was cracking up picturing the dog’s familiar antics! Also, I have to note that I was fascinated by the heroine’s career. Such a fun, unique twist it had me searching the internet for miniatures when I finished the book.
My only wish for this book would have been for a little more closure with the main characters in regards to the issues raised about their parents. Still, this was an enjoyable read and I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series.
This was such a cute and enjoyable read. I loved the premise of this book and I literally couldn’t put it down. I don’t even know what I would do if one of my parent’s took over a dating app for me, but I found that Zara handled it with grace and some laugh out loud moments. For his part, Caleb is a sweet guy who finds himself on the wrong side of a viral video and in dire need of cleaning up his act. When Caleb and Zara meet, they come up with a plan that works perfectly for both of them. They can go on some dates. Caleb can clean up his image. Neither of them were looking for love, but sometimes love sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I loved the humour in this book, the romance and the chemistry between Caleb and Zara. If you are looking for a sweet romance to read over the summer, I highly recommend you check out this book!
No good can come from letting your parent(s) run your dating profile and choosing who you date – or can it?
Caleb, a hockey player on the Ice Knights team, is about to find out. In a PR experiment to bring some Ice Knights hockey players back into the good graces with the public, Caleb finds himself on the receiving end. Caleb must partner with a dating app and let his mom control his profile. She also gets to choose his date. Fortunately, it is only for five dates then he and the woman chosen are free to move on with life. Caleb is not excited about the plan but too much is on the line to not listen to his PR agent, coach, and mother.
Zara, in an alcohol-induced don’t-care night with a friend, creates a profile on a dating app. She had no idea she was going to be paired with a hot hockey player. Regardless, Zara has rules they are going to follow to get through their five dates. Rules that, as time goes on, Zara and Caleb aren’t sure they want to continue to follow. A relationship was not in the plans.
I love Zara and Caleb’s story. Two unlikely people brought together in a fun and entertaining story with realism and emotion. I enjoyed how both characters danced around each other in a slow-burning romance. Neither person was looking for anything long term; the entire dating app situation was a means to an end. Fate, however, had other plans.
Avery Flynn is a wonderful storyteller with unique characters, themes, and settings. Her stories pull you in and keep you thoroughly engaged and entertained. I enjoyed Parental Guidance and can’t wait for book 2; the teaser at the end of Parental Guidance pulled me in, hook-line-and-sinker.
“Parental Guidance” is the first book I have ever read by Avery Flynn, but it definitely won’t be the last. The cover and description really drew me in, and I couldn’t wait to read it. It turned out to be a sweet, funny, and sexy story with endearing, well-developed characters that I loved. It might have been helpful for me to have read Flynn’s Hartigans series first since there seems to be some overlap with the characters, but I didn’t feel lost at all without the additional background those books may have provided.
I’m not usually a fan of sports romances (or much of a hockey fan in general), but this book was so well-written and engaging that I didn’t mind the sports element. Hockey was a big part of Caleb’s life and the overarching story without being overwhelming or confusing for someone like me, who doesn’t have much knowledge of the sport. There were no drawn-out descriptions of practices or games, just enough details about Caleb’s training regimen and travel schedule to make me understand what his life was like, and how it would impact his potential romantic relationship with Zara.
I thought that the idea for the dating app, which integrated insight and advice from users’ parents, was very unique and interesting, though it was somewhat unclear to me if parents and post-date conversations/videos were always a part of the process, or if they were just part of the publicity campaign set up by Caleb’s team to draw attention away from the viral video. Either way, Zara and Caleb’s parents ended up playing very important roles in the story, which I enjoyed. Zara’s father, in particular, added a lot of humor and heart, as well as important insight into Zara’s childhood and character.
Overall, much like Caleb’s Ice Knights, “Parental Guidance” is a winner! I highly recommend “Parental Guidance” and can’t wait to see what the next book in this series brings.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book shows why Great Danes are awesome, in case you could forget. He just adds to the humor.
And this is a laugh out loud book. There are things in this book you will read out loud to others, because they are just that funny, especially about the Great Dane! And I completely relate to Zara, except I’m nowhere near as good at climbing walls as she is. I love her strength and even when she screws up (which she completely does), she does it with a raw honesty that I love. If it sounds like I’m talking about a real person, that’s how she feels to me.
And after raving about Zara, I feel I should give some time to Caleb. He has his issues, but he has an incredible heart. I love how he isn’t portrayed as a jerk, just a person who’s made some idiotic choices, but owns them and accepts the consequences/responses.
After this, I might even let my mom choose my next date. Maybe…
3.5 stars
Avery Flynn continues her streak of fun and funny romantic comedies. Parental Guidance is the first in her Ice Knights series, a spin off of her Hartigans series.
Caleb is part of the Ice Knights hockey team who finds himself in some hot water when a video of his teammates goes viral. Everyone is upset with him for not stepping in as a senior member of the team. To rehab his image PR comes up with a plan for him to go on five dates with someone chosen from a dating app by his mom. Zara, who works with miniatures, ends up being the woman chosen for him to date.
Both Caleb and Zara are interesting characters with past hurts and obstacles that make them interesting characters. With their parents involved in the dating process things do not always go smoothly, but there are guaranteed to be a few laughs along the way.
I really enjoyed their banter, the appearances from characters from other books, and Avery Flynn’s writing style. I can’t wait for more from this series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.
Avery has once again delivered a sweet and funny read that I couldn’t put down. I have become addicted to her romantic comedies since The Hartigan series and I can’t get enough.
We were introduced to the Ice Knights in Tomboy and I was hoping to get more from them and was thrilled when I heard about this one. I always have high expectations that Avery will deliver an entertaining read with the perfect ratio of sweet, broody, sexiness, floundering characters, angst and so much more and she once again delivered. I couldn’t get enough!!!
This is another must read book and I can’t wait to get more from Avery Flynn and her Ice Knight players!!
This was such a fun book to read! A giant dog always makes things better, so this book gets brownie points immediately for Anchovy, the Great Dane. Zara is a workaholic who plans every detail. Caleb is a hockey player embroiled in a PR nightmare. On paper, they shouldn’t work. And yet they work so well. They seem like opposites but have more in common than they expected. There is just one thing that bothered me as I was reading this book: why was Caleb the only player under fire? The “you were the senior player, you should have shut it down” argument works to an extent, but as it’s written the rookies make the mistakes and the senior players get punished while the rookies face no consequences.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There is a small appearance of Fallon from Tomboy which was fun. Caleb and Zara’s support of each other personally and in their careers was amazing. And both of them have invaluable friendships. And like I said, Anchovy makes everything better.
Avery Flynn wins the award for most adorable couple ever with Caleb & Zara in Parental Guidance. She’s feisty, he’s frustrated, and they both just want to f… well, they absolutely don’t want to fall in love, which makes it super fun to watch happen despite their best efforts! It is the perfect light-hearted summer rom-com romp!
Parental Guidance is witty and entertaining with sweet romance throughout. Zara and Caleb are “required” to complete five dates for a new app launch and it is an app that parents get to pick your date. They immediately come clean as to why they are forced to go on the dates and come to an agreement to just complete them. It’s a win-win for both. Little do they know they will start to fall for each other.
Zara is a feisty, strong, and fun-loving. She is such a delight to read. It is always nice to see a strong woman in stories. Caleb for sure has meet his match with this one. The chemistry the two have pour off the pages and it’s amazing. They completely hold my attention.
If you are looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy with likable characters, then you will enjoy this book.
This book had such a perfectly hilarious and adorable meet-cute. The banter, the situations, all of it were so much fun! I couldn’t help but really fall in love with both main characters as well as the side characters that helped to make everything happen. Like I loved Zara’s dad and his little commercials he wrote for different companies and schools, etc., whenever he would go on the interviews about Zara and Caleb’s dates. I had a little trouble at times getting Caleb’s mom, but I did like how she could tell that really he was interested in Zara. And I also liked that Caleb was pretty good at dealing with stuff with Zara because of his own family full of sisters.
Technically this is the second book I’ve read or started to read by this author. I tried to listen to Butterface on audio, and I don’t know if was the narrators or the way the author writes, but I had trouble keeping my attention with the audio. But I now know that I do like to actually read her books, and will continue to do so in the future!
A delightful read! Kicking off a new Ice Knights hockey series, Avery Flynn brings her signature spunk to life with a set of unlikely-to-hook up characters who are stuck going on dates through a dating app. The hockey action was a bit light, but the characters were fresh and lots of fun to watch get into one mess after another. Well developed characters, funny dialogue and lots of spice made this a really enjoyable read!
When pro hockey player Caleb Stuckey finds himself in the middle of a PR nightmare, he has to suck it up and take one for the team in order to get himself out of it and back on track before the season starts again. Turns out Lucy the PR queen has cooked up a plan with none other than his mother to help him save face and make the fans not turn on him. How embarrassing is this going to be? His mommy is going to choose a date for him while controlling his dating app? C’mon!
Zara Ambrose doesn’t need a man. She’s doing just fine in life on her own, and has no use for the things they bring … or don’t bring … into her life. If only her Dad wasn’t guilting her into a favor at the same time that her BFF decides it’s in her best interest to blow off some steam with a date … make that five dates … with some hockey stud. Just what she needs!
I was thrilled that the Ice Knights get their own series after being introduced to them in Tomboy. Parental Guidance kicked off an amazing series with the usual sweet, funny rom-com that Avery Flynn is famous for. It has everything that I love – a sassy heroine, a swoon-worthy hero, witty banter, sweet romancing, and rules that are meant to be broken. I loved this easy and quick read which is perfect for a lazy day under the summer sun.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.