Taking His Shot

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the ‘charity auction date’ trope at first—how many times can we recycle that setup? But *Taking His Shot* won me over by making the constraints *matter*. The entire story unfolds over the course of one evening (with flashbacks woven in), and the audiobook’s strength lies in how Teddy Hamilton and Savannah Peachwood sell that time crunch. Hamilton’s performance as the hockey-playing hero is a standout: he doesn’t just *tell* you the character is charming, he *embodies* it—his voice is all lazy confidence during the banter, then roughens with genuine emotion during the rare moments he lets his guard down. Peachwood, though, is the secret weapon. Harper could’ve been just another ‘I don’t date athletes’ cliché, but Peachwood’s delivery—particularly her dry, *exasperated* reactions to the hero’s antics—makes her feel like a real woman with actual boundaries, not just a plot device. The pacing is where this audiobook *shines*. Ryan’s writing is lean, and the narrators match it beat for beat, ratcheting up the tension without dragging. That said, the lack of distinct audio cues for scene transitions (no subtle music, no ambient noise) occasionally made it hard to track shifts between past and present—especially in the first hour. And while the chemistry is electric, the conflict resolution in the final act feels *slightly* rushed, like the characters go from zero to soulmates in two conversations. Still, the narration elevates even the weaker moments. If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers with *bite*, or sports romances where the athlete’s career isn’t just window dressing, this is a home run. Just don’t expect a slow, meandering love story—this one’s a sprint, and the narrators make sure you feel every heartbeat.