Slap Shot Surprise

Cherry Tree Harbor, Book 5

By: Melanie Harlow

Narrated by: Connor Crais, Kirsten Leigh

In my defense, I thought the plane was going to crash.

Otherwise, I never would have blurted out those embarrassing things to a perfect stranger.

Did I mention he turned out to be a scorching hot superstar of professional hockey?

But wait, there’s more.

When the plane lands safely, I rush off, praying I’ll never have to face him again. My luck holds out for less than twenty-four hours, when I realize he’s a groomsman at the wedding I’m attending.

We end up having a drink and a good laugh about my panicked confessions, and when he invites me up to his room for some no-strings-attached fun, I say yes. After all, a headboard rattling one-night stand with a guy who knows how to put the puck in deep isn’t something a bookworm like me ever thought she’d experience.

Neither are those two little pink lines.

Now what’s crashing are all the plans Joe Lupo and I had for our lives–separately.

After all, we’re totally wrong for each other. He’s commitment-phobic and completely focused on his career. And I want to plant roots in my small town–with someone who chooses me.

Love? It’s out of the question.

Until Joe Lupo lines up his shot and aims straight for my heart.

©2024 MH Publishing LLC (P)2024 MH Publishing LLC

Slap Shot Surprise !!!

OH MY GOSH ! THIS ONE MIGHT BE MY NEW FAVORITE !!!! Mable Jane Buckley is a quirky, nerdy, play it safe kinda girl who has a DEATHLY fear of flying . Which makes for the most hilarious meet cute with none other than perfectly sculpted, Paul’s twin brother, professional hockey player, Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Lupo . Cut to them both running into each other at a wedding in their home town of Cherry Tree Harbor, Michigan .. and a one night stand surprise happens !!! Long distance is never fun, but these two learn rather quickly that they are capable of scoring the goal . I can’t believe this perfection of a small town series has come to an end . Until my reread Cherry Tree .

This is book five in the Cherry Tree Harbor series and it can be read as a complete standalone .

This audiobook was given to me for honest review by the author .

My favorite of the series 😍

I loved this one!! Definitely my favorite of the series and I'm so glad Melanie Harlow gave us Joe and Mabel's story!!

I knew from the very first chapter I would love this. Their meet cute is hilarious and so original. Of course after that whole situation they would end up at the same wedding. Why not have a night of some fun??!! And of course this night ends up in a pregnancy, which I thought was done so well.

I loved how they both handled everything with such grace and how this brought them together to form an amazing friendship. I think developing that friendship led to having a great foundation for their love. It was perfect.

With Mabel being the baby of the family, I loved seeing her have her moment and get her love story. She loved this baby from the start and was ready to be a mom and you could just feel that she would be the best mom there is. She was strong but also so fun and just that person who would be a great friend!

And Joe! He definitely wasn't expecting any of this. And honestly didn't ever want a baby and wife. Especially at this time in his career. But I loved how he took care of Mabel and wanted to provide for her in any way he could. And he really stepped up and ended up being that rock that Mabel needed to start their family. And I mean, they had great chemistry and he was good in bed too haha.

This was overall just a fantastic conclusion to this series. I wouldn't say you need to read this series in order, and while this one is my favorite, I highly recommend them all! The audiobook was amazing, Connor Crais fantastic as always and Kirsten Leigh did a great job!

Joe. Lupo.

Joe freaking Lupo. Hot dang, Melanie…

This book was so good. The chemistry. The banter. The families. The cameos. All. Soo. Good.

I adored the relationship between Mabel and Joe. A dash of fate plus a one night stand and accidental pregnancy. Just absolutely perfect.

Narration: Connor Crais… what more needs to be said?! He slayed Joe. Kirsten Leigh is a new to me narrator and I adored her. She portrayed Mabel just perfectly.

Tropes:
Hockey romance
One night stand
Accidental pregnancy
Small town romance

What a sweet goodbye to the series!

Mabel Buckley doesn't like to fly. She's not even enjoying her upgrade or the view of the hottie sitting next to her and things get really bad when major turbulence hits the plane. She panics and starts blurting everything single thing she's missed out now that death is impending... including never having experienced "a good puck in her net".
Joe Lupo knows everything about slap shots and he's more than willing to offer Mabel even a hat trick... but they part ways without exchanging contact numbers. Well well well, what a nice surprise because guess who's attending the wedding where he is a groomsman? Mabel, whom he can't stop thinking about. So he offers her - no strings, let's be clear - a good puck on the net. A hat trick even, as they have all night. 
A few weeks later, Mabel finds out that Joe not only hit the net but the puck stayed nestled there when she see two pink lines on a pregnancy test. Now she has to search committment phobe Joe and give him the surprise of his life. 
This was an absolute delight! The surprise baby trope is one of my least favorite ones but I was completely invested in Mabel and Joe's story! And he's a LUPO!!!! 
I loved how the pregnancy didn't take over the story completely. We knew Mabel would be completely capable of handling single motherhood but we can't not root for her to get everything on her plane bucket list. Joe just has to get on with the program. We always knew he would too. This is a warm hug of a book and I loved every single minute of it.
Narrated dual style by Kirsten Leigh and Connor Crais and it’s LOVELY! It’s my second time listening to Kirsten and won’t be my last and Connor is at his best as the expected dad!
I am sad to leave Cherry Tree Harbor but we are leaving with a slap shot and a hat trick (The Buckleys, The Lupos and the family fun).

Loved Mabel and Joe!

Okay I loved this book so much! I was so excited when Melanie announced that Mabel’s book was coming way sooner than we thought. I was laughing so hard at Mabel confessing everything on the plane. And the sports references made me smile too. And how both of them didn’t want anything to happen. How hard they tried to keep their relationship platonic. But also Joe doing everything in his power to make sure Mabel and the baby were taken care of?! Swoon!!! And his parents were so kind to Mabel. And of course we love seeing her whole family. I loved the moment Joe realized his life goals had changed. I ate this book up and dare I say accidental pregnancy might be growing on me??

The audiobook was also phenomenal. Both narrators did a wonderful job. I could not stop listening and didn’t want the book to end!

Couldn't help but fall in love.

Slap Shot Surprise is stunning. Harlow illicits all the feels. Joe and Mabel are endearingly, frustrating, yet heartbreakingly, irresistible. From the surprise twists to the ironic humor and the unforgettable romance, I couldn't help but fall in love.

love Joe and Manle

such a great story. Mixing two family's was such an awesome read. Reading an update to these two families was amazing.

Perfect end to the series

I loved this book so much! The meet cute was perfect. So was the next meeting. I loved how the accidental pregnancy was handled by both Mabel and Joe. Mabel was so relatable. I loved Joe even when he made me mad. The narration was phenomenal! I’m so sad the series is over but this was the perfect ending.

Cherry Tree Harbor Was Just Not Complete Without Mabel’s book!

4.5 ⭐️
2.5 🔥
Small Town Romance
Accidental/Surprise Pregnancy
Mile High Meet Cute ✈️
Pro Hockey Player MMC
Opposites Attract
Text Conversations
He Loves to Spoil Her
He Gives Her A Nickname 🧁
Great on Audio! 🎧
We BEGGED Melanie for Mabel’s book & she DELIVERED! The Cherry Tree Harbor series just wasn’t complete without her book. I also loved seeing the other couples from the previous books, happy with babies! Mabel & Joe meet on a plane, with Mabel freaking out with being on the plane & Joe trying to calm her. They are complete opposites, but are drawn to one another. They depart separately after the plane & just so happen to meet again by chance. After Joe scored his shot, they both again walked away, only to be surprised by an accidental pregnancy a few weeks later. With them both on separate paths & with different life goals, they made an agreement to become friends, while coparenting. But we all know how that ends right?!

Thank you Melanie Harlow for the ARC!

Joe & Mabel

Got this audio because of the narrator (Connor Crais), I love hockey, and the meet cute from the blurb sounded funny. I have only listened to one other audio by author Melanie Harlow (also narrated by Connor Crais), and none from the Cherry Tree Harbor series, but I really enjoyed this. The main characters were very likeable, and valued famly/family traditions. There's not a ton of hockey, but I really liked this sweet, easy to listen to, and fun story with some spice and humor. Kirsten Leigh co-narrated with Connor and I enjoyed both of their performances very much. (☆Any time I get to hear Connor do accents is a bonus, and there are several scenes where he plays the French-Canadian teammate of Joe. Loved that!)