Penalty Shot (Winnipeg Avalanche 3) by Crea Reitan-review tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 14, 2026
You miss all the shots you don’t take.
Denny
My world turns upside down when I’m thrust into single parenthood to my day-old son. Coming from a home where hatred and resentment thrived, I’m terrified of messing up my kid. Just when I’m at my lowest point, on the brink of drowning, a stranger shows up at my door and somehow, he makes it a little easier to breathe even as he makes the guilt in my chest a little louder.
Tyler
My world turns inside out with the loss of my sister – my best friend. I’m hours too late to say goodbye and by the time I get to the hospital, her newborn has already left with her fiance. Tracking them down isn’t as difficult as not falling for him. Everyday this man makes me fall a little harder as I search for the answers my sister took with her to an early grave.
••••••
REVIEW:Penalty Shot by Crea Reitan is one of those books that quietly sneaks up on you with its emotions and warmth.
It’s the third installment in the Winnipeg Avalanche Hockey series, and it delivers a tender, grief laden MM romance centered on two men learning to navigate sudden single parenthood, loss, and the slow bloom of unexpected love.
The story opens with Denny’s world shattering when he becomes a single father to his newborn son under heartbreaking circumstances. (Sally and Denny aren’t a couple, but Denny was stepping up for his little family.) Haunted by his own toxic upbringing filled with resentment and hatred, he’s terrified he’ll ruin his child. Just as he’s drowning in panic and exhaustion, Tyler appears at his door, the brother of Denny’s late fiancée. Tyler arrives reeling from his own devastating loss, hours too late to say goodbye to his sister, only to find his nephew already gone with the man she was going to marry. What follows is a beautiful, aching slowburn as these two strangers are thrown together by necessity and shared grief.
I loved both of these characters. Denny’s journey from overwhelmed and self doubting to confident, loving dad had me feeling like a proud mother watching her son navigate fatherhood….. You watch him grow through the little victories and quiet moments with the baby, all while carrying heavy guilt. Tyler is patient, steady, and incredibly supportive, even as he grapples with his sister’s secrets and his growing feelings for Denny.
Their relationship develops through late night feedings, shared responsibilities, and the hockey team’s wonderful found family support system. The teammates from previous books step up in meaningful ways that made me smile. I loved both this “Creaverse” everyone still visit’s 😊
The book balances heavy themes of grief, family trauma, and sudden parenthood, with sweetness, domestic warmth, and solid steam. The emotional intimacy often hits harder than the physical scenes, though those are nicely done too. There are touching moments where Tyler tries to keep his sister’s memory alive for the baby, and I loved that.
If you enjoy hurt/comfort stories, single dad tropes, hockey romances, and characters who choose to build something better than what they came from, this one delivers.
It’s comforting in its messiness and left me with that warm, satisfied feeling long after finishing.
A heartfelt, emotional, and very much worth picking up, highly recommended as usual from one of my favourite authors.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Julie 🦋
Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. All of her RH relationships end up being heavily polyamorous – meaning it’s not just all the men for one woman. There’s also some M/M action going on. When she can’t fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center – and utterly swoon-worthy! Don’t ask her how many book boyfriends she has…
When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don’t even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!
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