The Secret Hook-Up by Pippa Grant

This early listening copy was gifted to me by Pippa Grant through Hambright PR. This in no way impacts the rating of the book. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions.

Title: The Secret Hook-Up

Author: Pippa Grant

Narrators: Virginia Rose, Tim Paige

Release Date: August 1, 2024

Publisher: Bang Laugh Love LLC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: audiobook, Hambright PR

TW: graphic sexual content, sexism, cursing

Synopsis

You’d think nearly dying trying to get out of a too-tight gown in a dressing room and being saved by a strong, competent man was a good thing.

Not so much, though, when that strong, competent man is your ex. Your secret ex. And the reason you need a gown is because you’re part of a charity auction. The charity auction where he gets into a bidding war to win you.

And now, because you’re one of few female coaches in professional baseball, and he’s the captain of the local professional hockey team, and he paid a ridiculous sum of money for you.

The entire city is shipping you. You can’t leave your apartment without getting a knowing wink from strangers. Your bosses want to use the publicity to have you jointly launch a new community outreach program.

That’s bad enough. It truly is. But even worse? Duncan Lavoie, the green-eyed, curly-haired, dimple-cheeked, hot as lava hockey player wants a second chance.

And he’ll play dirty to get it.

Thoughts

I recently finished "The Secret Hook-Up" by Pippa Grant, and I must say, it was a cute, very quick read that kept me entertained from start to finish. The second-chance romance aspect was particularly enjoyable. It provided a believable backstory for the chemistry between the main characters, Addie and Duncan, and made the tension between them feel authentic and engaging.

One of the highlights for me was the sports aspect of the story. Both Addie and Duncan are professionals in athletics—Addie is one of the few female coaches in professional baseball, and Duncan is the captain of a local professional hockey team. I loved how their careers added depth to their characters and brought an interesting dynamic to their relationship.

Another element that stood out was the way the book addressed misogyny. Addie had to fight against a lot of sexism in her field, which negatively affected her relationships because she couldn’t be seen as a vulnerable woman in the male-dominated world of baseball. This struggle made her character more relatable and added an extra layer of complexity to the story.

While I enjoyed the plot and characters, I wasn’t a fan of the narration style in the audiobook. It’s a duet narration, where the male narrator does all the voices when the story is from Duncan’s POV, and the female narrator does all the voices when it’s from Addie’s POV. This approach was distracting because neither narrator used the same inflections for the same character, making the narration feel disjointed. However, as the audiobook progressed, this became easier to ignore and didn’t detract from the story as much, though it still wasn’t an optimal listening experience.

In summary, "The Secret Hook-Up" was an enjoyable read with a compelling second-chance romance, interesting sports dynamics, and a thoughtful exploration of the challenges women face in male-dominated fields. Despite the less-than-ideal narration style, the story itself was engaging and well worth the read.