Review: Keeping It Real by Tracy Solheim (Milwaukee Mayhem #1)
Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.
Keeping It Real is the first book in the Milwaukee Mayhem series by Tracy Solheim, and she's made the switch from football to hockey. If you've read the author's Milwaukee Growlers series, particularly, the third novel, Catch and Release, then Alek Bergeron should be familiar to you. Having said that, this new series starter can be read as a standalone, with Solheim providing enough information so that you know what happened when Alek was introduced as a peripheral character in the previous book, making reading it unnecessary (but read it anyway because it was quite a notable read, as were the others in that series.
Alek Bergeron has spent his career as hockey goalie with his eye on the prize--winning the much coveted championship. His team, the Milwaukee Mayhem, are poised to make it all the way to the finals, and he refuses to have his focused swayed by anything else than finally hoisting that elusive Cup. But one phone call from his former best friend changes things, especially since the voice on the other line isn't Jamie Cobert but Jamie's son, Finn. Learning of Jamie's passing--and that of Alek's ex, who ended up marrying Jamie--was devastating; finding out he was Finn's guardian, however, has Alek shocked. Now, he not only has Finn in his life, but Finn's dog AND aunt, as well. His aunt being Jamie's younger sister, Sheridan, who is all grown up but it certainly looks like she hasn't quite outgrown the crush she's always had on Alek.
This series starter is a prime example that you can take romance tropes and giving them your own creative spin and make them worth the time readers put into them. Alek may have ice in his veins when he dons his skates and guards the net, but he's got a heart that had a whole lot of love to give. I loved seeing his development from this thirty-year-old professional athlete whose life was dedicated to his sport to the loving and protective guardian to eight-year-old Finn and a loyal and caring partner to twenty-six-year-old Sheridan. The award for most adorable scene stealer, however, solely belongs to a certain Bernese Mountain dog named Hattie! And I'm keeping it real by giving Keeping It Real five stars!
Release Date: 30 June 2025
Date Read: 28 June 2025
Learn more about Tracy Solheim.
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