Hollis Hendrix is a veteran Toronto hockey player and the best friend of Aurora Hammerstein's father. When Aurora begins working in the team's front office, the family-friend bond, age gap and team dynamics turn mutual attraction into a secret neither can treat as casual.
This researched assessment recommends If You Want Me for readers who want a direct dad's-best-friend romance with an adult heroine whose career remains visible. The long page count, secrecy and repeated hesitation will frustrate readers who prefer tighter sports romance.
A warm, explicit dad's-best-friend hockey romance with credible adult ambition and found-family texture, slowed by secrecy and an extended forbidden push-pull.
Provisional Eikna score: 3.9/5. Four core dimensions cover 85% of the quality weight. Ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unscored; heat is excluded. Researched editorial assessment; no firsthand reading claimed. Evidence confidence: moderate.
A numeric heat level has not been established. Read the review’s heat and content discussion for attributed descriptions before choosing. An unknown level is not a closed-door or no-spice promise.
The heat-level guide explains detail and frequency; the glossary entry for spice separates sexual content from quality.
The romantic outcome is not established in this summary. A romance label does not independently confirm an ending. Consult the discussion before choosing if closure is essential.
For the difference between romantic commitment and wider plot closure, compare HEA, HFN and cliffhangers.
Standalone or continuing-series status is not established in this summary. Read the existing format and series guidance for any available context; do not assume a missing series entry means the book stands alone.
The series-order guide explains what to check when a complete romance belongs to a connected world.
| Title | If You Want Me |
|---|---|
| Author | Helena Hunting |
| Inspected edition | US Ink & Cupcakes, Inc. paperback · ISBN 9781989185841 · 458 pages |
| Publication scope | Published 2024-07-11 · checked 12 October 2026 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781989185841 |
| Edition page count | 458 pages |
The author or publisher evidence identifies the work. Publication dates refer to the stated edition or release scope, not automatically the first appearance of the story. Unknown identifiers and formats are left open.
The official page directly establishes Hollis as his best friend's daughter's off-limits match.
Aurora works in the front office, so the hockey organization shapes her career as well as his team loyalty.
Aurora's ambition and work give her goals beyond being the team princess.
Hollis's history with her father still creates a family boundary, but it is not a substitute for her choices.
Supportive critics enjoy the recurring team family and humor.
New readers can follow the couple, though connected characters and prior friendships carry extra weight for series readers.
The familiarity makes the attraction readable and emotionally safe for supportive readers.
Selected dissent finds the length, secrecy or repeated hesitation excessive, limiting the pace score.
The author and firsthand critics report recurring explicit on-page sexual content. No numeric heat rating, scene count or timing audit is asserted. About That Story. AJ Book Remarks.
Age gap, dad's-best-friend family boundary, professional/team overlap, secrecy, possessiveness, family pressure and explicit sex appear in inspected material. Notes are attributed and non-exhaustive. About That Story. AJ Book Remarks. Selected Goodreads criticism.
Best for readers who want dad's best friend, hockey family, age gap, friends-to-lovers familiarity and a front-office heroine. Avoid if team secrecy, possessiveness, long internal conflict or interconnected-series cameos are poor fits.
Supportive critics value humor, chemistry, adult ambition and team-family warmth. Dissent centers on length, secrecy and repetition. The recommendation is strongest for readers who enjoy living in an interconnected hockey community.
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The author verifies The Toronto Terror book two and calls Hollis's romance standalone. Prior series context is optional but may deepen team relationships.
The inspected Amazon product identity matches the stated title and edition. Confirm the selected format before buying; current price and stock are not established.
We may earn a commission from purchases through our links, at no extra cost to you. Check the verified Amazon edition.
The inspected Bookshop.org product is Paperback. Its title, author and ISBN 9781989185841 were checked; current price and stock are not established.
Quality scale: 1 substantial weaknesses; 2 weaknesses outweigh strengths; 3 mixed; 4 strengths outweigh limitations; 5 exceptional sustained strengths. Half points are allowed. Weights: romance 30%, characters 20%, writing 20%, emotional impact 15%, ending satisfaction 10%, reread appeal 5%. A provisional overall score divides the supported weighted sum by its supported weight and rounds once to one decimal. Heat is descriptive and excluded. These scores express the evidence-based judgment explained in this review.
4.0
Provisional dimension score: 4.0/5.
4.0
Provisional dimension score: 4.0/5.
3.5
Provisional dimension score: 3.5/5.
4.0
Provisional dimension score: 4.0/5.
On-page sexual content is reported; calibrated intensity remains unknown.
Unscored; reactions do not establish a work-level ending judgment.
Unscored; enthusiasm does not verify repeat reading.
Hollis Hendrix is a veteran Toronto hockey player and the best friend of Aurora Hammerstein's father. When Aurora begins working in the team's front office, the family-friend bond, age gap and team dynamics turn mutual attraction into a secret neither can treat as casual.
It is The Toronto Terror book 2. The central relationship occupies this volume, but recurring characters or series continuity may matter; no stronger standalone guarantee is inferred.
Firsthand critics report on-page sexual content. Eikna does not infer a numeric heat level, scene frequency or timing from another site’s scale.
The facts table uses the US Ink & Cupcakes, Inc. paperback, ISBN 9781989185841, with 458 pages.
No work-level ending classification is asserted. Ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unscored.
Only the four core quality dimensions are supported. Heat is descriptive and excluded; ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unknown.
For another direct father's-best-friend connection with heavier family history.
For another adult family-friend age gap with workplace stakes.
For a much messier second-chance version of the direct trope.
The contemporary romance collection includes this book among other choices. Compare those options if its premise appeals but a limitation gives you pause. The Dad's best friend romance books explains the surrounding reading route and what to check before choosing.
A warm, explicit dad's-best-friend hockey romance with credible adult ambition and found-family texture, slowed by secrecy and an extended forbidden push-pull. Best for readers who want dad's best friend, hockey family, age gap, friends-to-lovers familiarity and a front-office heroine. Avoid if team secrecy, possessiveness, long internal conflict or interconnected-series cameos are poor fits.
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Checked 2026-10-12. The How this assessment was researched preserves attributions and research limits. Unknown details do not establish absence. Purchasing links use our account.