REVIEW: Big Stick Energy by Sarina Bowen

One accidental DM. One fake relationship. And way too many weddings for either of them to survive alone.

In Big Stick Energy by Sarina Bowen, Darcy Kendrick is used to solving everyone else’s problems. As an overworked admin for a professional hockey team, she’s constantly juggling schedules, putting out fires, and keeping things running behind the scenes. What she doesn’t expect is accidentally sending a very private fantasy directly to team captain Eric Tremaine. When wedding season, family obligations, and complicated personal histories start piling up, Eric suggests they fake date their way through it all. It sounds simple enough—until pretending starts feeling a little too real.

BIG STICK ENERGY by Sarina Bowen was a fun hockey romance packed with wedding season chaos, sharp banter, and a fake dating setup that quickly became a whole lot more complicated.

Between the wedding weekends, family drama, and the increasingly obvious fact that neither of them was fooling anyone with their “fake” relationship, this was the kind of romance that constantly had me smiling. The hockey backdrop added another layer of fun, but it was the mix of humor, heart, and emotional vulnerability that kept me fully invested in Darcy and Eric’s story.

As team captain, everyone expects Eric to have everything under control, but beneath that confident exterior was someone carrying a lot more emotional weight than most people realized. Some of my favorite moments were the ones where Darcy saw straight through him. At the same time, Darcy spends so much of her life making everyone else’s lives easier that she’s rarely the person being taken care of. Watching someone finally show up for her, notice the things she needed, and remind her she didn’t have to carry everything alone made her journey just as rewarding.

The chemistry between Darcy and Eric was playful, flirty, and full of tension, but what made their relationship work so well was how naturally they became each other’s safe place. Long before either of them was willing to admit their feelings, they were paying attention, showing up, and making life easier for the other person. The romance wasn’t built on grand gestures—it was built on being seen, understood, and cared for in ways neither of them expected.

Tropes & Vibes
🏒 Hockey romance
💍 Fake dating
💒 Wedding season
💕 Workplace romance
🔥 Forced proximity
💘 He falls hard

BIG STICK ENERGY delivered exactly what I want from a hockey romance: great banter, genuine emotional connection, and characters who made each other’s lives better simply by being in them. The fake dating setup may have brought Darcy and Eric together, but it was the friendship, trust, and quiet ways they cared for each other that made me fall in love with their story.

Perfect For Readers who love competent heroines, fake dating that fools absolutely no one, and romances where the little moments end up meaning the most.

QOTD: Which romance trope gets you every time—fake dating, workplace romance, or wedding season romance?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: June 30, 2026 | Forever | A New York Legends

A hockey team captain and a bubbly staffer mix business with pleasure when they start fake dating through the wedding season in this hot sports romance perfect for fans of Mariana Zapata​ and Elle Kennedy.
Darcy Kendrick is used to putting out fires. As an overworked admin to a hockey team, she’s seen it all. But nothing prepares her for accidentally DMing her very private, very NSFW fantasy to the subject of this fantasy: team captain Eric Tremaine. Nobody actually dies of embarrassment. Right?

But when a wedding invite puts them on a collision course with her chaotic family and his emotionally fraught past, Eric suggests a plan: they fake-date their way through the “Wedding Experience.” It’s mutually beneficial. Totally strategic. And definitely not real. Except between mini tacos, slow dances and lingering glances, Eric starts to wonder if the sharp-tongued assistant with a bottomless to-do list might be the one person who truly sees him. And for Darcy? The fire in her heart might be the only one she can’t put out.

It’s supposed to be fake. It’s supposed to be temporary. So why is it so hard to walk away?