by: Whitney Dineen
Series: Love in Maple Falls
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Sports Romance
Release Date: August 13, 2025
She’s a closet designer for the rich and famous and he’s a broken-hearted captain of a pro-hockey team. Neither of them is looking for love.
Ashlyn
An unexpected trip home to Maple Falls gets even more surprising when I inadvertently become acting mayor.
Add a huge crisis and a smoking hot hockey player, and I’m in over my head before I know it.
I’m only here for a short time, so I will not fall for Mr. Tall, dark, and adorable. I don’t care how helpful and kind he is. Long-distance never works, so the answer is no.
Jamie
I’m sick of the press hounding me about my last relationship, so when the opportunity arose to captain a new hockey team in smalltown Washington, I jumped at it.
Too bad I didn’t ask more questions before moving here, like, “Are there bears, and will they be living in my backyard?”
Then there’s Ashlyn. The last thing I expected was to meet a funny, sassy, and good-hearted woman like her. I swore off love after my last heartbreak, but my heart is acting like it missed the memo.
There’s no way I’m going to pursue her. Unless of course, fate has intervened, and we were meant to be…
***
Fake-Off with Fate is a slow-burn, friends-to-love, fake-dating small town hockey romcom in the Love in Maple Falls series. Add a town conflict, missing mayor, and bear infestation and you will be laughing and cheering your way to a happy ending!
Welcome back to Maple Falls—the small town where hockey players fall in love! This is a multi-author series of seven full-length books that could be read as standalones, but we think you’ll enjoy them best in order.
After she leaves, I turn my attention back to Ashlyn. “I don’t usually get ignored. You must be something special in this town.”
“No more special than every other kid who grew up here. The difference is, I didn’t stay. As a result, when I come home, some of my old friends get excited.”
“Where do you live?”
“Los Angeles. I went to college at UCLA, and I stayed.”
“I’m from New York City.”
“I go there often for work.” She explains, “I’m a closet designer for rich people. A lot of my clients have homes on both coasts.”
Shaking my head, I tell her, “I can’t imagine needing someone to organize my closet for me.”
Her gaze moves from my face to what she can see of my outfit. “Not much of a clothes horse, huh?”
It feels like she’s judging me and for some reason that irritates me. “I have over fifty pairs of shoes,” I brag.
“Wow.” The accompanying laughter makes it clear she’s not impressed.
We sit quietly for long enough that I once again think about getting my food to go. But then Ashlyn announces, “My dad wanted to talk you and your teammates into holding a kissing booth at Maple Fest to bring in a bigger crowd.”
I nearly spit out the sip of water I just took. I force myself to swallow it before telling her, “That’s not going to happen.”
She scoffs. “I know, right?”
What does she mean by that?
She seems to realize I’ve taken offense because she adds, “Not that women wouldn’t want to kiss you. I mean, I’m sure some of them would …” Just clearly not her. Which is fine, because I don’t currently want to kiss anyone, including her.
Yet, I can’t seem to help myself from boasting, “Women enjoy kissing hockey players.”
“Open your mouth,” she orders.
I don’t know why, but I do as she instructs. She leans forward and peers inside. “It looks like you have all your teeth, so that’s a plus.”
“I’m still not going to volunteer my guys for a kissing booth,” I tell her.
Her face crunches up like I’ve just offered her a worm salad. “Please don’t. I’ve already told my dad what a disgusting idea that is.”
“You don’t like kissing men, huh?” I wonder if she’s gay.
“I most certainly do enjoy kissing men,” she says. “Just not strangers. And certainly not ones who’ve been kissing a lot of other women.” She grimaces before adding, “I mean really, hockey players? Imagine where all those mouths have been.”
“No more special than every other kid who grew up here. The difference is, I didn’t stay. As a result, when I come home, some of my old friends get excited.”
“Where do you live?”
“Los Angeles. I went to college at UCLA, and I stayed.”
“I’m from New York City.”
“I go there often for work.” She explains, “I’m a closet designer for rich people. A lot of my clients have homes on both coasts.”
Shaking my head, I tell her, “I can’t imagine needing someone to organize my closet for me.”
Her gaze moves from my face to what she can see of my outfit. “Not much of a clothes horse, huh?”
It feels like she’s judging me and for some reason that irritates me. “I have over fifty pairs of shoes,” I brag.
“Wow.” The accompanying laughter makes it clear she’s not impressed.
We sit quietly for long enough that I once again think about getting my food to go. But then Ashlyn announces, “My dad wanted to talk you and your teammates into holding a kissing booth at Maple Fest to bring in a bigger crowd.”
I nearly spit out the sip of water I just took. I force myself to swallow it before telling her, “That’s not going to happen.”
She scoffs. “I know, right?”
What does she mean by that?
She seems to realize I’ve taken offense because she adds, “Not that women wouldn’t want to kiss you. I mean, I’m sure some of them would …” Just clearly not her. Which is fine, because I don’t currently want to kiss anyone, including her.
Yet, I can’t seem to help myself from boasting, “Women enjoy kissing hockey players.”
“Open your mouth,” she orders.
I don’t know why, but I do as she instructs. She leans forward and peers inside. “It looks like you have all your teeth, so that’s a plus.”
“I’m still not going to volunteer my guys for a kissing booth,” I tell her.
Her face crunches up like I’ve just offered her a worm salad. “Please don’t. I’ve already told my dad what a disgusting idea that is.”
“You don’t like kissing men, huh?” I wonder if she’s gay.
“I most certainly do enjoy kissing men,” she says. “Just not strangers. And certainly not ones who’ve been kissing a lot of other women.” She grimaces before adding, “I mean really, hockey players? Imagine where all those mouths have been.”
Purchase Fake-Off with Fate from:
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The Love in Maple Falls Series:
Offside and Off-Limits (Book 2) releases August 20, 2025
Checking Mr. Wrong (Book 3) releases August 27, 2025
Skating and Fake Dating (Book 4) releases September 3, 2025
Goalie and the Girl Next Door (Book 5) releases September 10, 2025
Soulmates and Slapshots (Book 6) releases September 17, 2025
The Icing on the Skate (Book 7) releases September 24, 2025
Whitney loves to hang with her kids (a.k.a. dazzle them with her amazing 80's dance moves, serenading them to Bohemian Rhapsody, and binge watch Ted Lasso ), bake stuff, eat stuff, and write books for people who "get" her. She thinks french fries are the perfect food and Mrs. Roper is her spirit animal.
Places to find Whitney Dineen:
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