Book Review: Evening the Score by Lexi LaFleur Brown

Official Synopsis: A grudge hates to see Olivia Hinckley coming. Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father’s NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it’s worse that her father's rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik's son—hockey’s golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze’s mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can’t help but mess with Brody’s gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what’s a little fake dating between enemies?

Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey’s “First Family” has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father’s impossible expectations. Preserving Erik’s image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.

When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she’d pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?A grudge hates to see Olivia Hinckley coming. Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father’s NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it’s worse that her father's rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik's son—hockey’s golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze’s mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can’t help but mess with Brody’s gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what’s a little fake dating between enemies?

Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey’s “First Family” has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father’s impossible expectations. Preserving Erik’s image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.

When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she’d pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?

Olivia Hinckley has felt disconnected from hockey since it took her dad from her. She was good too, playing in college and knowing a lot about the sport. When she hears the son of the man who ended her father's career is now playing on Minnesota, she is determined to make sure his life is hell, even if that means working for the team. When the only option is to fill in as the team mascot, which comes with its own set of crazy rules. Olivia wants revenge, and she will do whatever it takes to get it. But then she runs into Brody Parker as herself, not Chilly the mascot, and he takes to her immediately.

Brody Parker is determined to separate himself from his father, who holds his hockey legacy over Brody's head. Erik was a star back in his day, but he was also a bully and now takes those feelings out on his son. Brody wants to prove he is more than just the name on his back, he also wants to avoid having his father visit him in Minnesota. He even took the contract with the Freeze to avoid playing for the same team as his dad. When he almost runs Olivia over in the player parking lot, he asks her to come to a team party with him. When he tells his dad he has a girlfriend, his dad immediately hopes it will be good for their image. But now the more they hang out or run into each other, the more he wants to keep Olivia around for more than just a reason for his dad to stay away.

Olivia and Brody both started to hang out for different reasons, but when honest and spicy feelings start to take over, they both have to decide if their original plan is what they still want. Olivia get stuck between her need to get revenge and her very real feelings for Brody, especially the version of him he doesn't let the rest of the world see. When her sister and the mascot handler both tell her she is going to far, it feels like she is in too deep to tell Brody the truth.

There are a few things about this book I really liked, and some other things that bothered me but made sense in the long run. For one, both Brody and Olivia have non-Caucasian representation. Olivia is part Indigenous, and that is a big part of who she is and how she feels connected with her dad. Brody is half Korean from his mother's side, and his relationship with his mother and this part of his culture is a big part of the plot. I do really like how caring Brody is from the jump, instead of being a 'player' hockey bro. He wants to be his own person, and you can see him trying. That leads to the first thing that annoyed me, Olivia at times. Olivia is so determined to get revenge, and blame others for her dad's death, that she doesn't always see the parts of Brody that is different. Obviously the readers see a lot more because of the dual POV, but I found myself cheering for Brody more than I was cheering for Olivia.

One thing I also really like about Lexi's book is that you can tell she cares about the sport and is involved in it. They have a deep knowledge of the way the NHL works, how players are treated and work. I also enjoy that she includes mixed culture characters within the story, representing Lexi herself. I also really liked the Minnesota references and showing how crazy the hockey culture is here. (Though the Freeze getting the Stanley Cup is definitely still a pipe dream for Minnesota. -cries-). Overall, I think this is a cute hockey romance with a different plot than other's I read.

I rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Evening the Score comes out May 26, 2026!

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