Review - - Rebel Bride

Rebel Bride

by Kate Meader

Chicago Players - Book 2

Publisher: Kate Meader LLC

Release Date: October 21, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Summer

I can’t marry him.

I have no good reason to jilt my hockey player fiancé, except that the closer we get to the big day, the more I feel myself shrinking to a hollow shell. Two minutes after I slip into the church bathroom to calm my pre-wedding jitters, I jump out the window to make my escape …

… and land on Hatch Kershaw, my fiancé’s teammate on the Chicago Rebels.

This guy has always hated me for reasons I can’t fathom. Half the time he looks right through me, like I’m no better than the ice shavings on his skate blades. The other half? That brooding green gaze strips me bare and sees right into my soul.

Neither option is good for me, so I really shouldn’t want his help … should I?

Hatch

The bride hit me like a ton of bricks.

The last thing I expected was for my teammate’s bride to ask for my help in fleeing her wedding. Make that the second last—even more unexpected is that I said “yes.” Before I know it, I’ve driven her to my family’s vacation home because I’m a nice guy and she needs to catch her breath.

Only now, I can’t breathe around her.

Summer Landry and I have never hit it off, so why the hell am I going along with this madness? Every stolen glance and accidental touch tell me she’s off-limits, while each torturous second with her in our lakeside hideaway has me questioning everything I thought I knew about who she is and what she’s hiding.

No one can know what I did—not my teammate, not my family, not the media—or all hell will break loose. Most of all, Summer can never know why I dislike her so much.

Because if she did, I might not recover.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've read Rebel Bride twice. I'll no doubt visit it again. That seems to be the norm for me and Kate Meader's books. The books in her Chicago Rebels and Rookie Rebels series all sit on my keeper shelf. But, as if the heart-tugging goodness of those books wasn't enough, here she comes with a new series featuring the children of everyone's favorite Rebel, Theo Kershaw. And, let me tell you, these Kershaw offspring do not disappoint!

I was so eager to discover the cause of the friction between Summer and Hatch that was clearly evident in Sweet Thing (Chicago Players - Book 1). Turns out there was a whole lot of sumpin' sumpin' simmering beneath the surface of the eldest Kershaw child and I couldn't be happier. Hatch and Summer together was everything I could have hoped for. First, I love a runaway bride and Meader's special touch with that whole opening chapter was *chef's kiss*. The surprise. The laughter. The tension. The getaway to the Kershaw cabin in Saugatuck. Which brings me to the second thing I loved: Forced Proximity. 

It was pure pleasure to watch these two slowly lower their guards and open up to one another. Being a Meader book, it's filled with humor, sparkling dialogue, tender emotion, vulnerability, and in Hatch's case, yearning. So much yearning. Also cheese. There's a lot to be said for a good triple creme Brie. And then there's the steam. I do love me some Kate Meader steam. Of course, the initial getaway is only the beginning of the journey for these two. There's much to explore for both Hatch and Summer, both personally and professionally, before an HEA is even on the horizon. And that's where everyone else comes into play.

One of my favorite aspects of these books is the family, friends, and teammates who all are such an important part of the story. I love these characters and relationships so much. They add laughter, well-intentioned meddling, wisdom, support, love, motivation, and flat-out fun. Also conflict in some cases, but that's part of what keeps these characters real and the relationships authentic. If you enjoy big families who are bonded by unconditional love and support, laughter and fun, but also up in one another's business constantly, you're going to love the Kershaws. Just like I do. And Summer. For a woman who is without family and searching for her place in the world, the Kershaw family is an almost irresistible place to land. 

Another part of this book that I especially enjoyed is the Midwest vibe. If you've never visited Chicago, Meader brings that vibe to life through her descriptions as well as her characters and if you've spent time there, those same descriptions and character banter will reinforce all the things we love about this city on the lake. And, yes, Kershaws, I agree with you. There's nothing like a good cheese board and it will always be the Sears Tower. 

If you're looking for a funny, endearing, steamy, complicated contemporary romance with family, friendship, character growth, sweetness and sass, hockey brotherhood, sports-loving women, and happy endings earned through time and work, pick up a copy of Rebel Bride. I loved it!

Review - - Sweet Thing

Sweet Thing

by Kate Meader

Chicago Players - Book 1

Publisher: Kate Meader LLC

Release Date: July 15, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

My dad's teammate needs a nanny and I need a job. Sounds perfect, right? Except for my massive crush on him ... the one he knows all about.

Lars

I just found out I’m a dad.

My one-night stand dropped a baby bombshell in my local bar where I was celebrating my team’s win. Then she fled, leaving me holding my new daughter.

Thank God for Adeline. The daughter of my teammate and closest friend on the Chicago Rebels, she practically raised her little sister and knows exactly how to deal with this situation. I need a nanny; she needs a job. Problem sorted, right?

Not so fast …

Adeline

I think you’re the sexiest guy alive.

That’s what Lars Nyquist overheard me say while recounting my embarrassing crush on him. Yeah, that Lars Nyquist. Defenseman for the Chicago Rebels. Owner of the thickest thighs in the league. More than a decade my senior. Oh, and my dad’s teammate.

My only option? Leave the country, of course. Luckily, I’d already planned a round-the-world trip with my bestie and by the time I returned to Chicago a year later, I expected my blunder would be long forgotten. Shows what I know. Now I’m lying awake in the bedroom next to his while playing nanny to his surprise little girl. But I can ignore this stupid infatuation. I have to. Even though the sight of Lars learning to be a dad leaves me breathless and takes that crush to a whole other level.

One that has the potential to break my sorry little heart …

PJ's Thoughts:

Kate Meader keeps upping her game with each book she writes. Fan of her Chicago Rebels and Rookie Rebels hockey romance books? You're going to love this first book in her next generation series. Fan of Theo Kershaw (Insta Crush) - and c'mon, who isn't? - you're going to love seeing him still playing hockey (he's team captain now), still wildly in love with his wife, a father five times over, and the protective dad of this book's heroine. New to the Rebels world but a fan of steamy, humorous, emotion-packed, feel-good romance with characters who feel like friends by the time you finish their book? Jump right in with Sweet Thing. Lars and Adeline are ready to take you on the best kind of ride. 

Kate Meader has mad writing skills and they are all front and center in this newest book in her Chicago hockey world. Filled with delicious tropes (surprise single dad/age-gap romance/chosen family/teen crush/teammate's daughter), I was hooked from the first chapter. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feelings. 

I appreciate that Adeline was given the time away to experience life a bit between her awkward crush declaration and the beginning of her romantic journey with Lars. Though she's 13 years younger, she's now at a point in her life where she holds her own in the relationship with quiet strength and maturity. I love how she grows into the self realization of those qualities while not only finally finding her path in life but also her own Great Love Story. Trademark.

How could I not fall in love with Lars. He's a man alone, carrying some significant emotional baggage, who craves the warmth and acceptance he's found with Adeline's family during her year abroad (while not entirely sure he deserves it), acceptance - and friendship - that could be sacrificed if he gives in to his growing feelings for his best friend and teammate's daughter. I love the yearning between these two, the foundation of support and respect that centers their friendship, the ever-deepening feelings, the sensual chemistry, and the love that, ultimately, will not be denied. I pulled so hard for them.

The balance of humor and emotional depth in this story (in all of Meader's stories, really) gives it the heart and authenticity that mirrors real life. By the time I finished, I felt like these characters were my friends, like I knew them intimately. I hadn't just read about their journey; I had experienced every ebb and flow with them. 

While Lars, Adeline (and baby Mabel) are the primary focus of this book, the heart and soul do not reside exclusively with them. The supporting cast - including Adeline's family and other Rebels families - are an integral part of the story, offering fond remembrances of the past, a richly textured tapestry in the present, and a glimpse of the future. 

Other Kershaw siblings are waiting in the wings for their own stories and I, for one, cannot wait to discover what Meader has planned for them. Next up is Rebel Bride, featuring Addy's older brother, Hatch, scheduled to be released October 21, 2025.