Owen Stone is not your usual hockey player. He’s a six-foot-two single dad with dark hair, ocean eyes, and muscles for days. He’s also a last-minute trade trying to find a home for his seven-year-old daughter, his psychic sister, and his adoring bloodhound. Naturally, my hockey-star cousin tells him to move in with us, and I’m a sucker for a good dog.
Gina Bradford hits me right in my weakness. She’s tall for a girl, with strawberry-blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a sweet smile. She’s also a champion dog groomer, judge, and owner of a pure-bred show poodle, who is also a notorious towel thief.
When my new teammate invites me to be their roommate until I find a home for my crew, I should’ve said no. I’ve survived the worst, and I’ve achieved my dream of playing in the NHL.
My focus is on winning games and taking care of my daughter, not romance.
Until our dogs start acting like fated mates whose sole purpose is to push us together. And a charity calendar forces us to work together. And a highway accident strands us overnight in a hotel with only one room… and only one bed.
We said it was just once. We’ve both been hurt. But once is never enough. My daughter loves her, and even my psychic sister predicted the girl of my dreams would be holding a dog. It takes a little faith and a lot of courage, but what we’ve found is more than a cage. It’s a love that shows up, even when you’re not looking for it.
(ARC Review)
Cage is the kind of romance that sneaks up on you. It’s quietly emotional, deeply comforting, and impossible not to fall headfirst into.
Owen Stone is everything I love in a book boyfriend: a broody single-dad hockey player who isn’t flashy or cocky, just steady, protective, and devastatingly devoted. Since losing his wife in childbirth seven years ago, his entire world revolves around his daughter, Maddie, and the guilt he carries about ever wanting more feels painfully real. He’s built like an Adonis, sure that helps, but it’s his heart, his restraint, and the way he shows up that make him unforgettable.
Gina Bradford is such a refreshing FMC. Tall, confident, dog-obsessed, and emotionally guarded after a bad past relationship, she’s not looking for love, especially not with the hot hockey player temporarily moving in with her and her cousin. Her entire life revolves around dogs (champion groomer, judge, towel-thieving poodle included), and that softness paired with her independence made her instantly lovable. Seeing her relationship with Maddie grow was one of my favorite parts of the story.
The chemistry between Owen and Gina burns slow and hot, built through roommates-to-lovers proximity, shared domestic moments, and dogs who clearly believe they are fated mates and refuse to accept otherwise. The one-bed situation after a roadside rescue, complete with secret identities, was such a fun, clever spin on the trope, and the “just once” moment we all know is never just once had me grinning the whole time.
“Just this once, I want to kiss every part of you. Will you let me?”
What really sets this story apart is the emotional care Tia Louise brings to Owen’s grief. The way his late wife is honored—through tarot cards, heartfelt conversations with his dad, and even an accidentally hilarious mushroom scene—felt tender, respectful, and surprisingly healing. Owen’s internal conflict about moving on, loving again, and making space for Gina without feeling like he’s betraying his past was raw, relatable, and beautifully handled.
“I came here a broken man. A man who thought life had nothing left for him. A man who didn’t want a second chance, who wanted to bury that part of himself. Now I have her, this magical creature. Looking into her eyes, I see a family, a mother for my little girl, someone to share my life with. She steals the breath from my lungs, she makes me irrationally angry at the thought of another man touching her. She makes me irrationally happy…”
And the found family? Perfection. The psychic sister, the charity calendar, the side characters, the dogs acting as chaotic-good matchmakers, it all adds warmth without unnecessary drama. No messy third-act breakup, just two hurt people choosing vulnerability, communication, and love. The spice is perfectly balanced too: intimate, emotional, and hot in a way that deepens the connection instead of overshadowing it.
“I thought if I loved someone with my whole heart this way, I was betraying what had gone before. I didn’t know love could be a safe place, and as much as I want to protect Gina, her love protects me as well. My daughter is safe and happy. The circle is forming. It’s not a cage, it’s a home, a shelter where we’re all secure and free.”
Cage isn’t about being trapped. It’s about finding home when you didn’t even realize you were still looking for one. It’s warm, safe, swoony, and deeply satisfying. If you love hockey romance with heart, single dads, dogs, found family, and a love story that feels like a deep exhale, read this one immediately.
Release Date: January 15th, 2026
Thank you to Tia Louise and The Author Agency for the ARC read!