On the Fly Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Verdict: A warm, easy hockey romance between a 36-year-old Olympic medallist nearing the end of her career and a concert violinist home for six months to run her family’s pizzeria — sweet, flirty and good company, but light on hockey depth and with subplots that fizzle.

Best for: Readers who want a quick sports-adjacent romance with a single mom, a teenage son who plays cupid, and a “we’ll keep it casual” deadline that obviously will not hold.

Heat level: Not rated (romance.io has no steam rating; one reviewer calls the scenes “seriously hot”)

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 3.91 Goodreads average across 193 ratings)

Tropes: Athlete and musician, temporary stay, casual fling to forever, single mom, teen matchmaker, small town, homophobic rival, HEA.

On the Fly is PJ Trebelhorn’s 2018 contemporary lesbian romance from Bold Strokes Books. Courtney “Court” Abbott is a gold-medal-winning Olympian who always dreamed of the NHL and has instead poured herself into a semi-pro women’s hockey league in Kingsville, Pennsylvania. Lana Caruso, a violinist with the Chicago orchestra, comes home with her teenage son to help at the family pizzeria while her father recovers from a heart attack. The plan is six months, then back to Chicago.

It holds a 3.91 average across 193 Goodreads ratings, with 73% of them four or five stars. Several reviewers who had read more of Trebelhorn’s books called it their favourite of hers.

What Is On the Fly About?

This is a sports romance that is really about timing. Court and Lana meet when Lana serves Court and her coach at the pizzeria, and the attraction is immediate. But Court is tied to a hockey contract, has never had a relationship longer than three months and is not sure about dating someone with a teenager, and Lana is going back to Chicago. They agree to enjoy it while it lasts.

Around them, Lana’s son Eric — a keen young hockey player — idolises Court and is not shy about playing cupid, Lana’s relationship with her parents is strained, and Court is dealing with Jen Hilton, a younger teammate whose hostility towards her is rooted in homophobia.

What Makes This Hockey Romance Work

Chemistry and flirting: Readers repeatedly praise the banter and attraction, and one called the flirting “on point”.
Eric: Lana’s son is the most fleshed-out supporting character, and his scenes with Court are a highlight for many readers.
Accessible hockey: Readers who know nothing about the sport say the hockey scenes were clear and never overwhelming.
Warmth: Reviewers describe it as a sweet, cosy read that is easy to sink into, often finished in a day or two.
Likeable leads: Court and Lana are described as solid, grown-up people who know what they want.

Book Synopsis

Courtney Abbott is a gold-medal-winning Olympian who always dreamed of playing in the NHL. But breaking into a man’s game is nearly impossible, so she has put everything into playing in a semi-pro women’s ice hockey league.

Concert violinist Lana Caruso and her teenage son return home to care for her father. The move is only temporary: as soon as he recovers, Lana plans to return to Chicago and her place in the orchestra.

Court knows Lana is not going to stick around, but she is used to living life on the fly. She does not think for a second that she will truly fall for Lana. But when hearts are on the line, love becomes the one game she cannot afford to lose.

My Review

The pleasure of this book is its ease. Court and Lana are grown women who like each other, flirt well and talk to each other, and Trebelhorn gives them enough time together that the romance feels earned rather than rushed. Eric adds a lot: a teenage hockey fan who suddenly has an Olympic medallist in his mother’s life is an obvious source of warmth and comedy, and readers loved his interactions with Court.

Both leads have lives that feel lived-in. Court is a part-time realtor as well as a player, has a close sister and a best friend, and is quietly aware that at 36 her playing days are numbered. Lana plays second violin in Chicago, has put her career on hold for her family, and is — as one reviewer put it — naughty and flirty in the best possible way. Eric, who wants to play professionally himself, is the bridge between them, and his hero worship of Court gives the romance its most natural reason to keep them in each other’s lives. The six-month deadline is a simple engine, but it gives every scene a gentle ticking clock, and readers who enjoy watching a casual arrangement turn serious found it satisfying.

One dissenting reader made a sharper point about the sport: that the characters who supposedly love hockey treat it more as a job or hobby than a passion, and that some of the supporting cast feel like tokens. That is a minority view, but it is fair to say this is a romance first and a hockey book a distant second.

The criticisms are about what surrounds the romance. The central conflict — Lana is leaving — has an obvious answer that several readers felt could have been reached sooner, and a few found the back-and-forth over whether to date frustrating. The subplots do not land: Jen Hilton’s homophobic antagonism is never really resolved or explained, and one reader found it hard to believe the league seemed to reward her; Lana’s difficult relationship with her parents is set up and then largely dropped. Readers also say the supporting cast beyond Eric is thin, and one felt the story tells rather than shows.

Reset one expectation. The blurb opens with Court’s NHL dream, and at least one reader expected a story about a woman breaking into the men’s league. That is not this book. It is a small-town romance with a hockey player in it.

My honest note: If you want a warm, easy, flirty romance with a hockey backdrop and a great kid, this is a pleasant choice. If you want the sport or the antagonist to matter, it will leave you wanting.

Element	In On the Fly
Central relationship	Court Abbott & Lana Caruso — Olympic hockey player and concert violinist, casual fling to forever
Core tropes	Temporary stay, athlete and musician, single mom, teen matchmaker, small town
Setting	Kingsville, Pennsylvania, a family pizzeria and a semi-pro women’s hockey league
Heat level	Not rated — romance.io has no steam rating
Series	Standalone, followed by the companion book Face Off — happy resolution
Content notes	Homophobia from a teammate and family, a parent’s heart attack, sexual content

How Spicy Is On the Fly?

We have not scored the heat, because romance.io has no steam rating for On the Fly — only three readers have rated it there. Reviewers do mention it: one called the sex scenes “seriously hot”, and another loved how flirty and naughty Lana is. That points to on-page scenes, but I could not confirm exactly how explicit they are.

The content worth knowing about is the homophobia Court faces from a teammate and the tension in Lana’s family, along with her father’s heart attack.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you want a quick, sweet sports romance, you enjoy single-parent stories with a great kid, you like a fling-with-a-deadline setup, and you do not need much hockey detail. It is on our sapphic hockey romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you want a story about breaking into the NHL, you need antagonists and subplots resolved, or you want a deeply developed supporting cast.

In short: A cosy, flirty hockey romance best read for its couple and its kid.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

This is a Bold Strokes backlist title with a modest readership, much of it from NetGalley advance copies, and a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 23% five stars, 50% four, 19% three and 6% two. StoryGraph shows 3.78 across 15 reviews. It was not in Kindle Unlimited when I checked, and I found no audiobook on Libro.fm.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The chemistry and flirting first. Second, Eric and his bond with Court. Third, how easy and warm a read it is. Fourth, hockey that non-fans can follow.

What readers argue about and complain about: Unresolved subplots, especially Jen Hilton and Lana’s parents. Second, a conflict with an obvious answer. Third, a thin supporting cast. Fourth, hockey that some felt was more job than passion for the characters.

The standalone question worth asking first: On the Fly is complete with a happy ending. Trebelhorn followed it with Face Off, about Court’s teammate Savannah, where Court and Lana make a solid appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is On the Fly a real hockey romance?

Yes, though readers call it sports-adjacent. Court plays semi-pro women’s hockey and there are practices and games, but the book is mainly a romance. Several readers who know nothing about hockey say that was no obstacle, while one reader wanted more genuine love of the sport on the page.

How old are Court and Lana?

Courtney Abbott is 36 and near the end of her playing career, according to one reviewer. Lana Caruso is a concert violinist with a teenage son, Eric, who is 15 or 16 depending on the review.

How spicy is On the Fly?

romance.io has no steam rating for it, so we have not scored it. One reviewer called the sex scenes “seriously hot”, and another described Lana as flirty and naughty in the best way, so expect on-page scenes.

Does On the Fly have a happy ending?

Yes. Readers describe a slightly angsty romance with a beautiful resolution, and the couple reappears in the companion book, Face Off.

Is there a sequel to On the Fly?

Yes. Face Off follows Court’s teammate Savannah Wells and features Court and Lana as supporting characters. Both books stand alone.

If You Loved On the Fly, Read These Next

Stay in Kingsville with Face Off. For another hockey romance with a single mom in the mix, try Calling the Shots. For college hockey, Stick Around and Like a Power Play are both reviewed on this site. For more, browse our sapphic hockey romance list, the sapphic sports romance hub, or the full Book Reviews archive.

The Bottom Line

On the Fly sets out to be a warm hockey romance about two women who meet at the wrong time, and it succeeds as a comfortable read: the chemistry is good, Eric is a delight, and the resolution is satisfying. What holds it back is an obvious central conflict, subplots that go nowhere and hockey that stays in the background. For readers who want an easy, flirty sports romance, it is worth it. Check On the Fly on Amazon →

The Eikna Overall Ranking

On the Eikna scale, On the Fly ranks as a good, cosy sapphic hockey romance — likeable in its couple and its teenage matchmaker, held back by thin subplots and a predictable conflict.