Slap Shot Surprise Summary, Characters and Themes
Slap Shot Surprise by Melanie Harlow is a swoon-worthy romance set in the Cherry Tree Harbor series, blending humor, heart, and heat in the best way possible.
It follows Mabel Buckley, a small-town museum curator with a deep fear of flying, and Joe Lupo, a charismatic hockey star with a reputation for keeping things casual. Their worlds collide on a turbulent flight when Mabel, convinced she’s about to die, spills her most personal secrets to Joe. But fate has other plans—their paths cross again at a wedding, leading to an unforgettable night and an even bigger surprise that changes everything.
Summary
Mabel Buckley has always played it safe. A small-town girl with a steady job as a museum curator in Cherry Tree Harbor, she prefers quiet predictability over reckless spontaneity.
That’s why she’s absolutely mortified when, mid-flight to a wedding, she panics during turbulence and spills her most embarrassing secrets to the hot stranger sitting next to her.
What she doesn’t know—at least, not until they land—is that this stranger is none other than Joe Lupo, a professional hockey player with a reputation for being a heartbreaker.
Hoping never to see him again, Mabel rushes off the plane, determined to forget the incident.
But her luck runs out when she spots him at the wedding she’s attending—because, of course, he’s a groomsman.
As much as she wants to avoid him, their undeniable chemistry makes that impossible. Joe, amused by her mid-flight confessions and intrigued by her sharp wit and down-to-earth nature, finds himself drawn to her in a way he never expected.
One drink turns into two, laughter replaces awkwardness, and before she knows it, Mabel is saying yes to a night of no-strings-attached fun.
After all, Joe Lupo is completely wrong for her—he’s a commitment-averse athlete, always on the move, while she wants stability and someone who will put down roots with her.
A one-night stand seems safe enough. Until, weeks later, she sees two little pink lines on a pregnancy test.
Mabel’s world is thrown into chaos.
She’s always been practical and responsible, but how do you plan for something like this?
She wrestles with whether to tell Joe, knowing he’s laser-focused on his career and unlikely to welcome this kind of disruption.
But when she finally works up the courage, his reaction isn’t at all what she expected. Instead of running, Joe is surprisingly involved—concerned, even. He wants to be there, to support her, but he still insists he’s not built for love or relationships.
As they navigate their unexpected situation, Mabel finds herself falling for Joe despite her best efforts. He’s charming, patient (most of the time), and unexpectedly sweet.
He shows up for doctor’s appointments, makes her laugh when she needs it most, and even starts spending more time in Cherry Tree Harbor. But she knows better than to hope for more.
Joe, on the other hand, is struggling with emotions he’s never dealt with before. He’s spent his whole life avoiding deep connections, believing that love is a distraction. But Mabel isn’t just any woman—she challenges him, makes him feel things he doesn’t quite understand.
And for the first time, he starts to wonder if the future he’s always envisioned—one focused solely on hockey—is missing something important.
Things come to a head when Mabel, fearing heartbreak, tries to pull away. She’s convinced Joe will never be able to commit the way she needs, and she refuses to settle for less than what she deserves.
Hurt and frustrated, Joe has to decide if he’s willing to fight for something he never thought he wanted.
In a grand gesture worthy of a romance novel, Joe proves he’s all in. He shows Mabel that love isn’t a limitation—it’s a strength.
That choosing her doesn’t mean giving up on his dreams, but rather expanding them to include her and their future child.
With plenty of humor, heartache, and heat, Slap Shot Surprise delivers a love story about taking risks, embracing life’s unexpected turns, and learning that sometimes, the best things happen when you least expect them.
Characters
Mabel Buckley
Mabel Buckley, the heroine of Slap Shot Surprise, is a complex and multi-dimensional character. A museum curator by profession, she is highly intelligent, self-sufficient, and independent.
Despite her career success, Mabel harbors a deep-seated fear of flying, which sets the stage for her initial encounter with Joe. This vulnerability is contrasted by her strong personality, as she’s no stranger to taking charge in her professional life.
However, Mabel struggles with personal relationships, particularly in trusting her instincts when it comes to love. Throughout the story, she is portrayed as someone who is cautious with her heart, often avoiding relationships with men who exude strong or alpha energy, as they remind her of the chaotic and unpredictable nature of life.
Her internal struggle between wanting to keep things safe and the pull toward someone like Joe forms one of the central emotional arcs of the novel. Over time, Mabel learns to embrace her desires, letting go of her fears to make space for love.
Joe Lupo
Joe Lupo, the male lead, is a professional hockey player, successful and known for his reputation as a playboy. His career is at the forefront of his life, and he has largely avoided long-term relationships, preferring casual encounters.
This commitment-phobic side of Joe is tested when he meets Mabel, a woman who challenges his views on love and relationships. Despite his reluctance to get close, Joe is undeniably drawn to Mabel’s intelligence, vulnerability, and charm.
His attraction grows stronger as they spend more time together, and he finds himself questioning the lifestyle he’s built around fleeting relationships. Joe’s emotional journey in the novel is significant, as he navigates his internal conflict between maintaining his freewheeling, no-strings-attached approach to love and acknowledging that Mabel could be the woman who changes everything.
His evolution from a man avoiding commitment to someone ready to embrace love forms the heart of the story.
Themes
The Power of Unexpected Connections and Unlikely Beginnings
One of the central themes of Slap Shot Surprise is the serendipitous nature of human connection, especially when it arises from chaotic or seemingly insignificant moments. The novel begins with an unexpected and vulnerable encounter during a turbulent flight, a moment that could have been a fleeting memory, yet becomes the foundation for a transformative relationship.
Mabel’s panic on the plane leads her to blurt out deeply personal secrets to Joe, a man she initially perceives as just a stranger. This unguarded confession sets the stage for a romance that neither of them anticipated. Their chemistry is born out of a random event, highlighting how life often works in mysterious, unpredictable ways.
This theme reinforces the idea that sometimes the most meaningful relationships begin in the least expected circumstances. It challenges the notion that love only happens in the ideal, picture-perfect scenarios.
Navigating Emotional Vulnerability and the Fear of Intimacy in Modern Relationships
A significant theme explored in the novel is the tension between emotional vulnerability and the fear of intimacy, particularly in the context of modern relationships. Both Mabel and Joe have their emotional baggage, shaped by past experiences that make it difficult for them to fully open up and trust others.
Mabel is an intelligent, independent woman who has spent much of her life avoiding risky emotional connections. Her fear of being hurt causes her to keep her emotions under tight control, especially when faced with someone like Joe, who embodies the carefree, commitment-phobic persona of a playboy.
Meanwhile, Joe, despite being a successful professional hockey player, is emotionally closed off, unwilling to risk his heart in relationships due to his focus on his career. Their relationship pushes both characters to confront their fears, forcing them to open up and challenge their long-held beliefs about love, vulnerability, and what it means to truly connect with another person.
Through their journey, they learn that embracing emotional risk is crucial for experiencing a fulfilling and lasting relationship.
The Interplay of Family Dynamics in Shaping Personal Choices and Relationship Dynamics
Family dynamics play a pivotal role in Slap Shot Surprise, influencing both Mabel and Joe’s relationship and their personal growth. For Mabel, her overprotective brothers create an environment where she feels both supported and restricted, adding an interesting layer of complexity to her character.
While they love her dearly, their constant concern over her well-being reflects her inability to fully embrace a relationship that challenges her comfort zone, like the one she shares with Joe. On the other hand, Joe’s close-knit family provides a different, but equally significant influence.
The contrast between Mabel’s more cautious, protective familial relationships and Joe’s open, supportive family unit serves to underline their different approaches to love and commitment. As Mabel and Joe’s romance unfolds, the interferences and support from their families add both comedic and emotional depth to the story.
This theme emphasizes that family, in all its forms, plays a crucial role in shaping how individuals approach relationships, and often, family involvement can either complicate or solidify the path to true love.
The Concept of Personal Growth Through Risk-Taking and Overcoming Personal Fears
Another important theme in the novel is personal growth, specifically the idea that taking risks and confronting personal fears are necessary for true happiness and self-fulfillment. Mabel’s character arc is deeply tied to her struggle with stepping outside her comfort zone.
Initially, she is reluctant to engage with Joe and challenge her perceptions of what a relationship should look like. She is drawn to his magnetism and charm, yet fears that pursuing something with him would jeopardize her personal values and future desires.
Joe, too, faces his own challenges in terms of growth. He is initially hesitant to commit, bound by the demands of his career and his past experiences with fleeting relationships.
However, as the story progresses, both Mabel and Joe learn to take risks in their emotional lives—Mabel in opening her heart, and Joe in stepping away from his career-driven life to explore a deeper connection with her.
This theme encourages readers to reflect on how taking emotional risks, whether it be in love or in life choices, is often necessary for growth, and that fear should not hold us back from pursuing what we truly desire.
The Balance Between Personal Independence and the Desire for Connection in Romantic Relationships
A final theme explored in Slap Shot Surprise is the delicate balance between maintaining personal independence and the desire for a deep, meaningful connection with another person. Mabel is portrayed as a fiercely independent woman, thriving in her career and personal life, yet she finds herself at a crossroads when it comes to romantic relationships.
Her desire to remain self-sufficient and avoid emotional dependency creates tension within her budding romance with Joe, who, despite being a playboy, eventually shows signs of wanting a more serious relationship.
This contrast between the characters’ independence versus their growing emotional needs speaks to the common struggle many face in modern relationships—how to reconcile personal desires and the need for love and companionship.
Mabel’s evolution throughout the story reflects her journey of learning how to embrace love without sacrificing her autonomy. Joe, too, learns that being emotionally available does not mean losing oneself in a relationship, but rather complementing one’s own identity with another.
This theme underscores the importance of finding a harmonious balance between independence and connection for a healthy, fulfilling partnership.