Dating Goals Summary: Hockey Rom-Com Meets Spy Adventure
Introduction
When an NHL lockout strands Toronto Titans goaltender Griffin McGregor in a quiet Swiss mountain village, he expects a season of solitude.
Instead, a bathroom mix-up with pub owner Anika Gisler leads to a bargain: he will coach her through her first-ever date, and she will teach him Swiss German.
Dating Goals by Gigi Blume blends small-town alpine charm with sports banter and a surprising layer of international intrigue.
The fourth Toronto Titans novel follows two guarded people navigating an arrangement that keeps blurring into something real.
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TL;DR
- What it is: A dual-POV hockey romantic comedy with a dating-coach premise that escalates into a spy parody.
- Who leads: Griffin, a warm NHL goalie on lockout, and Anika, a sarcastic pub owner and kung fu champion who has never dated.
- Where it goes: From cozy GrƤchen, Switzerland, to Zermatt galas, a St. Moritz poker tournament, and a mountain lair.
- Core tension: Practice romance versus real feelings, plus a financial fraud plot involving the Titans’ owner.
- Vibe: Witty, fast-paced, lighthearted, with 1980s music nods and espionage tropes played for fun.
Spoilers ahead. An NHL lockout begins when the collective bargaining deadline expires, leaving Toronto Titans goaltender Griffin McGregor without a season. He signs with EHC Visp in Switzerland and rents a stone cabin in GrƤchen from Walter Egger. Anika Gisler, who owns the pub S’Holzfass, lets herself into the cabin’s bathroom during a morning hike. She emerges singing Blondie and finds Griffin staring at her, then flees after threatening him with a singing mechanical trout. She later drops off ChrƤbeli cookies and toilet paper, catching him chopping firewood shirtless. At the pub, Griffin tries to learn the card game Jass, and when two men harass Anika, she dispatches both using her Wing Chun training. Walking him to his car, she accidentally punches him in the jaw. At a baby shower in Bern, Anika admits she has never been on a date. Ivy and James set her up with Thomas, a landscape architect. Anika asks Griffin to be her dating coach, and he agrees if she teaches him Swiss German. Their coaching sessions blur into real attraction. A gondola ride and snowy hike at Hannigalp involve hand-holding and personal confessions. When Griffin leaves her front-row tickets at a Visp game, he discovers she is a die-hard hockey fan in a vintage jersey. Swiss intelligence agents Bruderlin and Showalter recruit Griffin at the gym. They reveal that Titans owner Malcolm Chase runs a Ponzi scheme disguised as team stock. Griffin is asked to infiltrate a black-tie investor gala in Zermatt. He sends Anika a midnight blue gown and jewelry. At the gala, they dance to “The Safety Dance,” and Griffin realizes he is falling in love. An undercover agent named Wilde, posing as Durand, pulls Anika aside and warns her Griffin is in danger. Read Also:Ā The Long Game Summary: A Hockey Love Story That Refuses to Stay in the Shadows Wilde guides her through a secret passage to a helicopter. Meanwhile, a woman named Elodie approaches Griffin claiming to be his handler. Anika spots Elodie’s lipstick on his cheek and confronts him on the terrace. Griffin declares his feelings and gives her a passionate kiss, her first ever, before she flies away. Anika hides in GrƤchen for three days. Wilde tracks her down and reveals he works for His Majesty’s Secret Service, asking her to bug Griffin and Elodie in St. Moritz. On the Glacier Express, an assassin attacks Griffin, and Elodie pushes the assailant out a window. In St. Moritz, Griffin enters a ten-million-euro buy-in Texas Hold ‘Em tournament against Malcolm Chase and others, receiving advice through a hidden earpiece. Anika arrives in a silver dress, and they share another heated kiss in an elevator. During the final round, Griffin loses his earpiece but channels his goalie instincts and Anika’s supportive nod to go all-in with ā¬38.5 million plus one Canadian Loonie, defeating Chase and winning over ā¬100 million. Elodie vanishes with the ā¬104 million pot. Agents reveal she is Renata Nero of OMBRA, a global crime syndicate. Nero kidnaps Anika and Griffin and outlines a scheme involving mind-control nanobots and Project Blue Beam. They escape, parachuting down the mountain, where Anika confesses her love. With FIS agents, Coach Knight, and his Titans teammates, Griffin raids Malcolm Chase’s mansion, exposing the Ponzi scheme and forcing Chase to surrender team ownership. The teammates pool their money to buy the Toronto Titans franchise. Griffin returns to GrƤchen to tell Anika he now owns the team and has moved to Switzerland, offering to split time between Toronto and GrƤchen. She agrees to move to Toronto with him. Five months later, on Toronto’s Queens Quay waterfront, Griffin tries to propose but accidentally drops the engagement ring, wrapped in plastic at the bottom of her waffle cone, into a federal mailbox when Anika discards the cone. He drops to one knee and presents a souvenir CN Tower keychain instead. Anika joyfully accepts, and the two celebrate their future together. You May Also Like:Ā King of Sloth Summary: A Romance That Refuses to Follow the Rules Readers who enjoy hockey romance with a comedic tone may find this book fits their interests. The story combines a dating-coach arrangement, dual first-person narration, and a slow-burn romance with an espionage parody that grows across the second half. Those who prefer realistic sports fiction with minimal genre mixing may find the spy elements less aligned with their tastes. The novel suits readers comfortable with fast pacing, alternating perspectives, and tonal shifts between alpine coziness and action sequences.
Characters In This Book
Character Role Griffin McGregor Starting goaltender for the Toronto Titans who plays for EHC Visp during the lockout and becomes Anika’s dating coach. Anika Gisler Twenty-five-year-old owner of the S’Holzfass pub in GrƤchen and a three-time regional Wing Chun champion. Malcolm Chase Billionaire owner of the Toronto Titans who runs a fraudulent stock scheme and causes the lockout. Elodie / Renata Nero Operative for the OMBRA crime syndicate posing as a Federal Intelligence Service agent. Agent Wilde (James / Durand) British intelligence operative posing as a French poker player named Durand. Ivy Anika’s pregnant best friend in Bern who arranges a blind setup date. James Ivy’s British husband who helps set up the dinner with Thomas. Thomas Landscape architect in Bern and Anika’s setup date. Frau Gisler Anika’s bohemian mother who practices tai chi and encourages romance. Lars, Colin, & Evan Elderly regulars at S’Holzfass who play Jass and protect Anika. Sawyer O’Malley, Hendrix, Kevin Tate, & Owen Jablonski Griffin’s Titans teammates who help buy the franchise. Maggie O’Malley Sawyer’s wife who travels with the team and owns a parrot named Otto. Agents Bruderlin & Showalter Swiss intelligence agents who recruit Griffin for an undercover sting. Tyler Matthews, Christoph “Speedy” RĆ¼eger, & Peter Griffin’s teammates at EHC Visp. Dex Griffin’s former junior hockey goaltending friend playing for Davos. Coach Knight Veteran head coach of the Toronto Titans. Dating Goals Summary: Full Story Deep Dive
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