If You Hate me by Helena Hunting

4 Stars

Hate is a gentle word. Eternal loathing is more accurate.
Pro hockey player with a filthy reputation and an even filthier mouth? That’s Tristan Stiles, also known as my brother’s best friend and my ungodly hot new roommate.

I thought it would be fine, just a quick stay after I rage quit my job while I look for a new place.
I was wrong.
It’s not fine.
We fight. We bicker. We taunt each other like it’s a brutal Olympic sport.
Tristan never wears a shirt and looks like my every sexy nightmare come to life, complete with perfect abs.

He was my secret crush growing up, but I’m not the little kid wishing for his attention anymore.
If we can’t keep our clothes on, we’ll both go down in flames. I’m addicted to how he makes my body feel. I can’t stop falling into his bed.

That line between hate and love? It’s looking pretty thin.
Now I’m wondering how either of us will walk away unscathed.

 

Who doesn’t love a good brother’s BFF plus a whole lot of hate sex. I loved all the humor and the hate between Tristan and Rix. The grovel was also so good. It just overall was a good read.

Book 1 The Toronto Terrors

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Knot that Simple by Amy Oliveira

3 Stars

"You are an Omega..."

Even as I say the words it doesn’t feel true. My hand tightens around Alice’s tiny fingers and I consider running, but there’s something deep inside that tells me to listen. There’s something better for my daughter than the life I’ve been able to give her.

When we move to the omega village I think I’ve lost my mind, but it’s the people around me who are willing to supply us with everything we need. It feels too good to be true, and when I’m handed two one way tickets to Ireland, I realize it’s time to pay up.

What would three men want with me when the father of my child didn’t even want us?

Tadgh is the first to make me feel at home, Osian is the calm I’ve needed after so many storms, but Lorcan? He’s the one I’m struggling to crack but want to call Daddy.

Can three fisherman and a remote Irish village really equal happy ever after for two girls no one has ever loved?

This was a short and quick read. Not a lot of world or character building. I felt like things were missing but they may have been in book 1. I still enjoyed the overall story and the spice level.

Book 2 Lost Omegas

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Set me on Fire by Sam Hall

4 Stars

What’s hotter than a handsome firefighter? Three of them.
When our passion ignites like wildfire, we decide to give in to our delicious urges and share one crazy, unforgettable night.
I even get a little souvenir to remember them by: a positive pregnancy test. Oops.
It’s time to mummy up, and that includes getting a steady job… at their fire station. But it’s fine; they don’t need to know my oven’s been stuffed with one of their buns.

So who’s the daddy? Could it be:
Knox—with grey eyes that stare right into your soul, he leads his team into danger with barely a backward look and he’s just as commanding off the job.
Charlie—the hyperactive guy with a heart of gold. The only thing he takes seriously is putting out fires and now, me.
Or Noah—my high school crush is all grown up, but now I’m back in his life, he’s not willing to let me go.

I don’t know, so I decide it’s best not to tell them.
But somehow they find out anyway, and they’re not upset—they’re ecstatic.
The guys are 100% in, caring for me, protecting me, making sure I have everything I need.

Hmmm. Maybe I don’t need a paternity test, after all. Maybe I just need them.

This why choose was well paced and a nice mix of character and plot. I loved the guys and Millie. The one who cause problems is obvious but was still a good read. I loved that each guy had their own personality and you could tell them apart. Sometimes in Why Choose books this isn’t done and it ends up being a bunch of people who are all the same or one note. One of the biggest issues I had with the book was the length of the book but I still loved it.

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Alpha’s Revival by Reece Barden

4 Stars

Rex is an Alpha without a pack. Rejected by his fated mate, he's not interested in second chances.
He just wants to be left in peace to lick his wounds and rebuild his life.
When he starts a new business, his sister-in-law comes to help, but Leah is exactly the kind of happy, bubbly woman he normally can't stand to be around. It doesn't matter how attractive she is.

And let's not forget she knows nothing about shifters.
Even if he wanted to keep her, he can't. Not without facing the one thing that has the power to strike fear in his heart and turn his world upside down all over again. His mate.

Leah knows what she wants and she won’t give up until she gets it.
The second she lays eyes on her handsome brother-in-law, she knows Rex is the one for her.
Even if he pretends to be irritated by her mere presence, she knows he feels it, too.
She's not sure what’s holding him back, but it won’t work, not with this stubborn human.
He can run, but he can’t hide.

When trouble comes to Grey Ridge, and Leah gets caught in the middle, will Rex be too stubborn to go after what he wants? Or will he be too late?

I loved this second chance at a fated mates. The ending makes me want to keep reading to find out more in this world. My biggest pet peeve with this book was trying to keep everything a secret as long as they did because she clearly saw something was going on. I know why it was a secret but Leah ended up being hurt by the lack of transparency. She had a vested interest in keeping it a secret as it would affect her sister so it just irritated me that it took so long to reveal to her. I loved the connection between Rex and Leah. The way they interacted showed the chemistry and made it such a good read.

Book 3 Shifter’s of Grey Ridge

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Royal Hunt by Raven Storm

3 Stars

Eve was only trying to get out of horrible betrothal. At least, that's what she told herself when she snuck out onto the balcony during the royal feast, and had her wicked way with the first man she met.
How was she supposed to know that while that was going on, the royal family was being murdered just beyond the wall?
And the man she was with was a drunken, disgusting mess. There was no indication he was anyone at all of importance!
Yet keeping the new crown prince of the realm alive is only the beginning of her worries. With the murder of the royals came the fae; creatures with magick who descend every hundred years or so to force the humans underneath them to compete in death games. They call it the Royal Hunt.
Now it isn't just about saving the prince's life, but her own, and every human living in the kingdom.

I loved the concept and how things played out. However, it dragged and we still have book 2 to get through for the full story. The first half of the book was a solid 4 while the second half was more like a 2. I loved that she was trying to screw up her betrothal when she mistakenly picked one of the royals to be ruined. They had a lot of chemistry between them. When the fae came out and started the “games” is where the book lost me. It wasn’t explained well for me and it was a drag to read. I will read the rest to find out how things end but hopefully the second book will be better.

Book 1 Royal Fae

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Slide Tackled by Tonya Clark

3 Stars

After four years of losing herself in a relationship that was all about her ex, Devyn Hansley’s new beginning presents itself when her soccer pro, playboy brother invites her to move in with him.

Devyn’s plan to stay away from relationships is sidelined when she meets the team’s deaf goalkeeper, and her anti-dating rule flies quickly out the window.

Kasen Mickelson know the rules when it comes to dating her best-friends’s sister: stay far, far away. But the wager was her idea--and Devyn doesn’t seem like the type of woman who likes to lose.

And Kasen’s certainly not going to let her win.

I loved the first book in this series with the coach. This one was just meh. I didn’t really feel like there was a good connection between Devyn and Kasen. I just wanted more between them.  There could have been more angst with the him being deaf, the fact that it was BFF’s sister, or even something with his job.  

Book 1 Storm Series

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Fumbled by Alexa Martin

2 Stars

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.
T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on.  
When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

This book was fine until T.K. disappeared for weeks with no word to his kid. Like Poppy’s one request was to not hurt their kid and that’s exactly what he did.  When he comes back all is good with no mention of his disappearance. First missing out because you don’t know is fine but when you do know and you still leave you’re the dick.

Book 2 The Playbook

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