Falling for the Forward by Brenda Rothert

2.5 Stars

Suki Brennan is broke. After she co-signed several hefty loans for her ex’s business, he fled the country and left her working two jobs to pay his bills.
So when her new boss, a sulky pro hockey player who recently became the guardian of his three nieces, proposes a deal to help him secure permanent custody of the girls, she agrees.
If Suki fake marries Carter Stanton for one year, and pretends to be his doting wife, she’ll get half a million dollars and a clean divorce at the end. Not only will the money pay off all her debts, she’ll be able to help the girls she already adores settle fully into their new lives.
It’s a foolproof plan. At least, it seems like it. As Suki grows closer to Carter and his nieces, though, her feelings for them become very real. But does her brooding boss feel the same?

This is the first in a series. It didn’t feel like that. I have missed a couple of her newer books so this might be a spin off of another series but it doesn’t say that. I literally stopped reading multiple times to double check because I was lost. It felt like we were dropped into the middle of the story and I am missing things. It led to a lot of confusion plus just not connecting to the story/characters. If this is truly book one it needs to be fleshed out so that the book matches the description. Overall, it was a massive miss for me by an author I normally love.

Book 1 Love on the Line

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Best New Authors of 2022

In no particular order here are just some of the new authors this year who made me crave more stories by them and to blow through their back catalog. They left me wanting more and no two are alike. There are some dark romances, academy, omegaverse, and just a mix of books here. I truly do fall for books for different reasons. 

1. Kathryn Moon – I blew through everything she wrote and want more.

2. Yve Vale – She writes different kinds of stories that include space aliens and academy. This variety just worked for me this year and I read everything she had out and wanted more.

3. Lola Rocks – This is one of my all time favorites this year and I think made every list but the worst. The books just hit my feels just right and it makes me want to go back and reread/relisten to them.

4. Leona Page – Very dark books and hit the right notes with me

5. Merri Bright – This is another author where I found her back catalog and blew through everything that was available

6. Kate Messick – Reviews coming in 2023 Let’s just say her books are amazing and her character development is spot on. 

7. Brenda Rothert – So many good hockey books/players

8. Kimberly Lemming – So much humor and weirdness

9. Anna Carven – So many good space aliens

10. Flora Quincy – Reviews coming in 2023 the books were good mix of Alphaholes and some really strong FMC

Hard Luck By Brenda Rathert and Kat Mizera

 

4 stars

Lucy is going to get her brother on his feet and get away from her ex. Her brother is supposed to pick her up from the bus station but instead sends his teammate Konstantin to pick her up. He doesn't want to use his day off to pick some woman up but is willing to help out his teammate. When he sees her he's drawn in. He knows she's dealing with somethings but wants to get to know her better. She is also going to need help with her brother, Sawyer. Sawyer is in deep depression since the loss of his wife and Lucy needs to get him out of his house and back to work. The more time Kon and Lucy spend together the more they are drawn together. When trouble comes will they be able to weather the storm?

I loved Lucy and Kon's story. They started as friends and it slowly progressed to more. I loved seeing the progression. Watching Sawyer deal with the loss of his wife and how Lucy was trying to help was heartbreaking. I thought the issues Lucy was going through with her ex was dragged out a bit too long for me but I did like how it worked out. I've read other books by Brenda Rothert and have loved other books by her. This series I haven't gotten to yet and started with book 4 which is not normally what I do but you can definitely read without the other ones (though I am going to now go back and read them all). It was a really good read and I can't wait to read the other books.

Book 4 St. Louis Mavericks 

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Release by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Orion was screwed over by his long-term girlfriend, and he wants nothing to do with her. He ends in his hometown during the off season and runs into Samara Cross. She’s returned to their hometown after a traumatic experience and just wants to hide. When they run into each other he is intrigued by her and wants to spend time with her. She doesn’t understand what he wants with her and is confused by every overture he does. Will he be able to breakdown her walls and win her over?

I loved these two. They both have their own issues they work through in this book but ultimately, they find away to work through their problems to find their happy ending. I liked the give and take between Orion and Samara. They support each other and find ways to work through their issues with each other. Definitely one of her better books.

Book 5 Fire on Ice

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Captive by Brenda Rothert

 

3 Star

Nikola Vereshkova has finally made it to the big leagues, and he can now help those he loves. The day of his friend’s wedding he meets a woman he’s interested, and he plays up his Russian accent to entice her. The problem comes in when he finds out it’s the brides’ best friend Sadie. Sadie is used to men doing anything to get sex and she’s used to taking care of herself. She is drawn to Nikola but doesn’t want to be interested in him as nothing good can come from it. Will she be able to stay away from him?

I liked aspects of this book. Sadie just came across as bitchy to me. Like she takes care of her friend’s kid all the time but god forbid the friend does anything to help her out. It got very old to see her be so bitchy to those close to her and refuse help all the time just because she didn’t want to rely on anyone but she is the first to volunteer to babysit Kate and Adella’s kids. I also didn’t feel the connection was there between Nikola and Sadie. It just was ok for me.

Book 4 Fire on Ice

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Edge by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Luke Hudson has been sent down to the minor league to work through his injury. There he meets team trainer Adella Price. Her job is to make sure all the players are in good shape for the ice. She is a single mom and has no time or energy for the bull from the players after her ex left her high and dry for his hockey career. Luke throws her for a loop as she swore, she would never be with another hockey player. He’s all in with her now he just has to talk her into it. Will he be successful?

I loved these two. They have a lot of chemistry and they very much work. He’s super sweet with her and her kid while also being respectful to not start any rumors. The biggest issue I had was with the other men in Adella’s life. Her dad was a massive asshole until she ends up being assaulted by her ex. The ex also was not someone who was a good guy. He literally was leaving her to struggle to raise their child by herself. Then he ends up assaulting her. This led to her dad finally pulling his head out of his butt by I feel it was too little too late. The best thing about the whole situation with her dad and ex was Luke was there to support her and he never took over. Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot and it had everything I loved about the first book I read by her.

Book 3 Fire on Ice

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Drive by Brenda Rothert

 

2 Star

Two years ago, Kate and Ryke were brought together by tragedy. When Kate suffers another miscarriage, she spirals. Will Kate and Ryke be able to work through their grief and trauma again or will they be able to survive this most recent trauma?

I really really really didn’t like Kate in this book. She keeps things from her husband that should be shared. She is so wrapped up in her own head she can’t see a way out and she still doesn’t get the help she so desperately needs. She is a grief counselor and just kind of buries everything and handles the loss of her second pregnancy in the worst way possible. It is one of those rare times I felt the main male character should actually leave his partner. They end up working everything out but even with that I got to a point of not caring that they did.

Book 2 Fire on Ice

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Bound by Brenda Rothert

 

3 Star

Kate is finishing up school and pregnant when the worst happens, and she miscarries her baby. She pushes through and graduates but isn’t really dealing with the loss. She joins a support group to work through the pain. There she meets pro hockey player Jason “Ryke” Ryker. He’s there trying to work through the death of his wife. There’s a spark but are they ready for something new?

This one was just ok. I am glad I started with her other series. If I started with this one, I wouldn’t have continued to read her books. Kate read much younger than her actual age and she needed a lot more help than she was getting. By the end of book, I still felt she needed to seek professional help to work through her fears and hurt but she doesn’t. This is more of a happy for now book as the story between Ryke and Kate isn’t concluded. If you are looking for a good hockey book, try a different one.

Book 1 Fire on Ice

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Olivier by Brenda Rothert

 

3 Star

Olivier is not used to being hounded by reporters like his players but after he saves the life of a senator’s daughter from a burning car, he can’t get them to leave him alone. He’s now trending on Twitter where everyone wants Olivier and Daphne to have a fairytale romance and happy ending. Neither of them is interested in that but to appease the masses and the reporters they meet up. Olivier is attracted to her and is interested in spending more time with her. Daphne hates being told what to do and when her parents push her to spend time with Olivier, she’s not sure what to do with him. Will they find their happy ending?

I wanted to like this more then I did but I didn’t like Daphne. She was hard to connect with. If her mom said the sky was blue, then she argued it was green. Even though she liked Olivier she wasn’t interested in pursuing him because that was what her parents wanted. Like I get not wanting to do what your parents want but if you like him why would you walk away from something that could be great just because it’s what your parents want. She was younger than him which isn’t a problem usually, but she read younger than her actual age. I can’t even describe how ridiculous she was. At one point he donates funds to her nonprofit and she gets mad about it and then gets out of her own head and contacts him. He happened to have left his phone off for a weekend away with his daughter and she got mad that he didn’t respond right away. She understood why after he explained but it was just ridiculous couple of scenes. Overall, it fit in with the rest of the series and it was definitely not my favorite book.

Book 9 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Kit by Brenda Rothert

 

3.5 Star

Molly is asked to do an in-depth article on Kit Carter. She is used to doing hard hitting articles with deep dive into the subject matter. Kit wasn’t expecting this when he was asked to sit down with a reporter. Molly surprises him in many other ways and he wants her to keep. Will she be able to get out of her own head and see what she would be missing if she walks away?

I loved these two. The struggle they both had with having a good and healthy adult relationship after everything they both have been through was an interesting read. Kit was a shy and reserved player who didn’t want the spotlight and it was fun to see how he handled this aspect and having to give an interview. Molly had her own issues. She was very OCD about things and felt she had to have control over everything and that led to problems with Kit. There were some issues that were brought up in the story that weren’t resolved and that was a bit frustrating. The couple ends up together and were a super sweet couple but would have liked some things to be wrapped up more. Overall it was a solid story just missing somethings.

Book 8 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Jonah by Brenda Rothert

 

3 Star

After the death of his wife Jonah has no intention of finding someone new. He isn’t ready for someone else when his cop brother asks him for a favor that means he will have to pretend to be the boyfriend to an undercover FBI agent to take down a sex trafficker he’s willing to take on a girlfriend. Reyna has spent years undercover and to get close to a billionaire suspected of trafficking girls she is willing to just about anything even if that means pretending to be the girlfriend of a hockey player.

This one was just ok. I looked forward to Jonah getting his happy ending after the loss of his wife in a previous book, but I didn’t really feel a connection to Rey or felt like they meshed. It was well written book, and it fits with the rest of the series but it just wasn’t one of my favorite books. I’ll still read the rest of them.

Book 7 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Easy by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Erik never planned on setting foot in his hometown again after he had his heart broken by his high school sweetheart. But life has other plans for him. His aunt breaks her hip, and his mom breaks her ankle and they both need help so he will have to suck it up and spend some time in Greentree Falls WI. On his first day home he runs into the one woman he has never gotten over. Will he walk away from her this time, or will he be all in?

This one just broke my heart. I want Allie and Erik to get their happy ending with everything they went through. They both had no win situations as teenagers and now that they are ten years older, they realize how much they missed each other, and I love the workaround they came up with so they could be happy together. This book had good pacing and it drew me in so fast and I didn’t want to put down. I did like the drama in the book didn’t have anything to do with Erik or Allie but Allie’s family instead. I just overall really enjoyed this book.

Book 6 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Alexei by Brenda Rothert

 

3 Star

Alexei has been partying to hard and drives drunk, crashing his car into the side of a barn. He’s given an ultimatum to either go to rehab or no team will touch him. His current team released him, and the Chicago Blaze will take him on but only with rehab. There he meets his new councilor Grayson. Grayson is there to help him find awareness and understanding of his addiction. The problem she very much has a crush on Alexei that’s inappropriate and she had promised herself to never trust an addict. How will she be able to work through all of obligations and feelings?

I struggled with this one for personal reasons. The writing was still good, and I enjoyed that part of it. The problem I had was the ethics of have a licensed therapist hook up with a former patient. I will say she was no longer treating him, and it was I think 6 months after he left rehab, they start dating. To me it’s very grey, grey line that I struggled with. If you’ve read the other books and liked them and this doesn’t bother you, the book will work for you. This is very much a me issue. Still enjoying the series and can’t wait for the next one.

Book 5 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Knox by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Reese finds out her fiancé is cheating on her in the worst way at the altar. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t two of her bridesmaids. She is determined to enjoy her honeymoon even if she isn’t married. After a freak accident in the ocean leads her to meeting a NHL player Knox. He knows she’s on the rebound and has plans and it will only be a relationship while they are on island. They are hot and heavy and walked away. A year later and chance encounter has brought them back together. A year of experiences later will they still have the spark they had in Hawaii?

OMG I loved this book so much. I loved how it starts with Reese being left at the altar. I wanted to slap her ex upside the head. Switches to Hawaii where we get a couple of chapters with Reese and Knox. It then jumps ahead to a year later. This veered from previous books where there wasn’t such a big jump, but this worked as it led to growth from both Knox and Reese, and it led to the book not being a traditional rebound love story. It still held with the other books of one of the characters having to work through something to find a happy ending. I liked everything about this book and these two. Can’t wait for the next one.

Book 4 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Victor by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Lindy Boring has a crush on NFL player Victor. She sees him all the time at the arena he plays at. She is a quiet girl who still lives at home with her dad. Victor doesn’t see her until one day he’s struggling with life. He’s not playing well, and he’s been called out on it. No one knows where his head’s at and no one can reach him to get through to him until Lindy runs into him. He’s intrigued but he’s concerned about his secret being revealed and everyone looking at him differently. Will he get past his past to find his happy ending?

There is a trigger warning on this one for crimes against children. It’s talked about in abstract not detail.

I enjoyed Victor and Lindy’s story. It was reminiscent of a couple different fairy tales. Poor girl working her butt off falls for a wealthy man who sweeps her off her feet. I enjoyed the progression in the book between them. The series so far have been heart wrenching situations and the main characters have to work through their trauma to find their happy ending. This book isn’t any different than the first two, but it is still fresh and unique. Can’t wait for book 4.

Book 3 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Luca by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

After a tragedy Abby puts all her effort into her home furnishing business. For her personal life she’s only interested in one-night stands. She doesn’t have the time or mental ability to have more. That is until she meets hockey player Luca. Luca was a single parent to his nieces and nephew since the death of his brother and sister-in-law. He was fine with a one-night stand as that is all he had time for until Abby blew into his life. It starts as a one off until they can’t get enough of each other. Will they be able to work through their own trauma to find their happy ending?

I really like these two. Abby has lost a lot in her life and is sure she doesn’t want anything more than her work. Luca throws her for a loop and makes her both want more and also want to hide since she will have to confront her past to have a future. Luca has his own problems being a single father to his brother’s kids. You get to see the nitty gritty Luca has to put up with juggling work and grieving children. I loved watching them both struggle with what they want and finding a way to come together. I can’t wait for the next book.

Book 2 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Anton by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Sexy brooding captain Anton is known as Father Anton. After meeting the woman, he would love to spend the rest of his life with he’s decided to remain celibate. He knows he can’t be with Mia as she is the wife of a teammate. What he doesn’t know is Mia is separated from her douche of a husband and trying to make enough money to afford a divorce. He finds out when he shows up at the bar, she’s working at he’s very confused since he and his teammates make millions so why is she bartending? When he finds out about all she’s going through he offers to help no strings attached. Will she be able to keep from falling for him?

I loved these two. They both have struggles they are working through, and they were able to come together and find their happy. It wasn’t easy getting their happy which made it all the better when they got there. There are some heavy topics talked about in the book, but they were handled with care. I laughed and cried while reading this book which to me makes this an awesome read. I finished and wanted the next one so definitely worth a read.

Book 1 Chicago Blaze Hockey

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Promo Brenda Rothert

 

Title: Exiled

Author: Brenda Rothert

Genre: Hockey Romance

Release Date: May 24, 2022

BLURB

Pro hockey player Archer Holt is taking his charm and swagger from the ice to the...sand? One of sixteen players competing to be the last man standing on a new reality show, he’s all in until he finds out the meaning behind the show’s title—Exiled.

Archer

Before I was a pro hockey player, I was an Eagle Scout. I can tie knots, build shelters and fish like nobody’s business, making me the perfect choice to represent my team on a reality show set on a primitive tropical island. I can endure scorching heat, tough competitions and torrential rainfall—no problem. But when I find out who my partner is, I’m not so sure I’ll survive being stranded on an island with her.

Lauren

Archer Holt broke my heart eight years ago. Now he’s rich and famous, and I’m a high school English teacher in our hometown. When I’m offered the chance to compete for half a million dollars by outlasting fifteen other teams on an island with my selfish jerk of an ex, I jump at it, because that money can change not just my life, but my family’s. Besides, I’m long over Archer.

Or so I thought.

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PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.

AUTHOR LINKS

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NEWSLETTER

Sweet Sixteen by Brenda Rothert

 

4 Star

Gin Fielding is just waiting for graduation. She wants to keep her head down until she can finally get out of the small town in Missouri. One day she comes across a younger girl being beaten by a senior. She intervenes and takes the beating meant for the younger girl. Come to find out the girl was Football player Chase Matthews little sister. He is determined to thank her by making her popular. He offers her a rose to be apart of the super elite Sweet Sixteen. She refuses as she 1. Doesn’t want to be popular, 2. Is sure she doesn’t want to be apart of the horrible tradition of Sweet Sixteen, and 3. Doesn’t want her first time to be with the entire football team. Chase is baffled by her decision to not participate in Sweet Sixteen. Her refusal also leads to problems for both of them. Gin and Chase are brought closer together and are forced to take on the darker side of small-town life.

I loved this book. I met the author at an event. I’ve never read anything by her and got two books from her. This one and Anton (review coming). I picked up the other one as it was a hockey book and then asked for a recommendation as I didn’t want to get two hockey books. She suggested this one but said it was weird. I don’t think it was weird at all. It is very much a good high school drama book and it just hit the right spot and the subject matter was spot on for what’s been going on in the world today. I loved how Chase has the epiphany about the Sweet Sixteen being bad and learns and grows. Even though it has a lot of undertones for the me too movement it isn’t preachy in anyway. If you like high school drama books this will hit all the right notes. Best purchase of the book event I was at followed closely by her other book.

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