Love of My Next Life by Brit Benson

3 Stars

I calmed his demons. He created mine.

Macon Davis.

My best friend’s brother.

My tormentor.

My least favorite person.

Pothead. Delinquent.

A careless, directionless loser.

That’s what I used to believe,

but I didn’t really know him.

And when I finally saw him,

it was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.

We burned hot and fast.

Passion. Anger. Love. Pain.

We were reckless. Naive.

We were doomed from the start.

When I finally saw Macon Davis for who he was,

we both went down in the flames.

Ends on a cliffhanger as it is a duet. There was so much teen angst in this book. It was well written and if you are looking for teen angst, I 100% recommend it. My issues with the story were because I felt Lennon was a doormat throughout this book. The culmination of everything and how the book ends made me ticked cause it was just getting good and the book ends. I'm not going to spoil the ending but the way it plays out everyone, but Lennon really sucks.

Book 1 Next Life

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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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Tempting the Orc by LV Lane

3 Stars

He’s my brother’s best friend.

He’s also an orc.

I’m a shifter and should be with one of my kind.

What I want is green, fierce, and savage with everyone but me.

He’s determined to resist.

I’m determined that he won’t.

This was a short and spicy romance. No world building or character development. It was a fine read but don’t go in expecting much.

Book 1 Coveted by the Orc

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Oathbreaker by Elise Faber

4 Stars

She was never supposed to be mine.

Walking away was the only acceptable decision.

It was just one night. Two lonely souls finding solace in the one place we shouldn’t have—my bed.

I thought once would be enough, but leaving her is my biggest—maybe my only—regret.

Now, I’m back and seeing the results of that night is killing me.

I’ll make it up to her. I have to. Because I’ve never loved anyone else.

Because I’d rather die than break her heart a second time.

But when duty calls, I swore an oath to listen.

And I know…

There will be no coming back this time.

This book was interesting. On the one hand I knew who Frankie's daddy was from book one so not surprised. Was surprised he was still alive and was sad to see how things played out with West. I don't know if I would have been as forgiving as Briar was towards Colt but it made for an interesting read.

Book 5 Gamebreakers

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Not Mine to Love by Rose Lucas

3 Stars

Patrick McLaren: CEO of McLaren Hotels. Helicopter pilot. Part-time adrenaline junkie who treats frostbite like a mild inconvenience. The kind of man who can silence a boardroom with one raised brow.

Which is deeply unfortunate, because I, Georgie Fitzgerald, have been sent to his remote Scottish hotel to overhaul their IT systems. That means weeks of working in close proximity to him and his lethal combination of jawline, arrogance, and disdain.

And I know exactly what he thinks of me, because the man doesn’t bother hiding it.

I’m his best friend’s little sister—the pity hire who tanked her interview and only got the job because my big brother pulled strings. The tech gremlin occasionally allowed out of her cupboard to reset the router before being shoved back in again.

He climbs mountains for fun. I break into a sweat ordering coffee. He’s brooding intensity in a bespoke suit. I’m anxious energy and catastrophic overthinking in a cardigan.

It doesn’t matter how hard I work to prove myself at his company. He doesn’t notice. He doesn’t notice much about me at all.

Which is fine. It’s not that I want his attention. It’s just… I can’t help being shy. I can’t help that I’m still rebuilding myself after someone else tore me down.

But maybe I’m tired of being anxious, apologetic, router-resetting Georgie who lives in the background, worrying about what everyone thinks. About what he thinks.

Maybe it’s time to reclaim my narrative.

And maybe that includes claiming him.

Patrick was a fucking idiot. He ruined the book. I liked Georgie and wanted more for her. I was curious why she had the issues she did. She did forgive him too quickly. He screwed around with her life from beginning to end and she just took it. Her brother doesn’t want them together so he dumps her. Someone at work says she did something wrong and he believes them without investigating. It wasn’t until the entire team came together and threatened to quit for him to finally believe her.

Book 3 Billionaire Brits

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Three Bells, Two Bows, One Brother’s BFF by Devney Perry

4 Stars

I pride myself in being grounded. Sure, I’ve had my share of childhood fantasies. Winning an Oscar. Winning the lottery. Winning an Olympic medal for an athletic talent I have yet to discover. But the only fantasy I ever thought might actually happen was winning my brother’s best friend.

Heath Holiday.

My crush on him has ebbed and flowed over the years, but the day I started working for his construction company was the day I smothered it for good. Sort of. Mostly. It was on my to-do list. Making it a priority would have been easier had he not arrived at his family’s annual Christmas party looking ridiculously handsome in a suit.

Then he kissed me. We stepped into an alternate universe and he kissed me. I assumed the next day I’d just be Guy’s little sister again. The office newbie. Our kiss forgotten. Except he keeps showing up at my house. With gifts.

A gold bracelet carrying three jingling bells. Two dainty jeweled earrings, each shaped as a bow. And finally, he brought himself.

One brother’s best friend, asking if I can keep a secret.

Heath was such an idiot but I enjoyed his idiocy. Stella deserved to not be his dirty little secret for most of the book and when she has enough and he gets smacked down I laughed so hard. He deserved it but Heath does make up for it later, it just took a while.

Book 2 Holiday Brothers

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Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett

4 Stars

Nash

I left my hometown behind. I joined the military, disappeared into black ops, and became a weapon for my country. I have no regrets.

Except one with pretty hazel eyes.

Now I’m retired, living a quiet life hiding in plain sight in Las Vegas. I still think of her. The prettiest girl I ever knew. My best friend’s little sister.

But I swore to leave her alone to live a normal life. That I wouldn’t drag her into the darkness.

Then I find out her life isn’t golden.

She’s in danger and I have the right set of skills to save her.

Georgie

Your life can change in an instant. One second, you have a happy family and a crush on your brother’s best friend.

The next, you’ve lost everyone you ever loved.

My family is dead and my sister fell prey to a predator. A rich, connected man who promised her the world.

And gave her hell instead.

Now, I have nothing left but a burning need for vengeance.

Until I collide with the boy who left me behind. A boy who’s now a tough, dangerous man.

He says he’ll protect me. He says he’ll help me take down my sister’s killer.

I might survive my revenge, but will I survive when he walks away from me again?

This book was darker than any of her other books. I enjoyed the new characters and blew through reading this book. Nash and Georgie worked well together and the revenge aspect was fun to read. I loved reading the struggle each character had with the relationship but different reasons for the struggles. There were times I thought Georgie was too stupid to live but it wasn’t too bad. Definitely interested in the other characters getting their HEA.

Book 1 Unsanctioned

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Outlier by Susie Tate

4 Stars

Vicky is an outlier. An outlier in society, an outlier in the business world; she’s even an outlier in her own family. She knows that people find her weird and annoying, and she’s resigned to her loneliness until she sees him. Having never been attracted to any man before, her new obsession with burly, rough and ready Mike and the fact she can’t breathe when he’s close comes as a shock.

Unfortunately, Vicky’s cold beauty doesn’t appeal to Mike. The woman they call the Ice Princess is the opposite of his type, and her obvious crush irritates him. How many times does he have to make it clear he’s not interested before she gets the message? 

But there are things about Vicky, Mike doesn’t know. Reasons she behaves the way she does. Loneliness, vulnerability and kindness, that she keeps hidden. And information her family should have shared with him. So when the fireworks start, and she screams, he acts on instinct, pulling her body into his. And when she buries into his chest, shaking in fear, for some reason he’s not so annoyed by her anymore…

All the emotions in this book. I loved reading it. It was interesting to see how the author handled FMC issues. Watching FMC overcome and deal with things that happened to her as a child made it a difficult read. Your heart will go out to her when truths are revealed. MMC was an idiot so many times with her but eventually makes it up but FMC pulls off the best surprise for him.

Book 3 Daydreamer

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Mr. Heartbreak by Piper Rayne

3 Stars

I made a deal with my brother a long time ago to never date his teammates.

Technically, Rowan Landry, the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons, is no longer my brother’s teammate. Or his best friend. Their college days are long behind them, and they barely talk now.

Also, I’m not dating him—we’re just sleeping together. There’s a difference.

Except there’s not a lot of sleeping going on, and neither one of us wants to stop what we’re doing.

It’s all fun and games until my brother is traded to the Falcons, because Rowan doesn’t know I’m the new goalie’s little sister. Oops.

The lie by omission pissed me off and it went on too long. FMC knew it would not only upset her brother but also MMC and she still kept the secret. I get why she did what she did but at some point she knew it would blow up. When it did she really didn’t want to take any responsibility for the lie.

Book 1 The Nest

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Crash by Kathy Lockheart

2 Stars

Code blue in the ER. That's how I end up in his hospital. In my brother's best friend's care.

Dr. Blake Morrison starred in every fantasy I’ve had since sixteen. Now he’s the only one who believes something’s truly wrong with me—the only one who can save me.

But with each passing day, each failed diagnosis, I see him changing. The brilliant, controlled doctor is becoming something else. Something darker. More possessive.

"These symptoms aren't random," he growls. “I think someone's hurting you deliberately. And when I find them..." His fingers clench. "They'll learn exactly how much damage a doctor can do."

His touch sets my heart monitor racing, and what's growing between us is more dangerous than any symptom. More forbidden than any diagnosis.

But as my mysterious illness worsens, will the man who’s saved countless lives lose the only one he can’t live without?

I wanted to like this so much. The idea was good but the book just didn’t pull it off. The ending’s big reveal was rushed.

Book 1 Sinners and Saints

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Entranced by Tracie Delaney

3 Stars

Have you ever loved anyone so much that you’d give them up at the expense of your own happiness?

No? Well, I did.

Okay, that’s not the first lie I’ve ever told myself. I fought tooth and nail for the only man I’ll ever love, but in the end, I had to concede defeat. Even now, seven years later, the cruel words my brother’s best friend uttered the morning after he took my virginity still wield the power to shatter the remains of my heart.

Yet fate has a way of shaping our lives—no matter how hard we fight for a different outcome.

This is a generous 3 stars. I still don’t understand why Athena was so enthralled with Ryker. Ryker was a controlling ass and he never changed. Beyond the character issues I had I also never got an explanation for why Athena was doing what she was doing in Japan. The book was just meh and dragged on.

Book 1 ROGUES Billionaire

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Caught from Behind by Elise Faber

 

4 Stars

It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

I’ve had a crush on my brother’s teammate and friend for a long time…

Long enough to know that my interest isn’t reciprocated.

I’m destined to be his teammate’s little sister—untouchable and completely off-limits no matter how hard I try to convince him otherwise.

But then…everything changes.

And suddenly, I have all of Riggs’s sure-minded focus.

Only, I never expected the taciturn forward for the Sierra to a have a dirty streak.

But he does, and it blows my mind, and he doesn't even like me, and none of it makes sense...

Because now the gorgeous, bearded hockey player wants me.

Forever.

Loved this book. It took me a minute to get into it but once I got into the book I blew through the book. I loved the give and take between Riggs and Ella. I want more on what happened with Ella’s family which might come with her brother’s book. Speaking of the brother…I loved that he pushed Riggs into going after Ella. The fact there wasn’t this huge drama was a nice change for this trope. Can’t wait for the next book.

Book 2 Sierra Hockey

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End Game: New York Stars by GA Mazucke and Serena Akeroyd

4 Stars

Gracie Has been raised around hockey. She loves and hates it all in one breath. Everyone is so focused on making sure her brothers and their friends make it to the pros that they forget she might want something different. Gracie is determined to make her own way away from her family and hockey even if Liam makes her want to fall into him. Life takes them on their own paths but can they find a way back to each other?

Where the last hockey book was a disappointment this one exceeded all expectations. It’s 600 + pages of fun reading. Gracie is trying to find her path away from hockey because of her family. She has dealt with so much because of them and she forgives them way too quickly. I love MMC. They’ve been friends for so long he doesn’t know how to get out of that zone with her. When he finally gets to go beyond that he is all in and has her back no matter what. It was probably one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Book 1 New York Stars

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Our Secret Song by Emily C Childs

3 Stars

Alexis was in Vegas to get married and attend school. Only one of those is happening as her fiancé ran off with her stepsister. Now she’s in a different state with no where to live. Her brother comes to the rescue and sends his best friend to help her out. Bridger is dealing with his own issues but will do anything for Alexis. Will his problems ruin their budding relationship?

This is very much a blush romance and was a nice pallet cleanse. Alexis is screwed over by her fiancé and needs a helping hand. She wasn’t expecting it to come from her frenemy. I love the journey for her and Bridger to get to that HEA. There were a couple of things that were too pat. Bridger has his name dragged through the mud by an ex. She has her tell all that lays some really heinous charges at his feet. It’s like a week of this being out and then bam she recants and all is well. He deserved more with everything he went through. I very much like seeing those who do wrong make it right and the fiancé and ex do not make it right with either Alexis or Bridger. I guess living their best life is supposed to be good enough.

Book 1 For Love and Rock

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