Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

4 Stars

Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable...but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man―basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival.

The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris's perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool's gold.

When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris's darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time.

Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.

Read the warnings. There is on page SA with the Iris. It is graphic and bad. This book starts slow for me but once it picks up it moves and I loved the story. There are hard topics in the book, and they’re handled well. Definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Book 1 HOOPS

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Broken Laces by Elise Faber

4 Stars

This team of misfits and bad boys is going to puck you in the best possible way.

I’m the captain…

And I’m in love with the owner’s daughter. I played my entire career with the San Francisco Gold. But now I’ve been traded to our rivals, and I’m playing for Jean-Michel Dubois, owner of the Oakland Eagles, my new boss, and father to the woman I’m in love with. And he’s made it clear that anyone who so much as looks at Chrissy will find themselves out of the league. The problem is that I end up moving in right next door to her. And the more time I spend with Chrissy, the harder it is to keep my distance. Only…I can’t have her. Because if I do, I’ll lose everything.

I loved Crissy and Rome in this book. It was sad to see Rome leave the Gold but I can’t wait to see how the new team comes together and reality is most players do get traded. I also loved all the pets and need them in my life. The personal stuff going on with Crissy was interesting and I liked seeing the struggle she had to work through to end up with Rome. Rome also had his own issues since the Gold was his found family and he’s now with people who don’t want him there. It definitely came together to be a really good read and made me want the next book in this series and the next Gold book.

Book 1 Eagles 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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One Last Shot by Julia Connors

2 Stars

She thought he would always be there for her until he abandoned her. Fourteen years later he’s back and saying we’re married, and he needs her help adopting his niece. When she accidentally screws up the childcare, he has set up she opts to stay and help. Will she want to leave when everything is settled?

I get the idea of this and it’s an interesting concept, but it’s poorly implemented. Things are alluded to but never said. The only character I enjoyed was the niece. Beyond the story issues there were errors in the book that needed to be fixed. Including trimming it down a bit. There is a trigger warning about harm to a child and if this is an issue for you skip this one.

Book 3 Frozen Hearts

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Breathe Elise Faber

4 Star

Theo was happy being a single hockey player without any responsibilities. Eva is the opposite. She has nothing but responsibilities. She’s smart and talented sports blogger but when that’s not pulling in enough income, she will do what she needs to get the cash the family needs. Theo thinks she’s just a pain and doesn’t want anything to do with her until he sets aside his preconceived beliefs and gets to know her. When her secret comes out will he still want her?

 

I thought for sure this was going to be a 3 start as Theo was a jerk for the first half of the book but once he gets his head on straight, he's all in. Even when her secret is revealed he doesn’t do the way I thought he would, which is awesome. I also loved Eva. She's doing everything she can to be independent but also take care of her family. Their relationship is a lot of hate hookups, and I loved it. Worth reading. 

Book 7 Breakers Hockey

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Wicked Demands by Marley Wray

3 Stars

Camryn’s family messed up and now owes Declan a lot. She is willing to give him her virginity if it gets her family out of trouble. It’s all a transaction until someone starts targeting her and no one gets to mess with what’s his.

Declan was such an asshole through most of this book and Camryn was so strong. She is screwed over by family and taken advantage of by Declan, but she knows her worth. Declan screws up with her and makes him work for her forgiveness. Loved the groveling he ends up having to do to win her back. I need to know who the bad guy is, but it’s still not resolved.

Book 2 Dark Knights

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I’m Your Guy by Sarina Bowen

 

4 Stars

Tommaso is trying to figure out life after being traded to the team in Colorado following his very public fight with his family. One of the first things Tommaso needs to do is buy furniture for his house. This is the worst thing in the world for him to do. He doesn’t know what he needs or wants. While being tortured with terms he doesn’t know he sees a hot guy arguing with the salesclerk about a bill. He finds out Carter is an interior designer, which is perfect. Carter has been screwed over by a previous client and his ex-boyfriend until a chance encounter with star hockey player. Tommaso is a struggle to work with as he doesn’t have an opinion about anything and he’s hot as sin. Will they find what they’re looking for?  

I loved these two. It was fun to see the struggle Tommaso is going through. His life has changed so much because of his uncle and cousin. Then deciding what he wants out of his life. While Carter also has his own struggles that he’s dealing with. They have a chance meeting that starts their journey. They had great chemistry and getting to their HEA was amazing. The biggest issue I had was the uncle and cousin never really got what’s coming to them. If you’ve liked her other hockey books you will love this one.

Book 2 Hockey Guys

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Double Pucked by Lauren Blakely

3 Stars

Trina finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and gets the perfect revenge. She takes the VIP tickets to his favorite team and gets to meet his favorite players. The guys have a better plan for sweet revenge and want to spend the night with her. When they find out she’s between housing they ask her to be a temporary roomie with them as well as a fake romance. There is an expiration date on the relationship but will they decide forever is for them?

This was a super sweet why choose hockey book. Trina got the perfect revenge and got her HEA. The struggle the trupple have because they were in a 3-way relationship isn’t the norm in this world and people are being judgy about it. It was nice to see this because a lot of books gloss over any issues they might be having with others. Book flowed nicely and I liked the main characters. Will definitely be picking up more by this author.

Book 1 My Hockey Romance

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Made for me by Natasha Madison

3 Stars

Julia works as a social worker, and she is too invested in her charges. When one of them dies in a horrific accident leaving her daughter without a mother, she steps in to take care of the little girl. What she doesn’t expect is to be suspended pending charges from the maternal grandparents. To help her Chase steps up and wants to help her in all ways. He’s tired of being just the friend and he will use all his connection to help her get out of trouble.

I had issues with this one. The Julia was a social worker and one of her charges dies in a car accident. The girl’s family sues her for emotional trauma which just meant they wanted money. Ok I can understand that cause there are people who would do this. What I don’t understand is why the DA then filed charges. Nothing written showed her being negligent in her job but for some reason the DA charged her. Charges not explained so I can’t say if they were justifiable but what angers me is the girl had a toddler. They found her bio dad who just happens to be a family friend. Once he got custody the grandparents’ case was canceled which leads to the DA dropping all charges. This is not how our criminal justice system works. Just because there is no civil case doesn’t mean no criminal case. The romance was fine, it was everything else that irritated me. It’s probably closer to 2.5 stars than 3 stars but I will stick with the 3. I may pick up another book by this author later when I’ve had a break from how angry I am over this book.

Book 1 Made For

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Wingspan by Cambria Hebert

3 Stars

Madison is just trying to get past the trauma that is her past. She carefully selects everything around her to keep herself safe, but things slip through. She’s made friends and is enjoying her college life, but she’s still scared. Jamie is there to keep her safe even if she thinks she’s fine without him. He will be there to shield her from all the ill but will he be there when she needs him the most?

I didn’t like this as much as I liked the first book. It was still good, but the book was a little slower plot. There was also a lot of repetitiveness about the events of book 1 which is probably why it felt slow. Once they started explaining some of Madison’s past the book started picking up and was a lot more interesting. The twist at the end was also really good. Still like the author enough to check out the next book.

Book 2 Westbrook Elite

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Pick Six by Maggie Monroe

3 Stars

Six is starting over after she divorced her cheating ex. Hired to blog about the New York Mavericks’ Football Team. She is ready to get her life back on track. What she wasn’t expecting was Sean, a playboy wide receiver. He makes the mistake of going at her on her first day. With all the sparks flying will they find their HEA?

This was a solid read. Do I want to own it nope, but I enjoyed the read. I liked the mashup of fake romance, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance this book brought to me. Not to mention the sports aspect which I love reading. Overall, I liked the characters and how the story progressed. Loved that Six ex gets what’s coming to him and that Six and Sean get their HEA.

Book 2 Mavericks Tackle Love

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Crushed by Elise Faber

3.5 Stars

Lily used to be like Will’s little sister but now she’s all grown up and needs his help. She’s supposed to be off limits and just there for a fresh start, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other. When Lily’s past comes back to haunt them will they come together, or will they split up?

I wanted to like this more than I did. I enjoyed Lily and Will a lot and their relationship was fun to see it go from friends to lovers. My issue was there was something that happened to Lily that is never explained. I figured it was talking around it to have them explain it later for the conflict. I was sort of right about this, but it literally was NEVER explained. It’s alluded to but not explained. It’s vital to the story as Lily spirals throughout the book because of this big thing. I felt it needed to be said. I loved the breakup scenes. They were able to finally admit their feelings for each other. The other big issue was Will’s mom. She plays a pretty big role in this book, and I wanted to know how she knew about Lily’s big bad secret. This was a secret that no one was to know but somehow this woman knew about it. Overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed it. I just wanted some clarity.

Book 18 Gold 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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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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