Knotted Laces by Elise Faber

4 Stars

I fell for the woman who’s in love with my brother.

As a professional hockey player, there’s no shortage of women who want me.

Just…not the woman I want.

Because she’s in love with my older brother.

Until a freak summer rainstorm means that we’re stuck together. In the mountains. With the road washed out and only one hotel room to share between us.

And suddenly, all of her focus is on me.

Suddenly, I’m in the most important game of my life—

Trying to win Attie’s heart.

I loved these two. The struggle Attie had excepting Cam was into her and would work as a relationship was fun to read. I never understood where the part that Attie was in love with Cam’s brother. She never indicated she wanted him. If it was in another book I don’t remember it. I still think they were so cute together and it just works.

Book 2 Eagles Hockey

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Sugar Daddy Arrangement by Mimi Francis

2 Stars

Daphne Barnes is struggling to keep from drowning in debt. Desperate to build a better future for her young daughter and herself, Daphne registers on a website for people willing to pay for companionship. Before she knows it, her inbox is flooded with offers. But only one man catches her eye.

Zander Ashford is a wealthy and successful architect with time and money to burn. He doesn’t want the complications a relationship would bring to his life, but he desires a beautiful young woman to show off to the world. Curiosity leads him to Sweet Connections, a website for sugar daddies looking for someone to spoil. When he finds Daphne, he knows he has to have her.

The chemistry between Zander and Daphne is electrifying, but they are torn between the expectations of the people in their lives and their growing infatuation with each other. They soon discover that sometimes forbidden love is the one worth fighting for.

Daphne and Zander work well together but the book didn’t work for me. Some of the things about custody didn’t make sense to me. Which led me to question the plot. I get why the author chose to have the conflict for Daphne but you need to pick something that makes sense. The idea of the book was interesting, but it needed some work to flesh out the story.

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Puck and Make Up by Elise Faber

3.5 Stars

My life is full of secrets.

She's the woman who's discovered them all...

Dessie and I have a love-hate relationship.

But it’s mostly that I love and she hates.

As a member of the Rush hockey team, I don’t have a problem finding women who are willing to date me, but Dessie isn’t just anyone.

She’s a mystery, an obsession, a woman I need to claim as my own.

Only, she’s not going without a fight.

Good thing I’m a hockey player…

And fighting is what I do best.

I loved seeing Dessie and Fox get their HEA. At the end of the last book I had so many questions and several of them were answered in this book but I still have so many more. This one was a quick read and it was nice to revisit the characters.

Book 7 Rush Hockey

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Brewing Up Christmas by Emily Campbell

3 Stars

Eli, Bayshore’s charming bartender and notorious ladies’ man, has always shrugged off the holiday spirit. But when a mysterious woman strolls into his brewery, everything changes. What starts as a whirlwind night of passion quickly transforms into something far more magical when Eli finds himself at the center of a Christmas mission he never asked for.

Angelina isn’t just passing through—she’s Santa’s Chief Spirit Officer, tasked with restoring the town’s dwindling Christmas cheer. And now, she’s enlisted Eli to help her. With pointed ears and a magical Christmas spirit meter tracking his every move, Eli must decorate, spread joy, and reluctantly embrace the season if he ever wants to return to his old self.

As they deck the halls of Bayshore, sparks fly between Eli and Angelina, blending holiday cheer with undeniable attraction. But with each magical encounter, Eli finds himself questioning whether getting back to normal is really what he wants—or if Angelina has given him something far better than any gift under the tree.

The description said sparks fly between Eli and Angelina, but I didn’t see it. I never felt a connection between them. Overall, it was a meh book about Christmas spirit. It was a short story and might have been better if it was longer as there could have been better development of the story and the characters.

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Icebreaker by Elise Faber and Kat Mizera

4 Stars

She hates me…

I’m going to make her fall in love with me anyway.

As captain of the SoCal Vipers, the last couple of seasons haven’t been going well. My stats are slipping, and I’m at risk of being traded.

So, I’m not in the mood for a case of mistaken identity with the woman playing bouncer at the arena door.

But when I find out she’s come to town to escape her controlling family and make a fresh start, I know I can’t just let her walk away.

I’ll do anything to make sure she’s safe.

And if that means claiming her forever…then all the better.

Because she’s mine.

Even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Two of my favorite hockey romance writers wrote an amazing story. Loved Aspen and Banks. Seeing Aspen grinding to succeed and prove her family wrong made for a lovely read. Banks needed to grovel a little bit more after his mess up but I still love him. Would love to see the rest of the friend group and the little sister get a story.

Book 1 Gamebreakers

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Bold by Hope E. Davis

4 Stars

Deep in Sidhe, a fantasy world hidden within Ireland, Sierra and Aodhan find themselves separated, facing different challenging situations that could cost them everything…

Sierra

Sierra’s life has been upended and changed in ways she could never have imagined. But will her newfound confidence and belief in herself be enough to help her escape the clutches of evil and bring much-needed government change to Sidhe?

Aodhan

Captured by the last person he expected to become his enemy, Aodhan is faced with a choice: stay in prison and wonder what became of Sierra and his friends, or make a deal with the devil himself, which could change his life forever.

There are so many twists and turns in this book to get to Aodhan and Sierra’s HEA. Fair warning there are some character arcs that will be upsetting. I am still mad about the one and want to change the outcome. This is less romance and more fantasy as Sierra and Aodhan spend most of the book apart. I am curious if Sierra ever goes back to the human world and visits her family but that is a personal want. Overall, a really good conclusion of the duet and I will definitely be picking up book 3.

Book 2 Modern Legends of Sidhe

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Demure by Hope E Davis

4 Stars

Recent college graduate Sierra Lopez has no idea what she wants to do with her life. With a degree that’s useless on its own, Sierra decides to complete a one-year master’s program at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Alone in a new city, Sierra downloads Tinder, expecting to go on a few casual dates during her study of human aging and fragility.

But then she meets the mysterious and brooding Aodhan De Thuaidh, who doesn’t seem to be at home in Dublin either. When he’s 30 minutes late for their first date, however, Sierra writes him off as just another jerk, intending never to see him again.

Except Aodhan keeps showing up. First around campus, then at a bar, and during Sierra’s work hours at the campus library. He claims it’s just a chance they keep running into each other, which annoys Sierra to no end, but something about Aodhan just isn’t adding up…

I really enjoyed this one but didn’t realize it was a cliffhanger ending. I was so mad when I got to the end and it just ended. Can’t wait for book 2 which will be out shortly. FMC and MMC work well together once FMC was willing to let MMC in. FMC handles his secret really well and probably better than I would have. I loved the give and take between them throughout the story. I can’t wait for them to get their HEA.

Book 1 Modern Legends of Sidhe

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