Halloween Boo by Sarah Spade

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With a little bit of free time before getting to the last book club book for September, I decided to look for something that would fit for Bang in the Night and a new author for me (to hit my final September TBR prompt). I decided to pick up Halloween Boo by Sarah Spade. This is the first book in her Holiday Hunk series. I was able to use this to cover the Fall in Love prompt set in fall and Color Me Romantic prompt Mauve (clothing on the cover). I also used this to cover the Bang in the Night prompt Who You Gonna Call? with the theme song of Frank Sinatra's In the Shadow of the Moon off of the third volume of Reprise Rarities.

Dani has moved to Salem for work and has spent the past year living with a ghost. The second the calendar switches to Halloween on the 31st, Zack, her friendly ghost, becomes corporeal. He has fallen in love with Dani over the past 10 months and is happy to finally be able to connect with her. As they get to know each other and spend the day relaxing around the apartment, the spark between them starts to burn hotter. As we reach the end of the night, Dani and Zack throw caution to the wind and take action on their attraction.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this novella. I knew going in that it was related to Hocus Pocus in someway, but I wasn't sure how exactly. I think I would call this inspired by instead of a retelling. We do get some nods to the fantastic film, but it is entirely it's own thing. Everything that I want from a novella, especially a holiday novella, was included in this. It also had more than I could want. I loved the way that Dani and Zack really connected throughout the story. Even though they really only had one day together physically, I thought it was so well done that Sarah took time to establish an intellectual and emotional connection between them before they acted on the physicality. I really enjoyed seeing that they could just be together all day and take their time to get to know each other. It did help too that he had been "living" with her for the past 10 months and really understood who she was. I also loved that all he wanted to do was take care of her. I thought it was so fun at the beginning when he tried to warn her (still as a ghost) that she left her ice cream out on the counter. Zack was just so freaking adorable.

If you enjoy novellas and are looking for something Halloween vibed without being spooky or monstery, definitely check this novella out. I will be reading more from this series and from Sarah Spade. I definitely plan on picking up the next book when I start reading some winter and Christmas related books. The whole series is holiday related and I can't wait to see what other stories she has in store.

Have you read Halloween Boo?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Halloween Boo, Sarah Spade, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 106 pages, published in 2018, indie published

The Sight of You by Ashley Mack

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The September Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review theme was the broad genre of contemporary. The Sight of You by Ashley Mack won the poll. This is not only the first book in her The Senses series, but also her debut novel! I was able to use this to cover the prompts Book Rec'd To You for Fall in Love and Sky Blue (airport in the story) for Color Me Romantic.

Alina is on vacation in Seattle. Whenever she's on vacay, she always plans for her last night to have one night stand. As the head of security for her father and their company (that has some less than legal dealings), she tends to keep to herself at home. She comes across Brody in a club and they feel an unexpected connection. After they spend a magical night together, he wakes up alone. Not too much later, Alina is prepping for her sister to meet her arranged marriage partner Derick. Their companies are hoping to both strengthen their respective portfolios as well as be able to protect each other as they withdraw form the shadier sides of business. When Derick arrives at their family home, they are both surprised to find out that Derick is Brody. He quickly changes the terms and says he'll only marry Alina. She agrees and they end up getting married within a couple days and she gets whisked back to Seattle. As she struggles to find a new role in her life, things start happening that threatens not only Derick's business, but him and Alina.

First off, this was fairly steamy. I was surprised how steamy this was and do have to say that as we got past the 60% mark, I did start to kind of skim those scenes. They were written well and definitely packed heat, but I was a little bit over them. Now, this book is not written perfectly and you can definitely tell that this is Ashely Mack's debut book. There are some questionable choices made both by the characters and in the plotting in general. However, I enjoyed this book and read it voraciously. There was something about Alina and Derick's characters that just really drew me into their story. I was able to set aside the odd choices and really immerse myself. I could not put it down and stayed up way too late the night I first picked it up (I got through ~85% in one sitting). I liked getting to see Alina really work through her new "societal wife" role and how to integrate her previous training into it. The way she came to really enjoy working on the board of a charity was really nice to see, but she still had that edge and didn't stop training and exercising her skills.

Now during the live chat I know that there were quite a few people that struggled with this book. If you are a reader that finds the writing style to be a big detriment to enjoyment of a book, definitely be cautious picking this up. I really enjoyed my time reading though and usually writing style isn't something that holds me back from enjoying a book. She also had a "their" POV. It was from narrator's position that pulled back to almost talk to reader about what was going on with Alina and Derick. I have to say, it was a little odd. It didn't bother me, but I wish it either wasn't there or was there more. I feel like it could've been a really cool twist to how the story was told but was implemented a little timidly. Part of me felt it was odd and wasn't quite sure, but the more it happened the more I started to enjoy it and ended up wanting to Ashely to really push the device more and just go for it.

Overall I really enjoyed this debut book and cannot wait to read more of the series. It looks like she's planning on doing novellas between the books for side characters, but the second book came out earlier this October and is one of Alina's sisters (the one that may or may not be a serial killer). I can't wait to read more from Ashley and join her in this writing journey. Always love finding a new author, even more so to jump on in the beginning! Definitely check this out if the premise is intriguing, but just remember this is a debut book and temper your expectations.

Have you read The Sight of You?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Sight of You, Ashley Mack, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 326 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Gold Rush by Jenny Bunting

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After reading Fool's Gold earlier this year in May, I've been wanting to continue the series. The 2nd book in Jenny Bunting's Finch Family series is Gold Rush. I was able to sneak this into my Bang in the Night challenge to cover PSL Vibes. The Frank Sinatra Reprise Rarities song I chose for a theme was You Brought a New Kind of Love To Me from Volume 1. This also worked perfectly to cover the Author Rec'd by Shelby prompt for Fall in Love and Gold prompt (gold on the cover and a character that is wealthy) for Color Me Romantic.

After divorcing her husband, Whitney is headed back to Goldheart. After visiting her friend Annie is Fool's Gold, she is back to write more of her next novel. The local cafe has the sort of magic and vibe that she needs right now to meet her writing deadline. The only drawback is Reid, the Finch brother that had a contentious relationship with her back in college. They were in the same creative writing class and ended up being at odds with each other. Annie is stuck in the middle, being friends with Whitney but also being best friends with Reid since they were young (and the fact that she's dating his brother Cameron). As they try to stop the antagonistic jabs between themselves, they start to notice and act on the spark between them. Whitney is nervous though since she is child-free by choice and doesn't want to have children. She is nervous about Reid wanting the same thing and starts to second guess herself after her divorce.

Okay, I will start off by saying that I really struggle with enemies to lovers. There was a point where I was really getting over the enemies portion of the story, but thankfully things started to change shortly after. It still went on a little longer than I preferred, but it was more that sometimes Whitney would say some really hurtful things and it just made me a little uncomfortable. Once they got past that though, I loved the relationship that Reid and Whitney were able to build. The moments when they were able to just sit together and do writing sprints was so cute and I could just picture them cozied up in a cafe typing like madmen. I also loved how once Whitney opened up about what she wanted out of life and that she was child-free how Reid responded. He really took the time to really think if he wanted to be a father himself or if it was just societal norms that he was unconsciously fitting into. 

I also loved to see Annie and Cameron continue their HEA in the background and seeing more of the entire Finch Family. I love the way that Jenny has crafted their family dynamics and can't wait to get the other siblings books! I particularly loved that we got to see more of the older, broody brother Jackson, especially since he had a closer relationship with Reid. The way that Whitney was able to integrate into their family was so beautiful to see. I should also mention, there's also some heavy talk about abandonment, particularly when dealing with Whitney's mother. She also wasn't really one to want to be a mother, but ended pregnant and kind of didn't create the best situation for Whitney. I thought it was really nice that we saw the beginning of a reconciliation between them, but it wasn't magically all better. Another thing I should mention that did pull this back from a full 5-stars was the 3rd act breakup. I didn't really like how it played out and would've preferred if Whitney stayed in town and actually sat down and discussed things with Reid about what he wanted. I know she has trauma from her previous marriage, but it felt a little out of character for her to completely flip out suddenly and then leave on short notice. I did get a little miffed that it seemed like Reid was the one that was going to grovel to her (I hate when the man is always the one to grovel even if he's not the one that instigated or was the main cause of the "break-up"), but Whitney ended up being the one to come back and apologize to Reid. That helped soften the blow, but I wish she at least would've stayed in town and not let it go on so long. They still ended up at their HEA though.

I can't wait for the next book in the series to come this December! I'm not sure who it'll be yet, but I really feel like the groundwork was laid for Jackson's book. There is also a mention of something that happened to Thumper (Cameron's friend) when he was at the bank when it got robbed. Jenny actually recently released a 2.5 story in the series called Safe With You that's his book. Hopefully I'll have time to pick it up before the third book.

Have you read Gold Rush?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Gold Rush, Jenny Bunting, 4.5 Stars, 3 days, eBook, 286 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Foreplay on Words by E.L. Koslo

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I recently found some steamy fanart on twitter that was from Foreplay on Words by E.L. Koslo. I loved the artwork and wanted to try out the books based on that print as well as the blurb. This is the first book in her Words series. This worked perfect to cover the prompts Over 300 Pages for Fall in Love and Violet (new-to-you author) for Color Me Romantic.

Evan, a popular mystery and thriller writer is working on finishing his latest novel. His main female character is a prostitute, so when his editor starts reviewing his manuscript there's issues with the sex scenes. He gets books from his publisher's romance authors and is told to choose one to help redo those scenes. He reads Chase's books and they get paired up to fix his novel. Chase is a popular romance author and isn't quite sure what to think when she meets the mysterious author, but there is an instant spark. As they work on his novel their synergy really balances and they decide to write a book as a duo. They plan to make it set around a dominatrix heroine, so of course they need to do some research. As their budding relationship grows, they also expand their sexual intimacy with both the research they are doing but also the undeniable chemistry.

Oh, I was really excited for this book. After seeing the pretty fanart and then looking at the blurb I got really excited for this book. It started out great, but things quickly took a turn I wasn't expecting. Now, there is quite a bit of BDSM talk in this book (about 35~40%). I feel like it was written pretty well, but that is not something that I enjoy. My summary above mentions it, but it is not in the normal blurb for this book. It just isn't a dynamic that titilates me. Now, I do want to say that the BDSM that Chase and Evan engage in is fairly beginner and basic. However, during their research they end up going to a showcase. While they don't participate, there is some high level kink (they watch a dominatrix do a scene with a man that is humiliation and pet play based). So I just want to put that warning out there. It did help that we were in Evan's POV and he was just as uncomfortable as I was "watching" it play out. Maybe I was more uncomfortable because it was two-fold, but if you are sensitive to that kind of thing or just don't enjoy it like myself, I don't recommend this book. It went on a lot longer than I was hoping.

Outside of the BDSM aspects, this book was pretty high heat and it didn't take too long for Chase and Evan to act on their chemistry. I also loved how they were able to intrinsically connect and understand each other when it came to the demands of an author and how supportive they were of each other; especially Evan of Chase. Him binge reading all of her books was so cute. However, I did feel like it was getting too long. While the steam was good and there's a lot, I have to be honest that about the 70% I started just skimming the rest of it. It just was too much overall. I also was expecting this book to end closer towards the conflict that happens during their book tour, but things were really dragged out and I found myself constantly checking my percentage once I got to the 75% mark. I just was like how much is left. Things were really dragged out that last little bit, especially with us being with them on every single stop on their book tour. Most of the cities they visited outside of their hometowns and the final were just unnecessary.

Overall, the blurb really let me down with this book. Had there been some sort of mention that BDSM came into play a lot with Evan and Chase, I might've enjoyed it more (if I even decided to pick it up). I am interested in reading more from EL Koslo, but I definitely will want to look at some in depth reviews first. I will be cautious with her since I feel like my trust in her blurbs is a little broken. Other than also feeling like the last half of the book was reallly drawn out, I feel like it was written well. It's just a "Me problem." If you enjoy BDSM or are okay with light/beginner BDSM dynamics, you might really enjoy this. If you do read it, you'll have to let me know what you thought.

Have you read Foreplay on Words?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Foreplay on Words, E.L. Koslo, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 420 pages, published in 2021, small publisher

Dating Your Best Friend's Brother by Lana Dash

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During my late night insomnia mini-binge of insta-love KU (Kindle Unlimited) romances, I picked up Dating Your Best Friend's Brother by Lana Dash. This is the first book in her Curvy Girls' Guide series. This worked perfectly to cover the prompt brown on the cover for Fall in Love.

Kelsey and her best friend Charlie are back at home to celebrate his older brother's return to town. They were neighbors growing up and Kelsey has always crushed on Max. After reconnecting at his party, they finally break the tension between them with a kiss. When Max misunderstands the relationship between Charlie and Kelsey, he backs off. Kelsey gets hurt and starts to second guess if Max really likes her.

This was cute and once again I was intrigued by the trope going in. I loved that the best friend was actually a guy. The writing style I definitely enjoyed more than Win a Date with a Cowboy. My biggest issue here was the multiple miscommunications between Max and Kelsey. It was just too many for how short this book was. I also got a little frustrated with how many times in 45 pages that both Charlie and Kelsey had to push against family members that they were just friends and only friends. I feel had there just been the one miscommunication, I wouldn't have been as frustrated, but there were three or four. I did think though that with them having known each other since they were kids helped with establishing a relationship that was believable at the HEA. Well, as long as they can work on their communication!

I'm definitely intrigued to read more from Lana Dash and have had her Sincerely Yours series on my tbr since it came out early 2021. If I'm looking for another quick KU insta-love novella, I might lean more towards picking up one of those, but we'll see what happens. Overall I enjoyed this outside of the miscommunications (which I struggle with in full length novels as well). Definitely check out Lana Dash if you're looking for well written insta-love novella.

Have you read Dating Your Best Friend's Brother?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Dating Your Best Friend's Brother, Lana Dash, 3.5 stars, 0 days, 45 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Win a Date with a Cowboy by Kate Tilney

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Even though I was in the middle of a reread of Empire of Storms, I had insomnia one night and decided to pick up a couple quickie insta-love novellas available on KU (Kindle Unlimited). The first one I read was Win a Date with a Cowboy by Kate Tilney. This is the first in her Curvy Girls' Bachelor Auction series. I used this to cover the Fall in Love prompt under 300 pages.

Jill is assistant to an up and coming fashion designer in Denver, Colorado. While her boss is up in Aspen, Jill is tasked to attend a local charity bachelor auction to bid on the "cowboy" for a date. Clay is roped into participating in the auction by a friend, but is happy when he sees that Jill is the curvy woman that won his time. When he finds out the truth, he's disappointed. When Jill drops by his ranch to deliver a present for Clay from her boss, they can't help but fall into the attraction they feel for each other.

Okay, I was excited for this book and even more so when I started it and realized it was set in Colorado. While the tropes were right up my alley and I expected an insta-love story going in, this one didn't quite hit me right. It was a little too insta-lovey for me. I just find much more enjoyment and believability in the HEA if at the end of the novella it's more of a we'll start dating seriously or get engaged and plan to have a long engagement. I was just left feeling a little meh about them. I also thought that the "tension" that was supposed to come with Jill's boss having won the date was too forced. It just felt weird overall, especially when we come to find out that her boss was looking at Clay like he was "her's." The writing style and character choices overall just didn't quite elevate the story as much as I was hoping.

While this didn't blow me away, if you are looking for this type of book as a palate cleanser, I thought it was decent. If I'm looking for more insta-lovey novellas in the future, I'd definitely check out the other books in the series and see if one of the other hero archetypes is something I'm interested in. This is one that I'd have to go specifically looking for though.

Have you read Win a Date with a Cowboy?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Win a Date with a Cowboy, Kate Tilney, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 51 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Her Unexpected Roommate by Jackie Lau

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The end has come to Jackie Lau's Cider Bar Sisters. The last book in the series, Her Unexpected Roommate just recently came out (August 9th) and I wanted to pick it up as soon as possible. I was able to use this book to cover the prompt yellow on the cover for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon!

Rose is struggling with her depression and trying not to internalize all of her friends finding their HEAs. When she goes out by herself for a drink, she runs into Cal. They end up going home together, but circumstances happen that leaves them unable to contact each other afterwards. When they come back together months later, it's as Cal becoming Rose's new roommate. As they live together, it's hard to forget the wonderful night they spent together before, but don't want to cause any issues with their living situation.

So, before we get into the review, I do want to talk about some trigger/content warnings. There is a lot of discussion about depression and the different symptoms that come with it. Even more specific though, is depression that is resistant to "normal" treatments. There's also discuss of suicide and stigmas against depression and mental health. That is in the past and not something that is current though. This is mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of the books as well, but the heroine's mother didn't really accept that depression was an issue and ended up committing suicide years before this book is set. There is also a mention that Rose herself was suicidal before, but it's not really gone into too deeply. On a more positive note, the way that suicide and mental health is discussed in this book is really well done. I love the way that Jackie Lau is able to talk about these deep issues but not make it feel preachy or too over-dramatic to get a point across. There is discussion about the stigmas that society put on people that attempt or commit suicide and how there's a skewed perspective a lot of the time. As someone that was diagnosed with depression as a pre-teen and also struggled with suicide when I was younger, this book felt very meaningful to me. It did take me a lot longer than usual to get through (almost a week), but that is because I've been really stressed out with getting ready to move and struggling to find time to read.

Now, usually the books in this series have more of a rom-com feel. There is some humor here, but because of the heavier topics dealt with I would consider this more of a straight contemporary. But let's get onto the other parts of the book. I absolutely adored Cal. He was so easygoing and just adaptable and willing to do whatever he could to help Rose when she was struggling. There were a lot of pieces of Rose that I connected with and it was so satisfying to see her reach her HEA. Even though there was a lot of focus on Rose, Cal had his own issues with his family and having lived his life with undiagnosed dyscalculia. I really enjoyed the way that they felt connected and it was just so cute to see them cuddling on the couch watching C- and K-dramas. This book was heavy, but it also felt really uplifting. I also loved how the "third-act conflict" happened (spoiler: there wasn't really one). The final chapter and epilogue was also really cute to see and it was really cute seeing the cider bar sisters a few years forward. I loved the wrap up of the series!

Okay, now for my usual, "Please read Jackie Lau" blurb. Seriously, pick her up. I loved her and her books. The way that she writes just feels so realistic and I want to hang out with all her characters! She is one of my favorite contemporary authors and also a cozy read for me. Jackie has been teasing in her past few newsletters that she has plans for two new series in 2023. There hasn't been anything announced as of yet, but I have a feeling one might be based around Cal's friend group (that are all from their high school theater group) and the other might be one of Rose's instagram plushie friends (a scientist in Montreal). We'll see what they end up being, but no matter what I'll be picking them up!

Have you read Her Unexpected Roommate?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Her Unexpected Roommate, Jackie Lau, 5 stars, 6 days, eBook, 234 pages, published in 2022, indie published

A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler

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The last book I picked up for the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark was A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler. I had this on my tbr as Touched to the Heart, but this was actually republished in 2020 with a new title and now is listed as the 0.5 prequel to the Cavallo Brothers series. This covered the readathon's prompt billionaire, Summer of Swoon 2nd bingo board's prompt set in a country/state I don't live in and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo's prompt bicycle.

Don is participating in a bicycle race with his brothers. When he pulls a back muscle, he heads to one of the phsyio tents. There he overhears Caitlin talking to her friend about how unattractive she finds cyclists. She's instantly proved wrong when she meets Don. He has a house in the small town she's from and ends up finding her after the race for more physiotherapy. There's a lot of sexual tension between them and Don can't seem to stay away from Caitlin no matter how hard he tries.

Oh boy, this was a hard novella for me to get through. There were good moments, but then moments where I was confused of feeling like "that's it?" I enjoyed the beginning and the banter between Don and Caitlin. Where I really was left wanting was this felt very much like insta-lust and not insta-love. Going into novellas I almost expect for it to be more along the insta-love route, but I just didn't quite get the connection between them. On top of that Caitlin was so back and forth about what she felt about Don. There was even a mention near the end of the book by one of her sisters about if they are still hating Don and that it was: we like him, we hate him, we love him and we hate him again. It just didn't quite hit the mark for me in feeling like their HEA was believable to me. I also kind of found it odd that the three sisters and Caitlin's best friend were being paired with the four Cavallo brothers. That kind of thing doesn't bother me as much with historical romances, but it just felt a little ookie to me.

Despite feeling back and forth on A Captivating Touch, I'm certainly interested to pick up a full length novel from Elsa Winckler. I would like to see how she really develops a relationship with 150 (+/-) more pages. I certainly would love to try more even more so since she's my first South African writer. I also think it's cool that she usually writes in Afrikaans but this series was contracted to be written in English.

Have you read A Captivating Touch?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Captivating Touch, Elsa Winckler, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 130 pages, published in 2013, small publisher

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I have finally picked up Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau! This is her fist traditionally published book and the first in her new series. I read this during the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark to cover the prompt celebrity. I also used this for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon to cover the diverse hero prompt and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo to cover the food on the cover prompt.

Ryan is an actor and is struggling with the performance as his first main male lead romcom. It's not doing too well with critics and he's nervous the implications it could have for Asian male leads moving forward. Since he mother passed away a few months ago, he's taking a small break to be there more for his family (his sister is about to give birth). He runs into Lindsay, the co-owner of a local donut shop. He thinks about how pretty she is but doesn't really have an excuse to see her again until he gets offered a role in a celebrity edition of failed baking competition show. He doesn't want to suck too horribly and decides to approach Lindsay for baking lessons.

Oh my gosh, for her first traditionally published book, Jackie really pulled out all the stops. It has the same coziness I expect from this type of traditionally published romcom, but we get the Jackie Lau twist! I feel like we get the tension a little tighter and we went full bore earlier than usual. On top of the fact that we always get good foodie things in her books, but it's even magnified because Lindsay is a baker. I absolutely loved the relationship between Ryan and Lindsay, especially once they started the private lessons. It just felt so natural how they felt more and more comfortable with each other and it slowly progressed from just baking partners to more. They really swept me away and I loved seeing them fall in love and really come to terms with what their relationship would be.

There is a lot of discussion in here as well about Asian representation in particular to Hollywood and film/TV medias. I thought it was really well discussed and covered. The way that Jackie writes never seems preachy to me and is just something that her characters have to come to terms with. There is also a lot of discussion about grief with both Ryan and Lindsay having lost a parent. Ryan's mother passed several months ago while Lindsay's father passed 7-ish years ago. I thought the way that they connected and were able to really open up about their grief with each other was so special. That is something that really can make or break a book for me when it deals with grief, but I think Jackie handles various types of issues so well. I also love how real her characters feel and nothing seems overlay dramatized in their reactions or dialogue. I can see her characters in my mind and can picture hanging out with them. Now, the only detraction I really had was the focus on Ryan's friend. I understand that he is showing a different perspective and pov as an Asian that's Bisexual, but I wish that we didn't get too much into what was going on with him. He's in town to do a comedy show and we get a very long monologue. While it's important to discuss those things, it felt a little off since it was taking away the focus on Lindsay and Ryan. I just wish that it more summarized that part of his monologue and fleshed out more of the jokes he made about Ryan. And since I picked this up so late after release, I already know that he's going to be the MMC in the follow-up, The Stand-Up Groomsman.

Overall this was such a great foray for Jackie and I adored this book so much. I really found myself able to connect to both Lindsay and Ryan and cannot wait for more. If you haven't picked up Jackie Lau yet, please, please do. She's one of my favorite contemporary authors and I cannot wait for whatever books she decides to write next. The only thing I have to warn you about, don't go into her books hungry otherwise you'll find yourself really wanting to snack and read!

Have you read Donut Fall in Love?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Donut Fall in Love, Jackie Lau, 4.5 stars, Paperback, 0 days, 358 pages, published in 2021, traditionally published

Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein

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Wanting to clear up as much as I could of my bingo board for the Romance Take Readathon - Light v. Dark, I decided to pick up Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein. This is the second book in her Dark Obsession series. This was perfect to cover the prompts Virgin Hero, Plus Sized, New Adult and Sports for the readathon! I was also able to use this for prompts college dorm for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and new adult for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

After being bullied by Tate and his friends in high school, Letty runs into him a couple years later in one of her film classes at college. The last time she saw him his friend had run her over with his truck forcing her off a ravine and hospitalized and recovering for a long time. Tate feels bad and wants to try to make it up to Letty and not cause her any more harm. When they get paired up to do a project covering sex in cinema, Letty finds herself really coming to learn about who Tate really is behind the facade he's worn since high school. As they get closer, they both have to come to some realizations about their situations in the past and now.

So there is definitely bullying situations addressed in this book, so be aware of that if you are at all sensitive. Most of what we see is in the prologue, but then there are recountings of the bullying and how it made Letty feel throughout. Now, it was a little predictable (to me) the why of the bullying from Tate, however we don't really get much clarity about his two main friends in high school. So I feel a little torn on this book, but my enjoyment really came from getting to know Tate in the present day and really see him work through his apology to Letty. We also get to know more about him behind the façade he's put on for so long. I really connected with Tate and thought he was just the sweetest. The way he really felt bad for his actions towards Letty was felt and I loved how he even went out of his way to avoid class for a few days to "stay away from her." I don't know, but I just really felt for him and came to love him as a hero.

Now I did think the reasons why he was a virgin was a little silly, but it is what it is. What detracted for me was actually mostly to do with Letty. I feel bad thinking that, but I really wanted her to make more progress in her mental health. I know that after the big bullying incident (that happens in the prologue) she ends up needing to spend time recovering and getting back to a normal life. I do wish that there was more done both for her and also her doing the work. She was still very triggered and struggled to make even friends with a girl that lived in the same floor as her. I don't know, maybe I'm being too judgmental about it, but I just really wanted to see her work through some of this more. Ideally I would want this to be through therapy, but by the time I got to the big 3rd act breakup, I was wanting more from her in being able to move forward. Also, it's a little spoilery, but when we get to some of the reasons behind the tension they had in high school, it's pointed out that a lot of her insecurities were felt before the bullying really started (or intensified). I understand that the bullying probably made those worse to deal with, but I wanted some sort of acceptance or realization on her end that all these insecurities she was dealing with wasn't just because of the bullying.

Overall I really enjoyed Tate and thought the writing style was good enough to keep me hooked. I just felt like Tate did a lot more of the inner work needed and struggle with believing 100% that Letty will be happy in their HEA. I can quickly seeing it turn into Tate giving up everything to keep her happy and potentially triggering Letty. That makes me think he could live the rest of his life being overly cautious (and walking on eggshells). Outside of that, I am intrigued to pick up something else by Charlotte Stein and checking out the rest of this series.

Have you read Never Sweeter?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Never Sweeter, Charlotte Stein, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 262 pages, published in 2016, small publisher

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 2nd book I picked up for the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark round was Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood. This is the first book in her STEMinist Novellas series. Under One Roof worked perfectly to cover romcom and forced proximity for the readathon. I also was able to use it for Summer of Swoon to cover the grumpy sunshine prompt and Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo to cover the title has a number prompt.

After Mara's doctorate mentor passes away, she's leaves her half of a house in DC to Mara. The other half is owned by her nephew Liam. Liam is a corporate lawyer for a company that is known to not have enviromental friendly policies. Mara is an environmental engineer, so of course this rubs her wrong before they even meet. Liam tries to buy Mara out, but she decides to stay despite them not getting along. As they become friends, after some squabbles, they start to really learn who each other are.

This is a cute trope centered novella. I enjoyed my time reading this and thought for a novella it was paced pretty well. I also liked that when we got to the end it wasn't a magical "let's get married" but more of a let's have a serious relationship and keep moving forward. It just felt a lot more natural. This wasn't a full five-stars for me though, mostly because of Mara. She felt very childish at times, especially with being almost 30-years old. I didn't understand her actions at times and her excuse to stay in the house was quite a bit flimsy. What really bothered me is when she doesn't accept a package for Liam from UPS after she deduces it's probably something important. Just not okay. Otherwise, once they became friendly I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved into deeper feelings.

This was a decent start to this novella series and I'm certainly intrigued to read more. I think this book helped reset my expectations for these since the only other book I've read by Ali is The Love Hypothesis (which is her only other published book as of now). I can't wait to pick up the other two trope-tasitc novellas and think they'll be a perfect pick-me-up or palette cleanser.

Have you read Under One Roof?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Under One Roof, Ali Hazelwood, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 112 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Love At First Fight by Carrie Aarons

⭐⭐⭐💫

With a little bit of free reading time, I decided to pick up Love At First Fight by Carrie Aarons. I remember the cover from when Shelby read it last year and thought it would work for one of the prompts for her Summer of Swoon. I am going to be using it to cover the 1st board prompt set in summer.

Molly was excited to be one of several people taking part in a summer house share in the Hamptons. She originally was supposed to be going with her long term boyfriend, but a month ago he let her know that he was moving to Singapore for his job alone... from the tarmac. She decides to still go despite most of the other people taking part being his friends. Molly ends up staying in the room next to Smith, one of her ex's best friends and someone that has always been rude to her. Smith knew that Molly was his end game from the first moment they met and has spent the last year and a half trying to keep his distance. Now that Molly is spending time with everyone single, he can't keep himself from dropping those surly walls and starting to show her how he really feels.

Okay, so I'm not usually a big enemies to lovers fan, but here it didn't bother me too too much. I did think it was a little silly why he was so rude to her, especially in the past. He knew when they met that they were pretty much meant for each other and decided to be rude to her and try to hate her and make her hate him to stay distanced and not insert himself in their relationship. Now that are neighbors in the house share and both single, Smith finds it harder and harder to keep up his surly facade. I like how naturally he started opening up to Molly, but there were a few issues that ended up detracting my enjoyment of the book overall.

I'm going to try not to get too ranty, but the biggest issue I had was how grief was dealt with. About 6 months before this book starts, Smith's twin sister dies after being hit by a drunk driver. Now there were very touching moments when he discussed his sister and how he felt about her, but most of the time the way that other people, and even Smith himself talked about grief made me angry. It is not okay to tell someone that the way they are grieving is wrong or should be further along in the process than they are. It really bothered my and I found myself unhappy with the situation multiple times. Outside of that, I thought the 3rd act break-up was a little silly to me as well. It felt a little over-reactional on both parts and I really didn't understand why Molly was pushing Smith so much when she was one of the few people that he was able to open up about his sister with.

I think overall I enjoyed Love At First Fight, but it was a couple things that were big detractors in my rating. I'm interested to try something else by Carrie. I just might look at a couple review or go through the blurb before picking it up in case there is something that I might be a little pickier or oversensitive too. I just think that there were some saving moments in the books, so we'll see what happens.

Have you read Love At First Fight?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Love At First Fight, Carrie Aarons, 3.5 stars, 2 days, eBook, 258 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Her Favorite Rebound by Jackie Lau

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The author I chose for my July TBR prompt for continuing their backlist was Jackie Lau! I've been meaning to pick up the 4th book in her Cider Bar Sisters series, Her Favorite Rebound, since it was released in March and now was the perfect time! I was able to use this for the spring 2022 new release prompt for Summer of Swoon.

Sierra is dating Colton Sanders, the famous billionaire. Despite her family thinking she isn't able to catch a good man as a 34-year old divorcee that owns her own business, she is happy with her life for the most part. When at dinner, they run into Jake, a former lawyer for Colton. Before Jake knows Sierra is there with Colton, he falls in love at first sight and knows in his soul that they are the best match. When he finds out who Sierra is dating, he starts finding ways to show her who he really is. Sierra is struggling in her relationship with Colton and tries to keep herself from thinking about Jake so much. When things come to halt when Sierra catches Colton in a compromising situation, the only person she wants to run too for comfort is Jake and he takes the chance to make her his.

Now, I knew going in that this was going to be more of a love-triangle. This is a trope I really dislike and was nervous about that aspect, but I had more hope because I really trust Jackie Lau as an author. I was pleasantly surprised. First off, we are at the point in Sierra and Colton's relationship where she is really struggling with him liking her for who she really is. The nice things are welcome, but there are times where she feels like he's not seeing her but her race. He does come back a couple times to "win her back" but I loved that Sierra wasn't even interested and never tempted to go back to him. I just really loved the way she couldn't stop thinking of Jake even though she still felt loyalty to Colton. Now, if you are worried about cheating, there is that in here from Colton. There can also be an argument made that Sierra is emotionally cheating Colton, but it's not a trigger for me and didn't bother me at all.

As always with Jackie there are great restaurants and foodie things. It was also really fun to see her working on creating card for her small shop and I would love to visit it. I know I  would spend way too much money getting all the cute stationary things. If you've read her Baldwin Village series, Sierra's shop is mentioned since it's in the same area. Before we wrap up, I do want to mention a couple things that held this back from a full 5-stars for me. First, I wished that we were over the Colton stuff a little earlier. It went on a little longer than I was hoping, but at the same time I thought everything was well-paced. The other minor thing I had an issue with was Sierra pushing Jake away when Colton does his final big gesture. I also didn't like that she pushed him away so much and tried to just keep it physical so long. I would've just wanted her to open up to him earlier, especially with her feeling the "rightness" of their relationship as well.

I am sad but also can't wait to finish the series in August. I'm super excited for Rose's book, Her Unexpected Roommate. Jackie Lau is a favorite contemporary author for me and this one was really good. I also felt like even though it took a little bit longer for Sierra and Jake to get together, once they did it got pretty steamy. If you haven't read Jackie Lau, I couldn't recommend her enough. She is just such a good cozy author for me and I can't wait to see what she has planned next! (She mentioned in a newsletter she'll be starting two new series later this year.)

Have you read Her Favorite Rebound?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Her Favorite Rebound, Jackie Lau, 4.5 stars, 1 day, eBook, 242 pages, published in 2022, indie published

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

⭐⭐⭐⭐

For my July tbr new author prompt, I ended up choosing Dylan Newton. I had received How Sweet It Is as a gift shortly after it was released and have had it sitting on my shelf. This is technically not part of a series, but Dylan's second book released All Fired Up is about a character we meet in this book. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt 2021 release.

Kate is the queen of HEAs, known for her event planning having the perfect "Aww" moment to make an event even more memorable. When a client cancels their wedding and she ends up with some free time, her friend convinces her to take on the planning for the new book release for the Knight of Nightmares, Drake. He's gearing up to release his 10th book and it's already been optioned for movie rights. Kate is hoping to expand her portfolio to increase her chances of winning a big award for her inudstry, but Drake is very low key. As Kate and Drake struggle to come to terms on what to do for the event, Drake finds a new muse in Kate and wants to spend more time with her to help finish a secret book.

This was really cute and as the title says, sweet. Now, going in I knew this was a traditionally published rom-com, so I was expecting more sweet with not too much steam. I thought it was well done and really a great change of pace after the darkness of Raze. Kate was just so bubbly and loved that when they have their meet cute she really gets thrown for a loop and doesn't start off picture perfect. Even though it was a little predictable, it was just feel good. I don't know, I don't have too much to say about it other than it is what it is and exactly as I expected. I enjoyed my time reading it and it's a solid 4-stars. I just don't really have much to gush about, but also nothing to really complain about.

A quick review, but really all it comes down to is that How Sweet It Is gave me what I wanted and met the expectations I had for it. If you enjoy the traditionally published rom-coms, definitely check it out. I though it was super cute and will definitely be interested in picking up the associated book when I'm in the mood for something like this in the future.

Have you read How Sweet It Is?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How Sweet It Is, Dylan Newton, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 352 pages, published in 2021, traditionally published

Raze by Tillie Cole

⭐⭐⭐💫

This month the theme for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review was contemporary dark romance. Raze won the poll. This is the first book in Tillie Cole's Scarred Souls series. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt mafia.

Raze was taken as a young boy to live and fight in the Gulog, a Georgian prison with underground fights. It's been years since he was brought here and is known as 818, his prisoner number. When there's a prison break, all Raze knows is that he needs to return to New York City to get revenge against Alik. He can't remember much of his life after being drugged and completely isolated, but he carved into his cell Alik's name and address in case he ever got out. He comes across Kisa and instantly feels a protective instinct towards her. Kisa is the daughter to the head of the local Bratva and engaged to Alik. She is still mourning the death of her soulmate years after her is charged with killing her twin brother (and heir to the Bratva) and ends up dying in a bus crash. Kisa runs The Dungeon, the local underground fighting ring and when Raze joins to take out Alik, they find themselves thrown together more and more. Kisa struggles against the instant connection to Raze and starts to see pieces of her dead soulmate in him.

Alright, first off, let's just get this out of the way. I thought that Kisa was not a good heroine. There were times where she was okay and then she would turn around and make the silliest decision. It just didn't feel like she was actually aware of the peril her life could be in despite her saying it was. There were also a couple other people that made just as silly... alright, let's just say it... stupid decisions that I did not understand at all. Despite my frustrations, Raze and his storyline really made this book for me. I was so intrigued to learning more about him and to really see him work through what he experienced. Although, I do have to say that I feel like we spent a lot more time experiencing Kisa's trauma at the hands of Alik versus dealing with the trauma Raze went through. I also really wish that Alik was dealt with earlier in the book. Most of the plot dragged out getting to the fight between Alik and Raze. While it was nice to see him finally get his revenge, it also didn't feel as vindicating as I wanted it to be. I don't know, it just felt kind of like "that's it?" when he finally kills him.

Another thing I really didn't like was the set-up for Raze's one friend, 392. I was really hoping that we would get to see his book 2nd (and at that point intrigued enough to read his book). Now spoiler alert, but 392 is caught again and forced to fight Raze. For Raze to get revenge against Alik, he has to kill his only friend! I did not like that and honestly, that was the most upsetting part of the book to me. I also didn't like how many times we saw our heroine assaulted. I mean it continues throughout the book and even gets badly assaulted right before the big fight, which is the climax of the book. Also it was very wordy and went into a lot more detail than I'm comfortable with. It's not triggering to me, but it just feels very yucky. That paired with her stupid choices that leads to things escalating was just so exasperating for me.

So, at this point I'm not sure if I will be picking up more in this series. I'm not saying never, but I think with the almost glorified rape scenes it's not something I'm going to gravitate too. From the live show it seems that Tillie Cole can be pretty polarizing, so we'll see what happens. There's just too many other mafia romances out there I want to try. Like I said though, I'm not writing her or this series off.

Have you read Raze?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Raze, Tillie Cole, 3.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 256 pages, published in 2014, indie published

Flawless by Elsie Silver

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of my most anticipated releases for 2022 is the spin-off series from Elsie Silver's Gold Rush Ranch series. The first book in her Chestnut Springs series, Flawless, came out June 24th and I've been waiting for the chance to pick it up! I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt author rec and Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt dance.

Rhett is one of the top bull riders on the circuit and getting older. After mentioning he doesn't like milk around a hot microphone, his biggest sponsor, a dairy company, pulls away. As his reputation gets twisted in the media, his agent assigns new agent Summer to be his "babysitter." Summer is actually his agent's daughter and is only joining the company to help her father out since she feels indebted to him. When Summer pushes past Rhett's boundaries by being herself, they quickly find themselves succumbing to the spark between them. As the season continues and Rhett finds himself injured, Summer and Rhett struggle to come to terms on what the future is for their relationship.

Elsie freaking does it again. First off, Rhett is one smooth yet dirty talkin' cowboy and I am here for it. Elsie always does such a good job with her heroes really being all in for their heroines and here is not exceptions. There's a slightly different vibe with this book, just it still felt just as cozy and soul-warming as Gold Rush Ranch. Here we get more of the media and public aspect of bull riding and I really loved the way that she really showed how much of a sport it is. I have grown up farm/ranch adjacent so I have been to quite a few different rodeos. It's really crazy seeing it all come down to 8 seconds and I think Elsie did a great job really portraying the mindset of a bull rider in all aspects of their life.

Summer really was such a strong heroine and I was so heartbroken to hear about her horrible relationship with her step-mother and sister. I think the only thing that could've thrown this over the top was maybe her sister reaching out or being open to them working on establishing a better relationship in the future. As someone with some strained familial relationships, it just would've been that extra little pizazz to give Summer hope in that area. Her father was great though and I loved that he fired her so she could go and find a job that really fit her passions.

Another gush fest from me for Elsie Silver! I'm so happy to be reading her spin-off series and can't wait to see the other brothers (and maybe Jasper [grumpy hockey goalie anyone?]) get their HEAs and I think the next book it tentatively set to release in October. It feels far away, but I know it'll be here sooner than we know. If you haven't read Elsie Silver, I couldn't recommend her more. She had my favorite contemporary romance of 2021 and I need more people to read her books so we can gush together!

Have you read Flawless?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Flawless, Elsie Silver, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 428 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Offside by Juliana Stone

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

The final book I picked up for my Hockey Champions Readathon was Offside by Juliana Stone. This is the first book in her Barker Triplets series and features a woman who plays hockey! I applied this to the prompt for the Stanley Cup (book with an HEA). I was also able to use this for the prompt tear-jerker romance on the cover for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Billie-Jo is coming home after a stint playing professional hockey in Sweden. After getting another concussion, she is too much of a risk to keep on the ice. When she arrives home, Billie is struggling with a big part of her life missing. When she sees a beer league has started in town, she signs up. It's not listed as "men's only," but she's the first woman to want to join. There is a lot of backlash from the players and the community, including her own sister. Logan, one of the captains, offers for her to join his team and quietly supports her. Billie struggles being around him so much since she was in love with him when they were younger. He never realized though, and even tried to get with one of her twin sisters. The tension rises between them over and over, but when secrets come out they were both keeping, it's hard for them to move past the truth.

Oh my gosh, another 2nd chance romance. At least this is a version of the trope that is a little more easier for me to get into. First off, I absolutely adored Billie. I loved that she was a complete bad-ass when it came to hockey and you could just feel the joy and peace in her soul when she was on the ice. A small part of me wished this would've happened when she was still playing professionally, but I still loved it. Even though it's beer league, there was so much hockey throughout the story and it really gave good insight to what Billie was really grieving after her injuries. I also loved the connection between Billie and Logan. Even though they both had their reasons to stay away from each other, they just couldn't.

Now, there are some things that did drag this down a little bit. The biggest is I felt there was a little too much angst thrown in. We have Billie dealing with the career and life goal for herself, issues with her twin sister, the angst between her and Logan and her father is going through early dementia. This is all on top of the hate Billie is receiving from the players and the community. That's what really got me the most, her sister following in line and saying hurtful things about her wanting to play hockey. It just broke my heart all the hurt she was going through. I do want to mention, in case it's triggering for you, the hate that she gets from the community and players is pretty extreme. Outside of just being ostracized and different men "flexing" on her, there's also a point where her car is keyed with slurs and all her tires are slashed. With how bad it got, I do wish that we saw more of the community turn around and saw more people going out of their way to apologize or make it up to Billie.

Overall though I couldn't put Offside down and can't wait to read more from Juliana Stone. I don't think the rest of the books in the series will have much hockey since her twins aren't hockey players as well, but I'm certainly intrigued to see Bobbi-Jo get her HEA. Another new author to add to my list! If you are looking for a female hockey player, certainly give it a try. Just be warned it gets a little rough and ended up being a tear-jerker for me (but I cry super easy).

Have you read Offside?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Offside, Juliana Stone, 4.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 222 pages, published in 2012, indie published

My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With a little bit of free time to read to finish out the Hockey Champions Readathon, I created a spinner wheel of Hockey Romances by authors I wanted to try. I decided to pick up My Hallowe'en Heartbreak first. This is the second book of Melanie Ting's Holiday Hattrick series. I picked this one without spinning since I need a book to fill the Halloween prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. I applied this to the Hockey Champions prompt Devon Toews (underrated author) as well as the orange on the cover prompt for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Sophia is having a bad day. She gets pulled off a major case at work, is forced to go to a schmoozey Halloween party by her boyfriend Elliot and then finds him in a bathroom having relations with another woman. She leaves and it starts raining, making her look like a drowned Pikachu. She calls for a ride and her driver ends up being her lifelong crush and childhood next door neighbor Henry. His indie rock band is taking a hiatus since their small record label is struggling and Henry has lost his muse for song writing. As Sophia and Henry rekindle their friendship, they come to rely on each other more than expected and find themselves feeling "at home" around each other. As they slowly push past being more than friends, Henry receives a chance of a lifetime to write music for a popular singer, who's also his ex-girlfriend.

First off, this may seem like it's Halloween themed by the title and series, but there's really not much Halloween vibes here except for the very beginning. I was expecting this to be more centered around the holiday, but I also didn't read the blurb going in. I also added this series because I saw there was beer league hockey in it. While there was a touch of it in this one, I think the other books in the series have more (especially with a former AHL player being the hero in book three). Otherwise I really enjoyed my time reading this. I thought it was a nice change of pace (even though it's another second chance romance, just a different kind). It was pretty slow burn, so just be aware of that going in.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more hockey, but that's on me and my assumptions. The bulk of this is really Henry struggling to refind his muse and connecting with Sophia. I loved the way they just were naturally drawn to each other and with their long-standing relationship really able to open up like couldn't with other people. I thought they were just so sweet together. Now this isn't quite a full 5-stars for a couple reasons. There is some ex drama, but I liked that it wasn't Sophia that went off the hook. She does at first, but then reminds herself she wants to be a judge and to wait until she can talk with Henry. What I didn't like is how she reacted when they did talk. It just felt a little overboard. I also wanted things to move a little bit quicker. I can understand a slow burn, but I felt their relationship was a little too stagnant and could've still been developing. Honestly though, if those types of things don't bother you, you'll probably really enjoy this!

I'm excited to finally get a chance to try Melanie Ting and I can't wait to read more from her backlist. I always love finding a new author, and if you're specifically looking for a POC author, she is another great option; Melanie is Japanese-Canadian. Hopefully her other hockey named books and series have more of the hockey the names promise!

Have you read My Hallowe'en Heartbreak?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: My Hallowe'en Heartbreak, Melanie Ting, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 324 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen

⭐⭐⭐💫

Not only did I want to pick up at least one hockey romance during the Hockey Champions Readathon, but I decided for my July TBR to continue reading in Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series. Next up was book three, Pipe Dreams. I applied this to the prompt for the Coach Jared Bednar (stays calm under pressure) for the readathon. I also was able to apply this to the prompts travel romance for Summer of Swoon.

After Nate's assistant for his hockey operations ends up with a concussion, he calls back Lauren, his C-suite assistant, to cover while she heals. Lauren used to be the GM's assistant for the Brooklyn Bruisers, but has taken the chance to work for Nate's corporation and run with it. Part of the reason why she's run to Manhattan, was her horrible break up with the team's goalie Mike Beacon. Mike and Lauren were friends for almost 8 years, but when he found his wife cheating on him with her tennis instructor, he started to file for divorce. He takes the chance to make his move on Lauren and they spend over a year together happy. When his soon to be ex-wife finds out she has cancer, Mike moves back in to help take care of her and his daughter. When he does this, he ends his relationship with Lauren and doesn't explain to her why. It's been about a year since Mike's wife has passed and when Lauren ends up travelling with the team during their playoff run, he takes the chance to reconnect.

So, I should preface this review with the fact that I'm not usually a fan of 2nd chance romances, especially one where there's been a break-up. Here, there was a lot of damage done to Lauren. Mike didn't open up to her about anything that was happening (even though he did when they were friends) and then after telling her over the phone that it's over, he then ghosted her. Literally the night before he does this they are looking at apartments to move in when the team moves to Brooklyn. My biggest issue with this book is that there isn't really any resolutions or delving into each of their baggage. Specifically when it comes to what Lauren went through. It took her 2 years to really start to get over Mike and now that she's finally starting to move forward he's back. I just wanted there to be a deep discussion of what happened and for Mike to realize that Lauren wasn't "sad" but deeply hurt.

I feel like there wasn't any real groveling on top of that. The big conflict was more that Lauren wants kids. She is planning on getting artificially inseminated and is on fertility medicine. Mike goes all caveman on her and offers to be the baby daddy (in his mind he wants to marry her). I did not like this and was disappointed quite a few times when she just slept with him. Honestly, it comes down to I don't trust the HEA. There was no emotional work done to actually deal with the break-up and Lauren's subsequent trust issues so they both could move on. When in Mike's POV a couple times he talked about moving or pushing past her sadness and it really started to rub me the wrong way.

Outside of my issues, this was at least well written and it didn't turn me off on the series. I know that I'm very particular about second chance romances like this, but I just didn't feel like the emotional work was done for them to healthily come back together. I will continue to read Sarina Bowen and this series and I'm intrigued to see what happens next!

Have you read Pipe Dreams?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Pipe Dreams, Sarina Bowen, 3.5 stars, 1 day, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2017, traditionally published