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

Hockey Champions Readathon Wrap Up

 Happy Tuesday!

My first readathon that I've hosted is officially over. I had a lot of fun trying some new authors and even though you didn't have to read hockey romances for the readathon, they had some extra advantages. I did pick up a couple as well! In case you missed my tbr and what I was planning on reading, you can check it out here. Below is the bingo board I created.

I only used one book per prompt this time. Even though I didn't manage to get a blackout, I did at least get a couple bingos! Below is my completed board followed by the books I read. I'll start at the upper left-hand corner and go row by row.

🏒 GM - Joe Sakic - Character that pulls off something crazy: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

🏒 Forward - Gabriel Landeskog - Character that's a leader: Persuasion by Jane Austen

🏒 Coach - Jared Bednar - Character that stays calm under pressure: Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen

🏒 Forward - Logan O'Connor - Fan-Favorite Author: Sapphire Dreams by Ilona Andrews

🏒 Cup - Book with an HEA: Offside by Juliana Stone

🏒 Defense - Devon Toews - Underrated Author: My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting

I had a lot of fun and hope that more people participate the next time I host a readathon. If you participated, please let me know so I can check out what you read. I definitely had a lot of fun and it was nice to kind of get away from my scheduled tbr for a little bit!

Did you participate in the Hockey Champions Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Persuasion by Jane Austen

⭐⭐⭐⭐

For July, there's a bonus Rake Appreciation Society book! In celebration of the new movie, there is a bonus live show to discuss Persuasion by Jane Austen! A classic with many iterations, I read the Amazon Classic edition since it was free via Prime Reading (as a prime member) and also included free audio. I read this via audiobook off and on at work. I was able to use this for the Hockey Champions Readathon to cover the forward prompt for Gabriel Landeskog (character that's a leader). It also worked to cover the new to you author prompt for Summer of Swoon and Bath (England or tub) for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Eight years after falling in love and then separating, Anne and Captain Wentworth find each other spending time with the same families in Bath. As the continue bumping into each other throughout various social events, it becomes harder and harder to deny they still have feelings for each other. As Anne struggles with her family, she also finds herself more and more watching every little move Captain Wentworth makes to see if she can tell if he feels the same. When rumors run rampant that Anne is set to marry her cousin, Captain Wentworth shuts down. After overhearing her true feelings, he passes along the most loveliest of love letters.

This is my first Jane Austen and the first classic I've read since college. I did read this via audiobook and I do think that helped me get through some of the flowery language. I also wasn't expecting there to be as much humor in here. It's not a lot, but I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. With the overall angstiness of the eight years of pining it was unexpected. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of 2nd chance romances, but I think that Jane Austen did really well in really making you feel the pining and loss and hope of Anne. Now this is was technically written as a contemporary when Jane wrote this, but I will be marking it as historical as well as a classic. Now, looking at this strictly as a romance, I do wish that we got more time of them together. The letter that he writes though, there's not may other things I've read that are that swoony. Jane Austen was really setting the standard and all the bars high back in 1817.

I was nervous that I was going to struggle with Persuasion, but I was so pleasantly surprised. It seems like it's a favorite from a lot of the people that came to the live show. Now I do also want to say that there wasn't really much said positively about the new movie. A lot of people recommended the BBC 2007 version though, so I definitely want to check it out at some point.

Have you read Persuasion?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Persuasion, Jane Austen, 4-stars, 1 day, Audiobook, 259 pages, published in 1817, traditionally published

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The second main book we had to read in July for the Hidden Legacy Readalong was Emerald Blaze. This is the fifth book in Ilona Andrews's popular series. The readalong is being hosted by Stef, Heather, Megan and Izzy. I was able to use this for the prompts bright colors on the cover for Summer of Swoon and worked to cover the GM (character that pulls off something crazy) prompt for my Hockey Champions Readathon!

As the Deputy Warden of Texas, Catalina is tasked with continuing the search for the other missing vials of the Osiris serum. On top of whatever house problems and cases Baylor Investigations picks up, she has to drop everything and pursue what Warden Linus instructs. When he demands that she takes over the Morton case from Augustine, she has to finally reveal to him that she is the Deputy Warden. Felix Morton was a part of a reclamation project for the Pit and has been murdered. As per the agreement all members of the board signed, they have to allow the investigation or be shut down. When Catalina learns that one of the missing Osiris serums is involved to one of the largest threats faced, things become a lot more dire. When Alessandro comes back as Felix's father's associate and gets thrown back into it with Catalina. Alessandro has returned a changed man and does his best to convince Catalina he's only here to protect her from the man behind the theft.

Alright, let me just preface my thoughts with this, Emerald Blaze is my favorite book of the series so far and probably my favorite of their books that I've read. I became a huge fan of Catalina in Sapphire Flames and the ante has been upped even more. There's a few months between the two books and just seeing her really come into her role as the Deputy Warden was so freaking awesome to see. I also love that while Nevada was doing it for the good of everyone, I feel like what Catalina's taking on has a lot bigger risks. I mean the "big bad" in this book could potentially take down all humanity. That's a pretty big deal. I just absolutely loved and was mesmerized with how she managed to defeat The Abyss. I couldn't believe it, was rooting for her and super nervous at the same time. While I knew she most likely wouldn't die, I also didn't want to see any of the new side characters we've come to adore to be in danger as well. The final battle scene was just so freaking cinematic and such a fun end to the book.

I should also mention that we get more of Nevada and Connor in this book. Nevada is around most of the time and she is 8 months+ pregnant! Near the end of the book her water breaks and by the end we have her son! It was just so cool to really see her and Connor living in their HEA since they were away in the previous book. Also, the way that Alessandro comes back and has really changed. I loved how Catalina didn't trust it 100% and really pushed Alessandro to really open up to her. Their connection grows so much here and honestly, I feel really solid about where they're sitting. I'm hoping we get some good action of them working together as a couple in Ruby Fever, but if there's not too much relationship-wise I don't think I'll feel too sad about it. Back to Emerald Blaze though, another part I really enjoyed was just the family really being brought into what Catalina's actually doing for Linus. We also get some clarification about what happened when Nevada left the house and at the same time really seeing how much planning Catalina has put into action the past few years and really does have a lot of long game plans.

I also read a couple short stories. There is a short story listed as 4.2 in the series called Pay Me, however it takes place during Emerald Blaze. I waited to read it until done with Emerald Blaze and it's also available for free on their website! This was just a fun short story in Catalina's POV where she and Arabella arrive to close a case and receive payment. There was such a cool moment with Catalina that gave Boss-B* energy and I loved it. The other short story I read was The Cool Aunt. This is listed as book 5.1 in the series and also available for free on their website. At the end of Emerald Blaze, when Nevada goes into labor, Catalina sends Arabella with Nevada to protect her. This short story is from Arabella's POV and what happens from the point Catalina runs to get her and goes through the entire birth of her nephew. I loved this and can't wait to read more from Arabella's POV. It just gave me all the fuzzy feels and I gave both of these short stories 5-stars!

The next day when processing my thoughts about Emerald Blaze, I really wanted to reread. I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to see what happens. I'm happy we don't have to wait too long for Ruby Fever, but the end of August is still farther away then I would like. I almost want to reread this right before it comes out, but we'll see if I have time. I cannot wait to read more from Ilona Andrews and I couldn't impress upon you more, READ THIS SERIES! It's just so freaking good and I don't know why I didn't read these books earlier.

Have you read Emerald Blaze?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 392 pages, published in 2020, traditionally published

STATISTICS: Pay Me, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 8 pages, published in 2019, indie published

STATISTICS: The Cool Aunt, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 12 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As we reach the final few books of the Hidden Legacy readalong, it was time to start book 4, Sapphire Flames. This is also the start of Catalina's trilogy in the series. The readalong is hosted by Stef, Heather, Megan and Izzy. This was able to cover the Summer of Swoon prompt blue on the cover and the Hockey Champions Readathon prompt for Logan O'Connor (fan favorite author).

As the three-year grace period for emerging houses comes to an end for House Baylor, Catalina is trying to get everyone ready for whatever may come. As the new Head of House, she is also taking point as the lead investigator for their business. When she she is urged to take the case of her friend's Runa, she stumbles upon a larger plot. While trying to figure out who murdered Runa's mother and younger sister, she learns that several vials of the Osiris Serum went missing and are connected with the murder. When she approaches "Uncle" Linus for clarification on some things, she is learns about the theft and is named Deputy Warden for Texas. As the assassin house starts coming for Catalina, Alessandro finds himself back in Texas and unable to stay away from Catalina. As they start to get to know each other, Catalina tries to not fall for him too hard. Alessandro is hiding a lot of things and doesn't plan on sticking around.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. This was such a freaking good book and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Catalina and Alessandro. Now, I have to prefece this with saying I loved Nevada. She was such a badass and super cool, but Catalina has stolen my heart. She is a lot more relatable to me and I loved seeing both her "Head of House" persona as well as who she is around her family, and then who is when by herself (and eventually Alessandro). As the reader you really get to see her doubts and struggles with keeping her magic contained. While Nevada was fairly blind to a lot of the workings of magic in the beginning, Catalina has had to study her magic most of her life to keep it contained. With the way her magic works it really broke my heart when she mentioned that she tends to push people away (that aren't family) because when she wants them to like her it's harder to control her magic. She is falling in love with Alessandro and wants him to fall in love with her, but it so worried that it'll be because of her magic (nevermind he's one of the few to be able to negate her magic).

As for the action of this, Ilona Andrews does such a good job. There is about a 3 year time jump from Diamond Fire and Catalina has gotten some training with Connor's mother. It was also nice to see Arabella and Leon also older taking more of larger role in the business. We get to see all most of the same side characters, but there are also some new ones that we really get to see fleshed out. I've said this before about Ilona Andrews, but the way that they create a world just feels so organic and real. Even if you see a character for a few pages, they don't feel one or even two-dimensional. I just love the way that world build and I think that every paragraph, every word, every letter just adds so much to the stories they create. It was also really neat to learn a lot more about Catalina's magic, especially as she's really starting to get comfortable using it.

I also want to mention that there are two short stories available on Ilona Andrews's website for free! 4.1 is A Misunderstanding and is a short scene about where Arabella and Leon are in the beginning of Sapphire Flames. We hear talk about closing out the Yarrow case and that there were some issues. Later on we get to hear more about what went down, but this was fun to really see what happened. This is from Arabella's POV, which is a first for this series. There is another short story listed as 4.2 in the series called Pay Me. It is noted that it takes place during Emerald Blaze though, so I will wait and read it until after I read that. I'll touch base on Pay Me in that review.

I am so excited to start Catalina's trilogy. While I wasn't nervous about the writing going in, I wasn't really sure who Catalina was. The novella Diamond Fire helped, but I have to say that Catalina is a new favorite character for me. The way that she really just holds it all together but isn't 100% bad-ass 100% of the time. She's also a little more bookish and nerdy in her bad-assery and I love that. She just really connected with me and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. We had some heartbreak at the end and I need to know what happens! Thankfully Emerald Blaze is already out!

Have you read Sapphire Flames?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Sapphire Flames, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, Paperback, 393 pages, published in 2019, traditionally published

STATISTICS: A Misunderstanding, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 13 pages, published in 2019, indie published

Hockey Champions Readathon Announcement & TBR

Update: My wrap up is posted! 

Happy Thursday!

I have a fun announcement today, I have created my own readathon! With my team, the Colorado Avalanche having just won the Stanley Cup, I wanted to celebrate. What better way to do that than with something I love to do, read! I have done an announcement video on YouTube as well as a TBR and recommendations video. I'll also touch on my TBR ideas down below.

The readathon will go from July 10th through the 17th. I plan on mostly hosting it on instagram, so check out my link in the side bar. I'll have all the information saved in my highlights as well as a normal post. I'm not going to go too much into it since I have the posts as well as my video, but I do want to touch base on what I have planned.

It's a build your own roster bingo board. As you can see above there are 9 prompts total. Three of the prompts are the same for everybody, the GM, Coach and Cup. Now is where you build your roster. You will need to select three Forwards, two Defensemen and one Goalie. I have posted the prompts list below. I do go over them all in my video linked above as well as going into why I chose certain prompts for certain players. Outside of those prompts, there are alternatives for each player (all options except for the cup). As you can see in the last photo below, you can also use the players' numbers to clear the square if it is in the publication date, total page number or number in the series. Also, I'm allowing for any hockey romance to clear a square. Technically if you are using a book to cover as many prompts as possible, you could read just one hockey romance and have a blackout!

  

 

Here is the the written version of what I have planned to read as well as who I've chosen for my bingo board:

🏒 I've been working my way through Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series. I plan to read at the very least Pipe Dreams, book 3. If I feel the need to binge, I'll also pick up book 4, Brooklynaire.

🏒 The Rake Appreciation Society is also hosting a bonus live show on July 14th for Jane Austen's Persuasion. I was able to get the audio and ebook versions free through Amazon's Prime Reads. I plan to read the audiobook during the readathon for the live show.

🏒 I also created a spinner wheel to finally pick up a new author that has hockey romances that I haven't picked up yet. Below is what I added:
- On the Surface by Kate Willoughby - In the Zone book 1
- Offside by Juliana Stone - Barker Triplets book 1
- Dirty Secret by Mira Lyn Kelly - Slayers Hockey book 1
- My Halloween Heartbreak by Melanie Ting - Holiday Hattrick book 2
- Change on the Fly by Maren Moore - Totally Pucked book 1

🏒 Also, I added Piper Rayne's Hockey Hotties series to the spinner wheel because I'd like to reread the first couple books before moving on to the newer releases.

There's a lot of options, but I'm hoping to read at least the three books. I am focusing on hockey romances, but like with my plans for Persausion, you don't have to read hockey romance. It's just easier to meet the prompts if you do! I hope you join me in the readathon! I'm nervous since it'll be my first time hosting, but I'm hoping at least a couple people will participate!

Will you be participating in the Hockey Champions Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎