Sophie Andrews: Elite Player

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246210831-elite-player

Book Blurb:

Hockey’s biggest playboy knocked me out with a puck. One minute, I’m taking pictures of the team, and the next, I’m in a hospital room. With a fiancé.

Due to his off-ice shenanigans, Nico Tremblay needs to prove to the front office that he has changed his ways or else. So, after he gives me a concussion and sprained writst, he concocts a wild idea to pretend we’re engaged. It would allow him to keep his spot on the team and get my family off my back.

There is only one small problem—no one would actually believe the gorgeous and charming left-winger could ever actually want to marry me, backward and inexperienced Josephine Atkins.

Except when he calls me his fiancée while staring at my lips, I almost believe it. Maybe it’s the concussion or a moment of wild rebellion against everyone I’ve ever known underestimating me…but I agree.

And then there’s no way out of this lie that binds us closer and closer together.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Fake Fiance *Fake Relationship *Sports Romance (hockey) *Bad boy MMC

*Virgin FMC *black cat FMC *family drama  *Playboy MMC *toxic family

*Golden retriever MMC *shy wallflower FMC  *3rd act break up *found family *spice

*reverse grumpy x sunshine *State Challenge Pennsylvania/West Virginia (Repeat)

Trigger warnings:  *SA (in past) *discussions of SI *bullying 

Thoughts:

Nico (MMC) is a playboy in the very beginning of the book he has to have a meeting about his off ice shenanigans with the ladies and basically is told if he can't change his ways and show that he can be a proper fit for the team he won't be on the team much longer, seeing that he is not on the first or even second line he knows this is real and he needs to get himself together... he needs to get himself together and fast.  So when the next thing that happens is hitting the photographer's assistant in the head with a hockey puck and knocking her out cold he knows he isn't off to a good start.

Josephine (FMC) has been living in Pennsylvania trying to make her own way in life away from her toxic family, she hasn't seen them in awhile but they for some reason decide to make a trip to visit her while in the hospital... hoping their visit will be short especially since her mother has brought up when she is going to meet her non-existant fiance and she doesn't want to get into that issue with her here... only Nico the hot hockey player and reason for her being in the hospital to begin with has been showering her with a wild amount of gifts and shows up at the wrong moment... now her mother and rest of her family believe him to be the "fiance."

Nico thinking this could actually work in his favor as a way to prove to team management that he has changed goes all in as Jo's fiance and he makes an arrangement with her to be her fiance help her with a few family events and she returns the favor for him then at the end of the season in a few months they can go their seperate ways.  Jo struggles with this thoroughout because Nico is one of the hottest guys in hockey and has women lining up to get with him... where she has little to no experience with men and grew up being belittled about her looks by not only her classmates but her own family as well how could anyone actually believe someone like him would want to be with a girl like her?  

As Nico and Jo grow closer together lines blur and it's hard to say when the fake part of their relationship even fell off.

This book discusses sensitive topics including childhood trauma related to SA, SI, and bullying so make sure to check your triggers prior to reading.  My heart truly went out to both leads and their past struggles.  

Jo helps Nico too in the ways that everyone thinks he is is just a party boy womanizer but he is so much more he is so sweet, supportive & protective he helps Jo shine she has been put down so much in her life that she doesn't even realize how truly beautiful she is and he has no problem putting anyone who says anything against Jo in their place, I seriously was so upset with her family most of them were awful and I'm glad that Jo by the end had the courage to stand up to them and let them know how their behavior over the years tore her down when she could have used the support.  

I also loved that our Hot hockey guy read romance and loved the fated mates trope... as he may have just found himself in his own romance novel the way Jo fell into his life and fit so perfectly... but how can he convince her that he no longer wants their arrangement to end he wants to keep her forever. 

This was a sweet fake fiance --> more romance and I enjoyed this one.  I listened to it and loved the narrators.  If you are in your hockey era add this one to your list! 

Have you read this one yet?  what did you think?

Sabrina Jeffries: Nearly a Bride

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239433326-nearly-a-bride

book blurb:

In this captivating new historical romance brimming with seductive twists and irresistible wit, an English nobleman is finally free from exile—but can his heart still be captured?

After more than a decade separated from his home and family, the Earl of Heathbrook returns to his London townhouse to face a new test: reclaiming guardianship of his younger brothers. His reputation as a rakehell, it seems, has followed him from detention inside Napoleon’s France and caused his own father to block Heathbrook’s rightful custody in his will. However, the clever rogue concocts a plan to restore respectability and rescue his siblings . . . by finding a “fiancée” with no strings attached.

Giselle Bernard is not looking to wed an earl with a wild past. All she seeks is a connected nobleman who can legally secure her new life in England and head off a mysterious stranger’s threats. Posing as Heathbrook’s bride-to-be would surely benefit them both. But as revelations come to light—the ill-fated young affair that left Heathbrook embittered, and the mademoiselle’s own guarded secrets—their engagement charade may unexpectedly blossom into a promise to love, honor, and cherish . . .

Tropes:  *Historical Romance *Fake engagement/fiance  *Rake  *spice  *Virgin FMC  

*opposites attract  *HEA  

*netgalley ALC 7/12  *family drama *family secrets

Thoughts:

The Earl of Heathbrook returns to London after a lengthy time abroad (Prisoner of war) after being held in France with his father during the war (Napolean) during that time he met Giselle Bernard and they developed a friendship that at one point both sides hoped could be more but their relationship was halted before it even began.  Coming home his father had passed away and his mother is gone too now his byounger brothers are in the custody of his mother's cousin.  

Now both older and not otherwise engaged Giselle (FMC) finds herself in need of help from her friend the Earl, her mother and herself are in the country without valid papers and someone is snooping around trying to out them for being in the country illegally and she goes to the Earl for help gaining legitimate paperwork to stay in England.  The Earl uses this as the moment to ask for a favor of his own he is in a court battle with his mother's cousin over who can be the guardian to his three younger brothers their father in his will did not give him custody and while he doesn't fully understand why he's going to do everything he can so they can come live with him... even if that means coming up wtih a skeme that involves a fake fiance.

The Earl has a known history of being a Rake and even though that was ancient history many still believe the stories and he knows that the courts won't look kindly on him if he is living a bachelor's lifestyle parading different women into his bedroom... he needs Giselle as much as she needs him at this point.  

What starts off as a friends with benefits (the benefits being what they can help each other obtain) leads to more since they have been attracted to each other but holding back for years... and when they finally come together it's fireworks.  

I obtained this ALC from Netgalley and I requested it not realizing it was the second in the series, while I think that it may have been intended to be a stand alone I would recommend reading this series in order if you are interested in this series so you don't run itno the same problems I came across. I feel that the narrator did a lovely job and I appreciated that she was able to do so many accents along with both male and female parts.

I struggled to get into this book to be honest, it was kind of boring at times with all the discussions about past events which I hadn't read about previously and it felt like maybe a lot of their previous relationship had taken place "off the pages" since I didn't know how much of their relationship was shared in the first book, the story frequently brings up the past and was somewhat repetitive at times with having the characters think something then discuss it with someone moments later.

The story discusses frequently our Earl's tendency to be a Rake but from evidence this was all in the past prior to him being a prisoner of war not current behaviors. The reasons why his father didn't want him to have custody of the younger brothers becomes more clear over the course of the book but is really based on the fact that a 16 year old boy is irresponsible... who knew that 16 year olds wouldn't be mature enough to be in charge of younger children full time?

There is a secret that comes out towards the end of the book that doesn't really add anything to the story and would only for the time period cause issues for those involved so I was confused as to why it was resolved the way it was.

I did end up appreciating how Heath and Giselle worked together and cared for each other and the brothers but I didn't ever feel the true build up of feelings it was kind of like they are friends pretending to be engaged to each other to more which led to more insta love. I do enjoy a happily ever after though.

I also felt that there were at times too many things going on with the plot that were weaving in and out of the story but the things that I thought would be the main plots were set aside to only be brought up sporadically a few times later in the story and then dropped or resolved in a few short paragraphs.

Overall this book was just ok for me, I might check out more of the series at some point to see if the other issues ever get resolved and to maybe have a better understanding of what happened in France.