Skye Daniels: Where you should've been

 Promise me - The College years (Book 2)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246749054-where-you-should-ve-been

From what everyone else can see Theo has it all he's a handsome football star who is the life of every party he's always charming and he can get any girl he wants... except for the one he's always wanted in fact he may never have what he truly wants because he's been at least half, if not all the way in love with his best friend's girl since they were teenagers.  Even though Theo has a loving family he always has concerns of feeling like he doesn't fully belong since being adopted and lost his adoptive parents at a young age (his aunt and uncle took him in and they are true family goals).

Amy's whole world falls apart when she's still in high school her parents split after her dad's infidelity and while she has her mom it unfortunately isn't for long enough when she becomes ill and passes away she has lost her dad since he rarely to never even visits and now losing her mom she holds on to what she has in the moment her friend group and her on again off again boyfriend Liam.

Amy and Theo a few years into college live in a large house with their friend group... Amy continues her toxic relationship with Liam while wondering what is going on with Theo... seriously what is up with him he's hot and cold with her and their relationship is strained at best, she can't do this much longer she feels like it will tear their friend group apart but maybe this time when Liam decides it's time for a "Break" she needs this to be permanent she can't keep going around in a circle with him and they are not end game.

Newly single Liam uses his time like he always does with other women... this time Amy decides that she can play that game too and what better way to let loose and have a little fun than with campus ladies man Theo.  

After an innocent enough comment leads to campus gossip Amy is in need of Theo to be her "boyfriend" so she doesn't look like she is hopping from player to player on the football team and Theo is happy to play the part.

Theo and Amy knows they are playing with fire... this could mess up both of their relationships with Liam and their friend group... but both proceed anyways Theo knows he needs this chance to prove that he's the right guy for her even if his heart gets crushed in the process, while for Amy it just starts out as some fun but older feelings she's kept hidden resurface.

When Amy begins to deal with old family secrets and family drama she begins to realize that the one who has always been there for her and still is has been Theo... but can they truly have a happily ever after together when being together could potentially destroy their friend group as they know it?

*college romance *Sports romance (Football) *Indie Author  *childhood friends *Frienemies --> more

*spice *fake dating *found family *ex-boyfriends best friend *slow burn *long term pining 

*Grief and healing  *Family drama *State Challenge --> Texas 

 *second in series but could potentially be read as a stand alone

Thoughts:

From book 1 I loved Theo you could tell that even while he was playing up his party boy persona there was more beneath the surface he was playing up his life of the party image to hide his insecurities about feelings of long term grief and knowing that the girl he fell in love with years ago is in a loop of going back to her ex, he can't keep doing this either every time they break up she runs to him for support only to ditch him when they get back together.

Amy on the other hand is struggling with the pressure of always doing what everyone else wants she wants to feel truly loved and isn't sure she will ever get that from Liam... in fact she is tired of all the campus gossip... it's truly painful to hear all of Liam's conquests with the girls on campus when they are "off" and it's time that she makes some changes while she doesn't want to be alone she has been feeling plenty alone lately and doesn't want to keep hurting everyone around her while she's floundering to keep together a relationship that clearly is no longer working.

I read the first book earlier this month and was waiting for the next one in the series to find out what happened for Theo and Amy and it did not disappoint.  While I wasn't a huge Amy fan in the first book the second book clears the air and you see things from her side and why she was feeling so alone it didn't take long before I was rooting for our girl to go after what would make her happy and stand up to the men in her life who were making her feel less than. 

I loved Theo finally stepping up and going for what he wanted he had waited so long for her to recognize that what they had could be amazing if she would just let down her walls and see how they could be together.  This book is about loss and healing, learning self care even if that means cutting people out of your life that are not good for your mental health, moving forward to the unknown after big secrets are revealed and finding true love... it's there right in front of you if you are just willing to take those steps.  

I adored this book and can't wait for the next in the series!    

Lena Knight: Nothing's fair in Love & Basketball

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242241104-nothing-s-fair-in-love-basketball

Ty is the new transfer to the basketball team shortly after arrival he ends up seeing MJ in the forced dance class that his team has to go to… he never believed in love at first sight until now.

MJ is beautiful and athletic she is the captain of the Volleyball team… which she enjoys but it wasn’t her original dream she had big plans to play basketball until the dark day everything changed for her the game she once adored she can’t even watch in person anymore… or pick up a basketball, the person she thought would be her biggest support turned against her and even now years later she can’t bring herself to go towards temptation that is Tyler… he’s handsome, charming and sweet but he’s a basketball player she can’t go there again…

Ty is patient and he can wait he can see how special MJ is and from his own painful past can see she’s been through something that will take time to navigate, but while he waits he can be her friend… and just maybe he will be there in the right place and the right time and when she realizes that he is worth the risk and it will be EVERYTHING!

Once MJ starts to let her walls down she comes face to face with her past will Ty be able to help her through it or will this be the end? 

*Sports Romance (Basketball MMC, Volleyball FMC) *college romance *love at first sight (MMC)

 *”who hurt you?”  *he falls first *spice *slow burn

 *Mental health representation  *found family  *Troubled past  

 State Challenge: New York

 *Indie Author 

 Trigger warnings à discussions of past history of abuse

Likes:  

This was a sweet story between MJ and Ty who both have had a troubled past history but are both patient with each other and when our FMC lets down her walls and allows Tyler to love her it is beautiful.

Likeable lead characters and side characters.  Tyler was raised with 4 other boys with their foster mother and they are true family goals.  Their friend group is great as well leading to additional found family.

If you are looking for a college sports romance that has h{e}art check this one out! 

Neutral:

Lots of pop culture references to songs I haven’t heard and books I haven’t read yet, I don’t usually listen to play lists in books but if you like books with a playlists you will probably enjoy this part of the book.

I felt the situation with one of the other students at the school and MJ was wrapped up pretty quickly and thought it would have had a bit longer section.

There were a few other sections that I felt would have had a different outcome in real life (mainly related to our MMC and a bit of a temper when it came to protecting our girl…) àI know that some of these things were made to be more dramatic for the plot though so not a big issue.

Skye Daniels: Where you've always been

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243300617-where-you-ve-always-been

Noah and his family move across the state (Texas) after his father loses his job thinking his life as he knows it is changing (and not necessarily in a good way) when they move into his grandmother's home he is surprised to find that there are other kids in his new neighborhood and instead of ditching him they bring him into their friend group with open arms, he is especially enamored with this fiery red head who has already decided for him that they are going to be best friends forever.

Ella struggles with PTSD after an event from childhood led to her not liking to be anywhere that she can't easily get out of because of that she sits at the end of the booth, doesn't like crowds and has probably relied too much (her thoughts not his) on her best friend Noah when she's struggling with her anxiety.  

Noah struggles with emotions from long term grief over the loss of his father at a young age and feelings of having to become the "man" of the house early on he has been taking care of others for ages and that includes all of his friends he doesn't mind doing it he is happy to help.  Noah, Ella and their friends all live together in a large house making for some light hearted funny moments along with arguments throughout the book.  

Noah and Ella have always said they would never lie to each other but they have both been holding back a big secret... the reason they have never been able to make a relationship work with anyone else is because they both have been in love with each other since the day they met.

But are they brave enough to face the truth and tell each other how they feel taking that big leap from friendship into the unknown of something so much more?  Will their new relationship status be able to survive the ups and downs when other secrets kept are revealed?  

*2026 read  *State challenge- Texas  *Friends to more *childhood best friends  *slow burn

*spice  *college romance  *Indie author *mental health representation  *grief  

*dual POV  *mutual long term pining  *she's more experienced  *soul mates

Thoughts:

This is a really sweet story about finding the love of your life at a young age and being afraid to take that next step towards something more than friendship due to not wanting to change what they have... but both knowing that their love is true and inevitable. 

The lead characters faced real life serious issues related to mental health and dealing with anxiety, PTSD and loss the author deals with all of these issues in a thoughtful way.  

The lead characters are easy to love and I also loved their friend group who were loud, sometimes meddling and borderline obnoxious but always true friendship goals.  

There were some truly laugh out loud moments that I could see happening when you are living with that many people at that age group in a big house.   

The story was heartfelt and I truly enjoyed it!  I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series which comes out later this month.  

Jillian Arly: The Perfect Assist

 Green Bay Bobcats Book 2

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241208075-the-perfect-assist

Niko (MMC) is the captain of the Bobcats NHL hockey team he is a leader on the team but recently he's been struggling his little girl (she is 4) has been waking up and coming to his room he can't get enough sleep and he doesn't want to keep asking for help from his parents he really could use another nanny but he can't understand why he can't find a decent caregiver... he's had a series of duds and he now feels he can't trust anyone with his precious girl.

In comes Sadie she's 2 of his coaches best friend and the team has recently hired her for at least the season for yoga sessions and meditation for the guys to be able to get in the right head space before the games... she's also the first woman in awhile that makes his heart beat a bit faster, she's gorgeous and caring and his daughter seems to love her... he might just feel a bit more for her too.

After a minor injury Sadie offers to help Niko with childcare and he offers her a place to live... which works out because Sadie's not going to be able to afford her apartment once her best friend/room mate moves in with her boyfriend.  

Before long lines are blurring between friendship and employer/employee when these two can't seem to stay away from each other... but is this only a temporary situation or could this possibly be forever? 

 Both of our leads struggle with abandonment issues which leads to miscommunication/no communication which adds to the drama will they be able to come together to try something real?  or will what they have fizzle out before either of them give it a real chance? 

*ARC read  *Hockey Romance *Sports Romance  *Single Dad  *Captain of the team *Spice

*Yoga instructor *miscommunication/no communication  *friends to more  *Nanny (kind of)

*Slow burn *found family *forced proximity *pining (both sides) *dual pov 

*State Challenge Wisconsin

Troubled past:  MMC has issues with being left by his ex-wife, FMC has abandonment issues with her family 

Thoughts:

Likes: 

Likeable lead characters and side characters, Niko is green flag book boyfriend material I love a hockey guy!  I liked that Niko's daughter Sophia was a lead character and wasn't just pushed aside for the unfolding romance. 

Enjoyed the side characters (friends) and I will probably check out the next in the series. 

Neutral:

Cozy read, nothing really stood out as new and I could predict where the story was going way in advance, I did start to skim through areas that were repeated monologues of previous sections or overly descriptive these sections could have been edited down so the book wasn't over 400 pages long I struggled at points to get through the book.  

Dislikes:

I'm not sure the author knows how long it takes to be a surgeon but at one point it's mentioned that Sadie is the oldest of 6 (and she's only like 30) then all of her younger brothers and sisters became surgeons and lawyers to appease her parents... it takes like 13 + years to be a surgeon.

There is a very brief section where she stands up to her family but Niko is the one who stands up to them first... it would have been nice if she had taken the lead on that situation.

The miscommunication at the end seemed more forced considering both leads at that point know a bit more about each other's history with abandonment.   

Monty Jay: Shattered Ice

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54494406-shattered-ice

Fury Book #3 can be read as a stand alone

Malakai Petrov is a wall in more ways than one he is a goalie and used to blocking goals, but he also has walls up around his heart he suffered terrible abuse as a young child in Russia growing up in a brothel with his mother and even though he was able to leave his terrible situation as a teenager when his mother passed away and he went to live with his aunt in the States some scars stay.

Charlotte runs into Malakai in a chance encounter while on a school trip she is brilliant and even though their meeting is short the mysterious stranger who creates beautiful art (he's been doing graffiti) he leaves a lasting impression on her and no other guy has measured up to this handsome artist, she even chose the school she attended in hopes that she would run into him again one day.  

Malakai agrees to let his teammate move in with him while his place is being renovated... shortly after he agrees to also let his team mates twin sister move in and this might be the worst decision he's ever made as this girl from his past doesn't keep to herself like he had hoped she barges into his life and makes him see the world in a different way his world is brighter with her in it and since he has been living with the pain of his dark past he doesn't know how to deal with this intrusion into his heart.  

The longer they are together the closer they get and he is losing his inner battle with keeping her as just his room mate when she makes him want things he doesn't deserve to have will he finally be able to let love in or will he keep his walls up?  Also will Charlottes brother be accepting of their relationship if this turns into something more? 

*Netgalley  *twin brother's best friend *childhood trauma  *FMC is dealing with a sick mother 

*strangers --> more  *Spice  *hockey romance  *sports romance *musician FMC *long term pining (FMC)  *Goalie  *Brooding MMC  *State Challenge Illinois 

*darker sides of life (childhood trauma, side character dealing with addiction related issues) --> Check your trigger warnings if you read this book 

Thoughts:

Likes: 

Both leads are broken in different ways and even though Malakai feels he isn't worthy of love Charlotte comes along and rocks his world in a good way even when he wants to distance himself he can't help the pull he feels towards her and once they come together it is truly beautiful like the healing/mending of two imperfect souls.

Where Malakai is closed off and doesn't know how to love, Charlotte has enough love for both of them and it makes the ending so sweet. 

I enjoy Hockey Romances and while this book had darker themes which is different from what I usually read and maybe could have been a bit longer to deal with some of these more emotional situations that the characters were dealing with I enjoyed the story overall and liked the ending.  

Dislikes:

Charlotte distanced herself from her mother (suffering with dementia) and her brother for a few years because she was struggling with her mom remembering her brother and not her, I get she was feeling forgotten but her brother was struggling in his own ways and really could have used her support during this time he was hurting too.

I felt that the book was fairly short so everything had to happen really quickly leaving some of the story line to feel more rushed and not as natural for pacing.  

Kai is really cruel to Charlotte to push her away after she has a moment of vulnerability and shares her feelings due to his own feelings of low self worth... Charlotte really lets him off easy when he comes to his senses about his own feelings. 

Debbie Charles: Dances With Pucks

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223879486-dances-with-pucks

Cam our MMC is good at his job and wants to make sure he's prepared for the upcoming season he's been given an amazing opportunity and has been selected for an expansion team for the NHL he's got to make a good impression and wants to make sure he is the starting goalie... one of his ways to stay limber is a not so secret secret he's been taking ballroom dance lessons since college... he feels it's a way to stay close to his mom who passed away years before.  

Cam finds a dance studio willing to give private lessons and soon he is dancing beautifully with his new partner Christina she's stunning and keeps him on his toes... he's soon surprised to learn that she is one of the owners of his new team along with her brother and sister while Christina feels the pull towards Cam too she holds herself back for obvious reasons... he's too young for her, he's her dance student and now he's also on the team that she co-owns... so many reasons to hold back and not get involved as anything more but she can only resist for so long... he is the most handsome guy she's ever seen and it's been awhile since she's been with anyone.

Christina has some medical issues which have led to the end of her competitive ballroom dance career as well as made it impossible for her to get pregnant since ending competitive dancing she has focused on her career with her families financial portfolio and also is now to help guide the hockey players (if they want to use her services) with their finances... knowing that Cam is so young and might want a family some day should she just end things before they really get started?  Or can she let go and take a chance on something that has the potential to be amazing?  Always in the back of her mind is her poor relationship with her last partner that ended badly. 

They both say it's just casual but as they spend more time together even though they haven't admitted it to each other everyone can see it's already so much more.  

When the truth comes out about Christina's health conditions will there even be a relationship to worry about saving?  

*Hockey Romance  *Sports Romance  *Dual POV  *Spice  *strangers --> more  *dealing with grief (MMC loss of mom)  *workplace romance *reverse Age Gap  *Goalie MMC  *position of power (female owner)  *Dance partners *forbidden romance *complicated family relationships (MMC) *secret relationship *millionaire/billionaire romance  *slow(ish) burn *State Challenge: Texas  *Indie Author

Thoughts:

Likes: 

This was a cute hockey romance with some humor and some spice, it did take me a bit to get into but both of our leads are likeable and I did root for them to give each other a chance to make things work.  Both characters have their individual struggles --> FMC with health issues and infertility, and MMC with an absent/distant father/family.  

Good chemistry between our leads.  Love a handsome hockey goalie! 

I liked the interactions with Cam and his team mates and everyone should have a group of girlfriends like Christina's.  I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series and have pre-ordered the 3rd book.  

Dislikes: 

I did find that some of the book seemed to focus more on positioning of their dance moves (kind of like an instruction manual), or lengthier descriptions on hockey positions and financial management and I think those portions could have been trimmed to add additional scenes with our couple getting to know each other better.  

Took awhile to get to actual spice for the amount of inner monologue from both sides about how their body was reacting to each other... every chapter in the beginning seemed to bring up wetness gathering on leotards or painful bulging by looking at Christina's amazing dancer's body... yes we get that you both want each other... get together already!... or talk about something else 😂 (probably just a me problem...)

  

Tequilla Havens: The Long Game

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242997803-the-long-game

Kaius Merrick (MMC) left his small hometown to pursue his dream career of being a professional baseball star he left everything and everyone he knew to go after this dream including the one always on his mind Avaline... after he made a name for himself and had money in the bank he would come back for her... but would she still be there waiting for him?

Ava has big walls up when it comes to her heart and Kaius is a big reason why... instead of taking her he just left her why was she so easy for him to walk away from?  Now he's back in town saying that he wants to right his wrongs and be part of his family again and with any luck he would love nothing more than for Ava to give him a second chance even though he knows he's in the wrong he's trying in a big way... he's making big changes in his life and all he wants is the opportunity to prove he deserves another chance.  

Once Kai is back in town weird things begin happening at Ava's book store the lights are flickering, there are smells of cinnamon everywhere and pumpkins and books are being rearranged... even though it starts in her bookstore it becomes so much more when letters get shoved under her door, messages begin popping up in odd places and old friends return with unexpected gifts that may or may not be the key to solving this budding mystery where clues are popping up but without coming back together and facing their past how will they ever be able to solve the case? 

I went into this book without reading the back summary I thought it was going to be a baseball/second chance romance (which it is) but it also focuses on their friend group coming together to solve this mystery each have been getting pieces of the puzzle but until they are willing to be honest with each other and reveal all of the secret clues will they even be able to get to the end of this mystery?  

I really enjoyed this book it wasn't what I expected and I enjoyed that the author was able to keep this eerie mystery vibe throughout the story.  I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series!  

*Indie author  *baseball star MMC (book focuses on the town mystery not so much his career it is off season)  *book shop owner FMC  *ghosts of the past  *Paranormal activity *mystery

*Multiple POV's  *2nd chance for romance  *small town  *State Challenge Indiana