Tag: Sports Romance (Page 1 of 4)

BOOK REVIEW: Hat Trick Heart (Thunderclap #1) by Ella Market

BOOK REVIEW: Hat Trick Heart (Thunderclap #1) by Ella MarketHat Trick Heart (Thunderclap #1)
by Ella Market
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

When your agent calls and tells you that your publisher wants “something new," you do the only thing you can do:
Draw from real life experience.

Successful romance writer Macey Veronica’s life has revolved around hockey for as long as she can remember. When a blast from the past is forced in to her life again, six year old secrets are uncovered, and Macey V finds herself wondering how to fit feelings for three alpha hockey players into her one heart.

Max, Rafe, and Andy were the closest that three people could be without sharing blood while playing hockey together in college. Macey was their center, their grounding point, and they would have given her the world if asked. One fateful graduation party forced a rift between two that irrevocably changed everything…. Until years later when they find themselves all playing for the Tampa Thunder.

Macey loves them all, and always has. But is that enough to get them through this next chapter? Or will their pride prove to be too much to overcome?
---
Hat Trick Heart is a standalone reverse harem romance where the main character gets a guaranteed HEA with multiple love interests. It is intended for audiences 18+ for explicit language and sexual content, including MM, MMF, and MMFM scenes.

Review

*Quotes come from an uncorrected eARC and could change*

Sometimes, I think constant chaos is my baseline.

YOU GUYSSSSS. My friend. She did it. She WROTE. A. BOOK. And even more so??? A damn good one at that. Literally any one person who has been friends with me on Goodreads for the last seven years (I went back and checked when I first read The Deal, LOL) should know that I am obsessed with hockey romances. I have read so many at this point that I have lost count and it became SUCH an interest to me that two of my good friends and I each picked two hockey teams and watched their entire last NHL season together, updating each other daily on games, players, trades—you name it. I feel like a true fan now let me tell you, lol. One of those friends just so happens to be Ms. Ella Market herself. That leads me to reason #1 why you know this book and all ensuing books in this series are going to be amazing: Market is passionate about hockey.

Without her knowing, she became my everything, and only in my dreams could I hope that she felt the same about me.

While I’m here reviewing HTH, I might as well dive into how I met Ella Market and how we became friends. It started the way so many online friendships do these days. Shared bookish interests and obsessions. We both love the same YA/NA/ Adult Fantasy fandoms and many of the same books in the romance genre as well. She asked me to join a dark romance book club on Insta where I also met Cam, the third in our hockey obsessed triangle, and the rest is history. Reason #2 why you should know the relationships and spice in this book and all ensuing books in this series are going to be amazing: Market is passionate about romance (and honestly has read more romance in more subgenres than anyone else I have ever known and can probably give you a rec for literally anything you’re looking for).

“. . . there are team superstitions. The traditional shoulder check line or locker room song.” He pauses, and I force myself to look up at him, his blue eyes piercing me in a way that makes me squirm in my seat. “You, Macey, are a team superstition.”

But all that is beside the point. I’m here to talk about her DEBUT book, Hat Trick Heart, which is the first in a reverse harem style hockey romance series. Before this I actually hadn’t read many reverse harem romances and wasn’t fully convinced that I could go ALL IN in that sort of dynamic. If you’re on the fence about whether or not this is something you’d like/ like to try, I would say this is a great place to start. Macey, Max, Andy, and Rafe all make such perfect sense together. Macey and Maxy boy grew up together in Toronto before moving to the States for school where they met Andy and Rafe as all three men played on U of M’s hockey team together. Macey immediately formed a special connection with Rafe because of their shared Filipino heritage and with Andy because he’s an all-around 11/10 great guy (anddddd if I had to chooooose, WHICH YOU DON’T, he would be my favorite). Fast forward six years and Macey, Max, and Andy are living in Tampa. Macey has fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a romance author and the other two play together for the Tampa Thunder. Because Fate is a cruel (or maybe actually VERY VERY KIND???) mistress, Rafe gets traded to Tampa, too, and the entire group is thrown into a state of chaos after the missing piece of their group returns to them after six long years of no communication.

Now I don’t want to spoil anything further but I will say this book really has it all. Second chance romance, friends to lovers, a great supporting cast, the perfect amount of drama, and men groveling, lollll. This might be Ella Market’s first book but if THIS is her baseline for quality writing, I honestly can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. I am finally led to reason #3 why you know this book and all ensuing books in this series are going to be amazing: Market is passionate about writing and is damn good at it, too.

Our future is built on the chaos of today. And I can’t freaking wait.

Huge thanks to Ella Market for allowing me to read a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

BOOK REVIEW: Love Lessons (Brooklyn #7) by Sarina Bowen

BOOK REVIEW: Love Lessons (Brooklyn #7) by Sarina BowenLove Lessons (Brooklyn #7)
by Sarina Bowen
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Book Depository
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

He needs an image makeover, she needs a mojo upgrade. A new lessons-in-seduction hockey romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Sarina Bowen.

After I'm arrested for throwing a raucous party, my hockey team says I have an image problem. And I need to fix it, stat.

Charity work? Check. Haircut? Sure. But I draw the line at hiring my neighbor to style me. In the first place "style" shouldn't be a verb. And I'm tired of people who'd judge me on appearances.

Vera and I don't see eye to eye on anything. She wants me to try on clothes, while I just want to remove hers. She's distractingly pretty, with soulful eyes and a sinful mouth that likes to argue with me.

But when management threatens my summer vacation, I grudgingly agree to Vera's unusual proposal: she'll give me an image makeover. But in return, she wants lessons in the art of seduction.

It sounds a little nutty, but I know a good opening when I hear it. Besides, it's not like I'll ever fall for her...

Review

I’m not tearing up/holding back from crying as I finish this book, NO I AM NOT. I was talking to a friend when I was getting towards the last chunk of the book and she said this book felt like an end of an era with a certain Captain retiring. I have to agree. I have been closely following along with Bowen’s work now for about four years and I know for a fact I have mentioned in multiple other reviews how much these characters feel like family to me. If this does in fact wind up being the last Bruisers book (no idea if this is the case or not), I will be satisfied.

When we first got a flash of Vera and Ian bickering in Charli and Neil’s book, I had been hoping for more of them together. My wish was certainly granted. What I did not expect was to read their story with the GORGEOUS backdrop of a villa in Italy. Perks of having a mega rich friend/teammate like Neil I suppose, lol. Gahh, what a luxurious setting. The thought of them connecting in this super beautiful and restful place for a few weeks during the summer was just very…nice. They didn’t have to worry about the pressures of a busy job or an insanely crazy hockey season, they were just able to get to know one another a little better and bicker all they wanted.

In all seriousness though, the main trope of this book being ~teach me how to be sexy and how to seduce men~ IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF ALL TIME. I’ve read about it numerous times and loved it numerous times but I felt like this one was special because of Ian. Most of the time in those situations the guy is a HUGE playboy. I’m sure Ian did get around since he is an insanely hot and talented hockey player but playboy wasn’t ever the vibe I got from him. Instead he was open and playful in bed which coaxed Vera into trusting him quickly and brought out her own brave side. I absolutely loved it.

Besides that we do get into deeper issues too–Ian dealing with the aftermath of dealing a career ending blow to a kid last season and being told my management he needed to clean up his image. Vera of course was trying to figure out what to do in order to impress her ex at a gala he invited her to after the Italy trip and was also guilty for being the one to call in Ian’s noisy party that ended up getting him temporarily arrested. As expected though, by spending time together like they did, both of them were able to think about their problems through a different lens and take care of business for themselves accordingly.

Overall this book warmed my heart and I was obsessed with the steam level. It doesn’t matter what Bowen writes, I will read and I WILL love. That’s all there is to it. Do yourself a favor and start reading this series if you haven’t already. It’s 100% my favorite hockey romance series of all time.

Huge thanks to Tuxbury Publishing LLC for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

BOOK REVIEW: Beauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love #1) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

BOOK REVIEW: Beauty and the Baller  (Strangers in Love #1) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Beauty and the Baller was such a wonderful story! Check out my 4.5 Star Review below, enjoy ♥!

BOOK REVIEW: Beauty and the Baller  (Strangers in Love #1) by Ilsa Madden-MillsBeauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love #1)
by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Purchase on: Amazon
Book Depository
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

An NFL quarterback turned small-town coach gets sacked by a Texas beauty queen in this swoony, passionate romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.

Gorgeous, talented, and brilliant, NFL quarterback Ronan Smith has the world in his hands. But after losing his career and his fiancée in a car accident, he falls into a pit of grief and bad choices. When a mysterious girl shows up to his party, he feels drawn to her and makes her his…for one night.

Former beauty queen Nova Morgan is on a mission. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. But her hopes crash after an awful one-night stand.

Fast-forward two years. Broke and desperate, Nova returns home to Blue Belle, Texas, where, by a cosmic twist of fate, her broody neighbor is none other than Ronan, the shiny new football coach everyone adores. But he has no idea who she is.

The booster club keeps shoving women at Ronan to keep him in town. His solution? He proposes fake dating to Nova. But things heat up for real under these Friday-night lights when he realizes she’s the one who slipped away.

Has this jaded beauty found her forever baller, or will his past keep them apart?


Review:

I want to touch the stars, even if I get burned.

Beauty and the Baller was a sexy, swoony, angsty read!  With a spunky cat, a lovable heroine and a sexy hero, this book was a lot of fun.  Add in fake dating, small town charm and a wonderful HEA and this book was such a beautiful love story.  If you like sexy, adult romance then you definitely need to check this one out!

“I like seeing you squirm,” she murmurs.
“Why?”
“Payback.” A slow blush works up from her neck to her face as she mutters something under her  breath.
“What was that?”
She clears her throat. “Just . . . life has a funny sense of humor.”

Ronan Smith had a tragic past.  His fiancé was killed in the car wreck that also killed his professional football career.  While still struggling a year later, Ronan found himself having a one night stand with someone he actually felt a connection to.  Too bad for Ronan, Nova Morgan saw it as a horrible and left before he woke up.  I just want to say I screamed noooooo out loud over something that went down, so I got why Nova bailed afterwards….you’ll see lol.  Two years later, fate had them both living in the same small town, neighbors and unable to escape one another at every turn.

I’m Ronan Smith and . . . I pause as clarity runs through my head. I want my life back, no matter what that may be.
Closing my eyes, I touch the ring around my neck.
Today is when everything changes.

Ronan was in Blue Belle Texas coaching their high school football team.  With the small town scared that they could lose their coach, they went to unimaginable lengths to keep him.  Especially their attempts to set him up with every single female.  So when Nova re-entered his life, he didn’t remember her.  He just knew that she wanted nothing to do with him, unlike everyone else.  So when he proposed that they fake date, to solve both of their problems, I was so happy when she said yes!  Yes Ronan had some growing to do, but I absolutely loved him.  Jaded characters always sneak so easily into my heart.  And when Ronan started to show us little bits of himself, I just knew he was so much more than meets the eye.

“Everything will be fine. We’re different flowers from the same garden, but we’re perfect together. Mama always said so.”

Nova was completely unique.  She was someone who knew what she wanted and went after it, like dressing up in the past as a Star Wars character to win over Ronan for their one night stand.  She loved telling us about the outfits she was wearing.  She had so much sass.  But her life completely flipped upside down when she gained custody of her high school aged sister, since her mother passed away.  While trying her best to raise Sabine, Nova definitely had her hands full.  This story was an emotional journey for Nova too, and Ronan helped play a big part of that.  But Nova had no problems pushing Ronan’s buttons.  And telling him when he was being a jerk, I actually clapped out loud in one scene lol.

I literally have no idea what I’ve gotten myself into. On the outside, I’m cool, but on the inside, I’m quivering with uncertainty.

The way the fake dating played out was so much fun!  The touching.  The kissing.  Showing the town that they were together.  And time and again they crossed that line of what was real and what was fake.  Because Ronan and Nova definitely wanted to rip each other’s clothes off.  The passion between them was so intense.  And when things did develop between them, it was extremely sexy and hot!  But Ronan was terrified to feel and he didn’t want to love.  His past still haunted him.  Except when he was around Nova, it was impossible not to feel.  And for Nova, each time Ronan showed a true piece of himself to her, it was hard to keep him away from her heart.  It didn’t matter that they didn’t want anything to happen, there was no stopping it!

My head tells me to keep the walls up around us, but the other side of me—my stupid, weak heart—clamors to tell him things.

This story was rounded out so well with some fabulous side characters.  I’m looking at you Skeeter, Sabine and Sonia!  And I loved the feel of the small town charm that was laced throughout this story.  Plus not only did Nova and Ronan’s love story cause me to laugh so much, but I even shed a tear.  Beauty and the Baller was a wonderful, adult romance that many will fall hard for!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

About Ilsa Madden-Mills:

Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Amazon I Instagram I Mailing List I Goodreads I Bookbub I Book+Main I Website

Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up here.

Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000
*Text message rates apply*

BOOK REVIEW: Boyfriend (Moo U #0) by Sarina Bowen

BOOK REVIEW: Boyfriend (Moo U #0) by Sarina BowenBoyfriend (Moo U #0)
by Sarina Bowen
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Book Depository
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A new hockey player to steal your heart this fall...

The dreamiest player on the Moo U hockey team hangs a flyer on the bulletin board, and I am spellbound:

Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will talk hockey with your dad. I will bring your mother flowers. I will be polite, and wear a nicely ironed shirt…

Everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your long-time crush to your messed-up family. But I really do need a date for Thanksgiving, even if I’m not willing to say why. So I tear his phone number off of that flyer… and accidentally entangle our star defenseman in a ruse that neither of us can easily unwind.

Who knew that Weston's family was even nuttier than mine? He needs a date, too, for the most uncomfortable holiday engagement party ever thrown.

There will be hors d'oeuvre. There will be faked PDA. And there will be pro-level awkwardness…

Boyfriend is a full-length book for Weston and Abbi!


Review

It should come as a surprise to ABSOLUTELY NO ONE that I absolutely loved this book. I was lucky enough to read every other Moo U book as an eARC and when I saw that the Queen of True North herself was going to be making an addition to the series???? Well, I was ecstatic.

You see, The Year We Fell Down was my first foray into the world of hockey romances and I have not looked back since. ALL of Bowen’s characters feel like home and family to me. Whether it be the entire town of Colebury, the Brooklyn Bruisers organization, or even Moo U. I know that if I’m going to be immersed into one of these stories, I WILL be leaving them fully satisfied.

And how come someone not? Abbi is a relatable, hard working college student just trying to work long enough to get a fat bonus at work to help with her rent. Weston is a pretty typical college jock– charismatic, hilarious, but also kind and willing to go the extra mile to make sure a person in need of a Thanksgiving date, has one LOL. Fake dating man. Who doesn’t love fake dating?

The best part about this book, in my own humble opinion, is that they start out purely as acquaintances from both of their time spent at the Biscuit, to partners in crime as a fake couple trying to deal with their respective families during the holidays, to friends, to so much more than that. They laid the best foundation they possibly could have for themselves, ESPECIALLY for someone like Weston who had seen first hand how messy a relationship and ship ensuing divorce could be. Then both just naturally fell in love and there wasn’t anything either of them could do to stop it. Serious love talk aside though, this book also had me howling with laughter as is typical of a Bowen book. She has some of the best banter and dialogue in romances that I’ve ever read. Top of the line stuff. HIGHLYYYY recommend.

Huge thanks to Sarina Bowen and Heart Eyes Press for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. ♥

BOOK REVIEW: Goalkeeper (Moo U #10) by Andi Burns

BOOK REVIEW: Goalkeeper (Moo U #10) by Andi BurnsGoalkeeper (Moo U #10)
by Andi Burns
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Winning games has always been his focus, but will winning her heart become the ultimate goal?

Everyone at Moo U knows the party doesn’t start until Paige Underwood arrives. Not only is she beautiful, she’s fun and charming too. Guys want to date her, and girls want to be her best friend. All Paige wants is to have a good time and make videos for her beauty channel--and maybe get that girl down the hall to do her eyeliner correctly. Is that too much to ask?

According to her parents, yes. They’ve said the party’s over and that it’s time to get focused.

Spencer Briggs knows all about focus. He’s had one goal since he set foot on the ice as a kid: make it to the NHL. After years of hard work and endless practice, he’s the starting goalie for Moo U and mere steps away from his dream. He can’t afford distractions, and isn’t interested in relationships. And he definitely can’t afford to flirt back with the gorgeous girl in his lit class.

He needs to stay serious. She needs to get serious. But now serious sparks are flying . . .

Review

Okay I just have to get this out of the way–in almost every single one of these books either one of both of the MC’s have the the most UNSUPPORTIVE parents of all time AND IT HURTS MY HEART. Gahhh.

Anywayyyys this was a good one. I freaking loved the element of Paige’s YouTube channel because I was big into watching a few different vloggers a few years ago and I have always had an appreciation for the amount of content they put out week after week. You could obviously tell that was her passion and the way she went about it in a teaching manner, wanting to help her subscribers feel pretty in their own skin—pure perfection.

Spencer wasn’t my TOP favorite guy of the series but he was still great. As much as I know NOTHING about hockey other than from reading so many hockey romances (lol) I do enjoy the books that feature the goalies and learning how their training and jobs on the ice are so much different than the rest of the team’s.

I thought the two had great chemistry and again, as much as I cannot stand that just about every parental in this series sucks, I was really glad that the two were able to understand each other in that way and be there for each other as well. Overall a good book to round the series out with *catch me crying now that it’s all over*

Huge thanks to Heart Eyes Press for allowing me to read a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

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