bee_thebibliophile's reviews
1951 reviews

There’s just something special about a Sarina Bowen hockey romance - it sucks you in and you forget about everything else going on around you, something I really needed lately! Clay and Jethro’s second chance romance was slow to start but incredibly sweet and hard won. 

Clay Powers and Jethro Hale were roommates when they were starting their professional hockey journey. What started as two guys learning how to share space turned into more, but Jethro pulled the brakes hard and left them both reeling from the loss as Clay moved on to the AHL and Jethro kept working his way to the big show. 15 years later, Jethro is an experienced goalie whose career team gave him up for a trade, landing him in Colorado to be coached by none other than Clay, the youngest NHL coach in the league. 

Things between these two are awkward for a while - there’s a lot of hurt, confusing feelings, frustration and heartbreak between them, so it’s inevitable. Their new and unexpected professional relationship makes things complicated but their chemistry is undeniable. But once they start actually talking to each other again and being thrown together in unexpected situations, they start to work through how to be good together again. Things are still just as complicated, but grumpy, caring Jethro and put-together but also a mess Clay are so good together that they can’t keep their distance, no matter how hard they try. 

I loved that the majority of the story took place in the present with a few chapters of the past sprinkled in to show what they went through and what got them to where they are now. The timing and pacing was perfect and I love when there’s no unnecessary 3rd act breakup - Clay and Jethro took us through a lot of ups and downs during the story, but the cupcake baking, hotel room sneaking and stolen, secret moments between them were adorable. Things ended exactly how I hoped they would for the two of them and seeing them with the other Hockey Guys characters really wrapped things up so well. Highly recommend this one and the other two books in this series if you’re looking for hockey romances that make you fall in love with the characters too! 

Oh Brad, Brad, Brad…what a treat of a human being you are - I was SO excited when Emmy announced that Brad would, in fact, be getting an HEA of his own and this story was just as sweet as I hoped it would be!

Brad Bradley is the sweetest, funniest, most sincere, most oblivious character I think I’ve ever read. All of his innuendos were over the top and ridiculous but it made it even better that he didn’t even understand what he was saying most of the time. He meets Joey Delgado at the gym and he’s intent on being best gym bros but Joey thinks there’s more happening, leading to a lot of secondhand embarrassment but also a series of weird wingman Brad situations for Joey to navigate. 

These two were perfect for each other, even before Brad realized that Joey was who he’d been waiting for - they had a strong bromance going on from the start but the weird dates, matching fanny packs and home renovations really brought them closer together. I loved how open and receptive Brad was (because, duh, Brad) and how patient and loving Joey was as Brad was figuring things out. Brad’s funny kangaroo-related nicknames for Joey were adorable, but the real winner here was Joey’s nickname for Brad…bub is honestly too cute for words and made me smile every time I read it! They worked so perfectly together, there’s no way they ever could have ended up with anyone else - Bub and Joey-roo forever!

I had really high hopes for this story - Ezekiel has been such an interesting side character in so many of Lark’s books, but this one just didn’t work for me. I’ll likely be in the minority here, however Zeke and Sam’s story wasn’t a favorite of mine. 

Zeke and Sam meet via an online game when they’re paired up randomly and their relationship grows over time from acquaintances to friends to more than friends, but Zeke’s hesitant to meet because he doesn’t want to potentially be disappointed that they’re not mates. I think only being told about those early conversations made me feel disconnected from them in the present - I wasn’t invested in their relationship. Things progress quickly once circumstances bring them together and there’s a lot of back and forth, hiding true natures, keeping the fated mate situation a secret and trying to adjust to living with the Seraphim. 

Unfortunately I felt like there was a lot of telling that happened in the story - telling about what triggers are, telling about panic attacks, telling about feelings, but I wanted to see things, how they played out, how they developed. It took me out of the story more than a few times and made me a bit frustrated that I didn’t get to know Zeke and Sam as well as I expected. It left me wanting more from the story and more depth from the characters beyond them being fated mates and understanding each other. We missed a lot of their relationship development in the beginning and I think that’s a huge contributing factor to me feeling pretty indifferent about this story. 

I did really enjoy getting to see more of the Seraphim and the glimpses of some of our favorite demons, so those parts really made me happy. I’m hopeful for the rest of the series and am curious to see who these angels will fall for when it’s their turn. 

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t do it for me - the Park Avenue Princes series was borderline ridiculous but so much fun to read and I was excited to see what the Kings were all about. Sadly, I don’t think they lived up to the hype, at least not in this story. 

From the very beginning, I wasn’t invested in Lachlan and Cooper’s relationship - the way they met and the way their relationship progressed just felt a little ick to me. I don’t like when one MC is keeping a major secret from the other and this one went on way too long for my liking. I felt like things between them were strained or focused mainly around sex and they didn’t really get to know each other despite being in such forced proximity. Their relationship felt surface level at best and honestly a little boring. Ultimately it was just fine - Lachlan and Cooper were fine together and the big, overarching plot wrapup was fine. I really just has hoping for more - more passion, more emotion, more action, more communication, more about the Kings…just more of everything. 

Giving this one 3 stars instead of 2.5 for the glimpses of King, East and Zac - I still feel like their story isn’t totally over, so I’m living for more of them! 

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Malcolm and Elliott’s story after meeting them in Melting the Ice, but this story definitely exceeded my expectations! 

Malcolm McCoy and Elliott Jones couldn’t be more opposite - Mal is reserved, calculating, controlled, practiced and Elliott is outspoken, impulsive and a little wild…they get on each other’s nerves more often than not, but that annoyance is masking their attraction. When Elliott’s school troubles bring them together off the ice, they start to realize that they don’t really hate each other after all. Mal tutors Elliott in math and Elliott shows Mal the ropes when it comes to relationships. While it starts out as fun, it quickly turns into more when they realize the line between hate and love is incredibly thin. 

Their opposite personalities clash in some ways, but complement each other in many more so it makes things fun both on and off the ice. Not only do they play the best hockey they ever have together but they also become each other’s biggest champion and supporter, getting them out of tough spots and showing them what’s really important while also setting themselves up for a future playing professional hockey together. 

I’m excited to read Finn’s story next, but I’m really dying for Zack and Coach’s story…can’t wait to get my hands on that!

This book is quite the journey - Aiden Campbell and Matt Safaryan have an emotional history and this second chance brings up a lot of feelings and tackles a lot of heavier topics. 

Retiring from playing professional hockey leaves Aiden feeling directionless, leading to him struggling with his mental health since so much of his life was built around The Routine he created for himself to play optimally. Not only does he have to adjust to life without playing hockey, but he also finds himself face-to-face with his former boyfriend and fellow professional hockey player, Matt, after years apart. The chemistry between these two is palpable and the way Matt strives to take care of Aiden even when he’s not totally sure how to best help him was the sweetest. This second chance romance was full of ups and downs, with both Aiden and Matt learning more about themselves and each other to help them become the best versions of themselves for starting a relationship again, 10 years later. 

Ari Baran has a knack for writing MM hockey romance with a different twist to it than any others I’ve read and this one really hit the spot - it was emotional but full of character development and promise for the future of their relationship. I just wish we got to see more of them happy together instead of just a quick epilogue about what they did once they were both retired from playing. But, looking forward to seeing what’s next from this author!

Impulsive Connections picks up where Accidental Bonds left us and brings us an opposites attract, slow burn romance for Kade Mills and Liam Batiste. Considering what we learned about Kade in the first book, I was definitely surprised by this being a slow burn but it made a lot more sense once you got into it. 

Kade and Liam find themselves affected by one of the loose spirits on the Mills pack land and have a bond neither of them anticipated, causing all kinds of confusion for both of them. In between figuring out their bond (or avoiding it for a lot of the time), they’re also trying to track down and capture more of the spirits that are wreaking havoc on the pack. There’s a lot of magic research, practicing practical magic, fighting instincts and avoiding natural chemistry that happens over the course of the book. Both Kade and Liam fall into the lack of communication trap more often than not and, while they’re opposites in so many ways, they also just click on an instinctual level, something neither of them expected. Once they started opening up to each other and working through their differences, they saw what they had in common and how they were actually a really good fit. The lead up to them accepting their feelings was a bit painful at times, but I really enjoyed them together - Liam tempered some of Kade’s overly sexual nature and Kade brought Liam’s nose out of his books. 

There were a lot of parts that felt long-winded and bogged down - I think I would have enjoyed this more if there were less of those scenes that made me frustrated with the two of them or that got too into the minutiae of things. Overall, I really did enjoy this one, just found myself wishing it sucked me in like Elijah and Victor’s story did. But, I can’t wait for Miles’s (and Grant’s?!) story next and I’m predicting Aran and Pierce after that…this world has sucked me in!

Good Pucking Luck was adorable and such a great way to start this new Riley Hart series! 

Hayes Rockwell finds out his boyfriend has been lying to him and has been with multiple other men when he proposes at a hockey game, turning his life (and the other exes’ lives) upside down overnight. He’s always felt like an outsider with few friends and pretty low self-confidence, so that blow hit him hard and made him distrusting of everyone around him. Rylan Pierce is a professional hockey player and was playing in the game where Hayes proposed, something Rylan’s tried not to look into much because he feels horrible for the men this happened to. He has a huge heart, is a big flirt and is just alright with hooking up, that is until he meets a gorgeous bartender in Seattle. 

These two meet in Seattle while they’re both traveling and end up coming back together when they’re in LA again - something they never expected. What starts out as a sexy arrangement turns into so much more once they get to know each other. Rylan’s mix of sincerity and cockiness was perfect for bringing Hayes out of his shell and helping him to figure out who he is and what he wants. They were a little ridiculous together and didn’t always talk things out how they should, but they were so much fun to read. 

Really looking forward to the rest of The Jilted Exes’ Club series - the little glimpses we got into the other exes were a lot of fun and got me excited about what’s to come next!

Another sweet holiday romance in Christmas Falls! 

Scott Jersey is a bit of a mess, but he’s adorable and authentic, making him just the right combination of things. He loves his son Teddy more than anything and wants to do whatever he can to make sure he has everything he needs or even wants. Teddy plays hockey, which led Scott to meet Hank Beaufort, the hunky new hockey director in town. Hank had NHL aspirations but never made it out of the AHL so he turned his love for the sport into a career that led him to Christmas Falls. He loves his job and his dogs but doesn’t quite feel at home in town despite living there for more than a year. 

While these two know each other from Teddy’s hockey, they get the opportunity to spend more time together when selling their quilts (Scott) and dog treats (Hank) at the arts & crafts fair. They shouldn’t really work together, but they’re incredibly sweet when they finally give in to their attraction. Really liked that Teddy was an active participant in their relationship and that both Scott and Hank included him in everything. I didn’t love the storyline with Scott’s younger brother so much, but it ended up working out in the end even better than I imagined, though a little too convenient. 

Like with so many of this year’s Christmas Falls stories, I felt like we spent more time on Christmas Falls shenanigans and the atmosphere of the town overall than we did with developing the couple’s relationship. Regardless, it’s a cute and easy read that’s great for the holiday season. 

Oh Isaac Sylvester and Hanna Townsen…I’ve been waiting for your story for so long and maybe that’s why I feel a little disappointed by where things ended up? 

Isaac is back in Green Valley on ANOTHER undercover assignment, this time posing as Hannah’s boyfriend and a bouncer at the Pink Pony to get close to a trafficker and take him down. Since so much of this story takes place at the strip club, there’s a LOT of strip club talk, maybe more than it needed? But Isaac and Hannah start fake dating all while wishing it was real since they both have feelings for each other that have been developing over time. However they don’t really know each other despite growing up together since Isaac has been undercover so long and Hannah has been keeping everything about her personal life locked down for years. 

I wanted to love these two together, but they just made me feel sad - I’m glad they found each other, but the lead up to that, the hardships they went through, the decisions they had to make to be together really just made me upset. The ending of this story wrapped up extremely conveniently and felt so rushed, even with the epilogue included. After all of the build-up for both Isaac and Hannah throughout all the books set in Green Valley, I wanted more for them. It drove me a bit crazy that so much of their backstories were told instead of shown; it felt like a ton of exposition but didn’t feel like they were getting to know each other well since so much of that happened with other characters instead of together. 

Added the .5 stars for Cletus, Jennifer and Hank - the true stars of the show. There were points where the promise of seeing one of these three again made me carry on. I’m really sad to leave Green Valley behind, it’s one of my favorite fictional places to visit.