bookishlychar's reviews
2267 reviews

 

Sutton is a single mom to her seven-year-old son, Luca. She came to Sparrow Falls to rebuild her life two years ago. She has opened her bakery and lives above the shop. She has fought hard for everything and is barely scraping by. Her son loves hockey, and she enrolls him in summer camp. Imagine Luca’s surprise when his favourite player, Copeland Colson, is teaching the camp. Cope needs some time away from his team after a rough end to the season and comes home to rest and visit with his family. Hoping to improve his image, he agrees to help with the local hockey camp. He meets Sutton on the first day of camp, where she is having a horrible day. Both Sutton and Cope have painful pasts they would rather keep there. As each begins to let their walls down, their pasts come crashing down, will they allow happiness to prevail after all? 

 

Cope and Sutton were perfect together. They helped each other heal from their past and believe in loving again. Sutton has been through so much and is committed to giving Luca a better life, free of fear. Cope is also dealing with a lot. He carries guilt over the death of his brother and dad and the stresses of being a professional hockey player. We see that he is immediately interested in Sutton and wants to protect and care for her, but at the same time, he does not feel that he is good enough for her. 

 

Catherine Cowles does an excellent job connecting me with her characters and letting me feel what they feel. There were times I cried, and times I laughed. I loved the relationship that Cope built with Luca and how Sutton and he fit perfectly in with the family the Colson’s have created. As with other Catherine Cowles books, we get a touch of suspense that helps build the story and develop our closeness to the characters even more. 

 

Once again, this book did not disappoint! I loved Sutton, Cope and Luca so much! I loved escaping to Sparrow Falls to be with this family I love reading about. Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

read if you like: small town, single mom, romantic suspense (a touch), professional hockey player, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, touch her and die, found family 

Briar’s life comes to an impasse when her father dies. She escapes to Crimson Ridge and the home that was left to her. Imagine her surprise when she finds that her Uncle Storm has been living there for the past ten years. Both Briar and Storm have an instant connection, even though they are technically uncle and niece (her dad and he are adopted siblings). Add that the cabin is small, and they are practically on top of each other, they soon realize the initial attraction is not going away.  

I read a bit about Storm in Chasing Wild and he immediately intrigued me. This book starts with a bang and we see the chemistry between these two is immediate, but there is a sense of forbiddeness. As the tension between the two grows, you begin cheering more and more for them to give in. 

All through this spiciness (and there are lots) and dancing around each other, we are given a story of two people who have been carrying baggage with them their whole lives and find someone who deeply loves and cares for them. I loved that Briar found herself again while in Crimson Ridge, with Storm giving her a safe place to land. I also loved that we saw a sweet side to Storm when he was around Briar while being protective and building Briar’s trust. These two were two people who were truly meant to be. 

This was a well-written story with the perfect amount of smut and story that kept me turning the page. I look forward to reading more of the books in this series when they are out! Thank you to Luna Literary and the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

read if you like: forbidden, age gap, forced proximity, only one bed, free use

 

 

The Risks We Take Duet includes the complete Cooper and Carys story - Worth the Risk and Worth the Fight as well as a bonus story, Worth it All. 

 

Growing up Carys was the youngest in her family and protected by her brother. She headed to San Diego for college and to follow a certain someone across the country. It was her chance to find herself and start fresh. Cooper was always the one for Carys. Being her brother’s best friend, and now her step-brother complicates things slightly. Loving each other was simple, it was everything else that was complicated. Both need to figure out if they can shut off all the outside noise and let love prevail. 

 

Cooper and Carys’ relationship was not simple. There were so many obstacles in their way, but that made the payoff so much better. I loved how much these two loved and cared for each other, but they go through so much to get to their happy ending. The connection between these two is so beautiful and their chemistry is smoking! Both Carys and Cooper are faced with life changing things, and they hurt each other in the process. Some of the things these two went through broke my heart, but I trusted that Bella Matthews would put it back together again and she did, in the most beautiful way possible. Even when these two were not together, they were drawn to each other and loved each other so much. 

 

Along with Cooper and Carys comes an extra large family and friend group. I loved seeing more of the Sinclair/Murphy family as well as all the 2nd generation babies being born. I also loved seeing their friends in California and would love to see what happened to them all. Cary and Cooper have managed to surround themselves with a great group of people who are honest with them and call them on their nonsense. 

 

This book is heartbreaking. You may need a box of tissues to get through it, but the payoff is worth it. Bella Matthews wrote a wonderful story about a deep love that is taken through its paces. Thank you to the author for a copy of this series. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

Read if you like: brother’s best friend, forbidden, step siblings, secret romance, alpha here, it’s always been you 

 

The last thing Chloe expects is to get a call that her birth mother has had another child, even more, she has requested Chloe care for her and become her guardian. When Chloe fails to pass the CPS financial portion of her evaluation, her case worker suggests she participate in a new program, TeamUp, which pairs two guardians who need help in passing the evaluation. Warren has passed the housing aspect of his CPS evaluation. He is attempting to get custody of his 15-year-old brother. The four of them move in together to help meet CPS’s demands. As Chloe and Warren get to know each other, they start to realize they have similarities they didn’t think possible. There is obvious chemistry, but Chloe worries her involvement with Warren could impact her chances of having her sister live with her permanently. They must decide if acting on the chemistry is worth the risk to both siblings. 

 

This is an interesting premise for a book, and I have never read anything like it before. It explores the world of adoption and fostering as well as complex relationships with families and the children’s aid system. Warren and Chloe have been impacted by the choices of their parents and need to do their own work to become better and healthier people. Watching this growth in them, especially Chloe was wonderful. 

 

I liked watching the relationship develop between Warren and Chloe. They cared for each other and each of the children they were caring for so much. I loved Warren’s care for Chloe by offering small kindnesses, like lending her his car or holding the baby when Chloe needed a minute. Chloe has a lot going on, and she has struggled with her relationship with both her birth mother and adoptive parents. We get to see her healthily explore those issues. Warren encourages her to continue working on her self-confidence, building her up. Neither Warren nor Chloe is perfect, and the author does a great job of writing the “messy parts” as much as the beautiful love they share. 

 

Hannah Bonam-Young handled the painful topics in this book with care. There were tough issues tackled throughout, please check trigger warnings if needed. This book is wrought with emotion and is a great read from a unique perspective. This was my first by this author, but will not be my last! 

 

 

read if you like: forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine 

 

4.5/5 - Jaxon and Lennon meet when she is supposed to be on her honeymoon but is broken off. He’s in the room next to her honeymoon sweet and she sees him as arrogant and obnoxious. They spend one steamy night together and the next morning Jaxon waits up and she is gone. Escaping her ex, she takes a job as a team photographer and social media person. Imagine her surprise when her one night stand is the star defenseman for the same team. 

 

Jaxon and Lennon forever! Jaxon puts up this front of being a tough guy, but he is so thoughtful and kind to Lennon. He showed up for her, and he loved her in small ways and big. Reading his inner dialogue and thoughts about being forgettable and not enough were painful, but so raw and real. Lennon is finding herself again and I loved how she regained her confidence with the help of Jaxon.  Jaxon and Lennon had such immediate and great chemistry together. I loved their banter and back-and-forth. They were so fun to get to know. Becka Mack writes beautiful, flawed characters who work wonderfully together and this is no exception. 

 

Getting to visit with the other members of the Vipers again was great. I loved seeing Carter being his silly self and this entire group of friends who have become family. I thought it was great that none of them gave up on Jaxon, even if he didn’t feel worth it, they kept showing up for and loving him. I loved that Lennon felt lost and fell into this group of people who love and care for each other dearly. 

 

Read if you like: one night stand, forced proximity, roommates to lovers, hockey romance, coworkers, found family, cat dad 

Dallas has loved Hemi since third grade. They have been working for the Toronto Terror for years, him as a player and her as a PR manager. He volunteers for any task to spend a bit of time with her. Hemi gives him the worst tasks, as she feels he picked on her all through school and made her life miserable. With their high school reunion coming up, Hemi is on a quest to return to her hometown with a boyfriend and show her graduating class she has moved on and “made it”. Unfortunately, all her dates have been duds. One drunken night Dallas posts a photo of them together, leading everyone to believe they are dating. Hemi wants anything but that, however, she agrees to go along with it for the sake of her job and Dallas’ time with the Terror. They work at convincing everyone they are together, and Hemi starts to see Dallas in a different light.

This book gave me a lot of feelings. Hemi was such a relatable character. She feels like she is “too much” for this world and that like most people, Dallas will begin to find her too much. Her fears and insecurities were so real and heartbreaking. I loved how obsessed Dallas was with her. When we started to see the things Dallas had done to help and protect Hemi throughout their history it was so loving and endearing. 

Helena is a master of writing tension and banter and this book was no exception. Dallas and Hemi’s chemistry and banter was amazing. Throughout the story, we saw that Dallas and Hemi were two different people and I thought they balanced each other was wonderful.  This book had a lot of humour, but there was also a vein of seriousness. Watching Hemi and her pain with being too much hurt my heart, and I found myself having a good cry in the last part of the book. I think these two were some of my favourite Helena pairings ever!

This book was full of emotion and I loved both Hemi and Dallas. I can’t wait to read more in this series! If you love a hockey romance with tension and banter, this is the perfect book for you. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend the other two books in this series! Thank you to Helena Hunting for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

read if you like: enemies to lovers, fake dating, only one bed, golden retreiver MMC/black cat FMC, hockey romance, childhood crush

Sophia is working through the grief of losing her father, who died by suicide. In coping, she would text his number some of her feelings. One day, when she texts the number, she gets a reply. The text changes her life as she starts talking to the sweet Josh. Feeling some pressure from her mothers to date after getting out of a bad relationship, she says she is dating Josh. Josh agrees to be her fake boyfriend, but when they meet, sparks fly. This relationship suddenly becomes all too real. The couple must deal with the stress in their personal lives while deciding if they can move forward together. 

This was a great read. Josh is a kind, generous person who cares so much for Sophie. I loved the scenes where he stood up for Sophie with her extended family. As the relationship progresses, Sophie becomes the person who supports Josh as he goes through his pain. The connection between these two is immediate and they care for each other deeply. These two were so in love, but had their own personal struggles, figuring out their careers and moving forward in their life. 

This book deals with tough subject matters, such as grief and loss, but the author handles them gently. Josh has a huge supportive family who add a layer to this story. We were also introduced to Sophia’s mom and friends, who were strong supports for her. 

This is the 8th book in an interconnected stand-alone series, but it was easy to pick up without reading the previous books. I am, however, going back to read the other stories, as I loved and enjoyed Kelly Elliott’s writing. If you love a fake dating love story, tackling some tough topics, this is the book for you! Thank you to Grey’s PR and the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

Jules has not been able to stop thinking about the man she met a year ago on New Year’s Eve, she thought she met her soulmate. A week later she saw him in the store with his sister and his daughter and assumed he had a family and was cheating. Her rom-com-loving heart broke, and she decided to focus on her dance studio and her friendships. She is currently having a terrible day when a pipe bursts in her dance studio and she finds herself without a place to stay. At that moment, a little girl grabs her hand and says she was her Christmas wish. Imagine her surprise when the little girl’s dad is none other than her New Year’s Eve man, Nate. She quickly understands her error, and Nate’s sisters offer up his in-law suite and contracting skills, in exchange for her helping Nate with his daughter Sophie. Nate has until Christmas to convince Jules that love is real and they were meant to be. 

 

I want to be clear, there is NO CHEATING in this book. The description makes it sound like there is, but it is a mistaken assumption. 

 

Nate and Jules are end goals. Nate is one of the sweetest MMC’s that I have ever seen in a story. He is so patient with Jules and willing to go at her pace. It is clear he loves her and sees their relationship as one to fight for. Jules was feeling broken from the New Year's Eve incident and had given up on love. It is clear she has feelings for Nate, but she struggled so much in reopening her heart to the chance at a happily ever after. 

 

I loved the relationship Jules had with Nate’s daughter, Sophie. She was so good with her and they were so cute together. It was also nice to see Jules’ friendship with Ava and Harper and how different they are in the friendship. Adding in Nate’s family was a delight. They were so wonderful and I loved how they were there to support Jules.  

 

This book felt like one that I could see as a movie. It was the perfect holiday spirit, without being “in your face”. If you love a sweet rom-com book, adding a touch of holiday magic, this is the book for you! Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

Tropes: one night stand, single dad/nanny, forced proximity, holiday romance 

Robbie finds himself in hot water after getting in a fight with a teammate and being caught drunk and doing drugs. The New York Thunder is his last chance, and the league is after him to clean up his act. He runs into Fran, his high school nemesis when she shows him a unit to purchase in his new city. Fran needs to sell the apartment she is showing Robbie to save her job. She is prepared to do anything to get a deal done on this condo. When she finds Robbie walking in, she is dumbstruck. She feels her job going down the drain. Until Robbie hatches a plan where he buys the condo, and she pretends to be his doting girlfriend. They can’t stand each other, so no feelings should be involved until they get to know each other and discover so much more about each other. 

This book sucked me in from the beginning. Shann created a magical connection between these two and I wanted to inhale every little bit of it. Robbie was the perfect book boyfriend. He is kind, patient and understanding. There are so many moments that show just how misunderstood he was.  Even though Robbie and Fran hated each other, he was head over heels before he realized it.  I love a man who isn’t afraid of menstruation, and Robbie was perfect in this way. There is a scene where he lays and rubs Fran’s stomach while she is suffering from cramps, and it is so comforting. I didn’t know I needed this in a book, but I needed this. 

With Fran and Robbie’s hate, there is so much tension. The tension builds, and you start to see their chemistry and understanding. There were so many moments in this book that were wonderful, with Robbie lifting up Fran in any way possible. As this is the beginning of a series, we also got to meet some of the characters that are going to be in future books and I enjoyed getting to know the different teammates Robbie had. 

This book is awesome and has the perfect amount of banter, enemies to lovers, and hockey goodness. Thank you to Luna Literary and the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 Read if you like: hockey romance, enemies/rivals to lovers, fake dating, he falls first, protective MMC

 

Aspen is working two jobs and is barely able to keep up. After her shift at the hockey arena, she runs into someone trying to get back into the arena. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that he is the team captain. She makes her way to her second job and Banks is there again. He is at a private table with friends and seems to be getting drunk and entertaining strippers. After a bet with his friends that he can get Aspen’s number, she quickly shoots him down. Once Banks realizes that Aspen is the woman from the arena, he works to find everything he can about her. Aspen won’t give him the time of day, but he works to break down her walls and protect her in any way he can. 

 

Banks is awesome! He is kind, caring, honest and respectful. I loved that Aspen didn’t immediately fall for Banks’ charm and smile, making him work for it. I felt for Aspen, it sounds like she had a rough life, and is struggling through, even now, to get ahead. I loved when Banks and her came together that Banks helped her, but still respected her and her autonomy. 

 

Banks and Aspen made a great couple. They started with some awesome banter, and their chemistry was off the charts. They challenged each other and had a deep respect for each other. One of my favourite tropes is found family, and this book has it in spades. Banks’ friends have been brought together because of hockey, and have supported each other through many ups and downs. I loved how they were there for each other and supported each other through the difficult stuff. 

 

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and can’t wait for more in this series. If you love a book with great found family, where he falls first, this is the perfect book for you! I can’t wait for more in this series! Thank you to the authors for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

read if you like: enemies to lovers, he falls first, found family, hockey romance, protective MMC, golden retriever hero