bookishlychar's reviews
2268 reviews

 Brady is a professional bull rider who doesn’t want to get attached to any woman. He saw love go sideways when his friend died on the circuit, and he didn’t want anyone to go through what his wife did. He is having a hard time resisting Abbi and her daughter Daisy, though. Daisy has quickly made her way into his heart, pulling him and her mom together. After spending so much time together, the tension between them breaks, and they fall fast and hard. Secrets from Abbi’s past and Brady’s bull riding job threaten to interfere. Will they allow that, or can they overcome the obstacles to finding love? 

 

Brady and Abbi were a sweet couple. They had major sparks and chemistry, and I thought they were great together. They are very similar, but Abbi’s history causes her to struggle to trust fully. The Wild men are all fantastic and Brady is no exception. Who doesn’t love a man who stays with you while your daughter is sick? He was the total package. 

 

Daisy is an adorable kid, and I felt she added to the story. I loved how Brady always considered her in anything they did, and even had little dates with just her. We got to see more interactions of the Wild family and they were so welcoming and loving, bringing Abbi and Daisy right into the fold. I loved the ending of this book and it ended perfectly, making me anxious for Millie’s upcoming book. 

 

As always, Kristen Proby created a great story that made me fall in love with Abbi, Brady and Daisy. If you like a single mom with a cowboy, this will be perfect for you! Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

read if you like: single mom, cowboy, who hurt you, woman on the run, found family 

Caitlin has always been the princess of her family. Being the only daughter of the head of a mafia family, she has had a lot of times when decisions were made for her. For as long as she can remember she has liked Callen. The problem is, that Callen is her brother’s best friend. Callen has been told by his best friend in no uncertain terms that his sister is off-limits. He has been keeping his feelings at bay for four years, but living under the same roof has taken its toll and they both give in to the feelings for one night. When that one night leads to a surprise pregnancy, the cat’s out of the bag and everyone knows what happened between the two of them. 

I was excited to see how this book would go. We have Caitlin Beneventi, whose dad is part of the mafia, as well as an overprotective brother in Maddox. I loved Caitlin in this book. She stood up to everyone and stood her ground. Caitlin had such strength through all that happened with both Callen and her family. With her strength, we also saw her stubbornness. I thought Callen was such a sweetheart. Doing what he thought was right, he worked hard to regain Caitlin’s trust. I loved how willing he was to tell Maddox and his family about them being together, it was refreshing to see rather than hiding. 

As with any book in the Kroydon Hills universe, we have several characters from previous books coming in offering advice and friendships to both Caitlin and Callen. I did love that we got to see more of Caitlin’s brothers, as well as music star Lilah. I’m excited to see whose story we will get next! This book was both heartbreaking and comforting. You will go through a range of emotions, often from page to page. Callen and Caitlin are imperfect, but their love is beautiful.

This book has one of my typically least favourite tropes in an accidental pregnancy, but Bella Matthews managed to make me love this story and brought me to tears. I loved Callen and Caitlin together and their story was wonderful. You can read this book as a standalone, but all of her books are connected and I recommend reading all the stories for a greater depth of knowledge of the characters you encounter. 

I’ve always loved Bella’s writing and this book truly knocked it out of the park. If you love a book with heart, this would be the perfect one for you! Thank you to the author for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

Read if you like: brother’s best friend, football romance, black cat energy, touch her and die, surprise pregnancy, forbidden romance

Darcy just broke up with her boyfriend of eight years and moved to Vancouver, where she is staying with her friend Hayden. Hayden knows both Darcy and her ex from college, and they are all friends. Since Darcy had been in a relationship since college, she had never really experienced dating; she asks Hayden for help because he is the “good-time guy,” the one who makes sure everyone is happy. Hayden agrees to help, but it is killing him inside, as he has had feelings for Darcy for years. Hayden is sick of putting everyone before him and wants to be selfish for once and take Darcy for himself. Darcy worries that with Hayden she will lose herself like she did with her ex. 

This is the ultimate friends-to-lovers romance. These two love and care about each other so much. Being friends they knew each other and were comfortable with each other. I loved the inside jokes and laughs they shared. They were the best of friends, who loved each other, but had this sizzling chemistry too. 

Darcy was such a nerdy girl that we can all relate to on some level. She is insecure and unsure of herself and feels like she lost herself in her ex. I loved watching her regain her confidence and become her own self. As for Hayden, he builds her up so much. He is swoonworthy. Stephanie Archer knows how to write a good, kind, wonderful man. He gives her her confidence back and makes her feel beautiful and loved. I loved a man who is a bit overprotective, and Hayden was totally like this, especially when he was her wingman at the bar. 

I also loved to see characters from the previous and future books (hello Volkov). I would have liked a touch more tension and involvement of the ex, as he was also friends with Hayden. I also understand why it wasn’t there. Although Darcy broke up with her ex, this was ultimately about her needing to stay true to herself and build her confidence. 

The Vancouver Storm is one of my favourite fictional hockey teams and I love seeing all the characters get their HEA. If you like a friends-to-lovers romance, with some angst and funny moments, this is the perfect book. Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 
 

read if you like: friends to lovers, forced proximity, he falls first and hard, roommates, hockey romance, opposites attract

I eagerly waited for this book when we read Gwen and Nate's story. Aspen and Kingsley truly hate each other. Aspen got pregnant as a 14-year-old at a party by a masked boy. Aspen was told her baby was stillborn, and the baby was left with Kingsley, and he became a parent at 17. When Gwen turned 20, the truth came out. Working at the same law firm as Kingsley, things are tense between him and Aspen. But he feels this pull to Aspen. There is this hate between them, but we all know how close love is to hate.

These two are explosive, but they have this pull toward each other that started when they were teens. With their angsty relationship, the tension between the two is great, and when they come together it is spicy and hot. 

I felt for Aspen. She had been through so much with her family, they were all truly terrible people. I loved seeing her relationship with Gwen develop and have these special moments. I found myself loving each moment we got with these two.  

I enjoyed this book and couple, and liked seeing Kingsley a bit tamed by Aspen. 

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, workplace romance, alpha male, second chance

 

Matt is a recently divorced dad and Toronto hockey player. He has been using Fetch, a personal assistant app, to get his life in order. Hailey is the co-owner of Fetch and has been assigned to his tasks. She is 99% sure that the anonymous client is her long-time crush, Matt Eriksson. She is enjoying their harmless flirting until she has to meet her client face to face. Cue the nervousness. Both are attracted to each other and can’t seem to resist each other. Is this something that could be more than a crush? 

 

I don’t know that I’ve read a hockey romance where the girl was already a hockey fan. I loved seeing that aspect of it. She already knew hockey and I loved it! Hailey was a super fan and I loved what that brought out of her during games. She was fierce. 

 

The chemistry between Matt and Hailey was top-notch. I loved listening to the silly things Hailey would say when nervous around Matt, and his reaction to it. Both Matt and Hailey are divorced and cautious about entering a new relationship. Matt’s ex did a number on him and he feels so unworthy of love and a relationship. 

 

Hockey romances is one of my favourite subgenres and I have found that Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy write some of the best out there. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

This was a good story about a second chance at love. I enjoyed a lot of the book, especially the first part of it. What I struggled with was the lack of communication throughout the second half and how neither character talked to each other about all the emotions they were feeling. I also struggled to believe there was a 20-year gap between the breakup and reconnection. I would have found it more believable with a 10-year gap.  

There is a lot of emotion in this story, as we are dealing with loss, grief and the feelings of hurt that have been between the two for such a long time. I liked the two characters but didn't feel as connected to them as I could. 

3.5/5 - I liked this book, but it suffered from the dreaded 3rd act breakup that could have been prevented if they just talked. I liked Smith and Kinsley together and they had major chemistry. I loved how Kinsley got herself into a bunch of crazy situations and watching their feelings develop for each other. This was my first Stacy Marie, and I enjoyed it and will pick up more. 

read if you like: road trips, enemies to lovers, brother's best friend,

In college Audry tutored Graham in calculus. They spent one night together, and he left the next day. Now, six years later, Graham is playing hockey back in his hometown and has come face to face with Audrey and a five-year-old little boy who looks exactly like him. Audrey doesn't want Graham involved with their son's life unless he can commit to being a parent. While Audrey and Graham start to navigate how he fits into her and her son's life, they start to have feelings for each other. The only question is can Graham have hockey and his responsibilities?  

I'm not generally a fan of the secret or hidden pregnancy tropes, but it worked in this story. I loved watching Graham fall in love with both his child and Audrey, it hit me right in the feels. It was interesting to watch how he tried to figure out how to manage all the different aspects of his life. I felt for Audrey. She wanted to let Graham in but has been disappointed so many times in her life that she doesn't want to bring that on her son too. 

What I loved most about the book was the family dynamics in it. Both Audrey and Graham come from involved families and I loved how supportive they were of each of them. 

This was my first Julia Connors book, but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the start of this series and the chemistry and dynamics between both characters. 

read if you like: second chance, secret pregnancy, single mom, he falls first

Pippa is the owner of a bakery and Camden is the grumpy neighbour that just opened an art gallery. Pippa and Camden have a rocky relationship from the first meeting, and they do everything they can to avoid each other. When Camden needs help with catering his gallery opening, he turns to Pippa and they strike a deal: she will cater his event, if he spends the day with her in Sutten, so she can show him how great of a town it is. In a bind, he reluctantly agrees. What he didn't expect was Pippa mesmerizing him and being unable to get her out of his mind. 

Pippa and Camden are the perfect balance to each other. She isn't afraid to stand up to Camden and challenge him on his grumpy ways and thoughts. Kat Singleton pulled me in with Pippa and Camden's banter and kept me there with their chemistry and the mouth on Camden. I loved how much Pippa loved her town and got Camden to fall in love with it too. 

This was a great story with amazing spice. If you want a grumpy sunshine romance with some awesome banter, this is a perfect book! 

read if you like: grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, billionaire, age gap

4.5/5 - Kat is Theo's assistant. She is able to predict what he needs before he knows it. She is surprised that she has stayed at her job this long, as she usually loses joy in it.  When Theo's boss announces his retirement, the job Theo has always thought was his, he is thrown into limbo when the boss announces he is unsure who the board will choose for the job. To seem more like a "family man" he concocts a fake engagement, without even a girlfriend. Kat agrees to be his fiancee to save the company from his rival, without having feelings. The only problem is, this fake relationship starts to feel real. 

The dynamic between Kat and Theo was great. You could see these two cared for each other, it just took them a while to figure it out. They had insane chemistry and worked so well together. Kat had never been in a relationship without feeling "the ick" and she was sure it would come up with Theo, almost like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Once Theo decides he loves Kat, he sets about proving to her that she won't get "the ick" by just being there for and supporting Kat. It was so kind and wonderful. 

Another great part of this book is the female friendship in this group. Kat has her own girl gang, and they are there to have her back. Their antics made me laugh, and I loved seeing the wrap-up for everyone in the series. 

This was a wonderful book, with great writing. I will need to make sure I go back through the other books to read those stories.

Read if you like: fake engagement, grumpy/sunshine, workplace, boss/employee,