Review: It All Comes Back To You - Melissa Wiesner - August 2023 I'll be honest—I've been in a bit of a romance reading slump lately. After devouring countless meet-cutes and happily-ever-afters, I found myself craving something with more emotional weight. When I stumbled upon Melissa Wiesner's "It All Comes Back to You," the promise of angst and genuine emotion was exactly what I needed to pull me back into the genre. This book immediately reminded me of Cecelia Ahern's "Where Rainbows End" in the best possible way. We first meet Anna at sixteen and Gabriel at eighteen, thrown together for a college project despite being complete opposites. Their unlikely friendship blooms beautifully on the page, and Melissa Wiesner captures that intoxicating feeling of finding your person at exactly the wrong time in life. What follows is a masterclass in second-chance romance spanning nearly two decades. The structure—following Anna and Gabe as they connect, dr...

Review: Hot Shot - Book # Roseville Ramblers - Staci Hart - April 2025 As a long-time fan of Staci Hart—ever since her debut Good Gods series—I couldn’t wait to dive into Hot Shot, the second installment in the Roseville Ramblers series. Let me tell you, this book delivered. Overflowing with second-chance romance, small-town charm, and sizzling chemistry, Hot Shot gave me major Sweet Home Alabama vibes, and I was here for every second. We meet our heroine when she returns to Roseville, ready to marry another man… only to find out she’s already married. To Wilder. Her hot, firefighter ex-boyfriend. From ten years ago. In Vegas. For one night. Turns out he never sent the annulment papers—and never told her. Cue all the drama. What follows is a deliciously addictive marriage-of-convenience story, as Wilder asks her to play the part of his loving wife for the sake of appearances. It’s only pretend, right? Hand-holding, the occasional kiss, maybe even some smoldering glances? But as past...

Review: Save Your Breath - Book #4 Kings of Ice Series - Kandi Steiner - March 2025 THIS JUST IN: HOCKEY BAD BOY AND POP STAR EXTRAORDINAIRE ENGAGED!  Kandi Steiner delivers a swoon-worthy slow burn in Save Your Breath, the fourth standalone in her addictive Kings of the Ice series. Packed with emotion, longing, and perfectly layered tension, this friends-to-lovers romance checks every box for readers who love their fake relationships with a hefty dose of real feelings. Aleksander Suter, NHL’s resident bad boy, has always been the one person who could fluster pop star Mia Love—and now they’re in a pretend engagement that feels a little too believable. What starts as a PR stunt quickly spirals into something deeper, as childhood memories and long-held feelings surface in the midst of fame, pressure, and a hurricane-induced forced proximity. Their chemistry is palpable, and every shared moment—whether a quiet confession or a heated glance—carries the weight of years of unspoken lo...

Faking the Face Off Anne Kemp Publication date: January 29th 2025 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance There’s a reason you shouldn’t fake date a friend—because the biggest mistake you’ll ever make might just be falling for them… and NEVER ever wanting to let them go. Anna: As the assistant to the coach of the River City Renegades, my life is a whirlwind of schedules, crisis management, and saving the day when things go sideways. I love my job, but sometimes I wonder if there’s more for me out there. Then, I discovered my dad needs help. I’ll do anything to support him—even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone. So when the team’s publicist decides Ollie Decker, my long-time friend and the Renegades’ star defenseman, needs a fake girlfriend to boost his image, I volunteer. After all, it’s just pretend, it pays, and who knows Ollie better than me? But as the lines blur, I start to realize there’s more to Ollie—and us—than I ever let myself see. Ollie: Being on ...

The Dasher: Cindy’s Version Cindy Kehagiaras (Tennent Surf, #2) Publication date: October 9th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Lisa—My business is failing, my father disappeared, my brother is lazy, and my uncle just mansplained me—again. Ben is nothing I want right now, but he might be everything I need.” Ben—My new brother-in-law, the legendary “Zen Shredder,” is making me launder my karma which is bullshit and interesting. The coolest man on the planet just married my spreadsheet-loving sister and is about to save Tennent Surf Company, making him Lisa Tennent’s hero. I’m the one who should be her hero, yeah, me, a tattooed ex-con with anger issues. I’ll show her my friendship and loyalty and return her magic. “The Dasher” is a friends-to-lovers, single father, over 40 romance sequel to “The Perpetual”- with GenX pop culture references and lessons in self-love as we age. Goodreads / Amazon — EXCERPT: Lisa Tennent is the heiress of the “Tennent Surf Company...

Love at First Skate Ellie Hall (Love on Thin Ice) Publication date: October 3rd 2024 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports They say love is messy. Turns out friendship is too, especially when you’re stranded in a cabin with your best friend and hearts are on thin ice. Teddy I’ve heard that men and women can’t be friends without it becoming something more. Harlow and I put that theory in the penalty box, thank you very much. She laughs at my jokes, secretly admires my hockey butt, trusts me with her biggest fear (it’s safe with me). In turn, she knows everything about me. Well, almost. There’s been a recent development. I’m gone for her. Down bad. Solid Crush. She lives rent free in my mind. I’ve caught feelings. This wouldn’t be a problem except, you know, the whole shattering our friendship thing. Harlow You know those days you want to erase? It went like this: my boyfriend broke up with me (it was overdue), and then I broke up with my job while at a work...

The Friend Face Off Grace Worthington (Love on Thin Ice, #3) Publication date: September 12th 2024 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports Getting involved with your brother’s best friend is risky enough. But when he’s a hockey player? It’s a whole new level of bad idea. As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a secret: I’m obsessed with hockey romances. But let me tell you, real life hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends. So I threw down the gauntlet on BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong. Can a real hockey player be as romantic as the ones in my favorite stories? Enter Dawson Hayes, a goalie with a point to prove and my brother’s best friend. He’s confident he can win me over and take me on the most romantic date of my life. But there’s a catch: for me to accept, I have to pretend that he’s my fake boyfriend. Now everyone in my small town thinks that Dawson and I are having a fall fling. Even if it’s a fling that can’t last....

When an injury prevents Tristan from fighting in the ring, his family puts him in charge of taking over Doyle Whiskey. It’s the perfect opportunity for him until the owner's daughter, Evie, stumbles back into his life. Time may have changed them both, but when Tristan discovers Evie’s life is in danger, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means marriage. Readers who enjoy marriage-of-convenience romances will devour Whiskey Kisses by Rochelle Allison, a steamy friends-to-lovers, mafia romance.     Blurb Caught between family loyalty and their affection for one another… Tristan I always get my way. Fighting is my life. In the ring, on the street, there’s no problem that can’t be solved with my fists. When an injury puts me on the sidelines, my family sends me down South on business. They want me to take over Doyle Whiskey, a job they claim is perfect for me. And it is, until the owner’s daughter stumbles back into my life. Evie’s not the shy, awkward girl I...

Title: Fragments of You Author: Melissa Toppen Genre: Contemporary Romance Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Love Triangle Second Chance Romance Release Date: August 16, 2024 BLURB From USA Today Bestselling Author Melissa Toppen comes a brand-new, standalone, love triangle romance that explores the complexities of first love and what it means to truly follow your heart. Time is a funny thing. It keeps moving even when it feels like everything around you stops. It is the catalyst for everything. How we grieve. How we heal. How we live. Time was the one thing I tried but could never escape. Days passed in his absence. Months. Years. And I stood still. Stuck in the past. Paralyzed by the memory of him. Nash Ketter had been my whole world for as long as I could remember. The person I loved with my entire being. He was the sun, the moon, and the stars. He was everything . And then one day, he was gone… Just like that. Like he had never existed at all. But I knew he had because I still carr...

Title: The Night the Stars Went Dark Author: H. D’Agostino Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Grief Release Date: August 12, 2024 BLURB As the only child of world-famous pianist, Julian Vaughn, I was born into music. It wasn’t just what I did, it was it who I was. I began taking lessons at the tender of six. I was raised to follow in my father’s legacy. It wasn’t just that I wanted to be the best, it was expected. I went to all the best schools, trained with the best teachers, and spent my summers at special camps. I was right on the cusp of graduating college with all my dreams coming true, when tragedy struck. Grief caused me to give it all up and silence my talent… until he came into town. The boy I knew from years ago remembered the girl I used to be and was determined to help me find her… only I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. Could I go back and love the one thing that made me remember? ADD TO GOODREADS PURCHASE LINKS AMAZON  US  / ...