SEXY BAD DADDY is the second book in the Sexy Bad series and after reading the first book, I was very eager to read this one. Sadly, I didn’t find it SEXY BAD DADDY is the second book in the Sexy Bad series and after reading the first book, I was very eager to read this one. Sadly, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as the previous book. I didn’t feel any chemistry between Garrett and Erin at all and it just didn’t hold my attention as easily as SEXY BAD NEIGHBOR did.
I liked Erin, who takes her nanny job very seriously and falls in love with every child she looks after. She made a bad decision when she was 18, and it has followed her around for every job she’s had since. There’s a big age difference between Erin and Garrett (she’s 26, he’s 37), but in regards to their maturity levels, there was no difference at all because until recently, Garrett hadn’t needed to grow up. I don’t really have a lot to say about Garrett, other than he has a gorgeous daughter that he didn’t know about until six months ago, and yet she immediately became his entire world…next to golf of course.
What I found interesting is that it wasn’t the two main characters who stood out in this story, but instead it was Erin’s best friend, Danny, who did. He wasn’t in the story very much, but when he was, he brought the laughs with him. His weird obsession with stealing Garrett’s belongings (because he’s a huge fan) and being a thorn in Garrett’s side provided most of the entertainment in this story.
While SEXY BAD DADDY is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It is told in dual POVs and comes with a nice HEA for Garrett and Erin.
Highly confronting with moments of immense sadness but then you are guided to light, happiness and hope. This was simply outstanding and Tijan readersHighly confronting with moments of immense sadness but then you are guided to light, happiness and hope. This was simply outstanding and Tijan readers will either love or struggle with this. Anxiety in its many forms is soul destroying and impacts your daily life. One day you can cope with a situation and the next day the same situation Can arise but bitch slap you sideways.
This story made me cry, feel loneliness so suffocating but gave me such hope, it is worth the journey and struggle, love and family prevails, there is good in the world. ...more
Wow I loved Rich Prick, both Aspen and Blaise were simply electric together. Aspen was such an intriguing character and Blaise was definatlely hot heaWow I loved Rich Prick, both Aspen and Blaise were simply electric together. Aspen was such an intriguing character and Blaise was definatlely hot headed. Zeke was a character you hated at the start but he became a superstar in my eyes in the way he protected the relationship between Aspen and Blaise.
This story has made me return to the Crew Series, which I only read book 1 as I found Bren annoying. Now Rich Prick has made me want to go back and read book 2 and 3 of which I have just bought. I also have pre-ordered Nate (who is Aspen's brother). Now Nate I never liked in the Fallen Crest Series but wow he showed a different side with his relationship with his sister. I now want to know everything about the Monson family. I loved how Bren was a chapion for Aspen as she recognised another lost soul.
I bought this is June but for some reason never read but I devoured this over a few days as could not put it down. I actually respect the author for not going down the bullying angle again like Sam had to. I was getting worried with the Mara storyline and her gang of friends, thanks to the Author giving me faith that not all girls are bitches because a boy does not like them!!...more
Well I held onto this book for a whole month as I really was scared to read this story - I was not in a right frame before Christmas to read a story tWell I held onto this book for a whole month as I really was scared to read this story - I was not in a right frame before Christmas to read a story that perhaps had bullying and I refused to read reviews not wanting to spoil my journey. I love Tijan and have my favourite book - well this story has just blown that off the shelf and I have held my favourite for a few years now (Carter Reed).
This story has so many levels and depths of character and Once I picked this up I simply could not put it down. Your heart will go on a roller coaster of feelings and emotions, it was simply brilliant. The ending makes the journey all the more rewarding.
I could pick this up and read it again right now having only just finished.
These two characters fed my inner soul and gave me belief in true love and fighting for what you want.
This is my second book by this Author and again she has told a lovely romantic story, definitely different from The Simple Wild which was outstanding This is my second book by this Author and again she has told a lovely romantic story, definitely different from The Simple Wild which was outstanding in my view.
I loved Catherine and Brenna, Catherine was such a strong character with deep love and determination for her daughter. Brenna was beautiful, made me laugh and also tear up many times with her honesty and love for her mother.
My only complaint about this story was the ending, it left me hanging, although we do get the happy ever after to a degree, it just ends at a pivotal moment for Brett which was great considering his journey in this story, but I really wanted to see them into the future. I needed more closure for this couple and for Brenna. I did not pick the twist in this story, I wanted more answers after that revelation, I wanted to see more people burn for what they did to Catherine as a teenager.
Can I say that I adored Keith as her best friend, he was such a great supporting character.
If you are looking for a light and beautiful romantic read this will tick your boxes, the story flows well and will make you smile....more
BISHOP is the first book in a new hockey romance series by Sawyer Bennett, and it was a pretty decent start to the series.
What I liked: 1 – How bold anBISHOP is the first book in a new hockey romance series by Sawyer Bennett, and it was a pretty decent start to the series.
What I liked: 1 – How bold and confident Brooke was with Bishop the night of their one-night-stand. It was nice to see a woman not ashamed to admit exactly what it was she wanted. 2 – That while Bishop was surprised by his growing feelings for Brooke, not once did he get scared or push her away because of them. He might not have wanted a relationship originally, but he was willing to see how things would progress between them. 3 – Meeting some of the other players on the team, especially brooding and damaged Tacker. 4 – Getting a quick introduction to the team’s owner, who seemed like a pretty cool guy.
What I didn’t like: 1 – Bishop insisting that Brooke sleep with him in return for him going along with the fake engagement. Yes, she wanted to keep sleeping with him, but the idea of a man using his power over a woman to demand sexual gratification did not sit well with me. 2 – The several mentions of anal sex that never happened. If the couple aren’t going to have anal sex, why have them keep talking about how it’s going to happen? 3 – Nanette’s involvement in this story, as well as the fact that her involvement was not finalized. I can only assume—and hope—that we will find out what is happening with her in the next book/s, otherwise there was no point to her being in this book at all. 4 – The book’s abrupt ending. There seems to be a growing trend recently where a book will finish immediately after the couple make up, with no epilogue, which makes me feel like I’ve been left hanging. I am not a fan of it.
BISHOP is told in dual POVs, and while I didn’t fall in love with this story, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more books in this series.
THE CHASE is the first book in the Briar U series (a spin-off of the Off-Campus series, which is one of my all-time favorite series) and I won't lie, THE CHASE is the first book in the Briar U series (a spin-off of the Off-Campus series, which is one of my all-time favorite series) and I won't lie, I have been waiting for this book for a very long time. Almost two years to be exact and I'm very glad the wait is finally over. As with any book from Elle Kennedy, THE CHASE was a very enjoyable binge read that left me wanting more.
It's hard to believe that two weeks ago I was excited about seeing Fitz. Now I'm dreading it. My unicorn is no longer a unicorn. He's a judgmental donkey.
I liked Summer and Fitz, but Summer was definitely my favorite character. She was a breath of fresh air and was so open and honest. A special mention also has to go out to Brenna, Summer's new best friend and the daughter of the school's hockey coach, who was just as ballsy and unapologetic as Summer was. Fitz was a good guy, but he did try my patience with how negative he could be towards Summer simply because her personality was different to his.
I've made more of an effort to be social, but deep down I'm still the guy who wants to remain invisible. Summer is the most visible person I've ever met.
THE CHASE is most definitely an angsty, slow burn romance, with Summer and Fitz pushing and pulling each other for more than two thirds of the book, which for me was a very long time to wait for them to get together. I was left with a lot of questions relating to both Summer and Fitz, and if those questions don't get answered in the following books, it will annoy me greatly. I was a little disappointed with the ending because it felt abrupt, came without an epilogue and came almost immediately after a very big scene had been played out.
THE CHASE is told in dual POVs and comes with a nice enough ending for Summer and Fitz. I'm very much looking forward to Brenna's book, THE RISK, which is scheduled to be released in February 2019, and I'm desperate to know who her love interest will be. Will it be Hollis, Summer and Fitz's roommate? Or will it be Jake Connelly, a rival hockey player from Harvard? Time will tell, and I for one hope time flies.
* Please note: This book includes talk about—and includes a couple of scenes of—sexual assault, so take caution if this topic is a trigger for you.
I don’t know if it was me or the book, but I found HOLDING ON to be just an okay read. I’ve read and enjoyed many books from Pamela Clare, but when I I don’t know if it was me or the book, but I found HOLDING ON to be just an okay read. I’ve read and enjoyed many books from Pamela Clare, but when I got to the end of this one, I realized that I had not been invested in the story or its main characters.
That being said, I did like the sweet and emotional ending. I also liked Kenzie, who was ballsy and laughed in the face of danger when she was terrified.
HOLDING ON is told in dual POVs and while it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. However, when Meg was updating Harrison about everyone back home, there were a lot of names thrown out and even though I’ve read the previous five books in this series, I felt confused trying to remember who everyone was.
While I didn’t love HOLDING ON, I would gladly read more from this series.
CLEAN SWEEP is the first book in the San Francisco Dragons series, a new hockey series from Kate Willoughby.
I thought Dakota and Cameron were very likCLEAN SWEEP is the first book in the San Francisco Dragons series, a new hockey series from Kate Willoughby.
I thought Dakota and Cameron were very likable characters. Dakota put her dreams and her life on hold to take care of her orphaned niece, Zinny. She was not afraid of hard work and was not ashamed of what she did because it helped provide for her and Zinny. Cameron was just an all-around nice guy and he never treated Dakota like a piece of meat. Instead, he seemed embarrassed for her at what she had to put up with just to provide for her family. He was there every time Dakota needed help and he was a wonderful father figure for Zinny. The only complaint I have against Cameron and Dakota is that I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.
Story wise, there’s hardly any hockey included, so if you’re after a hockey read, you won’t find it here. Additionally, there were some inconsistencies, some things left hanging, and some events that felt out of place, as though they weren’t put in the right part of the timeline. However, I was reading an advanced reader copy, and I know the author was still tweaking the book after I received my copy, so maybe these things have been fixed for the final copy.
CLEAN SWEEP is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Cameron and Dakota. While it is part of a series, I’m assuming each book can be read as a stand-alone.
One of my favorite authors said that HOT AS PUCK was one of the best hockey romances she's read, so with that glowing endorsement I thought I'd be in One of my favorite authors said that HOT AS PUCK was one of the best hockey romances she's read, so with that glowing endorsement I thought I'd be in for a good and enjoyable read. Sadly, I struggled with this book from beginning to end, unable to get into the characters or their story.
I didn't feel any connection between Justin and Libby at all, who suddenly go from a decade long friendship, to friends with benefits, to being madly in love in the span of about a week. I couldn't get over the fact that Justin was suddenly attracted to Libby just because she wore tight and revealing clothing one night, which made him shallow in my opinion. It was the same with Libby, who was suddenly attracted to Justin just because he touched her that same night; something I'm sure he would have done many, many times over the course of their very close friendship.
HOT AS PUCK is listed on Amazon as being a romantic comedy, but I don't remember finding any part of this story funny or chuckle worthy. Apart from some make out sessions, some sex and some knitting/crocheting, not much else happens in this book. The conflict was a little on the weak side, and while I found the resolution to be somewhat cute, it was also a little cheesy.
HOT AS PUCK is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Justin and Libby. While this story didn't do much for me, I would give this author another go.
MAREK is a second chance, secret child romance, which for the most part was a very enjoyable read and a good addition to the Cold Fury Hockey series. MAREK is a second chance, secret child romance, which for the most part was a very enjoyable read and a good addition to the Cold Fury Hockey series. The story was entertaining, kept me turning the pages and brought out a wide range of emotions from me.
I loved Gracen, who apologized several times for keeping her daughter a secret and she meant each and every one of those apologies. She was willing to accept Marek’s anger towards her, but she was not afraid to stand up for herself and put him in his place when he went too far. Given how their breakup went down, I don’t blame Gracen one bit for what she did, especially when she believed she was simply honoring Marek’s wishes.
I also loved her daughter, Lilly, who was a gorgeous and sweet little girl.
I wish I could say I liked Marek, but I just can’t. While he became a good father to Lilly, I didn’t like how he kept playing the victim or how badly he treated Gracen throughout most of the book. From memory, he never apologized to Gracen for the cruel way he broke up with her, or take into account her feelings or try to understand why she kept Lilly a secret.
While MAREK can technically be read as a stand-alone, the scene where Marek rushes to stop Gracen from getting married⏤and learns about his daughter⏤only appears in the previous book. So if you haven’t read REED, you will miss that particular heated and emotional scene that sets up this story.
I also have to say that the synopsis does not match the story at all, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a glaring disparity between the two. The synopsis says that Gracen let Marek go so he could pursue his NHL dreams, and that Marek rushes to stop her from getting married after learning he has a daughter. That is not even close to what happened. Instead, Marek dumped Gracen when he reached the NHL because he didn’t want to be tied down to her, and only learned of his daughter after he turned up to stop Gracen from getting married.
There’s not a great deal of hockey in this book, as the story mostly takes place during the off-season. But despite that, and as I said above, the story is a page turner and I devoured it quickly. MAREK is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Marek and Gracen.
HOOKED ON YOU is the final book in the Chicago Rebels series, and it is a little sad to say goodbye to the three Chase sisters who did what nobody thoHOOKED ON YOU is the final book in the Chicago Rebels series, and it is a little sad to say goodbye to the three Chase sisters who did what nobody thought they could: take control of the worst hockey team in the league and lead it to success.
While I liked Bren, Violet and Bren’s two daughters, and that we got to see more bonding between the Chase sisters, this book didn’t engage me as much as I was hoping it would, and it did take me a few days to finish it. I found myself frustrated by the number of times Bren alluded to something terrible he did in his past before it was finally revealed towards the end of the book. There were also a couple of hockey related mistakes, like the name of the opposing team changing in the middle of the game, and the away team having home ice advantage for game seven of a playoff series. These aren’t huge mistakes and maybe most readers wouldn’t notice, but they were big enough for this hockey fan to notice. For all I know, these mistakes were fixed prior to publication.
HOOKED ON YOU is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It comes with a HEA for Bren and Violet, and an ending for the team that I think fans of the series will be happy with.
HOTHEAD is the first book I’ve read from Stella Rhys and, given how much I enjoyed it, it probably won’t be my last. The story was engaging and kept mHOTHEAD is the first book I’ve read from Stella Rhys and, given how much I enjoyed it, it probably won’t be my last. The story was engaging and kept me turning the pages from beginning to end.
I really liked Evie. She was sweet and had a kind heart, but she could also dish out some attitude when the situation called for it. She was definitely too good for Mike, her douchebag of an ex-fiance. The only time she disappointed me was in one scene when she didn’t fight like I thought she should have. She just walked away from those who had hurt her and I felt like that didn’t give her the closure she needed and deserved.
I liked Drew as well, who was very blunt and honest about his opinions. I found it refreshing, even though it was sometimes hard for Evie to hear. He spent quite a bit of this book being an asshole, but when you learn how he’s been hurt and betrayed over the years, it’s no wonder he’s an asshole.
HOTHEAD is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Drew and Evie. It could use some proofreading, as there were quite a few instances where a sentence was missing a word. While it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Though I will say that while reading, I did wish I’d known the histories of the other couples brought up in this book. HOTHEAD is book 4 in the Irresistible series, so maybe I’ll go back to the start to get better acquainted with everyone.
I hate to say it, but I struggled with SLAP SHOT. It did not engage me and despite skimming through several chapters towards the end, it still took meI hate to say it, but I struggled with SLAP SHOT. It did not engage me and despite skimming through several chapters towards the end, it still took me four days to finish reading this book.
Character wise, I can’t say much about Kendra other than she was nice and was way too good for someone like Max. I can however say quite a bit about Max, and not for good reasons. This is a man who lost the love of his life, yet I found I didn’t like him and felt no sympathy towards him at all. He constantly blurred the line of his sex-only relationship with Kendra, yet she was the one who ruined a good thing when she thought he’d be willing to take what they had to the next level. And for a man who claimed he’d never love another woman as much as he did his wife, he certainly had no problem making unflattering comments about her when comparing her to Kendra.
Story wise, I found it quite repetitive, with most of the story being made up of three things: 1 – Max discussing his training, his diet, and listing all the food he eats; 2 – Max and Kendra meeting up, having a copious amount of sex and then parting ways; and 3 – Max consumed by guilt for spending time with Kendra and being happy with her.
I really wanted to like this story. I really did. But not liking Max and finding the story too repetitive prevented me from doing so. SLAP SHOT is told in Max’s POV, except for the epilogue which is told in Kendra’s POV. While it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone, though I did have trouble keeping up with the scenes that involved all the previous couples from this series.
UNDONE BY YOU was a sweet, hot and enjoyable read, one that fits in nicely with the Chicago Rebels series.
Dante is the newly appointed, openly gay GM UNDONE BY YOU was a sweet, hot and enjoyable read, one that fits in nicely with the Chicago Rebels series.
Dante is the newly appointed, openly gay GM of the Chicago Rebels. Cade is one of the team’s defensemen, who is in the closet and not ready to let the world know who he really is. Knowing that Dante is someone he can trust, Cade seeks him out, and after a bit of a rough start, the pair embark on a secret relationship.
I loved Cade and Dante, as individual people and as a couple. Dante is older and serious. Cade is younger and the life of the party. Together, they just worked. Despite Cade being in the closet, I loved how open and honest he was with Dante. Again, that’s because he knew he could trust Dante, so he was never afraid to hide his thoughts or his feelings from him. I absolutely loved that about him.
UNDONE BY YOU is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it could be read as a stand-alone. It is a novella, one that focuses mostly on the M/M romance side of the story. So if you’re expecting to read several scenes about games, the team, or get more insight into the sister-owners, you might be disappointed. I’m not saying those things aren’t in this story, because they are, there just isn’t a great deal of it. UNDONE BY YOU comes with a happy ending, and I absolutely loved, loved, loved the epilogue.
WANT YOU is the second book in The Garner Brothers series, and as much as I was looking forward to reading it, it didn’t grab me as much as I was hopiWANT YOU is the second book in The Garner Brothers series, and as much as I was looking forward to reading it, it didn’t grab me as much as I was hoping it would.
I liked TJ and Deb; they’re both very nice people who are hardworking and sacrifice for their families. But I didn’t love them, and quite often they annoyed me. TJ harbors quite a bit of jealousy towards his younger brother, Win, especially when it comes to Deb and his failed Olympic dream. He says he’s over losing his spot to Win, but clearly he’s not because he brought it up several times throughout the story. Deb has a very low opinion of herself and was constantly saying how she was never good enough, smart enough or sophisticated enough for someone like TJ.
Apart from the above—and that Deb is highly unqualified for the job TJ gives her—I don’t remember much else about them because Win stole the show, and not in a good way. Several scenes in this book are told from Win’s POV as he struggles with a personal matter, and it distracted from the story that really mattered, which is obviously TJ’s and Deb’s.
While WANT YOU is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. The romantic relationship is a slow build, with TJ and Deb not having sex until the 74% mark. That’s not a bad thing; just something I thought worth mentioning. I felt the conflict was resolved too quickly, but it comes with a HEA and a sweet epilogue.
Like every other Sarina Bowen fan out there, I have been waiting for Nate and Becca’s story since we met them in the very first Brooklyn Bruisers bookLike every other Sarina Bowen fan out there, I have been waiting for Nate and Becca’s story since we met them in the very first Brooklyn Bruisers book, ROOKIE MOVE back in September 2016.
Nate and Becca are both very easy characters to like. Becca is sweet, loyal, friendly, fun-loving, outgoing, giving and hardworking. She’s very well respected by everyone in the Bruisers organization, from the players to the office staff. Nate is intelligent and generous, but also a little socially awkward, which is absolutely adorable. Although, I will say he seemed more take-charge and less socially awkward in this book than I remember him being in the previous books.
The sound of her voice occasionally gives him goosebumps. When she laughs, he feels it in his chest.
After trying to ignore their attraction to each other for the past seven years, you will definitely be rooting for them to finally get their happily ever after. But therein also lies some frustration, because a lot of this book involves watching them circle around each other as they try not to cross that line, and then circle around each other again after they do finally cross that line. Which I understand. I really do. Because Nate is Becca’s boss, so not only does she have to deal with a power imbalance, she also has to worry about how her co-workers will see her if she starts sleeping with the boss.
BROOKLYNAIRE is told in dual POVs and while some of the events in this story take place in PIPE DREAMS—the previous book in the series—it can be read as a stand-alone. It also includes flashback chapters that give us glimpses into how Becca came to work for Nate, and how they became friends before he was rich and famous, which I really enjoyed. I especially liked the way those chapters were written, as though the characters were speaking in a slightly medieval tongue. Overall, Nate and Becca’s story is a slow build, friends-to-lovers romance, that is a wonderful addition to the Brooklyn Bruisers series.
REED is the Cold Fury story I’ve been waiting for since reading MAX, book 6 in the series.
“We’re friends, Josie. The benefits are very good. S
REED is the Cold Fury story I’ve been waiting for since reading MAX, book 6 in the series.
“We’re friends, Josie. The benefits are very good. So good I don’t need benefits from anyone else. Your benefits are the only ones I’m interested in.”
Reed comes across as a bit of a jerk in the beginning. He has a revolving door of blonde models warming his bed, and other than making sure they get off, he doesn’t care about them at all. He doesn’t even want them talking to him. He wants to get off and then get gone. But then he met Josie and slowly became a man I could very easily fall in love with. Considering he’s never had a meaningful relationship before, he did an amazing job of wooing Josie. He was sweet and romantic, and because he had no experience in dating before Josie, it made all his attempts even more special. My favorite scene was when he was upset about burning dinner, because all he wanted to do was make her a nice meal. It was very swoon worthy.
“Why do you want to slow it down?” “Because I like you, Josie, and you’re not a notch in my bedpost.”
I can’t say much about Josie other than I thought she was smart, level-headed and the exact opposite of the women Reed usually surrounds himself with. She does battle with some insecurities about being with Reed, because she’s been hurt before and she knows she’s not his normal type, but she doesn’t shove her insecurities in your face every five minutes, which I greatly appreciated.
“I don’t know if I can be everything to you, Josie. But I want to be everything that I can possibly be. I want to be exactly what you need.”
I know there are quite a lot of readers out there who are avoiding this book because they’ve heard that Josie has sex with Reed after hearing him have sex with other women. I’ll admit, I was a little worried about that too when I heard about it, but it ended up not bothering me at all. It’s not like Josie hopped straight into Reed’s bed after hearing him; it’s weeks into their growing friendship before they become physical. Besides, they’re both grown ups and are fully aware that the other has had sex with other people before. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to read it, I’d say give it a go, because I don’t think it’s as bad as people are making it out to be.
REED is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Though they didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the story, I did have two minor issues: the conflict is a bit weak and the story ends abruptly. I turned the page—after the previous chapter ended on a sex scene—only to discover that I was at the end of the book. That being said, I really enjoyed watching Reed and Josie get to know each other and become friends, before finally becoming more.
SO OVER YOU is the second book in the Chicago Rebels series—third if you include the prequel novella—and I was really looking forward to this second-cSO OVER YOU is the second book in the Chicago Rebels series—third if you include the prequel novella—and I was really looking forward to this second-chance romance between Vadim and Isobel. After getting a taste of their story at the end of the previous book, I was certainly intrigued.
Sadly, I didn’t feel much of a connection between Vadim and Isobel and, to be honest, the anger they both felt towards the other was unwarranted. Isobel is angry at Vadim because he now has a reputation of pleasing the ladies, but he didn’t give her an orgasm the one time they had sex when they were teens and she was a virgin. Vadim is angry at Isobel because her father kept him from playing in the NHL for years after he caught them together, even though he knows she had absolutely nothing to do with her father’s actions. Both of them are also guilty of unapologetically interfering in the other’s life without discussion or consideration…for their own good. They act out of love, but both situations could have been handled so much better and in a much less controlling way.
So it might sound like I didn’t enjoy SO OVER YOU, but I actually did, though my favourite parts of the story didn’t have anything to do with Vadim and Isobel as a couple. I enjoyed watching the sisters interact and continue to forge their relationships, although we didn’t see as much of it in this book as we did the previous book. I hope we’ll see more in Violet’s book. I enjoyed how we were set up for the next story, which will be about Dante (the team’s GM) and Cade (one of the players). A M/M boss/employee hockey romance? Yes please! I enjoyed the side story about Vadim and his mother, who have been separated for fifteen years. Their interactions were heartbreaking and the most emotional part of this story.
SO OVER YOU is told in dual POVs, and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It comes with a HEA for Vadim and Isobel, as well as a HFN ending for the Chicago Rebels.
After meeting Van in LUCAS, I was very curious about him and wanted to read his story. Though I’m not sure why, because he was rude and not likeable aAfter meeting Van in LUCAS, I was very curious about him and wanted to read his story. Though I’m not sure why, because he was rude and not likeable at all, but something about him caught my attention. Spoiler alert, he’s still rude in this book, but overall I liked him. When you hear about what happened in his past and the demons that still follow him today, it’s no wonder he is the way he is.
While I liked Van, I can’t say the same for Simone, and for two main reasons. Firstly, she’s very sexually aggressive towards Van. I’m all for women owning their sexuality and going after what they want, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer and her behaviour honestly made me uncomfortable. Secondly, I found her to be contradictory on a few occasions, the biggest example is when it came to her relationship with Van. She says she’ll be patient, that she’ll happily take whatever he can give her and that she’ll always be there, but just a few hours later she’s doubting him and then leaves him the very next day. Her only saving grace is that she did stand by Van when she learnt of his past, when most people probably would have walked—or run—away.
VAN is told in dual POVs, comes with a HEA for Van and Simone, and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I am disappointed that this is the second Cold Fury story in a row where I haven’t liked the lead female character, and I hope this isn’t a theme that will continue. That being said, despite not liking Simone—and thinking the blowjob scene with a sweaty Van right after he finished mowing the lawn was gross—I did like VAN. I enjoyed reading it and it easily held my attention, which lately has been a hard thing to do.