*anthology rating is based off the following stories*
The New Guy by Nicole Dykes Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Finley is new to Kensley thanks to his dad having to move*anthology rating is based off the following stories*
The New Guy by Nicole Dykes Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Finley is new to Kensley thanks to his dad having to move there for work. It's nothing like being back home in California, and he's the odd man out with his lavender hair and colorful tattoos. None of that matters to Fallon though, who becomes instantly enamored with Finley the moment he lays eyes on him.
The two could not be more different, and Finley definitely tried his hardest to resist Fallon's charm, but they just clicked. I honestly wish this would have been longer because I thought these two were just too cute and I wanted more!
- friends to lovers - football player x cheerleader - forced/close proximity
After sharing a kiss at a frat party, Tucker is ready to lock shit down w- friends to lovers - football player x cheerleader - forced/close proximity
After sharing a kiss at a frat party, Tucker is ready to lock shit down with Gio. The chemistry between them is explosive, and he’s been crushing on the cheerleader for a while, but Gio believes Tucker is trying to use him for a rebound and continuously rebuffs him.
That all changes when Tucker gets hurt protecting Gio, and he offers to take care of him while he heals. Being around Tucker 24/7 brings the tension between them to a head, and things get spicy!
Honestly, Gio & Tucker’s story was hilarious and oh so ridiculous, but super low angst & sweet at the same time. I will say there was way too many side characters going on, but they also brought the humor so I wasn’t too annoyed even if I struggled to remember who was who.
Anthology as a whole: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Individual reviews below
Hit Me With Your Best Shot was a fun little sports anthology that included a few of my favoriteAnthology as a whole: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Individual reviews below
Hit Me With Your Best Shot was a fun little sports anthology that included a few of my favorites, and some new to me authors that I’m definitely going to read more of!
I’m such a sucker for sports romances and wished a couple of these stories were full length, and overall enjoyed the majority of the stories included in this anthology!
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Love Made Me Do It by Saffron A. Kent Tropes: single dad, pro soccer player x nanny, close proximity, boy obsessed, insta-love, one bed Rating: ⭐️⭐️
The moment this story lost me was when the MMC goes, “What do you think a girl asks for when she’s wearing a dress like that?” WE DO NOT SLUT SHAME IN THIS HOUSEHOLD, RIOT RIVERA!!!
Then he coerces her into leaving the date she is on (that she admittedly didn’t like, doesn’t matter!) by threatening her job as his nanny ...more
“I need to know I’m the one. I need to hear your say it. Because as long as I breathe, I belong to you. My heart will go out beating for you.”
- second“I need to know I’m the one. I need to hear your say it. Because as long as I breathe, I belong to you. My heart will go out beating for you.”
- second chance - brother’s ex best friend - workplace/close proximity - pining
I loved the glimpses I got to see of Madison through out the Seattle Phantom series, and was so excited that my girl got her own book! Her character is everything I ever hoped it would be and she is a total powerhouse.
I’ll be honest I wasn’t completely won over by these two in Before the Chaos, the novella left me wanting more, but boy did Rival Hearts deliver!
Maggie sure as fuck knows how to write a book boyfriend, and I absolutely loved Quentin so much. His utter devotion to Madison over the years they were apart, and his sheer willingness to let Madison put him through the wringer if only just have her attention… *sigh* & don’t even get me started about his possessiveness ...more
This was an OTT mess and a complete waste of my time . . . . . . rant below . . . . . . 1) why were allie and jace so hung up on reminding themselves that they werThis was an OTT mess and a complete waste of my time . . . . . . rant below . . . . . . 1) why were allie and jace so hung up on reminding themselves that they were stepsiblings??? not like yall grew up together like that 2) why was there so much sex??? like literally every other fucking chapter.... also the amount of plan b this bitch took... girl are you ok? 3) why was there so much going on? like murder and child abuse and a richer than jesus daddy paying off everyone to make his kid look bad wasn't enough? we had to have an underage sex ring ran by law enforcement, a pervy principal who recorded videos of underaged students to wank with, and a trio of high school students who get up to some crazy ass shit (hacking, guns, drugs, murder lol) too??? whyyyy 4) allie's dad's second family... WHY... 5) jace's mom got shot point blank in the head and you're telling me that bitch survived?! no
AND THEN YOU EXPECT ME TO READ A WHOLE FUCKING SERIES FULL OF THIS UTTER GARBAGE TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING ENDS?!?! Absolutely not...more
Jem finds himself back home in Christmas Falls for the holiday festival season after accepting a position - childhood besties - forced proximity, ish
Jem finds himself back home in Christmas Falls for the holiday festival season after accepting a position as the grand marshal. This will be his longest stay back in his hometown since he left it all those years ago, and what better way to distract himself from his potentially career ending injury than with some Christmas Falls shenanigans.
What he doesn’t expect is the very sexy lumberjack he meets at Frosty’s his first night back home or the instant attraction and familiarity he feels towards him. Jem is even more thrown off when he learns the man he spent his night flirting with is none other than his childhood bestie—Murphy.
The two spend the rest of the holiday season together thanks to Griff asking Murphy to be Jem’s festival ‘liaison’, and rekindle their old friendship quickly. The chemistry Jem felt that first night back only intensifies the more time spent around Murphy, and things eventually heat up between them.
Silent Knight is yet another wonderful addition to the Christmas Fall series and I LOOOOVED IT. I’m a sucker for a good friends to lovers, especially when there’s pining involved, and absolutely adored Murphy and Jem’s story! They were so cute together and I was so glad these two got the happy ending they deserved! ...more
Too Fast picks up a few days after Too Safe ended, and is a wake up call for all the guys but especially Kendrick and - why choose - football - roomies
Too Fast picks up a few days after Too Safe ended, and is a wake up call for all the guys but especially Kendrick and Decker.
The boys become even more OTT possessive and protective of Joey, ensuring her safety at all times, and doing everything they can to help her process her trauma (even if Decker's methods are a little harsh).
Once Joey feels safe again, she finally decides to open up about her secret past, and my god it was devastating. She is seriously so strong and resilient after everything she's been through, I'm so blown away by how amazing her character is.
After everything that went down Shore Week, the dynamic has also shifted in the group, and I am loving it. Kylian is an absolute Daddy... Sprinkles, anyone? But I really loved the change in Kendrick and Decker! Kendrick really is such a softie under all the snark, and I loved seeing the softer side of him. Plus seeing Decker not being so anal was great, but he still has a long way to go!
That being said, THIS FREAKING ENDING!!! Things were finally going so well and I was so happy for Joey and the boys, and now it's all gone to shit again ...more
- football - coworkers - friends to lovers - age gap (40/25) - insta-lovey, kinda
Noah Asher has been coaching football going on twenty years, b3.75 stars
- football - coworkers - friends to lovers - age gap (40/25) - insta-lovey, kinda
Noah Asher has been coaching football going on twenty years, but after his divorce and the drama with his daughter, his reputation and his livelihood are on the line. To top it off, the new assistant coach, Chance Leighton, former assistant coach of the Panther's rival, the Big Bend Bears, went through a scandal of his own.
Despite getting off on the wrong foot, the pair connect over their shared scandals and bad reputations, and strike up a friendship. The more time spent together and getting to know Chance has Noah wanting more, but living in close minded Kensley makes that nearly impossible. Chance is worth it though and makes him want to risk it all.
I love the Kensley Panther's series, and Coach's book did not disappoint. Noah and Chance's story is low angst and pretty adorable. These two found each other when they needed a friend the most, and watching them fall for each other had me all giggly and giddy. Chance is so patient with Noah as he navigates his sexuality, and I just really love them together so much....more
The pacing is a bit too fast, I would have liked the tension between her and the boys drawn out more, but the cliffhanger does have me intrigued enougThe pacing is a bit too fast, I would have liked the tension between her and the boys drawn out more, but the cliffhanger does have me intrigued enough to continue...more
Ten years ago Leo ripped out his own heart and Aiden's because he thought was doing the right thing. Now he'- sports - second chance - coworkers, kinda
Ten years ago Leo ripped out his own heart and Aiden's because he thought was doing the right thing. Now he's got a second chance to make things work with Aiden, but the past seems to be repeating itself no matter what he does.
I'm kind of on the fence with this one. It started out pretty great and had some laugh out loud moments, but things sort of unraveled quickly and became too OTT. I did like that Aiden and Leo got their HEA though....more
- sports - size difference - opposites attract - bi awakening - jock x nerd - hurt x comfort
Desperately in need of some money to co3.75 stars, rounded up
- sports - size difference - opposites attract - bi awakening - jock x nerd - hurt x comfort
Desperately in need of some money to cover his tuition and unwilling to ask his parents for more help, Ethan stumbles across an ad in search of an English Lit tutor for none other than the university’s star quarterback, Maddox. If Maddox doesn’t get his GPA up asap he’ll be benched, and despite their differences, Ethan really can’t turn down the easy money.
Working with Maddox isn’t easy though, and things start off incredibly rocky between the two, but spending more time with the QB opens Ethan’s eyes to the struggle and constant emotional pain Maddox suffers through. Being around Ethan helped Maddox with more than just his grades though, and I loved when they finally opened up to each other about everything going on even if it took a while for Maddox to accept help.
Much like Saving West, I could not put Fumbled Hearts down. It instantly sucked me in, and has me rooting for these two from the start. I will say that Mad’s foot fetish/nail polish thing was unexpected though ...more
- slow burn - hurt x comfort - opposites attract - emotional af
On academic probation and on the verge of being kicked out of school for the small3.5 ⭐️
- slow burn - hurt x comfort - opposites attract - emotional af
On academic probation and on the verge of being kicked out of school for the smallest infraction, Shane plans on keeping his head down and focusing on school. All that changes when he stumbles across someone passed out under the bleachers at a party, and realizes it’s none other than West Perkins, the university’s star player.
As weeks pass and he keeps running into the massive jerkwad in compromising positions, and despite his terrible attitude, Shane can’t keep himself from helping the rude football player. The more time spent with West has him realizing that not everything is as it seems, and when it’s finally uncovered that West is sick, Shane’s already half in love with him. Soon things go from bad to worse, and Shane takes matters into his own hands and will do anything he can to keep the man he loves.
Saving West was honestly way more sad than I was expecting it to be, but overall really enjoyable. It’s fast paced and hooked me from the beginning, but I did struggle a bit with Shane & West’s romance/relationship. I didn’t really feel the chemistry or connection between the two of them and there wasn’t really enough depth to their interactions (outside of Shane constantly saving West) for me to believe there could be more than friendly feelings between them. ...more