Publishing Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 320
My Review: Baltsar is a new author to me and this was such a lovely pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but right off the bat, I knew I really liked Charlie Gibbs. She is a new coach in a new town, and I just love that she immediately defies all "normal" conventions in the coaching world. She's good at what she does, and she is a no bullshit kind of person. That being said, because she is the new head coach at this school, she also finds herself making some enemies unfortunately, and one particular one was Connor McGuire, who wanted her job to begin with. I loved seeing them just get to know one another better, surprise each other, and fall in love. They both had such strong family ties too which was nice to see emphasized, and I was so happy to see Charlie also gain a little friend group with the girlfriends of Connor's guy friends. This was such a fun, sweet, and funny romance read. I definitely need to go back and read her last book because I want to see how Piper and Blake got together.
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: June 11, 2019
Publisher: Skyscape - Amazon Publishing
Pages: 252
My Review: RVD is one of my favorite romance authors, and if you read my review for the first book in this series, I wasn't overly enthused about it. I will admit that I did hold off on reading this one right away because I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the story. However, this was really great. I loved Matt when we were first introduced to him, and this one follows his love story. He is agent extraordinaire, dealing with players like Slade and Jagger. He's good at his job, but he's also a great friend. He has a younger sister who wants to follow in his footsteps, and when she moves in with him, she also brings her friend along: Parker. Parker is a soccer player who is looking for a team, but she needs to rework her image because she is primarily known as the girl who punched her coach on live television. We quickly learn why Parker did that to begin with, and the book tackles sexual assault in the sport industry, and the pressures players may feel; unfortunately from those who are meant to support them. Although they drove each other crazy at first, Matt even begins coaching her as well to help her career, and they start to open up to one another. Matt is incredibly swoony and I just loved how he just wanted to take care of Parker, but he also knew she could stand on her own and her potential. This was a short read but it definitely packed a punch. It had all the things I love in RVD books: good banter, swoony characters, and just really sweet moments. The only thing that disappointed me was that Jagger's "hea/love story" was also thrown into the mix here, and I really wished he had his own book as well. That being said, if you love RVD books, this is definitely one you have to check out. It reminded me of her other series featuring Fraternize and Infraction: fun and accessible sports romances.
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy from Thomas Allen & Son in exchange for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.
Publishing Date: September 17, 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 288
My Review: Lauren Layne is also one of my favorite romance authors ever, but if you remember from my last review of the first book in this series, I mentioned wishing that it was sexier. Unfortunately, this one definitely didn't have much sex in it, despite the fact that sex was talked about quite a lot. That being said, I just really enjoy Layne's writing, and I love the characters she creates and just how lovable they are. I think going into this, you just have to readjust expectations of how "sexy" it is, but know that once again, Layne gives us the best characters and chemistry. This story is the second HEA in the Central Park Pact. This time, it follows Claire, who is trying to come to terms with her late husband's death. Her late husband who cheated on her, and has officially made her just not want to have a relationship or marriage ever again. Claire is looking to just get a face lift on her old NY brownstone. She meets her new contractor, Scott, who is a good friend of Oliver's (from the last book). Immediately, they have this kind of disdain for one another because they are so different, but the close proximity definitely means they have to get to know one another. We quickly learn why Scott is never in a place for so long and why he chases these contractor jobs. We also learn that it's more than just getting over her husband and dealing with his death, she also just wants to find herself again. I also want to note that the chapters do include like a date, so while it's nice to see a timeline, I did feel that it all happened really quickly, especially the ending. However, I just really loved how they went from just a contractual business thing, to kind of confidants, to kind of friends, and finally lovers. I loved seeing that progression happen for them. As always, Layne also is really good with friend groups, and I loved seeing Naomi and Oliver again, but also seeing Audrey and Clarke (I can't wait for their story next). While this read wasn't as sexy as I would've liked, I loved Claire and Scott's story a lot. I also love Scott's dog Bobsie who was featured because they moments were adorable, and I have to admit, I got a touch of wanderlust after reading this and missed New York and Paris instantly. If you haven't read Layne yet, what are you waiting for? I promise you won't be disappointed, her writing has an addictive quality to it!
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake - Amazon Publishing
Pages: 288
My Review: I will always read and love anything written by Helena Hunting.. it's just a given. I love how she is able to bring us such lovable characters, funny and sweet moments, and sexy aspects all in one. Full disclosure: I have not finished the PUCKED series, but I know this is like spin-off series of sorts. The lead in this book is the newest captain for the hockey team that Alex Waters played on. It's nice to see some familiar faces from that series right in the beginning of the story. We first meet Rook, who is forced to go to his teammate's kids birthday party at a aquarium. He's kind of been down in the dumps because while in Alaska for a trip, he met someone and fell in love, but due to some circumstances, they were unable to connect with one another after the fact. The book begins with him seeing her again at the aquarium. Hunting then takes us back in time and we see how Lainey and RJ came to get to know one another and fall in love during their time in Kodiak, Alaska. We see how they got together and I just loved how they just opened up around one another. Lainey is dealing with some anxiety from a past event and I just loved how sweet and attentive RJ was with her! Safety cuddles were the cutest. I loved seeing them "fall" for each other once again and adjust to their new life together. You got to see her win over his sister and friends, but see him win over her family. There's a pretty big twist and it was so awesome to see it all come together. I just loved this book. It made my heart so full after so if you are looking for a fun feel-good romance, definitely pick this one up today. I'm already eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series!
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy from Thomas Allen & Son in exchange for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.
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