Wednesday, March 12, 2025

The Hockey Romcom Era Continues

 Hockey romances are still having their moment, and this recently released multi-author series capitalizes on that. If you aren’t familiar with multi-author series, each book can stand alone, but they all share a common setting. Protagonists from one book will likely be side characters in another. Stores, events, and side characters will also be repeated, allowing multiple views of the setting.

 This particular series revolves around a hockey team that is put together as a fundraising event for a ranch that serves underprivileged children, with a limited season of games against a Canadian team. The Ice Breakers are based out of the small-ish fictional Western Washington town of Maple Falls (not to be confused with the real town of Maple Valley).

 Unlike the Appies series, each of these books was written by a different popular sweet romance author, each with her own style. There are some differences from book to book, but nothing so serious as to mar the series.

 Similar to the Appies series, all of the female main characters exist beyond their potential as romantic partners. They have actual lives, careers, and struggles.

 The male main characters have various reasons for their singleness at the beginning of the series. Several have (mostly undeserved) reputations as serial daters. All are dedicated to hockey.

 The situations that get the various couples together are varied and interesting. Of course, there is an element of predictability: when there are two POV characters, you know they’ll end up together. The question is: what will happen to them before they get there? Will there be a third-act breakup, or will there be something else that tests the relationship?

 I find that the passage of time is a bit confusing. There is a Halloween party mentioned in several of the books, and there’s a corn maze and haunted house at Maple Fest. There is pumpkin spice everything. The Ice Breakers practice together for a while before the first of their five games, but the space between games is a bit fuzzy. Days? A week? It all seems to be over before Thanksgiving though. Especially since some of the epilogues mention Christmas lights.

 Also…what’s wrong with an otter as a mascot? (If you know me, you know I adore otters.)

 Possible objectionable material:

Very mild cursing. Various issues such as parental divorce or neglect, alcoholism, death of a parent, chronic illness, infidelity, sexual harassment. This is hockey, so there are injuries and the occasional fight. People drink. This is closed door romance, so we don’t see more than passionate kisses. There is a hint that sex happens.

 Who might like these books:

Romance fans, hockey fans, hockey romance fans. Anyone who likes well-written books where characters grow and develop over the course of the story.

 Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing ARCs for these books in exchange for my honest opinion.


Breaking the Ice
 
by Whitney Dineen
ASIN: B0DC5Y77DQ
Publisher: 33 Partners Publishing (August 3, 2024)
Paperback: 194 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8991232807
 

Publisher’s Blurb:

What do an entitled billionaire and small-town ice-skating coach have in common?

Ellie
My life is not turning out like I thought it would.

My mom’s arthritis has gotten so bad that I had to move in with her. I’m making ends meet by giving ice skating lessons at the arena in Maple Falls. I’d be in serious trouble had the Harts not given me that job.

Which makes it impossible to say no when they ask me to let Troy’s obnoxious billionaire brother stay in the cabin on my mom’s property during the charity hockey event they’re running.

Zach
First the tabloids call me out for being a cheapskate and then Yolanda Simms takes to national television to tell everyone what a vicious heartbreaker I am?

Yeah, my life has been better.

My brother thinks I can fix my bad press by coming to Maple Falls and donating big to his new charity endeavor. Too bad he didn’t mention the woman who owns the cottage I’ll be staying at hates me with a passion.

He also didn’t mention she’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a woman…

 Tropes:

Enemies to lovers, billionaire, forced proximity.

 My thoughts:

A good choice of author to start off the series, Whitney Dineen has the responsibility of introducing us to the town of Maple Falls and the idea of a charity hockey team. I like the angle of this being a hockey romance without involving any actual players of the game. Instead, we get the billionaire benefactor of the team. He finds Ellie attractive on first sight.

 Ellie, of course, has believed all of Zach’s bad press, and really doesn’t want anything ot do with him. Naturally, events keep pushing them together and romance ensues.

 The villain of this book is reporter Yolanda, and she’s a bit on the cartoonish side with her actions. A woman scorned, etc. I found the resolution of the conflict with her to be a bit on the predictable side.

 There’s no true third-act breakup in this book, which I’m not mad about. The third act conflict is due to Ellie’s torn feelings over whether she should believe Zach or Yolanda. Luckily, she figures it out.

 As we meet other characters who have their own books in the series…the scene is set!

 


The Rebound Play
 
by Kate O’Keeffe
ASIN: B0DCZLSXHQ
Publisher: Independently published (August 13, 2024)
Paperback: 174 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8329933260

 Publisher’s Blurb:

If you get a second chance at love with your hockey star ex, should you take it?

Keira
What do you do when your NHL superstar ex skates back into your small town? Drop to the ground and hide behind the bleachers, hoping he doesn’t see you. But Lady Luck must be in a bad mood today because Dan spots me, my hood over my eyes, pretending I’m not there.

Mature? No.

Necessary? Oh, yes.

Humiliation washes over me, and the wall around my heart stands firm. Dan might be back, but I can’t afford to let him in again. Not after the heartbreak of losing him once before.

When he offers to coach my nephew, I reluctantly agree. Every smile he flashes at me, every kind word, threatens to crack my resolve. But I can’t go through that again. I have to protect my heart.

Dan
I want Keira back. End of story.

 Tropes:

Second chance, jock/nerd.

 My Thoughts:

When Dan “The Man” went off to college on a hockey scholarship, he and Keira thought it best to break up, knowing that long distance would be hard. Ten years later, neither has found anyone. When Dan returns to town for the Ice Breakers, he looks forward to seeing Keira. She’s been avoiding him for ten years.

 This time, there’s no clear antagonist. The struggle is with her feelings of being tied to Maple Falls, taking care of her chronically ill sister, niece, and nephew. Keira feels there’s no way she could be enough for Dan, given his professional hockey career and ability to attract puck bunnies.

 There’s a brief third-act breakup, as Keira tries to end the relationship as Dan’s brief season in Maple Falls comes to an end, but he’s not having it.

 


The Friend Face Off
 
by Grace Worthington
ASIN: B0DFC3X7NK
Publisher: Poets & Saints Publishing (August 26, 2024)
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8988770930

 Publisher’s Blurb:

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.

 Emmy

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.

And while he’s unfairly gorgeous, he’s also my brother’s teammate AND his best friend.

Keeping him in the fake boyfriend zone is the only way to deal with my secret attraction.

Turns out, the line between fake and real isn't just blurry, it’s become impossible to tell the difference when he looks at me with those eyes that say, You’re mine.


DAWSON

The first time I met Emmy, her brother warned me to stay away. As hockey teammates, that made her totally off-limits.

 But now I’m back in Emmy’s small town to play in a charity hockey match, and I can’t resist her dating challenge: to find out if any man can be more romantic than the book boyfriends she adores.

Emmy and I are both fiercely competitive, and I’m determined to win her over.

 When the moment of truth comes, the chemistry between us turns into something neither of us expected:

A romantic face-off between friends who are insanely attracted to each other.

 Now, I’m out to prove to her that you should never judge a book by its cover—or a hockey player when it comes to love.

 Tropes:

Brother’s best friend, friends to lovers, You’ve Got Mail.

 My Thoughts:

We turn now to Dan’s sister, Emmy, and best friend, goalie Dawson. Emmy and Dawson met a few years prior when Dawson and Dan visited home from college. Emmy wasn’t interested in a hockey player, because she figured they all emphasized the word “player”, but did end up making a pact with him that if either of them needed a date when they were 25, they’d be there for each other.

 Well, now they’re 25 and Emmy needs a date so she can avoid creepy Stewart. Dawson was attracted to her then, and he’s attracted to her now. Of course, he knows what Dan would do to him if Emmy got hurt.

 Emmy has given up on finding romance, figuring that the men in romance novels, unrealistic as they are, will have to do. When “Golden Dog” replies to her TikTok post about unrealistic expectations, they develop a sort of online, anonymous friendship.

 Naturally, things progress between Emmy and Dawson, and Emmy keeps turning to Golden Dog for advice.

 Did I mention that this has a You’ve Got Mail vibe?

 On a side note, Dawson visits the ladies’ book group when they discuss a hockey romance for Perfectly Wedded. This is a genius (or annoying) move by Worthington. It’s her novel, not yet released at the time this book was published. She spends a lot of time mentioning it. Did it pique my interest? Yes. Did I request it to review? Also yes.

 Emmy, like Ellie and Keira before her, struggles with her feelings of being a small town girl who stayed in her small town, and not being worthy or of enough interest to a professional hockey player. Dawson has a definite reputation for having a different woman on his arm every time he goes out. Turns out his dad hires dates for him so he’ll stay “relevant” in the media.

 There’s almost a third-act breakup, as media and others point out to Emmy that she’s not Dawson’s type, but Dawson shuts it down pretty immediately, and, after a pep talk from Grandma Mimi, Emmy is ready to take a chance on love.

 


Love in Overtime
 
by Melissa Baldwin
ASIN: B0DF7XYGRK
Publisher: Independently published (August 26, 2024)
Paperback: 170 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8335895125

 Publisher’s Blurb:

Playing hockey in Maple Falls was meant to be just a charity gig, but then my new publicist showed up, melting the ice—and my heart.

 Cooper

I never anticipated being roped into a charity hockey game during the off-season. But here I am, heading to Maple Falls, all because my publicist decided to retire. Change was inevitable, but I didn't foresee it coming so soon.

 Getting assigned a new publicist, Blair Radcliffe, didn't sit well with me at first. However, there's something about her – a fierce determination that's both intriguing and challenging. I wonder if she's ready for the whirlwind that is Cooper Montgomery. One thing's certain-- I can't afford to fall for my publicist.

 Blair

I still can't believe I landed my dream job. The excitement is overwhelming, and I'm determined to carve out my path in the industry. But there's one obstacle standing in my way-- Cooper Montgomery, the seemingly uncooperative hockey star. Nevertheless, I'm ready to tackle the challenge head-on, and perhaps some time away in a quiet town like Maple Falls will work wonders.

 What I didn't anticipate was developing a crush on my own client. It's the ultimate taboo in my profession, a mistake that could jeopardize everything I've worked for. I'm at a loss on how to navigate this newfound attraction, especially when it appears that Cooper might feel the same way. I’m not sure what to do next.

 Tropes:

Grumpy/Sunshine, workplace, slow burn

 My Thoughts:

The overall plot is cute, but there’s not much depth to this one. I’m not asking for it to be Great Literature, but there’s just not much there. The biggest conflict is that she’s his publicist and he’s her client, however can they make this work? There’s no real backstory to why Cooper is so closed off and grumpy, just a couple of mentions of a difficult childhood. We see a bit of Blair’s parents, but again, all we know is that she’s confident, chipper and upbeat. She goes through no change in this story. Cooper…learns to smile more? That’s really it.

 The running joke of Cooper calling the town by the wrong name was cute. There are some flaws here. Blair constantly talks about giving Cooper the itinerary for his day. Itineraries for traveling from place to place. It is related to the word itinerant. What she really wants is an agenda. And calling the final segment of play in a hockey game the fourth quarter?

 


The Parent Playbook
 
by Elsie Woods
ASIN: B0DDG5ZBKZ
Publisher: Puppy Love Books (August 16, 2024)
Paperback: 206 pages
ISBN-10: 2492606422
ISBN-13: 978-2492606427

 Publisher’s Blurb:

I don’t know when dad jokes and mismatched socks became my type, but that hockey dude skated into my life like a runaway puck… and I think I like it.

Angel:

I know I should be thankful that my charity was selected by the Ice Breakers hockey team. It’ll make a huge difference in children’s lives all over the state.

 There’s only one problem:

I hate hockey dudes.

 I have to remind myself of that fact when Scotty MacFarland with his groan-worthy dad jokes slips into my life like he’s always been there.

 No matter how hard I push back on that perfectly formed chest, Scotty remains strong, giving me the space I need. I’m beginning to think I don’t want to have so much space anymore.

 But by the time I figure that out, it just might be too late.

 Scotty:

The only thing I love more than hockey is my daughter.

 It was a no-brainer for me to give up the ice when I became a single dad, and I didn’t look back. But when the call came to coach the Ice Breakers, the opportunity was too good to pass up, and I thought my girl would thrive with a fresh start in Maple Falls.

 Turns out, the leaves weren’t the only thing falling in Maple Falls.

 Angel Davis swooped into my life and pieces I didn’t know were missing started to fall into place. A devoted single mom, director of a children’s charity, and all-around spark of sassiness, she and I find an easy rhythm, despite her throwing a boot at my face.

But Lily comes first. And if I have to leave behind a future with Angel before it’s started in order to do what’s right, I will.

 Though it seems fate has other ideas.

 Tropes:

Single dad/single mom, second chance.

 My Thoughts:

Again, the interactions between Angel and Scotty are cute. I had a few moments of wondering why a 35-year-old man was being called Scotty, not Scott, but then I remembered my 40-year-old nephew, who still gets called Scotty, so I’m giving a pass on that one.

 This one has a couple of precocious 12-year-old kids and a goat named Edgar to keep us laughing. Fortunately, there’s not enough of any of those to become annoying.

 I did have trouble with some inconsistencies in this one. Cooper’s vibe is quite different here than it is in his book. In this one, he even calls the town by the correct name.

 Again, the timing of events feels a little inconsistent from the other books.

 Perhaps the biggest one for me, though, was the distance from Angel’s farm to the town center. She talks about driving into town, which seems to take several minutes. Yet her son is walking to the ice rink every morning before school? This one definitely bothered me.

 This book has much less kissing than the others. Blame it on interrupting kids. The third-act breakup isn’t really a breakup as much as a setting of priorities. Of course, they get over it. Which…is not a surprise, since we need our HEA!

 


Love at First Skate 
by Ellie Hall
ASIN: B0DC593HZH
Publisher: Independently published (September 18, 2024)
Paperback: 216 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8334931848
 

Publisher’s Blurb:

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 conference (it was mind-numbing).

In an ironic twist, I won the raffle for a romantic getaway trip for two. Who else to bring other than my best friend who’ll gladly commiserate with me? He has a hockey event nearby, so it works out perfectly.

Until we’re stranded in the cozy cabin together. There’s a blaze of attraction. A friendship-changing kiss.

What now? Do we hit the reset button? Salvage what we had? Pretend it never happened? These are things I’d talk to my bestie about, but I can’t because I’m head over heels for him.

 Tropes:

Forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, best friends to lovers.

 My Thoughts:

This is the one I clicked with the least. There’s plenty to like about it, but it just didn’t do it for me like the other books. I had a difficult time connecting with grumpy Harlow. We get a little bit of her backstory. But some of the hints are give us unfulfilled curiosity. Likewise with Ted…why is he the way he is?

 Their friendship is cute. Ted has been there for Harlow since elementary school, despite distance and time. He is the one who rescued her from an ice-skating accident when they were young, and he’s the one trying to help her get through her lasting trauma from the incident. And he’s the one who acknowledges deeper feelings first. There’s no third-act breakup, merely the ebb and flow of their ability to wrap their minds around taking their long-lasting friendship to a romantic relationship, with all of the risks inherent there.

 There are some things, however, that do bother me. Things like the couples massage scene. Who wears a bathing suit for a massage? Has the author ever had a massage? On orders from my orthopedist, I do, and believe me, that’s not how my massage therapist works.

 There’s also a scene right after Ted and Harlow are in a hot tub. They haven’t changed yet; Harlow is in a bikini and a towel. And then Ted says, “she stuffs her hands in her pockets.” That’s some bikini!

 After a goal, Ted says, “we get the points”. No. One goal=one point.

 This, more than the rest, really messes with my sense of time. The first of the two games mentioned says the Ice Breakers won. There’s plenty to indicate that this is the first game they played, but [spoiler] the Ice Breakers lost their first game. The other game described, the final one in the series, is accurately described.

 


Penalties and Proposals
 
by Anne Kemp
Publisher: Red Bird Publishing (September 10, 2024)
Paperback: 170 pages
ISBN-10: 0473719436
ISBN-13: 978-0473719432

 Publisher’s Blurb:

It only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch. When life hands me reformed hockey star Noah Beaumont, AGAIN, am I supposed to make cider or is there a sweeter surprise in store?

 Willa: I never wanted to see Noah Beaumont again. EVER. When I kicked him off my set after he showed up intoxicated, his PR team tried to blacklist me. I made it over that hurdle, made a name for myself, and I’m heading to Maple Falls to cover a charity ice hockey team that’s making headlines...only to find out I have to work with HIM.

 But this Noah seems different. He’s reformed and seems to be determined to show me he’s changed. Can I trust him, or will he be the same disaster I remember?

Noah: I’ve spent years trying to make amends for my past mistakes, questioning if I still belong in the world of hockey or if it's time to step back, be ‘normal’. But seeing Willa again brings everything into sharp focus. She’s the woman who’s haunted my thoughts since the day I met her.

 Now, she’s here in Maple Falls, and I’m dead set on proving I’m not the same man she remembers. I want her to see the real me, the man I’ve worked so hard to become. Can I convince her to give me a second chance?

 Tropes:

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance.

 My Thoughts:

I really liked Noah’s redemption arc here. He was honest about the faults of his past, but didn’t wallow in them. I also appreciated that Willa, once she learned the truth, adjusted her opinion of Noah.

 They do, of course, have a speed bump along the way with the arrival of a self-centered actress that Noah had recently dated, but Willa faced the issue squarely and it ultimately had no impact either on her career or on her romance. Willa herself notes how far she has come since the incident when she and Noah first met, and she doesn’t let the incident get to her or make her immediately break up with Noah.

 I enjoyed the moments where janitor Murray kept catching Noah talking to himself. I’d have liked to see him pop up in the other books as well.

 

 

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Meet the Appies

 

The first two books of this series were part of another multi-author series, Sweater Weather, but have since been moved over to make the complete Appies series. The Appies, a minor-league hockey team in North Carolina, are patterned after the Savannah Bananas baseball team in that they do all kinds of fun social media posts, with team members singing, dancing, and doing other stunts. This has brought them a degree of fame, success, and high-dollar contracts that most minor-league teams and players can’t boast. It also keeps the players more dedicated to the team, some even declining to move up to the NHL. For us, as readers, that keeps characters consistently showing up throughout the six-book series. While each of these books can stand alone, if you’re going to read the set (and you should), I think you’ll get a richer experience if you read them in publication order, as listed here.

In general, the series is wonderfully consistent in its treatment of its recurring characters. With two authors publishing six books over 18 months, continuity errors are definitely possible. I’ve got a really good sense for continuity, and I really didn’t find any problems in that department.

All of the female main characters exist beyond their potential as romantic partners. They have actual lives and interesting careers—public relations, violinist, veterinary student, lawyer, aspiring writer, and an apprentice luthier. They all have opinions about the world and opinions about hockey.

The male main characters have various reasons for their singleness at the beginning of the series. Several have (mostly undeserved) reputations as serial daters. All are dedicated to hockey.

The situations that get the various couples together are varied and interesting. Of course, there is an element of predictability: when there are two POV characters, you know they’ll end up together. The question is: what will happen to them before they get there? Will there be a third-act breakup, or will there be something else that tests the relationship?

All six books have some really beautiful description and great figurative language. In all of them, most of the minor characters have dimension, rather than being cardboard cutouts. I’d say the most stereotypical minor characters are the puck bunnies, particularly in Nathan’s case (Romancing the Grump.)

Possible objectionable material:

Very mild cursing. Various issues such as parental divorce or neglect, alcoholism, death of a parent, chronic illness, infidelity. This is hockey, so there are injuries and the occasional fight. People drink. A minor character gets a tattoo; it’s misspelled and played for humor. This is closed door romance, so we don’t see more than passionate kisses. There is a hint that sex happens.

Who might like these books:

Romance fans, hockey fans, hockey romance fans. Anyone who likes well-written books where characters grow and develop over the course of the story.


Just Don’t Fall
By Emma St. Clair
ASIN: B0CFJSXLMD
Publisher: Create If Writing LLC (August 31, 2023)
Publication date: August 31, 2023
Language: English
Print length: 340 pages

Publisher’s Blurb:

Before Logan Barnes was hockey’s hottest bad boy, he was my brother’s best friend … and my first crush. Oh, yeah--and the guy who ghosted me and broke my teenage heart.

Now Logan is back in Harvest Hollow, but not willingly. Recovering from an injury (and some bad press), he’s stuck playing for our minor league team.

Which means I’ll be working with him almost daily.

As the hockey team's social media manager, it’s my job to wrangle all the guys into filming TikTok trending videos. But Logan doesn’t want to be wrangled.

Turns out … neither does my heart.

Because my old crush never died.

And when Logan becomes my accidental fake boyfriend, those old feelings flare hot enough to melt the ice.

But this is all totally one-sided. Totally fake. Isn't it?

No matter what signals he seems to be giving me or how real things start to feel, I know Logan’s not home for good.

I survived Logan leaving me once. But this time, I’m not so sure my heart will recover …

Tropes:

Fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, brother’s best friend

My Thoughts:

A nice introduction to the Appies, this book does the heaving lifting of giving us backstory without being heavy-handed about it. Logan’s treatment of Parker is adorable. I love the bit with her office chair.

 


Absolutely Not In Love
By Jenny Proctor
ASIN: B0CG3PYZ85
Publisher: JPC Publishing (October 12, 2023)
Publication date: October 12, 2023
Print length: 288 pages
Publisher’s Blurb:

My requirements for a man are simple. Must love books. Must NOT love hockey.

Which is why I will never be interested in my neighbor, the aloof and mysterious Felix Jamison, no matter how many books I see him hauling into his apartment. Unless he loses his pro hockey skates, I’m out.

But then he shows up at my symphony concert.

And I catch the sweet strains of Beethoven floating across the hall.

Have I mentioned how incredible he looks in his game day suit?

Still, my history with hockey is complicated. My older brother played, and let’s just say he stole enough limelight to land a plane at midnight. I was forced to be a part of that world for so long, now that I have a choice, it’s the last thing I want.

But something tells me Felix is about to change my mind…

Tropes:

Opposites attract, forced proximity, bookish hero

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7DGOTojEJBsrEhagofiYs9

My thoughts:

The first Appies book I read, and still my favorite. Felix may even be a better book boyfriend than Mr. Darcy. He cooks. He reads. He loves classical music. He is…the goalie. Seriously. So opposite of how you’d expect a hockey goalie to be. He definitely falls first, and has a big challenge in overcoming Gracie’s prejudice against hockey.

Thank you to the author, via NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 


A Groom of One’s Own
By Emma St. Clair
ASIN: B0CLKZ8SH2
Publisher: Create If Writing LLC (March 1, 2024)
Publication date: March 1, 2024
Print length: 368 pages


Publisher’s Blurb:

He always dreamed of getting married--but for love, not to avoid deportation.

Eli Hopkins has it all--almost. A hockey career with the wildly popular Appies. Teammates who are like brothers. The only thing he's missing is someone to share it all with.

Oh--and correctly filed visa paperwork.

Due to administrative error, Eli is about to lose everything.

Unless he can find someone to marry him in the next thirty days.

And he might have the perfect woman in mind. The only problem? He'd like to marry her for real, not simply for legal purposes.

Now Eli faces the challenge of winning over a wife who thinks the marriage is in name only ...

Tropes:

Marriage of convenience, shy FMC, cinnamon roll MMC

My thoughts:

Eli is so sweet, and so careful of his mother. Bailey is shy, and doesn’t know what to do with her crush on Eli. She’s also trying to make her way through veterinary school, with a horrible boss and the burden of being the sole caretaker for her grandmother. This is a classic marrying-for-a-green card story, with the couple being a little naïve about what that entails and how they might just be committing fraud. It’s not a spoiler to say that it won’t be much of a problems, since they fall in love for real. And also—cute dogs!


Romancing the Grump
By Jenny Proctor
ASIN: B0CLL1D1HN
Publisher: Jenny Proctor Creative (April 23, 2024)
Publication date: April 23, 2024
Print length: 333 pages

Publisher’s Blurb:

He’s a grump and happy to stay that way. But can her sunshine melt the ice around his heart?

Nathan Sanders didn't earn his reputation as the grouchiest player on the Appies hockey team by chance. So when Summer Callahan breezes into his life with her flirtatious smiles and endless charm, he responds like he always does: he completely ignores her.

But Summer is intrigued by the surly defenseman, so when a viral social media post requires her to step in and fake it as Nathan's girlfriend, she jumps at the chance. She's convinced the ones with the hardest shells are often the softest underneath, and she's determined to prove it.

But Nathan doesn't crack so easily. Despite their obvious chemistry, he makes his lack of interest in a relationship—any relationship—perfectly clear. But the longer they pretend, the less fake everything seems, and the more Summer starts to fall.

She can only hope her fake relationship doesn't lead to real heartbreak.

Tropes:

Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, broody hero

My thoughts:

Nathan is the grump of the title, determined to avoid what happened to his famous hockey player father. Summer lives up to her name. As the new legal counsel for the Appies, she ends up helping to protect Nathan when some puck bunnies get a little to eager to tame the grump. Thus, the fake-relationship that, naturally, turns real. Summer links the Appies series with the Proctor’s Hawthorne Brothers series.

Thank you to the author, via NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 


Runaway Bride & Prejudice
By Emma St. Clair
ASIN: B0DDCB7S9H
Publisher: Create If Writing LLC (August 28, 2024)
Publication date: August 28, 2024
Print length: 418 pages

Publisher’s Blurb:

There's one rule smart hockey players know not to break: never, and I mean, NEVER date the coach's daughter. But no one ever accused Van of being smart.

When the mouthy bad boy of the Appies catches the groom cheating on the coach's daughter, he can't just walk away. Not on her wedding day.

Maybe his own relationships are casual, but he would never cheat and never treat wedding vows so carelessly. Not after he and his sisters watched their divorced parents cycle through marriage after marriage.

But forcing the groom to come clean sets off a chain reaction Van couldn't have expected.

Ending with a black eye, an unexpected trip to Florida with one runaway bride, and a secret bargain struck with Coach.

A bargain that may just jeopardize the very real and very inconvenient feelings he's developing for the very last person he ever should.

Tropes:

Coach’s daughter, runaway bride, surprise tropes

My thoughts:

Van is the team’s bad boy and definitely not the coach’s favorite. He’s a bit mouthy, and doesn’t always make good choices. He had actually met Amelia once before her wedding, but bailed out on their meet-cute dinner when he discovered she was the coach’s daughter. He brings a lot of golden retriever energy to the story. (And he’s really not that much of a bad boy.) Amelia’s growth in this one made it my second favorite until the final book came out. I really like how she gains confidence and finds herself and what she really wants to do.

Thank you to the author, via NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 


When Alec Met Evie
By Jenny Proctor
ASIN: B0DSTPB4G7
Publisher: Jenny Proctor Creative (January 23, 2025)
Publication date: January 23, 2025
Print length: 331 pages

Publisher’s Blurb:

Evie told herself not to fall for her pro-hockey crush. But when she sees him holding her baby girl, all bets are off.

When Evie moves South to the same mountain town where her childhood crush plays pro-hockey, she arms herself with all the reasons why she can’t fall for him again.

Number one: Alec is her best friend’s much older brother.
Number two: She’s recently divorced and does not need another man in her life. At least not anytime soon.
Number three: With a four-month-old daughter, she has zero time for dating.

Trouble is, Evie doesn’t know another soul in North Carolina, so when her rental floods before she’s even moved in, her only option is to crash with Alec for a few weeks. When she protests, he insists it’s what he’d do for his sister, and that’s basically what she is to him.

But all these years later, the unexpected chemistry between them definitely says otherwise.

A new relationship is risky when Evie is still licking her wounds from her divorce, and she has no idea if Alec has any desire to be a dad. His sister already warned he isn’t the type to settle down.

But she can’t make herself care about any of that. Not until she’s already fallen, and it might be too late to save herself from another heartbreak.

Tropes:

Single mom, best friend’s brother, age gap

My thoughts:

It’s funny. Some of the tropes in this one are my least favorite. But they work. Kudos to Jenny Proctor for making tropes that I dislike become likable. As one of the older members of the team, Captain Alec is reaching that time where he needs to start thinking about what comes after hockey. That’s something he’d really like to avoid. Between helping Evie with her infant daughter and taking on homesick twin 18-year-old recruits, he does find his path. Evie has to learn to accept her new mom life with all its chaos, while learning a new career, and getting over a narcissistic ex-husband. This book is the official end of the series (although there’s certainly room for some spinoffs), and there is a beautiful part near the end where our six main players get to reflect on their friendship and sort of say goodbye. It’s good writing and good closure for us, the readers.

Thank you to the author, via NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

New releases!

 


Asking for a Friend
By Kara H. L. Chen
Publisher: Quill Tree Books (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0063237881
ISBN-13: 978-0063237889
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Grade level: 9 - 12

 Publisher’s Blurb:

This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.

 Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:

She is the world’s foremost expert on love.

She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.

When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.

Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.

With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book, but it stressed me out! Also, I don’t think the blurb really does it justice.

Juliana feels all the pressure to live up to the expectations of not just her Taiwanese-American family, but the whole Taiwanese expat community. Which means winning the business competition that her beloved father founded basically on his deathbed.

The pressure is even worse, since her big sister—gasp!!!—dropped out of med school because she was pregnant and unmarried. Juliana’s mother basically pretends the sister doesn’t exist.

As Juliana and Garrett work together on the competition and at the Taiwanese Community Center, Juliana learns that maybe it isn’t all about living up to expectations. She learns that her father maybe wasn’t so perfect, and that she’s allowed to want things for herself. It’s a difficult lesson for her to learn, and it’s full of big feelings that she isn’t always ready to feel.

Seeing the enormous pressures that Juliana’s mother and community placed on her was super stressful for me. I just wanted to give her a hug. Watching her grow and learn that there’s more than one way to do things, and more than one way to be, was a satisfying journey. The conflicts in the story pushed the plot along; her actions were realistic based on her circumstances. Of course, as an adult reading the book, I was ready to yell a few times, but I’m not exactly the target market. I feel like Juliana doesn’t reach a true resolution with her mother, but it’s a lot to expect.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Parental death. Unwed pregnancy. Same-gender couples. Lying to parent. Social pressure. Some swearing. Kissing.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like stories about over-achievers and having to deal with parental pressure. Those who like coming of age stories, or stories with a competitive element.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 


Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses
By Katrina Emmel
Publisher: Delacorte Romance (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 0593708148
ISBN-13: 978-0593708149
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 870L
Grade level: 7 - 9

 Publisher’s Blurb:

A swoon-worthy YA rivals-to-lovers romance between a Nebraskan cowboy and California girl, thrust together on the Oregon Trail.

Anything’s possible under a prairie sky…


Riley Thomas is feeling stuck—she’s moved from California to Nebraska, she’s on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There’s no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can’t wait for this misery to end—even though going “home” isn’t even possible anymore.

Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family’s tourism business that helps protect them. He’s a stand-up guy—not a love ‘em and leave ‘em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley.

But Riley’s got more sense than Colton thinks--and he’s not nearly as inflexible as he seems. And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus--including a cowboy’s heart.

Katrina Emmel’s Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses will take you on a sweeping journey across the American prairie . . . once you love a boy in a Stetson, you’ll never be the same.

 My Thoughts:

Imagine having to move to a different state right after your junior year of high school! (Actually, one of my speech and debate students this past year did exactly that.) That’s exactly what happens to Riley, and even though she understands her parents’ reasons, she is NOT happy about it.

 Even worse: during the week between arriving in their new state and having their furniture catch up with them, they’re going on a pioneer wagon train reenactment! Riley is even less happy.

 And when her suitcase doesn’t catch up with her…yeah.

 Told both from Riley’s and Colton’s POV, this story is about first impressions. Neither of them got a very good first impression of the other. Colton thinks Riley is a spoiled city girl, and she think he’s a judgmental jerk.

 As their week on the prairie progresses, they discover that they’re both wrong. I really love the scene where they go fishing for dinner—probably my favorite in the whole book.

 As is the standard, there are misunderstandings and mistakes. Of course, if one important fact had been communicated far earlier, we’d have missed the third-act breakup and subsequent resolution.

 Background and secondary characters were all well-done. Dialogue rings true. And the descriptions of the beauty of the prairie were lovely.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Family drama (minor). Misunderstandings. A big flirt. Kissing. Some dangerous situations.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like American history (particularly the Western pioneers), nature, and, of course, stories about high school love.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

 


Bodega Cats: Picture Purrfect
By Hilda Eunice Burgos
Illustrated by Siara Faison
 
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (July 23, 2024)
Language: English
Hardcover: 144 pages
ISBN-10: 1250903742
ISBN-13: 978-1250903747
Reading age: 7 - 10 years

Grade level: 3 - 4

 Publisher’s Blurb:

In the Heights meets Front Desk in this heartwarming and funny illustrated story about the friendship between a bodega owner's kid and his newly-adopted furry friend, with a focus on family and community.

Miguel Rosado wants nothing more than to see and draw the world… or, at least anywhere beyond the four walls of his family’s bodega in Washington Heights. Too bad his mami and papi have him working long hours after school, hoping he’ll appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made to keep the store afloat. For street-savvy and newly-adopted cat Lolo, that sounds just perfect if it means he’s far, far away from the hungry, lonely nights he once spent in the freezing cold outdoors.

But when Miguel ditches his responsibilities and lies to his parents about joining art club, his dream of juggling it all comes crashing down. Lolo will have to decide if he's willing to be there for his new friend Miguel through anything―even venturing back into the frightful outdoors and busy New York City sidewalks. Can they trust each other enough to take on this adventure together?

 My Thoughts:

I have been a fan of the Bodega Cats Instagram account for years. Bodega cats serve an important function for the little neighborhood bodegas in big cities by keeping the stores free of vermin. So when I saw “bodega cats” in the title, well, I had to request it!

 This sweet middle-grade story is about Miguel, who really wants to be an artist, and his Dominican immigrant parents who want him to have a better, more stable life. As with so many of the MG and YA stories I’ve read lately, this one also focuses on a child who is trying balance parental expectations with what they truly want for themselves.

 The illustrations frequently take the form of Miguel’s comics about his life. They are fun and energetic and definitely add to the storytelling. The story is told from both Miguel's and Lolo's points of view.

 The story was a very quick read for me. I think both the material and the actual writing would be easily accessible for grades 4 and up. For me, an adult reading a story meant for children, I was really struck by the parent angle on this. I understand the desire to give your kids a good life, but it has long been my philosophy that our children aren’t our possessions, and we must listen to what it is they want out of life. Advise, don’t demand! So many of these fictional parents need to learn that lesson.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

An animal is in danger. Miguel lies to his parents about an after-school club. An elderly person starts a fire.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who like animal stories.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.