Review – The Five Hole

27 Saturday Dec 2025

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The Five Hole

The Games We Play Season Two

by Aries France

Blurb:

Roe Monroe

Taking a lap in hockey purgatory wasnโ€™t in my plan, but I guess even hockey players donโ€™t plan on blowing out a knee, much less picking up some bad habits on how to deal with the injury.

Fox River Falls wasnโ€™t in the plan either, a town where gossip spreads faster than a slapshot and the local coffee shop doubles as a soap opera set.

Iโ€™m here to earn my way back to the NHLโ€”not to flirt with the grumpy carpenter who hates everything I stand for.

Too bad his kid worships me, his scowl kind of turns me on, and his quiet, steady belief in me? Yeah, thatโ€™s dangerous.

Iโ€™m not here to stay. But heโ€™s making me want things I swore Iโ€™d given up on.

Gabe Thatcher

I build things with my hands, raise my kid, and avoid the gossip that Fox River Falls loves so well.

Roe Monroe is exactly the kind of trouble I donโ€™t want, donโ€™t need.

Heโ€™s cocky, chaotic, and everything I swore I wouldnโ€™t let near my sonโ€”or my heart.

But he sees something in me I stopped believing was there. And when he looks at me, I forget my name.

Somehow, he fits into the life I thought I was building alone.

The Games We Play Season 2 is the second season of this multi-author minor league hockey romance series! All titles run concurrently through the same hockey season and the books can be read in any order, so jump in anywhere!

*****

Review:

Apparently this was the time of new to me authors because this is the third in a row (fourth if you count Tortuga since I’ve only read one or two of) and I have loved every single one! France’s character dynamics are so fun and sweet.

I loved how much Roe enjoyed pushing Gabe’s buttons but also how much he truly saw of the grumpy single dad. He understood him, helped push him out of his little bubble, challenging him to truly live for more than his son. It was so very sweet and I couldn’t get enough. And the little family they slowly create together … *sigh* just the sweetest. And I loved how they supported each other in their short term and long term needs. I just … *ugh* gonna say it again, so sweet!

The Five Hole just hit so many of my tropes – small town charm, grumpy/sunshine, single dad, athlete, sweet AND spicy. I’ll definitely be checking out other books by France because if they are all like this? *swoon*

Review – Colliding Hearts

20 Saturday Dec 2025

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Colliding Hearts

Rainbow Redemption, book 3

by Jax Calder

Blurb:

One voice kept me alive in the darkness. One Halloween night changed everything. One secret threatens to destroy it all.

When my car plunges into a ravine, a stranger’s chocolate-cake voice becomes my lifeline in the endless dark. But after Iโ€™m rescued, the mysterious paramedic vanishes without a trace, leaving me with nothing but scars and memories.
After a year of avoiding mirrors and first dates, I manage to hook up with the hottest Darth Vader in existence while dressed as a surprisingly seductive Yoda. But the morning light reveals my one-night stand is not only my new neighbor but also my long-lost rescuer.

Jared and I try the just-friends route, but who can resist a guy who bakes brownies and gives great massages. When our connection extends into a friends-with-benefits arrangement, things become complicated. Especially since Iโ€™m still learning to navigate a world where my face no longer opens doors and my wit has become my armor and my greatest weapon.
Before the crash, I was the guy who could charm anyone with a smile. After? Let’s just say Frankenstein would think I’m having a rough time.

I’m falling hard for the man with the chocolate-cake voice, but every time we get close to something real, Jared pulls away. Are my scars holding him back?

Or is Jared hiding secrets of his own?

Colliding Hearts is a novella set in the Rainbow Redemption universe, but can be read as a standalone book.

*****

Review:

This was my first book by Jax Calder and OH MY GOSH is this what they are all like? The ups and downs and emotional upheaval but done in a way that isn’t overly angsty … so good! I’m not going to give anything away but I definitely was surprised by how everything played out.

Going into it I wasn’t really thrilled with the single POV but it really is the only way this worked and I loved Felix. His hang-ups, his seeing his old self with new eyes, the way he falls for Jared, the scars both inside and out left by his accident, everything just punched me in the feels. My heart went out to him from the very first page to the very last.

There is so much to love about Colliding Hearts. The way Felix approaches things with humor, the connection between him and Jared, the steamy AND tender moments, the heartbreak and the forgiveness – it all comes together so wonderfully. I’m so happy I took a chance on this one and I’ll be adding more of Calder’s books to my TBR shelf.

Review – Cowboy Needed

19 Friday Dec 2025

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Cowboy Needed

Cowboy Wanted series

by BA Tortuga

Blurb:

Ichabod Miller Johns needs a cowboy.

When his kids inherit their grandfather’s ranch, Ichabod moves them lock, stock, barrel to Western Colorado, leaving the cityscape of Denver behind. Despite this being his deceased husband’s family ranch, he knows he has to take this chance to get his teenager away from the bad stuff he’s involved in and give himself some breathing space to work at his hardcore pottery business. It can’t hurt the other two kids either. Except that he’s now living on a run-down ranch that no cowboy in the area will touch with a ten-foot pole.

When he calls Cowboy Wanted, he ends up with Ellis McIntyre. Ellis has worked some major ranches and has ridden the rodeo, but he has an ulterior motive when he comes to Ichabod’s place. Aside from needing the job, his half-brother Rick has asked him to look into whether or not Ichabod would be willing to sell the ranch, since Rick feels like he should have inherited it from his step-father.

As Ellis gets to know Ichabod and his kids, though, one thing becomes clear to him. This family needs this ranch, and he intends to help them keep it. Can he convince Ichabod he means no harm, and that he has no designs on the ranch for his half-brother? And can Ichabod open up and trust someone else in his life after so much loss?

*****

Review:

I’ve only read a few of Tortuga’s books but I’ve really enjoyed what I have read so far and I think Cowboy Wanted reminds me a bit of The Cowboy’s Bullfighter. Like with that story, there wasn’t a ton of angst or drama (although I would have expected more with the whole issue over the farm, although I’m kinda happy we didn’t go there) just characters that feel real with real issues, real connection. The romance is a little more at the forefront here but there’s still a good dose of the family feel. And I loved the little family they create when they bring Ellis into their group. It’s such a lovely thing that I would have loved even more of them together with the kids but I did appreciate the simplicity of it – two people who meet, spend time together, fall in love, and work towards a future together. With slow burn, feel good stories like this, I’ll definitely keep putting Tortuga on my TBR list.

Review – In a Heartbeat

16 Tuesday Dec 2025

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In a Heartbeat

Rosewood River series

by Laura Pavlov

Blurb:

A Small Town, Cowboy, Friends-to-Enemies-to-Lovers, Standalone Romance from USA Today andย Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, Laura Pavlov.

Wren Waterstone isnโ€™t just one of the most decorated equestrians in the worldโ€•she was also my best friend for as long as I can remember. Until she wasnโ€™t.

Now sheโ€™s back in Rosewood River, and thanks to a temp agency, Wren has been placed atย myย ranch. I have no intention of allowing my ex-best-friend to work for me, but when I see the desperation in her eyes, I canโ€™t turn her away, even though I know I should.

Old habits die hard.

Seeing her every day is more challenging than I expected. Sheโ€™s guarded. Wounded. And she looks at me like Iโ€™m the enemy. I need to know why. The more time we spend together, the more the lines between past and present blurโ€•and we find our way back to one another. The only problem is, sheโ€™s got big dreams to chase.

And I only want to chase her.

Iโ€™ve loved this girl my entire life, and our time apart didnโ€™t change that. I let Wren Waterstone get away once. Am I really going to make that mistake again?

Goodreads:ย http://bit.ly/477mR5w

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/inaheartbeat

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4iGiano

Hardcover: Coming soon!

Audible:ย https://geni.us/IAHAUDIO
Narrated by:ย Alex Knox and Samantha Brentmoor

*****

Review:

Like everything else in the Rosewood River series, I enjoyed the heck out of this one. From their decades-long friendship to their HEA, Axel & Wren’s journey just worked for me. The support and love they have for each other, with understanding and an undeniable connection, means that it doesn’t take them long to come back to each other.

And Pavlov could easily have made it more angsty but I think she included just the right amount of drama. They have their issues but all it really takes is one honest conversation (which, yes, could have happened 2 years ago but I understand where Wren was coming from.) I also appreciated that she didn’t make any of the characters truly bad. They were just people with flaws and issues – granted one or two with really BIG flaws and issues – and most even learned a thing or two.

Plus, how can you not love this family. The guy’s text message threads are some of my favorite parts of this series. And as they find their matches, it brings even more girls into the family and they have formed such a fun squad, just as wild and hilarious and fun as their SOs. You know those Sunday dinners are a hoot!

We’ve got one more guy left to find his HEA and it’s going to be a nanny romance, which means little kid adorableness and daddy hotness … definitely looking forward to that one ๐Ÿ™‚

Review – Worth the Fall

12 Friday Dec 2025

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Worth the Fall

Copper Ridge Ranch series

by Laura Beth

Blurb:

Sometimes losing everything is the only way to find what matters.

Dr. Holly Carrington has officially hit rock bottom. 

When a panic attack strikes in the middle of a hectic ER shift, sheโ€™s forced to step away from her prestigious career as a trauma doctor. Broken, exhausted, and more uncertain of herself than ever, she accepts a temporary position at a sleepy small-town clinic โ€“ never expecting to find comfort in the arms of a six-foot-tall rancher with a soft smile and filthy mouth. 

Grayson Hart is nothing like the men Hollyโ€™s used to. With his worn Leviโ€™s and calloused hands, heโ€™s a far cry from the polished city types she once dated. Heโ€™s steady where sheโ€™s restless. Grounded where sheโ€™s been drifting. Heโ€™s everything she didn’t know she needed. 

But as her time in town runs out and reality calls her back, Holly has to make a choice: return to the life she built, the only life sheโ€™s ever known, or take a leap into the life sheโ€™s only just discovered. 

Is this new love enough to bridge the gap between who she was, and who sheโ€™s meant to be? Or are some worlds just too far apart?ย 

Worth the Fall is a slow burn, small-town, city girl meets country boy romance. Itโ€™ll have you believing in fate, healing, and the courage it takes to choose a life that sets your soul on fire.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/88Sc6lS

Available in KUย 

*****

Review:

Oh, the sweetness! These two together are just about perfect. From their Hallmark Channel worthy meet-cute to Holly finally finding herself, it’s just so sweet.

Grayson is the perfect mix of country gentleman and dirty talking cowboy, with just that hint of insecurity. From their very first meeting, he shows Holly all the support and understanding that she hasn’t really gotten from anyone else in her life. He’s there to help her find her way to a life that truly makes her happy.

And she does the same for him. He’s been the steadfast older brother, taking so much on his shoulders and fading into the background for a lot of years, but Holly sees him and what he needs. Taking care of him just the same as he does her. Oh my heart it is so much with the feels … and the steam.

This is the first book by Laura Beth that I’ve read but I’m confident it won’t be the last. Her characters are well developed, feel so real with real issues, and the story is a nicely paced slow burn. It’s got that small town country charm and I want to visit the farm to cuddle the goats & feed the chickens & sit around the dinner table with them all. There are three more Harts that need to find their HEA and I really want their stories ASAP.

*****

Author Info:

Laura Beth is your typical Midwestern gal who writes swoony and steamy medical romance born from her career as an RN. She lives in small town Wisconsin with her husband, toddler, adorable pup, and her own feral orange kitty. When she’s not writing about a book boyfriend who falls hard for a sassy nurse, she can be found reading all things romance, gardening, or spending time outdoors with her family. 

Connect with Laura Beth:

https://linktr.ee/authorlaurabeth

Review – Shattered

11 Thursday Dec 2025

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Shattered

Adrenalin series

by Michele Lenard

Blurb:

Some people meet cute. Theirs was court-ordered.

Ryder Vorhees was born to rideโ€”until the day he stopped.

A tragic accident stole his brother, his will to compete, and any reason to step back on a snowboard. Now heโ€™s stuck serving community service hours at the last place he wants to be: the mountain that haunts him. The only thing worse? The man in charge of babysitting him.

Hayden Chaulke lives for helping people rediscover what theyโ€™ve lost. Running a fledgling adaptive sports program is supposed to be his dream jobโ€”until his newest โ€œinstructorโ€ shows up hungover, bitter, and infuriatingly gorgeous. Hayden doesnโ€™t do lost causesโ€ฆ but Ryder isnโ€™t just anyone.

Forced to work together on the slopes, sparks fly between the surly exโ€“pro and the rule-following manager. What starts as hostility turns into something neither expectedโ€”an attraction that feels as dangerous as it is undeniable. But Ryderโ€™s ghosts are never far behind, and learning to let go might mean facing the one thing heโ€™s fought hardest to avoid: forgiveness.

Because some mountains arenโ€™t meant to be conqueredโ€”theyโ€™re meant to heal you.

*****

Review:

I enjoyed these two together so much. From the beginning, when Ryder got such a kick out of getting Hayden all riled up, finally feeling something more than his pain, they were fun together. Ryder needs someone who doesn’t know why he’s struggling, someone who won’t baby him as he lives with the loss of his brother. And while Hayden doesn’t let him get away with a lot, he does show Ryder patience and understanding when it’s important.

My only complaint was that I wish they had gotten Ryder some professional help. Hayden does what he can with the training he has had as well as his own personal experiences with losing a loved one but … Ryder just really needed someone to help him work thru his grief and his survivor’s guilt. The man is carrying a lot. A lot.

Shattered is another enjoyable installment to Lenard’s Adrenalin series, so emotional and with characters that captured me from the first page. It looks like maybe Beck finally gets his story next and I’ll be here waiting for it.

Review – Keeping Score

11 Thursday Dec 2025

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Keeping Score

Moonshot Hockey #2

by Rebecca Jenshak

Blurb:

I woke up in Vegas with hazy memories of the night before and the hottest hockey player alive wrapped around me.

Some people come to the city of sin for gambling and partyingโ€”I did one better and left asย Mrs. Travis Bennett.

My annoyingly handsome and charming neighbor has been asking me out for weeks. After nearly costing me my gymnastics career, Iโ€™ve tried to stay far away from the hot, cocky hockey player.

And now Iโ€™m legally bound to him.

When the media gets wind of our whirlwind romance, we agree to stay married until my season starts to avoid a PR nightmare.

I think itโ€™s a mistake. He thinks itโ€™s fate. And heโ€™s doing everything he can to prove me wrong.

In public, Iโ€™m wearing his ring and his jersey. At home, heโ€™s walking around shirtless, packing my lunches, and trying his best to make my heart race.

Unfortunately, heโ€™s succeeding.

This game of pretend is starting to feel a lot more real.

My new husband is keeping score, and he wonโ€™t stop until he wins my heart.

Goodreads:ย https://bit.ly/43VQjJA

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4oQ9ahk

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/HdTo8

*****

Review:

So, I loved Lucky Shot. I loved the found family the guys created, Ruby was cute & fun, and the romance was sweet. But I was struggling a little in the first half of Keeping Score. Loved, loved, loved me some Travis – all the golden retriever energy. And the relationship between the guys was just as fantastic as I remembered with the way they aren’t afraid to have the hard talks about their feelings. I liked Hannah too – her grit, determination, and hard work is admirable. I just needed her to give Travis a little more grace. That man is so much awesomeness wrapped up in a gorgeous, giving, fun-loving package and I needed her to recognize that ๐Ÿ™‚ But it definitely picked up about the halfway point. She stopped pushing him away and let herself enjoy the relationship they were building together. I didn’t mind her prickliness, just felt like it went a little too long … but maybe that’s just because I whole heartedly loved Travis.

Review – Chasing Home

09 Tuesday Dec 2025

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Chasing Home

Plain Daisy Ranch series

by Piper Rayne

Blurb:

It was straight out of a rom-comโ€”until two pink lines changed everything.

Zander Shaw is country musicโ€™s hottest star. So, when he singled me out of a packed arena and had me pulled backstage, I shouldโ€™ve known I wasnโ€™t his forever. One signed NDA later, I was sneaking onto his tour bus, wrapped up in his world, and him. But it ended before it really started when he ghosted me.

Then he shows up on my familyโ€™s ranch to film his new music video, a surprise to us both. Now Iโ€™m his appointed tour guide around the ranch, stuck sharing all my favorite places with the man who carelessly discarded me.

The more time we spend together, the harder it is to guard my heart because his flirty half-smile makes me forget my anger. But Zanderโ€™s made it clear, heโ€™s not looking to ride out into the sunset with anyone.

Which would be fineโ€ฆ if I wasnโ€™t carrying his baby.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://books2read.com/C-H
Audiobook Narrated by: Sean Masters & Holly Warren

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4naFb3h

*****

Review:

Ya know, I should know better than to think ‘oh it’s going to be another surprise pregnancy / commitment shy or troubled main character / whatever’ book when it has Piper Rayne on the cover. I really enjoyed these two together – the insta love, the baby, even the back and forth with Zander’s issues. (I just wanted to give the man a big ol’ hug!)

Because Zander definitely has some issues left over from being a foster kid. Add in his hectic, in the public eye lifestyle and it has him struggling with how to proceed once he realizes he’s caught feelings. Throw in a kid and that man is destined for a breakdown.

And even tho there is no surprise where their issues are going to come from, it works for me. Luckily he has the support of his best friend, Beau, and of course ALL the Plain Daisy crew. It takes him a while to get his head on straight but with some love and patience and a few figurative kicks to the hiney he eventually figures it out ๐Ÿ™‚

There’s a reason Piper Rayne is on my must read list and it shows from start to finish here. So much of the feels (heartache and sweet moments alike), steaminess, humor, and love from family, both born & found. They are one of my favorite authors and keep me coming back for more.

Review – Love It Or List It

08 Monday Dec 2025

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Love It Or List It

by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James

Blurb:

Former foster kid Austin Taylor has always been a loner, so when he finds out he now co-owns a dilapidated farmhouse courtesy of a deceased widow he befriended after he fixed her lawn mower, he’s inclined to keep itโ€”even if it comes with complications. 

Over a decade ago, Jose Romano became the backup parent to four kids. When he inherits half a house, he’s busy recovering from his last relationship, building a business, and making sure said kids graduate. Selling would put money in his pocket and free him from DIY hellโ€ฆ and potential entanglement with Austin, his distressingly hot co-owner. 

Unfortunately, Joe’s always been a pushover. 

With a little effort, Austin convinces Joe to fix the house before they sell. But as they handle surprise renovations, help Joe’s kids navigate high school, and accidentally adopt a quartet of furry new mouths to feed, their run-down farmhouse starts to feel like the home Austin’s never had. After a night of no-strings sex with Joe leaves Austin sure he’s found his family, he starts playing for keeps. If only he can convince Joe that Austinโ€”and the fixer-upperโ€”are worth the risk.

https://geni.us/LoveItOrListIt

*****

Review:

Love It Or List It is all slow burn, touching, feel goodness. Joe and Austin may not have much in common but after finding themselves co-owners of a house, it doesn’t take them long to figure out they make a pretty good team. And oh my gosh, it is so sweet! Joe’s relationship with the kids and how he so easily brings Austin into the fold. The way they give up so much for those they love (both 2-legged & 4-legged) without hesitation.

It’s not always easy but they are willing to put in the work. Joe is still burned from his last relationship and Austin … well, he’s never been near a good relationship much less been in one, neither friendship nor romantic. And all that comes with its own baggage and miscommunication. I totally expected a lot more drama because of it, but the authors handle it wonderfully.

I just loved the two of them together – the way they kind of accidentally slide into a relationship, complete with teenagers, pets, and a fixer-upper house is just priceless ๐Ÿ™‚ While there are definitely bumps, with a little help from meddling kids and pets and friends, they eventually figure things out.

Review – Boyfriend Without Benefits

05 Friday Dec 2025

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Boyfriend Without Benefits

The Jilted Exes’ Club Book Three

by Riley Hart

Blurb:

Anthony

Iโ€™m the last single member of the Jilted Exesโ€™ Club, and I have no plans to change that.

Iโ€™m fulfilled with my work at the club, dance classes, yoga, and the Exes. Plus, Iโ€™ve been extremely preoccupied with one Kason Maddox, the LA Rebelsโ€™ goalie. Letโ€™s just say that since weโ€™ve become friends, my eyes might drift in his general direction a little too much. But itโ€™s only looking. And looking never harmed anyoneโ€ฆ

 Eventually, our texting sessions lead to dinners out and ending our nights watching our favorite shows. But when the paparazzi catch sight of us and the photos go viral, I suddenly find out Iโ€™ve had a boyfriend and didnโ€™t knowโ€”a boyfriend without the benefits. And Iโ€™m thinking we should reconsider the benefits in this relationship if we are going to be in one.

Kason

Soโ€ฆI thought we were dating. Turns out, the guy I was dating had no idea thatโ€™s what we were doing. Friend-zoned without even knowing it. Cool. The equivalent of taking a puck to the face.

But due to an innocent little photo or two, now everyone thinks weโ€™re together, so we have three choices:

1- Stop hanging out to silence the rumors.
2- Hang out as friends and ignore the gossip blogs.
3- Start datingโ€”and both of us are aware of said dating this time.

I know which one Iโ€™m rooting for. And if I have to use a little dirty talk and some praise to shift things in my favor, Iโ€™m game.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/Caik8

Available in KU

*****

Review:

Kason has got his stuff pretty much together, which is good because Anthony needs all the help he can get. Besides all the fallout from the situation that made him a member of the Jilted Exes’ Club, his childhood left a lot of scars from being abandoned, unwanted, and not finding a place where he really fit. Kason is just the opposite and is good at reading what Anthony needs to help him feel more comfortable and confident, not just in their relationship but in general.

While I adore that Anthony is able to change the way he sees & values himself thanks to Kason’s love and positive affirmations, I really wish that someone had recommended therapy to him. He really has A LOT of baggage to work thru and talking to a professional would help him a ton. But he comes so far once he finds that person that understands him and is willing to put in the effort he needs.

While this the first in this series I’ve read (and this author for that matter), I really enjoyed myself. It’s very low angst, especially considering all the issues that Anthony has, and a pretty easy read with a whole lotta steam. While I do wish we’d gotten a little more of their dating without knowing it part, just because they were so darn cute during that part, their courtship and HEA made me happy.

*****

Author Info:

Riley Hartโ€™s love of all things romance shines brightly in everything she writes. Her primary focus is Male/Male romance but under various pen names, her prose has touched practically every part of the spectrum of love and relationships. The common theme that ties them all together is stories told from the heart.

A hopeless romantic herself, Riley is a lover of character-driven plots, many with flawed and relatable characters. She strives to create stories that readers can not only fall in love with, but also see themselves in. Real characters and real love blended together equal the ultimate Riley Hart experience.

When Riley isnโ€™t creating her next story, you can find her reading, traveling, or dreaming about reading or traveling, and spending time with her two perfectly snarky kids, and one swoon-inducing husband.

Connect with Riley Hart:
https://www.instagram.com/rileyhartwrites/