This was really cute and sweet. I love an accidental pregnancy trope so I couldn’t really resist this one and I’m glad I gave it a chance. I 3.5 stars
This was really cute and sweet. I love an accidental pregnancy trope so I couldn’t really resist this one and I’m glad I gave it a chance. I liked how personal this book was to the author with Winnie’s hand disability being identical to her own, but I would’ve liked to get a bit more about Bo’s disability and how it affected him. I did like how they bonded over that though and how healing they were for each other. In the end though this book was a little tooo sweet for me which is why it didn’t get the full 4 stars, but I did really enjoy it. This is the first new book I’ve read since my move got really busy at the beginning of August...more
I love soccer and played it growing up so I was excited for another soccer book in this4.25 stars
"Now I don't see my idol or my enemy. I see him."
I love soccer and played it growing up so I was excited for another soccer book in this series. This was basically Kulti, but gay. Down to the big age gap and Oliver idolizing/having a crush on Gavin growing up it was veryyy similar vibes...like if Sal was a man and Reiner hadn't quite retired yet you'd get this book and I was here for it, honestly.
Something I really liked about this book was how naturally an MM storyline fit into this series. I wasn't expecting it, some romance readers never read MM and might've been put off/offended by this being included in a up till this point MF series (I'm looking at you Guild Hunter series haters...), but I liked that it wasn't a big deal to all the sudden have an MM book like it wasn't sensationalized or fetishized or cheap it just followed the same pace and feel of the previous books, but with two gay men. I've read some MM and found that a lot of it, especially MM sports romance, has a lot of secrecy, drama and characters not being out of the closet or they didn't know they were gay until they met this person, etc. etc. so it was refreshing that in this book both characters were openly out and proud. I do realize though that for sports romance especially it's more realistic for the characters to be closeted. I just liked that one or both of them coming out was never a point of contention or angst, them being gay was just completely accepted by friends, family and their whole team so the drama that inevitably happens in a romance novel got to focus on them and their issues like in a typical MF romance rather than the fact that they were gay.
I found Gavin's health issues to be a bit anti-climatic and sad, obviously lol I would've liked for that to have had a bigger moment it was kind of like, oh wow, that was it? Okay. But also wtf how was he playing soccer in such extreme pain for so long? The way the author described his chronic pain when not on the field it made no sense to me that he could run and do the things he did, but I'll take her word for it. I liked the depiction of Oliver's anxiety. I found it really realistic and as someone who also suffers from anxiety it's nice to see that represented in fiction. This author is definitely very focused on representing neurodivergent and disabled/chronic health issue characters in her books so it seems like every single character has to have something going on.
I definitely though the next book was already out in this series so I'm bummed I have to wait, but luckily that's coming out next month and it's another soccer one ...more
Both characters annoyed me and did some pretty fucked up things and made a lot of dumb assumptions (Gideon more so than Beth), but for some r3.5 stars
Both characters annoyed me and did some pretty fucked up things and made a lot of dumb assumptions (Gideon more so than Beth), but for some reason I still enjoyed this so ...more
So I had read every book in this series except this one…ngl I only skipped it because every other book is a cute short novella and then this one decidSo I had read every book in this series except this one…ngl I only skipped it because every other book is a cute short novella and then this one decided to be nearly 500 pages long (for what reason?!) and that’s too long for the mood I’m in for this series anywayyy to start a different RD series (corsair brothers) it was recommended to read this one first as it introduces the characters so I finally bit the bullet and it was pretty cute…definitely would’ve been just as good with a couple hundred less pages but ...more
This was cute. Khex was an interesting character and I liked the setup of how Ashley compensates for being hearing impaired. The slow burn f3.5 stars
This was cute. Khex was an interesting character and I liked the setup of how Ashley compensates for being hearing impaired. The slow burn friends-to-lovers aspect was also done well and then the authors note at the end was really sweet. I didn’t realize Ruby Dixon was hearing impaired so that made this story extra impactful....more
First re-read: 1/19-20/2024 Never did get around to that 'rtc', whoops, and I'm not gonna review it for real now either First re-read: 1/19-20/2024 Never did get around to that 'rtc', whoops, and I'm not gonna review it for real now either ...more
This book was interesting... I've been in a mafia/morally-gray-H mood and this wasn't so much mafia as weird secret society that was never fu3.5 stars
This book was interesting... I've been in a mafia/morally-gray-H mood and this wasn't so much mafia as weird secret society that was never fully explained so I'm still ~*confused*~ about all that, but Alessio definitely fit the bill for morally gray. The author decided to keep the reader in the dark about Natalia's motives and backstory so I spent the first half of this book real confused about what the hell she actually wanted and who she was. The story really picks up around the 40% mark. I honestly had no idea where this story was going.
It was interesting to have a mute, scarred heroine and see how she interacts with the world, how she's treated and how she uses anyone's underestimation of herself against them. Alessio was a confusing character to get to know, I have no idea why he has the job he has when he's one of the exalted, essentially 'royal' members of The Society...feels a bit beneath him and unduly dangerous, but whatever. Nino was a cute kid and really rounded out the story and characters. Overall, a decent read that kept me engaged and wanting to figure out how it all ends....more
I was nervous going into this one because people either seem to love it a lot or absolutely hate it and DNF, happy to say I loved it. I love sports roI was nervous going into this one because people either seem to love it a lot or absolutely hate it and DNF, happy to say I loved it. I love sports romances and I’m predisposed to extra love soccer romances because I played for most of my life so that aspect was exciting to me. Ryder’s soccer situation was pretty tragic though and I wish he could’ve still played but that would’ve been too much fictional magic I guess. I love a strong, broody, silent type and in this case Ryder was actually silent because he’s insecure about using his voice after losing his hearing. I liked the deaf representation. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it felt really well researched and I feel like I learned a lot about deafness that I didn’t know before so that was cool.
Ryder and Willa were the definition of kids on the playground pulling pigtails and pinching each other, but their juvenile banter worked for me. I liked how accepting Willa was of Ryder and that she never made him feel like he had anything to apologize or make up for. They were both a bit too stubborn and secretive, but as romances do ~✨it all worked out in the end✨~.
I could’ve done without Willa’s tragic mom storyline ...more
I'm in the process of moving across the country and finally finished this book after not being able to read at all for a week because I was so busy paI'm in the process of moving across the country and finally finished this book after not being able to read at all for a week because I was so busy packing so my perception of this book isn't super coherent. I will say it picked up once the bear shifters and other past characters we know and love make an appearance. I think there are so many characters who's stories I'm waiting for: Nikita/Anthony, the head of blacksea shifters, Alice Eldridge is hopefully going to come back as a character she was cool...etc etc so I was surprised we got a book about two completely unknown characters. Canto is a Mercant so we got to see a bit more of his family which was interesting. He's also permanently wheel chair bound which I've never read a book with a hero with that disability so that was cool. Canto and Payal have a tragic shared past experience that bonds them and that was cute to see manifest in their adult relationship. But overall I felt like this was a strange direction to go for the series right now, but in Nalini's eyes probably necessary because of all the anchor/substrate world building she wanted to incorporate into the net issues apparently and we didn't have any known anchor characters so it makes sense that she introduced new people. Idk this wasn't a bad book but it also wasn't the most exciting. I love this series so anything Nalini gives me is welcome, but I'm hoping I love the next book a lot more. For now my rating is 3 stars we'll see how I feel if I get to re-read this in the future without a big interruption....more
This just had a few too many cliches and some not so great writing. I wanted better tension built between the H&h, the build up to intimate s2.5 stars
This just had a few too many cliches and some not so great writing. I wanted better tension built between the H&h, the build up to intimate scenes wasn't really there and the H was a bit to wishy washy for me.
This book took place in Dubai which added a little something something to the story because it had a lot of cliche tropes and things going on: -22 yo virgin -moonlights as a stripper -(view spoiler)[surprise virginity auction (hide spoiler)] -coworkers: assisstant/boss -druggie brother's debt she's paying off -shitty mom who only gets worse and then a lack luster resolution -poor girl/rich guy dynamic -he also has shitty parents -disabled ex-marine
Overall this wasn't the worst and it was easy to read, but had me cringing or a little bored quite often....more
So I don’t love this one quite as much as Ellen O’Connell’s novels featuring Native Americans, but readFirst read: 5/2-3/2020 First re-read: 1/1-4/2023
So I don’t love this one quite as much as Ellen O’Connell’s novels featuring Native Americans, but reading about a bounty hunter and a woman who can’t speak in a forced proximity/marriage of convenience situation on horseback chasing criminals all over western and midwestern America in the late 1800’s is pretty fun.
Something I feel dumb for not fully realizing during my first read is that Bret’s family isn’t only pissed at him for joining the union in the war when they full on supported the confederacy, but pretty sure they owned slaves…and that’s why they’re so bad off after the war ...more
Yeah, so...again, I’m changing my rating from 3 to 4.5 stars after a re-read two years later. Idk what was up with me in 2018, but I definitely enjoyeYeah, so...again, I’m changing my rating from 3 to 4.5 stars after a re-read two years later. Idk what was up with me in 2018, but I definitely enjoyed this a lot more this time around. This has a few of my favorite tropes and while there’s definitely a lot of unbelievable stuff (*cough* computer genius that can’t figure out who sent an email and tampered with his files? *cough*) it worked for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think the reason I wasn't as into the books that followed book 1 of this series is because the h's are so different from Mack and so similar to each other. Mack is this badass virgin kickboxing take no shit woman and after her all the heroines have experienced extreme sexual, physical and emotional abuse and they're not kicking ass and taking names by any means, which is totally fine, but it's a lot darker and heavier and maybe I wasn't up for that in 2018, idk, but with a fresh perspective I'm really enjoying the darker ones more this time around....more
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