Tag: Bookish

[New Post] ARC Review: The Way We Play by Tia Louise

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Title: The Way We Play

Author: Tia Louise

Page count: 344

Published: October 7th, 2024

Publisher: The Author Agency

Genre: Romance

Received: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4/5

He’s a grumpy, retired kicker who says he only breaks things. I’m a thirty-year-old virgin with something he can break (and I don’t mean my heart)…

How does one get to be a thirty-year-old virgin?
In my case, start with being risk-averse and cautious, focused on building your career, then inherit your 12-year-old, special-needs brother. Done!
Zane Bradford appeared at the perfect time.
He takes my brother to equine therapy, he gives me rides to work, and he rescues me when I collapse in the shower. (Yes, he saw me naked.)
He says he only breaks things, but I only see him fixing everything. Heck, his job is as a repair man.
This grumpy, angry god with lean muscles, silky dark hair, and ice blue eyes has taken himself out of the game.
But massage therapy is my job, and I’m ready to play.

Rachel Wells is ruining everything.
She walks into my workplace and argues with me, talks back, defends herself.
She gives me romance books to “improve my mood,” and insists on massage therapy to ease my pain.
Chronic pain isn’t my problem—she is, with her bright green eyes and sassy attitude.
Then she tells me she’s never been kissed. (What’s wrong with the men in Birmingham?)
The more she tempts me, the more I feel my resolve weakening.
She wants to play, but I’m not going to break.

I was excited to see this pop up on my kindle. Zane is a retired football player due to injury, when ever you see him, he’s always grumpy. When you actually get to know Zane, he’s actually a huge teddy bear. He now works as a handy man for a wealthy blind woman. He likes to keep busy with the work around the house. While at work he meets Rachel who is kind and the new nurse for Miss Gina. They start off not liking one another and butting heads it’s not before long they start to see maybe it’s both the right kind of game they want to play.

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[New Post] ARC Review: Until Then my Micalea Smeltzer

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Title: Until Then

Author: Micalea Smeltzer

Page count: 346

Published: October 16th, 2024

Publisher: Valentine PR

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Received: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4/5

I never thought I’d find myself craving the small-town life, but I’ve grown to hate LA and all that comes with it. When I get canceled after a celebrity interview goes terribly wrong, I put my life in the City of Angels on hold and hide out in Parkerville, Maine. My sister has made the small town her home, and my assistant lives there, too. So it seems like the most logical place to go. Until my assistant suggests I move in with her dad.

Her very hot, rugged dad.

Who may or may not hate me after I tried to hook my sister up with him. Because rather than falling for him, she fell for his son.

Oops.

It was an honest mistake.

I fully expect Derrick to tell me to find somewhere else to hunker down, but by some miracle, he agrees to let me stay in his spare bedroom, as long as I help out.

Easy enough, right?

Izzy is an influencer that recently got cancelled for something that was not her fault. She decided that it’s the perfect time to take that long awaited break to decide if she wants to do with her career. She decided that going to Maine to be closer to her sister would be best. When she gets there, she’s in need of a place to stay she ends up at Derek’s. Derrick is a broody grump after losing his wife. I just wanted to hug him at some parts. He’s a signal dad who is on the lonely side so meeting Izzy wasn’t the plan. While reading you see the amazing chemistry that have, they have some obstacles to face with having such a big age gap so this book may not be for you. If it is your in for a sweet fun ride.

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[New Post] ARC Review: Steal My Heart by Laura Pavlov

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Title: Steal My Heart

Author: Laura Pavlov

Page count: 370

Published: January 9th, 2025

Publisher: Valentine PR

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Received: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 5/5

A Small Town, Enemies to Lovers, Workplace, Standalone Romance from USA Today and Amazon Bestselling Author, Laura Pavlov.

Henley Holloway is my boss’s daughter and I’ve been assigned to mentor her.
The problem is, I’m not looking to babysit anyone.
But I’m determined to make partner at the firm, and this is the final obstacle in my way.
So, I agree to take the little princess under my wing.
I’ll work her so hard, she’ll beg me to leave her alone.
But from the first day she walks into the office and spills scalding hot coffee on my chest—I’m
intrigued.
She’s a Harvard grad.
Her work ethic rivals mine.
She’s witty and funny and beautiful all at the same time.
I don’t want to like her.
I have a hard and fast rule about relationships, and I will not break it with my boss’s daughter.
That’s a hard no.
But she’s everywhere I turn, and I can’t seem to get enough.
Weren’t rules meant to be broken anyway?
From the moment we cross the line—I’m done for.
Henley Holloway has seeped her way into my heart, one that I didn’t even know still worked.
But sometimes loving someone isn’t enough.
I’m living proof of that.

Easton is a successful lawyer that’s a workaholic and known as a shark in the court room. He’s confident and insanely good looking. He had a hard past and due to that he doesn’t want to have a relationship. That is until he meets Henely. Easton thinks that she’s just the boss’s daughter. Before long he starts to notice that she’s able to prove him wrong. Their chemistry and banter is one that felt real. The way they were able to heal one another from their troubled pasts and how they were able to communicate through the rough patches. The personal growth, just everything stole my heart. This was a fantastic, I can’t wait to meet the others.

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[New Post] ARC Review: The Trouble With Players by J. Nathan

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Title: The Trouble With Players

Author: J. Nathan

Page count: 222

Published: June 17th, 2024

Publisher: Grey’s Promo

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Received: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 5/5

When my summer vacation is unexpectedly cut short, I have no choice but to return to the Cape Cod beach house where I’ve spent all of my summers. What I’m not expecting is for my bedroom to be taken over by Crew Burke, a college baseball player my family is hosting for the summer.

Crew may be a superstar on and off the field, but his charm is wasted on me. He thinks not giving up my room will push my buttons, but he has another thing coming. There’s nothing in this world that I hate more than baseball players, especially the ones who think they’re God’s gift to women. So, while other girls can be Crew’s one-night stand, I’ll never be with a baseball player. I despise them.

Crew and Payton start as enemies and having to live with one another along the way they realize that maybe its not so bad after all. The chemistry, banter, spice was all what kept me glued to the book, there is a twist that took me by surprise that I wanted to read faster so that I could know what happened I was speechless, which doesn’t happen often. With after reading this I’m eager to see what else Nathan has in store.

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[New Post] ARC Review: The Apple Tree by Jewel E. Ann

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Title: The Apple Tree

Author: Jewel E. Ann

Page count: 372

Published: March 23rd, 2025

Publisher: Valentine PR

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Received: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 5/5

He’s a single dad starting over in a new town. She’s a relentless flirt with a penchant for trouble, ten years younger than him, and the babysitter. What could go wrong?

Eve has just graduated from high school, but she doesn’t know what’s next aside from working at the local motel, spying on Kyle, her neighbor, and stealing apples from his orchard. If she doesn’t figure things out soon, she’ll be stuck at home and treated like a child forever.

Kyle is a single dad and the new football coach who needs a babysitter for his adorable son. When he meets Eve, there’s an instant connection because she reminds him of someone—himself. But Eve is the preacher’s daughter, off-limits, and Kyle has already had his heart trampled by his ex.

After earning his son’s affection with her homemade apple sauce and youthful spirit, Eve asks Kyle to teach her things like driving his fishing boat and shooting his hunting bow. Despite his better judgment, he agrees, but swears Eve to secrecy so no one gets the wrong idea about them.

Their playful banter and innocent flirting crosses a line, and Kyle misses the heartbreaking secret Eve’s hidden in plain sight.

When tragedy strikes, can they find their way back to each other?

This was a lovely age gap with Kyle and Eve. They have a ten-year age gap. Eve isn’t sure what she wants to do with her future battling her personal demons, all she knew was that she was tired of living with her parents. Her parents had set some high expectations being a child to a pastor. She lives in a small town, and nothing really happens until a guy named Kyle buys the farmhouse next door. Kyle needs a change from everything for him and his son. He’s going to be the new teacher/coach at the local high school. When they both see one another there is an instant connection that you instantly want more of. This was emotional that will leave you laughing and crying. I can’t wait to see how Gabby’s story is.

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