Book Review: Chasing the Rush (Football and Feels #2) by Lauren Rowe

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 381 pages
Author: Lauren Rowe
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release Date: July 28th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Rudy  meets  Moneyball  in a sexy yet warm-hearted, second-chance football romance for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey, Monica Murphy, Kristen Callihan, and Lucy Score, as the analytical, math-nerd, type-A daughter of a tough love coach is assigned to babysit the team’s adrenaline junkie pass rusher.

Chelsea Parker, 26, knows football, thanks to growing up with a football coach for a father and two linebackers for brothers. But Chelsea’s true passion has always been crunching numbers to predict statistical outcomes for everything from football to stocks to romance. Chelsea dreams of merging her two passions to become the first female head of analytics for an NFL team. But for now, she’s got to convince the powers-that-be at her father’s new team, the Mastodons, the worst in the NFL, to give her that entry-level position in the front office.

Luca Maguire, 26, a pass rusher and adrenaline junkie with a famous last name, knows this upcoming training camp with his new team, the Mastodons, will likely be his last, if he can’t get out of his own way long enough to make the cut. The dire nature of his circumstances is the only reason Luca didn’t quit on the spot when Coach Parker assigned his daughter, Chelsea, a statistics-loving, spreadsheet-making math nerd, as Luca’s “personal coach” for the duration of camp. More like his babysitter, if you ask Luca.

Well, okay, Luca didn’t quit for that reason and another the thing that happened seven years ago between Luca and Chelsea as strangers, when Luca’s college football team stayed at the same hotel as Chelsea’s mathletes squad. Luca would never admit this to Chelsea, especially not with her being Coach’s daughter and the newly assigned bane of his existence, but the truth is Luca hasn’t stopped thinking about that cute little mathlete who ditched his ass seven years ago, right before their clothes came off, ever since.

Thank you RB Media for the gifted audiobook.

YEAH, NO.

Unfortunately I think this was my first and last book form Lauren Rowe.

I struggled from the beginning. The awkward lust/innuendo + almost one night stand was not for me. But I felt obligated to keep going. And I will say it did get better. It did. I liked different bits and pieces yet nothing every came together well enough for me to give this more than two stars.

Chelsea came across as a nepotism hire. She genuinely didn’t have actual coaching experience yet was frustrated when nobody wanted to give her a chance. I understand that her big thing was stats + numbers, but Chelsea acted as if her word was law in regards to players getting better. I was turned off from this the entire book.

I skipped over the open door scenes, though based upon how cringy I found the innuendo, I think I would have not liked those whatsoever either.

DON’T EVEN get me started on the third act. “You have to set someone free to follow their dreams” NONSENSE. I’m so tired of that third act. COMMUNICATE PLEASE. Then there were odd time jumps before they finally got back together.

Well, the duet narration was great. No complaints about the audiobook production…just about everything else.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: 4+ open door; moderate-high innuendo
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: Unending (The Unseelie Duology #2) by Ivelisse Housman

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Author: Ivelisse Housman
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Release Date: September 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this high-octane conclusion to the Unseelie duology, two sisters discover that the things that make them different can lend them more power than they ever imagined.

Isolde Graygrove has always put her changeling twin sister first. But ever since Seelie returned from the faerie realms with a newfound confidence in her magic and secrets she’s keeping even from her twin, Isolde can’t help but wonder: who is she, if not her sister’s protector?

Seelie knows there are some problems even magic can’t solve. Like the distance between her and Isolde, the terror of her growing and unfamiliar emotions for Raze, or the fact that the world’s last firedrake has imprinted on her like a baby duckling. Still, she can’t help but try.

When Seelie accidentally splinters the three realms, tangling the human and faerie worlds together into something new, the vicious faerie Gossamer is determined to take full advantage of the chaos unleashed. Seelie and Isolde will need to spill their secrets, decide who they can trust, and navigate the sinister glamour of the faerie courts to save humankind and fae alike.

GOOD CONCLUSION.

I liked this one! It was a good hidden gem for young adult fantasy. The multiple POV dynamic worked well and I felt as if things wrapped up well and it was satisfying to finish the audiobook.

The strong bond between these sisters was my favorite part. I love seeing such a tight relationship and how the ups and downs don’t damage the core of the connection. There was a bit of romance for both FMC’s and I thought it was sweet and didn’t overwhelm the plot (because this felt like it should be more FANTASY than ROMANCE). The twists were enjoyable and it was an easy read to move through.

I look forward to reading another book from this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Empire (Heir Duology #2) by Sabaa Tahir

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 528 pages
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: GP Putnam’s
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The gripping conclusion to the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic fantasy duology that began with HEIR, from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author Sabaa Tahir.

A crumbling empire.
An ancient evil.
A lost homeland.
A lie that could destroy the world.

In the crumbling Martial Empire, crown prince Quil Farrar and his aunt, Empress Helene, are losing a war against the vicious Kegari horde. Quil’s armies dwindle, his faith falters, and the woman he loves vanished months ago, leaving him brokenhearted. Torn between his duty to his people and his desire to discover Sirsha’s fate, Quil embarks on a dangerous quest for aid—from the most treacherous of allies.

Sirsha Westering finds herself tethered to Div, an ancient evil unleashed by a terrible tragedy. Div delights in tormenting Sirsha, hungering for her magical heart. Even as Sirsha struggles for control of her own fate, she is desperate to shield Quil from Div’s destructive power. But Div won’t release Sirsha without a fight. To earn her freedom, Sirsha must uncover Div’s past—and face horrors in her own.

Cero bet-Dafra, former right hand of the Kegari leader, Aiz, now finds himself pitted against her. As Aiz slips further into violence and delusion, Cero must discover if his people have any hope of a future or if they’re condemned to an unending cycle of violence. His journey will force him to confront hidden truths, ancient secrets, and a lie that could destroy the world.

In Empire, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir returns to the expansive world of fury and vengeance of Heir, weaving a story of legacy and rebellion, of loyalty and freedom, and of what it means to confront the monsters that lurk within us all.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

NO NOTES.

Maybe a lot of notes.

But I also don’t want to spoil one thing for anybody so I shall maintain my vague commentary but TRUST that this book was epically beautiful and I loved all the things and you should read it please!!!

Alright anyways, this is exactly the type of ending I have been hoping for in regards to this story. I was locked in to every POV and every moment. I love the multiple POV and the way each storyline impacts the overall plot. I also listened to part of this on audio and there are multiple narrators for each POV so it is definitely a format you should read!

The situations that arose made sense and I knew some of them were coming and while they TORE MY SOUL APART I also understood. Nobody writes fantasy like Sabaa Tahir. The brutal world building and intricate magic system. The complicated villains that create powerful themes. The close family and friendships. And the way background romances are woven in that have you begging for every crumb. I love all of these characters so much and the arcs and growth that each exhibited.

I’m very hopeful for another spin off featuring two of the POV’s I know would provide another incredible journey. Tahir continues to be one of my favorite fantasy authors.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of life (including children), battle/war themes, near death experiences

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ALC Book Review: Fall Into Me (Willow Creek) by Juliana Smith

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 3 hours
Author: Juliana Smith
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Brimming with Southern charm, Juliana Smith is back with a new adult novella in the same world as her Willow Creek series. When Oak Ridge’s biggest wedding of the year puts Dakota and Elliot face-to-face with their exes—who just happen to be dating each other—the solution is fake date their way through the weekend.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the gifted ALC.

GOOD NOVELLA!

After enjoying Smith’s young adult novel in Willow Creek I jumped at the chance to try out this novella. It is adult!! Just going to declare that again in case you missed it. It’s closed door but there is some light innuendo and overall adult vibe to the story.

I LOVED the duet narration. Gosh it’s just the best way to listen to a book. Both narrators did a fantastic job and it was easy to lock into this romance.

The fake dating to get back at exes isn’t always my favorite because I feel like the exes play too much into the story (and that did happen here to a degree) but I loved all of the moments that Dakota and Elliot had together. There’s a good amount of wedding shenanigans alongside times where they got to be by themselves. I loved the contrasting personalities and the banter. Elliot is such a cinnamon roll and I loved his nature. And I loved that SHE was the professional bull rider.

Things move quickly but without feeling like it’s insta-love. I thought the connection came across genuine and I would love to see these two pop up in a future Willow Creek book to see how they are doing.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance Novella
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses; light innuendo

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