Tag: closed door romance

ARC Book Review: Could’ve Fooled Me (Georgia Jaguars Hockey #1) by Jenny Proctor

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 26th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She married him to stay in the country. She didn’t expect him to feel like home.

Sarah Stone never meant to marry a hockey player.

She doesn’t even like hockey—too loud, too violent. But when her visa runs out and going home isn’t an option, marrying one of her brother’s teammates becomes the fastest way to stay in the country.

Carter Williamson is boyishly handsome, charming, and exactly the kind of man who makes a temporary marriage feel dangerous in all the wrong (right?) ways. He respects the rules, takes the pretending seriously, and somehow manages to make her feel safer than she has in years.

Which is inconvenient because he’s also determined to keep things strictly business.

Or so he says. Something about the way he looks at her makes Sarah think he’s struggling as much as she is to remember their marriage is fake.

But then a crisis on the ice sends them both into a tailspin, and Carter and Sarah have to decide if the fragile life they’ve built together is one they want to fight for.

This was supposed to be paperwork. Not feelings.

Definitely not love.

Could’ve Fooled Me is a marriage of convenience closed-door hockey romance with chemistry, tension, and steamy kisses…but ONLY kisses on the page.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

LOVELY AS ALWAYS.

I mean, who could resist a Jenny Proctor + marriage of convenience book? BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN’T. I loved this book so much!! I am so excited to be at the start of another JP series and all the goodness it will hold. I am already sat for the MMC’s I suspect are coming and I am always down for a hockey romance.

I adored how soft this romance was between Sarah and Carter. It’s filled with this sense of slow burn longing and tension. The yearning comes into play and I was a goner. Swoony and heartfelt and I loved a man who falls first. Carter and Sarah both kept finding ways to show up and support each other and that makes these too immensely easy to fall in love with.

There was definitely hockey content, I love the twin brothers idea, I’m always down for a my wife moment and more. And EXCUSE ME? The kisses are hot y’all. So very hot.

If you’ve been wanting to try a Jenny book [I would first tell you that you can’t go wrong starting anywhere] BUT starting here is a great option too! She continues to be one of my all time favorite romance authors and I always look forward to the loving stories she writes.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: mentions of child abuse (recounted), hockey injury, pregnancy/childbirth, panic attacks (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: You and Me, For Real by Hayley Elliot

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: You and Me, For Real
Publisher: Lighthearted Reads Publishing
Release Date: August 14th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She swore she’d never be in front of the camera again, but now she’s falling for a Hollywood heartthrob with a tabloid-worthy secret.

Former child reality star Ashton Reid is done with fame and dreams of a quiet life and finally opening her own animal rescue. But establishing a non-profit requires funding and, therefore, publicity. For Ashton, this means facing her crippling anxiety anytime a camera is pointed in her direction. Despite her best efforts to avoid all things Hollywood, when celebrity Griffin Ford rushes into her shelter carrying an injured dog—with his impossibly muscled arms and notorious abs—she’s helpless against those almond eyes. The dog’s eyes, that is.

Actor Griffin Ford is desperate for his first meaningful role. Tired of being seen as nothing more than washboard abs on an angsty teen drama, he’s agreed to a fake relationship with his co-star to guarantee the lead in her father’s next movie. But when the contract requires more than he’s bargained for, he begins to question the future he always imagined. To take back some ownership of his life, Griffin adopts a new dog—despite being clueless about pet ownership.

Drawn to Ashton’s authenticity, Griffin recruits her to train his new rescue. In return, Griffin helps her navigate publicity and social media for her foundation. Outside the glow of Hollywood, it doesn’t take long for Ashton to see that Griffin is more than the hunk he portrays on TV. As their professional and personal lives intertwine and their attraction grows stronger, their chemistry becomes undeniable. But when the heat of the spotlight threatens to expose Ashton’s past and Griffin’s secret, the two must fight for what’s real between them, or risk becoming another casualty of fame.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

HOW CUTE.

That’s the vibe. It’s a ultra sweet rom-com that is meant to be light hearted and I always enjoy picking up one of these books. All of the dog content was fun too. I don’t think I’ve read a book with this much dog information and as someone who used to work with them, it was a nice throwback.

Griffin and Ashton were just flipping cute together. I loved the depth of the moments they had together alongside the humorous and flirty texts. There were some solid friendships too that I think added to the plot and made this an easy read.

There was some pieces of the drama that aren’t my favorite type to read about and I wish played a smaller role. All in all though, I think this was a wonderful debut and I look forward to future books from Hayley!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: strained parent relationships

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Book Review: The Escape Plan (Only Magic in the Building) by Katie Bailey

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 310 pages
Author: Katie Bailey
Publisher: Eleventh Avenue Publishing
Release Date: April 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When there’s no escaping the plans life has for you…

Beckett McCarthy’s beloved Gran always taught him to find magic in mundane, everyday things. But since she died, he no longer feels any magic.

In fact, he feels nothing at all.

So, when he has an opportunity to spend a summer abroad in Serendipity Springs, he’s expecting little more than a change in scenery.

Until Keeley Roberts—quite literally—falls into his life.

From their first chaotic encounter in a stuck elevator, Beckett and Keeley can’t seem to stay apart.

Not that Becks is complaining. He’s enchanted by his beautiful, feisty new neighbor; drawn to her in a way he can’t explain… until they discover an invisible string that’s been connecting them all this time.

It’s as if fate itself has conspired to bring them together.

But with Beckett soon returning to Ireland and Keeley’s dream job hanging by a thread, is fate enough to keep their love alive… or will they need a little magic?

SEND ME TO IRELAND.

I enjoyed this book so much. I thought it was a good wrap-up to the series (and can still totally be read alone, the epilogue in this one just highlights the previous couples a little).

I loved the magical realism aspect. I thought it was subtle and made the moment just right. All of the times they ended up locked in together caused an incredible amount of chemistry and connection to form. It was swoony and heated and I think Katie Bailey has some of the best kissing scenes around.

The journey was good and I looooved Beckett and his family. A rambunctious bunch who loved so big and I appreciated how they helped Beckett realize he needed to start living his life for him. And I loved Keeley’s arc too. She is spunky and fun and learned to let go of some past hurt to have a fulfilling relationship with Beckett.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: Objection to Love (Greenbank Romances #3) by Karen Thornell

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 295 pages
Author: Karen Thornell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 2nd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One thing is for sure… law school was way easier than love.
September Miller has a ten-year plan for success, and it doesn’t include a personal life. So why does it hurt that her colleagues think she’s a bore and never invite her anywhere? And, more importantly, why is she enlisting her new next-door neighbor to fix that?

Garrett has barely moved in but somehow he’s already caught up in helping his neighbor learn how to have fun. It’s selfless of him and has absolutely nothing to do with finding the uptight lawyer attractive.

But maybe agreeing to spend every Saturday together wasn’t the best plan for either of them. September’s plans can’t be abandoned and there’s an expiration date on how long Garrett will be around. So what are they supposed to do when more than just Saturdays start to look appealing?

Objection to Love is a sweet romance with plenty of laughs and a happily ever after. It is the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone.

SO CLOSE.

This was SO FLIPPIN’ CLOSE to a five star read for me. I loved 85% of this book. The banter was perfect. Had me laughing and smiling along with Garrett and September. I even liked all of the lawyer puns. They were woven in really well and the writing had me wrapped up in this romance. I looove that Garrett had big golden retriever energy and wanted to help Em realize there is much more to life than working and trying to continually please your parents.

There were many little adventures and dates that had me swooning and loving every minute. I liked the adventure atmosphere and the combination of all of these little things that brought these two together.

BUT THEN. There was a third act break-up that honestly made me so cranky. I can’t get behind a single reason Em had for needing to end things with Garrett. Frankly, I’m still salty about it. Everything wrapped up fine after that debacle, but at that point my love had been lost. It’s a good book and if you don’t mind a traditional third act then I’d say go for it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kissses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: brief mention of loss of a father, references to child birth (side character), fetal surgery (side character), small physical injuries (i.e. sprained ankle)

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