Book Review: The Right Move (Windy City #2) by Liz Tomforde

December 19, 2023October 22, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 544 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

RYAN

She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.

I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.

But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.

The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.

Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.

INDY

I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.

Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.

Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.

Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.

I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all

STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Y’all. I had zero plans to binge this book in basically a day and I COULD NOT STOP LISTENING. I absolutely get the hype around Ryan Shay now and he’s officially a new favorite.

I loved that the whole vibe of this book was quiet love is the loudest. Those kind of moments are my favorite when reading a romance book and Ryan and Indy both did so many things for each other that were quiet and without fanfare that showed just how much love was between them. I was SMITTEN. And could honestly sit here and list moment after moment that was beautifully tender and heartfelt and melted me into a puddle (but also the protective and jealous moments SENT ME). I have not recovered.

I loved seeing the characters from Mile High and I love the friendships and sibling relationships. They are strong and caring and only add to how much this book sings. It’s a new sports romance favorite of mine.

Overall audience notes:

Sports Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 3-4+ open door; mild innuendo
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating (recounted), infertility discussions

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Book Review: The Holly Dates by Brittainy C. Cherry

December 18, 2023December 23, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Denise Williams
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All she wanted for Christmas was a boyfriend for the holidays…
All he wanted was for her to take her crappy first dates elsewhere…

Quirky Holly Jackson was unlucky in love, yet her romantic heart refused to give up her search for companionship—even after her fiancé left her at the altar on Christmas Eve.

Grumpy restaurant owner Kai Kane wanted nothing to do with love after his last relationship crashed and burned. Romance was the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately for him, when an eccentric Holly kept entering his restaurant nightly with a different first date, his annoyance grew.

When Kai volunteered to help Holly find a suitor it was for one reason only: to get her out of his restaurant and on to a second date with someone at a different location.

Once Kai became Holly’s dating coach, her confidence grew.

It was all going great until Kai became increasingly jealous of the connection Holly developed with another man. The more Holly fell for Kai’s pick for her, the more overprotective he became.

Kai quickly realized that all wasn’t fair when it came to love and the holidays.

He was going to have to step up his game if he wanted a shot at the ultimate prize—being Holly’s favorite date.

PRETTY SWEET.

I looooved the banter and sweet moments in this one. It was adorable and fiery in all the best ways. I was swooning left and right over Kai and his commitment to Holly. This gave me some He’s Just Not That Into You vibes and I love that movie.

What I struggled with was the balance of heavy and light. So much of this felt like it was supposed to be a light, rom-com-esque, holiday romance, but there were some sub plots that were without a doubt heavy and I didn’t know how I felt about the combination. I wish it leaned more one way or the other rather than trying to combine the two.

Aaaand the third act made me roll my eyes. I’ve seen it 100 times before, and I’ll still be upset over it 100 times more. One of those moments that you see coming and desperately hope that’s not how it’s going to play out.

I loved the holiday spirit. I LOVED Holly’s family and the fake dating scheme that went along with that. The feels were brought out anytime Kai started speaking and for the steam fans there’s a good dash here (and skippable for those like me who prefer to do that!).

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Holiday Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: multiple open; high explicit
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, infidelity, side character with cancer, parental abandonment and emotional abuse

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Book Review: Hold Back the River by Ashley Dill

December 12, 2023September 7, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Ashley Dill
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three lives shattered by trauma. Two fatal decisions. One new beginning.

Returning to his empty childhood home by the river is harder than Patrick Moore expected. His memories of the riverbank were tainted the night he was arrested and his high school sweetheart went missing. After a fourteen year prison sentence, he searches for her, hoping to find companionship and a normal life.

Julia Collins is an adrenaline-junkie with one mission: outrun grief or die trying. After being furloughed for her mental health, she’s forced into sobriety and must navigate life without her poisons of choice — tequila and her job. That’s when she hits it off with the mysterious Patrick at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Fresh hope dawns in her heart, and she wonders if she can thrive despite her secrets and enjoy life again.

But it isn’t long before currents of regret rip them apart.

Can Patrick and Julia outlive the past? Or will they succumb to the river’s fury?

Hold Back the River, a contemporary romance set in Middle Tennessee, is a heart-rending story about how a lonely soul, a guilty conscience, and a broken heart find healing together at the river.

WELL.

I think, unfortunately, this was a little over hyped for me. I very much enjoyed it, but there were some issues too. In the end I do think this was a solid debut and I would absolutely read another book by this author.

I ADORED Patrick. I loved his soft and resilient nature and when offered a second chance, gave it the best chance he could. I loved watching him fall in love, get to connect with those around him and bury the trauma of his past.

Jules, I struggled a little more with. I understood the pain she was going through and I only wish that there had been more focus on her getting the help she needed. It’s a lot more glossed over and I was missing that bit to connect with her arc.

I enjoyed the multiple POV and the heartfelt nature of the story. At times, I didn’t know where the focus was supposed to be, there was a LOT thrown in and some small plot holes popped up as a result, but its a pull at your heartstrings story at its core that I did like.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very little
Romance: make-outs
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: drug use, loss of a loved one, giving up a baby for adoption, false imprisonment, child abuse, suicide attempt and ideation

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Book Review: Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade

December 9, 2023October 13, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Holiday Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Victoria Schade
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When an old rival reappears right before the holidays, a professional dog trainer must decide if the melting frost between them can make up for their ruff past, from the USA Today bestselling author of Dog Friendly .

Chelsea Higgins is doing just fine. She’s heading into the holidays at the helm of a thriving dog training business, and she’s got a mellow senior dog at home to keep her warm at the end of the day. What more could she need? Enter certified gym bro Andrew Chelsea’s former nemesis, and now the newest neighbor in her business complex, who also wants to expand into the vacant space Chelsea’s been eyeing for months. Who cares if it’s the season of joy? Let the turf war begin.

When an unfortunate (and literal) run-in with Andrew’s lawless dog leaves Chelsea with a bum wrist, the two strike a Andrew will help Chelsea rehab the injury if she’ll work with him to train his adorably uncivilized boxer.

Their typical bickering soon turns to bantering, and Chelsea finds herself inexplicably drawn to the man she thought she had nothing in common with. As she gets to know Andrew and his parents, she realizes she needs to refocus on her own family, especially with a milestone Christmas speeding toward them. But Chelsea can’t help wondering if she and Andrew are training for keeps, or if this unexpected Christmas gift is just too good to be true.

ALL THE DOGS.

It’s been a low state of affairs for trying to find some 2023 holiday romance releases, but this was a good one!!! I thought it was really charming, had a little bit of spice, all of the dog content and some good holiday cheer.

I liked the journey that Chelsea went on. She was holding on to a lot of pent up emotions surrounding her father and a lot of misconceptions about Andrew. I loved Andrew’s views on his career and thank heavens Chelsea started to realize how much she had missed. There’s some good second chance romance vibes too. The only thing I couldn’t quite understand was the text situation?? That seemed far fetched.

The dogs (and goats) were super cute. I liked the holiday aspects and it’s a quick audiobook. I’d recommend this for the holidays if you need something great to read by the fire.

Overall audience notes: