Book Review: Rewind it Back (Windy City #5) by Liz Tomforde

June 7, 2025May 26, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 491 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Entangled/Self Published
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

HALLIE

When I was eleven, my family moved next door to his.
When I was thirteen, he was my first crush.
When I was sixteen, we fell for each other.

And when I was nineteen, we broke each other’s hearts.

Six years later, I’ve landed an internship with a big-name interior designer in a new city. Unfortunately, that city just so happens to be the one he plays hockey for.

I thought Chicago was big enough to avoid him, until I get the surprise of a lifetime and unknowingly move in right next door. Even worse? The renovation project I’m assigned to in hopes of turning that internship into my full-time dream job…

It’s his house.

But how am I supposed to update his bachelor pad into a family home when we can’t even stand to be in the same room?

I may have loved Rio DeLuca once, but I’m not that same girl anymore.

RIO

I never thought I’d be the only single one left in my friend group. But after years of trying to find love, I’ve concluded it may not exist for me anymore.

That is, until I accidentally hire Hallie Hart to renovate my house and our jaded history has me rewinding memories I’ve kept secret for years.

You see, there’s something that my friends don’t know.

That connection I’ve been looking for since I moved to Chicago, that one person some search their entire lives to find . . . I had already found her when I was twelve years old.

And now the only girl I’ve ever loved is moving into the house next door.

Again.

Rewind It Back is the fifth and FINAL book in the sensational Windy City series which has gripped over a million readers across the world. But don’t worry if you’re new round here, you’ll still love it as a standalone!

MY LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

This book was everything I could have hoped for AND MORE. I love that we got Rio’s book and that he got one of the most romantic second chance stories ever. And childhood friends to lovers? ELITE.

One of my favorite subtle things was about Rio’s character. There were some nuanced aspects to him that I was obsessed with and would love to see in more romances too. He’s one of the most down bad men I’ve ever read and I am here for it all.

And another moment I loved with my whole being was the COMMUNICATION. Hallie hit it out of the park and I could not be more in love with her character. There were some key scenes that had me cheering. This is how you write romance. Swoony, relatable, and with actual adult conversation.

The banter and heat was amazing. I loved the soft slow burn between Hallie and Rio. They are the definition of soul mates and the flashback chapters only added to that charm. I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks so I loved how these played a part. There were important and nuanced scenes that only added to my love for these two.

Absolutely in my feels over seeing all ten of these characters together one last time. The family scenes were everything and I will miss everyone so dang much.

BRB gotta go reread and highlight my book [again].

Overall audience notes:

Hockey Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3-4 open door
Violence: low
Content warnings: infidelity (side characters), a parent with cancer (does not die)

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ARC Book Review: Seas the Dating Coach (Wilks Beach #1) by Laura Langa

June 6, 2025June 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: June 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Seizing the day is great—but snagging a dating coach is better.

All I wanted was to finally say hi to my longtime crush. Instead, I slipped on a puddle of coffee and landed in the arms of Finn Reynolds—the infuriatingly charming newcomer in town. When I tried again, I got utterly tongue-tied. Now I’m blushing, flustered, and somehow caught in Finn’s ridiculous proposition.

With plans to become our library’s next director, Finn has one major winning over the standoffish locals. If I agree to shift popular opinion in his favor, he’ll become my personal dating coach. I’m more fluent in fictional dukes than real-life flirting, but I’m also ready to step out of my shell.

As we navigate trial dates along the seaside and late-night pep talks, I start to feel more confident—more myself. And the way Finn looks at me? It’s impossible to ignore the sparks between us—or how sizzling those practice kisses are.

But Finn’s hiding a big secret—one that doesn’t stay buried for long. And the truth turns out to be a plot twist I definitely didn’t see coming.

Enjoy the playful banter and sizzling kisses of this dating coach, secret identity, small beach town, closed-door/kisses-only romance by grabbing your copy TODAY!

Seas the Dating Coach is the first book in the Wilks Beach Series, but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A SWEET READ.

For someone who is hit/miss on the dating coach trope I enjoyed this book a lot! I thought the banter and flirting were great and let me tell y’all, there were so many kissing scenes??? I love a a good heated kissing scene.

The relationship dynamics between Finn and Vivian were wonderful. I loved that they pushed each other to step outside comfort zones, lean on each other and find that strong bond of trust. I absolutely think these two have a HEA that surpasses the end of this book. There were multiple sweet and tender moments that made my heart squeeze.

I also really appreciated how the third act was handled as well as some of the background reveals between characters. Things could have easily gone sideways and blessed be, they did not. I love when characters communicate and trust the person they have gotten to know to explain themselves first before jumping to conclusions.

Laura Langa continues to deliver fantastic closed door romances.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Content warnings: a manipulative father

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Book Review: Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier

June 6, 2025April 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 672 pages
Author: Juliet Marillier
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 22nd, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A magnificent saga set in the Celtic twilight of 10th century Ireland, when myth was law and magic was a power of nature, brilliantly brought to life: the legendary story of an evil stepmother opposed by a seventh child.

The keep at Sevenwaters is a strange, remote place, guarded by silent men who slip through the woodlands clothed in grey, and keep their weapons sharp. Invaders roam outside: raiders from across the sea bent on destruction. But now there is also an invader inside the keep: the Lady Oonagh, a sorceress as fair as day, with a heart as black as night.

Oonagh captivates Lord Colum and his six sons, but she cannot enchant his daughter, Sorcha. Frustrated in her attempts to destroy the family, Oonagh binds the brothers with a spell only Sorcha can lift. If she fails, they will die.

When the raiders break through, Sorcha is taken captive. Soon she will find herself torn between her duty to break the curse and a growing, forbidden love for her captor.

BEAUTIFUL.

This book really grew on me. It started off pretty slow, but the further I got into it and the more I grasped the writing style the deeper the connection to the characters became. It’s a harrowing journey of love and loss and the strength it takes to move forward when everything is pushing you back.

I loved the historical elements and how they played in to the fantastical. I loved Sorcha. I ached for her at her lowest and cheered for her at her highest. The resilient nature she possessed was, at times, unfathomable. I loved how much she continually cared when others kept trying to make her hard.

There’s a subtle and soft romance that’s woven into this book too. I loved the intensity and sacredness of it and how the relationship came to be. The tension is palpable and all of the action scenes had my heart in my throat. I loved the balance of quiet and loud, I adored so many of the side characters and love the vibes of an older fantasy book.

I’m not sure if I’ll read the next? This was a standalone and the next book has a big time gap between the two. Maybe one day!

Overall audience notes:

Historical Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: fade to black
Violence: high
Content Warnings: rape (on page and recounted), animal death, blood/gore depiction

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ARC Book Review: Call of the Loon by K. Sinko

June 5, 2025May 31, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: K. Sinko
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s 2020. Tea Richards sold off all of her apartment furniture and watched her master’s graduation on Zoom, with no future job prospects and nowhere to go. Her mother is on the front lines working at hospitals to fight the disease, so going home to New Jersey wouldn’t be safe. Instead, her mother suggests joining her grandparents at their cabin up at Silver Falls in Minnesota for the summer, a place she has avoided since her last visit when she was eighteen. It’s the only choice she has, even if it forces her to finally face her grief. But at least there’s open air, blue skies, golden sunsets, and less people she’ll have to deal with.

Until the boy next door knocks on the screen door.

Archer Vincent has spent every summer at the lake helping his family run Wild Pines Resort, and this year is his first as the resort’s manager. But throw a global pandemic into the mix, and nothing seems to be going to plan. Especially now that Tea Richards is back for the summer, and even though he hasn’t seen her in years, his boyhood crush on her remains. Despite his best made plans to keep everyone at the resort safe, Archer can’t help breaking his own rules over and over again, all so he can get one step closer to the girl that got away.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUMMERTIME LOVE.

I loved how much this felt like SUMMER. It really made me want to run off and find a lake and sailboat to enjoy a hot day on the water. I love when a book can bring out such beautiful and engaging setting.

Having dual POV is always a bonus for me and I loved getting both Archer and Tea’s thoughts and mannerisms. I liked the instant rekindling of chemistry they had upon seeing each other and that they finally communicated a bit to be able to most forward from the past. I don’t love flashback chapters so it was great not to have those in this second chance romance. I felt like I still got the information I needed and it made the pacing much more smooth.

I just don’t think I was quite ready for a pandemic romance though. I don’t feel far enough removed from those years to be able to read about them. I do think the author wrote those aspects with care and mindfulness so that’s not an issue at all.

I love having heated closed door authors to read and K. Sinko continues to be a favorite. I always look forward to her characters, romance, and storylines.

Overall audience notes: