Tag: indie author

Book Review: The Check Down (Lacey Bros #1) by Brandy Pelletier

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Football Romance
Length: 346 pages
Author: Brandy Pelletier
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 8th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s the superstar tight end staging a comeback. She’s the hit he never saw coming.

For ten-year NFL veteran Griffin Lacey, football is life. Months after being released from his team due to a season-ending injury, he’s given an unexpected opportunity—a one-year contract to play for his hometown team. His game plan is clear: play to win, no distractions. But a fender bender on the way to the first home game changes everything.

College literature instructor Brynn Nelson is thirty and not thriving. Trapped in a dead-end relationship and stuck in a city that has never felt like hers, every day seems to blur into the next. When she accidentally rear ends a sports superstar, the chance encounter makes her long to break free from the rut she’s in. He offers to show her the magic of her adopted city, and through their adventures, she reclaims her spark.

As Griffin and Brynn’s connection deepens, they discover magic of a different sort—that love happens when you least expect it.

A sexy, swoony football romance and a love letter to one of America’s most iconic cities, The Check Down is the first book in the Lacey Bros series.

A BIT GOOD. A BIT NOT SO GOOD.

Alright, after finishing this I am still very much undecided if I will continue the series. This book was not bad by any means, when you’re looking at the core of the story and the characters. There were a lot of truly sweet moments and I thought the relationship showed plenty of chemistry and a willingness to do new things and communicate and work together to get to the future they wanted.

What didn’t work for me was the high level of innuendo that started off the bat. I can generally handle some spice but when that’s combined with a bunch of innuendo (if I saw the word tits one more time…) it turns me off from the heat of the story. To me it often comes off as trying too hard to convey a certain passion when it can be accomplished it another way.

I fear if that’s the same case with book two I would be frustrated again (even if I would probably love the characters like I did here).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary football romance
  • Language: very strong
  • Romance: 4+ open door; high innuendo
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: Love Catch (The Love Playbook) by Laura Langa

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 253 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: February 13th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jilted at the game. Roommates by chance. Catching feelings by accident.

Humiliated after my MLB fiancé called off our engagement—in the middle of a baseball game, I did what any rational, rule-following girl would I climbed on top of the dugout to give him a piece of my mind.

I just didn’t expect to slip—or fall straight into the arms of Trevor Chapman.

Awkward? Totally. Except the team’s veteran catcher also happens to be my roommate. Trevor’s protective, patient, and ten years my senior—but I’m the one sharing custody of his rescue calico and handling the personal taxes for half of the Waves lineup.

To shake off my post-breakup funk, I make a list of adventures—and rope Trevor in. With every item we cross off, it’s harder to ignore that I’m catching feelings faster than Trevor snags fastballs.

I’ve already been burned by a Waves player, so letting myself fall again feels risky—even when Trevor has always been there to catch me.

Love Catch is a closed-door sports romcom featuring a jilted bride, her protective MLB roommate, and one very sweet calico rescue cat.
It’s perfect for readers who love playful banter and sizzling kisses with no third act breakup!

The Love Playbook series—where swoony athletes, laugh-out-loud romance, and happily-ever-afters meet adorable rescue animals who steal the show. Each book is a standalone, full-length, closed-door romcom featuring a different sport and an adorable pet! Books can be read in any order.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

THIS WAS CUTE.

Your girl is always after a good baseball romance because I feel like there’s not enough floating around out there. I would add this to the list if you enjoy a closed door romance with friends to lovers, two cute cats and a man who is INCREDIBLY down bad.

I loved all of the soft and quiet moments between Travis and Kenzie. Helping with animals, going to a wedding, attending games, all add up to the flirtatious pull between them. They are both sweet characters that are easy to love on and this book is only about 230 pages so it’s a perfect quick read to put a smile on your face.

I wish there had been less of the ex content because that overshadowed a large portion of the plot. I did love Kenzie finding a new strong female friendship at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Baseball romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: physical altercation

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Book Review: Smoke and Mirrors (Silver and Bone #2) by Claudia Cain

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Paranormal Mystery
Length: 310 pages
Author: Claudia Cain
Publisher: Black Sheep Books
Release Date: October 31st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two months have passed since the events at Locklear Church, and Detective Jennifer Jones and her new partner Ian Clarke are trying to leave the past behind them. But nothing stays buried in San Francisco, including the dead…

When a local attorney returns from beyond the grave, it could be seen as a miracle. However, as her investigation turns up reports of supernatural stalkers and odd murders, Jennifer begins to suspect something darker is at work.

With her job on the line, Jennifer can’t afford to make mistakes. But not everything is as it seems, and as the mystery deepens, she quickly finds herself in more danger than ever.

A GOOD SEQUEL.

I am really enjoying this series. It’s different than my usual romance reads and I loooove Jennifer Jones character so much. She’s humorous and strong willed with a soft interior. I loved watching her solve this mystery and take care of those in her group.

The whole doppelgänger concept was creepy in the best ways. It added a level of mystery that kept me intrigued. I will say (which might be from my mental state at present) but I had a hard time picking this back up. It’s GOOD, but didn’t convince me to rush through it.

Any who, it’s a wonderful book. I highly recommend this series and I can’t wait for the conclusion!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: grief depiction, murder, loss of a loved one

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Book Review: Mourner for Hire by Caitlin Moss

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 370 pages
Author: Caitlin Moss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 9th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A romantic comedy about death, forgotten pasts, and unfinished business.

Vada Daughtry is a professional mourner. For a fee, she’ll cry at your funeral, whisper invented memories, and spin tales of heartbreak. It’s a job that keeps her moving—and keeps her past buried.

But when a wrong turn leads her to a roadside bar and a mojito-soaked night with bartender Dominic Dunne, something shifts. Then she vanishes, like she always does.

Nearly a year later, Vada shows up at a funeral… and realizes the deceased is Dominic’s mother.

Now he’s grieving, furious, and stunned to learn Vada’s been left a generous piece of his mother’s estate. He knows what she does for a living. He thinks it’s all a con. Vada wants to slip away quietly—again—but the late Annabelle Dunne has other plans: haunting Vada until she completes a list of posthumous demands, starting with renovating her crumbling seaside cottage.

Drawn back to the coastal town of Shellport, Vada and Dominic are forced to confront the truth—about the past, about each other, and about a ghost of a woman who isn’t done pulling strings.

Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers tension, slow burns, and ghost stories with bite.

TURNED OUT TO BE A BANGER.

Y’all should know I have some high levels of death anxiety and I usually don’t foray into a book where that’s basically the entire premise. But I do love Caitlin Moss (and we spell our names the same so it’s only right) and wanted to give it a go anyways.

I loved how this balanced the heaviness that comes with losing a loved one and the hope and lightness of a life lived and a future that can still be what you want it to be. There’s a small mystery and a paranormal aspect to the story that works so well!! It matched the vibe of the plot and only enhanced the book.

If you’re looking for some enemies banter, look no further. This gets grouchy and maybe a touch mean as grief is navigated and truth is released. I loved that this created a genuine slow burn between Dominic and Vada though. They really grew from strangers to lovers and helped carry each other’s burdens.

The side characters are awesome, the beachside setting is lovely and those last reveals you can see coming bring the heart of this story to life. I devoured this book on a road trip and can’t wait for more CM books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3ish open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: thematically the book involves a lot of death conversation, loss of a parent, retrograde amnesia, cancer

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