Book Review: In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde

March 15, 2026March 8, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Golden Boy Publishing
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

As the first female team owner in Major League Baseball, Reese Remington has spent her entire life preparing for this role. With a sharp mind and years of experience working behind the scenes, she’s more than qualified. But the public only sees a woman in a man’s world — not the person who’s earned their place on the field. Under constant scrutiny and pressure to prove herself, Reese can’t afford distractions.

Especially one that comes in the form of the team’s tempting field manager who questions her every decision.

Emmett Montgomery is a former All-Star turned coach who treats his players like family and the field like home. After years of running the team his way, the last thing he wants is a new boss, let alone one who seems ice-cold and laser-focused on business. But forced to spend long hours – and too many away games – side by side, he begins to see the fire beneath Reese’s control, the heart behind her ambition, and the unwavering determination to prove herself.

When heated banter turns into sizzling chemistry, professional boundaries blur and the spark between them becomes impossible to resist. But Reese is constantly reminded of how many people are waiting for her to fail, and the safest move is to keep Emmett at arm’s length – for the sake of the team, the season, and her career.

But keeping their distance is one game neither of them can seem to win.

ONE OF THE BEST EVERRRRR.

I will be thinking about this book for probably the rest of my life. IT WAS IMMACULATE Y’ALL. I was obsessed and down bad from chapter one. I LOOOOVE the fiery chemistry between Emmett and Reese. The delightful banter and sass was *chef’s kiss*. I loved having both POV’s and watching both of them FALL SO HARD.

Reese is a boss babe who took no crap and I loved the way she handled many situations. Of course it wasn’t always perfect but you could see the resilience and motivation she had to succeed. Adding Emmett into her corner was everythingggg. An elite support system.

And getting to see many of my favorite Windy City characters was exactly what my soul needed. I love the way they all love and take care of each other. The way everyone fiercely believes that family doesn’t have to be blood related. AND I AM HERE FOR IT.

I could ramble on all day about just about every dang dang scene in here. The quiet moments, the hot moments, the angry moments, it was the perfect emotionally balanced story that had me teary eye the last few chapters. What an incredible romance and I’m so happy Emmett got a story y’all!!!

AND THE FACT THAT they kept saying don’t tell me what to do, when that is an often used phrase between my husband and I??? Stop it right now.

Overall audience notes:

Sports romance
Language: high
Romance: 4-5ish open door
Violence: mild
Content warnings:

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2026

February 28, 2026 GoodeyReads1 Comment

The month of looooove.

I always love seeing all of the book covers together because the fluctuation of contemporary to fantasy to historicals is always cool to see. Reviews for these books are either out now or coming soon!

His & Hers by Alice Feeney
A Heart so Green (Fair Folk #3) by Lyra Selene
[ARC] The Cowboy’s Game (Pride and Pranks #3) by Cindy Steel
[Novella] Lonely Hearts Day by Kasie West
A Fortunate Miscalculation (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Karen Thornell
[ARC] Mail-Order Baroness (Lords of the Rockies #2) by Misty M. Beller
[ARC/ALC] The Trident and the Pearl (The Fisher King #1) by Sarah K.L. Wilson
Worth Fighting For (Meant to Be #5) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A Fate so Dark and Delicate (Compelling Fates Saga #4) by Sophia St. Germain
[Reread] From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
[ARC] A Love Most Daring (Bow Street #3) by Joanna Barker
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman
[ARC] Bridge of Betrayal (Falcon Point Historical #3) by A.L. Sowards
Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces #1) by K.M. Moronova
Jane Stays Dreaming by Britnee Meiser
Pride and Prejudice Audible Original by Jane Austen
Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen
Savage Lands (Savage Lands #1) by Stacey Marie Brown
Invictus (Esperance Trilogy #2) by Heather Frost
The Silent Canary by Angela Bricker
The Darkest Gift by Nikki Welton
[ARC/ALC] Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove #1) by Catherine Cowles
A Vow in Vengeance (Immortal Desires #1) by Jaclyn Rodriguez
Racing Hearts by Ann Adams
A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann
[ARC/ALC] The Dragon and the Sun Lotus (The Three Realms #2) by Amelie Wen Zhao
[ARC] To All the Guys I Loathed Before (Lucky in Love #3) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Half City (Harker Academy #3) by Kate Golden

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Book Review: Mourner for Hire by Caitlin Moss

February 10, 2026December 30, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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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Book Review: Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4) by Aspen Hadley

February 4, 2026January 25, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 345 pages
Author: Aspen Hadley
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ruby Jenkins is obsessed with two romance novels, and making life into an adventure. She’s always up for anything, especially flirting her way to Mr. Right.

When her latest conquest ends abruptly, she finds herself in need of a summer job. In desperation, she agrees to be the on-site nurse at a sleepaway summer camp for kids, where her younger brother will be her boss.

Ruby immediately begins picturing the romantic moments she’ll create in the mountains, but none of her daydreams included bunking with her brother and his best friend – the robot.

Nico Crawford is ex-military, and while he may look like he stepped off the cover of a magazine, to Ruby he’s always been a machine with less personality than a rock, a real side character with nothing to add to the plot.

As the weeks roll by, however, Ruby’s assumptions are put to the test. And when plot twists threaten her way of thinking, only she can decide if she’s truly ready to turn the next page.

TRYING A LITTLE TOO HARD.

I have really enjoyed this series and was looking forward to this book a lot. And I feel a bit disappointed in the story as a whole. I did enjoy many of the romance aspects. It’s really sweet and I loved how reserved and kind Nico was to Ruby. He’s a gentle giant type I could easily get behind and the little soft touches and kisses absolutely melted me.

What wasn’t working for me was the humor. While I found some funny, I found most odd? I think that’s the word I’m looking for. It just wasn’t my type of humor and thus I kind of cringed at the jokes or scenes. Ruby was trying too hard with the matchmaker aspects too and I tried to hustle past those scenes.

I think the ending came together well and I did like the extended epilogue and getting to see all of the couples again. Ultimately it’s a good series even if this was my least favorite of the bunch.

Overall audience notes: