Tag: lynn painter

ARC/ALC Book Review: First and Forever by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the audiobook and Berkley for the eARC (gifted).

WORKED FOR ME!

I devoured this book in a few hours the other evening because I needed a pick me up and Lynn Painter always delivers on that front. I love her romances and the brighter feeling they always leave me.

This was one of her softer, low angst/tension romances. Connor and Duffy just work. They have an awkward meet cute that leads to them falling in love. These little moments throughout added up to such a sweet story. I loved the way Connor showed up for Duffy in the most meaningful ways. And how Duffy returned those sentiments too.

There was enough football content for me to say that it counts as a sports romance (my fav) and I think it would be so fun to see more books with Duffy’s brothers?? One can hope. I even found myself a little teary eyed during a few scenes too. This hit all the notes I was hoping for when I picked it up. Is it perfect? No, but I love the joy of the right book finding you at the right time.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent(s), grief depiction, a grandfather with dementia

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ARC Book Review: Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: Upper YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: September 30th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Childhood sweethearts reunite in a hockey-loving town where romance is about to heat up the ice. Icebreaker meets  Better Than the Movies.

From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable as kids. Until Dani moved away. Years later, Dani is back in Minnesota, and exited to reconnect with the nerdy and comforting Alec. But teenage Alec is NOTHING like the boy she remembers. He’s the hockey STAR in a town where hockey players are worshipped as gods – and he loves it. 

When one thing leads to another and Dani and Alec find themselves thrown together and playing the role of boyfriend and girlfriend, “complicated” becomes an understatement. In this Minnesota town, hockey may rule, but romance is about to take its place.

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted ARC and eARC.

WHAT A GEM.

I have read all of Lynn Painter’s books and honestly, not one has missed. I love knowing that I can pick up her books and I know that I will love the story and characters and have a boost of joy in my day.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a hockey romance and this scratched that itch. I loved the teammates and games and the tense moments of not knowing what was going to happen next. I ADORED Alec and his snark and passion. He was aggressive (in a complimentary way) and the kissing scenes were light your kindle on fire worthy.

And I really loved Dani too. As a fellow child of divorce I recognized many of the same sentiments and thoughts. Alec and Dani had incredible chemistry and I could not get enough of them on page. Amidst the drama filled moments they kept finding ways to be together.

OH, And Grandpa Mick??? LOVE THAT MAN. And Dani’s Mom. And Alec’s family. And Alec and Dani’s friends. Honestly, I loved all of these characters. I love that the antagonists were kept to a small circle and that I got to read about good friends and families figuring life out with love and kindness.

The more I write this review the more I am realizing how much I loved this book. You must go read it!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very strong (too strong for YA)
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: mild+
  • Content warnings: divorced parents, physical altercations, underage drinking

ARC Book Review: Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.

As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.

Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?

Thank you Berkley Romance for the gifted eARC.

OH I ADORED THIS.

It’s not a secret that I’m a big Lynn Painter fan. They just give me that shot of dopamine that I am always needing and I had a blast reading MFEO. It had me laughing and smiling and swooning all over the place. Is it totally cheesy? YOU BETCHA. Go for the vibes, it’s a delight.

I might be able to nitpick a few things about the plot but by the end I thought certain points were circled back to and answered and I was good with those conclusions.

The banter was, as always, top tier between Abi and Declan. I was a sucker for the nicknames and made up stories. All of the fake dating and millionaire aspects were incredibly fun. It felt unrealistic in a realistic way that made it one of those perfect picks for a summer romance. I loved the charm and heated moments. AND THE SWEET TENDER ONES SENT ME. Gosh these two were flipping adorable. Declan is a man who fell HARD. Loved it. Loved it all.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2ish open door; low/vague explicit

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ARC Book Review: Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies #2) by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 440 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.

For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.

Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.

Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.

Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted ARC.

SMITTEN.

I enjoyed this story so dang much. I love Wes and Liz and I loved seeing how their relationship progressed through this book. It’s messy and complicated, has a bit of drama and struck many chords of life in college and figuring things out. I loved watching the character growth for both Wes and Liz. Each had some tough truths to learn and adapt from and I love that they found their way back to each other in the end.

And this is a subtle baseball romance?? Heck yes. I could not get enough of the baseball content and I loved Liz’s college job! I think it worked perfectly for this story and added to the necessity of some good ol’ forced proximity moments that I crave.

The side characters were fantastic too. I loved all of Wes’s teammates (and please tell me we might get more stories from this UCLA crew??). Liz’s roommates were also so fun and it really reminded me of the joy that being on a college campus can bring.

Bonus points if you catch the little Taylor Swift references throughout. I loved all of the song lyric additions and gosh dang am I obsessed with a good argument scene, bring me all of the passionate confessions. This truly did read like a movie for me and I would watch it in a heartbeat.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: high and present throughout
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content Warnings: loss of a parent (heart attack), grief depiction, panic attacks

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