Book Review: Coach (Treasure State Wildcats #1) by Devney Perry

September 9, 2024July 25, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 341 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 6th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A single dad, sports romance from Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Devney Perry.

Football star. Single dad. And once, a long time ago, mine.

I’ve spent the better part of a decade forgetting Ford Ellis. If he had just stayed away from Montana, I might have erased the memory of his striking blue eyes and rugged smile forever. Avoiding him was easy when the only place I saw his face was on ESPN—and a remote control could fix that problem.

Except my boss just hired Ford as the new head coach for the Treasure State Wildcats. Not only will I be stuck watching him on the sidelines this season, but avoiding him will be impossible now that we’re working together.

Maybe I haven’t forgotten Ford. Maybe I still dream about what we might have been. Maybe he hasn’t forgotten me either.

Except those maybes won’t change the fact that we were never meant to be. Maybe he was mine once. But as of today, the only thing I’ll be calling Ford Ellis is Coach.

LOVED.

Took a swing at another Devney Perry book and this was a HIT. I was in a chokehold over Ford. I loooved how much he was IN. He wanted all of Millie and continually made a point of showing that in word and deed. We are here for a man like that. Swooned in a puddle 100x over.

I also really loved Millie. She finally got the chance to clear the air, reconnect and find her happily ever after. I absolutely loved that she was an assistant AD. Ford as a single Dad was immaculate. And the football content was everything you want in a sports romance.

The burn is pretty quick and I do wish there was a bit more something. Some more angsty buildup? I don’t know, there’s just this last little thing niggling me that was missing. The ending was too dang good though and I am can’t wait for book two.

Overall audience notes:

Sports Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 4+ open; high explicit
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce, cheating ex (who also is a neglectful parent)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise

September 4, 2024July 23, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Sports Romance
Length: 430 pages
Author: Ella Maise
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: April 16th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first time you meet someone, you make eye contact. You smile, say hello. Should be simple, if you’re anyone but me. The first time I met Dylan Reed, I found myself making eye contact with a different part of his body. You see, I’m very good at being shy, not to mention extremely well-versed in rambling nonsense and, unfortunately, rather highly skilled at making a fool of myself in front of a guy I’m attracted to.

At the time, I knew nothing about him and thought none of what I said would matter since I’d never speak to him again. Turns out, I was very wrong. He was the star wide receiver of the football team, one of the few players expected to make it into the NFL, and I ended up seeing him all over campus.
I might have also propositioned him, run away from him, attacked him with a cooking utensil…and…uh, maybe I shouldn’t tell you all of it. It’s pretty normal stuff, things you’d expect…from me. Eventually, the time came when I couldn’t hide anymore—not that he’d have let me even if I tried.
Before now, he never knew I was secretly watching him. Now that we see each other every day, he knows when I have a hard time looking away. It doesn’t help that I’m not the most subtle person in the world either.

He smiles at me and tells me he finds me fascinating because of my quirks. I can’t even tell him that I think my heart beats differently whenever he’s around.

He thinks we’re going to be best friends. I think I have a big thing for him, and the more I get to know him, the more I don’t care that I’m not allowed to be his friend, let alone fall for him.
The thing is, that’s exactly what I’m doing—what we’re doing, I think.

Falling.
Hard.

EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED.

I started this one off not knowing how I would feel about it and then found myself holding my hand to my open mouth in shock watching the other shoe drop angry I had to put my audio book away for real life things because I NEEDED ANSWERS. Cleary this book wrapped me up and I was utterly smitten with Dylan and Zoe.

This turned out to be a really sweet strangers to friends to lovers scenario. I loved the forced proximity and all of the subtle moments that brought Dylan and Zoe together. I can’t help but love a good jealousy or protective moment and this had BOTH. I can also happily say this is definitely a sports romance. I loved the football aspects that were woven in well to the plot too.

I thought the Mark thing was initially off putting until fully explained and I wish that that creep factor hadn’t bee there at all. I don’t have any major issues otherwise. This was a swoony new adult romance that I could not put down.

Overall audience notes:

NA Sports Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: 3-4 open; high explicit
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: rape (occurs to a side character, aftermath depicted), physical assault

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Runaway Bride and Prejudice (Appies) by Emma St. Clair

August 28, 2024August 27, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 28th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There’s one rule smart hockey players know not to never, and I mean, NEVER date the coach’s daughter. But no one ever accused Van of being smart.

When the mouthy bad boy of the Appies catches the groom cheating on the coach’s daughter, he can’t just walk away. Not on her wedding day.

Maybe his own relationships are casual, but he would never cheat and never treat wedding vows so carelessly. Not after he and his sisters watched their divorced parents cycle through marriage after marriage.

But forcing the groom to come clean sets off a chain reaction Van couldn’t have expected.

Ending with a black eye, an unexpected trip to Florida with one runaway bride, and a secret bargain struck with Coach.

A bargain that may just jeopardize the very real and very inconvenient feelings he’s developing for the very last person he ever should.

Runaway Bride and Prejudice is a closed door hockey romance featuring the team bad boy and a very good girl who also happens to be the coach’s daughter. It’s a sports romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.

This is part of the Appies hockey romance series, featuring Just Don’t Fall, Absolutely Not in Love, a Groom of One’s Own, and Romancing the Grump. These books are standalones but may be best read in order.

Thank you to the author for an eARC!

HI, I LOVE THIS BOOK.

It was absolutely everything I could have hoped for when I was thinking about Van’s story. I devoured this read. And I feel like it’s hard to even put my words down because I don’t want to spoil a thing about this book. This is truly a best read blind book and trust me, it will DELIVER.

I loved getting Van’s perspective. A character I have been waiting to know and understand better. I loved the layers and journey. He’s such a charming man and I could not get enough of his heated and swoony actions. His love language is physical touch, and you. can. tell. Also I got a jersey moment which is one of my favorite tropes in sports romance so of course I went feral when that happened.

And I liked Amelia a lot too. She was slightly frustrating but in that way that is totally relatable and had me sitting there going, yeah I’d respond the same way too. I loved that she found her courage and voice in the end and got a chance to live her love story.

I’m always obsessed with any interactions involving the Appies and the text threads were *chefs kiss*. One of my forever favorite fictional hockey teams. I LOVED Van’s sisters too. They were the perfect balance for him and I loved seeing them take Amelia into their family.

I honestly could just keep going. I loved this book. It’s always hard for me to choose a favorite Emma St. Clair book but this definitely ranks up there.

Overall audience notes:

Sports Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: low
Content Warnings: physical altercations, loss of a parent (recounted from past), divorce, cheating (not between the two leads in any way)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

August 16, 2024July 7, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Sports Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 24th, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The international bestseller! A standalone novel* from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

IT WAS ADDICTIVE.

I binged this sucker in under a day. And it DELIVERED. Definitely by no means a perfect book and I could easily pick out a few things I didn’t love, but it gets all the points for wrapping up my attention and delivering me Garret Graham.

Garrett Graham is going to be living rent free in my mind for the foreseeable future. I LOVED him. He was a nice balance of being the cocky all-star hockey player while also being respectful and protective of Hannah and her needs. The longer this book went on the more smitten I became. And that ending?? I’m a sucker for grand-ish gestures like that and I adored it.

I also loved Hannah. She was incredible and was such a light. I liked that she bantered so beautifully with Garrett. But was the shoulder to lean on and the support he needed through his issues too. I just loved them both.

The drama of this new adult romance + college life seemed a little far fetched at times, but lets face it. I didn’t really care. This was an escape. I’m obsessed.

Overall audience notes:

NA Contemporary Sports Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 5+ open; high explicit
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: multiple mentions of rape (recounted from Hannah), child and domestic abuse (physical and emotional, recounted by Garrett), slut-shaming, alcohol consumption, death of a parent (off page)