Home Game - Odette Stone
This hockey romance is the second book in the Vancouver Wolves series and follows NHL player Ryan when he meets Zoey in a cafe. The two part ways, neither one expecting to see the other again. But then Ryan gets a call from a hospital where Zoey is unconscious after being attacked. She's injured, has lost her belongings, and has nowhere else to go so Ryan invites her to stay at his place for a while, until she can get back on her feet. The two have a rocky start but they soon start up an odd friendship as Zoey begins to heal and settle into her new life. However, her past soon catches up with her and she ends up trying to decide between leaving Ryan (and her growing feelings for him) or staying. I really enjoyed this read, despite this being more of an angsty read than I normally enjoy. This book is almost 400 pages long but I didn't feel like it dragged at all. There was a lot of growth and character development to get through and I'm glad none of that was rushed. I loved Ryan and Zoey together and how accepting everyone in Ryan's life was of Zoey. I thought the conflict was very realistic but there was a pretty heavy handed miscommunication that happened in regards to the conflict that didn't feel like it matched their established dynamic. While I didn't love how angsty the 3rd act breakup was (because I just want them to be happy together already!), I did enjoy that it gave both characters the space they needed to come back together more solid than before. I loved how many side characters we get in this book and how integral they were to Ryan and Zoey.
TW/CW: homelessness, foster home child abuse, stalking, attempted sexual assault
First and Forever - Eve Dangerfield
This is the third book in the Rebirth series and follows DJ Eden and pro-soccer player Willow. Willow falls in love with Eden pretty much at first sight but she's focused on her upcoming international tour so Willow suggests they have a short, fake relationship. The relationship should boost Eden's online profile (and Spotify listens) as well as give him the time with her that he wants. As they grow closer, sharing parts of themselves they normally keep hidden, they need to figure out where the line is in this fake relationship and if they've already crossed it. I really enjoyed this read and absolutely adored Willow and Eden as a couple. I loved how different they were at first glance but they really worked well together. I loved the role play aspect in this (even if the specific roles/kinks were not exactly my jam) and how both of them completely embraced the other's fantasy. I thought the conflict between them was very realistic and I really liked how they both had to figure out what they wanted in their lives before they could come together fully. The fake dating aspect didn't entirely work for me. There are a couple mentions of how many followers Eden gained or how many more streams her songs were getting, but I felt like we pretty quickly abandoned the whole reason for fake dating (or, at least, pretty quickly abandoned mentioning it). We don't get a whole lot of stakes from the fake dating aspect of the relationship which I think is what made it fall a little flat for me. This ended up feeling more like a friends with benefits to lovers book which is all well and good, but just wasn't what I was expecting from a fake dating plot.
TW/CW: alcohol abuse, drug use, humiliation/degradation kink, mentions of past grooming behavior (not by MCs)
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. Expected publication date is May 4, 2022
Book Boyfriend - Kris Ripper
This friends to lovers story follows PK and Art. PK has been in love with Art since they drunkenly kissed one night in college, but he hasn't been able to figure out how to tell Art. After Art breaks up with their boyfriend and ends up staying with PK, he thinks it is finally his chance. Except feelings are hard and messy and instead of telling Art how he feels, PK writes a book where he can be the perfect boyfriend and can say these feelings aloud. But when PK's book starts gaining popularity, it becomes harder and harder for him to actually tell Art that he wrote it. And when PK's grand gesture crashes and burns, PK might just lose Art for good. I liked this book and I think it is a really great example of what it was trying to be, but unfortunately, what it was trying to be was not my favorite type of romance. I love a good friends to lovers, slow burn romance and this technically hit both of those criteria but not in the balance that I personally like. If you like your slow burns extra slow (like they finally get together in the last chapter slow) and absolutely filled to the brim with pining, then this is the book for you! We only get PK's POV in the story so I wasn't sure if Art was catching on to PK's feelings or not. I wanted more of PK and Art actually being friends without PK's constant inner monologue freaking out about how much he loves Art. I loved the narrative voice in this book and how it really felt like PK was telling his own story to the reader. The side characters were fantastic and I loved how integral they became to PK and Art's story. I personally prefer my romances to show more of the actual dating/relationship portion and I kept waiting for PK and Art to make that jump (which they eventually do, of course, and get their HEA). That sense of anticipation just went on too long for my liking but I think readers who enjoy a long, pining, romance will really like this.
TW/CW: drug abuse (family member, not MCs)
Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the ARC. Expected publication date is April 26, 2022
Wait With Me - Amy Daws
This is the first book in the Wait With Me series and follows erotica writer Kate and mechanic Miles. Kate has a bad case of writers block until she re-discovers her spark while in the customer care center at Tire Depot. She thinks she's flying under the radar until she catches the eye of Miles. Miles is intrigued by Kate, but after finally ending a decade long on-and-off again relationship, he's not exactly looking for anything serious. But the more time they spend together, the more they both want to give in to the chemistry between them. They strike up a friends with benefits deal with Miles helping Kate with her book research. Kate and Miles had amazing chemistry in this pretty much instantly. I loved their dynamic and how they interacted with each other so easily. The side characters were great and I'm so excited to read on in the series and read their books. I did find some of the characters to be a little over-the-top: Miles was super jealous and Kate's ex was the literal worst. I also would have liked some gradual build up with feelings as their relationship developed. It felt pretty insta-love from both Kate and Miles and they tried to keep their relationship casual for their own reasons. But since they were basically in love with each other from the beginning, there wasn't really as much emotional growth as I would have liked. That being said, I did really enjoy how they kept sharing parts of themselves that they don't share often and they were both so open and accepting. Kate and Miles are one of those book couples who are just so incredibly well matched that they could be considered soulmates.
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