Blocked by L.P. Dover 3 ✭

Title: Blocked

Author: L.P. Dover
Series: Breakaway 
Genre: Sports Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Contemporary
Publish Date: October 31, 2017
Pages:  --not listed--
Ages: 18 +
Rating:  ✭✭✭

The tough and gruff cocky goaltender of the Strikers gets blindsided by a hot chick. Dallas Easton is a jerk. I'm being completely honest. At the start of the book he is a total ass and not someone you would be interested in. Obviously, things change over the duration of the story, but the start of his storyline left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall the changes he goes through seem possible but not really believable. Maybe I just can't believe a dominant male who has aggression issues and only cares about banging would switch so effortlessly to a sweet romantic gentleman. I guess what I mean is, if a guy is going to come off as a pig, at least let that core character type last more than the first meet and great with the heroine. Then again, maybe that is more possible than I think it could be.

I did like Callie Davis. She was a very likeable character. She was tough but was still a women with emotions that made you feel for her. She grew up with only brothers so that toughness comes in handy when she skates and plays hockey with them their whole lives. The way the two meet is one of the great points of the story so I won't discuss that because of spoilers, but lets just say that it starts off like a smack in the face.

This book confused me. Sometimes is came across like it was just going to be a short smut book, and then other times if felt like a true contemporary romance. I liked the overall storyline of the book, but I feel like different sections of the book where written when the author was at a different emotional place. Almost like the same person didn't write all of it. It has its flaws but overall the book was likeable, just not a favorite. I will say that this book was not predictable to me. It wasn't the usual story with what events occur. It follows a similar path to most romance books but the problems that pop up for the two were not predictable and that was nice.

This is a good book to read and I think some people may enjoy it more than others. I just wasn't a super fan of Dallas and how quickly his personality changes. I received a FREE copy from the publisher so that I would be able to rad it and offer a review. It won't be published by Loveswept and sold by Random House LLC, until October 31 as a Kindle Edition.

After the Game by Abbi Glines 5 ✭

Title: After the Game

Author: Abbi Glines

Series: Field Party

Genre: Teen & Young Adult, Social & Family Issues, Contemporary Romance

Publish Date: August 22, 2017

Pages: 352

Ages: Teen  

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

This is a fantastic series that helps you believe in yourself right along with the characters. It helps you gain a strength from inside that could be hard to find. So far every book in the series has built very strong characters that have had to grow and change from very tough or complicated issues in their lives. Each story touches on something that can happen to anyone. Previous books showed us a character grow past a family death, another that dealt with a teen suicide, and all the while these characters manage to find best friend and love. I think this is an excellent series and as I am invested three books in, I will be continuing to follow if there are more.

This book has the PERFECT TITLE and Cover to go with this storyline to date. Not just for this book for Brady and Riley but the teammates and girls to this point. You definitely can read this a stand alone and understand everything that has happened in this world. However, I would recommend reading from the beginning because Brady has changed so much from the start of the series with how he handled his cousin Maggie entering his life. Granted he was just a side character in the first and second book, he was a constant character so reading the whole series to the same feeling I did at the end of this is a MUST. What I mean by that is that at the end of this book, you feel complete. This could end as a trilogy and it would make sense and you would be happy with how everything turned out for these friends. It leaves you looking forward to their future and what could be to come for them. I am not just writing like I am in fan girl mode. I am a mother, and this is a series I wouldn't mind my daughter if she were a teen to read. I would have confidence that it would positively affect her.

About the book itself and Not the series, this was a wonderful way for the good ole boy Brady to finally get a clue to how the world really works. While he is getting to know Riley and how harshly this town has treated it begins to change him. It's like someone is peeling one of those painful face masks off. You know the ones that leaving you with this burning, searing hurt, but after you heal you feel fresh and renewed. Like that one thing can turn you into a completely new person. That is exactly how the chain of events in this book affect Brady. Riley also goes through a decent change from being completely closed off to the world so that her painful past won't happen again. She can't live like she did before and let this town hurt her again, especially because that would hurt her little daughter. Things change for her though, and she learns to be a friend again, and to have a friend and how much that could mean for her and her baby.

This was an amazing book, that came with new relatable struggles for these teens in this town. I have enjoyed reading about them so far, and again, I look forward to the future for them. This is a book series that I without a doubt would read over and over again. It can help you get over a very tough situation because it helps remind you that someone might have it worse, and maybe you need someone to help you get through that. And that it is ok to need someone.

I was so blessed to get an ARC copy of this book from the publisher. I couldn't be more thankful to read this beautiful story.

Free Sample is available to read below, you don't even have to leave the page!

Irresistible You by Kate Meader 5 ✭

Title: Irresistible You

Author: Kate Meader

Series: The Chicago Rebels Series - Book One -

Genre: Sports Romance, Romance, Contemporary Romance

Publish Date: April 14, 2017 - $1.99 for Kindle & $9.99 for Paperback

Pages: 400

Ages: 18 +

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Irresistible is a wonderfully passionate romance in the Chicago Rebels Series. Not only was this book passionate and hot, it also had the ability to woo the reader right along with the main character Harper Chase. 

Remy DuPre is an amazing man. He is the man girls dream of that will take them away to a fantasy land of love.You know the type of guy, says all the perfect things, physically perfect, makes you laugh and builds you up, um, and cooks amazing. The only thing is that Harper is not the normal girl. Let's just say daddy issues, and forcing herself to be completely closed off to any other people. Even her half sisters and she have zero connection.n It's all part of her be the boss, am the boss, take no prisoners attitude she has. 

The characters were written in a way that you can believe their progression. From Harper to being sort of cold behind her shield of stregnth, to then evolving to not only loving a man but developing what looks to be a true lasting relationship with her half sisters. Honestly, the sisters were the strongest part of the book to me. Seeing their like passive aggressive interactions slowly improve was something you hoped for while reading. It was something that Harper needed, well, ALL the sisters needed after how their father completely ruined their relationship.

I love this book! I also completely intend on getting the rest of the books in the series as they are released. If I am not mistaken, I believe it's going to follow the sisters and I really enjoyed them. I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher to review and I would say this was sweet and hot, and a must read.

Read a FREE Sample below of Irresistible You without leaving the page!!

In Skates Trouble by Kate Meader 3 ✭

Title: In Skates Trouble
Author: Kate Meader
Series: Chicago Rebels Series
Genre:  Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Published Date: May 1, 2017
Pages: 143
Age Recommended:  18+ Available for Free on Kindle

Rating: ✭✭✭

This is an ok romance read as a stand alone. But for a novella that starts a series, I would say that it is pretty good.Which I am going to do because I received a free copy to review from the publisher. Yay! Go Me! Before I started the next book in the series, Irresistible You, I wanted to start with the FREE novella that was available for my Kindle. I mean, it is Free and only 143 pages. Gobble Gobble up this book...

It wouldn't seem like much can be accomplished in such a short amount of pages but Kate Meader has done that here. It leads you into being interested in the next book in the series which stars In Skates Trouble's Addison's best friend Harper. Who is a constant throughout Addison and Ford's romance. So as a Novella it successfully does it's job to me.

Addison and Ford have a predictable romance and the conflict wasn't emotionally engaging enough. For what it is, it is good enough. Addison and Ford are both interesting and strong characters, but it was predictable. You could see where the story was going to go by the third chapter. It was something that you could daydream for yourself. I think that's why I do like it because it fits in-line with what is safe and normal to read. This only makes the book ok to me. It doesn't go somewhere else. It doesn't invoke a strong emotion for me. It is just comfortable to me. That is still ok and good, as long as it makes me want to continue the series. Which like I said, I am going to do. 

Since this was only a novella I truly do have hope for the next book in the series. Irresistible You. There is a huge difference when reading something that is essentially a prequel snippet vs. a real whole written version of the series. 

Read a short Preview of the Free Kindle Read below without leaving the page:

More about the series from the Author:
Order of the Chicago Rebels series about sexy hockey players:

0.5 IN SKATES TROUBLE (Ford and Addison) - novella
1.   IRRESISTIBLE YOU (Remy and Harper) - August 2017
2.   SO OVER YOU (Vadim and Isobel) - December 2017
2.5 UNDONE BY YOU (Dante and ???) - novella - February 2018
3.   HOOKED ON YOU (Bren and Violet) - Spring 2018

However, all the Chicago Rebels stories can be enjoyed as standalone novels or novellas. No cliffhangers!

For excerpts, news, and giveaways, sign up for Kate's occasional newsletter at: katemeader.com/newsletter

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Face Off: Emile by Alicia Hunter Pace 5 ✭

Oh SNAP! This book was great. I am a huge hockey fan myself so this is like whoa... I have totally had this dream before. I go the AHL hockey games at the arena near my house and it's only a couple miles away. So if you are into romance books and you know a decent amount about hockey this is 100% for you. If you like to read about some very flexible men, this is a must read.

Amy used to own her own business where she would organize things for people. It was just about anything and her skills were getting known by word of mouth.  It got to the point she had some high-end clientele and she received an offer to sell her business. Her boyfriend Cameron who was a failed pro football guy turned sports agent, convinced her that this would be an amazing opportunity and she made a few million. Well, maybe a couple more than a few. Cameron is a slime ball and abandons her in a town, takes her car, belongings, and her money. She is left alone with no phone and only the clothes on her back and the $85 in her wallet.

That's how Emile meets her. Emile is a goalie in the NHL for the Nashville Sound. (FYI - My personal favorite player is a goalie. He was smoking hot and I'm sad he isn't on my team anymore. It's all about those pre-game warm-up stretches) Anyways... Emile has a heart of gold and a troubled past. So he sees Amy in trouble and does everything he can to help. His past doesn't hinder him like some predictable male leads in a book. Nope, he has moved on from his past traumas and grown as a person. I love that aspect of his character. The only problem is Amy doesn't want to have Emile hand everything to her because that is how Cameron made off with her money.

I have read a couple sports romance and one of my favorite author's to read was Jaci Burton. So if you like those books this is definitely up your alley. All in all, I sat her with a goofy school girl smile at the end. This felt like the real true love between the characters, and no cheesy lines with an instant *snap* head over heels. The characters develop and you grow with the story. This is a sweet romance with hot sex.

I was lucky enough to get a free ARC type copy of this book to read and I am extremely grateful and very happy that I got the chance to read this before it was published. At the time of this review, the book is available to preorder on Amazon. Face Off: Emile has its release date set for July 24, 2017.