bee_thebibliophile's reviews
1949 reviews

Savage, Park Avenue Kings #1 by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine

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3.0

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t do it for me - the Park Avenue Princes series was borderline ridiculous but so much fun to read and I was excited to see what the Kings were all about. Sadly, I don’t think they lived up to the hype, at least not in this story. 

From the very beginning, I wasn’t invested in Lachlan and Cooper’s relationship - the way they met and the way their relationship progressed just felt a little ick to me. I don’t like when one MC is keeping a major secret from the other and this one went on way too long for my liking. I felt like things between them were strained or focused mainly around sex and they didn’t really get to know each other despite being in such forced proximity. Their relationship felt surface level at best and honestly a little boring. Ultimately it was just fine - Lachlan and Cooper were fine together and the big, overarching plot wrapup was fine. I really just has hoping for more - more passion, more emotion, more action, more communication, more about the Kings…just more of everything. 

Giving this one 3 stars instead of 2.5 for the glimpses of King, East and Zac - I still feel like their story isn’t totally over, so I’m living for more of them! 
Cold as Ice by Beth Bolden

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medium-paced

4.0

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Malcolm and Elliott’s story after meeting them in Melting the Ice, but this story definitely exceeded my expectations! 

Malcolm McCoy and Elliott Jones couldn’t be more opposite - Mal is reserved, calculating, controlled, practiced and Elliott is outspoken, impulsive and a little wild…they get on each other’s nerves more often than not, but that annoyance is masking their attraction. When Elliott’s school troubles bring them together off the ice, they start to realize that they don’t really hate each other after all. Mal tutors Elliott in math and Elliott shows Mal the ropes when it comes to relationships. While it starts out as fun, it quickly turns into more when they realize the line between hate and love is incredibly thin. 

Their opposite personalities clash in some ways, but complement each other in many more so it makes things fun both on and off the ice. Not only do they play the best hockey they ever have together but they also become each other’s biggest champion and supporter, getting them out of tough spots and showing them what’s really important while also setting themselves up for a future playing professional hockey together. 

I’m excited to read Finn’s story next, but I’m really dying for Zack and Coach’s story…can’t wait to get my hands on that!
Goaltender Interference by Ari Baran

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medium-paced

4.0

This book is quite the journey - Aiden Campbell and Matt Safaryan have an emotional history and this second chance brings up a lot of feelings and tackles a lot of heavier topics. 

Retiring from playing professional hockey leaves Aiden feeling directionless, leading to him struggling with his mental health since so much of his life was built around The Routine he created for himself to play optimally. Not only does he have to adjust to life without playing hockey, but he also finds himself face-to-face with his former boyfriend and fellow professional hockey player, Matt, after years apart. The chemistry between these two is palpable and the way Matt strives to take care of Aiden even when he’s not totally sure how to best help him was the sweetest. This second chance romance was full of ups and downs, with both Aiden and Matt learning more about themselves and each other to help them become the best versions of themselves for starting a relationship again, 10 years later. 

Ari Baran has a knack for writing MM hockey romance with a different twist to it than any others I’ve read and this one really hit the spot - it was emotional but full of character development and promise for the future of their relationship. I just wish we got to see more of them happy together instead of just a quick epilogue about what they did once they were both retired from playing. But, looking forward to seeing what’s next from this author!
Impulsive Connections by Marie Reynard

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slow-paced

4.0

Impulsive Connections picks up where Accidental Bonds left us and brings us an opposites attract, slow burn romance for Kade Mills and Liam Batiste. Considering what we learned about Kade in the first book, I was definitely surprised by this being a slow burn but it made a lot more sense once you got into it. 

Kade and Liam find themselves affected by one of the loose spirits on the Mills pack land and have a bond neither of them anticipated, causing all kinds of confusion for both of them. In between figuring out their bond (or avoiding it for a lot of the time), they’re also trying to track down and capture more of the spirits that are wreaking havoc on the pack. There’s a lot of magic research, practicing practical magic, fighting instincts and avoiding natural chemistry that happens over the course of the book. Both Kade and Liam fall into the lack of communication trap more often than not and, while they’re opposites in so many ways, they also just click on an instinctual level, something neither of them expected. Once they started opening up to each other and working through their differences, they saw what they had in common and how they were actually a really good fit. The lead up to them accepting their feelings was a bit painful at times, but I really enjoyed them together - Liam tempered some of Kade’s overly sexual nature and Kade brought Liam’s nose out of his books. 

There were a lot of parts that felt long-winded and bogged down - I think I would have enjoyed this more if there were less of those scenes that made me frustrated with the two of them or that got too into the minutiae of things. Overall, I really did enjoy this one, just found myself wishing it sucked me in like Elijah and Victor’s story did. But, I can’t wait for Miles’s (and Grant’s?!) story next and I’m predicting Aran and Pierce after that…this world has sucked me in!
Good Pucking Luck by Riley Hart

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4.0

Good Pucking Luck was adorable and such a great way to start this new Riley Hart series! 

Hayes Rockwell finds out his boyfriend has been lying to him and has been with multiple other men when he proposes at a hockey game, turning his life (and the other exes’ lives) upside down overnight. He’s always felt like an outsider with few friends and pretty low self-confidence, so that blow hit him hard and made him distrusting of everyone around him. Rylan Pierce is a professional hockey player and was playing in the game where Hayes proposed, something Rylan’s tried not to look into much because he feels horrible for the men this happened to. He has a huge heart, is a big flirt and is just alright with hooking up, that is until he meets a gorgeous bartender in Seattle. 

These two meet in Seattle while they’re both traveling and end up coming back together when they’re in LA again - something they never expected. What starts out as a sexy arrangement turns into so much more once they get to know each other. Rylan’s mix of sincerity and cockiness was perfect for bringing Hayes out of his shell and helping him to figure out who he is and what he wants. They were a little ridiculous together and didn’t always talk things out how they should, but they were so much fun to read. 

Really looking forward to the rest of The Jilted Exes’ Club series - the little glimpses we got into the other exes were a lot of fun and got me excited about what’s to come next!
Christmas Beau by Amy Aislin

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3.5

Another sweet holiday romance in Christmas Falls! 

Scott Jersey is a bit of a mess, but he’s adorable and authentic, making him just the right combination of things. He loves his son Teddy more than anything and wants to do whatever he can to make sure he has everything he needs or even wants. Teddy plays hockey, which led Scott to meet Hank Beaufort, the hunky new hockey director in town. Hank had NHL aspirations but never made it out of the AHL so he turned his love for the sport into a career that led him to Christmas Falls. He loves his job and his dogs but doesn’t quite feel at home in town despite living there for more than a year. 

While these two know each other from Teddy’s hockey, they get the opportunity to spend more time together when selling their quilts (Scott) and dog treats (Hank) at the arts & crafts fair. They shouldn’t really work together, but they’re incredibly sweet when they finally give in to their attraction. Really liked that Teddy was an active participant in their relationship and that both Scott and Hank included him in everything. I didn’t love the storyline with Scott’s younger brother so much, but it ended up working out in the end even better than I imagined, though a little too convenient. 

Like with so many of this year’s Christmas Falls stories, I felt like we spent more time on Christmas Falls shenanigans and the atmosphere of the town overall than we did with developing the couple’s relationship. Regardless, it’s a cute and easy read that’s great for the holiday season. 
All Folked Up: A Small Town Romantic Comedy by Penny Reid

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3.5

Oh Isaac Sylvester and Hanna Townsen…I’ve been waiting for your story for so long and maybe that’s why I feel a little disappointed by where things ended up? 

Isaac is back in Green Valley on ANOTHER undercover assignment, this time posing as Hannah’s boyfriend and a bouncer at the Pink Pony to get close to a trafficker and take him down. Since so much of this story takes place at the strip club, there’s a LOT of strip club talk, maybe more than it needed? But Isaac and Hannah start fake dating all while wishing it was real since they both have feelings for each other that have been developing over time. However they don’t really know each other despite growing up together since Isaac has been undercover so long and Hannah has been keeping everything about her personal life locked down for years. 

I wanted to love these two together, but they just made me feel sad - I’m glad they found each other, but the lead up to that, the hardships they went through, the decisions they had to make to be together really just made me upset. The ending of this story wrapped up extremely conveniently and felt so rushed, even with the epilogue included. After all of the build-up for both Isaac and Hannah throughout all the books set in Green Valley, I wanted more for them. It drove me a bit crazy that so much of their backstories were told instead of shown; it felt like a ton of exposition but didn’t feel like they were getting to know each other well since so much of that happened with other characters instead of together. 

Added the .5 stars for Cletus, Jennifer and Hank - the true stars of the show. There were points where the promise of seeing one of these three again made me carry on. I’m really sad to leave Green Valley behind, it’s one of my favorite fictional places to visit. 
His Until Christmas by Con Riley

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4.5

I love returning to Con Riley’s atmospheric, Christmas-y versions of London and Kara-Enys for the holidays each year! Jack and Reece’s story was everything I’ve come to expect from these stories and more. 

Jack is a PA-extraordinaire but finds himself in a predicament with his employment, namely that he can’t work for someone he has feelings for, something that’s planned to happen after the holidays, meaning Jack gave his notice to avoid being caught in a bad situation again. Rex, being the hilarious and adorable menace that he is, engineers things to bring Jack and the subject of his feelings, Reece, together for the holidays to show them how good they could be together and to keep Jack around. 

Reece and Jack’s relationship has a foundation of friendship, but they’ve both wanted more for about as long as they’ve known each other. Being forced to work together leading up to Christmas gives them an opportunity to see how great they can be together and forces them to confront their feelings head on all while encouraging each other to grow, take responsibility for the changes they need to make and to love each other regardless of their employment situation. 

I love all the ties back to Con Riley’s other stories and how each of these Christmas stories continues to grow her book universe a little more by connecting different characters. It’s always a treat to read these books and Jack and Reece’s story was no different. I already can’t wait for next year’s story!
12 Dates of Christmas by Brigham Vaughn

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3.0

The Christmas Falls matchmaker meets his match while working together to launch his new website. 

Leo Fenner and Nick Morgan have been working together to launch a website for Nick’s matchmaker service that he started to honor his late wife and to help people find love like they did. Leo’s new to Christmas Falls and is desperate to find the love of his life despite a lot of bad dating luck in Chicago. So, as a thank you for his work on the website, Nick encourages Leo to sign up for his service and sets him up on dates. However, the dates are a major bust, though they bring Leo and Nick closer together than they ever expected. The dates with other people turn into dates between the two of them. 

Nick isn’t sure he’s completely ready to date again and ends up waffling on Leo multiple times, making him feel terrible along the way and then going over-the-top to make it up to him when he finally figures it out. I think the idea of these two together turned out better than the actual execution - seeing Leo go along with Nick’s poor treatment really put a bad taste in my mouth. Once they work things out, it gets better, but it wasn’t enough for me to forget. The Christmas Falls cast of characters and atmosphere saved this one for me; it ended up being a little sickly sweet and wrapped up incredibly conveniently. It was an easy read and always fun to return to Christmas Falls, but this one wasn’t one of my favorites. 
In Every Universe by Hannah Henry

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4.0

What happens when you wake up in an alternate universe and you’re no longer married to your best friend, instead you’re just platonic roommates? Zacky Porter finds himself in that position, navigating a new life with a different version of Cameron Vesper by his side. 

This was a different take on the amnesia plotline and I really enjoyed it. Zacky’s new life isn’t incredibly different from his old one, though two big pieces - his relationship status and his job - are totally new. He’s no longer married and he’s a professional hockey player, two things that rock his world and leave him grieving for the life he left behind. From the minute Zacky lays out his situation to new Cameron, Cameron is so supportive and takes it upon himself to help in any way he possibly can, being incredibly sweet and loving. Their friendship slowly starts to evolve and it’s adorable and easy in a way that made my heart happy. 

These two were adorable together and had me smiling even when things got tough. I got really emotional when Zacky and Cameron started talking about letting go of Zacky’s husband version of Cameron - talk about heartbreaking. I really wish this was longer in general - I wanted more development for both Zacky and Cameron and the plot overall. Hannah Henry’s stories tend to be on the shorter side, but I think this book would have been outstanding if it had some more time to develop and the characters more time to grow together. Overall I really enjoyed this - it’s so unique and I’ll be thinking about Zacky and Cameron (and the alternate universe Zacky and Cameron we meet in the bonus scene) for a while. 
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