Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Hart’s Landing by Melanie Harlow

๐Ÿฉท ๐—”๐—ฉ๐—”๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—•๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐Ÿฉทโฃ

A stolen kiss.โฃ

A devastating fire.โฃ

A second chance ten years in the making.โฃ

โฃ๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—งโ€™๐—ฆ ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก๐——๐—œ๐—ก๐—š by USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow is ๐˜ˆ๐˜๐˜ˆ๐˜๐˜“๐˜ˆ๐˜‰๐˜“๐˜Œ ๐˜•๐˜–๐˜ž from Entangled Publishing!โฃ

โฃFour friends made a promise to live one night like it was their last.
That night changed everything.


Ten years ago, Mila Ferguson fled Hartโ€™s Landing with a devastating fire, a stolen kiss, and a shattered circle of friends in her wake. But when a crisis brings her home, Mila just wants to get in and get out, unscathed by her motherโ€™s constant criticism and unseen by her former crush, Everett McKean.

Only…Everett is everywhere. The boy Mila once loved is now the townโ€™s scorching hot, beloved mayor. And when heโ€™s not serving his constituents or running the family farm, Everett is taking advantage of his second chance with Milaโ€”the one who got away.

As Mila reconnects to her roots and opens her heart, she discovers that coming home again isnโ€™t about where youโ€™ve beenโ€”itโ€™s about who youโ€™re brave enough to become. But when old wounds threaten to open after questions emerge about what really happened the night Mila left, itโ€™s that bravery that will finally set her free.

Sexy, heartfelt, and steeped in small-town charm,ย Hartโ€™s Landingย is a story of forgiveness, friendship, and finding the family who loves you no matter how far you wander.

๐ŸŒธ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†! ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ž๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ป๐—น๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ (๐—จ๐—ฆ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜†)!โฃ

โž™ https://harlow.pub/hartslandingโฃ

โฃSunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Hart’s Landing kicks off a new series by Melanie Harlow, and it was a wonderful slow-burn, second-chance romance full of small-town charm, secrets, and forgiveness.

Ten years ago, Mila walked away from Hart’s Landing after a devastating fire destroyed her business. She’s back in town now to deal with a situation with her mom, and is hoping not to run into her former crush, Everett. But considering he is now the mayor, he is everywhere. Once they reconnect, it’s a lovely journey for these two as they get to know one another again. With Everett by her side, Mila also confronts her tragic past and her toxic relationship with her awful mother. (Seriously, I really disliked that woman!)

This book also nicely sets up the circle of friends, who will presumably be the focus of the future books in the Hart’s Landing series. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

ABOUT MELANIE HARLOW

USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she’s not writing or reading, she’s probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt’s Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie

Website: www.melanieharlow.com

Amazon: https://harlow.pub/amazon

Bookbub: http://harlow.pub/bb

Goodreads: http://harlow.pub/goodreads

Facebook: http://harlow.pub/ap

Facebook Group: http://harlow.pub/harlots

Instagram: http://harlow.pub/insta

TikTok: https://harlow.pub/tiktok

Newsletter: http://harlow.pub/mh-news

Uncategorized

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Bad Influence by Ava Hill

Sharing an apartment with your ex-fiancรฉโ€™s older brother canโ€™t be a bad decisionโ€ฆright?

Caroline Sinclair is ready to marry the man chosen by her parents. That is up until she walks in on him with another woman. Angry and disappointed that everyone is forcing her to forget what she saw, she makes a drastic decision to leave the West Coast in the middle of the night. Her only option? The New York apartment gifted to her by her ex-fiancรฉโ€™s grandmother.

What she doesnโ€™t know is that the apartment already has an occupant.

Killian York is living in New York, making a name for himself as a painter and tattoo artist, away from his familyโ€™s control. Heโ€™s happy with the peaceful and drama-free life heโ€™s made for himself, even if heโ€™s been struggling to create lately. Everything changes however, when he walks into his apartment one night and finds his brotherโ€™s fiancรฉe there. His first thought? Kick Caroline out.

But things have never been that simple between them.

With every glance and quiet moment spent together, the line between friendship and something more starts to blur and neither is ready for what happens when it disappears.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Bad Influence is the first book I’ve read by Ava Hill, and I so enjoyed the slow-burn, roommates, forced proximity, forbidden romance between Caroline and Killian.

Despite Caroline walking in on her fiancรฉ cheating on her, her parents were pushing her to go through with the marriage, which had pretty much arranged by them. Fed up, she walked away from her toxic family and sought refuge in an apartment left to her by her ex’s grandmother…. Only to get to New York and find that her ex’s older brother is already living there.

I was immediately drawn into the tension between Caroline and Killian. Their dynamic was salty and sweet, with lots of push and pull. They knew they absolutely should not be dancing around one another the way that they were, but they could not stay away. Both characters were dealing with family drama, and they became a grounding force for one another as they navigated those issues.

Their road to HEA was messy and chaotic and a little twisted, but very entertaining! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Muse by Jewel E. Ann


The Muse by Jewel E. Ann is now live!


Flynn Morley has spent his life getting by with as little as possible. No girlfriend. No real home. No money to speak of. Raised in the system, he learned early not to trust people who seemed to have everything. So when he takes a job as a โ€œmuseโ€ for a wealthy Minneapolis couple, it feels like crossing a line he never thought he would.

Then he meets June.

June is a bike tour guide with a quick smile, a calm confidence, and a way of making Flynn feel seen without being judged. Their connection is immediate and playful, built on shared humor, quiet moments, and a mutual longing for a simple life.

As Flynn adjusts to his bizarre new job, he starts encountering something he never planned for: kindness without strings attached. It challenges everything he believes about money, power, and who gets to be comfortable in the world. And falling for June only complicates things, especially when it turns out sheโ€™s carrying secrets of her own.

When Juneโ€™s past surfaces, Flynn has to decide what scares him more: becoming someone heโ€™s always sworn heโ€™d never be or letting her see his darkest secrets. If he canโ€™t let go of his fears, he might lose the one person who finally feels like home.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
https://bit.ly/3MxUmGE
Audible:ย https://bit.ly/4toxJUB
Amazon Audiobook:ย https://bit.ly/48JaNrF
Narrated by: Tim Paige & Charlotte North
Goodreads:ย https://bit.ly/4aE7PG1

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Another great book from Jewel E. Ann! Having grown up in the foster system, auto mechanic Flynn has a lot of scars (both physical and emotional). When he’s caught taking a wealthy customer’s car for a joyride, Rupert hires him to be his wife’s “muse” and inspire her to not want to unalive herself. Odd, right? But let’d go with it. The day he’s hired as Callie’s muse, Flynn randomly meets bike tour guide June, and for a guy who’s never had a relationship, he is immediately smitten.

I loved how sweet and kind of awkward Flynn was around June. I just really loved Flynn as the H. He didn’t quite know what to do when he regularly started experiencing kindness from people (June, Callie and even Rupert), and I adored seeing him trying to figure out how to handle that. His romance with June was very much the rich girl/poor guy/opposites attract dynamic, and I thought there was a lot of growth on Flynn’s part as he began to see himself in a different light through June’s eyes. His insecurities slowly faded away and he became more confident and at ease with himself. And began to place his trust in people.

For a while, I wasn’t sure what purpose Flynn’s employment as Callie’s “muse” had until Callie and Rupert’s backstory was revealed. And once it was, I really enjoyed the addition to the storyline of Callie and Rupert’s grief and recovery. And then how Flynn became part of their family made me smile.

The Muse was emotional and angsty and kind of messy, but so, so enjoyable to read! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Sunshine Seeks Roommate by Kat Savage

SUNSHINE SEEKS ROOMMATE by Kat Savage

Blurb:

Waylon Dupree loves love. He just doesnโ€™t want to be in it right now or anytime soon. But in ten years or so, heโ€™s looking forward to landing a badass wife, worshipping her, and poppinโ€™ out a couple of little Duprees.

For now, he just needs a roommateโ€”someone dependable, who wonโ€™t be moving out in a few months because they fell in love like the last two did.

Lyric Sweeney loves dead people. Which is convenient, considering sheโ€™s a mortician. Spending her day making the recently departed look alive again has also resulted in her having more conversations with them than people who are still on this plane of existence.

So when her best friend suggests she get a new roommate, her reasons why come with undeniable receipts. But does it have to be Waylon? Does it have to be that sort of almost hookup from a year ago who also happens to be her best friendโ€™s new manโ€™s best friend?

To appease the worried parties, she agrees to see his place. It would have been hard to say no to the chefโ€™s kitchen but she would have done it. But when he shows her what will be her own bathroom and tells her she can fill the sunroom with all her plants? Well, every girl has their price.

One awkward conversation later, theyโ€™ve put the past behind them and shake hands on starting fresh. Thereโ€™s just one rule: No hanky panky. Neither of them were very good at following rules though. And forbidden fruit is the sweetest kind. Besides, nothing can go wrong hooking up with your roommate, right?

Why you need to #ONECLICK this bookโ€ฆ

๐Ÿซ  Tattoo Artist MMC

๐Ÿง  Sheโ€™s a mortician

๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป ROOMIES

๐Ÿ˜… Sheโ€™s grumpy, Heโ€™s sunshine

๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ› Black Cat x Golden Retriever

๐Ÿ’” NO ONE wants love

๐Ÿ˜ˆ Banter x100

Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/49TGvU8

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Sunshine Seeks Roommate is a short and sweet second-chance, reverse grumpy-sunshine roommates story between black cat mortician Lyric and golden retriever tattoo artist Waylon.

Lyric is Darcy’s former roommate from The Single Dad Dilemma. Now that Darcy is happily paired off with Ridge, she suggests that Lyric move into Waylon’s house after his latest roommate moves out. The only problem is that Lyric and Waylon shared a kiss and an amazing night of conversation about a year ago. The first thing Lyric does when she moves in is declare that there is to be no hanky-panky, which suits Waylon just fine because although he loves the idea of love, he doesn’t want a relationshipโ€ฆ but that devolves into a roommates-with-benefits situationship before too long.

This story is fun and chaotic. Lyric is full of sass and the complete opposite of Waylon. The tension between these two was sizzling, but there was also a deep connection between them since they had both lost their mother, and that colors how they both approach relationships. I really enjoyed the everyday moments between these two characters, like shared dinners and hanging out in the sunroom, and how that bonded them. There’s a great group of supporting characters with the other misfits, so this book has great found-family vibes. And the banter between the friends was just as hilarious as the banter between Lyric and Waylon!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Kat Savage:

Kat Savage resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her three beautiful children, her hunky spouse, and two spoiled dogs. She secretly has hopes of getting chickens one day.

By day, sheโ€™s an office manager, pushing paperwork and dreaming. When sheโ€™s not at her nine-to-five, sheโ€™s writing. Or thinking about writing. Or preparing books and book stuff to procrastinate writing. Or quite possibly, designing stuff for other peopleโ€™s books.

She was driven to write out of a need for distraction and self-preservation after the death of her sister in 2013. Since then, itโ€™s snowballed into a full blown passion she canโ€™t escape. Even on the toughest days, she wouldnโ€™t want to.

She writes poetry packed with real, raw, and sometimes ugly truths. She wonโ€™t lie. Her goal is to make you ache, in that perfect delicious way we often secretly crave.

Shortly after putting her poetry and prose out into the world, she turned to novel writing. Savage is a natural storyteller, getting better with each book. She tries to give the characters in her novels depth, whether theyโ€™re serious or comical, she builds them in layers with the hope that you see a little of yourself in some of them.

Connect with Kat Savage:

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Small-Town Smokeshow by Holly Renee

Hunter Calloway is a small town smokeshow and the kind of man my father warned me about.

Heโ€™s got a reputation a mile wide, a smile that could burn through any girlโ€™s good sense, and did I mention heโ€™s also the man my sister once loved and left behind?

He strolls through town like he owns it, tips his hat with a promise in his eyes, and slides those calloused hands across my bakery counter like they havenโ€™t been haunting my dreams for years. Heโ€™s six feet of pure temptation wrapped in worn Wranglers, and every time Iโ€™m near him, itโ€™s like striking a match during a droughtโ€ฆ

Dangerous, inevitable, and exactly what I shouldnโ€™t want.

I try to convince myself I donโ€™t notice the way his gaze lingers, or the way he says my name as if heโ€™s tasting it. But all my good intentions crumble to dust when we find ourselves alone under a sky full of stars with nothing but whiskey and want between us.

And it changes everything.

We promise each other weโ€™re just having fun, yet his fingertips brush across my skin when no oneโ€™s watching, and we pretend we donโ€™t ache for each other in a room full of people who would never understand. Every kiss stays in the dark, every desire whispered like a secret, and every touch brands me with guilt.

I know better than to fall for a cowboy like him.
I know better than to want my sisterโ€™s past.
But when his eyes find mine, I forget every reason Iโ€™ve ever had to say no.

Every touch feels like a risk and every secret like a countdown. Iโ€™m lying to everyone, falling harder for a man who never promised me anything, and wondering how much longer I can pretend I donโ€™t care whether Iโ€™m just another notch on his well-worn belt.

Because Iโ€™m in love with Hunter Calloway regardless of the cost.

Amazon: https://geni.us/smalltownsmokeshow

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

I love an always-been-you romance, and Hunter and Maggie’s story was made even better with the added angst and forbidden factor of him being her sister’s ex.

Right from the prologue, the chemistry between these characters jumped off the page, and the yearning between them was scorching hot. Maggie and Hunter try their best to hide their feelings for one another, and the slow burn between them builds to a delicious explosion. Once they finally gave in, it was a well-deserved payoff for the reader! Seriously, it took until almost the end of the book, so I was eagerly turning the pages to get there.

I enjoyed spending more time with Blaire, Colt, and Ruby, and getting to know McCoy better. There was a nice addition with the new-to-town siblings Sutton and Brody, and I am looking forward to seeing how they fit into the future Calloway Ranch books!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: At First Spark by Renee Harless

AT FIRST SPARK by Renee Harless

Blurb:

Lark Carrington came to Coral Bell Cove for a fresh start. A fading inn, a quiet life, and a chance to rebuild something steady after everything sheโ€™s lost. She didnโ€™t expect her first real connection to come in the middle of chaos.

Holt Wright is used to being underestimatedโ€”long before he ever put on a uniform. The easygoing one. The goofball. The brother no one expected much from. Until he became a firefighter. Now, when the alarm sounds, heโ€™s the one people trust when it matters most.

The one who shows up.

The one who stays.

Even for her.

What begins as a single momentโ€”smoke, heat, and the steady presence of the man who pulled her back from the edgeโ€”turns into something neither of them can ignore. Long days restoring the Carrington Inn. Late nights that feel a little too honest. A connection that builds slowlyโ€ฆ and burns deeper than either of them expected.

Because Lark doesnโ€™t trust easily. And Holt is still learning what it means to be the man people finally believe in.

And when the past Lark tried to outrun starts to catch up with herโ€ฆ theyโ€™ll have to decide if this is just a sparkโ€”or something worth risking everything for.

At First Spark is a tender, slow-burn small-town romance about healing, showing up, and discovering that sometimes the person who saves youโ€ฆ is the one you choose to stay for.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/atfirstspark

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

At First Spark was a lovely addition to Renee Harless’ Coral Bell Cove series!

Lark arrives in town after her father’s death to fulfill his dream of restoring the Carrington Inn. And she really has her work cut out for her because the place is a mess. After taking in a stray dog on her way into town (seriously, I loved that dog), Lark eventually crosses paths with Holt, the goofball of the Wright family. Having spent his life being somewhat of the family joke, Holt is excited to start a new chapter in his life as part of Coral Bell Cove’s new firefighter team. So when he gets to play hero for Lark, it also starts a beautiful friendship between them that deepens as he helps her restore the inn.

There was instant chemistry between these characters. Because Lark has a lot on her plate (not only the physical demand of restoring the inn but the emotional trauma of navigating her grief after her father’s death), she keeps Holt at arm’s length at first. The slow burn between these two was delicious. There’s also an element of suspense to this story with Lark’s past, and Holt really became her protector when she was in danger.

I loved the journey that these characters went on. Being Lark’s cheerleader gave Holt, the guy who everyone always underestimated, a sense of purpose and duty, and in turn, he became a safe space for Lark to finally relax and catch her breath.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Renee Harless:

Renee Harless is a USA TODAY bestselling author with an affinity for wine and a passion for telling a good story. 
 

Renee Harless, her husband, and children live in Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She studied Communication, specifically Public Relations, at Radford University.

Growing up, Renee always found a way to pursue her creativity. It began by watching endless runs of White Christmas – yes even in the summer โ€“ and learning every word and dance from the movie. She could still sing “Sister Sister” if requested. In high school she joined the show choir and a community theatre group, The Troubadours. After marrying the man of her dreams and moving from her hometown, she sought out a different artistic outlet โ€“ writing.

To say that Renee is a romance addict would be an understatement. When she isnโ€™t chasing her kids around the house, working her day job, or writing, she jumps head first into a romance novel.

โ€‹

Represented by Stephanie at SBR Media for Foreign and Audio Rights.

Connect with Renee Harless:

https://www.reneeharless.com/mobile

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Hat Trick by E.M. Lindsey

HAT TRICK by E.M. Lindsey

Blurb:

โ€œFor five million dollars, would you send a relative to jail?โ€

“Bud, I would pay five million dollars to send a few there.”

Problem number one: Almost everything the world thinks they know about me is a lie.

Problem number two: Two people know the truth.

Problem number three: One of those two is a stalker and he’s having a blast using that information against me to get his way.

The good news is, the second person who knows the truth about who I am seems pretty dedicated to taking my stalker down.

The bad news is, itโ€™s NHL goalie Vanya Maximov, and he and I had a one night stand that I canโ€™t stop thinking about. And while Vanya might be walking sunshine so bright he can make even my blind ass see light, we have no business being together.

Iโ€™m a mess, and while Vanya is everything Iโ€™ve ever wanted in a partner, he deserves better than me.

If only he was willing to listen to reason. If only he was less stubborn and able to give up on a lost cause.

But with his ability to give me exactly what I wantโ€”a little pain with my pleasureโ€”and his refusal to treat me like Iโ€™m fragile, something dangerous starts happening.

Iโ€™m beginning to think that maybeโ€”just maybeโ€”heโ€™s right, and I am worth everything he sees.

Hat Trick is the second book in the Punk as Puck spin-off series, Legends and Fury. Itโ€™s a high heat, friends to lovers romance with a sunshine NHL goalie who also might be a golden retriever in disguise, a PPHL goalie with big black cat energy, a stalker, and no faith in himself, hooking up in a friendโ€™s car, praise and pain, high stakes romance, hockey bro banter, tons of chirping, and the swooniest happily ever after.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/0io1BhPZ

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 3.5 Stars

EM Lindsey is a new-to-me author; I’ve only read Hat Trick and the previous book in the series, Stick Around. I enjoyed both, but I found Hat Trick to be a little more intense and deeper (thanks to Micah’s stalker) than the last.

I really enjoyed watching Micah’s relationship with Vanya go from a one-night stand to something more. He was so hesitant to let Vanya in and allow anyone to see behind the playboy mask he presents to the world. The real guy underneath was wildly insecure and carrying around a ton of trauma, so it was interesting to see how Vanya became a safe space for him.

However, I thought that the story was a little one-sided; I wanted to get to know Vanya more and felt that the character development was heavily focused on Micah, almost to the point that Vanya was a supporting character and not the other MC. I would have liked to have seen his relationship with his sister/roommate padded out more, and loved the bits that we got from his hacker brother.

Overall, Hat Trick was an engaging story with a disability representation (Micah’s blindness) that was handled well. Especially when it came to how his stalker’s actions really impacted him.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet E.M. Lindsey:

E.M. Lindsey is a Romance author, an ancient historian, and avid lover of nerdy things.  EM lives on the East Coast of the United States. 

Connect with E.M. Lindsey:

https://linktr.ee/emlindseyauthor

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Risk The Play by Kaylee Ryan

Title: Risk the Play
Series: Nashville Rampage #6
Author: Kaylee Ryan
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Tropes: Single Mom/Football Coach, Age Gap
Forbidden, Secret Relationship, Best Friendโ€™s Dad

Release Date: May 19, 2026

BLURB

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Risk the Play is a single mom, coach, best friend’s dad, forbidden, secret-relationship, age-gap romance.

Will
Football was always simpleโ€”follow the playbook, make the sacrifice, win the game.
I lived by that rule for decades, and it cost me everything. My marriage. My daughter.
By ten, she believed I loved the game more than her. Now sheโ€™s back in my lifeโ€”with a family of her ownโ€”I fight every day to show her Iโ€™ve changed.
Then I fumble it all by falling for her best friend.
Amanda is strong, stubborn, and raising her daughter alone after her husbandโ€™s betrayal.
One kiss becomes something neither of us can ignore.
She wants to keep it secret. I donโ€™t.
Because this time, Iโ€™m willing to risk the play. I wonโ€™t lose my second chance at love.
Amanda
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I just never planned on doing it alone.
But when my ex got his assistant pregnant, I stopped, waiting for the life I thought Iโ€™d haveโ€”and choose motherhood for myself.
Now Iโ€™m a single mom doing my best to build a quiet, steady life with no drama and no risks.
Until my best friendโ€™s father becomes the one risk I canโ€™t resist.
Coach Warner is disciplined, respectedโ€ฆ and completely off limits.
Watching him fight for his daughter only makes falling for him more dangerous.
We tell ourselves itโ€™s just once.
But one reckless kiss turns into a night we canโ€™t take backโ€”and a secret we definitely canโ€™t afford to keep.
Because if weโ€™re discovered, I could lose my best friendโ€ฆ
And he could lose his daughter all over again.
Falling for me was never part of his playbook.

PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

ALSO AVAILABLE
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
All free in Kindle Unlimited
AUTHOR BIO

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, sheโ€™s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.

AUTHOR LINKS

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I have been waiting for Amanda’s story, and I absolutely loved her romance with Coach Will!

Throughout the series, we’ve gotten to know Amanda as Bellamy’s best friend, who was trying to adopt a baby with her MIA husband. Shortly before this book begins, she has divorced her neglectful husband (who was cheating on her), and adopted baby Mia as a single mom. The Rampage guys and their WAGs have adopted Amanda into the group, which now also includes Will as he and Bellamy have reconnected after years of estrangement.

What starts out as some help from Will with babysitting turns into spontaneous pizza dinners, and slowly, Amanda and Will aren’t viewing each other as best friend’s father/daughter’s best friend any longer. For the first time in a long time, Will (who was always married to his job) has something to look forward to when he spends time with “his girls” rather than coming home to an empty house. And for Amanda, Will gives her the support and friendship that she was lacking from her husband.

For a while, they keep their relationship a secret, but it eventually gets to a point where the guilt of keeping it from Bellamy is crushing them both. Amanda doesn’t want to risk losing the found family she’s made in the Rampage crew by telling Bellamy, and Will doesn’t want to risk losing the second chance he’s gotten with his daughter by not telling Bellamy.

I really enjoyed this story, and all of the emotions that came with it! I am sorry to see this series come to an end, but I thought it ended on a high note.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne

The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne is NOW LIVE

Iโ€™m the coachโ€™s daughter. Falling for one of my fatherโ€™s players was never the plan.

Especially not Decker Davis.

Chicago Colts third baseman.

Dependable. Steady. The guy everyone trusts.

And the man whoโ€™s spent years keeping his distanceโ€”especially from me.

We have history. The kind that ten years and a thousand miles canโ€™t touch.

So, this time, I promised myself Iโ€™d be smarter.

No getting attached. No blurred lines. And definitely, no falling.

He broke every last one within the first week.

Because Decker doesnโ€™t just show up for me. He shows up for my daughter.

Because he fits into our lives like he was always meant to be there.

Because he looks at me like I was never something he wanted to lose.

And suddenly, the walls Iโ€™ve spent years building donโ€™t feel nearly as solid as they used to.

But if I let him in, Iโ€™m not just risking my heartโ€”Iโ€™m risking hers tooโ€ฆ and I already know what losing him costs.

I wonโ€™t let my daughter pay that price.

THE RULEBREAKER is now live in Kindle Unlimited & in Audio (FULL CAST!!!) โšพ๏ธโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ

https://books2read.com/t-rb

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Decker and Penelope’s second-chance romance has been my favorite of this series so far! This book was a classic tale of right person, wrong time.

There is so much history between these two characters, and I was dying to get into the nitty-gritty of it after learning in #2 that Penelope also had a past with Decker’s twin brother, Foster! (And why did it take me so long to realize that Decker was Teddi’s fake date in Mr. Charming?!?!?)

As much as I loved Decker finally getting out of his own way and claiming the girl he’s loved for 20 years, some of my favorite scenes were the therapy sessions with Decker and Foster. Those two had so much to unpack, and my heart went out to both of them as they dug deep into their childhood scars and tried to figure out how to drop some of that baggage that they’ve both been carrying around.

I loved the relationship that Decker developed with Pen’s daughter, Hazel, and how she became just as important to him as Penelope was. As with the rest of the books, the friend group is right there every step of the way, offering encouragement while placing bets on how long it was going to take Pen and Decker to finally get together. I did both the ebook and audio for The Rulebreaker, the latter having a full cast narration led by Teddy Hamilton and Willa Jaymes as the main characters. I will listen to anything featuring Teddy!

So I know I started out by saying Decker and Pen have been my favorite…. but I am fully prepared for Easton Bailey to steal that spot, because I have been waiting for his story since I finished reading Ryan and Calista’s book!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Only For Her by Natasha Madison

ONLY FOR HER by Natasha Madison

Blurb:

Victoria

Being offered a job in a brand-new city wasnโ€™t something I was planning on.

Neither was meeting him at a random hotel bar that same night.

We shared a drink, flirted, and then one thing led to another.

We exchanged first names, and I escaped the next morning with a quick goodbye.

I never expected to see him again.

I especially never expected him to come face-to-face with him at my brotherโ€™s house.

As the new coach of the team.

Zane

I was the youngest coach in the NHL.

I had to focus on one thing and one thing only.

My job.

Itโ€™s the only thing I had time for.

Until I came face-to-face with the stranger I thought I would never see again.

Sheโ€™s off-limits in every sense of the word.

Not just because sheโ€™s younger than me.

Sheโ€™s the sister to my star player.

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/Only4HerNM

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Natasha Madison adds another book to her hockey universe in Only For Her, which centers on Victoria (the daughter of Manning & Evelyn from Only One Night) and Zane, the youngest NHL coach, who coaches her brother Jaxon’s team. Five months after they had a one-night stand, Victoria and Zane run into each other at her brother’s house, and the attraction is just as hot as it was the night they first hooked up.

As the youngest coach in the league, Zane has his work cut out for him โ€” and many people looking at him to fail. So at first, he’s hesitant to date Victoria at all, but soon finds she’s become a light in his life and he can’t stay away from her. But as the pressures of his job mount, Zane begins to wonder if it’s fair to drag her into the media circus surrounding his career.

Having read most of NM’s books, I always enjoy it when the older generation shows up to talk some sense into the characters. So it was a treat to see Manning go all Protective Dad (with some help from buddy Nico) upon learning that his daughter’s boyfriend is an older man.

Only For Her was charming, sweet, and sexy. The audio is narrated by Aiden Snow and Vanessa Moyen, who did a great job in bringing this story to life.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Natasha Madison:

When her nose isnโ€™t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, sheโ€™s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. Itโ€™s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesnโ€™t listen to herโ€ฆ

Connect with Natasha Madison:

https://linktr.ee/natashamauthor