Tropes: Unconventional Love Triangle, Protective Hero
Strong Heroine, Amnesia, Secret Love, Starting Over
Release Date: February 13, 2026
BLURB
Identical twins London and Lennon Tyler have always lived as mirror images—one a fearless race car driver, the other a quietly brilliant chef. Their secret talent? Switching places whenever life demands it. It’s always been harmless…until one switch ends in tragedy.
One twin wakes in a hospital bed with no memory.
The other never wakes at all.
Doctors tell the surviving sister who she is. They tell her who she loves—a charming physician who claims to be her boyfriend. She tries to settle into the life she’s supposedly lived…until a shaken race car driver storms into her room, calling her by a different name.
Her sister’s name.
Hospitals don’t make mistakes this big…right?
As her body heals, fragments of the accident—and the life she might have lived—start surfacing. Someone isn’t telling the whole truth. Her heart tugs her one direction, her mind another, and every step forward blurs the line between memory, desire, and what is real.
Is she falling back in love with the man she had before?
Or are there new feelings for the man who loved her sister?
My Heart To Remember is the first book I’ve read by A.B. Medley, and I was really impressed with London/Lennon’s story and her path to reclaiming her life after a horrible car crash that killed her twin sister.
There are so many twists and turns in this story. The author did a great job of balancing the survivor’s quest for answers with how the accident impacted the twins’ boyfriends, because the accident took something away from both of them as well. I really loved how the hero’s POV wasn’t introduced until well into this story, once the heroine has more or less reclaimed her memories. And then the story not only became one of London/Lennon’s identity crisis, but her determination to beat her stalker at their own game.
My Heart To Remember is full of intrigue, grief, love, friendship, loss, heartbreak, and so much more. It is not at all a typical romance book, but it is highly addictive and entertaining!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
AUTHOR BIO
A.B. Medley lives in Tennessee with the love of her life and three sons. Her husband stole her heart when she was sixteen and their relationship is one of those meant to be love stories you find in magazines and novels.
She is a dental hygienist who loves to read and has always dabbled in writing. When she’s not making people’s smiles shine, she enjoys belting out songs with her boys, dancing, raspberries, baseball, and anything vintage. Like any proper Tennessean, Sundrop is her drink of choice.
She loves her family and friends fiercely and believes in always chasing your dreams.
Deception in the Truth is her debut novel—but as she nurtures her love for writing romance stories, her list of released books continues to grow.
Hushed Harmony closes out Kaylene Winter’s Charming Irish series, and we finally get rockstar Liam’s story as he falls in and out of love with his manager, Linus, and their lives intersect with singer Avonna.
This story is full of secrets, grief, heartache, reconnections, overcoming trauma, making peace with yourself, and so much more. It follows Linus and Liam over two-ish decades, from when they first meet as college students. Their lives become intertwined with Avonna, who ends up as Fireball’s lead singer. And her backstory is a doozy since she escaped from a religious cult. From the previous books in this series, I knew that Liam had a tumultuous relationship with his father (because of his dad’s alcoholism years ago), so I really enjoyed getting deeper into that through his POV. Then there’s Linus, who grew up in a super strict, religious family.
All three characters are flawed, with tremendous baggage and trauma. The chemistry and connection between all three of them was lovely, and there was so much depth to their story as they clawed their way to finding a way to be together as a polyamorous couple. For that fact alone, Hushed Harmony was quite different than the other books in the Charming Irish series, but Liam’s story was just as captivating as his brothers before him.
I have really enjoyed following the McGoughlin siblings as they find their HEA, and Hushed Harmony was a super emotional ending!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Kaylene Winter:
Kaylene Winter is an Amazon best-selling author of steamy, contemporary romance.
Each character-driven novel is filled with snappy dialogue, pop-culture references and enough steam to make you fan yourself. Kaylene weaves authenticity, emotion and angst into a turbulent rollercoaster ride of love, passion and soul-searing romance always ending with a delicious HEA.
Kaylene lives in Seattle with her amazing Irish husband and gorgeous Siberian Husky. She loves creating art of all kinds.
On the Brink of Bliss by A.L. Jackson is now live!A sizzling single mom, fake marriage, heroine in danger romance from New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, A.L. Jackson
The last thing I expected when I found the trespasser bathing in my river was for it to be her…
Daisy Adair has always been my dream girl. From when we were best friends in high school to finding her now. A gorgeous mother who shows up on my property with three kids in tow. But I became a recluse for a reason. The life I chose is full of wickedness and peril. The last thing I need is the object of my every fantasy invading my space and risking her life because of me. Only when she tells me she’s on the run from her ex, I promise to do anything to keep them safe, even marry her to protect her kids. That single kiss at the altar rips through every barrier, our passion unleashed. Now, living under the same roof blurs the lines I’ve drawn. Each glance of her down the hall and I am splintering. Each brush of her hand and I am brought to my knees. Our future—bright, hopeful, and almost within reach—hovers on the edge of becoming real… Until we discover the threat surrounding her is grimmer than either of us imagined. Now I’m fighting to save her and her children before our second chance at forever is burned to the ground…
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars Cash and Daisy’s story was the perfect ending to the Moonlit Ridge series! Having gotten to know Cash as the quiet recluse among the Sovereign Sanctum guys over the course of this series, I loved seeing the “Big Gwumpy Giant” play house with Daisy, the one who got away when he was a teenager, and her children. He tried his best to keep his distance, but there was no way he could!
This story had a great redemption arc for Cash, also. The man has been carrying around so much guilt and grief for years, and I loved seeing his walls finally come down once he began to trust in himself and a future with Daisy.
Through flashback chapters, we got to see Cash and Daisy as teenagers, and then how their friendship fell apart just as it was on the cusp of becoming something more. And that backstory just made their present-day situation more emotional, and explained so much about Casg as a hero and why he’s been so closed-off all these years.
At the end of the day, Daisy and her children found a safe haven, a new family, and Cash got the love and affection he was worthy of.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I love a playboy who falls head over heels, and Xander was all that when it came to Cora. The fact that she barely gave him the time of day just fueled him more to want to get to know her. Her life is kind of a mess with her family business struggling, so Xander sees being her knight in shining armor as his way in with her. But what is supposed to just be a marriage of convenience on paper turns into so much more for these two characters.
Cora has not had an easy go of things, but I really loved her resilience. And there was more to billionaire playboy Xander than meets the eye; he turned out to be quite the charmer and so devoted to Cora. This story was as swoony as it was spicy, and getting to the real romance between them was a delicious slow burn.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Maxine Henri:
Maxine Henri is a contemporary romance author who infuses her stories with steamy passion and complex characters. When she’s not crafting stories that will have you swooning, she can usually be found sipping on a cup of black tea while reading a good book or traveling to new destinations.
Maxine believes that stories matter. They facilitate emotional journeys, inspire and entertain. And when it comes to books and fiction, stories are a great escape and probably the most beneficial addiction on this planet.
Her billionaire romances are the perfect escape, offering a taste of luxury and adventure. Maxine introduces heroes who may have a dark past, but are always balanced by a lighter side. And her leading ladies? They’re strong, independent women who may be a little broken, but always find their way to love.
From New York Times bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a sizzling sports romance full of flamingo feathers, slow-burn heat, and one grump-meets-sunshine love story that’s anything but fake.
They’re faking it for the cameras. But what if the sparks are real?
Graydon St. John doesn’t do drama―or public appearances. The brooding defensive end for the San Francisco Foghorns prefers silence, solitude, and avoiding headlines. But when a league-wide PR scandal forces him into a media stunt at the city zoo, he’s suddenly face-to-face with squawking birds, nosy fans, and the zookeeper who seems to hate his guts on sight.
Maple Baker loves her flamingos. Loud, pink, messy? Sure. But they’re hers. And the last thing she needs is a grumpy football player stomping into her sanctuary with a bad attitude and a bigger ego. Unfortunately, they’ve been paired for the zoo’s new public outreach program, and the cameras are already rolling.
The banter is sharp. The tension is electric. And the more they pretend to play nice for the press, the more their fake flirtation starts to feel like something dangerously real.
But when family secrets, viral fame, and a PR romance gone off-script threaten everything Maple’s worked for, Graydon must decide if he’s willing to fight for love―or let it slip away to protect her.
Just For The Cameras was a hilarious first installment in Meghan Quinn’s new series, Bay Area Players. Set in San Francisco, the story follows zoo keeper/flamingo lover Maple (aka Hardy Hopper’s ex from Bridesmaid Undercover) and pro football player Graydon, who are paired together for a partnership between the zoo and the city’s sports teams. She is a ray of sunshine and optimism, and he is a grumpy jerk, so watching these two fall in love after getting off on the wrong foot, then entering a PR relationship, was a joy
Once Maple peeled back all those layers and got to know Graydon better, he turned out to not be such a bad guy after all. He’s got some serious baggage thanks to his estranged relationship with his father, a former football pro himself who is trying to hang on to his glory days and makes Graydon’s life miserable. I’m a sucker for a hero showing his vulnerable side, and the scenes surrounding Graydon and his mom… I teared up.
These two characters were so well-matched. From the icy beginning to the heated moments, the banter was on point. And when the conflict between them popped up, I loved how solid and sure Maple was in their relationship when Graydon thought he was too complicated and broken to be worthy of her love.
This book features a full-cast narration, with Connor Crais and Emma Wilder as Graydon and Maple. (Teddy Hamilton, JP Harding, Jason Clarke, Stella Hunter and Samantha Brentmoor voice other characters.) As always, Connor and Emma were a pleasure to listen to, perfectly capturing the distrust, then yearning, between Graydon and Maple.
As a longtime reader, I loved how MQ brought in characters from her other series! Aside from Hardy and Everly (whom Maple is now besties with), Hutton and Scarlett (from the college baseball series The Brentwood Boys make an appearance since he is one of Graydon’s teammates. OC (from the Agitators) and Bennett (Gabby’s brother from Almond Bay) are the other heroes for this series. The Gladdy Daddies text thread definitely rivals the texting shenanigans among the Agitators! And because flamingos are involved, there’s a small cameo from bird lover JP Cane.
I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Control. I strive for it. In school, on the soccer field, and definitely with my unwanted crush. When things heat up between my team and the football players, it takes all I’ve got to stay out of it. Then Cal steps in, and my control snaps.
I’m drawn to him, but we ignite at every turn. And the more I push him away, the more he leaves me burning.
Cal
I’m already shaken, stretched thin. My parents’ divorce, violence at school, football, a girlfriend who’s no angel. And now Jack? He sees through my smile, sees the cracks in my armor. He keeps pushing until even the smallest spark sets us off. When the fires ebb, loathing becomes a building fascination I can’t explain.
I don’t want to hate him, but I’m not sure we can be anything other than enemies.
Burning Enemies, Book Two in the Burning Torments series, is a brooding and seductive return to the small town of Hickory Bend. When two jocks find out just how thin the line is between love and hate, which side will they choose to be on?
(This is a high school romance, but both characters are 18.)
Jack and his twin brother, Ty, move to small-town Alabama from California just before their senior year. They are both talented soccer players, which immediately puts them at odds with the football team… including popular player Cal. Jack had been bullied at his previous school for being gay, and even though he’s wildly drawn to Cal, something about the popular jock triggers his anxiety. When prank wars and animosity between the soccer and football teams get out of hand, Jack and Cal are forced to work together by the school — and Jack discovers that Cal might have feelings for him, too.
I felt bad for Cal. His home life is a mess; there is a ton of unnecessary responsibility on him, and he always feels like he has to be “on.” In contrast, Jack has a solid support system in his brother and parents. Plus, Cal’s girlfriend is a major witch who is actually abusing him, but he’s hesitant to come forward about that. (They break up before anything happens between him and Jack, so no cheating there.) His feelings for Jack kind of sneak up on him, and there’s push and pull between these characters as he comes to terms with his confusion and Jack figures out whether Cal is someone he can actually trust.
While I enjoyed parts of this book, I felt like it took a while for me to get into the story. The lead-up to Jack and Cal eventually hooking up was a slow-burn, but I was skimming over pages to get to the bona fide relationship because I felt like there was too much back-and-forth. And even when Cal was clearly trying to reach out, Jack kept pulling away. And while his past trauma influenced that reaction, I felt like it just happened too many times, and I wondered why Cal was even bothering with him. BUT… once they finally came clean with one another and admitted how they were feeling, the story clicked for me and I enjoyed the latter part much more. (Admittedly, I am obsessed with a very popular enemies-to-lovers television series at the moment, so there was a high bar, here.)
This is the second book in the series, but it totally reads as a standalone. The characters from Book 1 show up towards the end as part of a larger friend circle, so I didn’t feel like I was missing any plot points by not having read that book first.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Sweetwater Mavericks players are good for one thing—tips. I’ve been serving the latest crop of minor league ballers to hit my town every spring and summer for the past four years, and while I dream about life away from Sweetwater, I know that I’m tied to my hometown as long as my father needs me. As fun as one-night stands and summer flings are, they never lead anywhere good. Real love doesn’t exist—my mother taught me that.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮.
Hunter Reddick is the talk of the league. He never backs down from a challenge. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, winning run on third? He’s throwing a fast ball for the win. But when Hunter and his new teammates come into my bar, he makes his move on me, not expecting to get benched.
Just as he decides to give up, my carefully guarded walls start to break down. Maybe a summer fling isn’t such a bad idea after all. Except Hunter wants more than a summer. He wants falls, and winters, and something real. And he’s set his sights on me. The one girl who can’t give him that.
Easy Tiger was a fun start to a new series from Ginger Scott.
When Ren comes back home to Sweetwater Springs to take care of her father after his stroke, the last thing she’s looking for is a relationship. Especially with baseball player Hunter, since he’s essentially just passing through on his way to the major leagues. But there’s something about Ren that Hunter is extremely attracted to, and he plays the long game after she turns him down for a date. Little by little, he breaks down her walls, and he becomes someone whom Ren can count on.
These characters had a great connection, and I loved the banter between them. There’s a larger group of friends who will be the leads in subsequent books, and I’m really looking forward to what’s to come!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
FALLING FOR THE FAKE LUMBERJACK by SARA NEY IS LIVE!
Available in KU
A small-town yoga teacher finds something real with a linebacker posing as a lumberjack in this sharp and spicy romance from USA Today bestselling author Sara Ney.
With rugged good looks and muscles for days, Harris Bennett stops traffic no matter what he’s wearing—flannel shirt or football jersey. So when management sends him to Star Lake, Washington, for a team-building retreat, it’s no wonder a local mistakes him for a lumberjack. And Harris leans right into the misunderstanding. Because that “local” looks amazing in yoga pants.
Lucy LeBrandt is a yoga instructor with trust issues: She doesn’t have time for men. But she’s definitely drawn to the hot, goofy lumberjack who seems to know nothing about, well, lumberjacking. He’s only in town for a week. Maybe she can squeeze him in between classes…
Harris has no idea what to do with an axe, and Lucy has no idea what to do about Harris. But they both know exactly what to do when they’re alone together. Can they split the difference between them, or is their romance just one stroke away from “TIIIIIMBER!”?
Falling For The Fake Lumberjack was a charming opposites-attract story between football pro Harris and small-town yoga teacher Lucy, who thinks he’s a lumberjack in town for a festival when they meet while his team is on a bonding weekend. Harris goes along with the misconception, leading to mishaps amid the sweet moments. Harris just kept digging himself further and further into a hole, and it was comical to see how he tried to balance the growing lies with what he’s starting to feel for Lucy.
I enjoyed Harris and Lucy’s story, and it was a lighthearted read, but this wasn’t my favorite of the multiple Sara Ney books I’ve read. I struggled to connect with the characters a bit, and the story dragged for me at times, but it was generally a quirky, fun read.
I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.
There are rules in life, just like there are rules in the rink. The “don’t date your business partner” rule. The “don’t fall for your best friend’s sister” rule. The “stop kissing each other over the cookie batter” rule. And we’re breaking every single one.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the first standalone hockey romance in her brand new Hockey Ever After series, JUST BREAKING THE RULES! This sexy, single dad, opposites attract hockey workplace romance is filled with spicy baking sessions, love letters, and all the feels, spice, and heat! JUST BREAKING THE RULES is now available in all formats including the special edition hardcover and free to read in Kindle Unlimited! Check out the excerpt below and one-click your copy today!
Everyone knows the golden rule of business—don’t bang your business partner. Especially if he’s your brother’s hot-as-sin, hockey-star best friend.
But when the sexy single dad athlete saves me from a cake contest catastrophe—and shows me how good he is with his hands—I blurt out the world’s worst business pitch: Want to invest in my bakery?
With no loan or backup plan, this is my last shot at proving I’m more than my past mistakes, and shockingly, he says yes.
We set one rule: don’t mix business with pleasure. Except Corbin Knight’s impossible to resist.
When he’s not scoring goals, he’s staying up late with me to test tempting recipes. Braiding my hair before we bake like it’s foreplay. Giving me his jersey to wear to games.
I try to keep a professional distance from the bossy, possessive and dangerously flirty hockey player, but soon we’re testing the limits of the kitchen counter.
This bakery is my chance to finally get my life right, so I fight the messy feelings. Until one night, he shows up after closing and admits he can’t stop thinking about me.
Suddenly I’m ready to break every rule—no matter the cost to our dreams.
Those last two words echo like a warning—working together.
We are definitely working very closely together, and this—kissing, touching, f*&king—is a recipe for failure.
But when she looks at me like that, lips wet, eyes dark, I can’t bring myself to care about consequences. Not when she’s right here in my arms and I need her so damn badly.
I make quick work of the apron strings, undoing them at her neck as I crush her lips with mine.
Her mouth feels so good, soft and pliant. She moves with me, our tongues skating together. Our moans mingling.
“It feels like forever since I kissed you,” I mutter as I briefly break the kiss, frantically tugging down the apron, exposing the collar of the dress that I bought her.
“A day is a long time,” she teases.
“I didn’t kiss you yesterday.”
She seems to think about that for a few seconds. “You should keep making up for that.”
Samantha Brentmoor and Teddy Hamilton are two of my favorite narrators, so getting to listen to this duet audio of Just Breaking The Rules by Lauren Blakely was delightful. Mabel and Corbin’s story is a fun, flirty, sexy slow-burn.
Mabel gets saved from an epic disaster on a reality baking show by hockey star Corbin, who happens to be her brother’s best friend. Frosting in her hair and a hot kiss leads to Mabel and Corbin partnering together on their shared dream of opening a bakery in their small town. Although they agree to keep things strictly business, this hot single dad and the quirky baker can’t fight the growing attraction between them. They’ve always kind of had a thing for the other, but as they spend many hours together trying out recipes… it becomes so much more.
This slow-burn romance was delicious. I loved the connection between these characters and how supportive Corbin was of Mabel. They have to navigate the parameters of their partnership and a romantic relationship, and I thought they were great at communicating with each other as their relationship progressed. Corbin’s daughter, Charlotte, was a spitfire, and I really enjoyed her presence in the book. And I’m a sucker for a story with secret love letters; so swoony!
Just Breaking The Rules is a no-drama, feel-good romance! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
Sleeping with your client is bad, but what I did is even worse.
When I’m sent to Ember Falls to handle a PR nightmare, I have no idea I am creating a crisis of my own. Killian Thorn is everything I know to resist—older, rugged and handsome with mesmerizing green eyes and a wicked smile—which is why instead of running from him, I end up in his bed.
Forced to work together, our stolen kisses are the least of our worries because the scandal on Killian’s ranch continues to grow.
My job is to fix the issue, but our secret is only making it worse.
My best friend convinces me that being with my client isn’t really such a faux pas. In fact, she thinks I should go for it since I’ve always guarded my heart.
Trouble is, neither of us realize we’re talking about her dad.
Corinne Michaels closes out the Ember Falls series with the last Disc Jockey, Killian, falling for his much-younger publicist, Tessa, when she comes to Ember Falls to help a client clean up a crisis. They meet at the local bar, have an incredible night together, only to find out the next morning what their connection is.
But wait, there’s more! As it turns out, Tessa’s best friend/college roommate just so happens to be Killian’s biological daughter, whom he only found out about a year or two ago. Way to add another complicated layer to this age-gap, forbidden romance!
I really liked this story, and how Tessa and Killian’s connection went deeper than their one night together. The romance that developed between them built along with the mystery of why Killian’s horse farm was suddenly hemorrhaging money and the mystery of his missing foreman. That plot took some twists I wasn’t expecting, and it ultimately became the catalyst that made Tessa realize that Killian was her endgame, and there was a future for her in Ember Falls beyond the few weeks she was there for business.
As the last book in this series, Come What May nicely weaved in the other couples in this series as Killian’s friend group. The book also brought in the Whitlock family, since Brynlee (Forgotten Desires) is Tessa’s boss at the PR firm. And Liam from CM’s Consolation duet again makes a cameo appearance to help Killian out of a jam.
Overall, Come What May wrapped up this series with a nice bow! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
➝ 
Sunny Shelly Reads 