Something Broken by Erin FitzGerald Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Best friend's brother

➮ Small-town 

➮ Cowboy

➮  Second chance

➮ Single dad

➮ Only one bed

➮ It's always been you

➮  Dual POV

Synopsis

His sister's best friend wasn't supposed to upend his life. Ashley was a thunderbolt compared to Travis' slow ranch attitude. He quickly fell for her when they met years ago. After a foolish choice, he lost her for decades. His sister orchestrates them a second chance. Will they be able to reconnect?

Best Quote From the Book

“We'd always had this connection, something deep and emotional, a link from his heart to mine, and I'd thought I was going to die when he'd been the one to sever it"

LGBTQ+ Representation

3/5 🌈

There is a background character who is married to a gay partner. They play a minor role and have multiple lines. Their appearance is deemed completely normal and is portrayed in a positive light. 

My Thoughts

This book is the second in the Wolf Mountain Rancher series. This book follows the best friend and the brother of Lana from Something Lost. As such, the end result of this book is revealed in book one as well as a good bit of their journey. Even so, I found it worth reading. There were a lot of surprising caveats in Travis' point of view that helped differentiate it from the first book. In addition, reading the first book is not necessary to understand this one but there is a ton of character overlap. 

There were some rather skippable scenes because many of the days were quite repetitive. There were many instances discussing Ashley getting sad and drinking. I found myself skimming these scenes because they weren't very unique. I do understand that the reputation does demonstrate that Ashley was stuck in the cycle for a long time. 

This book goes back and forth in time a lot as the characters remember and address more of the past as the story progresses. I really appreciate that these time changes are clearly labeled throughout the chapter and at the beginning of the chapter. This clarity is highly beneficial to understanding the story. 

While I am not going to go into details to avoid spoilers, I want to shout out a hilarious scene to look out for. The scene with Ajmal and Travis was by far my favorite part of the entire book. I will be rereading that scene in the future.

At the end of the book, there is a completely adorable wedding scene. I loved seeing all of the family members interact and witness the squabbling. I absolutely had misty eyes by the end. It's impressive for a not-sad scene to incite some tears. 

I will note that there is some spice in this book. These scenes do not go into too much detail or depth. These scenes can be skipped without missing any important plot points. 

Overall, to my surprise, I felt there was still a lot to gain from this book after reading the first one. I would've liked it even more if it was a little less repetitive. There were a lot of emotional and funny scenes that help the reader see the depth and complexity of Travis and Ashley's relationship. This book was excellent at showing progress instead of telling. 

I received this book as part of a release team. My review is honest and voluntary.

Digging Up Love With the Sheriff by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Opposites Attract

➮ Small-town romance

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

The new sheriff in town Rory McEvoy ends up meeting the town historian Constance Chaplain because a set of deer bones in Constance's museum go missing. These bones end up mixed together with a human skeleton. This quickly makes Constance a top suspect. Constance has to earn the trust of Rory to try to get her bones back. While they cross paths, they realize they act differently around each other than anyone else.

Best Quote From the Book

“Her eyes alight and... is that a smile on her face? Couldn't be. I must be imagining the upturned corners of her mouth. But to be honest, I like the thought of making her smile way more than I should."

My Thoughts

I will admit this review will probably be a bit on the shorter side for my blog because this book was such a quick and easy read. It is less than 200 pages in total so not too much happens in it. 

This book uses a lot of language that really gives it a happy quirky vibe. Some of my favorites of these words include kerfuffled, chutzpah, and chargin. That coupled with such a wacky mystery to unsolve, it was an easy read that made me laugh and smile. It gave me that comforting mystery vibe of watching Scooby Doo when I was a kid.

If any of you have watched the TV series Bones, I can say that Constance highly reminds me of Temperance Brennan from that series. They are both quite straightforward and value their jobs over most other things. I absolutely adore that show and that character so I especially admire Constance for that reason. 

If you have seen my review of Evie Sterling's other recent release Anatomy of Matchmaking, I will note this book has a very different tone, vibe, and even writing style. I have to applaud Evie Sterling for her ability to write such varied but good clean romance stories that are engaging, fast-paced, and fun to read. 

I received this book as part of Evie Sterling's street team and got access to it as an arc. My review is honest and voluntary.

The Anatomy of Matchmaking by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Friends to lovers

➮ Second chance

➮ Off limits

➮ Next door neighbor

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

The Anatomy of Matchmaking is a clean and sweet romance that features a doctor and the girl he never got over. In addition, there is an adorable friendship between a large dog and a geriatric cat. As Maddison has to go back to the town she grew up in, she encounters Nick, a lost flame from her past.

Best Quote From the Book

“Here's the thing-chances are, real love won't be convenient. It'll be out of reach until you take that big leap toward it."

My Thoughts

I found that from the beginning of the story Maddie and Nick go well naturally together. They instantly click and develop camaraderie. When they are eventually reunited, that same spark is still there. I loved seeing them together and how well they naturally complement each other. They are also incredibly infatuated with each other, it seems crazy that they both deny it. 

Seeing the circumstance Maddie ended up in with Hana and Nick, it was a bit frustrating to read. Her struggle entirely comes from self-sabotage. As it goes on I am stuck between finding her in a mess of her own making and feeling bad for her. This conflict in the minds of readers inspired me to keep reading and see how she could possibly sort things out. 

I have a very love-hate relationship with Hana's character. She is very important in launching the plot forward and creating conflict but she is simultaneously quite frustrating. 

There were a few quite cheesy moments but they did an excellent job at making me smile as a result instead of groan. Honestly, the whole reading experience felt like I was watching a fleshed-out rom-com movie more than many other romances. 

Overall, I liked the refreshing clean romance with a lot of cute animal moments and family meddling. Most of the characters were quite endearing and fun to read about. I would love to see this story get turned into a movie one day. 

Wildfire by Hannah Grace Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ One night stand

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Hockey romance

➮ Off limits

Synopsis

Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meet at a party and end up having a one-night stand. They then encounter each other once again when they are both counselors at the same summer camp. This camp has a strong rule about "no staff fraternizing." This rule doesn't seem like an issue until they keep getting pushed together. 

Best Quote From the Book

“It's no secret that I love books. I love stories about people I don't know and places I haven't been to. I've lived a thousand lives between a thousand pages."

My Thoughts

I actually ended up reading this book before Icebreaker due to library holds and I can confirm reading order for this series is not essential. It is set at the summer camp so the characters from Icebreaker aren't essential to following the events in Wildfire. 

While this is technically touted as a hockey romance, it has nothing to do with hockey. Basketball plays a bigger role in the story than hockey actually. I would've loved to see a bit more hockey but I digress given this story takes place during summer. 

This book honestly has a very YA feel with the setting and the events that take place. Sneaking around, group teasing, and camp activities all feel like a summery YA book. But there are a number of spicy scenes (not nearly as many as Icebreaker) that make it definitely not YA. 

They both bond heavily over daddy issues. They both have strained relationships with their families. These struggles are what allow Russ and Aurora to actually get to know each other on a personal level. The support they provide each other to do what they can with their family lives is the best driving force of the book. 

I was very surprised to discover that my favorite part of the book by far was the epilogue. I won't get into what specifically happens but it was just such a perfect little ending to the story. It gave a lot more depth and background to Aurora's interests and motivations in particular. 

Overall, if you are looking for a YA-esque summery romance with some spice, you will enjoy this book. The summer camp setting can feel a bit immature at first but the other counselors help to keep it from feeling too kiddy. Just prepare yourself for a bit of rocky familial relationships. 

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Hockey romance

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Found family

Synopsis

Anastasia Allen has dreamed of being a member of the Team USA figure skating team and got a scholarship to join the Maple Hills skating team. Nathan Hawkins is the captain of the hockey team. In a turn of events, both teams end up having to share a rink. When Anastasia's skating partner gets injured, they are stuck together even more. 

Best Quote From the Book

“I know you don't, but you're worth defending. Every cut, every bruise, every single pang of anger or frustration. It's all worth it. I'd throw my last puch defending you because you deserve to have someone be that person for you, and there's no one more qualified for the job than me." 

My Thoughts

Unsurprisingly, I am a huge fan of a book that combines two of my favorite sports. Figure skating and hockey together, what more could I ask for? My love for these sports also most definitely contributes to my 5-star rating. I hope later books in the series highlight more of the hockey side of the player's lives, not just the team aspects.

There were several funny moments including a scene with Despicable Me costumes that added to the charm of the story. The found family of the hockey team and Anastasia were incredibly endearing. As a reader, I could feel the trust and support that all of the team has for each other.

Anastasia and Nathan make a good pairing because they both help each other grow emotionally and ensure they can be the best versions of themselves possible. While they were connected quickly, their relationship served more purpose in their lives than just stress relief or a fling. From the beginning to the end of the story Anastasia especially grows so much as a person and finally really comes into her own. 

My only complaint is that the ending felt like it wrapped up very quickly and left a few things unanswered which frustrated me a bit. I wish it would've gone into more depth about the intentions of some of the characters. 

Do keep in mind that despite the cute cover, this book is quite spicy. These scenes are plentiful and are essentially unskippable. If you are not a fan of spice, this is not the book for you. 

In sum, I really enjoyed my time reading this book and getting to feel part of the Maple Hills community. The subjects of the book were well-aligned with my interests and I enjoyed seeing where their journey would go. I would recommend this book to hockey fans, romance fans, and figure skating fans alike. 

January 2024 Reads

  January 2024 Reads 

This month I read 9 books 

These books were 100% fiction

The most popular genres were romance, contemporary, and thriller

My average rating was 4.13 stars

The Books

➽ Y'allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss

➽ Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

➽ The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

➽ Savage Little Games by Lane Hart

➽ Wildfire by Hannah Grace

➽ The Other Murder by Kevin Chapman

➽ Crazy Little Thing by Ellie Thornton

➽ Love Across the Stars by Chenelle Bremont

Something Lost by Erin Fitzgerald Review

 

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

➮ Small-town romance

➮ Single dad

➮ Secret admirer 

➮ Age gap

➮ Dual pov

➮ Cowboy

Synopsis

When the Senator said he'd send an aide to draft a counter to the proposed pipeline that would bisect his ranch, the last thing more expected was Lana. The pull to her is stronger than he'd like. Lana's past is shadowy. He wonders if it's the reason she wants to leave DC. When a tragic accident results in a terrible misunderstanding, both of their lives are torn apart. Mark realizes some people don't want them together. Is it possible the biggest obstacle between him and happiness... is himself?

Best Quote From the Book

“Loving someone is easy at first, because you see only the best. Real love has history. It's practiced and chosen. It sees the ugly things and stays anyway."

My Thoughts

My first 5-star read of the year! I don't think I will be forgetting this cast of characters any time soon. My favorites are Mark's sons and his housekeeper Julie. They are incredibly amusing and endearing. 

Many times in this book I was cracking a smile because of funny or cute moments. Beyond just Mark and Lana, all of the characters are excellent at being naturally funny and comedic timing. Especially how absolutely nobody in this book is subtle about pushing Mark and Lana together. If only Mark weren't so stubbornly dumb this book would've been around 100 or more pages shorter. That said, I would not desire to miss out on anything that unfolded.

This book is long. I wish this book was shorter just so I could reach a satisfying conclusion faster. Even so, there isn't a moment I would cut out. I was flat-out drinking up the drama like it was the perfect daytime tv soap opera with a cowboy twist. 

Even if this is a 5-star read, there are a few small things that bothered me that seem worth addressing. Mark abandons Lana for almost 2 years I believe. If he was simply willing to communicate so much frustration could've been avoided. There is also a child in this book who would absolutely have fetal alcohol syndrome but that isn't mentioned at all. Despite the mother drinking heavily up to 4 months in, the baby is allegedly perfectly healthy. 

This book does include spice scenes. That said, the dirty jokes sprinkled throughout are actually quite funny.  In addition please look up a full list of trigger warnings before picking up this book because it dives into a lot of potentially triggering topics. 

I received this book as part of a release team. My review is completely voluntary.