The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Sports romance

➮ Romcom

➮ Secret relationship

➮ Found family

➮ Forced proximity

Blurb

April Baird is determined to finish an Ironman—even if it is 140.6 miles of misery in the form of swimming, cycling, and running. The distance would be daunting enough, but April is certain she has an Ironman curse. What else could explain the events that have caused her to DNF the last three years? Now, her coach has even bailed.

When Gabriel Torres discovers his rival, April’s former coach, has dropped her mid-season, he has a choice to make: stick with the plan and a team that’s sure to win or add April to his roster. She’s a risk—one that may cost him his chance at making the dream team of his coaching company, and yet, he sees a spark in her—something he’d pay good money to bottle and add to his other athletes’ electrolytes.

As training heats up, their relationship slips from professional to casual to something else entirely, and they soon realize there is more at stake than just a race.

Best Quote From the Book

“Years of evolutionary coding told me to jump him and continue the bloodline."

My Thoughts

    I already knew from the first page this was going to be a 5-star and I was so right! I don't know what magic you dump into your stories Harriet, but never stop because I will read and love every single one. 

    This paragraph is solely dedicated to appreciating the magesty of Harriet and her writing. This is her second published book. You read that correctly; she's only published one book before this. I can truly say that I have never read such a talented author who doesn't have a large back catalogue. Both books are absolutely perfect, zero complaints. She is just that good, y'all. A bonus thank you because she is also one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She shows so much gratitude to her street team (Team Trouble) to go as far as weaving in a nod to us in this book. Even with the shout-out, I wouldn't lie about liking this book; that's not the reviewer I am. 

    Now, back to the review. Okay I will admit I do have one complaint. I wanted even more of the adorable pup, Johnson. You cannot introduce such an adorable character and not include him on nearly every page. In all seriousness, he is wonderful, and better find his way into other books in this series. 

    Harriet did a fantastic job of implementing the concept of wandering minds. The characters' internal tangents felt very realistic and naturally propelled the story. Seeing them try too hard to control their thoughts and utterly fail was relatable in an endearing and entertaining way. 

    She also tackled grief beautifully. April is still grieving over her mother, as grief isn't linear. I loved how it shaped her character arc but didn't take it over entirely. As someone who has dealt with grief (as I am sure most of us have), this portrayal felt like a warm hug telling me it would all be okay. April doesn't succeed in spite of her grief; she succeeds because of how much she cares about who she lost. I cannot convey how much that seemingly subtle difference means. 

    Oh man, the ending of this book brought me to tears for sure. For good reasons, I promise. That said, I will not elaborate to avoid spoilers, just know that it will make you feel. You will feel sad, proud, and elated all at once if your experience is at all similar to mine.

    This book does have open-door spicy scenes. If that is not your thing, I do not recommend this series. 

    I created a playlist for both books in this series. You can find book 1 here. You can find this book's playlist here. If you want an immersive reading experience or just want to relive the magic of these books, I highly recommend. 

    I received this book as part of Harriet's street team. My review is honest and voluntary

Y'allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Coworkers to lovers

➮ Fake dating

➮ Forced proximity

Synopsis

Maddox and Riley are co-stars in a popular TV crime series Urban Dawn. On the screen they are a steamy duo, off the screen they don't even talk. That was until an awkward encounter at a nude beach leaves them reeling. As they begin a fake relationship for ratings, they have to deal with getting to know the real versions of each other.

Best Quote From the Book

“I want to try. Whatever it is, I want to make it work. I'm into this Riley. This feels different for me."

My Thoughts

Maddox and Riley feel like a pairing where it makes sense that they ended up being forced together. They have a lot of loved ones in common and their characters have a lot of chemistry. 

Who would've thought toilet paper gowns would be something to bond over? This concept really summarizes the type of humor this book has. They end up in wacky situations and have to do their best to figure it out in some rather wild ways. The humor in this book reminds me of A Love Catastrophe in that it involves a lot of comedic and clumsy chaos. 

This book also has a deep-running family and found family storyline. Particularly with the loss of Riley's grandmother. These relationships help push the story forward and give the characters purpose beyond their roles in Urban Dawn. 

I really like the pacing of this book. The various plot points are perfectly placed. It keeps things exciting but is still easy to follow. As a first read of 2024, I am quite happy with it. The cast of characters is so genuinely funny and engaging. For a group of rich people, they are quite down-to-earth and not snobby. I'd be happy to read other books that follow other members of this group. 

For once a book where people set boundaries and defend them. It was such a refreshing inclusion. When Riley and Maddox establish their fake relationship, they clearly state what they are and are not okay with. After establishing the ground rules, they stick to them and enforce them. I'd appreciate seeing more of this from the fake dating trope. 

This book provides a nice representation of the positive benefits of therapy. Riley genuinely benefits from it and it isn't blown out of the water that she sought help for her mental health. 

My one complaint about this book is the inclusion of the pandemic. Honestly, it is just too soon for me to enjoy reading about characters suffering from the ramifications of the pandemic. It felt a bit too, currently accurate to keep it a nice reading experience for that portion of the book. 

The plot twist at the end (which I will not say too much about) is very perfect for Riley's character. It spreads an important social message and is an important reminder that our actions and decisions do impact others.

This book does have a few spicy scenes so keep that in mind. They can be skipped but are embedded in chapters. 

As a note, I did get the chance to read this book as an ARC. This review is entirely voluntary. I really enjoyed this reading experience. With a fun cast of characters, positive mental health representation, excellent pacing, and lots of funny moments, I am happy to recommend this book.