Can't Wait Wednesday: Revolve

Can't Wait Wednesday

This week's book is.... Revolve

Author: Bal Khabra

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: October 14th

Series: Off the Ice (#3)

Blurb:

Sierra Romanova was an Olympian figure skater before a life-altering accident on the ice left her with panic attacks every time she entered the rink. Now, back for her final year at Dalton University, she’s ready to reclaim the spotlight, with all eyes on her…including those of hockey player Dylan Donovan, whose audacious words goad her back into her skates to prove him wrong.

After getting kicked off his hockey team for his reckless behavior, Dylan is left with slim chances of making it to the NHL draft. But Dylan’s whole world revolves around the ice, and if hockey is forbidden, well, at least there’s figure skating. Even better, it means more time at the rink with Sierra. Sure, he’s helping her rebuild her confidence, but pushing her buttons along the way? That’s just a bonus.

As the figure skating world awaits Sierra's comeback, she finds herself in need of a new pairs partner. The only person she knows who can match her skill on the ice is none other than the cocky hockey player who refuses to cut her any slack. Dylan's a wildcard, Sierra's a seasoned pro, but together, they might just be the perfect match on the ice.

Explanation:

I am a huge hockey romance fan and already have Collide on my shelves. I am certain that I will adore this book too! I also adore figure skating. It's a very exciting time to be a fan, honestly. I am sure this book with be the perfect blend of the two.

See you next week for more excitement!

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

Light 'em Up by Kelly Jamieson Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Hockey romance

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Matchmaking

➮ One night stand

➮ Brother's rival

➮ Workplace romance

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

Annie is thrilled to be working in professional hockey since her brothers are all players. Her new role as skating coach to the New York Bears is the perfect fit. Except one of the guys is Logan Coates—the guy who sent her brother to the hospital in a memorable game three seasons ago. She wants nothing to do with him.

Logan doesn't need some tiny figure skater telling him what to do. Although he's a fourth-liner, he wants more ice time. Learning from Annie Bang, who hates his guts. She’s a pint-sized badass, that's sexy as hell.

Best Quote From the Book

“Your cold hands aren't getting anywhere near my beefy baloney"... my man-sized manicotti... zipper sausage? How about love stick? Magic wand?"

My Thoughts

I adored this story for including a badass woman doing better than all of the men around her. Of course she's faster with less effort, that's how queens do it! But seriously, she's a FMC we can all look up to who knows her worth and doesn't take any flack from the boys. I love to see it. While she is a petite woman, she doesn't let that become her whole personality. She is also iconic for standing up for figure skating and getting some skin in the game. Overall she's a fun character who I would love to be friends with.

 

Speaking of iconic, Logan and Ivan are iconic for loving country music. I love seeing two strong men in sports unafraid to show their love for music which is often teased. I adore Ivan, he needs his own series just so he can be his amazing quippy self. Another character I would adore being friends with. This book does a great job of demonstrating a platonic relationship full of trust with physicality purely from the nature of figure skating. We need more really close best friends who really have no feelings for each other.

The only thing I wasn't fully in love with was how there were moments that highly promoted good communication amongst everyone but it felt like it wasn't as fleshed out as it could be. The moment everyone starts talking, it all gets resolved. In reality, I feel like there would be more pushback and would take more time to get there, especially for Logan and his father. 

This book seems to me like it would be fantastic adapted into a movie. I'd especially love to see Annie and Ivan's skating routine to the song Beggin' as I just know it would be incredible. Or all of the cute moments such as Logan's jealousy that I will not spoil despite how much I want to gush about them. 

I will say this book does include open-door spice and a good bit of it. That said, if you don't find that cumbersome, it can be skipped

Overall, this book does a great job with lovable characters with personalities, flaws, and complex character dynamics more indicative of real life than the average romance. It would be fantastic as a movie and was an engaging read from cover to cover.

I received this book as part of a Literary Media Tours arc team. My review is honest and voluntary

Puck Money by Dani Galliaro Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.25/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Hockey romance

➮ Workplace romance

➮ Friends with benefits

➮ LGBTQ+ rep

➮ Spicy lessons

Synopsis

You can be at the top of your game with no game? Nick Oberbeck is the young star goalie for the LA Princes. With money and prestige, he should be able to get anyone he wants. Why can’t the golden boy seem to make the connections he craves? Nick’s path collides with golden girl Annie Markham when they’re both at their friends’ wedding. Lucky for him, Annie’s fresh off a heartbreak involving a coworker. Nick tries his best to bag Annie and succeeds... kind of. They go their separate ways until Annie has a work opportunity in LA: an opportunity to be Nick’s sports agent. Neither of them wants to repeat their mistakes, but Nick asks Annie for a big favor. The catch? No one can know.

Best Quote From the Book

“I was so taken by the beauty of both your scars and your resilience"

LGBTQ+ Representation

5/5 🌈

Both MCs are LGBTQ+. This is discussed in earnest and heavily impacts their characters. Nick has to handle the struggle of being a pansexual hockey player. As a result, he keeps his identity hidden. There is still a lot of discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people in sports so it is often not safe to openly come out without risking your career. He also discusses how his parents had different reactions to him coming out. This book discusses the importance of relationships where a person is supportive of you but still doesn't really understand your identity. There are lots of people in that situation so it is amazing to see it represented with literature.

Annie identifies as bisexual. These experiences with people of various gender identities have shaped who she is today and how she approaches potential relationships. She is generally more open than Nick due to being in a safer situation but she does discuss the struggles of being unsure if/when to mention your identity when meeting new people while being out as a general concept. 

My Thoughts

At first, I truly did not like Annie's character. She continued to stay in a relationship with a married man even after discovering he was married. It was then a struggle to root for her for the first quarter of the book. After that, I started to like her a lot more and that aspect of her character became less irritating. 

I loved the little Scarlett Letter reference. It was the perfect little nod. Not too overt or forced but enough to be widely recognizable. 

These days I am really a sucker for any books at least partially set at a wedding. I'm not sure what it is about that setting that is so appealing right now to me but this book definitely hit the spot. Their blunder of a hookup at the wedding was quite funny and is what got me to start liking the characters more. 

Nick is one of the most pure characters I have seen in a spicy book. He well and truly had no idea how to please a woman and it somehow added to his charm. He was also a FANTASTIC babysitter which was heartwarming to see. Truly Nick is just so much better than Annie. He is such a simp for her I love it! He would change the rotation of the Earth for her if she asked. 

This book is very spicy. It is the plot, not just a big part, it is honestly most of the plot. No, this book is not erotica. If you are not comfortable with a healthy portion of open-door spice, this is not the book for you. I will say I was very happy the spice elements did not read in a pornographic way and truly developed the characters. 

If anything, I feel like this book could've been trimmed down a bit to be shorter. I'm not sure what exactly contributed to the slightly dragged-down feeling. It just felt like I was constantly wanting to fast-forward to the next plot point I suppose. 

A few of the dates Annie and Nick went on were so cute. Such as the Venice Beach-themed date or when they bonded over books. The moments they actually let themselves act like a couple flowed very well. 

Overall, this book was enjoyable if you like a spicy read that isn't dark. The hockey elements came into play at some points. I would've loved to see it be a tad bit shorter and to give Annie a redemption arc earlier on in the story. 

I received this book as an arc through Happily Booked PR. My review is honest and voluntary.

Catching Feelings by Maren Moore Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Roommates to lovers

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Found family

➮ Sports romance

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

After an "accidental" hook-up, Viv is distressed to learn that she is stuck with Reese Laundry. Reese is the All-Star Catcher at Orleans University. He is rich, handsome, connected, and charming. Viv is the only girl on campus that doesn't fall at his feet. With an unfortunate curveball in life, Viv and Reese become roommates. As they get to know each other better, maybe Reese isn't so bad?

Best Quote From the Book

“I don't get what the big deal is. Everyone's so annoyed that I am being an over-the-top cat daddy, but I can't help it that I love her. I'm a proud helicopter cat dad."

My Thoughts

This book opens up with an absolutely fantastic playlist! It has songs for everyone from pop-punk to Taylor Swift. While this book isn't about music, the songs in the playlist are actually relevant to the story. It's been a while since I saw a story with a good playlist so it was a pleasant surprise when I opened the story. 

I love the combination of a writer FMC and a baseball player MMC. They naturally go together quite well and do what they can to support the other's passion. Reese's sister is also a huge reader so I love the representation of girls bonding over books. 

As a huge sucker for good banter, this book left me very satisfied. Reese and Viv's teasing felt very natural and funny. There is an inherent level of comfort in their quips that demonstrates how well the characters play off of each other. You can tell Moore took a lot of time and care to explore the dynamics of the relationships between all of the characters.

The found family in this book are all so supportive of each other and show up when they need to. Their trust and bond propel the growth in the book.

Honestly, there is almost nothing I would change about this book. The only thing I wish was different is their wonderful vacation getting quickly cut short. One of my least favorite romance tropes is when the main characters are finally having a nice time together and something comes along to quickly end their happiness. I would love to see a book with a fully played-out nice vacation, date, trip, experience, etc.

This story is absolutely spicy and is not the book for those who aren't into spice. The spice genuinely contributes to the plot and helps the story move along so I wouldn't recommend skipping it. There are also some truly funny spicy moments (all I will say is body wash, if you know you know).

In sum, I really enjoyed this book and it was an easy 5-star. Do I think it will be a book I remember forever and ever? Probably not, but at least in the short term, I found it quite excellent and well-balanced. I particularly love the character dynamics and how they shape the plot. It wasn't just that plot points were thrown onto the characters, they were actually navigating various changes.

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

Game, Set, Matchmaker by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Matchmaker

➮ Best friend's brother

➮ Second chance

➮ Dual POV

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Opposites attract

➮ Small town

Synopsis

Game, Set, Matchmaker is a second-chance, opposites-attract, clean romance featuring a perfectionist heroine and her bad-boy ex who's actually super sweet. This book follows their happily ever after including a basket of kittens, leaf peeping, and the swoony feeling of falling in love with a perfect match.

Best Quote From the Book

“How do you leave a postcard-worthy town, Parker Manning, apple pie, and kittens? Not easily. Not happily."

My Thoughts

I was surprised that, unlike The Anatomy of Matchmaking, this book actually includes evidence that Gemma has matchmaking skills. I liked that this book showed her passion for matchmaking instead of just telling about it and not actually including much of it at all. 

The concept for the book is very similar to The Soulmate Equation and a few other science romances. It's all about how love can be boiled down into an equation or a formula. Thankfully as this book goes on, it is shown that love is more than that. 

I would say the style of this book is more like The Anatomy of Matchmaking than Digging Up Love With the Sheriff. With a strong small-town vibe and a greater focus on other characters in the story helping to push forward the plot. 

The setting for this book was absolutely immaculate. The small-town vibe felt very realistic and connected. As a person currently living in a small town, I can confirm that once you are connected to the town you know a lot of the people in it, or at least know somebody who knows somebody. The other people in the town had just the right amount of meddling and honesty to help push Gemma and Parker together without forcing anything. 

My biggest complaint is that for a good portion of the book, the majority of Gemma's personality is her obsession with her Perfect Match program and looking exclusively at the numbers. I would've loved to see more about her other passions, interests, or even just varied facets of her personality. 

I absolutely love Gemma and Parker's dynamic. Parker's character is an excellent laid-back contrast to Gemma's uptight nature. They balance each other out and play well together. I love seeing Parker tease her and get her to come out of her shell and let loose.

I would've loved to have seen the last portion of the book be expanded a bit. From the beginning, the book has a relatively slow pace. The last 15% of the book feels very packed together and lacks depth. That 15% includes the majority of the plot and action of the book so I wish there was more detail about it. 

As is the case with all of Evie Sterling's romances, there is absolutely no spice.

In sum, I recommend this book to fans of small-town, second-chance romances with no spice. The characters are interesting, the plot is entertaining, and the relationship dynamics make the reader feel like they are watching it all unfold in front of their eyes.

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