*`Review: The Goal by Elle Kennedy`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: The Goal

Series: Off-Campus #4

Author: Elle Kennedy

REVIEW:

4 Stars

The last book in the Off Campus series. I had a feeling Tucker was going to steal my heart and I was proved right. I will admit I was a little iffy about Sabrina based off her interactions with Dean in The Score. Getting to know her and getting her backstory explains so much. She hasn't had an easy life and she is just trying to get out. Tucker is made of book boyfriend material. He is all that southern charm and manners. How supportive he is of Sabrina won me completely over. I thought I was going to like his mom, but she was rubbing me the wrong way at first. She still gets a little side eye from me. When a little unexpected surprise is coming you couldn't have asked for a better person than Tucker to be part of the ride. A great sense of humor in this one. I did not like having to live through a sad part a second time. Just gutted me again. I really enjoyed this one and seeing this core group getting ready to move onto the next parts of their lives. 

BLURB:

Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!

She's good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn't include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she's willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he's fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn't hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina's heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he'll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

BUY LINKS:

https://www.ellekennedy.com/offcampus

*`Release Blitz: The Cheerleader is Off Limits by Q.B. Tyler`*

Run, don't walk, to pick up The Cheerleader is Off Limits! Q.B. Tyler's latest release is now live!

*`Review: 10 Things I Skate About You by Kayley Loring`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: 10 Things I Skate About You

Series: Quick Pucks #2

Author: Kayley Loring

REVIEW:

4.5 Stars

The second book in the series. There is a fine line between love and hate. That is Adam and Kate in a nutshell. I loved the nods to the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. That was a favorite of mine in my teens. There is a good sense of humor on this one as well as the steam. This is a novella so it was a fast read for me and it can be read in one sitting. It's very enjoyable and fun! 

BLURB:

Do they love to hate each other, or do they hate to love each other?

Kate Pogue and Adam Foley have been competing for early-morning solo rink time since they were in high school. She’s a grumpy figure skater who had good reasons for deciding not to compete nationally. He’s the grumpy center of a local beer-league team after a hockey injury ended his brief career in the NHL.

The hockey podcast Kate does with her brothers went viral because of how she trolls the Icebreakers center. Just because she’s made up seventeen different nicknames for Adam and has tracked his hockey career since he was sixteen, that doesn’t mean she’s obsessed with him! He only hate-listens to the podcast because it’s so terrible—not because Kate is hot and hilarious and she wasted a decade of her life on a guy who didn’t deserve her.

Now that Kate is finally single, their chemistry is ablaze and no ice rink is safe from melting.

The small town of Kenton, BC isn’t big enough to hold all the tension between these rivals, so their family and teammates set up a Valentine’s date charity auction to finally get them together. As the whole town watches on, the hope is that their fiery banter doesn’t burn down Main Street.

Because mostly they hate the way they don’t hate each other…

BUY LINKS:

https://tinyurl.com/bdft54st

Available in KU

*`Review: 50 First Skates by Kayley Loring`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: 50 First Skates

Series: Quick Pucks #3

Author: Kayley Loring

REVIEW:

4.5 Stars

This was a cute story. It plays off the movie 50 First Dates. Man it has to be so tough for Soleil to keep living the same day over and over with no memory of living new days. Dean takes a coaching job with her dad, but Soleil intrigues him before he finds out she is the coach's daughter. It just melted my heart to see the lengths Dean would go to for Soleil. That's true love right there. For me it was so interesting to see the story from Soleil's point of view and journal entries. This is a fast fun read that does pack a punch. This can be read in one sitting. 

BLURB:

He falls first. Every single day…

Dean Rafferty started his new job with one important goal—turn things around for the Kenton Comets as their assistant coach. He’s been in this small town for less than two weeks and the season is already over. On the bright side, he meets a beautiful young woman who wants him to teach her how to skate.

On the not-so-bright side, she doesn’t seem to remember meeting him.

It turns out Soleil Barrett is off-limits for three very specific reasons. A) She’s the head coach’s daughter. B) Her overprotective father has forbidden her from setting foot on the ice since she was a child. C) She has short-term-memory loss and doesn’t know it.

It’s the opposite of a hat trick.

Even though Dean tries to avoid her, somehow Soleil keeps showing up at the rink to ask him to give her skating lessons. Will Dean walk away from the most charming woman he’s ever met or will he lace up for someone who’ll forget about him when she falls asleep?

Never underestimate a hockey man who’s found his dream girl. Even if he has to introduce himself to her every morning.

BUY LINKS:

https://tinyurl.com/33hew9m9

Available in KU

*`Book Blitz: Bad Decisions & Back Roads`*

Bad Decisions & Back Roads: Second Chance Veterinary Romance
Zoe Forward
(Southern Veterinary, #2)
Publication date: August 3rd 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The problem with bad decisions is you never stop wanting them.

I used to be the rebellious girl from the wrong side of the fenceline. He was the local hellraiser nobody could tame. While our families carried on a feud older than indoor plumbing, we fell for each other.

Then my vicious father found out. To save Timothy’s life, I broke his heart and disappeared.

Now over a decade later, I’m back as a large-animal veterinarian, working at his brother’s clinic and treating everything from prize dairy cows to Timothy’s homicidal llama. Avoiding him should be easy.

It isn’t.

He’s a single dad running two businesses, still infuriatingly irresistible, and determined to make me pay for every year he spent hating me.

The problem? I never stopped loving him. But if he learns why I really left, I could lose him forever.

*`Release Blitz: Wild Card #13 by Kristen Hope Mazzola`*

An emotional ride awaits with the release from Wild Card #13! Pick up the next in the Frosthawks series by Kristen Hope Mazzola today!

*`Cover Reveal: Venomous Games by T.L. Smith`*

Title: Venomous Games

Series: The Venomous Series

Author: T.L. Smith

Genre: Dark Romance

Tropes: Secret Society; Forced Marriage; Marriage of Convenience; Enemies to Married Couple; "We have to pretend we're happily married"; Bound by Duty; Reluctant Partners; Opposites Attract; Detective x Assassin; Secret Identity

Release Date: September 24, 2026

Cover Design: RBA Designs

Discreet Design: Hang Le

*`Release Blitz: Eternal Craving by Vanessa Fewings`*

Title: Eternal Craving

Series: Eternal Desires Book 1

Author: Vanessa Fewings

Genre/Tropes: Forbidden Love; Enemies-to-Lovers; Vampire Hunter x Vampire; Human x Vampire; Star-Crossed Lovers; Fated Love; Obsessive Devotion; Eternal Love

Release Date: August 5, 2026

Cover Design: Stuart Bache

Publisher: Vinci Books

*`Review: Net and Chill by Kayley Loring`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: Net and Chill
Series: Quick Pucks #1
Author: Kayley Loring

REVIEW:

4 Stars

This is novella is a fast read, but an enjoyable one. I can't get enough hocky romance so this was in my wheelhouse. This is a fun read. Craig is spending his off season in this small town helping out at a goalie camp. Then a seamstress catches his eye. They just want to have fun with no strings, but what happens when feelings get involved. It gets a little messy with the non communication between them. Fate has other plans though forcing these two open their eyes. For me this could be read in one sitting. It's fast paced with two likable characters who bring the heat. The chemistry is burning hot between these two. 

BLURB:

Two chill people who are totally hot for each other.

It all starts with pants that weren’t designed for hockey butts, some measuring tape, and a fitting room that leaves no room to hide…anything.

Bridget Cross can alter clothes to fit any hockey player’s build—she just thought adjusting her life to fit NHL goalie Craig “The Wall” Bowman into it would be easy-breezy.

No strings. No loose threads. No problem…

Except the NYC starter keeps coming back to small town Kenton, BC every off-season, she plays the no-strings game like a champ for four summers, and neither of them is as detached as they’re pretending to be. Especially when Bridget ends things with Craig so she can be available for the kind of serious relationship she finally admits to wanting—without asking for a commitment from him.

They’re both totally chill about this!

Until Bowie gets injured during goalie camp because he was distracted and she stays at his place to nurse him through a concussion.

He’s blocked thousands of shots, but he never stood a chance against her.

BUY LINKS:

https://tinyurl.com/5e4mk2zp

Available in KU

*`Review: The Score by Elle Kennedy`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: The Score
Series: Off-Campus #3
Author: Elle Kennedy

REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
I saw the first season of the show before reading this book and it convinced me I'm a Dean girl. Well reading the book definitely proved that. I loved this book. Allie and Dean had me hooked from the first page. The banter between them so great and they have burning hot chemistry. Honestly I had a feeling these two would set the pages on fire. This book had me laughing quite often. I wasn't completely prepared for this book to rip my heart out. I won't lie I was crying at one point. I hated seeing Dean like that. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Dean is working with the little Hurricanes. What really had me was Dean and Dakota. I loved the Lord of the Rings reference in this one too. What I truly got from this is how good Dean and Allie are for one another. Dean floundering for a bit with good reason, but pulling himself up when called to. I'm just happy Dean lived up to the hype the show gave me in season one to be top book boyfriend material.

BLURB:
He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

BUY LINKS:
https://www.ellekennedy.com/offcampus

*`Release Blitz & Review: With Spite by Lani Lynn Vale`*

Title: With Spite

Series: Don't Date Him #8

Author: Lani Lynn Vale

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Tropes: Brother's Best Friend, Stalker (Him)

Forced Proximity, Commitment Issues

Release Date: August 4, 2026

*`Release Blitz: Tell It To The Waves by C.L. Reeder`*

Title: Tell It To The Waves

Author: C.L. Reeder

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Second Chance Romance; She Bakes; Coastal Setting; Small Town; All Grown Up

Release Date: August 4, 2026

*`Cover Reveal: If I Didn't Have You by Giulia Lagomarsino`*

Title: If I Didn't Have You

Series: The Last Best Place for Love Book 7

Author: Giulia Lagomarsino

Genre: Small Town Romance

Tropes: Later in Life; Is It Over?; Rediscovering Love; First Love

Release Date: August 24, 2026

Cover Designer: artscandare

Photographer: Reggie Deanching

Cover Model: Ryan Stanton

*`Release Blitz: Open Road by Kathleen Kelly`*

Title: Open Road

Series: Royal Bastards MC: Jacksonville, FL Chapter #5

Author: Kathleen Kelly

Genre: Contemporary MC Romance

Tropes: Lone Wolf/Nomad Hero, Woman on the Run

Single Mom, Roadside Rescue, Protector Hero, Age Gap

Release Date: August 4, 2026

*`Review: In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: In Her Own League
Windy City Series Spin Off
Author: Liz Tomforde

REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
I love that we got this Windy City spinoff book. Who doesn't want more from that series. Plus we get Monty's story. That delicious coach so deserved a HEA after the way he takes care of his family and team. Monty and Reese are great together. They have a dislike going on at first, but Reese soon gets to know the awesome guy that Monty is. Do they ever bring the heat. I had to fan myself a few times with the heat they generate. I love how the team is so accepting of the new female owner, though not everyone in the organization is. This forbidden love is going to be tested, but the end if this one is so empowering. I couldn't have asked for a better ending and the epilogues absolutely perfect! I gobbled up this book because I was happy I didn't have to say goodbye to this group quite yet. If you are a fan of the Windy City series as I am you have to read this one!!

BLURB:
He's used to being the boss. But she's in her own league...

As the first female team owner in Major League Baseball, Reese Remington has spent her entire life preparing for this role. With a sharp mind and years of experience working behind the scenes, she's more than qualified. But the public only sees a woman in a man's world - not the person who's earned their place on the field. Under constant scrutiny and pressure to prove herself, Reese can't afford distractions.

Especially one that comes in the form of the team's tempting field manager who questions her every decision.

Emmett Montgomery is a former All-Star turned coach who treats his players like family and the field like home. After years of running the team his way, the last thing he wants is a new boss - let alone one who seems ice-cold and laser-focused on business. But forced to spend long hours - and too many away games - side by side, he begins to see the fire beneath Reese's control, the heart behind her ambition and the unwavering determination to prove herself.

When heated banter turns into sizzling chemistry, professional boundaries blur and the spark between them becomes impossible to resist. But Reese is constantly reminded of how many people are waiting for her to fail, and the safest move is to keep Emmett at arm's length - for the sake of the team, the season and her career.

But keeping their distance is one game neither of them can seem to win...

BUY LINKS:
https://liztomforde.com/in-her-own-league
Available in KU

*`Release Blitz: Passion of a Wolf by CJ Ravenna`*

Title: Passion of a Wolf

Series: Viking Wolves #4

Author: CJ Ravenna

Genre: Gay Paranormal/Time Travel Romance

Tropes: Fake Engagement, Hurt/Comfort, Fated Mates

Possessive MMC, Forced Proximity, Love After Loss

Release Date: July 31, 2026

*`Review: Rewind it Back by Liz Tomforde`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: Rewind It Back

Series: Windy City #5

Author: Liz Tomforde

REVIEW:

4.5 Stars

I've been waiting for Rio's book. I loved the friendship he has with Indy and the rest of the women. He's the fun loving jokester of the group, but in this one we get to see the other side of him. Learning Rio and Hallie's backstory I realized 1) their love story is epic and 2) it just breaks my heart everything that happened six years ago. This book pulled on my heartstrings big time. This book explains so much on why Rio is looking for the once in a lifetime love like all his friend's because already did. Rio and Hallie had me falling in love right along with them. I loved the flashbacks on their past. It gives us the whole journey for them. All the meaningful tidbits that hold to this day. One of my favorite scenes of the book is when they baby sat the kids. I can't believe how big Max is! That little cutie still has me wrapped around his finger. It did my heart good too see Hallie finally get all the happiness she so deserves. She is such a kind soul that life gave too many hits to, but she finds the rainbow at the end of it all. Some really big emotional moments in this one that had tears forming in my eyes as I read. The epilogue was the cherry on top for these two. This series is so worth the read!!

BLURB:

Hallie

When I was eleven, my family moved next door to his.

When I was thirteen, he was my first crush.

When I was sixteen, we fell for each other.

And when I was nineteen, we broke each other's hearts.

Six years later, I've landed an internship with a big-name interior designer in a new city.

Unfortunately, that city just so happens to be the one he plays hockey for.

I thought Chicago was big enough to avoid him, until I get the surprise of a lifetime and unknowingly move in right next door.

Even worse? The renovation project I'm assigned to in hopes of turning that internship into my full-time dream job...

It's his house.

But how am I supposed to update his bachelor pad into a family home when we can't even stand to be in the same room?

I may have loved Rio DeLuca once, but I'm not that same girl anymore.

Rio

I never thought I'd be the only single one left in my friend group.

But after years of trying to find love, I've concluded it may not exist for me anymore.

That is until I accidentally hire Hallie Hart to renovate my house and our jaded history has me rewinding memories I've kept secret for years.

You see, there's something that my friends don't know.

That connection I've been looking for since I moved to Chicago, that one person some search their entire lives to find... I had already found her when I was twelve years old.

And now the only girl I've ever loved is moving into the house next door.

Again.

BUY LINKS:

https://liztomforde.com/rewind-it-back

Available in KU

*`Cover Reveal: A Simple Regret by Lacey Black`*

Title: A Simple Regret

Series: Cooper Town Boys #4

Author: Lacey Black

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town Romance

Cover Design: Kristie Leigh, Vanilla Lily Designs

Photographer: Eric McKinney, 6:12 Photography

Model: Quinn B

Release Date: September 1, 2026

*`Review: Play Along by Liz Tomforde`*

🦋 ·.·´REVIEW`·.·🦋

Title: Play Along

Series: Windy City #4

Author: Liz Tomforde

REVIEW:

4.5 Stars

This is the fourth book in the series. Isaiah is Kai's younger brother. He is the fun guy of the group always joking, but we get to see the other side of him in this one. Isaiah reminds me of a golden retriever. He really cares for Kennedy. I loved watching these two grow close. Seeing Kennedy get to experience the joys of life her way was one of my favorite parts of the book. Isaiah and Kennedy are so good for one another. They bring out the best of each other. Their banter was some of the best. Another favorite part for me is to see what is a day filled with so much sadness now be one of so much joy. Kai and Isaiah both so deserve that. The core group that spans all three sports is a true found family. It makes me want to be part of that group. The baseball team is such a brotherhood and they have each other's backs. The epilogue was so beautiful and perfect. Another winner in this series. 

BLURB:

Kennedy

I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.

But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.

Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake.

Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.

They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home.

Isaiah

As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.

I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.

We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.

Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.

So come on, wife… play along.

BUY LINKS:

https://liztomforde.com/play-along

Available in KU

*`Release Blitz: Shotgun by Summer Winters`*

Title: Shotgun

Series: Prospects of Black Saints MC

Portland Chapter #3

Author: Summer Winters

Genre: MC Romance

Tropes: Mafia Princess on the Run, 'You're Mine'

Praise, Slow Burn Seduction, Bounty on her Head

Release Date: July 29, 2026