Tag:

hockey romance

So This is War

by Jill July 18, 2024

written by Jill

Book Review:
So This is War

Meghan Quinn

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

I dropped EVERYTHING to read this one the second it hit my kindle – it did NOT disappoint 😍😍

I loved seeing another side to Posey, and seeing him meet his perfect match in Wylie 🥰

We’ve got – age gap, coach’s daughter aka FORBIDDEN big time, boss/assistant, & they become roommates – the tension is 🔥🔥
Agitators fans – you’re gonna LOVE it!

📖 So This is War
📝 Meghan Quinn
🗓️ 06/25/2024
🏒 sports romance
📱 read on kindle (arc)
📚 book 5 • Vancouver Agitators series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
This was HILARIOUS and sweet, and just the perfect *ending* to this series – though I will miss these boys so much! 😭
Ready for OC’s spinoff series 🙃

There were so many things I loved about this book!

First off, the “erotic torture” – I was constantly laughing out loud with how they were with one another.

It reminded me a lot of that episode of Friends (MQ even mentions it) – the “they don’t know we know they know” one.

The group text chat with the ladies of the Agitators made me so happy. I love the boys shenanigans, but their women are flat out AMAZING.

The spice was spicing too – that scene in the s3x club 😮‍💨 iykyk

I hope this isn’t too much of a spoiler but… Wylie LOVES BOLOGNA!
Could anyone BE more perfect for POSEY?! 🥪

“I love bologna sandwiches,” she whispers.
“So do I,” I whisper back.
“That’s how I know we’re meant to be together.”

Aside from the romance, we also get the struggles of a complex father-daughter relationship between Wylie + her dad (Posey’s coach). That was a bit of a struggle to read, the way he thinks about her and treats her for most of the book is heartbreaking (they do work things out, but it feels sort of toxic for a lot of the story).

tropes + topics:
🧡 age gap (22/32)
📋 coach’s daughter
🏒 pro hockey player
🏠 roommates
🖇️ boss/assistant – workplace
🚫 forbidden
🫶🏼 found family
💞 dual 1st person pov

✨ books with similar vibes:
♡ Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren (workplace, intense physical chemistry)

Thank you to Meghan Quinn for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

July 18, 2024 0 comments

He’s Not My Type

by Jill July 18, 2024

written by Jill

Book Review:
He's Not My Type

Meghan Quinn

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Oh Halsey.. I was waiting for his moment 🥰 I love a broken boy pining & crushing so hard.

This book is hilarious and sweet, and so spicy 🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

💭 thoughts:
This one is probably my fav in the series, but I honestly love them all.
I think they’re best read in order, to really get the found family dynamics + the build up to this story!

📖 story:
We learn in the previous books that for Halsey it was pretty much love at first sight when he meets Blakely, but unfortunately, she has a boyfriend.

Following their breakup and her having an incident in her new apartment, they become roommates at Halsey’s place – this is one of my absolute fav tropes!! I love the forced proximity of living together 🥰

Halsey is still very much grieving the loss of his twin brother, and through friendship, and then more, Blakely helps bring him back to life 🥰

tropes + topics:
🏠 roommates
🙃 opposites attract
🩵 he falls first
🏒 pro hockey player
💼 workplace
🛏️ only one bed
🫶🏼 found family
💕 dual 1st person pov

✨ books with similar vibes:
♡ Always Only You by Chloe Liese (hockey/workplace, roommates, he falls first)

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

July 18, 2024 0 comments

Book Reviews Meghan Quinn

Right Man, Right Time

by Jill July 18, 2024

written by Jill

Book Review:
Right Man, Right Time

Meghan Quinn

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

My goodness this book was so HOT 🔥🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

After kissing a stranger (Silas) at a bar to show her ex she’s *fine,* Ollie + Silas realize they can help each other in more ways than one.

She needs help with her internship (writing about hockey), and he needs a buffer to keep his ex (now working with the team) away from trying to get back together.

But what happens when feelings get in the way?

💭 overall thoughts:
I’m pretty obsessed with this whole series, and I feel like the books get better and better!

MCs:
Silas – I love how he’s totally a relationship guy, and definitely did not deserve how his ex treated him! He’s a sweet broken boy, who struggles to trust again.

Ollie – little spitfire! 10 years younger than Silas & a college student. I love how she goes after what she wants.

📖 story:
I love fake dating, I don’t think this was particularly unique there but 🤷🏻‍♀️ doesn’t bother me!

I feel like this book brought some good old MQ ridiculousness I was missing from the other books!
This one had me in stitches, especially whenever Ollie would tell the story of “how they met” 🤣

tropes + topics:
🩷 age gap
🥸 fake dating
🏒 pro hockey player
🗞️ college student – journalism
🫶🏼 found family
❤️‍🩹 broken mmc
💞 dual 1st person pov

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

July 18, 2024 0 comments

Book Reviews Meghan Quinn

Those Three Little Words

by Jill July 18, 2024

written by Jill

Book Review:
Those Three Little Words

Meghan Quinn

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Ummm I think accidental pregnancy is becoming one of my favorite tropes!
It’s fun, I love how they often end up living together and trying to figure it all out 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
I loved the dynamic between Penny & Eli, how badly he wanted her from the start, and watching them grow + learn more about each other as they navigated bringing a baby into the world 💕

“I know you have more important things to do⁠—”
“Penny, you are the most important thing in my life right now.”

🏒📱 MCs:
Broken boy Eli – we got bits of him in the first book but there was so much more to discover! My heart hurt for the broken boy and his past.

Penny is soooo weird and hilarious, and I absolutely love that! Her pregnancy hormones made that even better 😂 all her rambling, ESPECIALLY in front of her parents, totally had me in stitches 🤣

📖 story:
Accidental pregnancy gets a bad rap, but it’s really just another reason for a forced proximity situation, and bringing out vulnerability.

I love how these two got together, and all the aftermath of that one night.

🤍side characters:
The BOYS! And Winnie! I love how these books can be standalones, but are so much better read as a series 🥰

tropes + topics:
1️⃣ one night stand
🍼 accidental pregnancy
🏒 pro hockey player mmc
📱 team social media manager fmc
🩵 brother’s teammate
🏠 roommates
🔗 forced proximity
🫶🏼 found family
💞 dual 1st person pov

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

July 18, 2024 0 comments

Book Reviews Meghan Quinn

Kiss and Don’t Tell

by Jill May 9, 2024

written by Jill

Book Review:
Kiss and Don't Tell

Meghan Quinn

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

💭 overall thoughts:
PERFECT start to the series! I loved the main couple, and also how well Meghan set up the rest of the series – I can’t wait for each and every one of their books 😍
(I’ve read them since writing this, and they’re all so good!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️🌶️

MCs:
Pacey – what a secret softie. I loved that he never really had a girlfriend because no one felt “right” for him – until Winnie came along 🥰

Winnie – love her sense of adventure and taking chances, and felt for her in her fear of trusting and letting others in.

📖 story:
Imagine being stranded and stumbling upon a house full of professional hockey players?! I’m not sure if I’d walk right in, or run the other way 😅

Thankfully the guys all end up being super sweet to Winnie, quickly taking her in as one of their own.

My tiny hesitation in giving this 5 stars is that at a certain point I was debating if Pacey was pushing Winnie TOO much to be with him, when she was very much in a vulnerable state. She definitely cared for him and maybe needed that push, but I had a moment where I was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

tropes + topics:
🏠 temporary roommates
🥅 professional hockey goalie
🤫 hidden identity (ex’s half brother)
🙃 strangers to lovers
🔗 forced proximity
💙 he falls first/boy obsessed
💞 dual 1st person pov

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

May 9, 2024 0 comments

Book Reviews Elle Kennedy

The Graham Effect

by Jill November 3, 2023

written by Jill

BLURB:

Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine–a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.

Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he’s still the enemy.

Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word
with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Source: Goodreads

Book Review:
The Graham Effect

Elle Kennedy

Series: Yes
Book 1 in Campus Diaries
💜 College Sports Romance

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

Spice: 3/5

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

this is definitely a phenomenal start to a series we didn’t know we needed! 😍 (or did we?)

So much fun to return to Briar & the newest generation!

Gigi Graham is such a fun spitfire, with a heart of gold. Luke Ryder is the sweetest broken boy, who just needs someone in his corner to stay.

Their relationship developed so perfectly. I LOVED their communication – they were both totally no BS people and completely honest with each other along the way.

My only teeny tiny *me* issue was when I was reminded I’m far closer to Garrett & Hannah’s ages than Gigi 🤭
We don’t often see much of the parents in college romance, so I can forget that 🙃 but we NEEDED them in this one – and of course all her hot uncles (I’m looking at you, Dean Dilaurentis).

Tropes + topics:
🏒 Grumpy sunshine
🏒 Hockey players (both MCs)
🏒 Friends with benefits
🏒 Secret dating/forbidden
🏒 College/new adult
🏒 No third act breakup
🏒 Dual POV/first person

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own!

For more of my Elle Kennedy reviews, click HERE.

Note: Edit is mine, photos are not. Photos found on Pinterest. If there are any issues with any of the photos being posted, please email me and let me know at hello@readinginpjsblog.com

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

November 3, 2023 0 comments

Book Reviews Stephanie Archer

Behind the Net

by Jill August 12, 2023

written by Jill

Jamie Streicher, pro hockey goalie for the Vancouver Storm, needs an assistant for his busy life. His team assigns him Pippa Hartley, and he’s shocked to see the songbird he had a crush on in high school.

After her long-term boyfriend dumps her while on his (music) tour, Pippa heads home devastated, and with a complete lack of confidence in her own musical abilities. She gets a job as an assistant, and is somehow assigned to the super grumpy hockey player she had a HUGE crush on in high school.

While these two try to resist their attraction and feelings for each other, that doesn’t last long, especially when Pippa moves in.

Book Review:
Behind the Net

Stephanie Archer

Series: Yes (#1)

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 4.5/5

Spice: 3/5

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

If you’re in your hockey romance era, definitely add this one to your tbr!

This book is a bit of a slow burn, but then it gets SPICY 🥵 both characters are easy to fall in love with.

Jamie is so much softer than his grumpy exterior lets on, and Pippa has an undeniable talent that just needs a little support. I love how they are both there for one another, and bring out the best in each other.

What you’ll find in Behind the Net:
⭐️ Hockey goalie & assistant
⭐️ Grumpy sunshine
⭐️ Forced proximity
⭐️ Roommates
⭐️ Musician fmc
⭐️ High school crush
⭐️ Possessive MMC
⭐️ Slow burn
⭐️ No 3rd act breakup
⭐️ Canadian author & setting
⭐️ Dual POV/first person

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON | READ on KU

August 12, 2023 0 comments

Becka Mack Book Reviews

Unravel Me

by Jill July 27, 2023

written by Jill

All Adam wants is to find his person – someone who loves him for who he is, and not his wealthy, star hockey player side.

After the MOST ADORABLE meet-cute, thanks to his pup Bear, he meets Rosie, and her laughter immediately draws him in.

Rosie isn’t looking for anything, but she dreams of someone who loves her, and her son Connor, unconditionally. She’s used to being let down, and trusting doesn’t come easy, but she opens up to Adam. It’s an instant connection for all 3 of them 🥰

Book Review: Unravel Me

Becka Mack

Series: Yes (book 3 in Playing for Keeps)

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

Spice: 3/5

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Becka Mack did NOT disappoint – this lived up to and surpassed all my expectations!

Adam & Rosie + Connor are EVERYTHING 💕

Sorry Gare-bear – you’ve been bumped from #1 fictional hockey player spot 🙃
ADAM LOCKWOOD 🫠🫠
He’s just perfection.
And just what sweet Rosie deserves 🥰

I couldn’t put this book down, I loved it so much. Being the 3rd book in the series, we get a lot of the previous characters as well – which is amazing! We’re also introduced to some new side characters, who are the perfect support for Rosie.

What you’ll find in Unravel Me:
💖 Single Mama
💖 Hidden identity
💖 Hockey player
💖 Vet student
💖 Insta connection
💖 Group chat shenanigans
💖 The sweetest little toddler
💖 Lots of pups & kitties
💖 Found family
💖 Mental health rep (anxiety)
💖 Dual POV/first person
*check trigger warnings if you have any.

Looking forward to Jaxon & Lennon’s story next! I love that we got to see more of his softer side.

Thank you so much to Wordsmith Publicity & Becka Mack for allowing me the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON (link to come!)

July 27, 2023 0 comments

Book Reviews Rebecca Jenshak

Tutoring The Player

by Jill July 22, 2023

written by Jill

Daisy is a “good girl” – quiet, studies hard, and enjoys time with her friends.

After being ditched by her lab partners, she’s paired up with hockey players Liam (her “good guy” super crush) and his best friend Jordan, who is the exact opposite of everything she’s ever wanted. Jordan is fun, loud, and has a reputation for being a playboy.

As they get to know each other, Jordan realizes Daisy is not all he assumed her to be. Wanting to get closer to her, he asks her to tutor him. With time, Daisy begins to see Jordan’s not all she thought either.

Book Review:
Tutoring the Player

Rebecca Jenshak

Series: Yes (book 1 in Campus Wallflowers)

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

Spice: 2/5

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

“Those sparks and flutters I was waiting for finally arrived. Oh sh*t. I went and fell for the wrong guy.”

Tutoring the Player is the first book in the Campus Wallflower series. I previously read the 3rd and loved it so much I’m back for the rest!
I love the premise of this series – hot athletes falling for the shy, wallflower girls.

This was simply adorable! What started with flirtatious emails (I LOVE when a connection is formed by text), soon became so much more than either of them expected.

I listened to the audiobook for this one – both narrators were awesome!

What you’ll find in Tutoring the Player:
⭐️ Opposites attract
⭐️ Hockey player
⭐️ College
⭐️ Good Girl/Bad Boy
⭐️ Tattooed Hero
⭐️ He falls first
⭐️ Reformed playboy
⭐️ LGBQT+ rep
⭐️ Slow burn
⭐️ Dual POV/first person

Grab a free 2-month trial to listen to it on Scribd HERE.

Find it on Goodreads HERE.

Buy the Book:
AMAZON

July 22, 2023 1 comment

hockey romance

Book Review: So This is War

Meghan Quinn

Book Review: He's Not My Type

Meghan Quinn

Book Review: Right Man, Right Time

Meghan Quinn

Book Review: Those Three Little Words

Meghan Quinn

Book Review: Kiss and Don't Tell

Meghan Quinn

Book Review: The Graham Effect

Book Review: Behind the Net

Stephanie Archer

Book Review: Unravel Me

Becka Mack

Book Review: Tutoring the Player

Rebecca Jenshak

Book Review:
So This is War

Book Review:
He's Not My Type

Book Review:
Right Man, Right Time

Book Review:
Those Three Little Words

Book Review:
Kiss and Don't Tell

Book Review:
The Graham Effect

Book Review:
Behind the Net

Book Review:
Tutoring the Player