Review: America’s Sweetheart (Jessica Lemmon)

America’s Sweetheart
Series: Real Love, #5
Author: Jessica Lemmon
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: Loveswept
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Old flames burn bright. When a disgraced starlet returns home to lick her wounds, she discovers that her high school sweetheart is just as tempting as ever.

“No one writes big-hearted bad boys like Jessica Lemmon!”—New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

Allison: When I left for California, I gave myself a new name and never looked back. Now my carefully crafted good-girl image is getting torn to shreds in the press thanks to my Oscar-winning A-hole of an ex-boyfriend. So I escape to the only safe haven I know and trust—my hometown—to take a breather while I plot my triumphant Hollywood comeback. However, when I arrive at my parents’ house, Jackson Burke answers the door instead. And suddenly the past comes rushing back. . . .

Jackson: First kiss. First time. First love. Yep, Allison Murphy and I shared a lot of firsts back in the day. When she left, she took half my heart with her. Now she’s back in town, and even though I swore I’d keep my distance, her parents hired me to remodel their house, and I’m going to finish the job. But one hot kiss later, suddenly the press is calling us the next big celebrity couple. Sure, I’ll play the part, for Allison’s sake—but I refuse to let her close enough to break my heart all over again. . . .


I have mixed feelings about America’s Sweetheart. I’m not sure I agree with the structure of this book. It started out in Jackson’s point of view. I loved Jackson. He was a totally normal, nice guy. He made his dreams a reality with the exception of losing “the one” back in college. Jackson loved his small-town life, and he made me love it, too. I felt bad for him that he lost Allie and still hadn’t quite been able to move on from her. When she showed up back in town, I was excited for Jackson and what it could mean. I loved how he handled everything and his part in this book. What I didn’t love was Allie’s personality.

I didn’t like what I met of Allie through Jackson’s perspective. She actually seemed like a pretty horrible person. I know that’s because I didn’t know her side of the story. She didn’t have a POV at fist. All of her actions really bugged me. It made me wonder how Jackson could still be so attracted to her. I hated her. Then, halfway into the book, bam! Her point of view shows up. It threw me off guard because there wasn’t a heading or anything letting me know of the change. As I got to know and understand her, I understood she was just as weary and hurt as Jackson. I liked what she learned about herself after returning home. I still wasn’t 100% sold on her, but I felt better about Jackson’s feelings for her than I had during his POV…until I didn’t again. The way she messed with Jackson’s feelings and was constantly acting was messed up. Her priorities were never straight. Once they were, I was over her.

To sum it up, I loved Jackson. I liked his relationship with Allie when she wasn’t being Nina. I never truly connected with Allie, nor did I end up liking her. The only thing that might have made this one better me was if Allie’s POV had been mixed in with Jackson’s at the beginning. Maybe then she would have seemed like she had more heart or something. If it wasn’t for Jackson, I wouldn’t have liked this book at all. That makes me sad because I’m a fan of Jessica Lemmon’s writing.

Review: The Left Side of Perfect / The Right Side of Forever (Meghan Quinn)

The Left Side of Perfect
Series: The Perfect Duet, #1
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: August 30, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

For better or for worse,’til death do us part . . .

The better captured me; she’s who stole my heart.
And made me realize I couldn’t live without this woman.
The worse of her took my breath away–kicked me when I was down and twisted me into a million knots.

When I first met her, I thought she was someone I would never see again.
The second time I ran into her, it was a random coincidence.
The third?
I didn’t know it at the time, but she was the girl I was going to marry.

But life isn’t always perfect. You have to take the better and the worse–even if it means giving her up, having her slip between your fingers, and letting her walk away.

I’m getting married.

This is forever, ’til death do us part.


Writing this review is going to kill me because there are so, so many things I want to say about The Left Side of Forever and I can’t because I don’t want to spoil it! It’s driving me absolutely crazy. So here are the things I can safely say without ruining this book for anyone…

  • Meghan Quinn has a crafty way of making you want what you thought you didn’t want and would never want.
  • She played with my emotions. I loved this book, but my gut was aching while reading parts of it.
  • This book made me remember why I loved a certain character. He was better than I had him in my memory and that’s saying a lot. I have so much respect for this fictional character!
  • I liked one of the main characters WAY more than I expected to. This person wasn’t one of my favorite characters from the Blue Line Duet. The last I read of the person, I was like, No! Wait! What?” I didn’t get it. I do now.
  • My heart broke with some revelations. I was so crushed. I can’t even get into it because SPOILER! But man!
  • I loved the new-ish characters. Although, one made me very nervous!
  • There are some AMAZING quotes that people are going to identify with and love. I can imagine that people are going to be using them a ton.
  • THE ENDING!!! I’m devastated. Not in the same way as I was with the Blue Line Duet. That was anger. This is sorrow.
  • I loved this book, and I’m so happy that I have the next book in the duet, The Right Side of Forever waiting for me to start right now.

I know this doesn’t tell you much. It’s not really supposed to. The Left Side of Perfect is one of those books you are going to have to read for yourself — and you’re going to want to! (Just make sure to read the Blue Line Duet FIRST!!!)

The Right Side of Forever
Series: The Perfect Duet, #2
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: August 30, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish . . .

It sounds so simple, to love someone unconditionally.
To give them your heart.

So why is she slowly eating away at my soul with every unanswered phone call, every unread text, and every door left unopened?

She said yes, and yet, in order for her to be with me . . . I need to let her go.


You know those books you finish, and you feel like you don’t even have the words to describe how special they are? The Right Side of Forever was one of those books for me. It was perfect in every way. It made me smile and it made me tear up. It not only made me think of what the characters were going through, but of my own thoughts and actions. The Right Side of Forever brought the journey that started in the Blue Line Duet full circle. I finally understood all of Meghan Quinn’s plot choices and I wouldn’t have her change a thing. The amount of character growth and emotion that went into this book was amazing. The Right Side of Perfect was the perfect conclusion to this story and the one that really started four books ago.

Now, I just have one question for Meghan Quinn…Will she ever write a book about any of these other Air Force guys? I wouldn’t mind a Rowdy story. Just saying.

Top Ten Tuesday: NA Books Set in College

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s is Back to School/Learning Freebie. Last year I did YA books set in high school. This year I decided to do the next step up: NA Books Set in College. If they’re part of a series, I just went with the first book.

1. The Deal
by Elle Kennedy

2. The Year We Fell Down
by Sarina Bowen

3. Undecided
by Juliana Keyes

4. A Wish For Us
by Tillie Cole

5. All Lined Up
by Cora Carmack

6. The Hardest Fall
by Ella Maise

7. Only For You
by Beverley Kendall

8. Last Semester
by Corinne Makaouche

9. Left Drowning
by Jessica Park

10. Smut
by Karina Halle

Review: Crew (Tijan)

Crew
Series: Crew, #1
Author: Tijan
Publication Date: August 27, 2018
Genre: (Mature) Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

To survive where I live, you have two options.

You can be a Normal—a cheerleader, jock, member of the debate team, or on the yearbook committee. You pretend everything is normal.

Or you can be crew.
You insult us? We hurt you.
You hurt us? We really hurt you.
And if you f*ck with us, we will end you.

My name is Bren.
I’m the only female in the Wolf Crew—the best, fiercest, and most dangerous crew there is—and we have a rule: There’s no falling in love.

Well… too late.


Holy moly, people!

I have been a fan of Tijan’s writing since I found Broken & Screwed and then the Fallen Crest High series. Her YA books are my guilty pleasure. They straddle the line between YA and NA and are like a good teenage TV drama. I was excited to hear Tijan was heading back to the YA realm with Crew. Despite that, I was a tad bit hesitant to start reading it. I had this feeling that it was going to hit hard emotionally. I admit I was slightly scared of where it might take me. I wasn’t sure I was ready.  I knew it was going to be special, though.

Crew was EPIC. I was utterly addicted to it from beginning to end. Crew was classic Tijan mature YA. If you have read Fallen Crest High, Broken & Screwed, or Ryan’s Bed, you will know what I’m talking about it. Crew was all about different relationships, drama, and angst. There were friendships, alliances, romances, enemies, family. You name it, it was involved. I loved being in the world of Crew.

Crew, like all of Tijan’s books, had a strong but emotionally damaged female main character. Bren’s life was filled with a lot of darkness and a little bit of light. She embraced life with the Wolf Crew. The crew wasn’t just something she belonged to, it was her family. It was her way of life. Bren was crew. How that affected her life and choices was fascinating.

The whole story was fascinating! I loved the all the surprises Tijan threw in. I was shocked by how much the crew thing interested me. It opened my eyes to some things, and I didn’t expect that. I really loved the dynamic between Bren and the rest of the crew. I specifically loved the impact the crew had on her love life. She had a very special connection with someone, and I adored this relationship. Her man was my favorite character in this story. His strength was different from hers, and how he used it was very cool.

There’s so, so much I want to say about Crew! I can’t, though. My lips are sealed. I won’t be spoiling this book for you. If you loved any of those other Tijan books I mentioned earlier in this review, you MUST read Crew. You will LOVE it. Whatever I thought Crew was going to be before reading it was right, but it was also MORE. You’re going to love that more. I did.

Review: Reckless King (Maya Hughes)

Reckless King
Series: Kings of Rittenhouse, #2
Author: Maya Hughes
Publication Date: August 23, 2018
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

I’m Heath Taylor. Laid back. Easy going. Fastest guy on two skates and chill to a fault, at least that’s what they say. Until Kara.

Three nights together and I’m done for. Her laugh, her smile, the way my hand curves around her waist. She’s the one. Not a doubt in my mind…until I walk into my last class of the semester.

Kara, the woman of my dreams, is my new instructor. My hockey season and her career prospects are on the line. One false move–if anyone finds out–we’re both sunk.

On the ice I’m a beast that can’t be stopped, but thoughts of her are throwing me off my game. My fingers itch to feel her in my arms again. But risking everything could ruin what we’ve worked so hard for.

Sometimes life has a way of changing the best laid plans. And sometimes you can’t stay away no matter the promises you make.

Life doesn’t play fair, but neither do I…


The more books I read in the Kings of Rittenhouse series, the more I love Maya Hughes’ writing. She’s got a really special thing going on with this series. She’s created a team of hockey players that I want to get to know. It all started with Declan in the prequel novella and Shameless King. Those books were so much fun that I couldn’t wait to get my hand on the second book, Reckless King. Reckless King is Declan’s friend Heath’s story.

Heath’s book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Reckless King was more. Both Heath and his ladylove, Kara, had some heavy things marring their pasts. It gave them an extra special connection beyond their amazing chemistry. I loved going through the ups and downs of their relationship and their lives. The emotions of the characters in this book were palpable and hard-hitting. I loved that.

Another thing I loved were the surprises Maya Hughes had in store. Well, maybe loved wasn’t the right word for how I felt about them. They shocked me. I wasn’t prepared for them. My mind was blown. I didn’t exactly love the surprises, but they pushed the story in a direction that had the greatest impact on the characters. I appreciated that.

Overall, I found Reckless King to be even better than previous books in this series. I truly enjoyed reading it. It made me excited for what’s to come for the rest of Declan and Heath’s friends. I cannot wait to read the next book! If you’re a fan of new adult sports romances, you really need to check out Maya Hughes’ Kings of Rittenhouse series. I’m super impressed with it.

Review: If There’s No Tomorrow (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

If There’s No Tomorrow
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications, and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be one of opportunities and chances.Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything.Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian could never forgive her for what happened.For what she let happen.With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?


If There’s No Tomorrow is the first book I’ve read / listened to by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’ve seen her books around and thought they probably weren’t my thing. For some reason, I thought all of her books had fantasy elements in them. To be completely honest, the only reason I requested this audio book was because Stephanie told me I should consider this author for my fantasy NA bingo checklist. I chose this one because it was available from library. It wasn’t a fantasy at all. I couldn’t find any reason to be disappointed in that other than it didn’t check off that box because I loved this book. It was a great introduction to Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing and it made me actually interested in her fantasy novels.

Keeping with the whole honesty thing I have going on in this review, I have to warn readers that this book was slow going. I’m not sure if that was just because I was listening to it and the narrator had a slow and somber way of delivering the text or if it was actually a slow read. At first, this kind of bugged me because I wanted to yell at her to get on with the story. As the story progressed, it made sense with Lena’s thoughts and feelings. She was so in her head, and the narrator did an excellent job portraying that.

As for the story, I loved it. There were so many different emotions that went along with it. Lena was such a complex character. Her thoughts and feelings about everything and everyone were so well written. She’s a character I was easily frustrated by but completely understood. It was uncomfortable being in her head, but it paid off in the end. Her story was one that needs to be shared. It truly showed how one bad decision can change everything — especially when it comes to drinking and driving. I also felt it did a great job at portraying survivor’s guilt. I’ve never been in the position to have that type of guilt, but I felt it through Lena.

Overall, I felt that If There’s No Tomorrow is an important, timeless read. It’s geared to young adults, but I think adults would benefit from reading it as well.

Review: Stacking the Deck (C.L. Collier)

Stacking the Deck
Series: Discovering Us, #1
Author: C.L. Collier
Publication Date: August 27, 2018
Publisher: C.L. Collier LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Brooke:
I’m convinced happily ever after is a myth. Discovering my husband’s secrets has given me no choice but to take my daughter and start over. Unfortunately, that means living with my parents again. Just when I think life has stacked the deck against me, I run into Ryan. It’s been over a decade, but old feelings quickly reignite. The chemistry between Ryan and me is undeniable, and I’m left wondering if this is the way things were always meant to be.

Ryan:
After being a Marine for fourteen years, I move home to start a business with my brother. The last person I expect to walk through the door is the woman I let go. She’s the one I’ve never forgotten, and thoughts of her kept me going all these years. Now I have the chance to prove my worth to her, but will the odds be stacked against us?


Stacking the Deck is the first book in C.L. Collier’s new Discovering Us series. It’s a second chance romance between high school sweethearts, Brooke and Ryan. They haven’t seen each other since they broke up ten years ago when Brooke went to college and Ryan went to the Marines. Each went their separate ways. Brooke ended up married and had a baby. Ryan spent all those years traveling with the Marine’s. After an unexpected betrayal, Brooke has divorced and moved home to live with her parents. Ryan has also recently returned home to open a gym with his brother. When Brooke and Ryan run into each other for the first time in years, neither of them can deny the spark is still there between them.

This the fourth book C.L. Collier has written and it’s the fourth book of hers I’ve read. With each book I have enjoyed seeing her writing grow and blossom. Each book has been better than the last. I really enjoyed Stacking the Deck. The story felt real, like one that could be happening to someone I know.

Brooke and Ryan were great characters. Brooke was a strong woman. I was surprised by how she wasn’t mopey. Her life had exploded, and while she was upset about it, she was determined to make the best of things. I liked how positive her character felt. She took things at her own pace and did what was right for herself and her daughter. Ryan was a winner. He was basically perfect. Ryan had a few flaws, but they weren’t anything that couldn’t be overlooked. I especially loved how Ryan bonded with Brooke’s daughter. I loved what a great support system he was for Brooke and how he wanted to do things right by her and Ellie.  Brooke and Ryan truly had something special together. I could feel the spark they shared.

This book wasn’t just a romance, though. It’s also the story of Brooke coming to terms with her ex-husbands unexpected betrayal and learning to move on. I liked the ups and downs she went through on her journey of reclaiming her life. I actually would have liked to see more of those moments. I am still curious about what went on between the prologue and the first chapter. I was interested in how she got through the tougher times. To go deeper into this, there were times Brooke was telling the reader about something going on or something she went through, and it would have been higher impact for the reader if she was experiencing it in the story rather than telling about it. That is probably more a personal reading preference than anything. I like to experience all the emotional stuff with a character while reading.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading Stacking the Deck. It was a fun, sweet second chance romance involving high school sweethearts.

Review: Hold You Close (Melanie Harlow & Corinne Michaels)

Hold You Close
Authors: Melanie Harlow, Corinne Michaels
Publication Date: August 20, 2018
Publisher: Love & Olives Inc, LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

From NYT Bestseller Corinne Michaels & USA Today Bestseller Melanie Harlow, comes a second chance standalone romance.

Ian Chase broke my heart at seventeen, and I’ve spent the last eighteen years hating him for it.

He makes it easy, with his smart mouth and playboy lifestyle—which I unfortunately have to observe since he lives behind me. Every time I see him climbing out of his pool, practically naked and unreasonably sexy, my blood boils.

I’ve always loved to loathe him.

I never planned to need him.

***

London Parish is my little sister’s best friend, not that it stopped me from falling for her.

Our history is complicated. The only thing we have in common is being godparents to my sister’s three adorable kids—until our lives are changed in one tragic moment.

Now we’re trying to raise the children we love, mourn an unthinkable loss, and fight an undeniable attraction.

My life is already upside-down, and the last thing I need is for old feelings to resurface.

Because I’ll never be able to keep her, no matter how hard I try to hold her close.


Co-authoring books seems to be all the rage lately, and it’s something I have really enjoyed experiencing. It’s fun to see how two authors whose books I enjoy reading compliment each other. I don’t think I have found a mashup that hasn’t worked for me yet. The pairing of Melanie Harlow and Corinne Michaels’ writing was one I enjoyed. Their writing together felt like one author. I’ve only really read one book by Harlow, but I’ve read several by Michaels and it felt true to her style of writing.

Hold You Close is a second chance romance between London and Ian. London is Ian’s little sister’s best friend. They had a disastrous relationship (if you can call it that) when London was seventeen. Ten years have passed and they’re now enemies who bicker whenever they’re in the same room. When Ian’s sister dies, London and Ian are left to pick up the pieces and care for her children. It’s won’t be easy, but London and Ian will have to learn to get along — for the sake of the children.

While I enjoyed the combined writing of Harlow and Michaels, Hold You Close started out a little rough for me. I had a hard time with the transition from the prologue to the rest of the book. It wasn’t easy for me to connect those young characters to the adult ones. I felt like I was missing some big moments and decisions. I needed to experience how their relationship grew into this loathsome bickering thing. I mean, I understood why London would hate Ian. I just needed to know more how their relationship evolved. I got to know a little of that as the story went on, but it would have been more helpful for me to get more of their younger year interactions after the big blow up.

Once I let go of the missing piece I wanted, I ended up really enjoying Hold You Close. The angry banter between Ian and London turned fiery quickly. I loved how they had to make changes to their lives for the kids’ sake and how that changed them personally and their relationship. I adored the children and their cute additions to the story. Overall, it ended up being a very sweet and fun romance to read.

Top Ten Tuesday: Seven Celebrity Memoirs Worth Reading

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s is Books to Pull You Out of a Reading Slump.

To be honest, I didn’t feel like doing this topic. It would just be a list of some of my favorite books that you’ve probably seen a million times on my TTT lists. Instead, I’m hyping Ten Celebrity Memoirs Worth Reading.

1. Scrappy Little Nobody
by Anna Kendrick

If you like Anna Kendrick in movies, you’re going to love her in real life. Her stories about growing up on Broadway and making it to Hollywood are fun and funny.

2. Yes, My Accent is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven’t Told You
by Kunal Nayyar

Yes, My Accent is Real is humorous and fun to read. It’s filled with interesting and heartwarming stories of Kunal Nayyar’s past. My favorite stories were about his college years in Portland, Oregon and how he got his big break.

3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
by Mindy Kaling

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? sounds like it is directly coming out of Mindy Kaling’s mouth. I felt like we were girlfriends sitting around and she was telling me about her life, random things that have happened to her and her advice. The book is all about fun. It’s not super deep or necessarily inspiring, but it will make you smile.

4. Why Not Me?
by Mindy Kaling

Why not spend more time with Mindy Kaling?

5. Between a Rock and a Heart Place: A Memoir
by Pat Benatar

I’m a big fan of music from the 1980’s. I loved reading this memoir. It was like getting an inside look at the music scene at that time. I also loved learning more about Pat Benatar. I love her voice.

6. Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood
by Jenny McCarthy

If you’ve had a baby, you will appreciate this unapologetic look at what that first year is like.

7. Unqualified
by Ana Faris

Unqualified wasn’t my favorite memoir, but that’s just because a lot of it felt like an ode to Chris Pratt and they were already on their way to divorce when I read it. I did really like reading how she came to fame and about her son, though. Those chapters made it worth reading. I’m including it because I think if you like her, you’ll like this book.

Review: Big Stick (R.C. Stephens)

Big Stick
Author: R.C. Stephens
Publication Date: September 17, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction, New Adult, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Hockey is my life. And it’s a great one. There’s an endless line of women, and I get to hang with my best friend Oli. Everything is perfect until she shows up. Oli’s twin sister, Flynn…hates my guts. I don’t blame her. I’m part of one of the worst nights of her life.

Now she’s next door and seeing her every day is killing me slowly. I wonder if we can ever get back to being friends. The way she looks at me sometimes, well, let’s just say my hockey stick isn’t the only thing that’s feeling hard these days.

But if she finds out the secrets I’m keeping, forgiveness will be the last thing on her mind.


Big Stick is one of those books that caught my eye by the title and cover — but for reasons you wouldn’t think. It wasn’t the half-naked man or what “big stick” could possibly be. I am a sports romances. Hockey romances are usually very well done. I learn a little more about the sport each time and get to fall in love with (normally) a cute couple. So when I saw the title Big Stick and the hockey stick, I clicked “request” on NetGalley. I’m really glad I did.

Big Stick was not just a hockey romance. It was also a second chance romance between childhood best friends. Flynn was a tomboy growing up. She hung out with her twin brother, Oli, and their best friend Myles constantly. As she got older, Flynn developed a major crush on Myles. Their friendship was dramatically severed in high school, and Flynn has been avoiding Myles for years. That all changes when Flynn is forced to move in next door to Myles.

I’m fairly new to R.C. Stephens writing. I enjoyed it a lot. It was fast-paced and easy to relate to. I appreciated that she included dual points of view. That gave me a good look into what her characters were thinking and feeling.

Myles and Flynn were fun characters. I liked the dynamic they had going on. They had great chemistry. It wasn’t quite a hate to love thing, but close. Flynn feelings were all over the place, and I loved her hesitation to renew her friendship with Myles. Myles desperately wanted to have Flynn’s friendship and possibly more back, and wasn’t going to let everything that happened in the past keep him from her anymore. It was sweet and frustrating in the best way to watch them dance around each other.

I had one problem with Big Stick. It was so over dramatic at times. Some heavy stuff had happened to Myles and Flynn. I got that and I understood why their relationship was they way it was. What I didn’t quite get was the reaction Flynn had to Myles’ big secret. Honestly, I was shocked at how affected Flynn was by it at this point. It just seemed like she was reacting to the same thing over and over again even though it wasn’t exactly the same. That was really just a small part of this story, though. It didn’t take away my enjoyment of Flynn and Myles’ story.

The weird thing about Big Stick was my favorite thing about it. I adored Flynn’s best friend and brother. They kind of stole the show for me. I actually found myself more interested in them than Myles and Flynn by the end of the book. I’m really hoping there’s going to be a second book about them. Sign me up to read that one now!

Overall, Big Stick was a great contemporary sports romance. Fans of that genre are sure to enjoy this book.