Review: Cold Day in the Sun (Sara Biren)

Cold Day in the Sun
Author: Sara Biren
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Publisher: Amulet Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Holland Delviss wants to be known for her talent as a hockey player, not a hockey player who happens to be a girl. But when her school team is selected to be featured and televised as part of HockeyFest, her status as the only girl on the boys’ team makes her the lead story. Not everyone is thrilled with Holland’s new fame, but there’s one person who fiercely supports her, and it’s the last person she expects (and definitely the last person she should be falling for): her bossy team captain, Wes.


The Last Thing You Said is a story that revolves around high school hockey. Our main character, Holland, is the only girl on the varsity boys’ team. She works her butt off every day to prove that she’s worthy of competing with the boys because not everyone believes she deserves to be on the team. The pressure to perform becomes even greater when her hockey team is selected to be spotlighted in HockeyFest. One person who supports Holland is her team captain, Wes. He’s the last person Holland expects to support her. Wes is also the last person Holland thinks would ever be interested in dating her, but he is. Holland shouldn’t be interested in Wes — she has a no dating teammates policy — but she can’t help the attraction that is starting to build between them.

I have been waiting for Sara Biren’s sophomore novel to be released ever since I finished reading her début novel, The Last Thing You Said. Her writing was so emotional and touched me in ways I wanted to experience again.

I found Cold Day in the Sun to be just as emotional and amazing as The Last Thing You Said. I loved the girl on a boys’ team theme. How Holland had to deal with her insecurities of being “the girl” was and all the issues that brought up were relevant to some of the situations going on in society today. The way her relationship with Wes wove into everything she was dealing with was a perfect. It wasn’t just her reactions to everything that made a big impact, but what others did and said about her spot on the team. There was a lot to think about it all — it made me wonder how I would react if my daughter was in the same situation or how I would feel if I was in Holland’s situation. I really loved how everything played out.

Oh, wait! I can’t leave out the music! If you read the blurb, you probably noticed the mention of glam rock. Let me just tell you that if you’re a fan of glam bands like Poison, you’re going to love this book. So many amazing songs are worked into the story in very fun ways. I loved how music was just as important to Holland and Wes’ relationship as hockey was.

Cold Day in the Sun was such a great book. It was one of those books I think everyone would benefit from reading. Sara Biren tackled a tough topic but mixed it with the sweetest romance to make it an emotional and fun read. I highly recommend Cold Day in the Sun. I think fans of Katie McGarry, Julie Cross, Ginger Scott, Sarah Dessen, or Morgan Matson would love this book.

Review: Catastrophe Queen (Emma Hart)

Catastrophe Queen
Author: Emma Hart
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

It’s not you. It’s me.

No, seriously. It is me. Not only does my name literally mean “unfortunate,” but that’s the story of my life.

Everything I touch turns to cr*p. An apartment fire—that I swear I was not responsible for—means I’m living back at home with my s*x-mad parents. Yay, me!

Which is why I need my new job as personal assistant to Cameron Reid to get back on my feet. Three months in this job and I can move back out and, hopefully, remember to turn off my flat iron once in a while.

Ahem.

On paper, my job is easy. Make coffee. Book appointments. Keep everything in order.

Until I walk in on my boss, half-naked, wearing nothing but the kind of tiny white towel that dreams are made of.

Now, nothing is easy—except our mutual attraction. But he’s my boss, and you know what they say about mixing work and pleasure: unless you do p*rn, it’s just not worth it.

Or is it?


Catastrophe Queen was a breath of fresh air. Everything about it was amusing and delightful. Mallory was an accident waiting to happen. The things that she did or happened to her were hilarious. Her attitude about it all cracked me up. I loved that Cameron wasn’t put off by her ability to make an easy task a hazardous one. The way he embraced her chaos (professionally and personally) was sweet.

Heck, the entire story was sweet. Mallory and Cameron’s relationship had a natural progression to it. I adored them together. There wasn’t any over the top drama — unless you count Mallory’s catastrophes or her crazy relatives. I appreciated that. I didn’t have to worry about a huge problem between the characters. It was simply a fun, romantic read.

I mentioned Mallory’s relatives, so I need to talk more about them. Her family was hilarious. I loved her freaky mom and quiet dad. I adored her crazy great-aunt and argumentative grandpa. They were so much fun! Mallory wasn’t the only one with relatives who stood out either. Cameron’s mother was just as meddlesome. I loved them all. The book would have been missing something big without them all.

Catastrophe Queen was simply an entertaining love story. I can imagine as a romantic comedy movie. It was that much fun to read.

Review: Hollywood Playboy (Natasha Madison)

Hollywood Playboy
Series: Hollywood Royalty, #1
Author: Natasha Madison
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Behind the “lights, camera, action” of Hollywood lies a world of deception, love, and seduction.

Are you ready for Hollywood Royalty?
Jessica

An entertainment journalist was the last thing I thought I would be doing.
I thought once I got my degree, I would be reporting on stories that made a difference, but now all I do is report on who broke up with who and who is dating who.
I was over it.
Then I got my next assignment.

He’s Hollywood’s bad boy.
He works hard, and he plays even harder.
He’s rude, he’s condescending, and he’s made it known he doesn’t want me on the tour.

With one month on the road with him, two things might happen
One, I may never work in this industry again.
Two, I may just be like everyone else and fall for Hollywood’s Playboy.


I am a huge fan of Natasha Madison’s Something So series and some of her other standalone novels. Her most recent series/books were good, but not my favorites. I was kind of wondering if something had changed with her writing or if I have outgrown it or something. I debated reading Hollywood Playboy, but I am extremely happy I did. Hollywood Playboy read and felt more like her previous works that I loved.

Hollywood Playboy is written in dual, first-person point of view. I loved that. It made it easy to understand why Jessica and Tyler didn’t like each other at first and then fell for each other. The way their jobs as celebrity reporter and actor conflicted very interesting. It added another layer to the enemies to lovers trope. Jessica or Tyler could have been egotistical, cocky, or a jerk, but they weren’t. They were both nice, down to earth people despite their careers. That was refreshing. I loved every minute of their love story.

Even though I absolutely adored everything about the romance in this book, there were a few things that bugged me a little. One was the clothing descriptions. Every piece of clothing for every event was described down to the brand name. I know brands are probably a big deal in Hollywood, but it distracted me a bit from the story. Another thing that bothered me was the whole “Hollywood Playboy” thing. Tyler didn’t really seem to be a playboy. There were only a couple mentions of other women. That just didn’t fit to me with how secretive he was. The last thing that I thought I should point out, but didn’t truly bug me, was that I could tell where the book was going from pretty early on. I knew (and hated) the person who was going to cause all the trouble. What saved thing was that I liked the plot.

I’m so happy that I am back to being in love with Natasha Madison’s writing! I was sad to finish Hollywood Playboy because now I’m stuck waiting for Hollywood Princess.

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My To-Read List

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 The Ten Most Recent Additions to My To-Read List. Here we go!

1. The Unhoneymooners
Authors: Christina Lauren

2. Be the Girl
Author: K.A. Tucker

3. Hollywood Princess
Author: Natasha Madison

4. Text Me Baby One More Time
Author: Teagan Hunter

5. Passion on Park Avenue
Author: Lauren Layne

6. Serious Moonlight
Author: Jenn Bennett

7. The Lying Hours
Author: Sara Ney

8. Meet Cute
Author: Helena Hunting

9. For Emery
Author: J. Nathan

10. Something Like Gravity
Author: Amber Smith

Review: If I Only Knew (Corinne Michaels)

If I Only Knew
Author: Corinne Michaels
Publication Date:  January 28, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestseller, Corinne Michaels, comes a new heartwarming and sexy standalone romance novel.

My life was perfect – until a shocking tragedy pulled the rug out from underneath me.

My children were left without a father. I was without a husband and a provider. Instead of wallowing in my grief, I buried myself in my work at Dovetail Enterprises. Landing the promotion as the CEO’s right hand was exactly what I needed.

Getting saddled with Milo Huxley as an assistant is exactly the opposite.

I can’t stand him.

He’s arrogant, irresponsible, and out for my job. As if that’s not bad enough, he has to be devastatingly sexy, and have a posh English accent that makes me squirm on top of it all. I’ve had enough unpredictability for one lifetime, thank you.

But soon enough, we’re fighting less and laughing more. He’s there for me when no one else is. And those good looks aren’t the only panty-dropping thing about him.

If I only knew what to do about it . . .


To start, If I Only Knew is the fourth and final book about a circle of friends: Heather, Kristin, Nicole, and Danielle. Heather’s story was told in We Own Tonight, Kristin’s in One Last Time, and Nicole’s in Not Until You. If I Only Knew is Danielle’s story. These are all standalone novels, but they do build a little on each other. You get the relationship dynamics between the friends and pieces of their past. I recommend reading them in order (the way I listed them here) to get the full experience.

Kristin was the character I was probably least interested in throughout the series. Probably because she was in a relationship until the last book. I didn’t even think she would get a book of her own like this. I thought it would be in relation to her relationship with her husband. That changed last book, though. I was surprised to find how much I liked Kristin. She was going through a lot and her feelings were raw and real. The way she fell for Milo felt natural. I loved their connection and how things started off rocky between them because of their jobs. It was a lot of fun.

The part of this story that I didn’t quite buy was how quickly Milo went from womanizer who wanted Danielle’s job to devoted to her. Milo ended up being a way better guy than I thought he would be. He had his moments at the beginning, but his change of character was fast. I expected a more gradual transition or Milo to put up more of a fight against his feelings. That was what I thought would be the major problem in this book, but it wasn’t. Not at all. It was a big surprise. I liked what ended up being the issue but feel like Milo’s character and his demons could have used more focus.

Despite that, I did love Milo and Danielle’s story. They fit in a way that I wouldn’t have expected after reading the previous books. Milo and Danielle were cute together, and I loved how her kids made their story even sweeter. Overall, this was a great addition to this series of books.

Review: I Want You Back (Lorelei James)

I Want You Back
Series: Need You, #5
Author: Lorelei James
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James kicks-off her Want You Series with a Lund family cousin hot enough to melt the ice and mend a broken heart.

Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to the Twin Cities, but he’s at loose ends, unsure if he belongs at Lund Industries, or where he stands with Lucy, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Mimi. Despite the signs she’d like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance…

Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she’s hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It’s not that Lucy doesn’t trust Jax…she’s just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he’s been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy’s shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.

Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?


If you have read the Need You series like I have, you have probably been curious about Jaxson Lund and Lucy Quade’s relationship. Well, we are finally getting their book!

I Want You Back is a second chance romance. Jaxson Lund has retired from hockey. He’s determined to turn his life around. He is no longer the alcoholic womanizer he used to be. Jaxson has come to recognize what a horrible boyfriend, father, and person he was while he drank. He wants to make that up to the two most important people: his daughter and her mother. Lucy is not sure what to make of the changes in Jaxson. He’s trying so hard to be a father to her daughter. She loves what she sees, but she’s not sure she can ever trust him enough to let him back in completely.

I went back and forth on what to rate this book. I enjoyed reading it, but it was a little slow at times. I guess that might not have bugged me if I wasn’t expecting a slow burn romance, but I wasn’t with the chemistry these two had. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the flashbacks of Lucy and Jaxson’s prior relationship. I think it was because it was only the good times and none of the bad. I liked getting to know how they fell in love, but I also wanted to know more about how they fell apart. It was also a little jarring to go from present to past and back in this book for some reason. I’m not sure why.

What I did love was the way Jaxson worked to show Lucy that he was back for good and in all the ways that mattered. I loved the way they worked through the hard parts of co-parenting. I loved how Lorelei James dealt with Jaxson’s issues with alcoholism, infidelity, and safe sex. That whole mixture really surprised me. I have never read a romance that touched on those topics all together. It made me think it should in more books. I wish more time would have spent on it in this book even though I thought it was well done.

Oh! I can’t leave out that I liked that Lucy wasn’t perfect either. She may have been wronged by Jaxson, but she had some issues of her own. I loved that Jaxson didn’t let those things slide, and that they worked together to both make changes.

Obviously, this book had a couple of ups and downs for me, but overall was a great read.

Mini Reviews: Tangled Like Us & The Consequence of Falling

Tangled Like Us
Series: Like Us, #4
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Publication Date: January 17, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Tangled Like Us is one of those books I absolutely loved while reading it, but also felt like it was missing something. I really liked Jane and Thatcher together. I loved their chemistry and the sweetness of their relationship. The only way I can think of describing the something that was missing is more fire. There were some great revelations and build up, but the end fell a little flat for me. It definitely set up for the next book but didn’t have the dramatic cliffhanger I was expecting. Overall, it was an addition to the series I wouldn’t want to miss, and it made me excited to find out what comes next.

The Consequence of Falling
Author: Claire Contreras
Publication Date: January 12, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

My thoughts:

I basically loved almost everything about this book. It was a great enemies to lovers story, if you like those. Nathaniel and Presley’s banter was really fun and their chemistry was off the charts. There was also a great emotional aspect to the story, which is exactly what I would expect from a Claire Contreras book. The Consequence of Falling is my favorite book she’s released in the past couple of years.

Review: Only a Breath Apart (Katie McGarry)

Only a Breath Apart
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Jesse Lachlin is cursed.

So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.

Scarlett Copeland is psychic.

Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…


There’s something seriously magical about Katie McGarry’s writing. I don’t know how to describe it other than she makes me feel everything she writes. Only a Breath Apart is probably the heaviest book she’s written to date. The characters have to fight hard for themselves. It wasn’t an easy read. I felt every minute of Jesse and Scarlett’s pain, fear, and angst. All the negative emotions I felt didn’t make me love this book any less. It actually made me love it more because, once I got past those hard emotions, there were some other really beautiful ones like love, forgiveness, and determination. Jesse and Scarlet didn’t have it easy, but they had each other to weather the storm with.

Only a Breath Apart is one of those books I want to save and have my daughter read when she’s older. It had some messages that I believe are extremely important for young adults (and adults!) to learn regarding relationships and life in general. I am so happy I got the opportunity to read this book. It is one I will think about for a long time to come.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read In 2018 But Didn’t Get To

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 I Meant to Read In 2018 but Didn’t Get To. 

1. Love the One Your With
Author: Lauren Layne

2. Second Chance Summer
Author: Morgan Matson

3. One True Loves
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

4. Trailer Park Hearts
Author: Rachel Higginson

5. Tequila Tequila
Author: Emma Hart

6. The Hate You Give
Author: Angie Thomas

7. From Sand and Ash
Author: Amy Harmon

8. Now That You Mention It
Author: Kristan Higgins

9. All Crooked Saints
Author: Maggie Stiefvater

10. Gemina
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Review: Overnight Sensation (Sarina Bowen)

Overnight Sensation
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers, #5
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Let’s say you’re a rookie who had a great year…until the final game of the playoffs, when it’s your shot that bounces off the post, allowing the rivals to win. You have a lot to answer for the following season. You need hard practices and clean living. You don’t need a hookup with the league commissioner’s daughter and a widely misunderstood paparazzi shot.

Jason Castro, ladies and gentlemen. It’s hard work becoming an overnight sensation…


Okay, people! Sarina Bowen is back with another hockey romance, and you’re not going to want to miss reading it. Overnight Sensation might just be my favorite Brooklyn Bruisers hockey romance yet. That’s saying A LOT because Brooklynaire, Nate and Becca’s story, was spectacular. I didn’t think it could be topped, but I think I might have been wrong because Castro and Heidi… Seriously, their story was so swoon worthy. I don’t know that I can truly articulate how awesome it was. I. Could. Not. Get. Enough. I don’t know how to do anything but gush about Overnight Sensation. I loved this book so much. Gah! I don’t even know how I can articulate how special it was.

I liked Jason Castro in the previous Brooklyn Bruisers books, but I had no idea he was going to be the guy he was. He took care of the people he loved and was a bit of a tortured soul. Heidi Pepper was everything Castro needed. She was young and trying to figure out her life, but she was doing it on her terms. While Castro felt like a serious guy, Heidi felt more light-hearted and a little comical. That made for some of the best sexual tension I’ve read in a long time! It also made them balance each other out really well.

Castro and Heidi weren’t the only ones who made Overnight Sensation special. The whole Brooklyn Bruisers team was back in action. It was fun reading about their interactions off and on the ice. I loved getting to see some old character around contributing to the fun. It was also good to get to know a tiny bit more about Silas and Bayer. I am really, really, really hoping Sarina Bowen gives them books. (Pretty please…)

I honestly don’t have one bad thing to say about this book. Well, maybe I should complain that it wasn’t long enough? I wasn’t ready to be done reading it. It could have gone on for another few hundred pages in my opinion. I’m extremely sad to be finished reading it because that means I’m going to have to wait a while for one of my favorite contemporary romance authors to grace me with another book. So, yeah, I recommend reading Overnight Sensation. You won’t be disappointed. 😉