August 31, 2024

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Played by Naima Simone
Published by Montlake on September 3, 2024
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Being a firefighter isn’t easy. Especially for a Black woman. Working with family helps a little. But when somebody from your company doesn’t come back from a call, it’s brutal—as in, “How’m I supposed to go on?” brutal.

And one death took me to a really dark place.

A year later, I’m at the Pirates’ hockey training facility. Just another day on the job. Until I find a charred journal. I look inside for the owner’s name, but the words on the page punch me in the gut. It’s like reading my own thoughts. Reliving my own pain.

The journal belongs to Solomon Young, left-winger for the Pirates—a father and widower. When I return it, I’m racked with guilt for the invasion of privacy. The look Solomon gives me is cold as ice.

But damn if that man isn’t hot as hell.

Now he’s stuck in my brain. And fate seems intent on making us face off.

Fast paced and attention grabbing! Let me start this review by saying that I adore Naima Simone and her writing as a whole and I adore hockey romance, so I went into this book expecting to LOVE it … but sadly it just wasn’t a hit with me. It wasn’t the plot as a whole because I loved Adina and Solomon both and their storyline and surrounding drama was spot on. The disconnect for me came from how slang filled the writing style was, how much race talk there was, how those things distracted from the heartfelt goodness that was pouring out from these characters as they co-mingled on their journey of healing and rediscovery. I walked away loving the characters and their happily ever after, but the route to get there was super choppy and a tad painful. I love snark, I love REAL … but I need things to make sense without having to dissect every sentence and to have a point other than to just be preaching a platform. This book won’t stop me from picking up a Simone novel again because she’s been the bomb many times in the past, this just isn’t my favorite.

* Review * WE CAN FOREVER by Lenna Phoenix

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

We Can Forever by Lenna Phoenix
Series: Silent Journey #1
Published by Calamittie Jane Publishing on September 4, 2024
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Goodreads

Michael Greer is a second-generation fire chief and a single dad of a precocious 11-year old, so there’s not much that scares him.

(Admittedly, more because of the second than the first.)

When Pine Island’s new craft shop owner accidentally backs into his car, he takes that in stride too. And does what any fire chief would do.

Invite her out on a date.

It doesn’t take long to figure out that Hannah Lewis is gorgeous, quirky, smart as hell, and...hiding something.

Hannah has learned the hard way to keep the truth about her life as hush-hush as possible.

At best, people don’t understand. At worst, they call her lazy or a liar.

Better to just keep her secrets to herself and keep her distance from almost everybody.

But this tiny town’s sexy fire chief won’t seem to accept her attempt at solitude. He keeps showing up all patient and witty and a great dad. Everything Hannah has ever hoped for if she allowed herself to admit it.

He says he’s ready to fight her battles with her.

Will he still feel that way when he finds out the truth?

Sentimental and sweet with a smidge of steam! WE CAN FOREVER by Lenna Phoenix is the first book in her new Silent Journey series and was my first book by the author. I enjoyed the characters very much and thought the plotline of the series being about silent illnesses that people don’t always understand was told amazingly well with both definition of what the sufferers can expect, but also making the person relatable to the reader so they can truly sympathize with their plight. I wanted a little more development to the town as a whole since the entire series will be taking place there, but also of her newly found friends in her support group since I’m assuming we will get a story for each of them. Overall a great first book in the series to introduce the characters and the gist of the craft group. The main characters were fairly well developed and their connection was very satisfying. I look forward to more to come in the series.