Archives for October 30, 2025

* Review * THROWN FOR A LOOP by Sarina Bowen

October 30, 2025 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THROWN FOR A LOOP by Sarina Bowen

Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen
Series: New York Legends
Published by Forever on November 4, 2025
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Zoe Carson, former figure skating queen, needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach. An NHL gig with the New York Legends is her big chance. Unfortunately, that means facing off against the star player who broke her heart ten years ago.

Chase Merritt knows his game is off, and he’s on the verge of losing sponsors. But he doesn’t need the ice princess from that intense college summer showing up and telling him what he’s doing wrong—even when she’s right.

On the ice, they’re magic. Off the ice, they’re nothing but heat and stubbornness, and everyone on the team is enjoying the show. But when an old video of Zoe and Chase’s figure skating routine goes viral, they’re forced to work together more intimately than ever before. Can the two get it right this time or will the whole world watch them crash and burn?

Heartfelt and emotional! With a reunion a decade in the making, we get to know New York Legends hockey star Chase Merritt and former Olympic figure skater Zoe Carson. I’ll be the first to admit that I sincerely dislike storylines that go back and forth between present time and the past and this one was particularly bad in that fashion because pretty much every other chapter was now and a decade ago, so I’ll admit I had to grit my teeth a tad throughout the majority of the book … BUT … I was so invested in Zoe and Chase that I overlooked it and enjoyed them wholeheartedly. Teen angst led to a summer they will never forget and meeting again after all this time is really emotional for both of them. I enjoyed their connection and their ability to hear the other side out eventually. The current storyline was intriguing and introduced several guys on the team that I really enjoyed getting to know. I was invested in their story from start to finish and loved their happily ever after.

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* Review * COLLIDING by Jami Davenport

October 30, 2025 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Colliding by Jami Davenport
Series: Portland Icehawks #7
Published by Cedrona Enterprises LLC on October 30, 2025
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He's fire, and she's ice. He's affable, and she's prickly. He's at the pinnacle of his career, and she's struggling to get there. The one thing they have in common--a mutual hatred for each other.

Drakos Lenkov, one of the premier forwards in the league, parties hard and plays harder. But his wings are about to be clipped, and he's met his match. The Icehawks are vying for a playoff spot, and he can’t afford distractions, yet a certain reporter’s constant criticism is getting under his skin and affecting his game.

Aria Reed is an ambitious sports reporter known for her ruthlessness. Her attacks on Drakos are relentless and appear unprovoked but Aria has her reasons and an explosive secret that she can never reveal without betraying her dead sister’s final request.

Fast paced and endearing! The next book in Davenport’s Portland Icehawks series brings us Drakos Lenkov’s story and it’s a doozy. For months sports reporter Aria Reed has been badmouthing him in her articles and he’s not sure why. It’s obviously personal, but he’s never even met her. Secrets are soon revealed that blow his mind and he’s forced to interact with his mortal enemy. Close contact makes them admit their attraction and soon they are cozying up and addressing life together. I enjoyed the characters a lot and was invested in their story. I think there were some holes here and there, but nothing drastic and though I wanted slightly more than the rushed feeling to the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed their story. I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to hockey romance who love a team with a tight brotherhood that supports each other through thick and thin.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Review * GRADY by Victoria Denault

October 30, 2025 Leave a Comment

Grady by Victoria Denault
Series: Hockey Royalty #5
on October 29, 2025
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Traded. With my crush. What could go wrong?

Getting traded always sucks. The silver lining this time is that I’ve been traded to the Riptide, near my hometown, with my teammate —and secret crush—Landon Casco.

Landon's the son of the goalie I idolized growing up. He’s also smoking hot and never fails to make me laugh. The only problem? He has a serious girlfriend. But even if he was bi or gay, I wouldn’t do anything about it. I'm deep in the closet.

On our first night in our new city, Landon’s a mess. It’s his first time being traded, his first full season back in the league after beating cancer, and his relationship is rocky at best. Trying to be a good friend and ease the tension, I take him and his girlfriend Angela out. I planned on a few beers and maybe a game of pool, not a threesome. But that’s where we end up.

Now Angela’s ghosted Landon, and he’s acting like we’re barely friends, but I’m crushing even harder. Luckily I have a back-up goalie eager to steal my title as starter and family members popping by uninvited every day to distract me.

When Angela shows back up pregnant, Landon and I have to stop pretending that night never happened. It's time to face our fears, our demons, and each other. It turns out, there’s a lot more than the possibility of parenthood that we need to figure out.

Tumultuous and attention grabbing! Must be okay with M/M/F and M/M relationships to enjoy! The next book in Victoria Denault’s Hockey Royalty series is easy to sink your teeth into with amazingly relatable characters, forbidden love, and lots of drama all the way around. Grady and Landon are both super easy to like and sympathize with and the angst they feel is really emotional. I loved the characters, loved the love triangle/closeted issues they had to deal with and most of all loved their happily ever after! I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who really enjoys a second gen hockey romance where we get to catch glimpses of past characters later in life when their kids and siblings are now settling into love.

Filed Under: Book Reviews