June 5, 2022

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Jock Wanted by Kate Meader
Series: Rookie Rebels #7
Published by Kate Meader LLC on June 14, 2022
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She has her heart set on a hockey player. Any hockey player.

When the new general manager of the Chicago Rebels tasks Tara Becker with faking it with one of his players to help clean up the naughty jock's act, she's all over it. She'll make that misbehaving hunk of muscle look good and get her dream guy into the bargain.

Only the path from fake to real is riddled with thorns . . .

New Rebels GM Hale Fitzpatrick thinks ditzy blonde and wannabe WAG Tara is the perfect solution to his PR problem - until she isn't. Soon Fitz realizes that maybe he doesn't have control of the strings after all . . . especially when he starts to fall for his pretty little puppet.

A fake relationship hockey romance - with a twist!

An undeniable attraction! I couldn’t have loved Hale and Tara together more, but I felt the development of their relationship suffered somewhat from the secondary storyline that was playing her off of others too much. I would have loved if we could have seen them together once they were truly together more to see them shine. Great characters and lots of heart!

Hale AKA Fitz was such an endearing character. I loved every minute of him and only wanted more pages to love him in.

Tara is complex and covering up so much of her true self the majority of the book. I enjoyed seeing her finally let her cards show and receive love regardless.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a character driven hockey team that loves hard and always has a smile and support for a teammate.

* Review * MARCUS by Lori Foster

Marcus by Lori Foster
Series: A Love Undercover Novella
Published by HQN Books on June 1, 2022
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They’ve been crushing on each other for months… So what’s holding them back?

A sizzling new Love Undercover novella

For Marcus Bareden, Lucy Cortland is more than the girl next door. She’s beautiful, funny and easy to talk to. He’d really like to get closer, but something about her occasional wariness sets off his spidey sense. When he was nine, Marcus was plucked from an abusive situation and adopted by the most amazing parents a boy could wish for.

Lucy Cortland spent years overcoming an awful youth. Now, she’s got a great job, her own place and a super sexy neighbor. Marcus is warm, kind and they’ve become good friends. She’s only known him a few months, but their chemistry is undeniable. Yet for Lucy, getting close isn’t possible.

Lucy believes no one could love her after what she’s been through. No one could understand…except maybe the guy next door, who knows how it feels to be mistreated and how hard it can be to learn to hope—even love—again.

Overflowing with heart! Lori Foster is taking a jump back into her Love Undercover world with this year’s charity novella and I couldn’t have loved Marcus and Lucy more. Yes, it’s novella length so the pace is quick, but the depth of emotion and signature warmth we are used to from Foster was spot on. I can’t wait to see more of the friends we were introduced to!

Seeing Marcus all grown up, living a great life and falling for his forever love is super heartwarming to fans of the series.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants a short dive into an emotional story filled with charm.