Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name.
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Little Did We Know
Cara Dee (Mclean Tales #1)
After a dozen books in the primary Game series (and so many delicious cameos across probably a dozen more books set in the same world), I hope Dee isn’t surprised by how quickly her dedicated readers snap up this novella that reveals how the Mclean House founders first meet. Like all adult friendships, the interpersonal connections that bind these eight unique characters together aren’t planned and aren’t simple–but these also definitely include some fun (and sexy) surprises. While some bits of these histories have been teased before, plenty more surprises exist in these pages to make this an entertaining and engrossing read. Dee’s expertise in characterization shines through in how she deftly writes familiar personas at younger ages, showing the subtle differences that time and experience can bring while also keeping each founder true to who we’ve fallen in love with at their core. This style of narrative doesn’t follow the traditional romance arc expected in this genre, but this is a story that highlights the bonds of friendship first (even friends who sometimes get naked together), proving that a solid found family can result in a different sort of highly satisfying happily ever after.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Pucked Up
E.M. Lindsey (Puck as Punk #2)
One of my favorite things about series featuring multiple relationships is when the stories overlap enough to not only tease future pairings but also hint at the drama to come. I’d say that Hugo and Boden are like ice and fire, except this is a hockey book, and it’s also more appropriate to say that these men are like ice and harder ice. If you’ll allow me to butcher the metaphor further, the most satisfying moments of this book are when the characters begin to thaw (and then melt) for each other. As usual, Lindsey takes a relatively common trope of the sports romance subgenre, in which anonymous hookups are revealed to be a new coach/player dynamic, but deepens the connections between the characters for both the internal and external plots. This story sucked me in from the beginning due to the strength of the immediate chemistry between Boden and Hugo, then kept me engrossed as I waited for multiple reveals and how they would affect all the characters involved. The main characters have plenty of trauma to work through along the way, bringing me to tears more than once as I cheered for them, ached for them, and wanted to smack them upside the head for their stubbornness. The tease Lindsey leaves us with at the very end for the next book ensures that I’m anxiously waiting for more, as if I wasn’t already.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
The Scrum-Half
Charlie Novak (Lincoln Knights #3)
I’m open about how I tend to stay away from single-parent romances because I have a difficult time with how many authors portray children as too precocious to be real. However, I’ll always give books by trusted authors a shot, and I was entertained by how Novak takes the kid in this book so far over the edge that he ends up coming back around to normal. His dad is pretty damned adorable too, with his overprotective anxiousness hitting realistic notes for me based on the experiences of the new parents in my social circle. Matty and Harper find each other at the right time, with Matty realizing that he needs to get his act together and Harper having enough experience in the field to not put up with Matty’s ridiculousness. (Of course, that they start crushing on each other pretty quickly also helps smooth out some of the bumps while also amusing me greatly.) The later relationship conflict in this otherwise low-angst romance is pretty obvious from the beginning, but I was with the characters on this one — too busy enjoying the ride to want to deal with the potential fallout. Novak’s eventual solution was clever and unexpected, fitting well with the way she had already set up the various characters and their dynamics. I still don’t know anything about rugby, but I do know how much I enjoy this series and how much I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
The Team
N.R. Walker (Milvus Files #3)
While this book is part of a romantic suspense series, this installment breaks the mold in multiple ways. The greater focus is on a full team of characters (as it says on the tin) continuing the work set up by the heroes of the previous books, and the two primary point of view characters are an established queer couple who don’t follow a relationship arc in the story. However, I’m here for stories that feature queer characters existing in the world as much as I’m a sucker for multinational ensemble casts being badass, so Walker may as well be writing this series just for me at this point. Rhett, Jay, and their team members (new and old) were a delight to follow even as they delved into some pretty terrifying situations. In excellent storytelling fashion, we get satisfying but appropriate cameos from previous heroes, and the world set up at the beginning of the book is once again completely upended by the last chapter. I’m excited to add this book to my physical collection, and I can’t wait to see where Walker takes these characters on their next epic adventure.