Isobel Chase lives and breathes hockey and was this close to having the pro career her father bred her for. But, thirty-seven minutes into her first pro game, Isobel is out with a career ending injury. Now she hopes she can make it as a professional hockey coach on the team she co-owns with her two sisters.

But, her first task is to get Vadim "Czar of Pleasure" Petrov in shape after his own injury. Isobel lost her virginity to Vadim when they were both nineteen after a torrid love affair ended after she definitely did NOT find pleasure and when her father found them out.

Can Isobel focus on the task at hand when Vadim seems intent on winning her over after all these years? Will a relationship with Vadim ruin her credibility in the already sexist world of professional hockey?

Melt that ice! Wow! I loved that Isobel was six feet tall, super athletic, and a total boss who was unafraid to check Vadim both in and out of bed. Vadim, for all of his alpha Russian bullshit, was actually soft at heart and more than willing to make sure Isobel had all the orgasms he didn't help her with the first time.

I am definitely going to read the first in this series, as I haven't yet, and will be looking forward to the next!

Thank you to the publisher and Edwelweiss for the ARC!

A perfectly sweet and sassy holiday novella featuring Sean O'Reilly, younger brother of Finn, who reunites with his first love who just happens to be the innkeeper at the B&B he books for his brother's bachelor party.

While short, Shalvis sells the instant connection between Sean and Lottie by establishing their back story as teen lovers who just didn't work out at the time because Sean was a teen ass who just lost his both parents and Lottie was moving away.

I'll read anything Shalvis writes, so keep them coming!

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC!

Spoiler

I somehow managed to read two romance novels in a row featuring former teen lovers AND where the girl did not have an orgasm for her first time, and was blunt about it when she reconnected with her man. Love it! The other was "So Over You" by Kate Meader.

When beloved middle child Lydia's body is found floating in the lake, the Lee family's teetering co-existence is finally toppled off the edge and into chaos.

Told in alternating POVs and with a very fluid time structure, this is a character study of the Lee family, the only mixed-race family in a small Ohioan town. Lydia's death is just the catalyst for tensions simmering beneath the surface of the various characters, and this is a gorgeously told story of race, gender, family, and expectations. I was kept on the edge of my seat, and can't wait to discuss this with my library's Book to Art Club.

I enjoyed the audio narrator as well.

After aspiring makeup artist McKenna is dumped by her latest boyfriend, she drunkenly orders a box of adult toys and decides she is quitting men. Unfortunately her package is delivered mistakenly to her neighbor. When she goes to retrieve it, she discovers it is the hottie she's been side-eyeing in the elevator.

Beckett, an aspiring app developer, is also recently single. When sparkly McKenna ends up on his doorstep he is alarmed at his instant attraction to her, especially since he needs to win back his ex-fiancee so her father will go through with a promised $2 million investment for his app.

Both want to focus on launching their careers and neither need the distraction, but their attraction is real. Is passion and excitement worth risking it all for?

A cute read and I enjoyed the characters careers, as they are a bit different than the ones you normally see in romance novels. Beckett wasn't my favorite hero, as I found his desire to win back his fiancee for money to be a bit yucky.

All in all, a fun workout read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Across the world, teen girls are realizing they have a power. Sharing the 'secret' via social media and demonstration, the power dynamic of the world vastly shifts in rapid fashion. Their power can hurt, can kill, can force a man to have an erection. Young girls can reactivate the power in older women, and some few can even use it to heal.

Alderman's concept is thrilling and she explores through the eyes of four characters in alternating POVs that are a bit uneven in character development and overall interest. I did not really enjoy the way the book began and ended, as a series of letters between a fictionalized Alderman and a male author and I wish she would have embraced or gotten rid of the "documentary" style vignettes that were peppered throughout the story.

Despite my personal issues with the style of the book, I highly recommend! I can definitely see this being adapted for a film or mini-series.

A super sweet romance between a widower and the nanny he hires to take care of his two sons that still has enough steam to justify that sexy cover.

"Slider" Evans has distanced himself from the motorcycle club and his brothers after the death of his wife not just because of his grief, but also because he never told anyone his wife's huge secret. His heart is closed, but his nanny Cora, recently hired after she took on protection from the Ravens Motorcycle Club may be the one to bring light back to his and his boys' lives.

Cora ran away with her best friend Haven and took shelter with the Club, but she never told Haven the exact reason why she finally got them both to leave their horrible families. Now she too is starting to see Slider in a new light but does not want to jeopardize her place in their family.

I loved that this story didn't have any insta-love between the characters and that they slowly came to each other, figuring out their issues together along the way. No major drama between them, and some great sexy time scenes featuring various motor vehicles. This book was a bit sweeter than I'm used to reading, but I'll definitely be picking up more from this series.

I would recommend reading them in order. I did not and there were definitely things I missed out on with other characters.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for the ARC!

I don't read poetry much, but when I do, let it all be like Rupi Kaur's latest. Accessible, lyrical, and poignant.

A fascinating and horrific true tale of deceit, theft, and murder that I definitely should not have listened to on audio book. While I enjoyed the narrators voices, I am discovering that I much prefer dialogue driven books on audio. If it is just blocks of text I find myself zoning out. Also, I missed out on the excellent photos and maps included in the text version (which I picked up near the end when i couldn't take the audio version any more).

This is an important book, as I had never personally heard of the Osage Murders. It is a travesty and I am glad this author was able to bring these acts to light.

Further adventures and sex-capades, just not quite as much fun as the first few volumes and not quite as narrowly focused on Suzie and Jon (my favorites). The end of this volume also left me on a down note.

I also noticed more panels per page, which made it a bit harder to read for me. I adored the large full page spreads in the last issue of the volume.

Olympia is somehow set to wed one of the infamous and gorgeous "difficult" dukes despite her spectacles and love for librarianship. When she finds herself drowning her cold feet in a bottle of brandy she decides bolting out the window in her overwrought wedding dress is a far better idea than going through with the nuptials.
Brought reluctantly back from abroad to stand up for his best friend, the Duke of Ripley finds himself tasked with finding Olympia and bringing her back to her betrothed. Too bad he finds himself falling for the lady himself.
Both find themselves torn between honor, duty, and true love.

With witty banter and charming characters, I enjoyed my first ever Loretta Chase. What I didn't really enjoy was the conflict between best friends, especially since I felt bad for Olympia's original intended (I'm assuming he's going to get his own HEA in an upcoming book). Plus, the main plot took place over about four days and it felt a bit too quick for the characters to find themselves in so many different locations and falling in love so very quickly. I'm also not a fan of dueling, especially when it is between friends and used as a drama inducing plot point that causes our heroine to think her guy is dreadfully hurt.

That said, the scenes with Olympia and Ripley spark, and it is a fun start to a series.

I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Avon!