sarahsbookstack's Reviews (2.55k)

This was a great debut and a very good start to a hockey team with many books 🤞?!

Ellie and Lincoln are the best of enemies to lovers. They have been rivals since they were kids, playing hockey. Now Lincoln is the new head coach and Ellie is his assistant coach for Green Bay. They will have to learn to work together to get the team where they ought to be. 

Both have things in their past that they need to work out (trigger warnings are at the front of the book) because after they do, they might understand each other a little bit more. 

The side characters were great.... except for the one that I cheered for getting fired 🤣. Sadie is an amazing friend to Ellie, always there to remind her that she does have a place in sports and she has earned every bit of what she's worked for. Hunter is a great best friend to Lincoln, helps him see that he needs to clear some air with Ellie to move on from their past. Even the GM of the team is a wonderful guy.  So though I loved when Ellie and Lincoln hooked up, most of the others parts were what made the book for me. 

This was my first book read by Alice but I have several I want to read and am kicking myself for sleeping on them. 

Oh dear Eliza! She has to have the toughest spirit I've seen in a character in a long time. Growing up in a time of segregation in the South, she defies the "norms" of the time and becomes best friends with Covey, a Black girl. She wants to see the family farm in her hands after tragedy and is fighting for it, even decades later. 

I loved that she told her story to her granddaughter and grandniece. I love that this is being split into 2 books and can't wait to see where the story goes from where it left off. The novel was rich with detail that I felt I was right in that southern low county with them. 

How perfect is Milo? He's the best cinnamon roll guy I've read in a while. No questions asked when a friend needs a favor for his friend to stay in Milo's penthouse. Enter Charlee with a black eye. Now the reason why is clear but it still goes deeper. I am so glad Charlee got out of her situation quickly and thrived in Chicago.

The whole Red Tails team is amazing with Charlee. The girls bring her in and she fits right in with them immediately. I love the thoughts that run through Milo's head, they are so sporadic but almost always come back to Charlee. This book was just spicy and sweet. 

This was a story that took us from 1977, where Arden is traveling in Egypt to the 2010s, where she has just lost her husband and daughter in a freak accident and is left to pick up the pieces of her granddaughter's life.

This book could make you deep dive into the consequences of your decisions. It makes me look at how I might be raising my kids and how it might look different to them. I felt that Arden is sometimes just flowing through life but not really finding meaning in it until she's kind of forced to.

I feel this also reinforces that it's never too right to change your life and right your mistakes

This family drama was a bit dark. It spans the '70s to the 2010s. The characters are all so nuanced and you can't help but root for some of them while despising others.

There were times that I was so mad at the character of Jayne.. especially when she accused her ex-husband of a terrible thing that I never believed he did. When you get the "why" she did this, it's so heartbreaking and I felt that if therapy had been a bigger thing back in the 70s, it would have helped her work through her trauma but she really had no one to turn to. 

I still love Bree as a character! She is always looking out for others but this time around.. she looks out for her. She goes with Erebus willingly to try and get him to help improve her powers... but she also lets go of her ancestors Root by cutting the connection.

More Nick?! Yes please! I love that we get to see him shed his "golden boy" personality. We didn't get a whole lot of Sel in this book as he's hidden away to try to get rid of his demonia and that was kind of a bummer because I like him and his flaws.

There are a lot of slow times in this book. I think it should have been shaved down a lot. I'm so glad she decided to extend this from a trilogy but I really hope we get more action in the next one. The side character Zoe, I ended up liking a lot! I really hope Alice can break out from her slumber, I miss her.

The shock ending I am deceased. That was SO GOOD

This was a great, fast moving story with the enemies to lovers starting with a kidnapping/she falls for her captor! 

Layla has the ability to heal. She is one of the few remaining and her King will do anything to keep her in his kingdom. Ledger is the Prince of another Kingdom and takes Layla because he needs her to heal his father.

There is danger on the journey between kingdoms. There is found family in her captor group. There is tension and longing in Layla and Ledger's slowly growing relationship. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment! 

Nicole and Jason have been married for 23 years and are in a good place. Until the sabbatical trip Jason was taking Nicole on derails and their neighbors tell them of a "500 mile" rule where what you do outside the relationship can't be questioned.. make you wonder if their relationship will survive after the year is up?

While I would never condone this type of rule in my marriage (and would it really be good for anyone? I really don't think so), I enjoyed the rest of it for the reasons of liking that they found some peace in their own self-discovery away from being a couple in close proximity. There were some great side characters and new friends that Nicole encountered. The ending was satisfying enough to overlook my discomfort of that 500 mile rule. 

Victoria is very cutthroat as she needs to be as a high end lawyer but I love that through Cruz (most of the credit to him) and friends, she learns to take a stand for herself and not always have people walk all over her. I hate how certain men treated her and glad that one got some redemption in my eyes. 

Now onto Cruz .How could this musician, personal trainer and self defense man be any more amazing! He is the perfect balance to Victoria. He shows her how to relax and let go. He has very set rules for himself and I love how Victoria dissolved them.  The YouTube videos he makes for her at the end? 😍

Side characters of Grace, Mallory and Kate are perfect friends for Victoria. I now have the feeling that we will get a Kate/Nick story next? 🤞