ARC Review: Game Over (Oakwood Ranch #2) by Bella North

 

His football days might be over. But the game is just beginning…

Forced out of the game by a career-ending injury, Dylan Sullivan is busy drowning his sorrows in the local bar. Slumped a few stools down, Izzy Brooks knocks back another bourbon. Her grandpa is selling the horses she loves, meaning she’s out of a job—and a home.

The next morning, Dylan wakes groggily to the sound of horses’ hooves—with zero memory of the night before. Unlucky for him, there’s a tougher-than-nails, sexy-as-hell ranch hand with a scowl the size of Texas to fill him in… Last night, Dylan bought eighteen horses to fill his family’s empty ranch. Izzy’s horses.

Izzy’s future relies on Dylan becoming the rancher he never planned to be. As she puts him through his paces, competitive sparks—and something even more sizzling—fly. And stolen moments amongst the haystacks start to feel like a new beginning for both of them.

But when Dylan gets a chance to rejoin the world of football, the hope in Izzy’s heart flatlines. Will he prove every misgiving she had about him true? Or will he realize the path he never expected to walk is the one leading to the happy ending he was looking for?

Game Over is a steamy but heartfelt enemies-to-lovers cowboy and sports romance, perfect for fans of Elsie Silver, Stephanie Archer and Liz Tomforde. The second in the Oakwood Ranch series, it can also be read as a standalone.

Title: Game Over (Oakwood Ranch #2)

Author: Bella North

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Expected Publication Date: September 8, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

My bad in not realizing this is part of a series. Though it can be read as a stand alone, I always think even books with interconnected characters need to be read in order. This way nothing is spoiled. Unfortunately, I didn't do that. 

I loved the tropes in this one. Pro athlete turned cowboy, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, and grief. Each was addressed well by the author.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Dylan and Izzy. I could definitely feel it on the page. They fit very well together. There was some miscommunication trope worked in to their romance. This drove me a bit nuts, to be honest. 

The story has tons of emotion and heart felt grief associated it. Plus family dynamics that might drive you a bit crazy and make you understand the main characters so much better.

Overall this was a fun read. I hope to get to the first book some time in the future.

Author:

Bella North writes spicy sports romances with equal parts heart-racing chemistry and heartfelt emotion. Her debut series, Oakwood Ranch , introduces readers to the sizzling lives of three gorgeous brothers who play for the NFL, blending the thrill of the game with the heat of romance. When she’s not writing, Bella enjoys walking her dog or hitting the gym and dreaming up new swoon-worthy stories.
Bella also writes twisty psychological thrillers as Lauren North.
You can find Bella on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky.

ARC Review: All To Play For (Frontrunners #3) by Josie Juniper

 

Sage Sikora, the new driver for the Emerald F1 team, is bold and daring, on and off the track. This season, as the only female driver on the grid she has a single-minded to be the first woman to win a Grand Prix. But there's one thorn in her side, the unfairly gorgeous and spoiled journalist and popular blogger Alexander Laskaris-who seems to have it out for Sage.

When one of his blog posts goes too far, Alexander finds himself working for Emerald as penance and his new boss is none other than Sage herself. Despite their battle of wills, the pair end up as allies when trouble arrives and Alexander begins to fall for F1's Queen of Chaos. Sage soon realises there's more to spoiled playboy Alexander than meets the eye. But with the critical eyes of the racing world upon them, she has too much to prove and even more to lose. Can her feelings take a backseat or will Emerald's first female driver fail to reach the podium?

Title: All To Play For (Frontrunners #3)

Author: Josie Juniper

Publisher: Forever

Expected Publication Date: Apri 7, 2026

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have to admit, I started this series and was disappointed with the first book. But I loved the second book. So I really needed to see where Juniper would take this third story (especially given it is about a female F1 driver). And I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved how the story of Sage and Alex played out.

What I love about interrelated romance is that we meet the characters in other books. So when we come to their story, we are already rooting for them. And we're definitely interested in how the author will develop them and their story line. To say I was enamored with these two is an understatement. The prickly Sage with the golden retriever Alex was so much fun to watch.

Sage is the grumpy in this grumpy/sunshine relationship, for sure. She keeps her distance from so many: friends, family, teammates. She doesn't allow herself to get attached. She doesn't feel she has it in her to do so. She's full of baggage from her family, from her job, from who she is in general. But Alex breaks down her walls. He takes what she can give him and never asks her for more. He remains stoic and true to who he is. At the same time, his emotion and draw to Sage spills off the page. I actually preferred his character to Sage's, even if I did understand why she was the way she was.

I will admit there was not as much F1 in this story as I was expecting. I kind of wanted to see more of Sage driving and how her being a woman affected this. It is alluded to a bit but the author never really dives into that part. Given the overwhelming male presence in F1, I feel like it would have been important to really explore this aspect. We do get some of it from Sage's POV, but not as much as I would have liked. I did notice the author has some good background in F1 with her the verbage she used and how she did integrate the races. I just feel like this should have been much more at the forefront of the story given the FMC's position on the team.

The book does touch on addiction. Juniper does a decent job with this. Having grown up in this environment, I am often weary when authors introduce. I can see there is some research that has been done, though not as much as I would have liked.

If you're not a fan of third act break ups, skip this. There is some miscommunication, though it's forced from the MMC, to be honest. These two tropes are not my favorite but Juniper does them well enough to not bother me enough not to enjoy the rest of the plot.

If you're looking for an F1 romance that is light on the F1, this one is a good start. I would read the previous books so you understand some of the relationships that are presented. Overall, this one was fun. I loved Alex and just felt meh about Sage. The side characters were fun but not all that deep. Not my favorite romance book but it kept me interested enough to keep turning pages to see how it ended.

Author:

Josie Juniper writes high-steam romance featuring hot, angsty men who are dirty talkers with hearts of gold, and smart, snarky women with hilarious foul mouths. She works in mathematics and has been a staff writer and/or editor for four publications, winning awards for her sharp, funny, iconoclastic writing. She lives in Portland, OR and loves rain, swearing, lost causes, tattoos, F1 racing, and prime numbers.

ARC Review: Hollywood Hookup by Christy Swift

 

A scandalized former movie star is thrust back into the celebrity life where she finds herself competing for a date with her longtime crush in this funny and heartwarming rom-com about second chances and rediscovering your true self.
Once a teenage TV star, she’s reinvented her life. Now her very public celebrity crush has put her back in the spotlight.
Josie Days has worked hard to forget who she used to be. Once upon a time, she was Mexico’s favorite bilingual teen star—until one disastrous decision ruined her budding career. These days, Josie’s happy to keep things very off-camera as a makeup artist. That is until her best friend ropes her into a charity game show where the prize is a date with her forever celebrity impossibly charming Irish “It” boy Sean O’Sullivan.

Josie has no interest in winning. In fact, she’s trying to lose—and fast. But Sean is interested in more than a game. The problem? Josie isn’t who he thinks she is. And when the cameras start rolling and her past is exposed, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready for the spotlight again—or if her second act never should have started.

Title: Hollywood Hookup

Author: Christy Swift

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)/Hachette Audio

Expected Publication Date: February 10, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Hacette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Since I was fortunate enough to have both the Kindle version and audio version of this title, I will be reviewing both at the same time.

While I love audio books that have many narrators when the title is an actual production (like a dramatization), I find it hard to follow a book with multiple narrators when it is not. This book has 6 narrators and for the life of me I could not tell you which person did which character. Six narrators is a lot in a romance book and it honestly made it hard to follow along. The narrators on their own were well done enough, though, again, hard to say who was who and who did the best job. I wasn't a fan of the narrator for the MMC, Sean. His Irish accent was subtle, yes, but often times not even there so I wasn't sure if he just wasn't trying or if that was actually supposed to be how the character's voice came across. Overall, I found the multiple narrator idea overwhelming and it took away from any enjoyment I may have gotten out of the audio.

While it doesn't seem this book is billed as a series, there are many characters who appear from the first book, Celebrity Crush. As a person who likes to read books in order, you will absolutely be spoiled for the couple from that book if you read this one first so I do suggest reading them in order.

While I didn't love Swift's writing in the first book, I wanted to give her another try in the hopes her craft may have grown and blossomed. But that was not to be the case for me. As with her first book, the characters came across as stilted to me. They don't grow, change, and develop as I would hope in a romance story such as this. The FMC, Josie/Savannah, comes across as whiny and scared of her shadow. Plus she's just so self-centered, never worrying  about anyone but herself. She's so worried about being outed for who she truly is, her character never has a chance to evolve. And for the age of the character, she is very immature. The MMC, Sean, comes across as a bit snobbish and quite full of himself. I just found it totally unattractive and didn't see what the FMC saw in him at all. And he was just all around weird with his obsession with props from movies and plays. It didn't lend anything at all to the story or his relationship with the FMC.

If we're going to discuss romance and chemistry, this couple is not the standard by which I would judge a rom-com. I didn't find either endearing. I didn't feel any chemistry between them, even when it may have had a chance to grow. It's unclear what either even sees in each other. They suddenly like each other with no background whatsoever. I didn't believe in their connection at all.

There are a ton of side characters in this story. I did understand the author bringing in characters from the previous story and it was fun to see some of them again. But overall the side characters just didn't add anything to the story or move it along. Plus there is a ton of name dropping in this book that just made no sense.

One of the things I remember from the first book in this series was how much telling the author did. I was hopeful that would not be the case with this title, but, alas, it was not to be. And the plot, it just didn't make enough sense for the story to move forward and let me believe in the characters. The banter felt forced throughout the book. I didn't find myself laughing or even giggling. For a book billed as a rom-com, it totally missed that mark.

I really had to push myself to finish this book. I just did not find it interesting and found myself speeding up the audio or skimming the eARC just to get through it all. I was never fully immersed or invested in the story of the characters.

Unfortunately, I won't be continuing with future stories from this author as I just don't feel her style is for me.

Author:

I write geeky love stories, sometimes as smexy romcoms under the name Christy Swift and sometimes as sci-fi or sci-fantasy with a little heat in the engine coil under C.P. Swift. I daylight as a freelance writer and social media content provider for medical and technology clients across the country. I’m also editor of the award-winning Heartland LIVING magazine. I’m represented by Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. In my free time, you can find me living my best life in the Florida outdoors or playing the nerdiest board game you’ve ever heard of with my kids and friends.

The best way to keep up with what I’m doing is to subscribe to my newsletter. I post about once a month, and I’ll never spam you or share your information.

 

ARC Review: Still Into You by Erin Connor

 

When elusive metal frontman Dax Nakamura agrees to give his first interview in years, he has one his ex, Sloane Donavan, has to write it.

Bad-boy-turned-straight-edge frontman, Dax Nakamura, would prefer the skeletons in his closet to stay there, thank you very much. But not giving interviews didn’t stop the press from writing about one of metal’s biggest bands—or its lead vocalist. With their new album about to drop, Dax is finally ready to address the rumors that have plagued Final Revelations for the past eight years. And the only person he trusts to write it is the same person who broke his heart three summers ago.

Sloane Donavan knew she wanted to write about music since the first time she posted a MySpace blog for her neighbor’s garage band. A journalism degree, a failed internship, and countless backstage passes later, Sloane still hasn’t secured the dream job she left her dream man behind for. So when Dax shows back up with a career-making opportunity—exclusive insight into him, his band, and the chance to craft the narrative of one of the scene’s most revered bands—Sloane agrees, with one No one can know they’re exes. As they dive into Dax’s past, Sloane quickly realizes their history isn’t the only thing he’s hiding, and Sloane has a choice to make. The article Dax wants and the salacious tell-all Sloane’s editor expects are two completely different stories. This is the big break she’s been waiting for, but it comes with a the chance to rewrite the ending with her first and only love.

Title: Still Into You

Author: Erin Connor

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)/ Hachette Audio

Expected Publication Date: February 10, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Since I was fortunate enough to have both the Kindle version and audio version of this title, I will be reviewing both at the same time. I'm not normally a big lover of multiple narrators in a story such as this if it is not dramatized. But the way the work is presented, the multiple narrators made sense. I really enjoyed all the voices. I love Karissa Vacker and she was perfect for the FMC voice in this story. The other narrators are new to me and since I didn't know which one was which I will just say I really did enjoy them all and would definitely listen to other titles they narrate in the future.

I am a huge fan of second chance love stories and I really enjoyed this one. The FMC and MMC were together three years ago until the FMC called it quits after their short Summer together. Plus, if you are a fan of Daisy Jones and The Six, I think you will really like this story and how it unfolds. It's not quite the same but the elements are definitely there if you're looking for a rock star story.

The story is told mostly in the present but there are definitely flash backs to the past which sets up the romantic element of the book. I kind of wish there had been just a bit more of that, to be honest. I wanted that deep, rich background and connection between the characters. And, while we do get it in the present, I just think more of their relationship from the past would have helped make sense of their connection in the present. I felt like there was more under the surface that we didn't get to see. On the other side of that is the instant connection once the characters are in each other's orbit again. While time has passed, you can see their bond is still there.

Connor did a great job with the growth and development of the characters. I loved watching them reconnect and see that even after all their time apart, they still had that spark. I loved how much Sloan came into herself and realized what a great journalist she actually is. How she recognized the way she was used in the past and how that pushes her to make her own way in the future. And Dax was super charismatic and had so much depth. Having grown up in the realm of AA and NA, I totally connected with that part of the story. I would have loved to see a little more of his struggle and how that changed him.

The interviews were absolutely amazing in helping to tell the band's story. Rather than having flash back chapters, Connor chose to tell that history through the article Sloan chooses to write about the band.  Lots of nostalgia is seen through the side characters and how they viewed not only themselves, but the band as a whole and more specifically Dax. There are some pretty heavy themes that area addressed and worked through. Connor does well in addressing them and truly letting her characters feel how these themes shape them.

I absolutely loved Connor's writing and pacing. I will be making sure I look into any future books she might put out because I can see she could quickly become a favorite of mine.

4.25 /5 stars

Author:

Erin has been telling herself stories for as long as she can remember, and once she realized she could write them down and share them with others, there was no going back. She loves writing about messy women, platonic and romantic love, and happily ever afters.

Erin lives in the PNW with her spouse, two large dogs, two lazy cats, and more houseplants than she can count. When not exploring fictional worlds, she enjoys hiking, cooking, emo nostalgia, and slowly but surely actualizing her lifelong goal of becoming a forest witch.

ARC Review: Next Level Love by Shameez Patel

 

When your favorite player turns out to be your very real boss, the rules are a lot more complicated.

Elizabeth Gordon-Bettencourt is rebuilding her life on her own terms, starting with a new internship, a shot at her dream job as a civil engineer, and a whole lot of distance from her family’s drama. With her life full of change, the one constant is @theanswerisno, a charming gamer who seems to just . . . get her. Even if he has no interest in meeting her in real life.

Elizabeth would feel a lot more confident about her job if her new boss wasn’t so hard to read. Lincoln Carden is quiet, demanding, and adamant about avoiding small talk—especially in the office. What she doesn’t know is that online, he’s someone else entirely: quick, confident, and a little bit flirty. And his favorite player to team up with is @pancakesareelite, the one person who never makes him feel like he has to try so hard. As their two worlds start to collide, Elizabeth and Lincoln start to wonder: with their careers on the line and their online friendship at risk, is a romance IRL worth it? 

Title: Next Level Love

Author: Shameez Patel

Publisher: Forever

Expected Publication Date: January 20, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

How cute is a romance about two online friends who flirt and interact and end up actually knowing each other in real life but not knowing it? I love the mystery there and how much fun things could be for these two. And, while this book had such a great concept it was just ok for me.

So much potential kind of wasted here. The characters were interesting enough. I liked the ADHD representation for the male main character, Lincoln. I could feel his anxiety and how hard it was for him to be social. He had a fair amount of depth, which I appreciated. But I also felt like I really didn't know him well. For the female main character, Elizabeth, I couldn't really find it in myself to care much about her. She's barely developed despite her having a background that could have truly leant to her growth and development. She has some trauma in her past and we're made aware of it, but the interactions she has as a result of it just don't jive for me. I needed her to have more anxiety, more fear. And it just wasn't there. Plus she lets people just step all over her and never tries to defend herself or stand up for herself in any way.

The side characters were fun. I did love how much Lincoln's friends supported him and tried to honor his ADHD and what it meant for their interactions with him.

The pacing is slow in this book and ended up taking away from the plot for me. I originally loved the text message exchanges between the characters. I really thought they would give lots of great insight into the characters and their relationship. But in the long run they really didn't lend much to the story. I needed the texts to really show their friendship and what kind of role it played in them forming the bond they had. But it just gave snippets here and there of their snarky, silly conversations. I also usually love women in STEM but this book just made her seem wishy washy as she was surrounded by men who thought it was ok to treat her as if she were below them and not as smart as them. Is this a theme I see in STEM, yes, because it's often a bone of contention. But the way it was done here didn't lend much to the story line and there was no true resolution of it. The author paints the FMC as less than throughout the book and I just don't understand why you would present a character in this way.

Overall, it was cute but just did not hit the mark for me. I ended up giving it 2.5 stars but have rounded to three for the purposes of this review.

Author:

Shameez Patel was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. She lives there with her husband, child, and three cats. During the day, she juggles her time between her daughter and working in STEM, but at night, she escapes to new worlds that often include magic and monsters and always have someone to fall in love with. Shameez fell in love with fiction, especially fantasy fiction, at a young age. Her parents fondly recall receiving her first handwritten story before the age of ten, titled The Treasures of Zombie Island, which surprisingly featured no zombies at all. She has been writing ever since.

ARC Review: Is This Real or Just Pretend by Emily Sullivan

 

They thought they could fool everyone with a fake courtship, but they may be fooling only themselves...

Alexandra Atkinson prides herself on being in control. It’s why she’s such an asset to her father’s investment firm—along with her utter lack of a social life and her talent for spotting successful ventures for investors. But with her father nearing retirement and the board unwilling to have a female head, Alex could lose everything . . .

After his business partner burned him, Lucien Taylor is determined to start over. But he doesn’t know how until his childhood friend’s sister, Alexandra Atkinson, comes to him with a most unusual proposal: She’ll help Lucien find the funding he needs if he pretends to court her long enough to secure her claim to her father’s company.

But Alex and Lucien soon realize they didn’t quite account for all the details in their arrangement—like how they can undo each other with just a look. And the more time they spend together, the more the intensity shimmering between them can’t be controlled. Not even by Alex. And if they give in? Well, she’s not sure which of them will be in more trouble . . . but she’s willing to find out.

Title: Is This Real or Just Pretend

Author: Emily Sullivan

Publisher: Forever Grand Central Publishing

Expected Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. There's just something about period romance that gets me going. I love the Bridgerton world and Sullivan's books really hit that spot for me.

This book was Alexandra Atkison's turn to find some love. I wasn't sure I'd like her having met her in the first book and finding her to be very standoffish. But Sullivan did a great job of showing her inner thinking in this book. She actually may be my favorite Atkinson sister. Alex has so much more underneath that frosty exterior but she hasn't really ever shown it. She believes she's been good for just one thing: helping her father run his business. She doesn't think she's built for love or for someone to find her lovable. But she's a powerhouse of thinking and business acumen. It makes her a worthy opponent to the field of men among whom she works. Then Lucien Taylor comes back to town and her world is turned upside down. She knows he's always loved her sister, but she needs a partner to show she's stable. Proposing a fake courtship seems like the right thing to do. She doesn't expect to catch feelings for him. Nor does she expect him to return those feelings. 

Lucien has come back to town to visit his sick father. He's tucked his tail between his legs for a business that didn't work out because his business partner wasn't who Lucien thought he was and left him high and dry. He doesn't expect to see his childhood crush or to have dealings with her sister. But Alex makes him an offer he can't refuse: fake courtship and she'll pay him for it so he can get his business back off the town. He doesn't expect to enjoy his time with her or to realize he's falling for her when he's always loved her sister. I really loved Lucien so much. He's a bit naive on some things but worldly with others. He really understands Alex, too, when no one else ever seems to.

Sullivan infuses romance and spice with some great plot points. I love the intrigue she's brought into this series with just the bit of mystery from some not so nice villains. It created some good tension and great expectations for what lies ahead. I expect to see more of this with Freddie's book. And I loved how she introduced pieces from the next story but doesn't give too much away just to keep me on my toes and want to have it in my hands. Sullivan also has on point pacing. I tore through the book, never really wanting to put it down.

Sullivan gives the reader a great story line with intense chemistry between her characters. While it's not necessary to read the first book to understand this one, I loved that I knew the background Sullivan continued to give us. There's banter and romance and just the right amount of spice. I'm really looking forward to more stories in this world and other stories from Sullivan in the future.

Author:

Emily Sullivan is an award-winning author of historical romance and mysteries set in the late Victorian period. Her books have received multiple starred reviews from trade journals including Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and have been praised in publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, Parade, Self, and Bookpage.

She lives in New England with her family, where she enjoys reading about history and writing about rebellious women.

ARC Review: As a Last Resort by Kristin Wollett

 

Opposites attract when a real estate developer's quest for a promotion returns her to the coastal hometown she loathes—where she's reunited with her teenage crush turned town golden boy. ​

There’s no place like home…and that’s exactly how real estate developer Samantha Leigh plans to keep it. When she ditched Rock Island, Florida for New York City, Sam left everything behind—her alcoholic mother, the high school bullies, her ex-best friend, and her first crush, Austin Marcs. She’s never looked back—until her boss ambushes her with an extended assignment on Rock Island, where promotion will be on the line. Sam has no choice but to book a flight home . . .

. . . to where nothing has changed. Her mom still drinks, the mean girls became mean-girl mommies, and Austin? The town’s golden boy is now its favorite ferryboat captain—still smoking hot, inexplicably devoted to the island, and Sam’s total opposite in every way. He insists Rock Island is perfect as is, without her big corporate ideas, and he’s determined to prove it. Before long, Austin’s personal tours of sandy beaches and swoony sunsets almost make Sam forget her hometown hate. But is falling for the guy—and the town—she left behind worth the risk?

Title: As A Last Resort

Author: Kristin Wollett

Publisher: Forever

Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Hacette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley for supplying me with an audio copy of this book to listen to and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I'm all about trying new narrators with audio books. You never know what you'll like. And I love dual narration of a book. While many narrators can do male/female voices well enough, I always find it better in a romance when I have two different voices. It was interesting the author of the book chose to be the narrator for the FMC. I enjoyed her voice as Sam. I think she did a great job capturing the character and her development throughout the book. Patrick Zeller is a narrator I'm not sure I've heard before. I enjoyed his deep tone. Though I will say there were times when he spoke it was so soft and deep I had to rewind several times to hear what he was saying. That got to be a bit annoying and I felt like he could have annunciated some areas of the book better. 

I enjoyed the story of Sam and Austin's chemistry. The book is billed as an opposites attract but I didn't really feel that. The only thing that might strike as that is him wanting to stay in their town where they grew up and her wanting to get away as fast as she could. So you did get the small home town versus city vibe from that. The two characters have history and it's obvious there was attraction many years ago. It's definitely a slow burn throughout the story with memories visited and time well spent getting to know each other once again.

The side characters, especially Lexi, were great. They really added extra layers to the story.

The plot definitely reminded me of a Hallmark movie, which I always love to watch. It gave me warm and fuzzy feels to see Sam come back to her hometown and realize there's more to small town living than she saw when she left. There's so much emotion the characters dig down into. The pacing is done well and it kept me wanting to listen whenever I could. And there is a good mix of banter along with some great heart felt moments.

Overall, I enjoyed this solid debut title and it's narration but I do believe I would have liked this one better had I read it in print.

If you're looking for a sweet, girl comes home again, best friend's brother romcom, pick this one up and give it a try. I will definitely be watching out for Wollett's stories in the future.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Author:

My name is Kristin Wollett.

I've been in the story telling business since I was a kid. I've always loved creating characters and building worlds inside my head, so no surprise, I ended up being an actor. 

 

Perhaps it was inevitable that when the world shut down for a hot minute in 2020, and the lack of in-person acting jobs instantly evaporated, my creative outlet needed reforming. I picked back up my love of writing and here we are. I wrote my first YA fantasy that's still in a box under my bed. That book taught me how to write a book. And, more importantly, taught me I could finish a book.  

​

My second book, As A Last Resort, will be published September 2nd of this year with Forever.  And I'm currently working on my next romance that will literally tear your heart out and stitch it back up in a way you didn't see coming. 🖤

ARC Review: Red Card (Prescott University #1) by Maren Moore

She’s All That meets She’s the Man in this New Adult sports romance about a British bad boy rugby player who’s forced to start over in America and finds an unlikely ally in the coach’s daughter when she offers him a deal he can’t resist.

Leaving it all on the field is one thing. Giving his all to love? Terrifying.

British bad boy Cillian “Kill” Cairney is ruthless on the rugby pitch. After getting a permanent red card from his team in London, the only team that will have him is an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. But the guys hate him, his coach doesn’t trust him, and worst of all? His starting position is in the hands of his coach’s fiery, rugby-obsessed, very off-limits daughter. Not only does he have to earn his coach’s respect, but Kill has to earn Rory’s—and nothing has ever seemed more difficult. That is, until she approaches him with a proposition that could benefit them both . . . 

         Rory St. James has spent all her life immersed in rugby. Which is . . . part of the problem. She’s tired of being friend-zoned. She wants to get the guy, and to do that, she needs the frustratingly charming Cillian to teach her. But the more time they spend together, the more lines begin to blur. In a game where trust and loyalty are tested, who will be the winner? Or will love be the final red card?

Title: Red Card (Prescott University #1)

Author: Maren Moore

Publisher: Forever

Expected Publication Date: August 12, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio review copy and kindle copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I love a good sports romance. I haven't read anything with rugby in it before so I was excited to be introduced to a new sport and watch the romance bloom. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

Rory St. James's father is the coach of the Prescott University rugby team. She's close with all the players as she's been helping the team since she started at Prescott. She is accepted as one of the boys but wants to be able to be more than that. Cillian Carnie is the British bad boy who has joined the team mid-season after his bad boy image forced him to move across the pond in order to continue with his rugby career. The team has no intention of bringing him into the fold. But in order for the team to succeed, Cillian must make his teammates accept him and what better way to do that than to take pointers from Rory who is close with all the team members. In order to have this happen, Cillian and Rory come to an agreement to help each other.

I started this book off on audio. I love Stella Hunter (she narrates all of Amy Award's books in the Cocky Kingsmans series) and Matt Sykes is a new narrator for me. I enjoyed Stella's narration for the most part. Matt's not so much. I think the British accents don't do it for me. So, while others may love them, I just think it was not for me. I know it was necessary, since the character is British, but it was hard for me to listen to it.

The romance in this book seemed very forces. Like, you knew the two would be attracted to each other and something would happen but it just didn't seem like the attraction I was being told about was truly there. There was zero depth to their relationship. 

On top of the lack of chemistry, there was a lack of plot. Even by 68% in I was forcing myself to read because I thought something had to happen to make the book worth it.  The whole point of the book is for Cillian to be accepted by the team and help them win. But we barely see him with the team on the pitch. What is the point of a sports romance if you don't include the sport? Nothing happened outside of the relationship between Rory and Cillian. He didn't bond with his teammates or build any type of report with them. 

On top of me feeling just stuck in the book with nothing to move me forward, the editing was pretty poor. Yes, I know it's an early copy of a book but it was more than that. Often times the characters were using the same word over and over again in subsequent sentences. It was really bothering me that an editor couldn't see that and possible replace the words with a synonym or in some cases even leave the word out because it was not needed.

 After reading this book, I don't have any better grip on the sport of rugby or how it works. And I don't feel like Cillian and Rory really were a couple. I'm sure others will enjoy this book but it just did not live up to what the blurb gave me to go on.

Author:

My love for reading started in first grade when I picked up a Junie B. Jones book and has never stopped. 
Somewhere along the way I fell in love with the art of crafting the story behind the words. I fell in love with all of the little pieces that weave together and make something beautiful.
 
I spent the majority of my childhood hidden away with books that were far beyond my reading level, escaping into fictional worlds that gave me inspiration, and imagination.