From the very beginning, I found myself completely invested in these characters. Their chemistry felt so natural, and I loved watching both of them grow individually and together throughout the story.

One of my favorite characters was Stella She brought so much humor and warmth to the book, and every scene she was in had me smiling. She was the kind of grandmother everyone wishes they had.

This was such a sweet, feel-good read filled with heart, growth, and a romance that was easy to root for. By the final page, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters

Tropes
Single Parent
Marriage of Convenience
Sports Romance
He Takes Care of Her
“My Husband”
Love After Loss

: Kisses Only
: None

BLURB: It’s strictly business—no feelings allowed.

Nola 
I’ve mastered the art of playing it safe. As a single mom to my spirited ten-year-old daughter, I can’t afford risks—especially after being blacklisted from my corner of the art world and relegated to painting landscapes. Then, at my sister’s bachelorette party, I’m dared to make a bold move that throws my carefully controlled life a curveball. I kiss a stranger. It seems innocent enough until I run into him again at my daughter’s school and he proposes we get married.

Maxford 
Baseball was my life until a scandal cost me my Major League contract. Now I’m starting over as a P.E. teacher in a new town, taking care of my eccentric grandma, and trying to rebuild my reputation one day at a time. When the same woman who kissed me at a bar shows up in my life again, I create an unexpected solution to our career problems—and a crazy proposal that could benefit us both.

A marriage of convenience promises to solve everything. I need respectability and credibility to be picked up by a team again, and she needs gallery connections to reclaim her place in the art world. But stolen glances turn into genuine laughter, and pretend touches spark very real desire. When we’re both offered everything we thought we wanted, we face the ultimate choice: our dreams, or each other?

Click the photo above to read this fun story!

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The enemies to lovers dynamic was so well done because they spent so much time walking that fine line between frustration and affection. One minute I was swooning at their interactions, and the next I was completely rooting for them to make up

And can we talk about Mags? She completely stole my heart.

The only part that wasn’t quite my favorite was the miscommunication trope. While I understood why the characters reacted the way they did, I found myself wishing for more communication along the way

That being said, Tenny absolutely won me over. He was so thoughtful, caring, and easy to root for, and I loved watching the relationship develop as the story unfolded.

Most of all, I appreciated the way these characters did eventually work through their challenges and found their way back to each other. And that epilogue? Absolutely perfect.

Workplace Romance 
Golden Retriever MMC 
Sports Romance 
Reporter FMC
He Falls First 
Millionaire MMC
Meet Kiss
Splash of Fake Dating 
Enemies to Lovers

: Descriptive Kisses 
: None 

BLURB: Their banter is relentless. Their chemistry? Even better off-screen. 

Behind our dazzling interview smiles, Tenny Jackson and I bicker nonstop—especially when our long-ago meet-cute kiss revealed he’s as much of a player off the field as he is at first base.

Tenny insists I’ve got him all wrong, but I won’t let sculpted forearms and a swoon-worthy smile distract me from the facts…or my professional goals. Even if he weren’t my enemy, dating a player would sink my credibility faster than the wave that wiped out my surfing career. 

Then my eccentric grandmother shows up, and Tenny and I have to fake it off-camera too. Private dinners, family movie nights, and his hands-on fixer energy push me toward the unthinkable—calling a truce.

Between squashing Tenny’s pre-game superstitions and him encouraging me to get back on a surfboard, it’s getting hard to deny we’re rounding first on something real. But when a disastrous game-day fiasco turns us into a headline, it’s not only my job on the line—it’s my heart.

Click the photo above to read this amazing story!

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I went into this book completely blind, and I’m so glad I did. From the very beginning, this story had me emotionally invested, and I found myself reaching for tissues throughout the entire book 

The journey Zev and Rosalie go on was beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately so rewarding. Their story carried so much emotion, and I couldn’t help but root for them every step of the way.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the community surrounding them. The love and support from their friends added so much warmth to the story and made several moments even more emotional

And chapter 15? If you’ve read this book, you know exactly what I’m talking about

This was the kind of story that lingers long after the final page. Five stars honestly didn’t feel like enough for this one. It was a beautiful, unforgettable read that will stay with me for a very long time

Tropes
Second Chance Romance
He Takes Care of Her
He Yearns for Her
Book Lovers
Anxiety Rep
Sports Romance 

: Kisses Only
: 3 uses of p*ssed

BLURB: She needs time. He needs a miracle.

Rosalie doesn’t remember getting a teaching degree, her best friend’s wedding, or meeting Zev. In her mind, he simply doesn’t exist. Instead, she’s stuck with panic attacks, people who swear they know her, and the unsettling realization that six years of her life have apparently gone missing.

Moving to a new city, she’s determined to keep her head down, survive the anxiety, and maybe win her memories back from the universe.

Instead, she finds herself hiding out in books in her favorite café looking for solitude. Tall, redheaded, and buried in a novel, is almost always sitting across from her. He’s got broad shoulders, a handsome face, and absolutely no interest in bothering her. Perfect.

And yet… he feels oddly familiar, like a page torn from a fantasy she doesn’t remember reading.

Zevulun, however, has no trouble remembering.

He shows up at the Sugar Pine Café every Monday for one reason. Her. Rosalie is the love of his life. The woman he was building a future with. And now she doesn’t recognize him.

But Zev knows her inside and out. He knows her favorite foods, her favorite books, and that one very ticklish spot at her hip. He’s going to use all that knowledge to remind her of what they had, to give them their second chance, and to get his girl back.

It may be a long, painful wait, a treacherous journey, but Rosalie is worth every step.

You Again is a closed door romantic comedy full of longing that will warm your heart and make you yearn for more!

Click the photo above if you want to read this amazing story!

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I loved watching the relationship develop from tension and friendship into something deeper. The chemistry between the characters felt natural, and their story kept me invested from beginning to end.

One of my favorite parts was the humanitarian aid trip to Uganda. It added so much heart to the story and gave the characters opportunities to grow in meaningful ways

And can we talk about Archie? As someone with arachnophobia myself, I couldn’t help but smile whenever it came up. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character who shared that fear, and it made him feel even more relatable.

Overall, this was a sweet, heartwarming read with lovable characters and a romance that was easy to root for.

Neighbors
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Trauma Surgeon FMC
Sports Romance
Dual POV

: 1 use of h*ll
: Kisses Only

BLURB: He’s her arrogant neighbour, her sworn enemy… and the one man she can’t get away from.

Archie Wilcott is my egotistical, insufferable neighbor—and I hate him.
He has zero concept of hygiene, thinks he’s royalty just because he can kick a football, and has far too many abs for one human being.
What? It’s not like I can avoid them—he practically lives half-naked in our residence’s gym and pool.
See why I’ll never give up my building?
Luckily, I’m escaping for a while. The hospital finally granted me enough days off for a humanitarian mission in Africa. Helping people is my jam, and it’s exactly what I need after yet another breakup I should have seen coming.
Bonus: it’s 6,400 kilometers from London—and from my infuriating neighbor.
Or so I thought.
Because the moment I set foot in the camp I’ll be calling home for the next few weeks, I’m greeted by a football—straight from the feet of my enemy.
What is Mr. Selfish doing in a rusty Ugandan camp?
And more importantly, why can’t I seem to escape him… no matter how far I run?

Glove to Hate You is a sports romcom with spark—perfect for readers who love banter, sparks, and a hero who falls hard.
It’s part of the London Regents FC series, where tension is high on and off the pitch—and love is always part of the game. All the books are interconnected standalones and can be read in any order.

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I found myself feeling for both characters throughout the story. Libby had been through so much, and while her hesitation was understandable, there were moments when my heart especially went out to Jordan as he tried to navigate the mixed signals and uncertainty.

One aspect I really enjoyed was the suspense element. The mystery added an extra layer to the story and kept me interested in seeing how everything would unfold

Overall, this one had some enjoyable moments, but I personally would have loved a little more emotional depth and relationship development between the main characters.

Marriage of Convenience
Billionaire FMC
Only One Bed
Suspense Elements
Slow Burn 
Golden Retriever MMC

: 1 Fade to Black scene that is very non-descriptive, Kisses Only 
: None

BLURB: This marriage is strictly a business deal. Zero romance and zero chance I’ll let a charming guy ruin everything again.

Ten years ago I blew up my life on national television. Now I’m taking control of the narrative—buying a hockey team and trading on the sport’s popularity to guarantee that everyone is paying attention when I step back into the spotlight on my terms.

There’s just one problem. The league board won’t approve the deal unless I look … stable.

So I propose to my new consultant, former pro hockey player, Jordan Atkinson.

That’s right. Propose marriage … nothing says stable like an impromptu engagement.

Now we’re telling the world we’ve been secretly in love for six months—convincing my family, surviving the cameras, and pretending this is all very real.

Because it’s not supposed to be.

Except Jordan is exactly the kind of man I swore I’d never trust again: charming, confident, and way too good at getting past my defenses. So I set rules. Firm boundaries.

But he keeps proving me wrong. Respecting my limits, showing up when it matters, and making me question everything I thought I knew about men like him.

And that’s the most dangerous story of all.

Libby Bennet Fakes a Husband is a closed-door, marriage of convenience hockey romance with a one bed situation, forced proximity, and a heroine who refuses to be charmed by the hot hockey player.

Click the photo above to read this story!

The post Libby Bennet Fakes A Husband by Ranee S. Clark appeared first on Lilys Reading Corner.

Sports Romance
Summer Romcom
Bookish FMC
He Takes Care of Her
Only One Bed
Best Friend’s Brother
Forbidden Romance
Small Town
Slow Burn

: Innuendo, Very Descriptive Kisses
: 1 use of h*ll

OVERVIEW: Falling in love is easy. Finding the right guy to spend happily ever after with… that’s the hard part. 
But I have a foolproof plan. I’m taking the tropes that work in romance books and applying them to my love life.
Only one bed? Never fails.
Caring for someone when they’re sick? A classic.
“Who did this to you?” Seals the deal every single time.
So long, loneliness. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
But the more I try to force romance, the more feelings naturally progress with the one man who’s off limits: Walker Collins, the guy I’ve had a secret crush on since 7th grade, not to mention my best friend’s older brother.
Dating Walker crosses BFF lines I swore I’d never cross. Plus, he hates Sunset Harbor, and his pro golf career will take him off the island as fast as he came, sending me back to the land of singlehood, loneliness, and broken hearts.
At the end of the day, I don’t want to be the fool in my foolproof plan.

◆ Summer Ever After brings all the sizzle and chemistry without the explicit scenes and language. It’s the perfect romcom to make you laugh and fall in love.
◆ Check out the rest of the books in the Falling for Summer Series. Seven interconnected books from seven different romcom authors. One small island. Lots of romance.

Books can be read in any order:
Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel
Beachy Keen by Kasey Stockton
Plotting Summer by Jess Heileman
Summer Tease by Martha Keyes
Beauty and the Beach by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
One Happy Summer by Becky Monson
Rebel Summer by Cindy Steel

Click the photo above to read!

The post Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel appeared first on Lilys Reading Corner.

: Kisses Only 
: None 

Content Warning: past bullying, loss of father, parent abandonment

OVERVIEW: How do you make room for something real when you’ve only ever kept things casual?

Luke Ryder has built his entire image around being the easygoing fan favorite of the Minnesota Wolves. But behind that charming smile is a man who’s spent his life feeling like an outsider, mastering the art of keeping his real self hidden. That is, until Quinn Fallon reappears in his life with the power to see through it all.

Quinn isn’t looking for love—or anything remotely close to it. She’s spent years jumping from job to job and guy to guy, always chasing the next thing, never sure of where she truly belongs. But her latest gig as a production assistant on the Wolves’ documentary might finally change that. If only it didn’t involve being around Ryder—the hockey star she once nearly kissed, who still gets under her skin in all the wrong (and right) ways.

As old sparks reignite and time together blurs into something more, Ryder and Quinn find themselves caught between what feels safe and what feels real. But he’s terrified of being truly known. And she’s afraid of staying long enough to get hurt.

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MY REVIEW: This was such a cute hockey romance. There are themes of grief over the death of a loved one(past tense) and dealing with emotional baggage but I feel like the author handled it very well! Cameron fell fast and hard for Nila, it was so cute and I loved the little side story of Brittney and Garrett, they were adorable

Sports Romance
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Only One Bed
Workplace Romance
Slow Burn

: Mild Innuendo, Descriptive Kisses
: 1 use of pssed, 1 use of hll

BLURB: She’s a fiery social media specialist. I’m a hockey star with a hothead reputation. But her determination to salvage my career is melting my defenses…
Being a professional hockey player means I’m no stranger to fights.
But when a run-in with a fan threatens my spot on the Atlanta Glaciers, everything is on the line
Enter Nila, the social media guru my managers hired to combat this PR crisis.
The fiery bombshell has a clever little plan to “salvage my reputation.”
And now I’m forced to play nice on the platforms I’ve always avoided.
Her sunny disposition clashes with my gruff exterior.
Yet her fierce resolve intrigues me more than I care to admit.
Given my reputation, she keeps me at arm’s length.
But I’m determined to tear down her carefully guarded walls.
With the playoffs looming, winning her heart might be my toughest battle yet.

Penalty of Love is a closed-door hockey romcom. It’s the first book in Kristine W. Joy’s Glaciers Hockey Series.

The post Penalty of Love by Kristine W. Joy appeared first on Lilys Reading Corner.

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MY REVIEW: This was such a cute marriage of convenience romcom! The “my wife” moments were melting me into a puddle The banter between the MCs was so fun! If you are looking for a slow burn, sizzling tension, sports romcom, this is the perfect read for you

Sports Romcom 
Marriage of Convenience 
Only One Bed 
Slow Burn 
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity 

: Kisses Only 
: None

OVERVIEW: What if the one person who could save your future is the one you can’t stand?

Ledger Hayes has spent his life holding his breath—between laps, expectations, and the pressure to win. Swimming is the only place he’s ever felt steady. But when his sponsorship is pulled, so is his access to the elite training facility he needs. Without it, his career doesn’t just stall—it ends.

Roxie Montgomery walked away from her trust fund to build something of her own, determined to prove she doesn’t need anyone. But independence comes at a cost, and without the capital to start her business, there’s only one way to access the money meant for her future.

A loophole and a deadline force Roxie into an impossible choice—marry the elite swimmer she’s spent years clashing with, or walk away from everything she’s worked for. For Ledger, a marriage of convenience is the only way to stay in the water. For Roxie, it’s the only way to build a life that’s hers.

It’s simple. Temporary. No feelings involved.

Until the lines between obligation and something real begin to blur.

Will they walk away when the deal is done—or risk everything for a love they never saw coming?

The post Take My Breath Away by Larissa Hommes appeared first on Lilys Reading Corner.

Click the photo above to read!

MY REVIEW: This was a cute hockey romance. Both characters were fun to read about and they complimented each other so well! I loved seeing the growth in Nick’s character as he settled into a completely new town, team, and home the ending was sweet. All around a fun read but it was a little hard for me to really “get into.” Some of the same things were repeated multiple times which didn’t feel like they needed to be there.

Hockey Romcom
Grumpy/Sunshine
Opposites Attract
Dual POV
Miscommunication
Instant Chemistry

: Kisses Only
: None

OVERVIEW: A grumpy goalie and a sunshine-hearted girl collide, sparking a connection neither of them can ignore.

When Abby Carter’s best friend, Jaclyn, lands her dream job with the Carolina Bears organization, Abby is thrilled for her. The perks are incredible, and when Jaclyn invites Abby to a welcome event, Abby expects good food, easy conversation, and maybe a few autographs. What she didn’t expect is a collision with the team’s newly traded, grumpy goalie, Nick Ellis.
Fresh off a trade he never wanted, Nick is all scowls—the opposite of Abby’s cheerful, go-with-the-flow personality. Yet somehow, they keep running into each other around town, and with every unexpected encounter, the spark between them burns hotter.

Abby knows she should keep her distance. Nick’s walls are firmly in place due to the aftermath of a life he didn’t choose. But the more time they spend together, the more the man beneath the pads and tough exterior begins to shine through.
Abby might be the last person Nick ever expected to skate into his life… but she just might be the one who can melt his icy goalie heart.

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