Fashion influencer Melanie gets thrown for a loop when she is forced to stay at a shabby B&B after unintentionally arriving a week early in Nova Scotia to promote a luxury resort. When the grumpy B&B owner/ lobster fisherman Evan sustains an injury whilst taking Melanie whale watching, Melanie poses as Evan’s fiancé in order to be permitted into the ICU. The next day, Evan’s family, who are feuding over the fate of the B&B, arrive at the hospital excited to meet Melanie, whom they are told is Evan’s fiancé. With the hopes of easing this family conflict, Melanie agrees to pretend to be fake engaged to Evan for the remainder of the week in exchange for help with her social media content.
The Catch is the third installment of Amy Lea’s Influencer series but can be read as a standalone. The Catch is a contemporary smalltown rom com featuring the grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity, and fake engagement tropes. It reminded me of The Proposal movie, and I think it would be perfect for fans of smalltown and/ or fake dating romances like In the Weeds by B.K. Borison, Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey, Hopeless by Elsie Silver, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, or With You Forever by Chloe Liese. Themes and topics present include found family, vulnerability, abandonment, adoption, love and sacrifice, mental health, grief, appearance versus reality, confidence and self love, loneliness and isolation, conflict, vulnerability, and social media. Some potential trigger warnings include death of family members (off page), abandonment, depression, and seizures. I believe that the moral of this story is that home is where the heart is. Out of all three books in Amy Lea’s The Influencer series, I think that The Catch was my favourite; furthermore, I thought that The Catch I had a good mix of humor (including an embarrassing case of poison ivy), heartwarming family moments, and swoon-worthy romance. Even though the romance in The Catch was very much a slow burn (with a few spicy moments), in my opinion the plot was relatively fast paced and engaging. Lastly, being Canadian myself, I appreciated the Nova Scotia setting and the Canadian references (like Timbits) as those aren’t things that I see in romance novels very often. My initial impression of The Catch was that it may be too similar to Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer (one of my all-time favourites) since the covers and descriptions seemed so alike. After reading I found that, even though The Catch and It Happened One Summer had very similar coastal smalltown and grumpy x sunshine vibes, there were noticeable differences in the plots. Overall, I really enjoyed The Catch and would highly recommend it to fans of smalltown romances, grumpy x sunshine couples, and the fake engagement trope.
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“Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations. In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him. And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.” (book blurb taken from BK Borison’s website).
Business Casual is an interconnected, smalltown romantic comedy and the fourth installment of the Lovelight series; it could be read as a standalone, but I think that it makes more sense if you’ve already read the first three books in the series. It features the friends to lovers, friends with benefits, and forced proximity tropes. I would recommend Business Casual to fans of books like Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, Hopeless by Elsie Silver, Only and Forever by Chloe Liese, The Catch by Amy Lea, Wildfire by Hannah Grace, and Need Me by Tessa Bailey. Themes and topics present include family, self worth and self doubt, fear of failure, perfectionism, change versus tradition, migraine representation, appearance versus reality, mental health, loneliness and isolation, and love and heartbreak. Having already read books one through three in this series, I felt like I could dive right into this book without a lot of preambles as I was already familiar with the town of Inglewild and all the Lovelight characters. Nova and Charlie’s chemistry was very steamy, and I enjoyed the comedic elements that Borison included in this book (including a meddling phone tree as well as Nova and Charlie’s hilarious antics while trying to hide their relationship). I thought that Nova was very cool and artsy (I think that she might be my favourite character in the Lovelight series), and I enjoyed reading about her trendy tattoo studio filled with plants. Nova talks a lot about the symbolism behind certain flowers that she uses in tattoos; I thought that this was really interesting and not something that I’ve seen in other romance novels. Lastly, I felt like the ending and epilogue in Business Casual wrapped up the Lovelight series nicely. The only downside I can think of is that Nova and Charlie’s romance had a lot of “will they, won’t they” vibes before they finally got together. Additionally, Nova and Charlie seemed like total opposites and (I’m not sure if their ages are ever shared but) there seemed to be a significant age gap between them (which isn’t my favourite trope); Nova seemed younger in that she’s trendy and just starting her tattoo business while Charlie seemed older in that he’s a suit-wearing, already well-established financial investor. Overall, I really enjoyed Nova and Charlie’s story and highly recommend the Lovelight series to fellow smalltown romance readers! Viggo is a romantic seeking his own happily ever after; he is struggling with being the only single person left in his family, constantly surrounded by his 6 happily coupled-up siblings. Viggo is also in the process of opening his own romance bookstore but becomes overwhelmed with all of his commitments. Talullah doesn’t believe in romance; she’s a thriller writer struggling with the concepts for her next book whilst helping her sister prep for her upcoming nuptials. When Talullah needs a place to stay, Viggo offers up his spare bedroom, and the pair strike a deal – Talullah will help Viggo with the store while Viggo helps Talullah with her writer’s block. Viggo and Talullah appear to be total opposites, but their chemistry is undeniable. Can Viggo convince Talullah to open her heart to romance? Only and Forever is the seventh and final installment of the Bergman Brothers series. Viggo and Tallulah’s story features the forced proximity/ roommates, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy x sunshine tropes. Themes and topics present include diabetes, self doubt, divorce, love and heartbreak, ADHD, family, communication, fear of failure, appearance versus reality, romance, and intimacy. I highly recommend Only and Forever to fans of books like Wildfire by Hannah Grace, The Wrong Mr. Right by Stephanie Archer, Breakaway by Grace Reilly, Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison, Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, or any of the other Bergman Brothers books by Chloe Liese. It was ironic that Viggo, who is obsessed with historical romance books, was the last of the Bergmans to find his own happily ever after but I thought that his story was worth the wait and lived up to my high expectations! I think that fellow romance readers will really love Viggo’s bookish energy; I especially enjoyed all his quirky book-themed shirts and I, of course, loved his romance bookstore (Bergman’s Romance Books & More) – can someone please open this in real life? I think that Tallulah will also be intriguing to fellow bookworms as she is a writer struggling with the concept for her next book. I thought that all Viggo’s cute pets, including 2 rescue dogs and 5 adopted kittens, were adorable and a welcome addition to the story. Of course, I also loved the appearances of all the other Bergman family members throughout the book! Even though this was the last book in the Bergman Brothers series (cue sad tears), I’m hopeful that there could potentially, hopefully, be a spin-off series featuring the next generation of Bergmans (like Aiden and Freya’s daughter Linnea). Lastly, even though there was a fair amount of “will they, won’t they” in Only and Forever, I appreciated that there was no third act break-up (my least favorite trope). I don’t have any major complaints about Only and Forever. My biggest issue was that a good portion of the plot revolved around Tallulah’s complicated family dynamics and her sister Charlie’s upcoming nuptials; I think that I personally would have preferred if some of this subplot was excluded in favour of more Bergman family content since I love Viggo’s family so much. Additionally, one small thing that I found a tad annoying was that both Viggo and Talullah’s thoughts seemed a bit repetitive to me (e.g. longwinded inner monologues denying or grappling with their feelings for each other).
Nick is a math teacher with cerebral palsy who regularly lights up the stage during karaoke night at the local bar. Nick’s life is turned upside down when he meets Hayley; a passionate dancer who just moved into town. But Nick and Hayley’s friendship gets off to a rocky start when Hayley, after seeing Nick’s reaction to her dancing, tries to convince Nick to give dancing a try, only to be embarrassed when she discovers that Nick can only walk with the aid of a walker. Despite having a long-term dancer boyfriend, Hayley is determined to make things right with Nick and the pair eventually form a close friendship. The more time Hayley spends in Nick’s world, the more the boundaries between friends and lovers begin to blur.
How to Dance is an own voices, closed door romance novel featuring the love triangle and “friends to lovers” tropes. The writing reminded me of authors like Gale Foreman, John Green, Jesse Andrews, Jennifer Niven, David Levithan, and Kristina Forest; so, if you like any of these authors, you should definitely check out Jason B Dutton. How to Dance would also probably be a good fit for fans of own voices novels with disability representation like those written by Talia Hibbert, Chloe Liese, and Helen Hoang. Some themes and topics present in How to Dance include disability and accessibility, ableism and stereotypes, communication, self worth and self love, appearance versus reality, music and dance, overcoming fears, family roles, and mental health. A significant quote that I took away from this novel is, “dance with your heart” (both physically and metaphorically). I want to preface this review by saying that How to Dance ended up being fairly different from the spicy new adult romances and fast-paced fantasy novels that I usually read. With that in mind, I found the plot to be comparatively slow and thus, I personally didn’t end up finding the novel to be very engaging. I think that this novel may be better suited for fiction readers who enjoy unique stories and clean romances. I picked up this novel because I love dancing (I have been taking dance lessons all my life) and I was disappointed that there wasn’t a ton of actual dancing in the book; even though the female main character is a dancer, the book focuses more on metaphorical dancing (like the emotional connection between two partners). On the positive side, the book was unique in that I don’t often come across characters who have cerebral palsy; furthermore, I thought that the own voices disability representation in this novel was accurate and informative. My favourite character in this book was Nick’s toddler aged pseudo-niece Rosie because her impromptu singalongs with Uncle Nick were adorable and her character added some welcome playfulness to the plot. Lastly, even though there wasn’t as much dancing as I would have liked, I still appreciated that Dutton incorporated dancing and music into Nick and Hayley’s story, as again, I don’t tend to see that as often in novels. Even though How to Dance wasn’t my favourite, I would still recommend this debut novel to fans of own voices fiction and closed-door romances. After a hoard of demons on a pirate ship moves into town, Brie throws her drink, which ends up being a love potion, at a persistent suitor who won’t take “no” for an answer. But Brie misses her target, and the love potion ends up hitting a werewolf shifter named Felix, who now claims that Brie is his fated mate. Brie originally dismisses Felix’s claims as the temporary effects of the love potion but in spending more time with Felix and witnessing how sweet and fun he is, Brie decides to give him a chance, even though it could lead to heartbreak once the love potion wears off. When local women start disappearing, Felix and Brie must work with Cinnamon and Fallon (from book 1 in the Mead Mishaps series) to take down this unknown threat.
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf is a spicy paranormal monster romance featuring the fated mates, forced proximity, and “touch her and you die” tropes. The world reminded me of the faerie realms in both The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black and the Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare so if you’re a fan of either of these series, you should definitely check out Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series. I would also recommend this book to fans of steamy paranormal or monster romances like the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon, The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson, From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout, King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair, and Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert. Themes and topics present include love and heartbreak, abandonment, war, false gods, death and danger, power and corruption, overcoming fear, discrimination and harassment, female roles, and fate versus free will. Some potential trigger warnings include kidnapping, cults, and imprisonment. That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf is the second book in Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series. I read it as a standalone, but I felt like I was missing some of the backstory regarding the setting, society, and characters in this world, which I assume is present in book one in the series (That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon); thus, for a better reading experience, I would recommend starting with book one. “Sweet dancing baby goats. This man is a monster made out of every book lover I’ve ever pined over.” Felix was definitely swoon-worthy book boyfriend material! I liked that Felix was both possessive and bold (like when he changed the nameplate on Brie’s land to his own last name) and yet sweet and thoughtful (like when he eats a grilled cheese that Brie made even though he’s allergic or when he convinces a dragon to stop a storm so that he can take Brie on a romantic boat ride). I really enjoyed the fated mates trope (one of my favourite tropes) and the inclusion of paranormal elements like demons, magic, werewolves, and dragons. I also appreciated that this book was a short and fast-paced read (just over 200 pages); it would be a great book to pick-up at the end of the month or year to help you meet your reading goals! Even though I liked all the spice and romance, I wasn’t as much of a fan of the danger and action (the kidnapping and imprisonment plot) that came into play towards the end of this book. Furthermore, I found that this was unexpected as well as introduced and resolved rather quickly; but again, it’s possible that if I had read book 1 in the series, this plot point may have made more sense. Overall, I enjoyed this steamy and fun monster romance and would highly recommend it to fans of fast-paced books with werewolves and/ or the fated mates trope. I definitely plan on reading more of Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series in the future!
“You’ll see me at the games. I’ll be the one wearing Miller’s jersey.” – Stephanie Archer (The Fake Out).
To get back at her cheating ex, a pro hockey player who was just traded to the Vancouver Storm, team physiotherapist Hazel Hartley decides to fake date her ex’s rival, all-star Vancouver Storm hockey player Rory Miller, whom Hazel tutored in high school. The more time Hazel spends “fake dating” Rory, the more she discovers the secret softy under Rory’s arrogant, bad boy exterior. Amidst ice skating lessons, “fake” dates, and playful games of assassin, Hazel and Rory support each other whilst dealing with family drama and soon come to question whether their budding relationship is still “fake”. But Hazel has been burned before and is hesitant to start something with Rory that could end badly, especially since Rory is her future brother-in-law’s best man and teammate…can Rory convince Hazel to give him a real shot? The Fake Out is a delightful new adult, hockey romance featuring the forced proximity, fake dating, enemies to lovers, and “he falls first” tropes. I highly recommend it to fans of spicy hockey romances like Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, Iced Out by Veronica Eden, The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy, Breakaway by Grace Reilly, Shutout by Avery Keelan, Collide by Bal Khabra, Always Only You by Chloe Liese, and Play With Me by Becka Mack. Themes and topics present include body image, self worth, appearance versus reality, family dynamics, friendship, love and heartbreak, loneliness and isolation, communication, work-life balance, competition, and second chances. Some potential trigger warnings include divorce and absentee parents, body negativity and harmful self-talk, cheating, and harassment. I suppose The Fake Out could be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading book 1 in the Vancouver Storm series, Behind the Net, first to avoid spoilers; Pippa and Jamie from Behind the Net make frequent appearances throughout The Fake Out as Pippa is Hazel’s sister and Jamie is Rory’s best friend/ teammate. I absolutely loved this book…in fact, I had a very hard time putting it down! I liked that, having already introduced Rory and Hazel in Behind the Net, Archer dove right into the fake dating plot without a lot of preambles or backstories. Like Behind the Net, I very much appreciated that The Fake Out did not have a third act break-up as this is currently my least favourite trope. The Fake Out isn’t holiday-themed, but Rory and Hazel end up doing quite a few cute winter and Christmas activities together, so I found it to be delightfully seasonally appropriate – it would be a great addition to your holiday TBR or wish lists, but it can be read at any time of year. Rory and Hazel’s steamy chemistry was explosive, and I thought Rory, who had been secretly pining for Hazel since high school, was very swoon-worthy (I especially loved Rory’s nicknames for Hazel, their ice skating lessons, their shenanigans during the game of assassin, and Rory’s impromptu holiday decorating)! “You’re my tiny fire-breathing dragon.” – Stephanie Archer (The Fake Out). To be honest, there wasn’t much about this book that I didn’t like. If I had to be nitpicky, the drama surrounding Rory’s parents and Hazel’s mom’s body image issues weren’t as interesting to read in my opinion. Also, at times, I found some of the romantic dialogue to be a tad cheesy for my tastes. Overall, I really enjoyed The Fake Out and can’t wait to read more from Stephanie Archer, especially more of her Vancouver Storm series! I’m really hoping that Darcy, whom we are introduced to in The Fake Out, will be the focus of book 3 in the Vancouver Storm series as I found her character and storyline to be intriguing. If you’re looking for a spicy and swoony fake dating hockey romance with no third act break-up, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Fake Out! In a world where wolf shifters are widely known and integrated into modern society, shifter doctors Noah Taylor and Mackenzie “Mack” Carter enter a mutual arrangement where they pretend to be mates at work. Fearful of loosing out on an upcoming promotion, often grumpy Noah needs to appear to be mated when his unmated alpha status, a designation that holds negative stereotypes and is often discriminated against, is discovered by the hospital board. Needing a break from her grandmother’s constant matchmaking attempts, Mack is more than happy to pretend to be Noah’s mate at work if he pretends to be her boyfriend at dinner with her grandmother. Having to remain in close proximity in order to keep up their lie, Noah and Mack eventually start a friends-with-benefits arrangement, which makes it hard to separate “fake” feelings from real.
The Fake Mate is a steamy contemporary romance, with some paranormal elements, that is perfect for fans of romance authors like Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, Chloe Liese, and Talia Hibbert. I would also recommend The Fake Mate to fans of paranormal romances like A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, or Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman. Tropes present in The Fake Mate are close proximity, fake dating, friends-with-benefits, grumpy with sunshine, workplace romance, and fated mates. Themes and topics include discrimination, stereotypes, blackmail, matchmaking, insecurity, loneliness and isolation, abandonment, love and sacrifice, and secrets and lies. I thought that The Fake Mate was very unique compared to other werewolf/ wolf romances I’ve read in the past, like the Twilight or Shadowhunters series, in that wolf shifters aren’t a secret, nor do they live in a hidden fantasy world. Furthermore, The Fake Mate was more of a Grey’s Anatomy-like romance that just so happened to include some paranormal elements, which I found delightful yet different from what I was expecting. There were a ton of steamy scenes throughout The Fake Mate as well as some swoon-worthy moments, both of which I think fellow romance readers will enjoy. I will definitely be reading more of Lana Ferguson’s books in the future! On the downside, I felt like the third-act conflict was predictable and was resolved unrealistically quickly. I also personally felt like some of the wolf shifter terminology could have used some more explanation as I sometimes found myself guessing. Lastly, I thought that the main characters spent too long doubting or hiding their true feelings and insisting that their relationship was still fake, which was a bit frustrating. If you love Grey’s Anatomy, spicy contemporary romances, and paranormal elements like wolf shifters, then you should definitely add The Fake Mate to your TBR list! On her first day at a new job, highschooler Bailey is surprised to discover that one of her new coworkers is Charlie, a stranger whom she has shared a few negative chance encounters with. Despite being total opposites, Bailey and Charlie end up becoming friendly and, after Charlie shares his belief that people of the opposite sex can’t stay friends, make a bet about whether two of their fellow coworkers, who appear to be flirting even though one of them is already in a relationship, will be able to stay in the friend zone. Whilst trying to fight their own growing feelings towards each other, Bailey and Charlie decide to start fake dating to try to cause friction between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend (who happens to dislike Charlie). Bailey and Charlie, who are both familiar with divorce, must eventually decide whether to remain friendly coworkers or act on their romantic feelings towards each other and risk heartbreak.
Betting On You is a YA romantic comedy perfect for fans of books like Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter, or The Upside of Falling by Alex Light. Themes or topics present include life after divorce, dealing with change, anxiety, germaphobia, love and heartbreak, growing up, loneliness and isolation, family, and companionship. Betting On You is a cute and cozy teen/ YA romance with some light spice and quite a few swoon-worthy moments; there were even some adorably cute and swoony moments involving a rescue cat! This book was clearly written with Swifties in mind; not only was there a ton of low-key Taylor Swift references there was also a love interest that is secretly a Swiftie and an impromptu sing-along to the 10-minute version of All Too Well. The plot of Betting On You has similar vibes and many of the same tropes as Painter’s beloved YA romance Better Than the Movies including enemies to friends to lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity; so fans of Better Than the Movies should definitely pick-up a copy of Betting On You! Throughout Betting On You, the main character, Bailey, deals with a lot of anxiety as a result of current and impending big changes in her life; I thought that this was very relatable and relevant as I feel like most people, including myself, have also had anxiety about a big change happening at some point in their lives. On the downside, I wasn’t sure that all the backstory at the beginning of the novel, detailing Bailey’s first meetings with Charlie, was entirely necessary. This preamble also meant that it took longer to get to the main action of the book, which makes it harder for me to get invested in the plot. Even though both main characters were struggling with anxiety throughout the novel, it seemed like Charlie was the one who was constantly trying to ease Bailey’s anxieties while Charlie’s worries were almost ignored, which seemed unfair. Riley’s desire to turn her family’s gift for breaking curses into a paying business brings her to Scotland to break a long-lasting curse on Arden Castle that is preventing tourism in the surrounding area. Upon arriving, Riley instantly develops a connection with disgraced archeologist Clark Edgeware…that is, until Clark, who is also working at Arden Castle, tries to get Riley fired to aid his quest for professional redemption. Despite their animosity towards each other, including an array of hijinks from both parties aimed at driving the other away, Riley and Clark keep finding themselves drawn closer together until their growing attraction becomes impossible to deny.
Do Your Worst is a spicy contemporary romance with paranormal elements featuring the “enemies to lovers” and forced proximity tropes. I would recommend Do Your Worst to fans of books like My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling, Something Wilder by Christina Lauren, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, and Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn. Themes and topics present include language and communication, history and folklore, archeology, family, legacy, lies and deception, reputation, loneliness and isolation, teamwork, appearance versus reality, as well as love and sacrifice. Overall, I personally didn’t feel that the plot of Do Your Worst was very engaging. Furthermore, I’m not typically a fan of historical fiction and, even though Do Your Worst is set in the present, there were a lot of historical elements interwoven into the story including the folklore surrounding the ancient curse as well as the history of and the archeological dig at Arden Castle. Additionally, I didn’t really feel connected to the main characters and was frustrated that they almost went out of their way to try to remain in the “enemies” category, despite having obvious shared interests and mutual attraction. On the plus side, I thought that the mix of archeology and curse breaking in the plot was very unique and that the paranormal or cruse breaking elements created an almost eerie vibe, which perfectly matches the Halloween and autumn season. There was a good amount of slow burn romance and spice throughout Do Your Worst, which is perfect for fans of steamy “enemies to lovers” romances. I was also a fan of the ending of the book, as I thought it was very fitting, and I enjoyed the investigative or mystery elements that went into Riley’s curse breaking work as well as the humorous moments that arose during Riley and Clark’s prank-like antics. If you’re looking for a spicy “enemies to lovers” romance with paranormal elements to add to your autumn TBR list, you should definitely check out Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan!
Gigi Graham, daughter of famous hockey player Garrett Graham, has her heart set on Olympic women’s hockey gold, but her challenges playing behind the net threaten to squash this dream. The Briar University men’s hockey team has just merged with a rival team, which is causing a lot of disputes amongst the new teammates including the co-captain Ryder, who is hoping to earn a summer coaching job with his idol Garrett Graham. When Gigi approaches Ryder with a proposition, Ryder will help Gigi improve her skills behind the net while Gigi talks Ryder up to her dad, it seems like a win-win. When their chemistry becomes too hot to ignore, Gigi and Ryder begin a secret relationship to avoid the wrath of Gigi’s ex, who is also Ryder’s co-captain. The Graham Effect is a spicy new adult hockey romance perfect for fans of books like Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, Iced Out by Veronica Eden, Shutout by Avery Keelan, the Playing for Keeps series by Becka Mack, the Red Zone Rivals series by Kandi Steiner, and the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese. Even though it could be read as a standalone, for the best reading experience, The Graham Effect is ideally suited for readers who are already fans of Kennedy’s Off-Campus and BriarU series as The Graham Effect takes place after these series and includes a lot of the characters from these series. Themes and topics present in The Graham Effect include secrets and lies, love and heartbreak, parenthood and family, trust and forgiveness, friendship, social media, criminal justice, fame, communication, and appearance versus reality. Some potential trigger warnings include domestic abuse, foster care, attempted assault, and cheating. I love the Briar University universe from Kennedy’s Off-Campus and BriarU series, so I was very excited to read The Graham Effect, which takes place in the same universe and contains the descendants of the Off-Campus and BriarU characters (namely Gigi Graham, daughter of Garrett and Hannah). I have to say that The Graham Effect definitely exceeded my expectations and I believe that fellow fans will also enjoy the newest instalment in the Briar University universe! I really enjoyed Gigi and Ryder’s spicy “friends with benefits” and “good girl with bad boy” relationship. “Bad boy” Ryder ended up being very swoon-worthy; he finds excuses to bring Gigi flowers and he plans a charming opera date! I also appreciated that there wasn’t really a miscommunication trope (even though Ryder is quiet, Gigi and Ryder learn to communicate with each other throughout the book) and I enjoyed the unanticipated twists and drama in Gigi and Ryder’s story. Lastly, being a huge lover of butterflies myself, I really connected to Gigi’s love of butterflies and very much enjoyed reading about her visits to “her happy place” a.k.a. the local butterfly gardens.
I cannot wait to read more of this series! I wonder if the next book will be about one of Gigi or Ryder’s teammates (like the Off-Campus and BriarU series) or if it will be about another descendant of the Off-Campus or BriarU characters – guess we’ll have to wait and see. Overall, I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to fellow fans of spicy sports romances!
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February 2024
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