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Sterling Fight cover art

4:5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-02-25

Sweet, second chance romance!

Sterling Fight is book #5 within the Sterling Falls series. Each book focuses on a different Sylver brother with this one about Judd and Genie. Genie has been in love with Judd since they were kids, but never acted on it, although she did try to become friends with him. However, Judd has always been on the quieter side, self-describing himself as a loner. He pushes everyone away including his own brothers due to some trauma from his/their family’s past. Throughout their childhood and teenage years, Judd and Genie encounter each other on different occasions, with Genie even asking Judd out to his prom. But things don’t really go well. 20 years later, Genie is back in town to visit her mum, and through a bunch of misunderstands they end up fake engaged.

This slow-burn story was so good and such a joy to listen to. I really enjoyed the story that was told and the themes that were explored. We really got to see these characters reconnect after so many years. They were able to explore not only their physical attraction but also their emotional connection. They also explored the things they had in common and their complex friendship from childhood. I also loved how supportive Judd was of Genie including with her business, and when she was dealing with her messed up relationship with her mum. Genie was also the sweetest; she was so loving and caring, but also strong. They balanced each other out; she was the sunshine to his grumpy and broody. Genie was also the sweetest; she was so loving and caring, but also strong. They balanced each other out; she was the sunshine to his grumpy and broody.

Another thing I really enjoyed was just how sweet the actual romance was. They were so gone for each other but especially Judd! Lol I loved the whole writing their feeling/questions to each other through their little notes. Also, can we talk about how Judd bought the same unicorn notepad that Genie used to write him the notes when they were kids in school! Lol I cannot believe this man! 😍

I also love how L.B. Dunbar seems to write and focus on older characters; at least all her books I’ve read so far have characters aged mostly around their 40s (although I obviously haven’t read all her books). Most romance novels have characters in their 20s so it’s nice reading from different perspectives and about different types of characters. And a plus is that it shows that love doesn’t just start and end in your 20s. Finally, it was nice seeing some of our MCs from previous books within the series make cameos. Overall, this was such a good read/listen. I would recommend if you need a second chance, slow burn, fake engagement, childhood friends/crush romance with older aged characters!

Narrated by Ryan West and Erin Mallon, their performance was incredible. Both portrayed their respective characters very well, allowing us to really feel, get in the heads, and understand all the emotions of the MCs. Definitely recommend the audio!

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Break the Rules cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-02-25

I heard this was a sports, workplace, single-parent romance… and I just couldn’t resist! 🙈

Ronan and Willow originally have an awkward, yet funny meet-cute at the airport (and later on the plane) on their way to their vacation. Ronan is a single dad and a professional baseball player and he is on vacation with some friends without his daughter. Meanwhile, Willow decided to take some time off work to relax and rejuvenate. They end up at the same hotel in Hawaii and Ronan is immediately drawn to Willow. He thinks their constant running into each other is some sort of fate. Willow, however, is a bit more hesitant. See she recognises Ronan, and as she works at a pro baseball team, has sworn off pro baseball players in order to avoid complications in her line of work. They eventually decide to have a vaca-fling, intending to never see each other again after they leave. This all seems to go according to plan… that is until months later, when he gets traded to the very same pro-team that she works for.

This is my first Julia Jarrett read and it certainly won’t be my last. It was such a fun and cute story that grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I really enjoyed their banter and they had such strong chemistry from the beginning. I especially loved how the story dove into the struggles that Ronan had in terms of trying to strike that balance between dating, but also wanting to not complicate his and his daughter’s lives because of it. He was so protective of his daughter and I loved it. Willow also had some personal things to overcome as her uncle owned the team, and she wanted to work hard and make sure that all her accomplishments were hers and not due to nepotism. She also had struggles with how dating a player on her team might be taken and perceived by the rest of the team and the media. I enjoyed seeing these issues explored and overcome. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m now sat, and ready to read the rest of the series.

If you love sports, workplace, single-parent, and close proximity romances, then pick this up. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

I listened to the audio of this book in combination with the eBook. Angelina Rocca and Connor Crais were fantastic narrators! They really brought the story and all the characters to life! It was a great seven and a half hours well spent!

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Trading Tinsel cover art

Still loving the series! 💕

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 29-01-25

Eve Carter has always felt like she was in her twin sister’s (Emerson) shadow. Although identical twin sisters, Em and Eve are so different in personalities. Emerson is the overachiever filled with confidence, whilst Eve is the fun but slightly insecure sister. Eve even came in second to the first guy she liked back in high school, Nick Atterton. The sisters first met Nick when he moved to their high school. And before Eve had a chance to make her moves, she found out that Em had already gotten there first, and Nick and Em were now an item. They remained an item all throughout the rest of high school and into college/university. Even almost getting engaged.

Enter college/university. After moving across the country to Miami to escape the expectations of everyone and the feelings of inadequacy, she finally feels free to be herself. This is when she hears the news of Emerson and Nick breaking up and going their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Nick has always loved the game of hockey since he was six years old. The next closest thing to that pure, unfiltered adoration was his high school girlfriend. But when he can’t commit to forever, they end things. He then gets traded to Miami. Although Emerson and Nick are broken up, they broke up on civil terms and Emerson now wants to make sure Nick is doing okay with his move to Miami. So, she asks Eve to check up on him. After meeting up and reconnecting, Eve and Nick find that sparks are ignited. A quick trip home for Christmas ends up rerouted when Nick and Evie find their flight emergency landed in Nashville due to an unexpected ice storm. One room, a bottle of tequila, and 24 hours. Will tinsel and trinkets be the only thing exchanged this holiday season? Or will they be permanently added to the naughty list?

As mentioned, I am still loving this series and I’m just in love with Rosie P. Burke’s writing! This book certainly did not disappoint, and this is slowly becoming one of my favourite romance series! 💕 I really enjoyed the exploration of Em and Eve’s twin relationship. I also really loved Eve and Nick together as a couple. I could feel their chemistry, and they were just soo cute together. Overall, this story was so cute and sweet, the characters were lovely, and I’m anticipating the next book in the series. I really cannot wait to go on ahead and read book 4! Rosie P. Burke, continue the great work you do!

Amber Goode was just amazing with the narration! Her voice captured the emotions and personalities of each of the characters perfectly. Executing the story flawlessly and bringing the characters to life. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one!

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The Way We Score cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 19-01-25

This was such a cute and interesting second-chance romance story! Really enjoyed this one! 💕

Garrett and Olivia (Liv) were high school sweethearts. They were very happy and had very straightforward big plans of getting married, raising a family together, and just generally living their happily-ever-after… or so were Garrett’s thoughts. This all comes crashing down when Garret finds out they are about to attend different universities. They try long distance, but things unfortunately don’t work out. Years later, Liv is back in their hometown after getting divorced to help her mother. They bump into each other and reconnect, and it seems they still have lingering feelings for each other. Garrett is determined to prove to Liv that he isn’t as selfish and immature as he was all those years ago and won’t let her walk away as easily. When they are hit with a surprise, they get the second chance they’ve been hoping for.

I really enjoyed this one! It was so cute and heartfelt. I especially loved how all in Garrett was from the get-go. He acknowledged his mistakes from all those years ago and was determined to do things differently this time around. You could really feel the love that they both had for each other. I also loved their banter; they both got each other’s sense of humour and it made me happy reading/listening. This provided all the feels and was truly such a joy to listen to! If you love these romance tropes… small-town, second chance, surprise pregnancy, sports/football romance (the American kind)… pick this up because you won’t be disappointed.

Narrated in duet style by Patrick Zeller and Samantha Brentmoor as Garrett and Liv respectively. They were both amazing. Zeller was excellent at capturing the moody, but happy and caring, grizzly bear personality of Garrett. And Brentmoor was also amazing with her portrayal of the head-strong, but sometimes uncertain personality of Liv. They brought Tia Louise's writing to life. Their voices most definitely enhanced my listening experience. I highly recommend the audiobook!

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Unexpected Heroine cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-01-25

Excited to jump back into Tomer & Lettie’s story! 💕

I was soo excited when I finally received the audio arc for Unexpected Heroine, especially after the cliffhanger from the last book. Well, perhaps excitement isn’t the right word considering all that happened at the end of the previous book. More so I was itching to see how Lettie (and Tomer’s) story would go, given that ending. This book practically picks up from the events from the last book. Tomer/James has now rescued Lettie and although she is now physically safe, she has been through a lot and has so much to work through emotionally and mentally. Add in all the secrets that Tomer is keeping and you have soo much tension within the story. From the previous book, we know that they possess an amazing connection, and their chemistry is just undeniable. However, with everything going on, can their connection survive it all?

I can’t say too much without risking spoiling both the previous book, as well as this book. What I can say is that this book was soo emotional, soo heartbreaking. So much was experienced and even though it was all very intense, I could not look away. There are soo many triggers within this one so I advise sensitive readers to be careful. But even with all the difficulty that they experienced (and I experienced reading/listening), I was even more invested in Tomer and Lettie, both as individuals, as well as a couple in this one. I really, really loved them and just needed them to have their happy ending!

At this point, I would read anything Jackie Walker writes because the woman KNOWS HOW TO WRITE!!! The way she weaved in the characters, their emotions, their backstories, and all the build-up, it’s all just… chef’s kiss. 🤌💋 The character development was also not lacking; we got to know both of our MCs even more in this book, and they themselves got to know each other even more and come together, specifically in this post-traumatic time. As I’ve already mentioned, I really loved both characters. Lettie throughout showed immense strength, persevering through all the trauma she suffered. Tomer’s backstory was also heartbreaking but helped shape him into the very kind-hearted teddy bear that he is now. And of course, there is no lack of steam between Tomer and Lettie. And just like with the other books within the series, I was entertained by the suspense aspects within the story. And even with all the seriousness and levity within the story, Jackie Walker was still able to sprinkle in some light-heartedness through some witty banter. This book was really great to experience. I cannot wait to get to the next book and see more of Tomer and Lettie.

Narrated by Aaron Shedlock and Kelsey Navarro Foster, they nailed Tomer and Lettie’s characterisation perfectly! All the emotions were there, from happiness, rage, fear, worry, anxiety, insecurity, etc, they portrayed it all soo wonderfully! I truly felt like I was in this world, almost like the characters themselves were telling me their own stories. That’s how immersed I was from their voices. They truly brought the characters and their stories to life.

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Grouch-ish cover art

4.5 Star!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-01-25

This was such a cute and fun take on the twelve days of Christmas! 💕

We meet Brock, a grumpy firefighter. He is divorced from his wife (whom he has 2 kids with) after she cheated on him with his female best friend. He is pretty angry (as he should be given his past experiences) but also just has a generally bad attitude. At the age of 45, he is pretty set in his ways and doesn’t see a need to change his attitude. His Captain/boss and friend Frank however disagrees. Frank runs a retreat every year for firefighters and police officers who are struggling/have bad attitudes, so they can re-evaluate their lives. To get back in Frank’s good graces, he signs up for the retreat but he accidentally misses the bus. This leads to him meeting Frank’s daughter Pear who immediately catches his attention. At 41, Pear is looking for a fresh start after her own divorce and leaving her previous job. She is back in town to visit her dad at his cabin, and in walks Brock. Both are lonely, but they are complete opposites. At first, they seem unlikely to fall in love, but the time spent together does them well as they both start to let go of their past and heal together.

I really loved L. B. Dunbar’s writing in this. I especially enjoyed both characters and the overall story. I loved how Pear set tasks for Brock to help him get in her dad’s good graces, and seeing them complete some of these tasks together was just so cute.

The audio was such a joy to listen to. Narrated by Stella Hunter and Teddy Hamilton, both of their voices fit well with the characters and help bring the characters and the overall story to life.

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Forever Wild cover art

5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-01-25

Sweet, cute, fun, grumpy-sunshiny hockey romance that provided all the feels! 💕

Forever Wild is book 5 in the Wildcat Hockey series. We meet our MMC and FMC, Jack, and Everly. Jack is the Captain of the Wildcat hockey team and Everly is his teammate’s little sister. Jack takes his Captain title very seriously; not only does he lead the team on the ice rink, but he also takes care of his teammates outside of the rink. However, he doesn’t do well accepting help himself. When he gets injured, his slow recovery makes him extremely grumpy. His teammates become more worried about him and so Everly offers to check up on him as his teammates are all on vacation. During this summer, they begin to develop a friendship, and then a relationship.

At this point, I’ll read anything Rebecca Jenshak puts out because I really love her writing! I really enjoyed the way she wrote the emotions and banter in this. Both Jack and Everly were just such good characters. Jack was so grumpy/broody but in the best way. He didn’t want to bother his teammates even though he himself went far and beyond when helping them. This extended to how he initially treated Everly, but slowly she broke down his walls, and he opened up emotionally. And as they continued spending time with each other, they developed such a cute relationship. He was also soo supportive of Everly and encouraged her to continue pursuing her dreams and achieving all she wanted to. Meanwhile, Everly, the sassy queen that she is, was also soo sweet and caring. She was soo patient with Jack, but also stood her ground and did not let him close himself off. As mentioned, Rebecca Jenshak writes banter so well, and this, was no exception; Jack and Everly’s back-and-forth banter was on point! This also had some emotional moments, especially with Jack’s dad and his relationship with both Jack and Everly. The fact that Jack’s dad and Everly bonded over reading was soo cute! 🥹

Sidenote: I also loved how protective both Everly’s brother and the rest team were of Everly but also were not extra in their protection. It was the right amount! Overall, this was such a feel-good story and I was obsessed with Jack and Every from the first page. Their chemistry was off the charts. Forever Wild is book 5 of the series, but the first one in the series that I have read so far. It can be read as a standalone and not once was I lost, considering I haven’t read any of the previous books. I loved it so much, I’m about to grab the other books in the series and catch up with the series!

Wonderful dual narration provided by Sebastian York and CJ Bloom. They were phenomenal at bringing the characters and their story to life. York was perfect at portraying the broody and grumpy nature of Jack. Whilst Bloom was perfect as the sassy, yet caring and sweet Everly. Their voices really brought out the emotions needed to tell this story. Highly recommend if you love sports romances! 💕

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The Fall Out cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-01-25

Forbidden, slow burn, friends-to-lovers goodness! Love!

After a series of bad relationships, Avery decides to take a year-long break from dating. She chooses to do this not only to have some respite from bad men but to also get to know herself better; to be herself, not just what the men she is dating want her to be. And also, to figure out what she really wants in a man. She hopes this will all help her choose better men in the future. One night out, (after declaring this one-year dating break), she is out with her 2 besties, and there she meets Christian. Avery’s friends don’t think she needs a whole year dating break. Rather, they think she just needs a one-night stand to get over her most recent breakup.

Meanwhile, Christian is set to start his first year pitching with a new team. He is out with some friends when he meets Avery. They instantly have a connection. Avery is not really feeling her friends’ plans for her to have a one-night stand. That is until she meets Chris. Their connection is so strong that she decides to go home with him. They have a great night until Chris’ roommate lets slip what he does for a living (that he plays for the Revs) and she flees. When Chris wakes up, she is obviously gone, but he feels so strongly about their connection that he spends 2 months looking for her. He has no success until she walks onto the field during one of his games to help an injured bird. There he finds out that she is his new coach’s daughter. Not just any coach, but a coach that he doesn’t get on with.

Woow this was soo cute to read/listen to. I loved the forbidden aspect of their relationship because not only does Chris have to stay away from Avery because she is his coach’s daughter, but the fact that he and his coach did not like each other added an extra level of forbidden-ness and complication because his coach could really make his time at the Revs more difficult if he were to find out about them. Another complication was the fact that she was taking a year’s break from dating. That forced him to actually get to know her first as a friend. The progression of their friendship was just chef’s kiss! 🤌💋

Finally, the way he treated her, making sure she knew what she deserved and should expect from men was just absolutely swoon-worthy! He really paid attention to everything about her. He made sure she always had her favourite drink/meals, having them delivered/brought to her whenever she needed them. Her favourite types of movies? He made sure whenever they had movie nights, they were watching them. He never had her waiting on him; he made sure he was always early for their plans. He even set up a foundation for her birds, to keep the puffin and to add more, when he saw how sad moving birds were. He truly was book/IRL boyfriend goals! 💕 Overall, this was a solid read that I highly recommend!

This was the first book by Jenni Bara that I read and I really enjoyed it. I’m excited now to dive into the rest of this series.

Connor Crais and Rose Dioro were the perfect duo to narrate this. Crais really perfected the portrayal of the grumpy, but lowkey sweet nature of Chris. And Dioro was amazing as the sunshiny and bubbly, but slightly tentative personality of Avery. Their narration was delightful to listen to.

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A Fork in the Road cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 25-12-24

Angsty ☑️ opposites attract ☑️ and a (kinda) second chance romance ☑️

Our time at Fork Lick is coming to an end 😢 but I enjoyed my time here, and A Fork in the Road was a great and final addition to the series. Here we are following Jackson and Bella’s (lol) romance story. Jackson is a Bedd, but he has always been different from the rest of his family preferring music and guitars to his family farm. He is now a successful and famous rockstar, busy touring the world. But when his sister Colleen has some good news to share, he heads back home to the family farm for a quick visit with his family. Instead, he finds himself roped into headlining a Fork Lick Festival to help raise money to save the family’s farm. There he bumps into Bella. Bella (again, lol) is a successful events planner. She is hired to plan the festival, which she needs to be successful, not just to help save the Bedd Fellows Farm, but also to help her get a big promotion. She does not expect to bump into Jackson. See Jackson and Bella have a little history. They originally met 5 years previously when Jackson’s first album dropped, and have been butting heads ever since. They never expected to fall for each other. But spending time and getting to know each other, they soon realise that they had so many misunderstandings and misconceptions about each other.

This was an absolute delight to listen to. I loved Jackson and Bella, both individually, as well as together. I really enjoyed their back-and-forth banter, and they had such great chemistry. Jackson was such a sweetheart, who had a tender heart underneath all that seemingly arrogant persona. I just wanted to hug him; his family didn’t understand him, and he felt like the black sheep of the family. He was also having problems with his record label. I loved how his story was explored, and with Bella’s support, he was able to be honest and finally tell his story. Bella was also a great character (not just because she has my name lol), she was very hardworking and determined to do all she could to land her big promotion, and she was such a great support for Jackson.

This was an emotional and angst-filled story. It also included funny moments and banter, and spice of course. I also loved the issues raised in this book about the music industry. It was interesting to read about. A great way to end the Bedd family’s story. Love!

Alastair Haynesbridge and Erin Mallon are back, and continue to narrate this series. Their voices are great, and versatile as the characters they are portraying. They were such a pleasure to listen to.

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Bringing Home the Bacon cover art

4.5 Stars!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 17-12-24

Hilarious, heartfelt small-town romcom! I just loved it!

The Farm 2 Forking series continues with book #4, Bringing Home the Bacon. This time, we get the fun, cute, and hilarious romance story of Colleen Bedd and reality TV chef Bacon. Colleen is a small-town kindergarten teacher. The only female sibling, her life has so far been on the sheltered side and she has always done what was expected of her. She also finds herself not connecting that well with friends and often has to cut them off because they seem to be using her only to get to her brothers. Needing some time for herself, she decides to go somewhere where she is unknown, so she takes a trip to the big city. Whilst there, she ends up as an audience member for the taping of a reality TV cooking show. Afterwards, she decides to further step out of her comfort zone and do something wild by flirting and propositioning one of the chefs from the show. Meanwhile, Bacon is living his best life and his dream as a chef. He ends up competing on a reality TV cooking show. When he is mildly propositioned by Collen, he is instantly attracted to her; sparks fly and they spend one night together. But when she leaves without a trace in the morning, can he find the gorgeous audience member he had a connection with? And can he find happiness with her?

This fun and hilarious, one-night stand, accidental pregnancy, small-town romance was just what I needed! I absolutely adored this book. I especially enjoyed how Collen and Bacon find their way to each other initially, and back to each other later. The connection was instant and hot 🥵 but I really enjoyed them slowly discovering the true love they had for each other, and building a life together. They were just so perfect for each other. It was also great seeing the characters from previous books and other side characters appear in this; Grandma Ethel remains one of the best and one of my favourite characters in this series. I’m definitely still enjoying this series and highly recommend picking this up if any of the tropes sound interesting to you.

Narrated by the author herself, Erin Mallon, and Alastair Haynesbridge. Mallon was excellent at portraying the caring, independent, and passionate woman that was Colleen. Whilst Haynesbridge was perfect at bringing forth the swoony, thoughtful, caring, and supportive nature of Bacon. I loved both of their voices for these characters. As always, they brought the characters in this series, and their stories to life!

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