Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Not in Love on my blog, now!

I told myself that I would read more Ali Hazelwood books, and yet this is now only my second one. My first read of hers definitely put a good taste in my mouth, so I was hopeful this novella would live up to the expectations I now have in place. With the upside of me wanting to find something short and quick to read, this was the perfect time to dive into more of her work. Even though my video game knowledge does not go beyond Webkinz or Club Penguin, the premise of this novella gave an enemies to lovers vibe that I simply could not resist.

When Viola discovers the co-lead designing her dream video game is in fact her number one enemy, Jesse, she is faced with confronting the past and figuring out how to move forward in the present in order to design the perfect game. Why does Jesse seem to want nothing to do with her when they basically have only interacted once in the past? I found Jesse to be an interesting character - in contemporary romance books, we see the female lead take on the more "meek" role of not wanting to approach the male lead, but here we see the opposite. I liked the mystery behind Jesse, and while Viola certainly wanted to get to the bottom of things, it was nice to see things play out on their own terms.

The smut is as good as it will get for a novella - it could have been better all things considered, and with the limited pages we did get, it was still enough to leave readers wanting more. Considering we went about over half way through the novella before anything relatively spicier came into play, I was hoping for more to make up for the shorter story. A lot of the dialogue was bordering on being cringy and while I can usually look past it, it was really standing out to me this time around. On that note, I felt as though this novella ended very jarringly - it did not feel tied together and I was unsatisfied with Viola and Jesse's story and relationship. What happens next? This definitely could have been a full-length novel instead of a novella - there was potential for a fully fleshed-out relationship to be explored here.

If you need a little romance to speed along your reading journey, this novella could be the exact filler read you are looking for before tackling a longer book. While this did not deter me from any future reading of Hazelwood's works, it certainly has made me a touch weary of what lies ahead and if I should be lowering my expectations moving forward.

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Happy Place by Emily Henry Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Book Lovers and Funny Story on my blog, now!

I will admit, going into this book, I had heard rumbling this was not as "good" as Henry's other books. While I have only read two others, I wanted to remain hopeful and go into Harriet and Wyn's story with an open mind, and the premise of this novel did intrigue me. However, it is riddled with miscommunication that made me want to pull my hair out - they are adults in their thirties and cannot be honest with each other, it was maddening! Harriet and Wyn must navigate a weekend with friends while pretending to still be engaged, and honestly, they start to test each other on just how far they will go to keep up the rouse while trying to ignore their feelings. This would have been cute if it was based on college students or even a few years post-grad, but considering they are all late twenties / early thirties, it became painful.

Sabrina's character is overwhelming annoying to the point where every single time that she would basically force her friends to do everything she wanted, I wanted everyone to blow up on her. I understand that she was trying to be nostalgic one last time, but she became someone that everyone just seemed to make snide remarks about and how they did not want to do everything she was forcing them to do. You can see how the other characters entertain her plans, but the enthusiasm dwindles as the story goes on, and characters begin to become resentful. Even Parth seemed to just take everything without a fuss and considering he is her partner, you would like he would be the one person that would have been able to be honest with her.

The tension between Wyn and Harriet is so obvious, yet it was surprising that not a single one of their friends would have noticed this if they really were as close as it was presented. Obviously, friends can grow apart after college and pursuing different careers, but it just felt like they were all entwined in college and grad school, and this would have been something everyone would have noticed. Harriet and Wyn also seemed to have different goals in life and personalities, and while their meet-cute and eventual relationship progression was charming at first, I spent the entire book wondering how they were even together for so long before it all crashed down. I could not connect with any of these characters simply because they did not have any growth or development that warranted me to even become interested in their outcomes.

I found the lack of communication in this book to loom over the entire plot so much so that I could barely enjoy the few good parts of the story. You could see Cleo and Kimmy on edge and how much it started to affect the group, and with Wyn and Harriet's relationship ruse to keep everyone happy and not disrupt the week, I am surprised no one else seemed to catch on after the first day. Considering how much I enjoyed Henry's two other novels, I have to say this was a bit of a let down, and not only because I bought the hardback for $27 like three summers ago when it was published before I read anything of hers - what was I thinking!? 

If they ever made this one into a movie, I may consider revisiting it, but I can without a doubt say that you could not pay me enough money to read this book again. It will now be living on my shelf amongst the other literary fiction and contemporary romances with very bright, neon covers. If you are fine with the miscommunication trope and in the mood for a quick read, then maybe Happy Place can become your next happy place. I can only hope others can get more out of this book than I did.

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Deep (Stage Dive, #4) by Kylie Scott Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Lick, Play, and Lead on my blog, now! Lick is now available to stream on Passionflix.

I should have read the blurb for this final installment - color me surprised when I was thrown into one of my least favorite tropes in the prologue / first chapter. Accidental pregnancy trope is already a top contender for gag-worthy plot points, but add in the fact that the female lead is twenty? Probably my worst nightmare. This series was already cruising the line of "do I like these books or are they just easy to read?" but this book truly takes the cake on me deciding that they were just quick and easy to read. I will say that the books did improve as the series went on, but that all went down the drown with Deep. That being said, Ben is definitely one of the better male leads and actually takes accountability for his actions, unlike some of the other band members.

Lizzy is so incredibly frustrating and just downright annoying during this entire book. I truly felt as though I was going to pull my hair out if she made one more ridiculous decision - yes, she is twenty and pregnant with no idea how she and Ben are supposed to coparent and embark on this journey together, but good grief the girl does not have a single brain cell floating around in her head. To make matters absolutely worse, she tries not to curse, which just results in the most annoying fake curse words known to man being sputtered every other page. Considering Lizzy was still working on her psychology degree, you would have thought that she would have been able to become more well-adjusted and maybe actually take the time to think about what having a baby at twenty would mean for her.

Ben is likable in the sense that he is in the running in being the best male lead of this series - Jimmy was no walk in the park, Mal truly had me second-guessing how much I originally liked him, and David was the most avoidant man on the planet. I was glad that he was actually taking accountability for getting Lizzy pregnant, and even though they were not in a relationship, he was still focused on making sure she was feeling well and had a support system from him as a coparent. He really wanted to provide for her even with the uncertainty of where their relationship stood, so I have to give him credit for being responsible.

The smut was a mildly redeeming aspect of this book - it honestly was the only thing keeping me going at one point because the plot was just not doing it for me. I truly wish I enjoyed this installment as much as I enjoyed Lead, but not every interconnected stand alone is built the same and unfortunately it shows in this final book. If you are looking for quick romances, this series certainly can be up your alley - they are easy to read and always tie up the relationships by the end of the book. I hope Passionflix decides to adapt the rest of the books into movies because I honestly think I enjoyed the movie of Lick more than the book.

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Game Changer (Game Changers, #1) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Heated Rivalry premieres on November 28, 2025 - only on Crave.

I will be completely honest and say that I started this series solely because Heated Rivalry begins streaming soon and I have heard nothing but great things about that book - I wanted to read it before watching the show, and I am very pro-read the interconnected stand-alones in order. I have not read a hockey romance in some time and was excited to get back into them, especially considering the weather is getting colder. Scott Hunter's pre-game ritual of a smoothie has led him to Kip Grady, the kind juice bar barista that captured his eye and led him down a road of a secret romance. Scott's frequent visits become an excitement for Kip, and their friendship blossoms into an attraction that neither can avoid.

However, Scott seems to be the one making all of the rules and has Kip over on his own terms, leading to Kip feeling somewhat isolated from his "old" life and like a secret in the dark. As he spends more time thinking about what he wants and what his future holds career-wise, Scott is focused on playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup. Their different goals seems to cause a rift on the relationship but more so with Kip's perspective, and as playoffs come even closer, Kip is set to make up his mind on what he needs. Sure, Scott is not out to the world, but with Kip being out, he feels as though he is a second thought to Scott when it comes to hockey and what to focus on. I can definitely see both sides - Scott wanting to wait until playoffs are over in order to not overshadow the games, and Kip wanting to be able to go out with his boyfriends without Scott having to hide from the public eye.

Kip and Scott's friends definitely provided them support in different ways - Kip was able to at least confide in a friend regarding his relationship, whereas Scott had to keep everything to himself. You can certainly see how badly Scott wanted to share about his personal life, but also understand why he was keeping that part of him to himself and Kip. It hurt to see Kip go through so much and seemingly alone - you could tell that it was eating him up inside that he would be spending all of his time waiting for Scott to come back from games or practices, and yet barely get to see him when he did get home - not to mention the fact that Kip was not going to any hockey team functions with Scott as his partner - he had to watch from home.

This was definitely a good start to the series, and you can clearly tell where the next installment is headed considering the number of times a certain Russian player was mentioned throughout the book. There are things that I would have changed, but overall the book read well and there was a decent balance of inner turmoil, lightheartedness, and smut. I already have Heated Rivalry on loan from Libby, and cannot wait to see what Shane and Ilya's story has in store.

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Not in Love (Not in Love, #1) by Ali Hazelwood Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have gone back and forth over the years deciding if I should dive into Ali Hazelwood's books, and I am honestly glad that this one was my first read of her work. I love a good forbidden romance, and throwing the workplace in there? Even better. Rue and Eli meet before they are thrown into a diverging working environment, as Eli and his business partners actively work to acquire the company that Rue works for - the very company her friend created. Hazelwood provided us with a dual perspective in this book, which is very much appreciated from me - I love to see the male lead's perspective, and Eli's chapters certainly clear the air for so many obstacles that come their way.

Rue has set boundaries when it comes to sex and hook ups - never the same man twice. Amongst her other preferences, she is very clear on what she likes and what she is willing to try. When Eli and her match on a dating app, it provides an opportune moment for her to continue her non-committal endeavors. However, Eli's presence soon becomes much more than a one-and-done situation when Rue's personal life is thrust out into the open during their meet-up, and becomes even more entangled when he is part of the group seeking to take ownership of the biotech company. You can literally feel their sexual tension on every page, and with Eli giving off major lover-boy vibes and Rue giving grumpy vibes, they are an opposite match made in heaven - at least in Eli's eyes; in his mind, Rue will eventually get there.

I loved how involved Rue's friends were with her - they were concerned for her when they thought she was entering dangerous territory with her situationship with Eli, and supportive towards her when it came to her familial struggles with her brother. On the other hand, Eli's friends and business partners were just as involved in his life as Rue's friends were in hers - they checked in on him, and almost always tried to talk some sense into him, even when it was not the best advice or uncalled for commentary. His friends were definitely focused on the business acquisition when it came to their conversations, so they fall slightly lower on the supportive scale when comparing friend groups.

Eli and Rue's backgrounds were heartbreaking and intriguing at the same time - they both went through so much at young ages, and seeing how that impacted their current lives created much more fleshed-out characters than what I had expected from this book. Eli was so incredibly obsessed with Rue throughout this entire book, and it was low-key so funny to see her ignore him - we love women in male-dominated fields! In all seriousness, it was fun to see the female lead be the grump in the relationship, and to have such a gold retriever male lead follow her around no matter what was refreshing. Their spicy scenes were also top tier, and good lord Eli had my jaw on the floor.

This was a fun read that unexpectedly got very deep at times, while still maintaining an air of comedic relief. You will breeze right through this book and experience a whirlwind of science, secrets, and a touch of spice. I definitely would have loved to see Eli and Rue's relationship develop a little bit more before the epilogue, but it became a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend this romance if you are looking for something fun and not afraid to lean towards erotic romance rather than the typical contemporary romances Hazelwood appears to have leaned towards.

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Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2) by Hannah Grace Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Icebreaker on my blog, now!

I was a bit skeptical to go into this interconnected standalone sequel considering how I felt about Icebreaker, but I was so incredibly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. Hannah Grace's writing definitely improved, and the forbidden romance was one hundred times more interesting to read about compared to the friends with benefits trope that Anastasia and Nate had in Icebreaker. Russ and Aurora's backgrounds are also leagues above when it comes to drawing the reader in and making them feel for the characters. Obviously, we do not want our characters to have suffered, but the raw emotions that both leads were able to portray were complex and well-developed.

Aurora's personal life was so interesting - I did not expect her to have such a complicated relationship with not only her father, but also her mother. Considering her father's business ventures and celebrity-esque status, I was worried that the author would not be able to incorporate it into her struggles in the book. However, Grace was able to truly create a family dynamic that weighed on Aurora's personal life, as well as create her father as someone that readers grew to despise as the story went on. Even with their limited interactions, I felt as though I would recoil from the way that he spoke to Aurora and the expectations that he would set for her even though they were not nearly as close.

That being said, the home life of Russ is just as convoluted as Aurora's, and honestly has much higher stakes but in a different sense. Without revealing the exact issues that riddle Russ and his father, I can say that Russ receives just as much pressure from his father as Aurora does from her. The sibling dynamic with Russ and his brother is much different compared to Aurora and her sister's relationship, and the author was able to show two sides of sibling interactions this way - supportive for Aurora and manipulating for Russ. I could have read even more about Russ and his brother's relationship as I found it really elevated the development that Russ experienced.

Russ and Aurora's forbidden relationship was fun to read - there was a sense of urgency and secrecy as you read the book, and knowing that they were both at risk of being fired the entire time made it all the more juicy to watch play out. Watching them constantly run around and hide in every nook and cranny at this summer camp had me cackling, and it was refreshing to see how much Aurora and Russ cared about one another from the beginning, rather than this being a summer fling turned something more at the very end. Their spicy scenes were low-key wild and so much better than the ones in Icebreaker - they were also well-placed out in the book and did not overwhelm the overall plot of the book.

This installment has renewed my faith in Hannah Grace's writing, and while this is still technically a hockey romance, it did not feel like it. While you do not need to read Icebreaker in order to read Wildfire, I would say you can read it for the background of the school and how important their hockey team is, but it could be skipped in all honesty. Wildfire provides readers with a steamy, emotional, and fun summer romance that will have you wishing you were at the camp too.

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The Score (Off-Campus, #3) by Elle Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Deal (Off-Campus, #1), The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2), and The Chase (Briar U, #1) on my blog, now! You do not have to read the Off-Campus series before the Briar U series, but it does include characters and relationships that may be spoiled for you.

With pictures flying around online of the filming of The Off-Campus television series for Amazon Prime, I wanted to continue on with this series and see where Kennedy took readers next with Allie and Dean. Considering everyone on BookTok raves about this couple, it was only a matter of time before I fell victim to this book. I remember enjoying Dean in the previous two books, but he somehow became unbearable at times in his own book? I understand that his past relationship caused a lot of emotional turmoil for him and that is why he is upfront about only hooking up, but good grief he feels so misogynistic at times it is insane. It always felt as though he spoke about girls like they were objects, and it does not help him that the author seems to love to incorporate that behavior in every single one of her male leads.

Allie and Dean have a crazy amount of chemistry, I will give them that. To no surprise of anyone, the friends with benefits turning into feelings for one another trope in this book is quick to develop for both parties, and we spend the remaining 75% of the book watching painfully as they dance around one another. They would speak to each other for about two minutes and then would climb each other like the monkey bars for hours on end and chapters on end - there were moments where I never thought it would end. Sure, that was their arrangement, but it got old after the first five times. The plot felt as though it was in a standstill when it actually came to their relationship - we saw them development in their own separate plots, but when they were together, it took a much longer time for their combined development to take shape.

The recurring characters from the prior books are fun, but honestly it felt as though they were having the same conversations over and over again. Allie's friends would warn Dean not to go near her, and Dean's friends would tell Dean not to go near her - I fear would could tell what kind of guy Dean was just from that fact alone. It was nice to see the relationships continuing on, but I felt as though I saw Hannah and Garrett more than I was seeing Allie and Dean at one point - they were everywhere. I did think that Dean's little side plot was much more interesting than Allie's side plot - Dean's engagement with the kids hockey team kept my attention longer than Allie's internal dilemma of auditioning for acting roles. We could actually see Dean go through a personality change, whereas with Allie, she was just going back and forth between theatre and silver screen.

I was really hoping this series was going to turn itself around for me, considering how I felt about The Mistake along with the fact that everyone and their mother seems to be obsessed with Allie and Dean's relationship. Most people are probably not reading these books for the plot, especially this installment, but boy oh boy I wish there was a more solid story going along with Allie and Dean's relationship as a whole. Dean did have some solid character development, but it took a long time and lots of mistakes on his part to turn himself around. If you are in search for a hockey romance that goes by quickly and is easy to read, the Off-Campus series could be calling to you.

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Summer's Kiss (The Boys of Ocean Beach, #1) by Angel Lawson Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I downloaded this from a Stuff Your Kindle day a long time ago, and now that the weather has decided to lighten up, I figured I needed to make a dent in my summer romance TBR. I do not read too much reverse haram or why choose romance books, but this one definitely took me by surprise. I thought that Summer would be drawn to one boy and the rest would become somewhat of background characters, but that is certainly not the case for this new adult romance. To be honest, I did not even realize it was a reveres harem - I thought she would pick one boy after multiple books and a five-way love triangle (love pentagon?). Personally, if I found out a group of described beach bums only hooked up with girls in the summer and had a pact, I would be running for the hills.

The boys - Justin, Whit, Pete, and Nick - are a little... forgettable. There was never a moment where I found myself more drawn to one of them and they were all pretty subpar in my eyes. You could easily tell that this book must have originally been written for Summer to end up with one single romantic interest, given the amount of page time one of the boys receives compared to the others. Lawson definitely should have done some more revisions with her editor since you almost start rooting for the other boys to just disappear and let Summer and who I imagine the original love interest was to go off into the sunset together.

Summer's relationship with all of the boys is mostly on an individual basis - they are not really a "group" so to speak. She basically has four boyfriends but the boyfriends aren't boyfriends with each other, if that makes sense. I wish the author either stuck with the reverse harem trope or abandoned it, as it feels half-finished and not enough time was dedicated to develop their relationship as a full group. Outside of just being around one another, the boys really do not have a ton of interaction on page, and readers are basically only shown each boy having their little moments with Summer alone.

I think this would have worked a lot better if this was not a new adult/high school romance but rather a college romance - they all seem very immature, and considering Summer's most recent relationship, it definitely would have benefited from some maturity. The side plot with her author mother was interesting, but for a romance book, it took up a lot of page space when the author could have been deepening the relationship between Summer, Whit, Pete, Justin, and Nick. I will probably finish this series if I need something quick to read, but if you are looking for a fast read with lots of PG-13 moments, this could be the series for you. Much like the Summer Unplugged series by Amy Sparling, this romance book plays it safe when it comes to the actual romance portion of the plot.

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Icebreaker (Maple Hills, #1) by Hannah Grace Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I finally caved... after waiting weeks for this to become available on Libby, Icebreaker landed on my shelf and I began the journey to see what has everyone up in arms about on TikTok. Why on Earth does this book take place in California?? It feels as thought it should take place in a colder state, like Colorado. Nevertheless, I continued to read on and ignore that fact. The storyline of this book felt a little stagnant - you would think that the plot would move forward, but then more spicy scenes would get thrown in the middle since the characters wanted to have some stress release. I wish there would have been more development of the story - sure, Anastasia was going through some stuff and she did have some more memorable moments, but my overall feeling after finishing the book felt as though it did not leave a memorable impression.

Nates perspective chapters were honestly the highlight of this book for me - he was funny and made Anastasia realize a lot of things about herself. He was able to help her do some self-reflecting and also come out of her shell. His plot line was basically "I want to sleep with her, now I want to be with her, now I want her to do some self-reflecting." I will say, it did not feel as though he had an actual arc throughout this book, but was more of a supporting character to help Anastasia do the most of the character development.

The smut in this book went from PG-13 to whacky in about three chapters, and all I have to say is that if I was the Uber driver during that scene, I would have charged them through the roof. I genuinely could not believe my eyes, and I have read nearly everything under the sun. It just felt unrealistic, and to be quite honest, not comfortable at all. This book definitely depended a lot on the chemistry between the characters, which felt somewhat conflicting since Anastasia does not want a relationship and is perfectly content with just having a friends with benefits situation with Nathan.

Aaron is such an annoying character, I was so agitated every single time that he showed up. He was horrible to Anastasia, and constantly was digging deeper holes and making situations so much worse with every word that came out of his mouth. His is conceded, self-absorbed, and does not understand that there are consequences to his actions. Aaron's presence throughout this book is solely to make readers want to pull their hair out, while simultaneously making Anastasia realize that he is not the skating partner she thought he was.

The hockey team was present as a surface-level group of side characters, and it would have been great if they were more involved. There were a select few that had a few shining moments, but I would have loved to see them truly form bonds with Anastasia rather than just interact with Nate and do some of his bidding. If you are looking for a quick read that is more for vibes than for plot, then Icebreaker could be for you. I may choose to continue on with this standalone series, but to be quite honest, the writing and development does not show promises of improvement.

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Throttled (Dirty Air, #1) by Lauren Asher Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Lauren Asher I forgive you for The Fine Print... I was hooked into this book by the second chapter and considering I have never read a F1 romance book before, I certainly did not know what I was getting myself into with this series. When Maya's brother, Santiago, announces that he has signed a contract with a major F1 team, she does not expect to form an unexpected bond with her brother's rival, Noah Slade. As Santiago and Noah continue to clash - mostly in a one-sided rivalry on Noah's part - Maya is slowly acclimating to the F1 lifestyle and traveling for races.

Temptation runs high as Noah's notorious playboy past haunts him at every turn, while Maya's innocence to the reality of F1 only draws him toward her more - at with much more at stake than winning races, they have to decide if getting together is worth the risk of angering Santiago or putting Noah's future on the line. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the will-they-won't-they foreplay they had going on, as it felt very natural and had a great comedic presence that alleviated some of the more heavier aspects of the story. The progression of their initial interest in one another, to the attempts to stay away, to having this forbidden friendship turned relationship felt well-paced at first, but I do have to say I think their romantic relationship felt much more rushed.

Not for nothing, while Santiago seems to be a very great older brother, I did start to feel as though he did not understand that Maya was more than just his sister following him around the world for races - she was making a name for herself and building an online presence with her videos. He continues to "talk down" to her throughout the book, and it honestly put a sour taste in my mouth when he would make small remarks about her needing to do more with her life than just "follow him around" and that she "needs to find a real career" when she was gaining hundreds of thousands of subscribers on her channel.

The backstory for Noah was interesting and truly added depth to his character - a lot of focus was placed on his past experiences and how they impacted his competitiveness and responsiveness to his father. Watching him set boundaries or open up to others throughout the book was refreshing, considering the majority of the time we see the male leads stay emotionally suppressed. With Maya, readers gain a first-hand account of what Noah has to go through, and as we learn information at the same time or right before Maya uncovers it, it puts us into the emotional setting that the characters are in.

Maya seemed a bit naive, and with her new to the world of F1, I could see how she had trouble navigating this new environment while being on her own - that being, with her brother by her side - could cause her to be unsure of herself. Her as a character grew on me, and as she found more self confidence, she started to blossom into a more mature version of herself. I do think the forbidden romance aspect with adults can be a little overboard at times, considering both Noah and Maya are perfectly capable of entering a relationship with anyone's insight, but I am a sucker for it anyway.

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Funny Story by Emily Henry Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can also read my review of Book Lovers on my blog, now!

I picked this up unexpectedly as I wanted to use up store credit at my local bookstore - I did not have the faintest idea of the book's plot, but since I enjoyed Book Lovers so much, I figured I would add it to my cart. Emily Henry seems to have such a way with writing unexpected pairings, and I found myself totally sucked into the absolutely insane predicament that Daphne and Miles were thrown into - I cannot even imagine being in their shoes. With relationships in shambles and exes off galavanting with each other, Miles and Daphne find themselves as roommates when their respective partners abandon them for one another.

Seeing how Miles and Daphne seem to have opposite personalities, their sudden living arrangements causing them to live one room over from one another proves to be more entertaining than either of them imagined. With an unconventional plan to make their exes believe there is something more going on between them than meets the eye, they form an unlikely alliance in order to make everyone believe that they are doing just fine. This was such a fun concept to me, and as a lover of the fake dating trope, I knew I was going to eat this book up as soon as I realized what was going on.

Daphne's relationship with Patrick was always playing it safe and following his lead, whether it came to working out together, spending time with his family, or eating certain foods. It felt as though Daphne could not be her own person in their relationship, and from an outsider's perspective, it was a relationship that was destined to fizzle out one way or another. Miles and Petra's relationship mirrored Daphne and Patrick's, in the sense that Miles was longing for something more while Petra was determined to have Patrick fall into the same ways as her family. While we do not get a super in depth look at both of the relationships, it is clear that they were on roads headed south, and it was only a matter of time before they fell apart.

I loved how much Miles was able to make Daphne come out of her shell and finally start living her life - from what we saw from her relationship with Patrick, the man was holding her back from experiencing everything life had to offer. And for a woman in her thirties, she certainly should have been taking advantage of her youth and exploring the area. On the other hand, Daphne's influence on Patrick when it came to sticking up for himself -- and often times, sticking up for Daphne -- showed how much he was able to mature and really take a look at his life.

If you are looking for a fun, fast-paced romance, Funny Story is in the cards for you. I do wish there were a few less pop culture references, only because I felt like they date a book and it gives off millennial vibes to me. Some plot points felt as though they were repeated from another one of Henry's works, but I still had an absolute blast reading this book, and can't wait to dive into another one of her works.

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Lead (Stage Dive, #3) by Kylie Scott Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Lick and Play on my blog, now! Lick is now available to stream on Passionflix.

Jimmy has also intrigued me as a character since his introduction in Lick, so I was excited to see how he developed in his own story and how he would welcome the idea of a romantic interest in his life. Since I am a sucker for the personal assistant trope, I knew this book would keep me hooked, especially considering Jimmy is not the picture perfect man - he has his ups and downs, which makes him all the more interesting to read about. When Lena ends up as his personal assistant, she certainly does not expect it to be as intense as Jimmy makes it for her.

Lena wants to keep everything professional between her and Jimmy, and seems to be the only person in his life that does not walk on eggshells around him when it comes to his past, and she is the only one able to put him in his place. They have pretty solid banter and while we only get Lena's perspective in the book, we can tell how much Jimmy cannot stay away from Lena, despite his somewhat idiotic actions he does in order to make her stay. Despite Lena's determination to stay professional is definitely put to the test throughout this book, and she has to deal with a lot personally as she manages Jimmy's professional life.

Of the three leading ladies that we have seen in the Stage Dive series, I have to say that Lena is at the top of my list - all of them have their own strengths and compliment their romantic counterparts, but there was just something about the characterization of Lena that was more compelling. Her relationship with Jimmy was one that seemed the most organic out of the other relationships, and as I have said before, I love the tropes in the other books, but this one really takes the cake for me.

Once again, the friendships in this book series really make everything work - the support systems they have solidify the characters and their personalities without sacrificing the romantic development between the main leads. It was nice to see that the other band members went to bat for Lena when she was being wronged, or even when Jimmy was not acting in the best light towards Lena when he was upset at the consequences of his own actions. These books are great when you just need a moment to have a low-stakes romance that you know will work out in the end, but there are still obstacles that keep the story moving.

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Jet (Marked Men, #2) by Jay Crownover Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Rule on my blog, now!

After reading the first book and watching Marked Men: Rule + Shaw, I knew that I wanted to continue on with this interconnected series - I love a tortured leading man, and Crownover does a pretty decent job in exploring a number of serious topics and issues in this series without glossing over the trauma some of the characters have experienced. The premise of this second installment certainly intrigued me - the fact that Jet and Ayden were roommates is a trope that I have only read a handful of times, and I was excited to see where it would lead these characters.

With Jet being a musician and me still riding the wave of the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott as I continue with that interconnected series as well, I enjoyed how much emphasis the author put on Jet's commitment to his music career and band. Often with musician-centered romances, the leading man will either abandon his band in favor of his girl, or somehow decide that music is not the life for him. Jet tells Ayden multiple times how important music is to him, and there are so many instances of Ayden realizing that she misjudged Jet's passions or work ethic because she did not understand what went into a successful music career.

Ayden as a character has me wading somewhere in the middle of she is tolerable and that I wanted to knock some sense into her. I understand that she has been through a lot, and considering what is alluded to in her past, I can see why she wanted to have a fresh start and be away from a family that seemed to only take advantage of her. That being said, she can clearly communicate her feelings and frustrations when necessary, so it was somewhat annoying to see her abandon her way of effectively communicating in place of passive aggressive comments and avoiding conflict when it was staring at her in the face.

Jet was a more well-rounded lead compared to Rule, in my opinion. Rule felt more reckless and temperamental compared to Jet, and it was nice to see a male lead that was at least able to regulate his emotions. Sure, both of them have gotten into their fair share of brawls and fist fights, but for different reasons and caused by different circumstances. Jet seems to play the long game whereas Rule acted in the moment, and it is a defining feature that separates their characters and personalities. I enjoyed how much Jet was ready to go to bat for his passions and career, while also recognizing that his actions affect other people - especially when it came to his relationship with Ayden and the complicated feelings that had for one another.

Rule and Shaw make a number of appearances throughout the book, and I would recommend reading this series in order if you do not want to be spoiled for the events of Rule. I enjoyed the callbacks to prior events, and Crownover was able to sprinkle these into Jet without overtaking Ayden and Jet's stories. For this book, we definitely saw more of Jet's support system in place of Ayden's, and while hers was still present, his life and burdens definitely kept the story moving along for me compared to Ayden's plot lines. Sure, Ayden's trials and tribulations were certainly burdensome and taking a toll on her, but I wish it was not mostly thrown into the book over halfway through.

If you are looking for some new adult college romance that tackles a number of issues while still incorporating a solid romance, this series is right up your alley. These books are quick and easy to read - a perfect series to dive into if you are in need of serious drama and fun, messy romance.

 

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