Sophie Reads YA

Stacking the Shelves: February 14th 2026

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ARC Review: Inked Playboy Next Door (Men of Mill Creek #2) by Elodie Ashwood

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Inked Playboy Next Door
Series: Men of Mill Creek #2
Author: Elodie Ashwood
Published February 23rd 2026

Goodreads Synopsis
It was reckless. No names. No strings.
A night I've dreamed about ever since.
Now my fantasy lives next door.

I came to Mill Creek to disappear.
New town. New job.
A quiet life where the biggest crisis is a cat with a [nosy] owner problem.

Then the bartender next door came home from abroad.

Tattooed. Shirtless — I mean shameless.
Grinning at me like he knows exactly what I sound like when I fall apart.
Because he does.

He’s chaos wrapped in ink and a dangerous smile.
He's loud when I need silence. Reckless when I crave control.
He calls me wildflower like it's a dare.

But he sees me — not the version I perform for everyone else.
The one who wears black lace under pearl buttons and pretends she doesn't burn when he's close.

I swore I'd never let another man have power over me.
Gabe doesn't want power.
He wants me.
I'm finally learning what it feels like to be chosen instead of controlled.

But the man I ran from just found my new address.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via Booksprout. This in no way impacted on my view.

Dr Lillian Rockwell fled Chicago, and her abused ex, for the small town of Mill Creek, and she is finally finding her feet as a veterinarian six months later. Her colleagues and friends are all kind and welcoming, and Lillian can finally breathe again. However, she can't stop thinking of the steamy night she spent with a stranger when she first arrived, and both her dreams and nightmares come true when she finds out he is her new neighbour, newly returned from Japan, and he is not about to lose her gain. Gabe Thomas has always been known as a bit of a player, but his night with his wildflower before he left for Japan has stayed with him, and he knows that if he finds her, he will do anything to be worthy of her. But meeting Lillian as his neighbour, and new to town, he soon realises there is more than meets the eye, and she is running from something. Will Gabe be able to prove his worthiness, or will he fail her?

As soon as I saw that the second book in this series was available for review, I couldn't stop myself from requesting it. I loved the townsfolk of Mill Creek in the first book, and seeing how Lillian and Gabe fit with them all in Inked Playboy Next Door, I was so happy. Lillian might be new, but she fit with Lexie, Jenna, and Shauna so well. They really became true friends, who had each other's backs through thick and thin. And there were plenty of ups and downs in the book. It was refreshing to see the way that they didn't shy away from pain, and some of the plot lines are clearly setting up for subsequent books. I really hope that Jenna and Travis' book is next - they definitely have the enemies to lovers trope down to a hat!

Dates Read:
February 11-12, 2026

Rating
4 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: The Breakaway (Campus Confessions #1) by Cynthia Gunderson

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February

Stacking the Shelves: February 7th 2026

10:00

3 Stars

ARC Review: Nanny in the Neutral Zone (Gold Coast Guardians #2) by Theresa Papa

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Nanny in the Neutral Zone
Series: Gold Coast Guardians #2
Author: Theresa Papa
Published Published January 24th 2026 by AMPAPA L.L.C.

Goodreads Synopsis
She’s a single mom.
He’s hockey’s hottest bachelor.
When a one-night stand leaves a surprise baby on the goalie’s doorstep, he’s drafted onto a new team he’s never trained for.

Piper
Hurricane Milton took my home, my daycare business, and my stability. When I find myself with nowhere to go, an unexpected offer puts me under the same roof as Chase Maddox. He’s gruff, stubborn, and infuriatingly handsome, but he’s also a man who’s desperate for help. I’m an expert on how to handle tiny humans; it’s the giant, brooding goalie that throws me for a loop.

Chase
They call me the madman between the pipes, the goalie who knows how to protect what’s mine. I don’t do surprises, and I definitely don’t do “feelings.” But when a screaming infant is abandoned on my doorstep with a note claiming he’s mine, my world takes a hit. My teammate’s sister shows up knowing how to calm a screaming newborn, how to handle bottles and diapers like its instinct. What she doesn’t know is what she does to me.

Having her under my roof is a different kind of danger. She moves through my space as if she belongs there, with a quiet confidence that gets under my skin. I notice the way her shirt slips off one shoulder when she rocks my son at two in the morning. The way my name sounds in her mouth when the house is dark and everything feels too close. People say I guard my heart as fiercely as I guard the net, but Piper Stevens is finding gaps in my defense.Are you ready for a sizzling romance as Piper and Chase discover that working together as a team will lead to the best win of their lives?

Perfect for fans of found family, opposites attract, and tender moments that melt even the toughest hearts.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.

Hockey goalie, Chase Maddox's world is flipped upside down when a baby - his baby - is left on his doorstep. He didn't even know that his one night stand was even pregnant, and what is he supposed to do with a baby? His whole life revolves around hockey, and with the injuries he's hiding, he needs to be at the top of his game or else he'll lose his career. Luckily for Chase, his best friend Max's sister, Piper is visiting with her children, and as an experienced childminder, she knows how to care for the new born. After Piper lost everything following Hurricane Milton, she's struggled to find her feet. Caring for little Luke brings back her spark, and moving in with Chase helps her remember what it's like to thrive.

I much preferred this book to book 1. I love the found family trope, and this book did it so well. Piper was such a strong character, who had been hurt in the past, and was struggling to find herself again. She gave her everything for her children, and though Luke wasn't biologically hers, she was his mother in every way that counts. Chase was a bit of a tortured soul, who knew his contract was up at the end of the season, and with the way his body was betraying him, he felt as if he needed to hide every ache and pain to keep his career. Luke's arrival completely throws him, but as terrified as he is, he takes to being a father. Chase and Piper are clearly drawn to each other, and the slow burn to full on love was a great plot line. I'm glad I continued with the series, and really want to read Max and Toni's story.

Dates Read:
January 22, 2025

Rating
3 Stars

3 Stars

ARC Review: Diva in the Defensive Zone (Gold Coast Guardians #1) by Theresa Papa

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Diva in the Defensive Zone
Series: Gold Coast Guardians #1
Author: Theresa Papa
Published Published February 16th 2025 by AMPAPA L.L.C.

Goodreads Synopsis
She’s America’s sweetheart on the big screen.
He’s a Stanley Cup obsessed hockey player.
When they fake a relationship for publicity, whose icy attitude will melt first as a silver-screen diva and a king of the rink face off?

I’m Scarlett St. Clair, Hollywood darling, red carpet regular, and one scandal away from career collapse. The actress whose insurance company sued a professional hockey god for millions. So, when my PR team locks me into a fake romance with Chicago’s fiercest hockey enforcer, Trey Dillingham, he doesn’t care that I didn’t file the claim.

What I get is a guy who smirks like sin and undresses me with a single glance. The world’s watching, but behind closed doors, Trey doesn’t play pretend. He peels away my secrets and makes me wonder if this arrangement is the biggest risk of all? Because I might be falling for the man I never intended to keep.

I’m Trey Dillingham. The grind of the season, the roar of the crowd when fists fly is what I live for. I don’t chase the spotlight, and I sure as hell don’t babysit Hollywood starlets. My life has always been about control, both on the ice and off. But Scarlett St. Clair wrecks my grip on normal.

She’s all glitter and red lips on the surface, but I see the cracks she hides. And once I’ve seen them, I can’t unsee. This setup was supposed to be fake. But with Scarlett, I’m skating a line much riskier than any I’ve ever faced. And the only thing I want to win … is her.

Diva in the Defensive Zone is the steamy first book in the Chicago Gold Coast Guardians Hockey romance series. If you like relatable heroines, sexy banter, and explosive chemistry, you’ll adore Theresa Papa’s sizzling read.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.

Hollywood actress, Scarlett St. Clair, shot to fame at an early age, but her fake "romance" with her former co-star has ended, and she's struggling to find a new role. Spending some time with her manager and best friend, Sophie, in Chicago, Scarlett finds she is drawn to the broody hockey enforcer, Trey Dillingham, who seems to hate her guts. Trey doesn't have time for a Hollywood diva to take over his home and life, especially when she gets injured and he is sued. To help both of them, they agree to a fake relationship for the press, but the line between fiction and reality is thinner than it looks.

Considering ice hockey isn't really a thing here, I've become a little obsessed with hockey romances, and this series definitely drew my eye when I was scrolling through BookSirens. I liked the way the Gold Coast Guardians were a true family, and though Scarlett was an outsider, she was quickly embraced into the group. The writing was definitely clumsy at times, and the story jumped around a bit, which is part of the reason this is only 3 stars. Honestly, I thought about giving it 2 stars, but felt that would've been a little too harsh. Trey and Scarlett were a good couple, and this book is setting the scene for the rest of the series.

Dates Read:
January 18-19, 2025

Rating
3 Stars