ARC Review: Checked Into Love (Evergreen Cove #2) by Brooklyn Hart
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Series: Evergreen Cove #2
Author: Brooklyn Hart
Published Published January 17th 2026
Goodreads Synopsis
He's all in. She's all walls.
Ryan "Mac" MacKenzie has been in love with librarian Rachel Horn since the moment he walked into her library with too many flowers and zero chill. She's brilliant, beautiful, and thinks he's a chaos tornado in hockey skates—which, fair. But when she agrees to coffee, Mac knows he's found his forever.
Rachel has been burned before. Publicly humiliated by an ex who called her "too boring" for his exciting life. So when the Eagles' most enthusiastic player pursues her with grand gestures and genuine heart, she wants to believe it's real. But men like Mac don't stay with women like her. Do they?
Just as Rachel starts to trust in their future, a ghost from her past arrives in Evergreen Derek Matthews, the hotshot sports PT who mentored her ex and convinced him to dump her. Derek's in town to destroy the Eagles' beloved physical therapist Ellie Hansen's reputation—and he's more than willing to use Rachel's insecurities against her to do it.
Mac will fight for Rachel. But can Rachel fight for herself?
A small-town hockey romance opposites attract, he falls first, forced proximity, a cinnamon roll hero who's all in from day one, a heroine learning she's always been enough, meddling teammates, and a villain readers will love to hate.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.
Seeing how his best friend has been changed by the better in love, Ryan "Mac" MacKenzie is ready to take a leap and tell the beautiful librarian Rachel Horn that he likes her and would like to date her. Rachel's only been in the town for a few months, but he's drawn to her like never before. Mac knows he'll have to work hard, but he didn't expect that Rachel's past would leave her so scarred. For Rachel, Evergreen Cove has been a welcome escape from the whispers and pitying looks she received when her former fiancée publicly dumped her. She has been quite happy in the friendships she's made so far, and as much as she is scared to allow someone into her heart again, she wants to trust Mac. But then someone from her past makes a return, and threatens to ruin her happiness right as it's starting.
When we saw glimpses of Rachel and Mac's budding romance in Offside for Christmas, I knew their story would be a fun one. I will say, the book took some twists and turns which I wasn't quite expecting, being slightly darker and dramatic than the previous book had been. I liked both the main characters, and for the most part, they had a really great romance. However, there were some times when I got a bit annoyed with the actions of the pair, and though it was somewhat understandable that they were so guarded, it was a little repetitive how Rachel's past kept getting in their way. I definitely liked the continuing plot line from the previous book, and seeing the way that the whole community, but especially Mac, Rachel, Cole, Ellie, Sophie, and Jamie, worked together to win. Sophie and Jamie's story will be fun, especially with a fake dating trope - I'll definitely keep my eye out for that book.
Dates Read:
January 16-17, 2026
Rating
3 Stars
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