Sophie Reads YA

ARC Review: Fake Off by Terra Weiss

10:00

Fake Off
Series: None
Author: Terra Weiss
Published October 7th 2025 by Autumn Sky Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Days on thin ice… nights on fire.

One fake boyfriend. One bed. And one rule we’re definitely about to break.

Brooks Kingston. My older brother’s best friend. My childhood nemesis. The cocky hockey god who once made my life a living hell… and now kisses me like I’m the only goal he’s ever wanted to score.

The infuriating man is back in Beaver County, nursing a shoulder injury and grumping up the local frozen lake. And thanks to one tiny, inconvenient lie that lands me my dream sportscaster promotion and makes his adorable ailing grandma happy, I’m suddenly playing the role of doting girlfriend to my childhood nemesis.

Fake dating I can handle.

Moving in with him? A stretch.

Sharing a bed with the man who once chopped off my ponytail—and now kisses like sin? That’s where the plan starts to melt faster than the ice beneath his skates.

Between the steamy "just for the cameras" touches and his unexpectedly sweet late-night confessions, I start to wonder if maybe the sparks flying between us aren’t so fake after all.

But when his injury heals, he’ll go back to pro hockey. I’ll go back to chasing my dream. And neither of us is ready to admit that maybe… this is the dream.
Goodreads

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

Fake Off sees former enemies agree to pretend to be together in order to make a dying woman happy. Ever since they were kids, Sydney and Brooks had always had a love hate relationship, which wasn't helped by the fact that Brooks was always around due to his bad home life, and being best friend with Sydney's brother, Jonah. Since they grew up, Brooks has been away from Beaver County, living life to the max, while Sydney has been helping to take care of his meema, Maisie. But now Brooks is back, and Maisie's diagnosis is not looking good. Brooks and Sydney agree to pretend to be together to make her happy, and help Sydney get the promotion she's always wanted. Fake dating will be easy, it's the feelings turning very much real which is the problem.

I love fake dating romances, and having an added element of brother's best friend, just made this book extra special. I was hooked from the very first chapter, where we've got a live broadcast featuring a falling cameraman, an amorous pair of beavers, and some yearning from the resident bad boy. Everyone saw the way that Brooks and Sydney looked at each other, and there was very little hatred in the fiery glances. Maisie was such a hoot, and the way she manipulated Brooks and Sydney into their scheme, and then sharing a bedroom, was magnificent. I was a bit upset by one of the revelations further on in the book, but it was worth it. Brooks and Sydney fell for each other, and they fell hard. Yes, it may have started as fake, but the depth of their feelings was immense. They were just made for each other, and it took a little bit of meddling for them to realise just how much they loved the other person. A great hockey romance!

Dates Read:
September 12, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

monthly summary

September Summary

11:00

4 Stars

ARC Review: Desired Hearts (The Bachelor Pact #2) by Cissy Mecca

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Desired Hearts
Series: The Bachelor Pact #2
Author: Cissy Mecca
Published July 20th 2025 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Parker
All I ever wanted was to be part of a family. But that’s what I have found in The Bachelor Pact.

That's why I’ve moved into the Heritage Hill Inn in Cedar Falls. To help with the renovations and plan my next move.

I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, but sometimes people are meant to show up in your life I guess. Delaney is everything I didn’t know I was looking for. But I made a promise to the guys…Never stay the night.

Delaney
I should know better than to fall for the dirty-talking confirmed bachelor Parker.

But no one said anything about getting stuck in a cozy, snowbound log cabin together and indulging in a scorching, no-strings fling!

Parker Scott may have a reputation as “the nice guy,” but he’s also a ruggedly sexy commitment-phobe who does more than just sweet-talking! So despite the sizzling chemistry crackling between us, I don’t take his flirty innuendos too seriously. And that suits me fine, I’ve sworn off relationships for good.

But everything changed that weekend. Now I’m hopelessly addicted to Parker’s unique mix of tenderness and sin. Was this eternal bachelor perhaps not so sworn to the pact after all?
Goodreads

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

Newly out of an on-again, off-again relationship, Delaney is ready to spend time focusing on herself and her friendships. She doesn't need nor want a man, so why is she finding herself drawn to Parker. Parker is in town to help his friends Mason and Pia renovate their inn, and set himself up to run his own construction company, rather than working for someone else. He made a pact with his friends years ago to always remain a bachelor, because he's seen how parent's romances affected the whole family. However, meeting the beautiful pharmacist and artists, Delaney, he starts to forget his pledge, and being trapped in a cozy log cabin blurs the lines even further.

I immediately dove into Desired Hearts as soon as I finished Fallen Hearts because I was hooked by Cissy's writing. We met both Delaney and Parker in the previous book, friends of protagonists, and it was nice seeing their own story. Delaney became a pharmacist to please her family, but her passion has always been in art, and she would love to own her own studio and teach. Parker is in construction, but working for someone else is becoming more and more of a drag. Helping with the renovation on the inn is just what he needs, and spending time with his friends at the remote log cabin has given him a drive to start out on his own. I really liked how he and Delaney became friends, before they gave into their attraction. They're complete opposites, but somehow it just works. Another one bites the dust when it comes to the pact, and I can't wait to see the others fall.

Dates Read:
July 20-21, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

4 Stars

ARC Review: Fallen Hearts (The Bachelor Pact #1) by Cissy Mecca

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Fallen Hearts
Series: The Bachelor Pact #1
Author: Cissy Mecca
Published March 13th 2025 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Rule one of the Bachelor Pact is Never fall in love.

Temporarily returning home to Cedar Falls comes with mixed emotions. But having to work alongside the distractingly beautiful Pia, hired by my father before his unexpected death to run and restore my family’s inn, is a test I could do without. I don’t need help, especially from a stranger whose delectable body is inviting me to forget the most important rule of the Bachelor Pact.

I learned early on to avoid attachments, and Pia is completely off-limits. I’m technically her boss. Working together to renovate the crumbling inn, I try to shield my heart and ignore my body’s traitorous responses. But Pia's laughter fills the dusty halls, melting my defences and testing my iron-clad resolve. But as each day passes, the thought of returning to my old life as a cop in the city and leaving Pia becomes more and more difficult. Now, with my future and an age-old promise on the line, I'm left wondering if I should finally crack open the door to love I sealed so long ago.
Goodreads

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

NYPD officer and former Army Ranger Mason is returning home to Cedar Falls following his father's death. What was only a temporary return soon turns out to be anything but when Mason discovers he can't just sell his father's crumbling inn, especially not when there's a beautiful woman, new to town, claiming his father hired her to be manager and oversee the renovation and restoration of it all. Mason made a pact with his three friends to always remain a bachelor, but Pia is making it hard to remember his pledge to 'never fall in love'.

I'm going to admit that I was drawn in by the cover on this one, and didn't really read the synopsis when I decided to start reading the book from my kindle TBR shelf. However, I was hooked from the first few pages, as Pia and Mason's first interactions were perfect, and showed how much of a spark and chemistry they had together. I loved how much Mason respected Pia, even when he wanted to hate her, he still knew that she was the perfect person to oversee the renovations. The Bachelor Pact gang were definitely perfectly written for this kind of series, and I know that each of their books will be worth the wait - though I don't want to wait that long. Pia and Mason were just want each other needed at this time, supporting and bolstering each other, while also being safe enough with each other to experience growth and development which was sorely needed. An epic start to a new series!

Dates Read:
July 19, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

September

Stacking the Shelves: September 27th 2025

10:00

4 Stars

ARC Review: Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker

10:00

4 Stars

ARC Review: Big Little Secret (The Brunswick Series #3) by Mariah Jolie

11:00

Big Little Secret
Series: The Brunswick Series #3
Author: Mariah Jolie
Published July 25th 2025

Goodreads Synopsis
There’s only one man who’s ever made me feel completely out of control. And I don’t lose control.

I’d sooner set my hair on fire than admit Dexter Jacobs still has a hold on me.

To everyone else, Dex is a golden retriever in human form—charming, loyal, damn near impossible not to love.

But they don’t know him like I do.

I see through the golden boy act. I know what he’s hiding—because I’m hiding it too.

We have a history that no one else knows about. Not even our nosy ass friend group.

After one blacked-out night in Vegas, a very naked morning after, and zero memory of how we got there… we’re stuck with another damn secret to keep.

Now we’re back in our small town, dodging questions, and trying not to kill each other... or sleep with each other again.

But the thing about secrets is, they don’t like to stay buried.

And keeping them is one thing, but sharing them with someone else bonds you in ways you never asked for, never wanted, and definitely can’t undo.

And the ones Dex and I are keeping… They’re not just messy. They’re fucking explosive.
Goodreads

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

Ever since Harper Parrish moved to Brunswick, GA, it's been clear how much she and Dexter Jacobs hate each other. There's obviously a history there, but they're keeping it well and truly under wraps. So when they return from two separate trips to Vegas, married and still hating each other, it's hard for their friend group to see the problem. The old adage is that there's a fine line between love and hate, and Harper and Dex keep toeing that line.

I knew that Harper and Dex's story would be epic, but I wasn't expecting to love it so much. Big Little Secret is the perfect mix of enemies-to-lovers, with an accidental wedding and fake romance added in. The snarky little comments between the two when they were pretending to be happily married for Dex's new job were hilarious, and I really liked the way he constantly called her 'Viper' as a term of endearment - it suited Harper to a t. The only negative I had about the book is the lack of communication between them. They could've gotten over all of the drama of the last 10 years if they had just sat down and had a conversation about it, but I do understand why it wasn't the easiest thing for them to do.

Dates Read:
August 13, 2025

Rating
4 Stars