Sophie Reads YA: 4 Stars

ARC Review: I Hate My Pucking Neighbor (The Chicago Hawks Hockey Series #1) by Mariah Jolie

10:00

I Hate My Pucking Neighbor
Series: The Chicago Hawks Hockey Series #1
Author: Mariah Jolie
Published February 14th 2026

Goodreads Synopsis
Hannah Blake believes in silver linings, morning coffee, and finding the good in absolutely everyone… even her grumpy neighbor, Ian Vanders.

For three years, she’s waved at him across their shared fence, offered smiles he never returned, and ignored the fact that he parks his obnoxious yellow Hummer directly in front of her house.

She used to think he was a challenge. Now she’s convinced he’s just an ass.

By the time she finally gives up trying to thaw his ice-cold heart, she’s sworn she’s done wasting her sparkle on a man who refuses to shine.

But when tragedy strikes—no, literally—lightning hits Hannah’s home, splitting her roof in half and leaving her with nowhere to go.

With no other options, she reluctantly accepts when Ian’s nephew offers her a spare room… inside Ian’s house.

Now she’s living under the same roof as the Chicago Hawks’ most brooding defenseman.

He’s gruff. She’s glowing. And close quarters have a funny way of heating things up.

Because the longer she’s around, the harder it becomes for Ian to hide the fact that maybe, just maybe, the sunshine next door is the one thing capable of melting all that ice.
Goodreads

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

Seeing the goodness in every person she's ever met, maths teacher Hannah Blake has met her match in grumpy Ian Vanders. Her next door neighbour for 3 years, whenever she tries to make conversation, he replies in grunts or just ignores her presence. If it wasn't for his nephew Richie, Hannah would think that Ian had no redeeming qualities. But then her house is damaged, and she needs somewhere to stay. Ian, unexpectedly, offers to let her move into his spare room, and now they are living together, she gets to see the real Ian, and maybe melt some of that ice surrounding his heart.

I really like grumpy/sunshine romances, and I Hate My Pucking Neighbor definitely met my expectations. Ian didn't like to let anyone other than immediate family get close, and Hannah was someone he could tell would worm her way into his heart if he just gave her an opening. So he kept her as far away as possible, until he couldn't. When her roof was destroyed in a freak lightening strike, Ian was convinced by Richie to let her move in. Seeing them together, allowing themselves to be vulnerable with each other, was amazing. It definitely helped us to understand them both, and see how Ian fell so quickly once he stopped fighting his feelings.

Dates Read:
February 8-9, 2026

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Playing for Keeps (Playing the Game #1) by Nicole Crystal

10:00

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

10:00

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

ARC Review: Dear MVP, You're Ice Cold (Seattle Havoc #2) by Vivian Wood

10:00

Dear MVP, You're Ice Cold
Series: Seattle Havoc #2
Author: Vivian Wood
Published February 20th 2026 by Vivian Veritas Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis
The league’s most disciplined player just broke his own rules.

After a brutal divorce from her powerful ex, Scout Nash swears off athletes for good. She wants peace, purpose, and a fresh start away from the spotlight. Working for the Seattle Havoc seems safe enough until she’s assigned to live with their injured MVP, Silas Huxley.

Silas is disciplined, distant, and impossible to please. His shoulder is a wreck, his patience is thin, and he hates that the team sent someone to manage him. Scout’s job is to keep him focused, make sure he heals, and ignore the way his voice slides under her skin.

She tries to keep her distance. He makes that impossible. One argument turns heated, one touch turns reckless, and suddenly the line between helping him and wanting him disappears.

He’s not the type to ask for comfort. But with her, the control he’s famous for starts to slip. Each touch feels like a mistake he wants to make again. Every night gets harder to pretend it means nothing.

Scout knows better than to fall for a man who’s off limits. But when Silas lets her see the man beneath the ice, she stops caring about the rules.

Once she melts him, there’ll be no going back.
Goodreads

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

After her high profile divorce, Scout Nash needs to find her feet, and quickly. Her marriage left her scarred, and Scout knows it's going to take some time for her to feel like her old self. Getting a job working for the Seattle Havoc hockey team was not what she expected it to be, especially when she is asked to move in with star player Silas Huxley, who's recovering from injury and surgery, and is at risk of pushing himself too soon and too hard, and causing career ending issues. Silas is in pain, and not just because of his recovery. No, he turned Scout down years ago, and had to stand by while she fell for her ex - who just happens to be his manager. So now having to share his apartment with her, with Scout doing everything she can to help his recovery go faster, it's hard. But definitely worth it!

This book was great. I knew when we met both characters in the previous book that their history would be special, and it was. Where Scout was so sweet and tried to help everyone, Silas was an iceman, keeping everyone apart from his brother's at arms length. One of the best things about this story was seeing Scout recover from the hurt and self loathing her ex caused her. Her best friend Juliet managed to help her get her job with the Havoc team, but her role was basically as a general dogsbody, making life for the team and coaching staff easier. What she really wanted was to use her kinesiology degree to help the team with their PT, and ultimately become a yoga instructor. When Silas found this all out, he moved heaven and earth for her. He definitely fell the hardest, and their romance was swoon worthy. Roll on book 3!

Dates Read:
January 31, 2026

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Crossing the Line by Kelly Jamieson

10:00

Crossing the Line
Series: None
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Published January 12th 2025 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Rule #1 Do not cross the line with best friend’s sister

Ben
On the ice I’m formidable, relentless and I lead by example. Now my coach wants me to step up as Captain – and lead the team off the ice too. But this is my worst nightmare; I’d rather play hockey naked than do any kind of public speaking! To make matters worse, my best friend’s sister has shown up out of the blue to live with us temporarily. We have a history… it’s awkward, she’s starting to invade my fantasies and I can’t seem to escape her. But maybe she could be the answer to my problems…

Mabel
Moving in with my brother was not part of my life plan, but I have no choice at the moment. I need to get away and start my life over. I just wish I didn’t have to share the condo with Ben. I thought I’d buried my teenage crush, but seeing him all the time has me fascinated with him all over again! But now he’s asking for my help to be more outgoing and confident, and basically fake it until he makes it. Sure I can help, but that would mean a lot of time alone. I need to stay strong and resist the obvious temptation...
Goodreads

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

As his career has progressed, it makes sense that Ben Antonov is being put forward to captain his team. The only problem is that he's a huge introvert and the idea of public speaking or being that sounding board to bolster the team is a nightmare for him. And then to make matters worse, his roommate's little sister is moving in, and they have a history. Mabel Smits thought she had gotten over the hurt of being rejected by her brother's best friend, Benny, when they were younger. But now she's had to flee her home and ex, and move in with her brother, Malek, and Ben. The feelings come back and hit her like a truck, and Ben asking for her help to make him more sociable is not going to help at all!

Hockey romance: check! Brother's best friend: check! Childhood crush: check! Okay, sign me up! Crossing the Line is my first book by Kelly, but my god, it will not be my last. As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I was in, and I was hooked from the first page. Both of the main characters were so compelling, and the way their shared history was woven into the plot helped us to fall for them even more. It was hot, steamy, but also really emotional and heartfelt at times. Mabel had been hurt by the rejection she felt from Ben all those years ago - he did have a very good reason for it though, so he's somewhat forgiven - and then the relationship she's just escaped had left her with scars. She needed to find herself again, and helping Ben really gave her that opportunity, while also allowing her to feel worthy of love again. Ben was such a sweet character, and as soon as he spotted that Mabel needed him, he was there! I was so invested in their romance, and it was worth it. I can't wait to get my hands on Kelly's next book!

Dates Read:
February 4-5, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Dear #47, You're the Worst (Seattle Havoc #1) by Vivian Wood

10:00

Dear #47, You're the Worst
Series: Seattle Havoc #1
Author: Vivian Wood
Published November 5th 2025 by Vivian Veritas Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis
The league’s biggest hothead just got engaged to his worst enemy.

After escaping a relationship that’s splashed across every sports headline, Juliet Monroe moves back to Seattle and swears off hockey players for good.

Then Seattle Havoc enforcer Hunter Huxley punches a fan on live TV. Now the team’s grumpy, six-foot-six problem child has a PR disaster on his hands, and Juliet’s the only consultant desperate enough to take the job.

They can’t stand each other. He’s all muscle and menace. She’s all bombshell lipstick and cutting comebacks. But the team’s solution is simple: fix his bad-boy image with a fake engagement, smile for the cameras, wear the ring, and live together until the story sticks.

Juliet can fake the smiles. What she can’t fake is the chemistry that crackles every time he looks at her like he’s imagining her in his bed instead of in a press release.

Hunter doesn’t care about redemption. He cares about winning. But living with Juliet turns every fight into foreplay and every touch into a losing battle.

What starts as a contract starts to feel real. Because the league’s angriest player is about to break his own rules… and fall for the woman he is never supposed to touch.
Goodreads

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

After her last relationship showed her that she can't trust a man, and especially not a hockey player, Juliet Monroe has sworn off love altogether. She wants to be able to reclaim her place in the PR world, but it's hard to get the foot in the door as a single woman. Enter Hunter Huxley, Seattle Havoc's enforcer, with a bad boy reputation to boot. He's on his last chance with the team, and needs to refresh his image. After a chance meeting in a bar, in which Hunter and Juliet look very close, it's seen by the team that they have a chance at redemption if they pretend to be engaged. And after all, when has a fake romance every gone wrong?

This was a hefty book, but I couldn't put it down. Both Hux and Juliet were great characters, will such compelling backstories that I needed to know more about them. Neither had had it particularly well in life, and they were very slow to trust anyone with their hearts. I loved the way the pair went from enemies, to begrudging friends, to lovers, with everything dealt with so well. They had known each other in college, but Hux's jealousy turned Juliet into a laughing stock, and it was definitely a uphill struggle for him to regain her trust, and her love. A great book, I look forward to reading more from this author.

Dates Read:
December 11-12, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Red Card (Prescott University #1) by Maren Moore

10:00

Red Card
Series: Prescott University #1
Author: Maren Moore
Published August 12th 2025 by Forever

Goodreads Synopsis
She’s All That meets She’s the Man in this New Adult sports romance about a British bad boy rugby player who’s forced to start over in America and finds an unlikely ally in the coach’s daughter when she offers him a deal he can’t resist.

Leaving it all on the field is one thing. Giving his all to love? Terrifying.

British bad boy Cillian “Kill” Cairney is ruthless on the rugby pitch. After getting a permanent red card from his team in London, the only team that will have him is an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. But the guys hate him, his coach doesn’t trust him, and worst of all? His starting position is in the hands of his coach’s fiery, rugby-obsessed, very off-limits daughter. Not only does he have to earn his coach’s respect, but Kill has to earn Rory’s—and nothing has ever seemed more difficult. That is, until she approaches him with a proposition that could benefit them both . . .

Rory St. James has spent all her life immersed in rugby. Which is . . . part of the problem. She’s tired of being friend-zoned. She wants to get the guy, and to do that, she needs the frustratingly charming Cillian to teach her. But the more time they spend together, the more lines begin to blur. In a game where trust and loyalty are tested, who will be the winner? Or will love be the final red card?
Goodreads

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

After taking his bad boy persona a little bit too far back in London, Cillian 'Kill' Cairney last hope is making it on the rugby team at Prescott University in New Hampshire. However, the rest of the team don't like the fact that he's just walked in and ruined their dynamic, and Cillian's only hope is Rory St James, the daughter of the head coach, and unofficial equipment manager. Rory has a solid friendship with the team, and they trust her and her decisions. So as the two get close, it's harder for them to stay just in the friend zone, without blurring any lines.

This was such a great sports romance! Cillian and Rory had the best chemistry - the scenes where Rory is 'practising' her flirting just showed how great they could be together. Because she had been around rugby her entire life, she's seen as one of the boys and has next to no experience with dating. When she crashes and burns flirting at a party that Cillian is at, she impulsively asks him for help, in return for her helping him connect with the rest of the team. I thought it would be cringy to see, but it was completely perfect for the pair. They started to become really close friends, which was a perfect basis for their relationship. The fact that both fell so hard for each other, and basically skipped the awkward stage in a relationship was so on brand for them. I will say I hated the conflict that appeared towards the end of the story, but the resolution was worth all the hurt and pain. A great start to a series I definitely will be continuing.

Dates Read:
August 18-20, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Puck the Halls (The Chicago Hawks Hockey Series #0.5) by Mariah Jolie

10:00

Puck the Halls
Series: The Chicago Hawks Hockey Series #0.5
Author: Mariah Jolie
Published December 8th 2025

Goodreads Synopsis
Sadie has two rules:
#1 Never date a hockey player.
#2 If you accidentally break rule one, run.

Too bad Liam Stonemore, Chicago’s golden boy and walking sin in skates, doesn’t take rules seriously.

When a gossip-hungry reporter corners him about his “womanizing ways,” he does the unthinkable… points to Sadie and calls her his girlfriend.

Now the cynical bartender who swore off athletes is stuck fake-dating the league’s most charming disaster through the holidays.

He needs a wholesome image.

She needs a foot in the door of her dream job with the Hawks’ medical staff.

It’s the perfect deal—until late-night texts, Christmas galas, and one very real kiss blur every line between pretend and too-damn-real.

She’s still haunted by the hockey player who broke her.

He’s still nursing scars no one can see.

But when the lights fade and the world stops watching, there’s no faking the heat between them.

Because this Christmas, she might just break her own rule…
and fall for a man she swore she’d never touch.
Goodreads

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

Sadie has more than had her fill of hockey player's, and when that previous romance crashed and burned, she swore she would do anything to avoid getting into a similar situation. Working two jobs to make ends meet, all she wants is to work as a sports physical therapist, but it's hard to get into the industry, even with the qualifications. When bad boy hockey player, Liam Stonemore walks up to her and offers a deal - be his fake girlfriend to get the press off his back, and he'll give her an in with the Chicago Hawks team - she doesn't want to say yes, but something about him makes her let down her walls, slightly.

I've loved all of Mariah's books that I've read, and have newly discovered a love of hockey romances, so this was bound to be a good one. Sadie and Liam both had really well written backstories, and I appreciated the way they delved into their past traumas in a safe way. Sadie's ex had also been a player for the Chicago Hawks, so that was a hurdle to overcome, but when he turned abusive, she found the strength to go to the press and show the world just what type of man he was - which in turn destroyed his career, and her chances. She found it hard to trust Liam at first, but he proved time and time again that he was not like her ex, and he was in the romance completely. I liked that the conflict wasn't really much more than a bump in the road for them, and they came together to overcome it all. The epilogue was really sweet, and definitely whet the appetite for the next book.

Dates Read:
November 29-30, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Out of My League (The Royals #1) by Mariah Jolie

10:00

Out of My League
Series: The Royals #1
Author: Mariah Jolie
Published October 31st 2025

Goodreads Synopsis
Forrest “Tree” Barkley is a legend behind the plate.

And not just because he’s the New York Royals’ beloved catcher.

He’s steady under pressure, loyal to a fault, and, according to most of New York, the Royal with the best ass in baseball.

But off the field, Tree’s barely holding it together.

With the season ramping up and his mom’s diagnosis looming large, he doesn’t have time for anything else.

Until one night with a gorgeous stranger gives him something he didn’t know he was starving for… a break from reality.

Ainsley Hansen just moved to town after a messy divorce, hoping to rebuild her life on her own terms.

She’s a total free-spirit, a wildflower in a field of roses. The kind of beautiful that makes one night feel like nowhere near enough.

But one night is all either of them has to give.

Tree never expected to see her again. That was the deal, after all.

He certainly didn't expect to watch her walk onto the field a few days later…

Coach Hansen has one rule: His daughter, Ainsley, is off-limits.

Now the game’s changed.

One night was a mistake.

Falling for her? That might cost him his career.
Goodreads

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

Meeting the love of her life in a bar when she least expects it, Ainsley Hansen is reluctant to let Tree Barkley into her heart. Wanting only to spend one night with him, to help her get over her ex and kickstart her rebuilding her life with her newly discovered father and brother, she never expects to see Tree again, but he happens to play for the New York Royals baseball team, the very team her dad coaches. Forrest "Tree" Barkley's life is crumbling around him. His mother's cancer diagnosis has turned terminal, and he and younger sister Pim are facing the unimaginable. He's trying to stay strong, but around Ainsley, he's found he can be vulnerable. Are they both willing to risk it to be together, or have they been burnt too much in the past.

I loved Foul Play when I read it in the summer, so when this one appeared on BookSirens, I knew I needed to read and review it. Tree is River's best friend (from Foul Play) and one of the players for the New York Royals. He's quite used to women taking him up on his offers, so when Ainsley doesn't immediately fall at his heels, it's quite refreshing. They are both great with each other, and I loved the way that Ainsley really connected with Tree's family, and with the rest of the Royals. She might have lived a very different life with her mother, and ex-husband, but she discovered her true self in New York. There was a third-act breakup, which I wasn't a fan of, but the conclusion was worth it.

Dates Read:
November 25, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: The Holiday Fakers (Hideaway Harbor #2) by Evie Alexander

10:00

The Holiday Fakers
Series: Hideaway Harbor #2
Author: Evie Alexander
Published November 7th 2025 by Emlin Press

Goodreads Synopsis
One fake boyfriend. One bed. One very complicated Christmas.

Piper
I promised my mom I’d bring a boyfriend home for the holidays.
I did not mean Brody King—Hollywood heartthrob, tabloid trainwreck, and the reason I have a folder of fantasy fan art I’ll take to the grave.
He’s also my brother’s best friend and the man who ghosted our small town (and me) twelve years ago.
Now we’re sharing one bed, faking a relationship, and pretending he’s changed.
The problem? I’m starting to believe it.
But Brody doesn’t do forever.
And I don’t do heartbreak twice.

Brody
The plan was simple: come home, look reformed, and don’t fall for Piper Locke. Again.
Instead, I’m stuck in a snow-globe town with the girl I never stopped wanting.
Piper’s smart, hilarious, way too sexy—and still completely off-limits.
She thinks I’ll leave like last time.
And she’s right. My next job’s a world away from Hideaway Harbor.
But this fake relationship feels dangerously real, and Piper isn’t just a PR fix.
She’s the reason I want to stay.
Too bad I’m the last person who deserves her... and the one person who can’t seem to walk away.
Goodreads

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

Piper Locke never expected that the google alert she set up for her old friend, turned movie star, Brody King, w0uld state she was his hidden girlfriend. She hasn't seen him in over 12 years, and next things she knows she's agreeing to be his fake girlfriend to help him get the role of his lifetime. Brody knows he messed up, and leaving Hideaway Harbor the way that he did, avoiding the only family he's ever had because he was scared, was a mistake. He needs Piper to help him, but hiding his feelings is getting even more difficult.

I always love a second chance romance, especially when there's a brother's best friend element too. This book had it all. Piper and Brody had basically grown up together, with Brody being her brother, Ethan's, best friend. They had feelings for each other, and nearly kissed when Piper was 16, but then Brody left. First he did some modelling, but then he made it big in Hollywood. The last few years have been hard, though. He's had bad press, time and time again, and he needs to change it around before he loses it all. I loved the way he and Piper managed to rediscover their past friendship quite quickly, and they didn't fight their feelings for each other too much. They realised they had lost out on the last 12 years, and they weren't going to waste any more time being apart. The conflict between them was handled so well, and the epilogue was the sweetest! I really need to see more from the Locke family, especially after little Martha's Christmas wish for her single dad, Ethan.

Dates Read:
November 30, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: The Luminaries (The Luminaries #1) by Susan Dennard

10:00

The Luminaries
Series: The Luminaries #1
Author: Susan Dennard
Published November 1st 2022 by Tor Teen/Daphne Press

Goodreads Synopsis
Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you.

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal—and restore her family's good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.
Goodreads

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

After her father was revealed to be a traitor to the Luminaries of Hemlock Falls, Winnie Wednesday and her family have been outcasts. On the edge of society, looked down upon, Winnie lost everything, but especially her friends, Jay and Erica. Now that she's turning 16, she has a shot of restoring her family's reputation, when she takes part in the deadly Luminary hunter trials. She has once chance, and without the training that everyone else has had, she's at a distinct disadvantage. There's only person who could help her, but can she trust Jay not to let her down again?

Well, I'm not sure why I put off reading these books for so long. I adored Suze's Something Strange and Deadly series when I read it way back when, and I can remember when the Luminerd's was happening on twitter during the pandemic. Oh well, I'm here now, and this book was definitely enjoyable. I really liked the world building of the Luminaries, with the seven different family's all being named after the days of the week, and each had their own distinct role in Hemlock Falls. Winnie was a great main character, and her growth across the book was great. She may have lied to everyone about the first trial, but she proved her worth as time went on. I definitely have my theories over the Whisperer, and I'm sure I'll discover if I was right in the next two books.

Dates Read:
October 17-21, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

ARC Review: Auction to Altar (Men of Mill Creek #1) by Elodie Ashwood

10:00

Auction to Altar
Series: Men of Mill Creek #1
Author: Elodie Ashwood
Published May 29th 2025

Goodreads Synopsis
One bachelor auction. One fake marriage. One ex-wife with a grudge.

Now I’m living with the town’s grumpiest vet— and I’ve officially lost control of this dumpster fire. Send wine.

Jake Rivers.

Single dad.

Stupidly, devastatingly, ruin-your-sanity hot.

Mill Creek’s town council gave him thirty days to prove he’s “stable” and “family-focused”…
or lose his clinic.

Lucky for him—he’s got me.

My solution? Fake marriage.

The rules were no feelings. No complications. Definitely no… (ahem) touching.

Then he kissed me.

Pinned against his barn wall. Hand in my hair. Body pressed against mine.

Chemistry that would make my science classroom explode.

Now I'm wearing his grandmother's ring, living in his farmhouse, and every time he looks at me, I forget this marriage is fake… and that I have dignity.

But his conniving ex is manipulating the town council.

She wants Jake humiliated.

Wants to take it all—
his clinic.
His daughter.

If she finds out we’re faking?

He loses everything.

And I might lose the one thing I never meant to want.
Goodreads

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

All Jake Rivers wants is for his daughter, Emily, to be happy, and for his veterinarian practice to flourish. So when the town council decide to introduce a new initiative showing they are family focused, they've got their eyes set on him. A divorced, single dad doesn't fit in with the Mill Creek narrative, and the council are out for blood. Luckily, Jake's best friend since college, Lexie Brown, will not let anything or anyone hurt Jake or Emily, and she agrees to marry him to prove he is a family man, and help get him through the next month. However, the council are being controlled by his ex, and they don't seem to be convinced by the whole charade, so Jake and Lexie step up the PDA - to the point that they are even wondering if it's fake any longer.

As soon as I saw this book on BookSirens, stating it had fake dating, single dad, friends-to-lovers, small town romance tropes, I knew I needed it. The minute it landed on my kindle I dove in, and devoured the whole book in 2 sittings - I only put it down to sleep. Jake and Lexie were the best of friends, and the insight we saw into how they were when they met in college was really good for understanding them more. There was one moment in college when they nearly kissed, but then Jake's now-ex got in the way, and they've been in the friend zone ever since. Once Jake's divorce was finalised, Lexie was there to help him and Emily get through it, and she is probably the second most important person in Emily's life after Jake. I loved seeing the family dynamic between them, and the fact it didn't actually change all that much after the wedding. They were already a family, Lexie just had a ring on to prove it. Jake's ex, Marissa, was such an awful character, and the way she treated everyone she came across - including her daughter - was horrific. The only good part of those interactions was seeing Lexie go all mama-bear on her to protect Emily. The drama was really well thought out, and I enjoyed the extended cast of characters all having a part of play. I really hope we get to see the story between Jenna and Travis because there's a lot of chemistry between them! I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books in this series.

Dates Read:
August 28-29, 2025

Rating
4 Stars