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jamieb_19's Reviews (274)
Adorable little bonus epilogue for Scott and Kip. Loved seeing Scott get his first proper Christmas with Kip's family.
“I’ve never wanted anyone like this before. I’ve had, I don’t know, crushes. I’ve been attracted to men, of course. Hooked up with men. But you… I’m breaking all my rules with you.”
The time has come - I finally made it back to the first book in the Game Changers series to see how it all started! Of course, I was well aware of who Scott Hunter was and how important he was for all the stories that came after his but I quickly learned that the Scott Hunter I created in my head based on the other guys’ perception of him was very different than the Scott Hunter I got to know during this story. More on that later (hint: he was way better than I ever imagined!) but I thought this was just the sweetest story, Scott and Kip were so cute together and I really enjoyed seeing where it all started.
Scott Hunter is the well-respected captain of the New York Admirals. He’s a great leader, well respected, and values his privacy. He’s also one of the biggest stars in the league so when he’s in the mid-season slump, people start to notice. On a whim, he pops into a local juice bar for a post-run smoothie to try and mix things up. When he ends up having a great game that evening, he thinks there must be some magic in that smoothie and returns the next day. But maybe it isn’t the smoothie but rather the cute barista, Kip Grady, who makes them for him that’s the good luck charm. Scott finds himself uncharacteristically pursuing Kip, drawn to him like he’s never been drawn to anyone else before. Kip can’t believe that someone as famous and attractive as Scott Hunter would ever want to take up with a juice bar barista like him but he’s not about to say no. The men quickly fall for one another and Scott can’t imagine his life without Kip in it but he’s not out and has spent his entire career hiding his sexuality since the NHL isn’t a historically welcoming place for a gay man. Kip is all in with Scott and willing to let Scott dictate the timing of their relationship going public but as time wears on, the loneliness and stress of a secret relationship wear on Kip, and Scott is left having to make a decision that will change both of their lives forever.
If you’ve followed any of my other reviews on this series, you know that I’ve gone completely out of order. I knew the climax of Scott’s book already because it’s mentioned in the others. Specifically in Heated Rivalry when Shane and Ilya witness Scott’s grand gesture and it’s a moment that really changes the trajectory of their relationship. Aside from that, all I knew of Scott was that so many of the other players tease him for being old and boring. Based on that, I was expecting someone serious and not someone who would fall head over heels so easily. But from the first time he walked into the juice bar and was all smiles for Kip, I knew I was very wrong about him. He was a total softie and had such a lovely heart. He may have come off as stoic to everyone else because he kept that side of him locked down so that no one could figure out he wasn’t straight. My heart ached for him over how truly lonely he was before Kip came into his life. He wanted so badly to give Kip the world but there was a lot on the line if the world found out and it took him a long time to find the courage to go public.
I never had a doubt how much Kip felt for Scott, he truly loved him, and I thought that his reactions to having to stay a secret and his feelings of inadequacy based on their very different social/financial statuses were valid and well depicted. There wasn’t any weird drama or miscommunication between these two but the very nature of their relationship provided enough angst all on its own. When they were in their little bubble of Scott’s apartment, things were so good. They had a lot of chemistry and there was no shortage of spice in this one! But it’ll tug at your heart how badly they both wished things could be different without knowing exactly how to make that happen. As I said earlier, I knew how it would all turn out based on the other books, but I still loved reading about it.
This book is very appropriately named, Scott was certainly a game-changer. I know this is a fictional universe and fictional characters but reflecting back you realize how important his coming out was for everyone who came after him. He opened the door for all those other guys to live their truth. I loved seeing in the other books how the other guys, each in their own way, reached out to sort of thank Scott for being brave enough to do that (even if they didn’t let him know at the time why it was so important to them). It was also fun seeing the world’s introduction to Ilya Rozanov! Since I read his book(s) first, he’s already won my heart but had I read this first, I would have been very intrigued to learn more about him!!
Anyway, I can’t believe I’ve only got one book left before I’m done with this series! I’ll be sad to see it go and I’m hopeful we’ll get more books someday. Eric Bennett is last up and I look forward to reading that one after meeting both him and Kyle in this one!
“Like I said, I’ve never dated anyone,” Scott said. “I’ve never… I thought I didn’t need to. That I could maybe live without that.”
Kip heard the past tense in what Scott was saying. “And now?”
Scott exhaled. “I don’t know. I feel like… maybe I hadn’t met the right person yet, you know?”
Holy shit.
“I’m just saying,” Scott said, “I don’t think it’s the smoothies.”
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
...my favorite place to be is and always will be with him.
Eric and Donovan have been best friends since they were kids. Throughout growing up and into adulthood, they were each other’s person and would do anything for each other. When Eric finds himself in a situation where he’s injured and without health insurance, Donovan suggests they get married so Eric can use his insurance. At least until he’s back on his feet and can find another job. They do everything else together, so why not this? It doesn’t have to change anything between them. Except Eric starts to discover he’s probably not as straight as he always thought he was. As he starts to explore that with Donovan, the idea of this marriage having an expiration date becomes less and less appealing.
It’s a tale as old as time, right? Gay guy falls in love with straight best friend and ruins everything. I’ll never let that happen with us.
I thought this was cute. If you like codependent besties, Eric and Donovan have you covered! These two guys were soulmates, even before they gave in to any sexual or romantic desires. It was one of those situations where everyone around them knew they were perfect together and were just waiting for Eric and Donovan to catch up. A major benefit of them being so close is that they communicated so well. There were no secrets between them and very few boundaries. Eric was the type of guy who would just blurt out what he was thinking, and they both loved indulging each other, so it made the perfect recipe for Eric to explore his newfound attraction to guys in a safe and comfortable space. Donovan was a little more cautious only because he’d spent so long making sure Eric never felt uncomfortable by the fact that Donovan was gay. But I loved how Eric always went out of his way to reassure him that he could never be uncomfortable around him.
The story overall was very low angst. Just two besties with big hearts who only wanted to make each other happy at all times. It was sweet and very steamy. Once these two got going, they were pretty insatiable! I loved seeing them figure out they were actually in love. And I also loved the little found family that the Jilted Exes found, there were several great scenes featuring those three and their friends/partners!
"You’ve held my heart since the first moment I met you, I was just too afraid to let myself see it.”
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After listening to Bat Boy, I was quite curious about Maclain and Girard because their sort of frenemies situation was very heavily hinted at throughout that one. And given what I knew of them from that first book, this one was about as angsty as I expected. Maclain was very prickly and went hot and cold in the blink of an eye. He had his reasons, and fear was a big motivator for a lot of his actions. I liked that Girard was one of the few people who was able to slowly chip away at his walls. They had some very sweet moments, and then Maclain would shut down again; this pattern happened for much of the story. But Girard never gave up, and his persistence paid off. The ending was very sweet, actually brought a little tear to my eye in that last chapter. And while the resolution with Maclain's dad was sad, I was glad that Maclain finally embraced the found family he hadn't even realized he had.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story centers on F1 driver Travis Keeping and F2 driver Jacob Nichols, who have been in a secret relationship for a year, when Jacob is involved in a terrible crash that leaves him in critical condition. But since no one knew they were together, Travis is left devastated and begging for scraps from anyone who is willing to help him stay up to date on Jacob’s condition. He’s convinced everything will be okay once Jacob wakes up, but is left heartbroken when that’s not the case. Afterward, separated and miserable, both men set out on a journey of self-discovery and healing that may end up leading them back to each other.
You’re thrown right into the thick of it at the start of this book. We don’t know anything about Travis or Jacob when the accident occurs, and we meet Travis, whose life has just been turned upside down. The first part of the book is told only from Travis’s POV and alternates between him dealing with the aftermath of Jacob’s accident and reflections on key moments from the start of their relationship. It’s angsty and quite sad seeing Travis fear that he’s going to lose Jacob, and desperate for a way to be with him at the hospital. Things go from bad to worse for Travis, though, when Jacob wakes.
The second part is told from Jacob’s POV while he heals after the accident. He’s lost and angry, and regretful over what happened between him and Travis, and he has a lot of work to do on himself before he has any hope of winning Travis back. Then the third part flips between Travis and Jacob’s POV as they start to find their way back together. It’s kind of wild to me that this is a romance where the main couple spends about 90% of it apart from each other. Outside of the few chapters of reflections on their early days, which were cute, there are truly only a few chapters in the present timeline where they’re actually in the same room. I wish we had gotten to see more of either the beginning of their relationship or more of them once they start to reconnect. I just wanted more.
I appreciated the individual growth of both characters, though. Travis was a loner, and his world revolved around Jacob, but once he no longer had Jacob, he was forced to let other people in and ended up forming some great friendships. Jacob had a lot of work to do to get out from under the thumb of his awful family and finally accept his sexuality. There were times when I was quite mad at him, but I thought his character arc was good. I just really wish things between Travis and Jacob hadn’t felt so rushed at the end. For all they went through from the time of the accident and their many months apart, things wrapped up a little too quickly.
You’re thrown right into the thick of it at the start of this book. We don’t know anything about Travis or Jacob when the accident occurs, and we meet Travis, whose life has just been turned upside down. The first part of the book is told only from Travis’s POV and alternates between him dealing with the aftermath of Jacob’s accident and reflections on key moments from the start of their relationship. It’s angsty and quite sad seeing Travis fear that he’s going to lose Jacob, and desperate for a way to be with him at the hospital. Things go from bad to worse for Travis, though, when Jacob wakes.
The second part is told from Jacob’s POV while he heals after the accident. He’s lost and angry, and regretful over what happened between him and Travis, and he has a lot of work to do on himself before he has any hope of winning Travis back. Then the third part flips between Travis and Jacob’s POV as they start to find their way back together. It’s kind of wild to me that this is a romance where the main couple spends about 90% of it apart from each other. Outside of the few chapters of reflections on their early days, which were cute, there are truly only a few chapters in the present timeline where they’re actually in the same room. I wish we had gotten to see more of either the beginning of their relationship or more of them once they start to reconnect. I just wanted more.
I appreciated the individual growth of both characters, though. Travis was a loner, and his world revolved around Jacob, but once he no longer had Jacob, he was forced to let other people in and ended up forming some great friendships. Jacob had a lot of work to do to get out from under the thumb of his awful family and finally accept his sexuality. There were times when I was quite mad at him, but I thought his character arc was good. I just really wish things between Travis and Jacob hadn’t felt so rushed at the end. For all they went through from the time of the accident and their many months apart, things wrapped up a little too quickly.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super cute! Jax Calder writes some of the best novellas, she can pack so many feels into not a lot of pages. I love single dad romances and this novella had 2 of them! It was hilarious that the entire town was trying to basically pimp Jeremy out to Dustin when Dustin moved to town. These guys had instant chemistry, I loved their banter and how spectacularly their fake date to get everyone off their case backfired.
They were so sweet as they got to know each other and there was plenty of spice too as they ended up in a friends with benefits scenario (even though they were actually falling pretty hard for one another the whole time).
There’s a teensy bit of angst near the end that results in an amazing grand gesture!! And another cute surprise at the end. I really enjoyed this one!
They were so sweet as they got to know each other and there was plenty of spice too as they ended up in a friends with benefits scenario (even though they were actually falling pretty hard for one another the whole time).
There’s a teensy bit of angst near the end that results in an amazing grand gesture!! And another cute surprise at the end. I really enjoyed this one!
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very cute, low angst story. I liked how Brady and Kellan crushed on each other as they skirted around a friendship. Brady thought he might be gay but it wasn’t until he started crushing on Kellan that he was able to confirm it. They were really sweet together and I liked how Kellan helped him explore and confirm his sexuality.
They both really liked each other but they had to try and fight if given the no fraternization rule Kellen’s father had. That was the main source of the angst but it was still pretty low angst overall.
I listened to the audiobook and I thought Iggy Toma and Kale Williams did great jobs with these characters.
They both really liked each other but they had to try and fight if given the no fraternization rule Kellen’s father had. That was the main source of the angst but it was still pretty low angst overall.
I listened to the audiobook and I thought Iggy Toma and Kale Williams did great jobs with these characters.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve wanted Brenden Sanderson for so damn long. And I’m afraid getting this taste of him, this tease, has opened the floodgates for me. I’m not sure I can hold back my desire any longer. But I’ll have to keep trying.
When his adopted daughter’s grandparents inform him they’re coming for a visit and make an offhand comment about how nice it would be if his daughter had more than one parental figure, Brenden, in a moment of panic, tells them he’s in a serious relationship. The only problem? He’s very, very single. But luckily, his good friend, Travis, has always had a soft spot for him and agreed to be Brenden’s fake boyfriend while the grandparents are here. What started as fake quickly begins to feel very real, but are they brave enough to finally admit it?
This was a very cute story. It was full of lots of things I love in a romance novel - single dad, small town with quirky/meddling townspeople, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, and only one bed, to name a few. Brenden was so sunshiny and was a great dad for May, but he kept a lot of anxiety and lingering grief locked away because he didn’t want anyone to think he didn’t have his life completely together. I liked seeing him let down his guard with Travis and start to let other people help him carry some of that. I also loved Brenden’s relationship with May. She was a good kid and was a great supporting character in this story.
I’m a fan of grumpy characters who have a secret soft spot for the sunshine character. Travis was so good to Brenden and May, always there when they needed him. It was clear as day that he cared deeply about them, even before the fake dating began. It was only amplified when they started to pretend they were boyfriends. These two were so gone for each other even as they continued to insist they were just keeping up the fake dating ruse. I wouldn’t say there was miscommunication, but there was certainly a lack of it from time to time, as they each assumed what the other was feeling vs. talking about it. But I get why, in their heads, they thought it was best that way. What’s important is that they got there in the end, complete with a pretty epic grand gesture that I loved!
What the heck has gotten into me? No, not what. Who. Travis fucking Reed. That’s who. He’s gotten into my pants and into my head, and I’m not sure how easy it’ll be to get him out again. But it sure would be nice if maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had wanted to read this novella before reading Himbo Hitman, but ran out of time, so I decided to pick it up immediately after. It was fun to see the Perry moments after having read his story!
I've loved Elle since she was first introduced in the Accidental Love series, and it was nice getting to know Margot better. They worked so well together. Elle was a little lost, and I liked how Margot helped her figure things out.
This was a short novella, so things moved fast, and we missed a lot of their relationship development. While I would have happily read more about them as they fell for each other, I enjoyed the bits we got here!
I've loved Elle since she was first introduced in the Accidental Love series, and it was nice getting to know Margot better. They worked so well together. Elle was a little lost, and I liked how Margot helped her figure things out.
This was a short novella, so things moved fast, and we missed a lot of their relationship development. While I would have happily read more about them as they fell for each other, I enjoyed the bits we got here!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I can’t win with you people. First, I don’t kill him. Then I patch him up, say I’m sorry, make him some awesome coffees—”
Lars turns to St. Clare. “Is this guy serious?”
“I’m afraid he is.”
I had a blast reading this book! The idea of a sweet golden retriever himbo, like Perry, taking up a life of crime as a hitman to make a quick buck, but then having everything go horribly wrong, is just so funny. And I thought it was executed so good. Perry was a riot. He may have been hopeless as a hitman, but you just had to love the guy. Just ask St. Clare! Perry shot the guy’s ear off, and he still managed to fall in love with him.
I loved the banter between Perry and St. Clare right from their meet shoot, and it was so fun seeing them fall for each other as they worked hard to get themselves out of the giant mess they were in. It may not have been the ideal situation to find your person, but it worked for them. They were so cute together and had great chemistry. Perry was the kind of guy who would do anything for the important people in his life, and I loved seeing St. Clare become one of those people to him. Perry may not have always made the best choices, but his heart was always in the right place.
“It should be a whole lot harder not to like you than it is.”
“I can see that.”
“So why can’t I hate you and be done with it?”
I also loved all the twists and turns this story took. This book is much longer than your usual Saxon James book and was pretty plot-heavy, but it was such a fun ride. There were so many parts where things just kept happening, and I couldn’t put it down because I needed to see what was going to happen next. And there were so many surprises along the way. Just when you think you may have things figured out, you’re hit with another twist. I loved it. There were suspenseful and action-packed moments, but the humor and chaos of Perry were still there to bring levity.
If you’re looking for a fun book that’ll make you laugh and keep you guessing, you should definitely give Perry a chance!
He’s a fucking disaster, and maybe I should do some emotional soul-searching for why I find that so hot, but I don’t.