peristome's reviews
111 reviews

Egotistical Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James

funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

I'm surprised to see that a lot of people didn't enjoy this book compared to the last series. Having read Puck Drills & Quick Thrills, I'm so glad Ezra got his own book. Note: This can be read as a standalone, but it does spoil some events from the previous series.

Personally, I liked this one more than any of the CU Hockey ones. For me, the flaws of this book are relatively small. I think it's a little too short (I would have liked some more time for Ezra and Anton to be more introspective about their feelings) and some parts of it made me cringe a little

(like the karaoke scene)

. Overall though, I really liked this book and I loved the characters. If you're like me and love rivals-to-lovers sports romances, give this one a shot.

Precious by Roe Horvat

2.5

Really not sure what to give this. Maybe I'm just not as big of an omegaverse enjoyer as I thought I was (I've enjoyed it in the past). I don't think the book is bad by any means, and the romance is pretty sweet, if a little fast for my taste. I found the anatomy of how things worked

(like the womb doubling as a g-spot, which is so not the case in real life)

to be a bit off-putting as well. 

Puck Drills & Quick Thrills by Eden Finley, Saxon James

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would considering it's an age gap romance, which is not a favorite trope of mine. However, I feel like I'm starting to enjoy them when the youngest person is 25+ (as is the case here). I love West and Jasper's dynamic. They're definitely one of my favorite couples in the series. That being said, this book didn't blow my socks off or anything, but it was a fun time.

This book is harder to read as a standalone than the others, since it concurrently follows the plot of Line Mates & Study Dates, but it could be read as one if you really wanted to. If you like age gap/teacher romances then you should give this one a shot.

Line Mates & Study Dates by Eden Finley, Saxon James

lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

I really liked this book. It's a grumpy/sunshine trope, which I feel like I'm warming up to in recent months. It was nice to see Asher break down his walls and let someone in. So far, he's definitely my favorite character to follow in this series, although Beck and Jacobs are close behind. Kole was cute too, although I felt like his character was a little flat. I didn't hate him, but beyond being pre-med and hating hockey, we don't learn much about him. At all.

Overall, if you like the grumpy/sunshine trope, and you love hockey romances, give this one a shot.

Goal Lines & First Times by Eden Finley, Saxon James

lighthearted slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

3.0

This is a really good book. Emphasis on good. It wasn't great or mind-blowing, but it was sweet and sincere. And as someone on the ace spectrum, I really appreciated the representation. I thought it was well-done, and I liked that the author seemed to actually understand the spectrum as a whole. I've read other books where this isn't the case and it can put a damper on the whole experience. I really liked Cohen too. I can always appreciate a true (but respectful!) himbo.

If any of that sounds appealing, you should honestly give this book a go. If not, I don't think it's a "must read". 

Face Offs & Cheap Shots by Eden Finley, Saxon James

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I loved the rivals to lovers aspect of this book, but something about the rest of it didn't really grab me. It's not a bad book by any means, but everything kind of works out too conveniently. Beck's father does a lightning fast heel–face turn, Beck and Jacobs have almost no conflict (past them getting over hating each other in the beginning), and they all get exactly what they wanted.

That's not a bad thing, just not my thing. In fact, if you like low stakes romances, this would be perfect for you. 

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I'm so conflicted about this book. On one hand, it's not like it's the worst thing I've ever read, but on the other, I didn't really enjoy it at all. I will admit that I listened to the audiobook and I hated how the female narrator did male voices; she was so dramatic, using a pitched down version of her regular voice, and I couldn't take it seriously. Sorry to whoever narrated this book but it definitely dampened my experience.

I also didn't really like any of the characters. I found them all super annoying, especially the main character Jessica. Her frustrating fixation on her college years was incredibly weird to me. I guess I can just never imagine being that obsessed with a period of your life like that. I also hated Eric. It felt like he knew exactly who did it but had to drag it out on purpose. Caro was the most annoying to me of all, though. She was so pompous and stuck-up. I do not feel sorry for her in any way.

I almost wanted to give this book a 1 star rating, but it felt kind of unfair. I did think the mystery was done well, even if I hated the characters. I also really liked the ending. The final line is killer (in a good way).

I hoped I’d never get what I deserved.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Death of parent

Power Plays & Straight A's by Eden Finley, Saxon James

lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

I honestly don't have much to say about this book. I read the first half before I realized that it was part of a shared universe, then once I realized it was, I went back and read the Fake Boyfriend series before finishing the second half of this one. It was a cute book, and the romance was very sweet, but it was also just... there. I enjoyed my time with this but I'm not sure if I'll be back. However, if you like the "brother's best friend" trope (I'm not a fan, which hindered me some), I think you should give this one a shot. 

Final Play by Eden Finley

3.5

I thought about rating each story individually, but then I realized I would be rating them all 3-4 stars, so I didn't see the point. I liked the little insights we got into each couple and where they ended up, but I also felt like the time we got with them was a little short. Additionally, the timeline was really confusing to follow. Some of it took place before Hat Trick, some of it took place during it, some after, and I felt like nothing about it was really labelled properly. I think this could have been made clearer.

Overall, I'm glad I read this, although I don't see myself ever coming back to it. I can finally start the CU Hockey series, though, so that's exciting. 

Hat Trick by Eden Finley

4.0

I was pleasantly surprised while reading this book. This my second favorite in the series after Blindsided. I am not generally a fan of age gap romances, but this time I was won over (since the youngest is well into his twenties). I did feel like their relationship moved a little fast,

especially considering that they only had a one-night stand and then basically three years of no contact,

but they ended up being so sweet I didn't care that much. It's not a big deal, just a little niggle of annoyance.

Jet and Soren were so cute together. I really loved them by the end of the book. If you're looking for a hockey romance (within this series), I'd recommend this one over Deke for sure.