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tmadams88's reviews
320 reviews
Renegade Ruin by Hayden Locke
emotional
sad
5.0
Just WOW!!!! An outstanding story that hurts hard as it takes you on a journey of grief filled all the feelings BUT it will also put you back together again beautifully and heal your heart right along with the characters. Pro tip...bring the tissues for this one! And don't worry, in between the tears, there will be lots of heat as the spice is scorching between them.
⚾️Baseball Romance
🏟️Team Owner/Player
💔Grief & Healing
💔Grief & Healing
🧠Mental Health Rep
✌🏻Second Chance
🤫Secret Relationship
🫂Found Family
📖Willow, is the owner’s daughter for the NY Renegades baseball team and Bishop, is the star catcher who she had a one night stand with on NYE. Almost a year later, Bishop is ready to get a new start with Willow but then tragedy strikes taking the lives of the team and Willow’s father. She becomes the new owner which means off limits for Bishop. Now they are both dealing with the loss while Willow is trying to rebuild a team. (If you haven't read the prequel novella, Midnight Renegade, I highly recommend reading that first to see how they met and the one night stand!)
Willow and Bishop. Whew. These two go through the trenches and back with a hard fought journey to love but every step of their progression towards love is so realistic and needed. It is full of angst but also lots of heat as they use each other to deal with what is happening in their lives.
The mental health representation showcased in this book is absolutely phenomenal!!! Dealing with grief is also not one size fits all which Hayden showcased eloquently in this story as both Bishop & Willow are coping in separate ways. I also LOVED the multiple therapy sessions shown on page as well.
Overall, I am just in awe at Hayden’s writing in this book!! It’s a powerful story with phenomenal character development while also incorporating hard topics, baseball, healing, heart, and heat! I am already looking to quite a few characters already!!!!
The Love You Fight For by Brit Benson
emotional
inspiring
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Absolutely OBSESSED with this book on audio!!!! It’s one of those magical performance that makes you feel like you’re watching it all play out like a movie with how will the book was acted out. Sam and Chris’s story is such a compelling storyline that is heartbreaking yet powerful and beautiful at the same time and I cannot recommend it on audio enough!!
📖 Sam is the daughter of a politician helping with her father’s campaign while Chris is a bar owner and works at a car shop in their small town. They know each other from childhood but come from two different social classes and couldn’t be more opposite. When she comes back to town and runs into Chris at the bar, you can already feel the tension and chemistry between them. Their journey is complex and not easy but this story will keep you captivated until the end!!
🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:
WOW WOW WOW!!!! Have you ever read a book and imagined voices for characters in your head? Desiree Ketchum and Austin Stone sound exactly like who’d imagine for Sam and Chris and could not have been more PERFECTLY casted!!
It’s a DUET narration, so you get their voices for their own characters throughout the entire book which just gave LIFE to Sam and Chris even more. For example, their banter in duet…an amazing back and forth delivery that completely captured the essence of their dynamic.
Austin Stone...a new to me narrator who just made himself one of my top favorites! He is an incredible actor who not only brought out all the feelings of Chris but also used multiple distinct voices for each male character in this book that made me think like it was a full cast of male narrators at first. From a gruff tone for Sam’s dad, a creepy older man voice in the prologue that gave me chills and a fantastic South Carolina accent for Ashton. And his voice for Chris? Pure sultry perfection and he completely captured Chris and his personality. I also might have swooned every time he laughed…it is so damn adorable!🤭🫠
Desiree Ketchum was outstanding in this audio as Sam!! She gave so much fierceness to Sam’s personality but on the flip side had so much passion in her voice for all the hard emotional moments as well. And her delivery of that emotion…impeccable!! From the yelling in anger, to the soft tone of sadness and hurt…I felt every note of her delivery as she narrated. Just a phenomenal performance by Desiree as well!!
All that to say…this audiobook is worth every dime and credit!!! A flawless performance by both narrators as they delivered Brit Benson’s remarkable storytelling. This right here is an audio that will be listened to again and again and again!!!
Regards, Mia by Jill Brashear
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Wow, this was my first book by Jill Brashear and this was such an entertaining listen! The storyline hooked me right in with a flirty conversation between a tattooed biker and a strong prosecuting lawyer. They are about to spend one night together…until she finds out he was in prison before. Things take another turn when something causes him to be assigned as her bodyguard.
There is angst, tension and banter between them while also dealing with suspense throughout the whole story! Overall, the audiobook casting is what drew me into this book as Connor Crais & Samantha Brentmoor are my favorite narrating duo but I completely stayed for the fantastic plot that kept me completely captured into the story! I already cannot wait to listen to the other books in this series now!
🏘Small Town
💪Bodyguard
🔥Enemies to Lovers
🥰He Falls First
🤫Fake Dating
🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
This story on audio was just an outstanding listen!! It’s no secret I LOVE Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor narrating together but what made this casting even better was how well they both fit exactly who you’d imagine for these characters! Samantha brought out Mia’s feisty and independent personality while also adding a southern accent to her voice that was so well done.
Then Connor would also use a southern accent when he was speaking as Mia during Jay’s chapters. This small detail made the story flow so seamlessly as you continued to get that southern accent for Mia throughout the whole entire book! Loved that attention to detail!!! Connor also brought all the protective alpha male vibes of Jay to life with his deep and gruff sexy tone that just completely embodies a biker. If you have never listened to him narrate, you’re seriously missing out! Overall, the fantastic performance combined with an alluring storyline, made this audiobook such an enjoyable listen!!
Icebound by Meredith Trapp
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
SO OBSESSED with this hockey romance! After seeing teases of this book for months and months I could not wait to dive in and let me tell you…𝗜𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗘!! One of my top favorite hockey romances ever!
🏒Hockey Romance
🚗Meet Cute
🤫Fake Dating
🏫College Student
💋Reformed Player
🗓️Age Gap
🥰He Falls First
🧠Mental Health Rep
🤍There is so much I loved about Icebound that made it easy to read from cover to cover! It’s got 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 from the start, one of my 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, so many moments that will have you swooning/smiling/laughing, 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗽, a fun yet also loving and supportive dynamic with teammates, and 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺!!
📖The story all begins one night when Rhodes and Nina have a crazy chance meeting situation. Rhodes is a hockey goalie who is 33 years old and ready to settle down while Nina is a 22 year old art student in her last semester of college with big plans when she finishes. Now they both find themselves in a fake dating situation and from there the story has hockey games, raw moments, hot & sexy romance, and life issues plus all the funny and touching moments between teammates! The book is so perfectly paced and everything happens is such a realistic progression that never felt out of place or unnecessary which made it such an easy to read story!!
🧠The mental health representation in this book was beautifully written and incorporated! Nina struggles with anxiety and there were so many relatable moments that just made her feel even more authentic. Add in the support from Rhodes…this man set the standard!!!
✨𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! I easily read it cover to cover and instantly fell in love with everything about the characters and storyline! If you love sports romance at all, I cannot recommend this book enough!!!
Claim Me Forever by A.L. Jackson
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Absolute perfection!! A.L. Jackson hooks me in with her stories every single time but there was something special in this one as I was so completely captivated from beginning to end!! It’s one of those books you will want to literally ditch all your plans and responsibilities to read because you are so entranced into the story! It’s a small town romance with a single dad that has emotion, secrets, tragic backstories and suspense that literally had me on the edge of my seat the whole story!
Small Town
Sheriff
Heroine In Danger
Single Dad- 3 kids
He Falls First
Close Proximity
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Touch Her & Die
No 3rd Act Breakup
Savannah Ward finds herself in Time River as she is on a search for her sister. She is doing a stake out one night but ends up falling asleep in her car. She is awoken by the town sheriff, who is none other than Ezra Patternson. He has a hunch she is in some kind of trouble and offers her a place to stay and a job opportunity. But that is just the beginning!! This story unwraps so many surprises along the way as more and more of the mystery and backstory is unpacked from both Savannah and also Ezra, who has a black band on his finger.
Oh my heart! I just loved Savannah and Ezra!! The progression of their relationship was so well developed with chemistry from the start that gave way to so much amazing banter, swoony protective moments, perfectly incorporated spice and the most adorable nicknames for both of them!! I was falling hard for this Hot Cop and Little Trespasser!! And his three little kiddos?!? The relationship between Ezra and his kids and then the budding connection between them and Savannah…it created so many precious moments that stole show for me at times!
My favorite part of this whole book is the incorporation of all the characters from the Time River series!!! I loved getting to see them all hang out together and how both Dakota and Paisley both loved on Savannah as a friend from the start! These moments are why I love interconnected small town romances!!
This book does have some 3rd person flashbacks but they just completely added to the suspense and mystery for me! They are all different as they dive into multiple characters while also filling in gaps of the past! It was such a fantastic addition that I never knew I needed!
🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
All of the raw emotions, unexpected surprises, and gripping suspense of this story were completely brought to life in this audiobook!!! Zachary Webber and Desiree Ketchum just gave a phenomenal performance in this dual narration and elevated the story with their voices. They both had so much passion in every word they spoke as they took you on this rollercoaster ride of a book!
Zachary Webber is one of my favorites for a single dad romance!! He has the most adorable kid voice for Ezra’s 3 little kids which stole the show for me at times! I mean, he even sings the itsy bitsy spider as the kids…I melted!! He also completely captured Ezra’s personality from his caring demeanor to his protective side. Then there is Desiree who had so much passion in her voice as she makes you feel every single emotion that Savannah goes through and did an incredible job adjusting her tone for each feeling. Her male voice is also incredible!! At one point she had fear in her tone as Savannah, but then switched to a stern male voice and the juxtaposition between the two blows me away every single time as they sound so different!!
Overall, Zachary and Savannah just brought life to this story!!! They’ll have you swooning as they capture the chemistry and heat between the characters, bring a smile to your face with all the little kid moments, and also have you feeling every bit of the unknown suspense, all with their voices!! Just absolutely loved this performance!!
Small Town
Sheriff
Heroine In Danger
Single Dad- 3 kids
He Falls First
Close Proximity
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Touch Her & Die
No 3rd Act Breakup
Savannah Ward finds herself in Time River as she is on a search for her sister. She is doing a stake out one night but ends up falling asleep in her car. She is awoken by the town sheriff, who is none other than Ezra Patternson. He has a hunch she is in some kind of trouble and offers her a place to stay and a job opportunity. But that is just the beginning!! This story unwraps so many surprises along the way as more and more of the mystery and backstory is unpacked from both Savannah and also Ezra, who has a black band on his finger.
Oh my heart! I just loved Savannah and Ezra!! The progression of their relationship was so well developed with chemistry from the start that gave way to so much amazing banter, swoony protective moments, perfectly incorporated spice and the most adorable nicknames for both of them!! I was falling hard for this Hot Cop and Little Trespasser!! And his three little kiddos?!? The relationship between Ezra and his kids and then the budding connection between them and Savannah…it created so many precious moments that stole show for me at times!
My favorite part of this whole book is the incorporation of all the characters from the Time River series!!! I loved getting to see them all hang out together and how both Dakota and Paisley both loved on Savannah as a friend from the start! These moments are why I love interconnected small town romances!!
This book does have some 3rd person flashbacks but they just completely added to the suspense and mystery for me! They are all different as they dive into multiple characters while also filling in gaps of the past! It was such a fantastic addition that I never knew I needed!
🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
All of the raw emotions, unexpected surprises, and gripping suspense of this story were completely brought to life in this audiobook!!! Zachary Webber and Desiree Ketchum just gave a phenomenal performance in this dual narration and elevated the story with their voices. They both had so much passion in every word they spoke as they took you on this rollercoaster ride of a book!
Zachary Webber is one of my favorites for a single dad romance!! He has the most adorable kid voice for Ezra’s 3 little kids which stole the show for me at times! I mean, he even sings the itsy bitsy spider as the kids…I melted!! He also completely captured Ezra’s personality from his caring demeanor to his protective side. Then there is Desiree who had so much passion in her voice as she makes you feel every single emotion that Savannah goes through and did an incredible job adjusting her tone for each feeling. Her male voice is also incredible!! At one point she had fear in her tone as Savannah, but then switched to a stern male voice and the juxtaposition between the two blows me away every single time as they sound so different!!
Overall, Zachary and Savannah just brought life to this story!!! They’ll have you swooning as they capture the chemistry and heat between the characters, bring a smile to your face with all the little kid moments, and also have you feeling every bit of the unknown suspense, all with their voices!! Just absolutely loved this performance!!
Stand and Defend by Sloane St. James
emotional
5.0
This is the 4th and final book of the Lakes Hockey Series but WOW, what a way to end it!!! Sloane just blows me away with her writing every single book as she perfectly combines unique, in depth plots with hockey and crazy HOT spice!! I just absolutely adored everything about Cam and Jordan’s story as it was an incredible journey of growth and love that gave me ALL the feels!
The character development and depth in Camden and Jordan’s story was just phenomenal and beautifully written! Jordan began the story at a dark point in her life but throughout the story you watch her strength grow in reclaiming her life back which was so empowering! At the same time, Camden is just a TOP TIER man who is so supportive in whatever she wants to do (even during the spicy times) while also protecting her at all costs. I loved watching him show Jordan how a woman deserves to be treated as he helps her gain back her independence and freedom! Just a remarkable storyline!!!
There were SO MANY amazing aspects intertwined into this story including all the HILARIOUS puns that had me laughing, lots of found family moments with characters we love from the other books in this series, little swoony moments between Cam and Jordan and OFF THE CHARTS spice! WOW, I didn't think these books could get even hotter!! Overall, it was just such a perfect culmination to this series and could not have been a better way to say goodbye to these characters!
This WHOLE ENTIRE series is a MUST read if you love hockey and spice!!!
Loving Romeo by Laura Pavlov
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
My new FAVORITE book from Laura!! It’s the first in the new Magnolia Falls series and it completely captured me right into this new small town, where I quickly became invested in every character! The story is fast paced and was constantly exciting which made this one easy to read from start to finish! Just outstanding writing!!! I am SO obsessed with both the story AND audiobook narration!
🏘️Small Town
🥊Fighter Romance
🔥Enemies to Lovers
⛅️Grumpy/Sunshine
💗Good Girl/Bad Boy
💙Found Family
This book introduces you to Magnolia Falls where Romeo and Demi both grew up. They are from different sides of the tracks as Demi’s family is rich and owns most of the town while Romeo had a rough upbringing. Romeo has always had his reasons for hating her family, so when she opens a coffee shop right next to his boxing gym, he is not too happy. The story takes you through their developing connection and romance while also dealing with Demi’s family struggles and Romeo’s boxing career.
The found family in this book was just outstanding!! This series is about a group of brothers, but only two are by blood. However, they are each other’s “Ride or Die” and the bond between them is already so apparent! From their incredible texting banter that had me laughing, to the way they love and support each other, I just cannot wait to read each of their stories!! I may already have my favorites including a little Beefcake!
🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor were perfectly casted for this audio narration and sounded exactly like who you’d imagine for these characters! I just found one of my new favorite audiobooks and also a new favorite narrating duo!!! They brought out all the emotion and love in this story and truly had me FEELING all the things through their voices while listening.
Connor’s voice has the perfect deep tone to it for Romeo and he truly captured the persona of a boxer with his voice. Meanwhile, Samantha’s voice is so easy to listen to with a strong yet caring tone to it which completely embodied Demi’s character. Samantha’s male voice is also spectacular and just elevates the female POV!
Connor and Samantha narrating together is my new favorite duo!!! Their voices blended together so well for this dual narration that they sounded like a real couple. It just made this story feel even more realistic while immersing you deeper into the words and characters!
🏘️Small Town
🥊Fighter Romance
🔥Enemies to Lovers
⛅️Grumpy/Sunshine
💗Good Girl/Bad Boy
💙Found Family
This book introduces you to Magnolia Falls where Romeo and Demi both grew up. They are from different sides of the tracks as Demi’s family is rich and owns most of the town while Romeo had a rough upbringing. Romeo has always had his reasons for hating her family, so when she opens a coffee shop right next to his boxing gym, he is not too happy. The story takes you through their developing connection and romance while also dealing with Demi’s family struggles and Romeo’s boxing career.
The found family in this book was just outstanding!! This series is about a group of brothers, but only two are by blood. However, they are each other’s “Ride or Die” and the bond between them is already so apparent! From their incredible texting banter that had me laughing, to the way they love and support each other, I just cannot wait to read each of their stories!! I may already have my favorites including a little Beefcake!
🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor were perfectly casted for this audio narration and sounded exactly like who you’d imagine for these characters! I just found one of my new favorite audiobooks and also a new favorite narrating duo!!! They brought out all the emotion and love in this story and truly had me FEELING all the things through their voices while listening.
Connor’s voice has the perfect deep tone to it for Romeo and he truly captured the persona of a boxer with his voice. Meanwhile, Samantha’s voice is so easy to listen to with a strong yet caring tone to it which completely embodied Demi’s character. Samantha’s male voice is also spectacular and just elevates the female POV!
Connor and Samantha narrating together is my new favorite duo!!! Their voices blended together so well for this dual narration that they sounded like a real couple. It just made this story feel even more realistic while immersing you deeper into the words and characters!
Help Me Remember by Corinne Michaels
5.0
WOW! Perfect audio book castings plus an addicting storyline makes this a must listen!! This book is an incredibly well written story that will instantly have you wanting to know more after the first chapter! It jumps right to the mystery of what happened to her brother, followed by the suspense of what memories will return to her while also incorporating the romance of her past mixed with her feelings in the present. It will make you fall in love with Brielle and the other characters thanks the phenomenal writing of each one! The icing on the cake is the perfect narration of Zachary and Andi as they brought the characters to life and make you feel every emotion in the book!
We Own Tonight by Corinne Michaels
5.0
Ever have a fan girl fantasy of what it would be like to hook up with a member of a boy band? Then this is definitely the book for you!! This book will draw you in right from the start and take you back to a night at a concert with friends. The story then takes you through twists and surprises that will make you feel all the emotions from laughing, to crying and of course romance! It’s one of those stories you won’t be able to put down and just have to know what happens next! Of course the amazing duo of Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber take this story to the next level and immerse you into all the feelings they’re feeling at every turn!
One Last Time by Corinne Michaels
5.0
I didn’t know it was possible to love two people in a book as much as I love Noah and Kristin! Noah has you literally swooning from the start and makes you fall in love with his sweet and caring personality. Did I mention he’s a drop dead gorgeous movie star too? Then there is Kristin who so many can relate to on multiple levels whether it’s friendship, being a mother, navigating divorce or a broken relationship, or figuring out how to be a working mom and juggle life too. She’ll have you routing for her the whole way as she tries to find herself again and open herself to a second chance at love!!