Tough Guy by Rachel Reid– It has been a while since I read a hockey romance and this one did not disappoint. Hockey playing hero Ryan suffers from anxiety and it was handled so well by the author. His love interest is Fabian and Fabian seems to present as gender non-conforming. All in all the story was sweet and sexy and was a great reintroduction to hockey romance for me. This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. Reid hints at another couple that has my interest piqued.
Headlines by Lucy Parker– It’s been a while since I read Parker, I really enjoyed the first three books in this series but then skipped book 4. The main trope on this is enemies to lovers but they aren’t too antagonistic so it worked well for me. Sabrina and Nick are headliners on individual news programs and are forced to work together. There were lots of tender moments and one where Nick hugs Sabrina for 5 minutes that made tears fall from my eyes. By the 30% mark in this book I was very invested in their story and I loved seeing them get their HEA.
White Out by Adriana Anders (pubs 1/28)- I hardly ever read suspense but I have read some of Anders previous works and wanted to give this a try. The book kind of reminded my of Jill Sorenson’s rom-suspense. There is a level of realism to the story. The tension between Angel and Ford was high as they were trying to escape to safety and avoid their chemistry. This book is LONG (512 pages) and at times it felt too long. But it is the first in a series and it was clear that Anders was setting up the next book(s). Angel and Ford get their HEA but there are things left unresolved. If book two is shorter, I will consider reading it.
Have you read Reid’s HEATED RIVALRY? It’s about the ten-year secret relationship between Shane and Ilya (the couple Ryan interrupts making out toward the end of the book). It’s sooooo good—my favorite book of 2019.
DiscoDollyDeb, I have not read that one. I assumed that Shane and Ilya were being set up for the next book. I will have to go back and find that one.
I was so busy writing my comment about HEATED RIVALRY, I forgot to comment on Adriana Anders’s book. There actually is a prequel to WHITEOUT, it’s called DEEP BLUE and it’s in an anthology called TURN THE TIDE, which is currently free in the kindle store. Iirc, the hero of DEEP BLUE is the brother of the hero in WHITEOUT. And whatever happened to Jill Sorenson? I loved her books! She’s gone radio silent like several other of my favorites: Anne Calhoun, Cara McKenna, and someone mentioned that Eve Dangerfield is going to be switching to a different genre and will no longer be publishing books under her current name.
DiscoDollyDeb,
Sorenson was writing under a different pen name, Susan Cliffe, but I believe she is done writing for now.
McKenna stopped writing to focus on her new job and family.
I have no info on Calhoun, but if I find out anything, I will let you know.
I hadn’t heard about Dangerfield switching genres or her intention to stop writing under that name. I respect it though and hopefully she does what is right for her.
Thank you for the update. I realize that writing romances and all the tasks associated with getting them published must be very tiring after a while. It’s just that I’m selfish and would love to read new books from some of my long-time favorite writers. Speaking of which, I just downloaded Eve Dangerfield’s latest, NOT YOUR SHOE SIZE (sequel to ACT YOUR AGE) this morning, and I immediately went to the Acknowledgements page where Dangerfield does confirm that this will be her last romance and the last book she publishes under the Eve Dangerfield name. That means she won’t finish her Silver Daughters series, alas! The second book (SO STEADY) ended on a significant cliffhanger (to the overarching story, if not to the romance)…I guess we’ll never know how it plays out. Oh well, I suppose that’s one reason fan-fic exists.
And back to WHITEOUT reminding you of something Jill Sorenson would write, I see in my notes back when I read Anders’s DEEP BLUE I wrote that it reminded me very much of Sorenson’s category romance, STRANDED WITH HER EX. So you aren’t the only one to detect similarities in their styles. Lol
@DDD I saw that today about Dangerfield and thought there was something unresolved about it. I love her books and the silver daughters series is so good, sad it won’t get wrapped up :( locked box is a regular re-read for me and I’ve read most of her books more than once. Fingers crossed she doesn’t completely pivot styles!
Thanks for these mini reviews, Kini, and the author updates as well.