Cover Reveal: Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) by Toni Aleo

Things are heating up for the Sinclair boys! With one already in the NHL, Jayden Sinclair is hoping to be next!

This has been the toughest year of my life. I watched my brother go into the draft without me, my mom got divorced, and the weight of my family’s issues is heavy on my shoulders. I feel like it’s my job to fix everything while working my butt off in school and trying to make my game better. I have to go into the draft. It will give my family the support they need, and it will prove that I’m good enough. But to get there, I have to show I can be the best captain for the Bellevue Bullies. The spot is mine—no one can take it. First though, Jude is making me go on a brother’s weekend. Innocent enough, I guess…until I see her. She’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever faced. Not only for my spot but also my heart. It’s hard to ignore someone like Baylor Moore.

***

I don’t lose. I can’t. My dad has bred me to be the best in anything I do. I am driven, I am smart, and I am going to be the first woman in the National Hockey League. No two ways about it. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve been through too much not to have what I want. I know I can do it. I will make my dad proud, and no one will stand in the way of that. That is, until I let him in. He scares me. He makes me feel. And he could very well be the one person who can make me want more than just to win.

We both have the same goal. Victory. But how do you compete against the person you want to win? It’s not easy. Love isn’t something you can control. It isn’t like a puck that can be handled by a stick. No, it has a mind of its own and does what it wants.

Neither of us saw it coming, and we really don’t know if there is a way to score, especially when you’re being Clipped by Love.

Bellevue Bullies - Reading order and purchase links

  

Boarded By Love: My Review - Amazon

Clipped By Love: Amazon (pre-order)

Assassins - Reading order and purchase links

Taking Shots: Amazon - Kindle

Trying To Score: Amazon - Kindle

Empty Net: Amazon - Kindle

Falling For The Backup: Kindle ($0.99)

4 & Counting: free read

Blue Lines: My review - Amazon - Kindle

Breaking Away: My review - Amazon - B&N

Laces and Lace: My review - Amazon - B&N 

A Very Merry Hockey Holiday: Amazon ($0.99)

Breaking Away: My review - Amazon - B&N

The Author

Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.

When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.

She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. 

Connect with Toni Aleo:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen

What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.

Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexuality from everyone. Including himself.

So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.

John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.

And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.

Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.

Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.

I'm always interested when an author kind of changes it up in a series. And yes, I'm talking about the fact that the two main characters are men. It's a risk, but one I like very much.

I really do love books, where the outside world is kind of against the characters getting together, but they overcome the adversary anyway. Though of course the journey isn't that easy. Michael and John used to be best friends and then some. Two teens kind of experimenting, though it definitely meant much more. Until one time the big bad world came crashing in and that was it. They haven't seen each other since and both gone their own way. While John accepted who he was and even came out with it, Michael hid it so far inside that he's mostly filled with self hatred. Which is kind of tragic.

Now these two guys are playing hockey together. Michael is terrified that John would expose his secret, but honestly that is not even remotely on his mind. John is too busy dodging reporters, and having to convince the rest of the team that he's just a regular guy who likes to play hockey. It isn't easy for anyone in the team, they get a lot of backlash from other teams and even friends. 

So while John is just trying to survive college and hockey, Michael just crawls deeper in his cave. Drinking becomes his solace, because that's the only way he can forget about John for a while. Five years might have passed, but for Michael it feels like yesterday. He feels guilty for what happened, and is so afraid of the consequences of his true feelings that it's crippling. It was hard to watch how Michael turned himself into his own biggest enemy.

I kind of liked John more, because his fear didn't stop him from taking chances. Ever since what happened five years ago, his life hasn't been easy, but he also hasn't stop living. He is true to himself and faces advesary head on. While Michael is stuck in the denial phase, if he ignores it then he won't have to deal with it. Which kind of worked until John came back. Faced with the guy he hurt, but also still loved, he needed to learn to come out of his shell. It was hard to see him struggle with it, and so very frustrating, though I liked how in the end it all flowed so naturally.

The Understatement Of The Year was an amazing book, with two real main characters. The emotional struggle in this book was pretty heavy, while the sexy times were a bit less. Honestly for me it could have been more explicit, like in the other books. Though this gives it a sweeter feeling. Michael's personal struggle for me could have been more resolved a little earlier in the book, because I would liked to have seen the aftermath of it all as that is now not mentioned. If you're a sport romance fan, hockey was now way more present in the story and overall very well written. The Ivy Years series is definitely one I recommend.

3.5

The Ivy Years - Reading order and purchase links

  

The Year We Fell Down: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

The Year We Hid Away: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

  

Blond Date: My review - Amazon

The Understatement Of The Year: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college.

Also, the Gravity series.

Sarina enjoys skiing, espresso drinks and the occasional margarita. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

Connect with Sarina Bowen:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

I have to admit it was so much fun to read how much effort Drew had to put in to even just get Anna to talk to him. While Drew might be the popular guy, and Anna the more unknown girl on campus. His popularity was so off putting for her, that she wasn't really interested in him. She did admit that he was hot, though she never believed he was out of her reach, just that they were so different it was never going to work.

Anna was down to earth and I loved that about her. She certainly had her insecurities, and she has to be careful with those because they can seriously interfere with her love life. It takes a long while before she lets Drew in closer. She's the one being difficult and putting down their rules of engagement. This was refreshing to me, as it is often the other way around. When she finally realizes that Drew is serious, and their arrangement could be more than bed sport, that scares her. 

Drew was also quite a surprise. Yes, he's a jock and has a reputation with the ladies, but that's all it is, a reputation. He's serious about his sport and about Anna. Groveling, begging, secret meetings, he will do whatever it takes to get her to see his way. For him it isn't just about sex, he really sees her, likes her and he wants things between them to be serious. In the beginning he takes what he can get, but her repeated rejection starts weighing on him. His love for her is so clear to see, and there were plenty of times where I was cursing at Anna for being so stubborn when it came to this great guy.

One more thing that took me by surprise was the length of the book. It's over four hundred pages long, and I'm used to shorter new adult stories. Though most of the time I didn't feel that length, the story reads so smoothly and I was completely hooked from the start. While there was some angst throughout the story, it was in no way overwhelming at all, the focus was more on the connection between these characters and the feelings they had for each other. There is the necessary drama, though that went deeper than usual and it wasn't about stupid things, but there is certainly a fun and sexy side as well. 

The Hook Up was an extremely pleasant surprise. From the characters, to the drama and the overall plot, I was hooked. Even the secondary characters were charming and I can not wait to Gray's story (Drew's BFF). I fully recommend this story to any NA fans, or people who want to give NA a (new) chance.    

4.5 stars

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The Author

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she'd rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer's Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine's Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher's Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

Connect with Kristen Callihan:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Fighting Silence (On the Ropes #1) by Aly Martinez

Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?

I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.

You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.

They both happened anyway.

Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.

Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.

I'm not sure why, but Fighting Silence was kind of a slow read to me and I never could get full into it. The story starts off when Eliza and Till first meet, then we always skip a couple of years, until we end up when both are twenty-one and starting real life. It's not until then that I felt the story really started. So to me the previous chapters felt a bit too long, though I do get why the author put them in there.

Both Eliza and Till didn't have it very easy growing up. They're from a poor neighbourhood, Eliza was invisible for her parents, and Till did whatever it took to take care of his little brothers. The only good part from their youth was each other. They kind of lived in their own fantasy world, until they had to grow up and live in reality. The time for escaping was over, but letting go of that fantasy wasn't easy for Till.

We follow their journey through the next couple of years, when the situation for Till in a way becomes even more difficult. Boxing has become his solution for dire financial situation, and hope for a decent future. That though becomes all on the line, when he slowly starts losing his hearing. He will need to make some tough decisions, but luckily Eliza is always there by his side.

There is a lot of heartbreak and drama in this story. Personal, financially, love, family drama, it is all there and at times very depressing. It's definitely not a go happy story. Most of the time though I felt a certain detachment from the characters. I had trouble really connecting with them, and it just felt like I was reading a story without becoming emotionally attached. It's only towards the end that the pace picks up and there is more action. Most of the story just follows the daily lives of Till and Eliza.

Fighting Silence was not a bad story, rather an interesting one. All the characters were just fine by me, though I would have loved if I was able to connect with them more. My detachment from them, made it difficult to get into the story and care about what would happen to them. The overall feeling hanging over this book is not a happy one. Their struggles are certainly real, but it takes a while for hope to take root.  

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The Author

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five- including a set of twins. Currently living in Chicago, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

Connect with Aly Martinez:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years #2) by Sarina Bowen

She’s hiding something big. He’s hiding someone small.

Scarlet Crowley’s life was torn apart the day father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now the shock has worn off, but not the horror.

It’s a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet’s fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID — with a newly minted name on it — she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she’s falling for.

Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.

The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won’t work anymore. And if they can’t learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they’ve struggled to keep.

The Bridger we met in The Year We Fell Down is not the same guy we get to know here. No more partying or hooking up with every girl he meets, but studying, working and babysitting are his life now. He even had to give up hockey due to the lack of time. His friends are worried, but there's not much they can do as Bridger keeps them all at a distance. As a reader it becomes clear pretty quickly what is going on with him, and you admire him for what he's trying to and at the same time you can not help but feel for him.

Scarlet's situation is completely different, but they each have a burden to bare. Her dad, former NHL player, now famous coach, has been accused of some horrible things. The past years has been a nightmare for her. Everyone turned against her, so college is to be a fresh start. She changed her name and background story, still she's wary of people. When she meets Bridger she slowly lets him in, though never revealing her secrets.

When their lives intertwine further, it becomes harder and harder to hide the truth. Their situations become even more complicated due time and they will need to learn to rely on each other. They are not in this thing alone. Secrets always have a way of coming out. 

This story is quite different from the previous. Here we have two people who are trying to hide from the world, it just doesn't work that way. While they might not have handled it the best way, Bridger and Scarlet handled it in the only way they knew how. They kind of went on survival mode. I don't want to diminish what they went through, but by going through it alone I feel they only made it worse for themselves. They needed to learn that there are still people who they can count on, are there for them no matter what.

The Year We Hid Away was an amazing story. I love how realistic these characters feel. Their situations are kind of out of the box, but I still feel this could actually happen to someone. The connection between Scarlet and Bridger was almost tangible, I could really feel what was going on between them. Despite the heavy topics sometimes, there was still an overall sweetness and sexyness to the story. 

3.5 stars

The Ivy Years - Reading order and purchase links

  

The Year We Fell Down: My review Amazon - Book Depository

The Year We Hid Away: Amazon - Book Depository

  

Blond Date: Amazon

The Understatement Of The Year: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college.

Also, the Gravity series.

Sarina enjoys skiing, espresso drinks and the occasional margarita. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

Connect with Sarina Bowen:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

This is one of those books where I almost don't want to explain why you should read it. Meaning, you should just trust me, read it and I know you'll love it too.

The Deal was my first book by Elle Kennedy and it certainly won't be my last. I already want more of these hockey players and all the other fantastic characters.

While the premise is pretty cliché, the non-popular girl and the star player, Elle Kennedy still manages to make it original. I love it when stories like these can take me by surprise. By now you'd think I have almost read of all it, all the variations. The ending on its own is of course no big surprise, I mean we're all rooting for a happily ever after. But the characters and the journey they undertake is what kept me turning the pages.

Sometimes New Adult can be a bit too angsty for me and characters are so wrapped up in their own head, that they miss what is out there or right in front of their face. This was not the case here. Both Garrett and Hannah have some demons from their past, but they are not crippled by it. They've already dealt with those issues a lot, and they won't let what happened dictate their lives. Quite the opposite, they are both fighters and not afraid to live their lives the way they want it. 

I admire Hannah so much. What she has gone through is every girl's nightmare, but throughout the years she has managed to give it a place in her life and not let fear rule it. She's strong, confident, and witty. Except crushing on some guy, who doesn't even notice her, her life is going great. When Garrett first offered to help her out, in exchange for some tutoring, she wasn't very excited about it. Honestly at first Hannah doesn't want to have anything to do with the hockey player. It was actually surprising how she wasn't afraid to tell Garrett off, when she could barely utter two words to her crush. In the end though she relents, and that was only the beginning when it came to Garrett.

Garrett has his own issues, in a way they are more hidden, and he's so focused on other things that those issues are a thing from the past. Hockey is his life, and girls are the entertainment. But when failing an exam jeopardizes his future, he's not one to give up and having Hannah tutor him is the only solution. I liked that Garrett admitted that before needing her, he had no clue who she was, but now he's actually very upfront about what he thinks of her. 

The dynamic between these two was so much fun to read about. They are constantly on each other's case, Garrett is all about the sexual innuendos, and Hannah can be so sarcastic. Seriously these two are a hoot. There is certainly a physical attraction in the beginning. Hannah is no fool, and does realizes how hot Garrett is. While Garrett loves the ladies, and since Hannah is a lady, he likes her. From a reluctant partnership, it grows into a friendship and then so much more. 

Even when there is big drama, it's still so reasonable. Hannah and Garrett felt so real to me. Two people who I wouldn't mind hanging out with, it would be so much fun. Garrett's teammates are a blast and Hannah's friends are hilarious. Therefore I can not wait to read more about them. I'm really hoping that Logan, Garrett's best friend, gets his own story. That guy deserves his own girl.

All in all I loved The Deal. Characters were amazing, the humor was on point, not too much heavy drama, and the sexy times were off the charts. This to me makes a pretty perfect new adult romance novel.  

4.5

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The Author

A RITA-award nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently publishes with Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Harlequin Blaze, Samhain Publishing, and NAL. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Connect with Elle Kennedy:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads