missdevo's reviews
340 reviews

The Proposal Play is book three in the Love and Hockey series featuring Asher Callahan and Maeve Hartley. This book features some great mental health representation for anxiety and grief. It’s also full of really fun tropes like best friends to lovers, marriage pact/ marriage of convenience, fun with toys, body painting, and a sweet twist on she wears his jersey.

I was blessed to be granted access to an ALC and ARC by Lauren’s team, and the audiobook is wonderful. Robert Hatchett and Vanessa Edwin have stellar performances in a duet style recording (they each voice their character’s lines regardless of the perspective of the individual chapter) with heart and heat in equal measure. The beauty of Lauren’s writing is that she’s given them such great material to work with at both ends of the spectrum. The humor, the emotional connection, and the spice are all there to enjoy. Robert really brings the heat to Asher’s filthy mouth. I’m emotionally invested in this story early on, and it made it so hard to pause when life got in the way from time to time, and I found myself actually cleaning my house to give me more time to listen during the day. Now that’s a miracle. 

Thank you so much to Lauren Blakely and her team for the opportunity to review this ALC & ARC! 

 Chase Lovett Wants Me is so much fun. I basically devoured it in one sitting after starting the audiobook while I was out Christmas shopping. I didn’t even mind the bombastic side eye from other shoppers when I snort laughed out loud. Chase and Cammie are so adorable together, and I really got young Alex and Violet vibes from them! (check out: Pucked by Helena Hunting if you really enjoy the dynamics of these two). I lived in the dorms during college (and was a resident advisor) alongside some scholarship athletes, so the late night fire alarms and cliques described in CLWM took me right back. 

CLWM is the start of a new college hockey series for Helena Hunting, and I am already so invested in these new characters. They’re written so vividly, and the seeds of so many interesting possibilities are in place for future books. There are crossover characters with the Toronto Terror series (Cammie is Essie’s little sister, and Tally, the daughter of the Terror coach, is another college student and friend). I can totally see a junior BBB (Badass Babe Brigade) forming with the friends Cammie makes in CLWM, and I am here for it! I also found myself wishing I could read Cammie’s Lord of the Rings fanfic. It sounds hot. 

One of my favorite tropes from sports romance is the found family that forms around the team, and the other guys on the Tilton U hockey team are so endearing, I can’t wait to read their stories too. 

Thank you to Helena Hunting and her team for the ALC/ARC review opportunity! 

If Elsie Silver writes it, I'm going to read it. I loved this book. Ford Grant is a complete simp for Rosie, and has been since they were kids. They've been dancing around each other pretty much their entire lives, and their advance and retreat is complicated by Ford being Rosie's older brother's best friend. 
This audio was so much fun. The banter, the teasing, the slow burn all building tension toward the inevitable moment when Ford finally snaps - delicious. The email exchanges between Ford and Rosie throughout the book are hilarious, and perfectly let us in on their dynamic. Zachary Webber and Vanessa Edwin absolutely killed their performances. There's some great material to work with in this book, but they both nailed the emotional heart of the story with their narration. The vulnerability, the playfulness, and the sizzle. It's all here in one incredible package. Can't wait to listen to Wild Eyes next. 

 It seems that when it comes to the Elf on the Shelf, there are two main schools of thought. There are those that embrace the chaos and joy of coming up with a new adventure for the scout elves every night, and there are those who would rather set their hair on fire than add one more thing to their holiday to-do lists. Shae is the latter, forcing Nick Finch and his well intentioned big mouth to become the former to make it up to her.
Nick Finch is a cowboy with a Christmas tree farm, and the way this man just does the most for those he loves is swoon worthy. He’s a big protective cinnamon roll of a man who just wants to take care of his people. Shae has her walls built high and strong after leaving her abusive marriage, so the black cat/golden retriever vibes are strong here. Watching him break through those barriers and show Shae he only wants to treat her how she has deserved all along? It’s hot cocoa for your holiday burned out soul.
I listened to the audio of this book via audible, and it was so good. Sweet, sexy, funny, and so well done. Savannah Peachwood and Jeremy York made it a pleasure to listen to. The vulnerability and strength they brought to their performances of Shae really enhanced the story. The spice had new life in audio, and had me willing to learn a few rope tricks from Nick myself. 😉
All in all, this was a great Christmas themed audio that made the trek back home for the holidays much more enjoyable! 

I was lucky enough to be granted an ALC of the audiobook for Mr. Broody, and it is another top tier listen. It's performed in duet (each actor says their assigned character's dialogue through the entire book) by a full cast of all star voice actors featuring JF Harding as Henry Hensley, Brooke Bloomingdale as Jade Keebler, and Teddy Hamilton as Bodhi Hensley. JF and Brooke do a fantastic job with the material here. The vulnerability and longing are portrayed just as well as the sizzling spice. (Who knew "Daddy" Henry had it in him? 😏) And Teddy as Bodhi-so adorable, and I love that Piper Rayne gifted us with a few chapters from his POV in Mr. Broody. 
     We also get to enjoy the talents of Sean Masters, Connor Crais, Troy Duran, and CJ Bloom as they round out the supporting cast. The found family dynamics of the players on the Chicago Falcons and their significant others are one of my favorite parts of this series. I love how the guys tease each other mercilessly, but don't hesitate for a second to step up for each other too.
Overall this is a great follow up to Mr. Heartbreaker. The vibes for each couple are very different, and I appreciate that. I feel like we get to know more about the other players in this book with Henry needing more support from his friends. Their interactions are a huge part of hooking me for more from this series- and that bombshell in the epilogue!!! I'm definitely counting down the days to Mr. Swoony because I'm all in. 
Thank you to Valentine PR & Piper Rayne for the ALC review opportunity.

 When I read Cash earlier this year, it became a whole part of my personality. I’ve been dying for more of the Rivers brothers ever since. Wyatt’s brother Cash may have gotten me here, but he’s not the reason I stayed. 

Jessica Peterson can write the pants off a cowboy (literally 😏), but the way she opened up Wyatt’s emotions and heart in his POV chapters is a masterclass. The way he describes his memories of his mother, and his feelings for Sally is truly moving. Don’t get me wrong, these pages will singe your fingertips in the heat of the moment, but they’ll grab you by the heart just the same. 

I’m a highlighter when I read. The lines and passages that really speak to me end up as a collection of vibes to remind me of how a book makes me feel. I felt like I was highlighting half the book during Wyatt. That’s how well written it was to me. I loved the dialogue, and how Wyatt and Sally talked to each other. So much of it made my highlight reel. If you’re into western, or cowboy romance at all, you can’t go wrong with the Lucky River Ranch series. Whether you’re into enemies to lovers (CASH), childhood friends to lovers (WYATT), or single dad (SAWYER coming in 2025), I highly recommend it to fans of small town, spicy cowboys!

Thank you so much to Valentine PR & Jessica Peterson for the opportunity to ARC review this banger 

 Play the Last Card is Olivia Fenwick’s debut novel, and there’s a lot to like here for sports romance fans, football in particular. The characters are bright and vivid with clear, if occasionally frustrating, motivations. The story is sweet, spicy, and it’s emotionally gripping. The slow burn has a nice payoff when Scott and Ivy finally give in to each other. If you’re into stories that will break your heart and then put you back together again, this one has that potential. 

The themes of mental health, anxiety, and grief, all feel so close to home for me. It’s almost Christmas, so the emotional weight of everything feels heightened for sure. I’d definitely suggest care if you’re freshly into a grief journey and want to read this story, but I personally found it cathartic. 

Thank you to BookishBubbly PR & Olivia Fenwick for the opportunity to review this ARC. 

 Ok, so hear me out. If you, like me, occasionally treat content warnings like a shopping list, this may be exactly the smutty little palate cleanser you’re craving to wrap up your 2024 reading goal. It’s a decadent little holiday treat with splashes of obsessed man, b/c tampering, OTT possessive behavior, and long term pining. 

Is Evan Adler Prince Charming? Not by a long shot, but princes are boring in comparison to the man who will do and sacrifice whatever it takes to ensure his future with you. Why is it that the kind of behavior that would lead to a restraining order in real life, really works for me in an MMC? This man is a completely unhinged golden retriever, and an unstoppable force when it comes to making a life with Kiera. Is there such a combo as a cinnamon roll stalker? This. Man.

I really like that Kiera is a strong woman with a plan for her life that she’s not willing to give up so easily. Standing up to this determined steamroller of a hot AF college football player is not for the faint of heart. She’s guarded when it comes to letting him in especially given his manwh0re history. 

Watching these two figure it out with all the spice, humor, and banter was a real Christmas treat! 

 Only With Me is the fourth book in the Sugarland Creek series by Brooke Montgomery, and it focuses on Waylon Hollis and Harlow Fanning. Waylon (32) is 12 years older than Harlow (20), who just also happens to be his ex-girlfriend Delilah’s little sister, and a virgin who still lives at home with her parents. 

This book is full of tropes I enjoy, like small town, cowboy, age gap, spicy lessons, and more. It also has some heavy themes with regards to mental health, familial duty, and a romantic suspense twist. The hidden identity plot plays out like a modern spicy “You’ve Got Mail”, and I am here for it. 

The spice in this story really worked for me. It included some things I haven’t seen a ton in books, like dry humping and mutual m@sturbation, and made it hot. I loved how Harlow wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. She didn’t hesitate to blow Waylon’s mind with her requests for his special brand of sex education. 

Having read several of the Sugarland Creek books, it seems the Hollis family and their neighbors and friends are sort of trauma (and drama) magnets, and this book is no different. Check the content warnings if you have sensitivities because this one starts off pretty heavy. 

Thank you so much to Brooke Montgomery for the ALC review opportunity! 

 When Rosalinda “Rosie” Maxwell and Aiden Huntington can’t help but constantly disrupt their grad school writing workshop with their incessant bickering and disdain for each other, their professor gives them a choice. Learn to work together by co-writing a book with each other, meshing their preferences for romance and literary fiction, or be forced to drop the class entirely.
I enjoyed this book. The premise is quite meta - rival writers forced by their grad school professor to co-write a book within the book. I thought it was a fun format to close each chapter with an excerpt from their fictional work. As the story progresses, the excerpts follow the development of our main character’s relationship to each other. The tension build to the breaking point in this slow burn was right on the edge of painful. We know where we’re going to end up, but it’s going to hurt a little getting there, and I love that for us.
I also loved the peek at the author’s Peruvian by way of Tennessee heritage through Rosie’s family and holiday traditions. It’s a fun way to showcase her culture as we get to experience it alongside Aiden for the first time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys snarky banter and a good enemies to lovers slow burn.
Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Katie Holt for the opportunity to review this ARC.