missdevo's reviews
340 reviews

 Assumptions Robbie Mason and Fran Keller made about each other when they were teenagers made them enemies. After they meet again and actually get to know and understand each other, their undeniable chemistry makes them friends that become lovers with some really great spice!
When these two stumble across each other as adults, they’re both missing something in their lives. Robbie is stuck trying to prove his worth to professional hockey again after some bad decisions cost him his spot on his old team and landed him with one last chance to stay in the NHL with the New York Thunder.
Fran is struggling to reach the next level in her career as a real estate agent, battling the advances of her unfaithful ex, and trying to make ends meet with a part time side gig as a bartender. One trade off real estate deal for a few months as his fake girlfriend leads to more than either of them saw coming. Robbie cooks up a deal where they can both benefit. He’ll buy the apartment Fran desperately needs to sell and in return, for a few months she will pose as his fake girlfriend, which leads to more than either of them saw coming.
This is my first Shann McPherson book, but I loved it so much, I’ve already got Dallas’s story in my sights. This book has everything I love. The snark. The banter. The you’re the worst - now kiss me chemistry. The spice is HOTTOGO, and Robbie is the perfect filthy MMC of my reader heart. I consider Famous Last Words to be one of the top hockey rom-coms I’ve read this year without question.
Many thanks to Luna Literary and Shann McPherson for the opportunity to ARC review this fantastic book. 

This is a cute romance set during the holidays with a spice level just above Hallmark, but those are the vibes. It's very low angst, there are no major hurdles to overcome for Simon and Thea in their relationship. Instead, the story seems more focused on their individual emotional growth and ability to set boundaries.
Thea Martinelli is a firefighter who is dealing with some anxiety and mental health struggles after a member of her team is injured on the job. She doesn't want to leave her firehouse family, but she can't stay. When she goes to turn in her resignation, her boss offers her an alternative way to stay in the fire service by taking over as their head of social media. While she has a communications background thanks to her college degree, she doesn't have experience in this area, so she's referred to another county employee who handles the social media for the public library system for some on the job training.
Simon Osman recognizes Thea right away because he had a huge crush on her in high school. Thea is attracted to him right away, but takes a little time to put together their past. He comes off a little timid to me at first.
I appreciated a romance featuring MCs in their 30s, but it was so low drama I didn't really feel invested in the stakes. This book has some good mental health representation in dealing with anxiety, and boundary setting with toxic family members, but overall I wanted a little more drama. It's all a little too easy (totally subjective) for my taste. Overall I would say this is a lighthearted, low-angst, sweet and steamy (There's some spice in there for sure) holiday romance to ease you into the season.
Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin/Afterglow, and Adele Buck for the ARC opportunity. 

 When I tell you, I ate this book up! This story is complicated, sexy, emotional, frustrating, and so entertaining I couldn't put it down and ended up pulling an all-nighter to finish it. It is set around the holidays, but they aren't really the focus, so it's a light way to start off a holiday focused TBR early in the season. The spice starts early and is heavy the rest of the book. It's hot. REALLY hot, and the idea of shibari as a way to cope with anxiety is intriguing.
Trouble is the 2nd book in the Boston Bolts series (Langfield universe), and it's MMF with a dose of long term unrequited love and a dash of bi-awakening. When Melina (a famous musician) needs a place to escape and hide out from her abusive ex/stalker, her friends invite her to Bristol, MA to stay with the town Fire Chief where no one would think to look for her.
Declan Everhart's protective instincts make Melina feel safer than she has in a long time. His best friend is a total golden retriever in human form. Cade "Fitz" Fitzgerald is the goalie coach for the Boston Bolts pro hockey team. He brings the light and fun to balance Declan's brooding side. When they meet Melina it's insta-lust, and Cade dives right in. Declan takes a little longer. There's an alchemy when these three surrender to what's happening between them, and I can't get enough!
Thank you to The Author Agency and Brittanée Nicole for the ARC opportunity. 

 Izzy has fled LA after a disastrous encounter with a starlet has effectively tanked her as an influencer and gotten her cancelled by the star’s rabid fanbase. In need of a fresh start, she ends up heading to Maine to be near her sister. 

Derrick is a widower with grown kids, one of whom is actually Izzy’s PA. When Izzy’s spur of the moment trip ends up leaving her without a place to stay, she offers up her dad’s house, never suspecting where it will lead. 

There is some nice spice when things start happening, but to me the real star of the book is the emotional journey they share. It’s really highlighted in the 3rd act twist and how they recover from it. 

This turned out to be a much sweeter story than I was anticipating. I actually haven’t read 11:11 yet, and I plan to go back and read it to get more of Via and Reid’s backstory. The glimpses of their relationship in this book have me wanting more. 

Thank you to Valentine PR and 

Micalea Smeltzer for the ARC opportunity. 

 First of all, this cover is gorgeous. Props to the illustrator and designer. I was given an ALC of this book, but I’m going to need a shelf trophy too, it’s so pretty. 

When I tell you this is what I wish all audiobooks were like if money and time were in infinite supply, I’m not kidding. The entire cast and production of this book is incredible. I have enjoyed audiobooks for a long time and in many different formats and narration styles, including a single narrator handling everything masterfully (Shout out the late, great Anna Fields for an example) to this full cast of characters in duet style. If you’re a hockey romance and audiobook person - YOU WANT THIS ONE. If you’re on the fence about audiobooks but want to give them a try? THIS IS THE ONE. It’s full of fun tropes like: one night stand to more, hidden identity, brother’s teammate, forbidden romance and sneaking around. It’s sweet and spicy, and it was just what I needed right now. I can’t wait to continue the Nest series in audio!

Thank you so much to Valentine PR 

and Piper Rayne for the ALC opportunity! 

 This book has so much potential. I have been making an effort to read more diverse books, and If I Stopped Haunting You is the debut novel from Colby Wilkens, a self described queer white and Choctaw-Cherokee author with a heart for adventure. It's two feuding writers who end up tricked into going on a writing retreat with a group of well meaning friends at a haunted castle in Scotland. It's checking all the boxes for me, especially as a spooky season girlie, but unfortunately it just didn't all come together in the end.
I was immediately drawn to the character of Penelope Skinner. She's a frustrated writer who is part white and part indigenous. I am also of mixed parentage, so some of her thoughts and feelings are very familiar to me. The added stress and unrest from her inner identity politics has impacted both her writing career and her personal relationships. She's especially critical of Neil Storm, a best selling author whose horror stories are praised for breaking Native stereotypes. Penelope doesn't see it that way, and that's where the story starts to go off the rails for me.
The level of anger and lack of impulse control Pen is working with make her tough to like. She comes off as childish and petty, and vindictive at times. She's so seemingly closed off to any but her own experience struggling to publish authentic Native stories that she can't or won't look deeper at Neil to see and understand that what a writer intends isn't always what ends up in the hands of readers due to the marketing and politics of publishing. All she sees is his success by telling less than authentic stories of Native people. That whole plot is pretty esoteric in a book that's blurbed as a being full of "spooky chills and sexy thrills". The scares are more eerie than scary to me (I realize that's subjective), and the spice also fell a little short in my mind. I think that may be because I had such a hard time wanting Pen to succeed and seeing how Storm could be interested in light of her behavior.
Overall, there were parts I really enjoyed, but I'm left feeling frustrated by unrealized potential.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC opportunity. 

 Frozen Heart Face-off begins with the following dedication:
"To all the women who have had to weather the storm."
I knew going in that this book could break me. I am one of the women who I believe Siena Trap dedicated this book to, and I know firsthand that not every version of this story gets the HEA. I want to commend her for writing this incredibly complex and painful story with grace and sensitivity. My husband and I share much of our infertility journey with Evie and Jenner, so emotionally, this book had me feeling very exposed at times. I credit the writing with being able to relate such heart wrenching character arcs without falling into melodrama.
Unexplained infertility is a dream crusher, and while I understand that some people may see Evie as a selfish character early on in the story, I understand too well that pain, and how much it can make you willing to sacrifice to get relief. Her journey throughout this book takes you from the lowest of lows, to the ultimate joy. It feels almost cathartic to see her and Jenner get their HEA, while at the same time that bittersweet ache still lingers for me.
Daddy Jenner is a whole lot of man. He's been all in for Evie since the moment he laid eyes on her in college, and even in their darkest moments, all he wants to do is comfort and protect her from pain. And while he has been incredibly successful on the ice, even through the tumultuous personal issues he's been dealing with, his light shines brightest for me in the spice. He's a protective, cinnamon roll of a man with a deliciously dirty side when it comes to Evie. The way this book had me crying, swooning, and blushing is a thing of beauty.
For all of us who love an emotional ride of a book that's not afraid to tackle the harsh realities of life and love, I highly recommend Frozen Heart Face-Off. I have read The Connecticut Comets series, as well as the previous book in the Indy Speed series, and while it definitely gives some richer background for all of the side characters in this book, I definitely think this book can be read as a stand alone story and still enjoyed.
Thank you to Siena Trap for the ARC opportunity to review this incredible book. 

I love a well written bully romance, and Brutal Game is *chef's kiss* (Make sure you check the content warnings if you have sensitivities). I know bully romance isn't for everyone, but the skill it takes to write the all the mean, hateful things the bully does and STILL have me turning around rooting for the MCs as a couple by the end?! BABY-it never fails to have me feeling some type of way. I'm probably too empathetic for my own good (thanks, trauma!), but I want to feel it when she breaks/snaps. I need it to be legitimately bad for her before we turn the corner and start the way to HEA for maximum enjoyment, and I found that here.
    Jake Feldman, one of the Core Four on the hockey team at Reina U, is so ruthless and broken and unhinged, it seems like there's no line he won't cross. Aviva Gold is at RU in search of justice for her brother, and the road to it runs right through the hockey team. Jake does absolutely despicable things to Aviva, but the beauty of the way Jo Brenner wrote this book is that in making a lot of Jake's actions about controlling Aviva, it frees her from having to be strong and capable all the time, and that feeling becomes something she seeks out at some level. That speaks to the delicate dance to make Jake harsh enough to hurt, and somehow not make us completely despise him, and I love the rush of reading the turnaround. 
    This is my first Jo Brenner book, but I love her style if this book is anything to go by. I will definitely be reading Butterfly as soon as I can fit it in to experience Mason's story after the peek I got of him during Jake's.
    Huge thanks to The Author Agency and Jo Brenner for the ARC opportunity.

 The Rivalry is part one of a five part story about the head coach of the Vegas Aces Lincoln Nash and the newly named Aces team correspondent Jolene Bailey. These two have a history filled with deception and heartbreak, and neither is super psyched to discover their highly anticipated career boosts come with the other attached. Lincoln and Jolene have big grown up Romeo & Juliet of the gridiron vibes.
This is the first time I'm diving into a story in installments like this, and I am a little torn about how much actual story is in the first installment. We have a lot to establish in this world and with these characters, so most of this book is taken up with setting the stage for what's to come. I really enjoyed the performances by both narrators Aaron Shedlock and Samantha Brentmoor, so I'm psyched that the release schedule for the remaining installments in audio is every two weeks starting 10/8. I for one, am dying to know what's next!
Thank you to Valentine PR and Lisa Suzanne for the ALC opportunity, and for introducing me to the Vegas Aces! 

 
Sometimes I feel like DJ Khaled when I sit down to write a 5 star review for a Lauren Blakely book ("And ANOTHER one" 😉). This is the 2nd book in her latest series (Love & Hockey), and it features the San Francisco Sea Dogs' grumpy goalie Max Lambert and their perky publicist Everly Rosewood. Max has closed himself off and refused to communicate with the press after a bad experience at the end of his last relationship, and with his contract renewal coming up, his agent and the team are getting desperate. Everly has been tasked with helping rehab his public image after his last sponsor walks away from him, and if she can pull this off, there's a possible promotion waiting for her. They're both hiding parts of themselves from each other, but when the walls drop, the magic begins.
I was granted access to an advance listening copy of the audiobook, and it is fantastic. Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin narrate in duet style, and they bring all the energy and spark to Max & Everly. From the snark and banter, thru the sizzle and steam, and finally the sweet slide into forever, these two take us through it all. If you're an audiobook lover, I highly recommend this one.
Thank you to Lauren Blakely and her team for the ARC/ALC opportunity to review.