tips_and_tropes's reviews
344 reviews

High Sticking the Heart by Marie M.

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4.5

High Sticking the Heart is my first Marie Maravilla/ Marie M. book, but I am on the hook for this new hockey series. Her original voice and writing style sucked me right in. I loved how the chapter titles get increasingly unhinged as the book goes on, especially when they start breaking the fourth wall and addressing the reader directly. It feels like your chismosa bestie is personally telling you a really juicy story.
Ariella is a baddie Mexicana who is ready to step out from under the thumb of her loving, but oppressive (at times) male family members and into her own with her new job as a strength and conditioning coach for a pro hockey team. 
Dalton is a 6'4" Texan who’s just as hot in a cowboy hat and boots as he is on hockey skates. He meets Ari the night before she starts her new job, and the chemistry and tension are instant. He’s so down bad for Ari, and his picture might as well be in the dictionary next to “if he wanted to, he would”.(RAW...next question. 😏) 
I absolutely adored this book. It’s funny, sexy, and full of some of my favorite tropes. There’s fake dating, he fall first and HARDER, tons of top tier spicy banter that made me kick my feet in delight. I have already put the audio in my TBR because I need to hear Dalton say all the things. 
Thank you so much to Marie M. and her team for the ARC opportunity! 
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade

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3.5

This was a cute little holiday snack of an audio book. It was a little too predictable for me, but that's also I think part of the nature of a novella and the need to keep the story moving along quickly. The characters seemed a little flat to me. I think the plot being all based around miscommunication-she thinks he's getting with her best friend-didn't help the situation. The narration helped keep me interested. Andi Arndt handles the narration with ease. She's one of my personal favorite narrators and is always a pleasure to listen to.
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

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4.5

 I really liked this story. I was sucked in right away and listened straight through in one sitting. The narrator, Vivienne LaRue, is new to me, and I think she did a great job with both characters voices. I have actually never read an Ali Hazlewood book (gasp! I know...) but I really enjoyed her voice and style in this novella. It makes me want to bump her books up my TBR for sure. 
Minotaur Sugar Daddies by Winter Randall

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3.0

 Minotaurs do it better

I decided to cap off my end of the year reading with some novellas from subgenres I don’t usually read, and this one was pretty hot. It’s a quick and dirty story about a girl becoming the sugar baby of a pair of Minotaur roommates after her family kicks her out. It’s PNP, but there are definitely times I don’t mind that. 
The Proposal Play by Lauren Blakely

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5.0

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 by Helena Hunting

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5.0

 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! 
Wild Love by Elsie Silver

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5.0

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. 
Big Nick Energy by Morgan Elizabeth

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emotional funny inspiring

5.0

 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! 
Mr. Broody by Piper Rayne

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5.0

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.
Wyatt by Jessica Peterson

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5.0

 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