Review & Giveaway - - First and Forever

First and Forever

by Lynn Painter

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 12, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. This secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

Oozing with chemistry that feels like fireworks and banter that makes you swoon, Lynn Painter delivers her signature blend of heart and humor in this love story that you won’t soon forget.

PJ's Thoughts:

First and Forever is my first book by Lynn Painter. I see all of you out there shaking your heads at me, muttering "first book?" and wondering what rock I've been living under. My only excuse is the tried (but true) too many books, not nearly enough time. I can assure you that after reading this book I will not be using that excuse again. Lynn Painter is now firmly placed on my "must buy, must read" romance list.

I love a book that pulls me in from the get-go and keeps me engaged until the final page, especially if it also gives me well-developed characters who leap from the pages straight into my heart. Characters like Connor and Duffy. I adored them. Their chemistry is top notch, with sparkling banter, plenty of laughs, swoony romance, and emotional underpinnings. There's more than fun and games with these two. I laughed with them, cried with them, and kept eagerly flipping the pages of their story from start to finish.

As a sports obsessed only daughter with multiple brothers and a mischief making father, I especially enjoyed Duffy's family dynamics in this book. I don't know if Painter has brothers but she hits those sibling/parent and sibling/sibling dynamics on the head. It's like she created those characters just for me. 

I loved not only the interactions among the members of Duffy's family but also between Connor and her family. The fan-"boying" over Connor by all of them was an absolute treat. Then there's Connor's own family relationship and Duffy's response to it. It made me want to give them all a big hug. 

If you enjoy contemporary romance bubbling over with humor, heart-tugging emotion, swoony romance, fake dating, and a cheer-worthy happy ending, I recommend picking up a copy of First and Forever by Lynn Painter. It's a keeper. 

Have you read Lynn Painter? 

Do you have a favorite Painter book you recommend? (I'm ready to dive into her back list)

What are you currently reading? 

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), September 18 will receive a print copy (with sprayed edges) of First and Forever.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Tour Review - - Keeping Score

Keeping Score

by Brittany Kelley

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: August 25, 2026

Reviewed by Santa

Michelle Oxford lives and breathes soccer. After an injury that ended her dreams of going pro, she snagged the next best thing: a position as the director of operations for the LA Aces. And even if it’s not quite what she imagined it would be, it’s still better than cutting out soccer altogether.

The only problem? Carefree, wonder boy goalie, Tristan Gold.

Tristan has wanted more than just friendship with Michelle since the moment he laid eyes on her, but nothing would kill her career faster. When she loses a bet, the team gleefully insists she has to take lessons on “being chill” from Tristan himself.

They couldn’t be more different, but Tristan’s always met her perfectionist tendencies with good-natured goofiness, so she reluctantly agrees. The more time she spends with him, the more she likes what she sees . . . and Michelle starts to think that with him by her side, she could do just about anything—even saying goodbye to the future she thought she always wanted.

Santa Says:

Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley was a delightful read for me. It is the second book in a series that centers around a professional soccer team called the LA Aces. I am fast becoming a fan of sports romances. This book was a solid five stars for me. It features a whole cast of characters who work within the LA Aces both on the pitch and in the back offices, as well.

That is where we meet Michelle Oxford, Operations Manager for the LA Aces. She came to them when after a career ending injury in college benched her dreams of being a soccer star in her own right. But she’s smart, talented and more than up to the task. That’s a good thing because her baptism by fire would have  knocked down anyone else. The old owners of the team were shrouded in scandal. The new owner was exacting in what he wanted for the team. Employees were jumping ship in epic numbers. Everything fell to Michelle to not only keep things going but to implement new procedures. She took to sleeping on the couch in the office and was very close to existing on a caffeine only diet. The sour cherry on top was the vultures of the press who were ravenous for one more scandal or for one more brick to be pulled out before the whole organization would tumble.

Tristian Gold was the team’s goalie. He is tall, blond haired and criminally good looking. He was a man well liked both on the pitch and off. He had an easy going manner about him that somehow rubbed off on everyone around him. He cared about his team. He cared about their image in the eye of the public. But what he most cared about was Michelle. He fell in love with her at first sight but never pursued it or admitted it out loud. He kept his distance as a professional.

That all changed when he and Maddie, who worked with the PR department, convinced a normally business-only Michelle to come out for drinks with the team. Something she never did and wasn’t even aware happened on a regular basis. Everyone was there including people from the back office. The night turns out to be a rousing success when Michelle pitched the idea to have the team out in public interacting with charitable events. This led to a good natured shuffleboard bet that pitted Michelle and Tristan against one another. If Michelle lost at shuffleboard Michelle would have to take lessons from Tristian on how to “chill out” a little bit.

Perfect! I love close proximity tropes! As Tristian and Michelle spend more and more time together, Tristian struggles with not letting what he feels for Michelle be known. He doesn’t want to cross any lines but, beneath his bravado, he doesn’t feel worthy of her. This insecurity stems from negative messages from, of all people, his mother. Michelle also struggles, at first, to control her own attraction to him. I had a huge grin on my face when they finally do come together. Just a wonderful HEA for these two.

As always with books that I love - run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this book! The interactions are wonderful. The dialog and banter are equally as terrific! Enjoy! Now I have to go and grab the first book!

Review - - Dirty Little Secret

Dirty Little Secret

by Tracy Solheim

Milwaukee Mayhem - Book 2

Publisher: Sun Home Productions

Release Date: June 8, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

 

He inherited a hockey empire from a father he never knew.
Now he’s risking it all for the one woman he shouldn’t touch.

When Max Kellogg unexpectedly inherits the Milwaukee Mayhem after the death of the man who refused to acknowledge him, the league expects the brash Hollywood nepo baby to crash and burn. Not wanting to give them—or his late father—the satisfaction of being right, Max steps into the spotlight—rewriting contracts, rebuilding the roster, and signing the most electrifying teenage talent professional hockey has ever seen.

Eighteen-year-old phenom Parker Dern is a virtuoso on the ice—and a tabloid sensation off it. The only person who can steady him is his fiercely devoted older sister, Olivia Dern. When Olivia suddenly finds herself unemployed and on the brink of losing the stability she’s fought so hard to build, Max makes her an offer she can’t refuse: travel with the team. Keep her brother focused. Be his handler. Shield him from the glare of the spotlight.

It’s supposed to be temporary. Strictly professional.

Until late-night flights, luxury hotel rooms, and private skating sessions begin to blur the lines.

Making his late father pay for a lifetime of neglect has always been Max’s driving obsession. But when Olivia walks into his carefully calculated world, revenge is no longer the only thing on his mind. And for the first time, Max must decide if payback is worth losing the one person who makes him want something more…

PJ's Thoughts:

Hockey. Family. Romance. Tracy Solheim beautifully blends the three in this second book of her Milwaukee Mayhem series. These characters quickly drew me into their lives and held my attention right up until the end. There's intrigue, steam, villainous family members, surprise revelations, character growth, and a hard-won happy ending. 

If you're looking for multi-layered contemporary romance with messy family relationships, characters who feel like real people, high emotional stakes, a few surprises, and a heartfelt happy ending, all set within the world of professional sports, an arena this author knows well, pick up a copy of Dirty Little Secret and prepare to be swept away.  

Do you enjoy sports romance? If so, all sports or just particular ones?

Have you read any books by Tracy Solheim yet? (She's also written romantic suspense and straight contemporary romance).

Review - - Keeping it Real

Keeping it Real

by Tracy Solheim

Milwaukee Mayhem - Book 1

Publisher: Sun Home Productions

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

His best friend stole his girl - and married her.

Now, Milwaukee Mayhem goalie Alek Bergeron is riding payback straight to the top of his game. He's got one goal left: hoist the Cup and rub it in his former best friend's face. But just as the season is about to start, a phone call from the past lands like a body check to the gut.

A twist of fate.

Sheridan Cobert has made a career out of caring for others, but nothing prepares her for the loss of her only sibling-or the shock of learning he named Alek Bergeron, not her, as guardian of her nephew. The same Alek who shattered her teenage heart nearly a decade earlier.

Alek's life is on the ice, his schedule insane. The last thing he needs is a rambunctious little boy and a jockstrap-murdering dog-not to mention the not so little sister of the guy he hates-upending his neatly ordered world. But neither of them is willing to give up custody, so they strike a fragile truce: cohabitation until the end of the season.

What could go wrong?

Only everything.

Because sharing his home with the girl he was never supposed to touch is messing with Alek's game. Especially now that she's grown into a tempting, sexy woman. For her part, Sheridan is having difficulty keeping her lips off the guy she's crushed on for half her life. As the season heats up, so do the nights-and so does the guilt. Because Sheridan is keeping a decade-old secret that could destroy the fragile future their makeshift family is building.

PJ's Thoughts:

All the feelings. 

This first book in Tracy Solheim's new hockey romance series gave me everything I could have wanted...and then some. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough the first time through. During the second reading, I slowed down and savored each step, each word, each twist and turn of this deeply emotional, healing, heart-tugging journey of found family, second chances, and forever love. 

Solheim has filled this book with humor, forgiveness, a bit of a mystery, locker-room antics, instant fatherhood, complex feelings, an adorable dog, all kinds of chemistry, and swoon-worthy romance. It's a winning combination that sent Keeping it Real straight to my Tracy Solheim keeper shelf.

I'm already excited for the next book in the Milwaukee Mayhem series where team owner, Max Kellogg will take center stage. I can't wait to discover what Solheim has planned for his story!

 

Review & Giveaway - Pole Position

Pole Position

by Rebecca J. Caffery

Publisher: One More Chapter/Harper Collins Publishers

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Kian Walker has always been the golden boy of motorsport. The four-time Championship winner has racing in his DNA – his father was a legend on the track, just don’t let him catch you comparing the two. As reckless and unreliable at home as he was behind the wheel, there’s nothing Kian wants less than to be just like his dad.

Enter Harper James. This year’s rookie called up to compete with the big boys – and Kian’s new teammate. Cocky, hot-headed and with a reputation for breaking as many hearts as he does new track records, Harper’s the opposite of Kian in every way. But when the season starts, there’s no getting away from him.

This might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so why then does Kian’s heart feel safer flying around the track at 220mph than when he's anywhere near his teammate?

PJ's Thoughts:

What a ride! Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery pulled me in and refused to let go. Even when I was rolling my eyes at some of the highly-fictionalized racing scenes/shenanigans/management decisions (if you don't follow F1 racing, you probably won't even notice) or wanting to throw Harper off the nearest cliff (seriously, dude, what were you thinking???), I still found myself riveted to the action and immersed in the emotions of this story.

Caffery has crafted an action and emotion-packed story about two adrenaline-fueled elite athletes who, on the surface, could not be more different. From their ages to their attitudes to their career approaches, to their life views, they appear to be complete opposites. And yet, once they begin to sort through the hidden layers beneath the public personae, it's apparent they each provide a missing puzzle piece for the other. Together, they begin to discover a relationship they never dreamed possible...that is, if one of them who hasn't quite managed to work through some significant emotional baggage doesn't totally trash it first. 

Pole Position is a fast-paced, spicy, deeply emotional, and surprisingly endearing story set within the highly competitive world of F1 auto racing. Even when I wanted to throttle them (mostly, one of them), my heart still ached for this unlikely couple and I couldn't bring myself to set them aside until they had managed to navigate their way to their hard-won happy ending. 

 

Do you watch F1 racing? 

Do you enjoy opposites-attract or rivals-to-lovers romance?

What books are keeping you glued to the pages these days?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 15 will receive a print copy of Pole Position. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

 

Review - - Shoot Your Shot

Shoot Your Shot

by Lexi LaFleur Brown

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

Jaylen “JJ” Jones’s hockey career is over. After not securing an NHL contract with the Seattle Rainiers, Jaylen decides to bid the city farewell with a final night of fun, blowing off steam with an anonymous one night stand. But when a last-minute roster spot opens up on the Rainiers, he connects his luck to the girl he spent the night with. Superstitious Jaylen is desperate to keep her around—his career depends on it.
 
Aspiring tattoo artist Lucy Ross isn’t so sure about the proposition to remain Jaylen’s lucky charm—she’s been called a lot of things in her life, but good luck has never been one of them. But stuck in a career slump, Lucy has everything to gain. Hoping for an apprenticeship hasn’t offered much stability, and Jaylen is willing to pay any price to get Lucy to agree…so maybe sending him a routine text message before each game won’t be too hard.
 
What starts as an agreement to trade favors—a good luck text in exchange for tattooing practice for Lucy’s portfolio—quickly turns into sizzling chemistry that’s too delicious to deny. But Lucy’s been in too many situationships to even think about getting attached again, and Jaylen is clearly only with Lucy as long as it’s helping his gameplay…
 
Neither of them expecting getting lucky could be so complicated.

PJ's Thoughts:

This author clearly knows her hockey. The games, practices, and locker room banter were highlights of the book for me and kept things interesting when the romance lagged. 

Less impactful was the emotional heft of the story. I felt very little connection between JJ and Lucy. Yes, there was plenty of steam but I struggled to detect the development of any deeper feelings, at least on Lucy's part. Without that, I had a hard time feeling invested in their relationship. I felt more invested in JJ's relationships with his teammates than his relationship with Lucy, even at the end of the book. I love hockey and hockey romance but this couple just didn't do it for me. Other readers may feel differently. 

Shoot Your Shot is the author's debut. While I wanted more from the romance and I felt the writing could have been more polished, there were parts of the story I enjoyed and I think she has potential. I'll probably give her one more try. 

 

Review - - Hockey Wife

Hockey Wife

by Kate Meader

Rookie Rebels - Book 10

Publisher: Kate Meader LLC

Release Date: September 16, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

"I need us to stay married, Big Guy."

Recently traded to the Chicago Rebels, hockey veteran Dylan “Banks” Bankowski is adjusting to what might be his last team and his final year in the NHL. That means taking care of his battered body while he strives for the one goal that’s managed to elude him: a championship ring. What he does not need is a visit from the woman to whom he gave a different kind of ring months ago.

His young, flighty, socialite wife.

Apparently, signing the annulment papers within a week of their quickie wedding in Vegas didn’t quite take, and now she’s back, right before the playoffs when he needs his focus most. Only this time she has a different request: let’s keep up the charade. He should say no, but he once said “I do” and surely that means something …

Georgia Goodwin has good reasons for wanting to keep her hockey player husband. Convincing the big lug to cooperate is the easy part. Not so easy? Ignoring the flutter in her chest when he grunts in jock, kisses her neck, or calls her wife. But it’s only for a few weeks, and as soon as the playoffs finish, so will they.

But the more time Georgia and Banks spend together, the more real their marriage feels. Less Vegas mistake, and more like the start of something amazing. They said goodbye once. Can they do it again … or will they figure out that a love this good is worth fighting for as much as that championship ring?

PJ's Thoughts:

Can this series just keep going on forever? We're at book nine of the Rookie Rebels and I'm nowhere near ready to say goodbye to this team of unforgettable characters and the women - and men - who capture their hearts. The romance. The bromance. The sizzling chemistry. The laugh-out-loud humor. And last, but never least, the incredible depth of emotion. These books have it all.

I fell hard for Georgia and Banks. There's so much more to both of them than what the surface would suggest. Meader excels at creating layered characters and I love watching those hidden layers slowly reveal themselves to me - and to the other characters - as the story progresses. Of course, teammates and their wives get involved along the way. It wouldn't be the Kate Meader story I love without meddling hockey players and their partners - I'm looking at you, Theo Kershaw. And you too, Tara Fitzpatrick - not to mention extended family dynamics which always takes things up a notch. It all comes together in a perfect blend of steam, emotion, humor, and happiness, everything I've come to expect from this author.  

While several characters from earlier books have appearances in Hockey Wife, the book stands well on its own if you prefer to jump into the series here.   

Review - - Gossip Game

Gossip Game

by Tracy Solheim

Baltimore Blaze Football Romance - Book 5

Publisher: Sun Home Productions

Release Date: August 15, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Heiress Charlotte Davis has pulled some impulsive stunts in her twenty-seven years. Ranking right up at the top? “Buying” at auction the quarterback of her brother’s precious football team, the Baltimore Blaze. In her defense, the event was for charity. Besides, she owed the guy one. He’d rescued her from a situation even more dire years before—right before he broke her heart.

After a dismal season, Noah Hudson’s reputation with the fans and the media is circling the drain. Getting “bought” by a notorious tabloid princess wasn’t exactly the shot in the arm he was hoping for. Especially since the same woman badly bruised his ego when she ghosted him years ago.

But when the two share a mocking kiss in front of the cameras, a feeding frenzy is ignited among football’s talking heads. Suddenly, the Blaze are winning games and women around the world are all over social media cheering them on. So what if it’s a bunch of Charlotte’s faithful fans buying up Noah’s jersey? If their influence keeps him as the team’s starter, he can work with that.

When a vindictive sports reporter begins to spread malicious gossip about Noah and Charlotte, however, the two are forced to face their past mistakes and, just maybe, build a future together.

This second chance novella can be read as a standalone. It takes readers back to Baltimore where they’ll reconnect with their favorite Blaze players and their families.

PJ's Thoughts:

Second-Chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and in the hands of Tracy Solheim, this new novella shines. A good deed brought Noah and Charlotte together years earlier, instant attraction sealed the deal, and a quiet night of talking revealed the hidden depths few others took the time to notice. But misunderstandings (on both sides) sent them in different directions. Now reunited, a new misunderstanding (on the part of the public) has them dealing with feelings that neither of them wants. Or do they? 

Filled with snappy banter, sizzling attraction, and emotional depth, these characters pulled me into their story within the first few pages and kept me eagerly reading until the end. Fans of Solheim's Baltimore Blaze Football Romance series will no doubt enjoy revisiting favorite characters from that series while readers new to these stories can absolutely jump into Gossip Game without missing a beat.

Gossip Game is a quick, satisfying, heart-tugging romance that reminded me of why I enjoy this author's writing so much. For a sports fan (like me), it's a terrific lead-in to my favorite season of the year: football! For those non-sports-fan readers, it's a great second-chance romance that just might introduce you to a new favorite author and romance genre.

Review - - Catch and Release

Catch and Release

by Tracy Solheim

Milwaukee Growlers Football Romance - Book 3

Publisher: Sun Home Productions

Release Date: February 19, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

A second chance, enemies-to-lovers football romance.

He’s the pro athlete everyone wants to be.
Quarterback Trey Van Horn didn’t become the league’s MVP by accident. Years of self-discipline and iron-clad control have made him the envy of everyone in and around the game of football. But when he comes face-to-face with the one who got away, his tightly managed life is turned upside down. Now he’ll do whatever it takes to score the greatest comeback of his life.

She’s tired of being every guy’s doormat.
London Headley is on the verge of having the career she’s always dreamed of. Too bad the path to her promotion runs through the guy who broke her heart a decade earlier. So what if everything about the Milwaukee Growlers QB sets her panties on fire? She’s determined to keep things professional. Life has taught her that men will always choose something—or someone—over her. It’s going to take more than a Hail Mary to get her to buy into the fairy tale.

The only problem? Her lips don’t seem to want to follow the game plan. Not when Trey is executing an all-out blitz to prove he’s worth a second chance.

PJ's Thoughts:

Tracy Solheim's books are auto-buys for me. I've read them all. I've enjoyed them all. And, of them all, Catch and Release, the newest addition to her Milwaukee Growlers series, is my favorite. 

I had a feeling after reading books one and two in this series that Trey had hidden layers. I had no idea just how many layers and how well hidden they would turn out to be. Or, just how much I would fall in love with this man who truly believed he was cursed in loved. And then there's London, who has been taught by people in her life (including Trey) that she will never be the one chosen. I wanted to hug her, support her, cheer her on, and share honest truths, just as her best friend Lucy did. And then I wanted to do the same with Trey, side by side with his football teammates. Solheim has a knack for creating strong, supportive, straight-talking friendships and hilarious yet surprisingly nurturing bromances in this series.

I don't believe Solheim has ever written a couple that I've pulled harder for, both individually and as a couple. I loved their complex layers, their enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, the fiery chemistry that brought them back together, the emotional layers of their overlapping - sometimes complicated - family relationships, and the balancing of their career dreams with the risk of laying their hearts on the line. They took me on a perfectly paced, emotional ride that bubbled with laugh-out-loud humor, included a few surprise twists, touched my heart with endearing moments, offered up some satisfying steam, and had me mopping up tears more than once. I've read their story twice. I have a feeling that it may become one of my go-to comfort reads in the future. These are characters - both primary and secondary - that I just can't get enough of.