Friday, July 31, 2026

Book Review: Chasing the Rush

Title - Chasing the Rush 
 Author - Lauren Rowe
Series - Book 2 in Football and Feels
Genre -  Sports Romance 
Format - Physical Copy
From - Kensington Publishing

Synopsis 

Rudy meets Moneyball in a sexy yet warm-hearted, second-chance football romance for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey, Monica Murphy, Kristen Callihan, and Lucy Score, as the analytical, math-nerd, type-A daughter of a tough love coach is assigned to babysit the team’s adrenaline junkie pass rusher.


Chelsea Parker, 25, knows football, thanks to growing up with a football coach for a father and two linebackers for brothers. But Chelsea’s true passion has always been math: crunching numbers to predict statistical outcomes for everything from football to stocks to romance. Chelsea dreams of merging her two passions to become the first female head of analytics for an NFL team. But for now, she’s got to convince the powers-that-be at her father’s new team, the Mastodons, the worst in the NFL, to give her that entry-level position in the front office.


Luca Maguire, 26, a pass rusher and adrenaline junkie with a famous last name, knows this upcoming training camp with his new team, the Mastodons, will likely be his last, if he can’t get out of his own way long enough to make the cut. The dire nature of his circumstances is the only reason Luca didn’t quit on the spot when Coach Parker assigned his daughter, Chelsea, a statistics-loving, spreadsheet-making math nerd, as Luca’s “personal coach” for the duration of camp. More like his babysitter, if you ask Luca.


Well, okay, Luca didn’t quit for that reason and another one: the thing that happened seven years ago between Luca and Chelsea as strangers, when Luca’s college football team stayed at the same hotel as Chelsea’s mathletes squad. Luca would never admit this to Chelsea, especially not with her being Coach’s daughter and the newly assigned bane of his existence, but the truth is Luca hasn’t stopped thinking about that cute little mathlete who ditched his ass seven years ago, right before their clothes came off, ever since.


Review 

I received Chasing the Rush in return for an honest review from Kensington Publishing. 


This is the second book in the Football and Feels series that's interconnecting standalone so the first isn't required but recommend. This is Chelsea may be all about math but she grew up with football. Now that college is over she's helping her dad with his team and the one man in college she has never stopped thinking about has just walked back into her life. Luca hasn't stopped thinking about Chelsea and even tried to find her but now she's tasked with babysitting him since his career has been a little rocky. 


I just loved Chelsea and Luca they are adorable together and this fun banter that made me giggle out loud a few times. They have this sweet yet spicy relationship that just works so well. I loved seeing the prior characters pop in because I miss them. I ended up devouring this book in just one short afternoon and loved evey moment of it. I hate to admit it but I may just love this Chelsea and Luca's story over Iris and Roman. I think both will hold a special place in my heart. 


I've read several books by the author and she never disappoints every book has just been amazing. Each story is beautiful crafted with characters to fall in love with and a story that steals a little piece of your soul. To say I'm obsessed with her writing would be an understatement. I'm hooked and she's one of my favorite romance authors. I could use several more of this series because it's one of my favorites and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Highly recommend if you enjoy sports romance or just love a beautiful story. 

 

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Book Review: Her Silence

Title -
Her Silence 
Author - S.T. Ashman 
Series - Standalone   
Genre -  Thriller 
Format - Physical Copy 
From - Hambright PR  

Synopsis 

From bestselling author S. T. Ashman comes an emotional psychological thriller about a mother who refuses to let her daughter take the fall for a crime that doesn't make sense… even if the truth is worse than prison.

She survived the night. The truth didn't.

Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter, Lacey, was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive, covered in his blood, and completely mute. She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.

Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a jail cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.

But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.

So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.

Her Silence hit the Top 3 Most Wanted Thriller Chart on NetGalley Worldwide and has become one of Bookstagram's favorite thrillers of the year.


Review 

I received Her Silence in return for an honest review from Hambright PR. 


Nicole get's a phone call in the middle of the night to find out that her daughter isn't speaking and she's been found with the body of her friend. Suddenly Nicole's life spirals out of control as she try's to figure out what happened. With her daughter refusing to speak she is forced to solve what really happened that night on her own.  


 I loved Nicole she a great character you can't help cheering her on as she takes on this mystery. I devoured this book in just one afternoon it grabbed me right from the start and kept me hooked till the very last page. I'm very much in my thriller era and this book was just what I needed. It was a perfect balance of story that just flows along and it was easy to get lost in the story. 


I think I've read all the authors books and may be a tad bit obsessed with her thrillers. So this one had some big shoes to fill and it doesn't disappoint. It might be my favorite so far as it kept me on my toes till the very last page. The author has done an amazing job creating a captivating thriller full of mystery. Highly recommend all her books if you are looking for a fantastic thriller. I'm addicted to her storytelling she's one of my favorite thriller authors. 


 

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Book Review: By Blade, I Protect

Title - By Blade, I Protect 
Author - Penelope Sky 
Series - By Blade Book 1  
Genre -  Dark Mafia Romance 
Format - Physical Copy 
From - Over The River PR 

Synopsis 

My father runs the only arms operation in Sicily, and now that the Skull King is monopolizing the drug empire in all of Italy, we’re in hot water.


Because everyone wants to take our business for themselves—because they aren’t strong enough to handle the Skull King.


Just when things are looking bad, Wolfe shows up looking for a job. He was born to inherit the throne of Cosa Nostra, but a mysterious falling out has forced him to turn his back on the only family he’s ever known.


None of us are sure if we can trust him, so he has to start at the bottom and prove his loyalty. With a cocky smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he does what he’s told.


But the second he sets eyes on me—I become the real thing he wants. But I’m not dumb enough to get involved with one of the guys at the syndicate, no matter how insanely hot he is, so I tell him it’s never going to happen.


But this man doesn’t stop.


Review 

I received By Blade, I Protect in return for an honest review from Over The River PR. 


Francesca works with her father and helps out where she can. Her father has taken on Wolfe who's walked away from his own family to start over. They have this instant attraction that turns from a whirlwind night into a secret relationship. Wolfe has to prove himself to her father and she has to figure out how to tell her father she's fallen for him. However, being part of the mafia world danger is around every corner. 


I started this one before bed and had to put it down so that I didn't stay up all night reading and finished it first thing in the morning as I couldn't wait to see how it would end. I love Francesca she's such a sweetheart considering she's grown up in a mafia family. Wolfe is a perfect swoon-worthy morally grey guy that is perfect for her. They have this spicy connection that neither can deny and Wolfe is playing for keeps. 


I've read several of the authors books but this one may just be my favorite so far. The characters were easy to connect with and I loved their instant connection it just works. I'm still having a little book-hanger and can't wait for the next one to come out as I need to know what's going to happen next. The author has done a beautiful job creating a story with just the right amount of spice that keep me hooked till the very last page. Highly recommend if you are looking for a dark mafia romance. 

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Happy Release Day & Review: The Wildborn

Title - The Wildborn
Author - Perri Torani 
Series - Starborn #1  
Genre -  Sci-Fi Aliens Romance  
Format - eArc 
From - The Nerd Family 

Synopsis 

To walk the path of a morazir, I will exist in three states of being: Untouched. Untaken. Unconquered.


Airik, a battle-scarred warrior serving the cruel intergalactic empire of the Veynari, craves silence from the nightmares tormenting his mind. But while on post to decommission a failed experiment of a planet, a rogue human spacecraft crashes, and a reckless decision leaves him stranded—entangled with a woman he never should have saved.


Nora wakes light-years from Earth, broken in body and spirit, at the mercy of an alien soldier who refuses to let her die. Devastatingly beautiful, terrifyingly competent, and bound by a warrior’s oath that permits touch only to destroy, he’s the reluctant guardian angel she neither wants nor believes she deserves.


Trapped together, they’re forced to navigate a brutal landscape, vicious beasts, and the deadly remnants of an abandoned world. Duty demands Airik’s cold indifference. Yet Nora sparks something deliciously alive—and entirely forbidden—within him. What begins as necessity ignites a primal hunger: scorching, consuming, and impossible to resist.


But even if they survive, the Veynari—ever present and ruthless—won’t allow its warriors weakness like love. For Airik and Nora to be together, they must risk everything.


The Wildborn is a steamy, high-stakes sci-fi romance featuring forced proximity with an emotionally repressed alien protector who falls hard. Perfect for fans of Zoey Draven’s immersive world-building, the dark emotional complexities of Victoria Aveline’s Ruling Sikthand, and the lyrical storytelling of Grace Draven.


Review 

I received Wildborn in return for an honest review from The Nerd Fam. I can admit it I was drawn in by the cover alone and other then alien romance I had no idea what I was getting into. Airik and Nora are perfect together. She's on the run and he's on his way to destroy a planet. When fate takes a hand and tosses her in his path and all the plans change.


I love Nora she's such a sweetheart you can't help connecting with her and when she finds Lucky I knew she was my kind of girl. Airik is everything you in a broody alien who rides in to save the day. They have this sweet connection that turns spicy and hard to deny. 


I loved the world building the author has paid so much attention to details and created a world that captured my attention. I'm a huge alien romance fan and just look at the cover Airik is just as swoonworthy on the cover as he is in the book. I just loved and he's on my bookfriend list for sure. The author has done a beautiful job creating a story that a little place in my heart. This is her debut book and I think she nailed it. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. Highly recommend if you enjoy an alien romance.