_isabel_'s reviews
1025 reviews

Well this was pretty enjoyable!
Mind you, I adored "Face Blind", book one in this series, quite a lot more, but I was still glad to get Scratch/Si's story and read about his past a bit more. Him finally getting his hard-won HEA was absolutely priceless.
Si and Zig were great protagonists. None of them shine quite as much as Corin, but they were still pretty lovable. Si's gentleness and patience made me fall in love with him, whereas Zig managed to win me over throughout the book, and I was 100% team Zig by the end of it. I wanted to jump into the book and hug him too!
Their romance was pretty cute as well. Second-chance is one of my favourite tropes, and I was so glad to see them reach their HEA: they totally deserved it.

On the other hand, I think something was slightly missing for me: maybe it was their dynamic at times? Zig kept hiding things to protect Si because he felt undeserving of his affection, whereas Si had a bit of a tendency to keep things to himself without giving Zig the chance to explain. It bugged me at times, and made the reading experience slightly stressful and frustrating.
Also, too much Adam being a dickhead and not enough Corin. NOT NEARLY ENOUGH CORIN *stomps feet* WELL, okay that aside, this was a pretty enjoyable read.
I adored getting to meet Kai a bit better too: who do I have to bribe to get JL Merrow to write a story about them next?! They deserve a story and HEA SO MUCH, because I feel like they have a ton of potential. Plus, that mysterious past? Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Anyway, I'm glad I read this book, despite not loving it as much as book one.
JL Merrow's writing and humour is unparalleled as usual, truly excellent, and the Glastonbury setting, the small-town atmosphere, the quirky side characters, made the experience even more enjoyable. I'm looking forward to what comes next.

TWs/CWs: abusive parent, homophobia.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest opinion. 

What a gem, WHAT A GEM.
My favourite of these by far: it made me swoon and cry and laugh, and it made my heart ache and rejoice. I couldn't stop reading.
I had HIGH expectations for this book, but thankfully they were not disappointed. I knew I was going to love "Empty Net" as soon as I read the first few pages. It's got everything I love in a sports romance, and then some more: two extremely lovable, realistic and relatable protagonists, a fabulous found family of teammates, a romance that had me on squealing, a whole lot of sports with a whole lot of heart AND so many angsty feelings I had to resist the urge to cry my eyes out? NOW, that is what I call an emotional roller coaster. Another one of these thank you!

Laurent and Isaac stole my heart. Ugh, they're my sons. I loved them so so so so much. Isaac was absolutely great: a snarky, vaguely assholish goalie with aggressive tendencies and a heart that's so kind and gentle and patient you'll want to jump into the book to hug him. Or swoon.
And Laurent! God, that man broke my heart to smithereens. He's gone through HELL, and has the scars (both physical and mental) to show for it and a mean, angry mask he takes out whenever he's feeling vulnerable or scared or unsure. His arc in this book was a thing of beauty. I was so, so proud of him, and his quiet bravery, his love for Isaac, his unexpectedly dry humour, his mean, grumpy (but hilarious) demeanor, all of that made me love him even more.
I adored their romance SO MUCH. No notes, just chef kissing all around. I was obsessed with their dynamic from the very start, and I kept on grinning and swooning and giggling til the end.

I love it when a sports romance manages to deal with heavier topics without loosing that spark of joy that comes with satisfying HEA. A romance with actual substance, a realistic emotional arc, like this one. Don't get me wrong, I love meaningless fluff once in a while, but they don't hit as well and I'll take crying my eyes out and feeling like my heart is being stomped on any day. ANY DAY.
I must applaud Avon Gale for it.
Although, if I had ONE small niggle,

I was a bit disappointed with the way Laurent's ED was dealt with. Not because it wasn't handled well, it was; but because I felt like we were missing a good chunk of that story. Isaac notices it off page, and the consequences of it are mostly off page, and I was sorry that it didn't have that much page time, that's all. Funnily enough, ED is usually one of those topics that kinda trigger me, but the way it was handled it didn't... but still; I was missing a better development of that part of the story.

. The other parts of Laurent's past and abuse were handled very well though; it was gut-wrenching, of course, so absolutely unfair you'll want to jump into the book to murder his father, but well done. As for the recovery aspects of his story too.

Anyway, I wholly recommend this book. I think you can skip book one and two quite easily (they'll alright, but nothing to talk about), but I wholly recommend book three and four, and reading them in order too. I think I'll end up reading book five too, so fingers crossed it manages to win me over like this one.

TWs/CWs: extreme physical, emotional abuse by a parent, eating disorder and vomiting, mental health struggles with self-loathing, sex work out of necessity (past), homophobia, slurs, talk of conversion camps, injury, a brief instance of bullying. 

What a lovely short story! A great introduction to Isaac's character POV. I cannot wait to dive into book four 👀 I'm so intrigued!

I loved this!!
By far my favourite one of the series, for now (I have high hopes for book four though).
Misha and Max absolutely STOLE my heart.
I loved them both to freaking bits: Misha was such a delightful grump, and the way the reader slowly uncovers his past and his hidden vulnerabilities and hurts was *chef's kiss* he broke my heart with his self-loathing and I wanted to jump into the book to smother him in blankets.
And Max! That man was sunshine personified and I LOVED HIM. He's so sweet and gentle and kind and hilarious, and I adored being in his head.
Their romance was equally delightful. They had me on the edge of my seat, and although their arc wasn't particularly angsty nor drama packed (actually, it was fairly straight-forward and their dynamic pretty much light-hearted), it still felt emotionally charged and realistic and substantial. I loved them.

I also LOVED the team dynamics, and I adored the side characters. The other teams we saw in the previous two books didn't manage to capture much, but I loved the Spitfires to absolute bits. I loved Isaac and Misha's bond too <3 so cute.

I cannot wait to dive into book four. I have HIGH expectations, and I hope I won't be disappointed.

TWs/CWs: homophobia, sex work (past), abusive parents, sexual harassment of side character. 

 I enjoyed the hell out of this novel!
Christina Nolte's debut was a delight. It hooked me IMMEDIATELY, and I seriously could not stop reading: I had to force myself to stop because otherwise I'd have spent half of the night reading.
Anyway, I still managed to devour it in two sittings.

"Mirror, Mirror" is precisely what I look for in a contemporary romance: two fabulous, well-rounded leads, a cast of side characters that feel as real as the protagonists, a smidge of spice, a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of emotionally packed angst. I adored it!
The writing could have probably gone through an additional round of edits, but since this is a debut I'll gladly close an eye to it. It's still impressive, and it managed to keep me hooked from the very start.
I adored both protagonists to absolute bits. Yes okay, Arrick was my favourite (because I love prickly, wounded grumps who hide their heart and vulnerabilities behind an icy exterior: sue me), but Evan was a delight too. Their romance stole my heart: as usual, the build-up to their first, chemistry-fueled kiss was my favourite part of the novel, but I was squealing right until the end.

I also loved that there's a subplot going on too: the one thing that always makes become fed up with the contemporary genre is the lack of plot. I love romance and erotica for the sake of it, like any other romance fan, but I'll get tired of that kind of stuff quite quickly. "Mirror, Mirror" IS mostly romance build-up, but there's also an underlying plot connected to Arrick, his past and the school he starts working at, and I seriously cannot tell you how excited I am to read the next installment.
This book finishes with a decent HFN, but there's quite a lot of story left to tell, I think, and I cannot wait for Christina Nolte to deliver it to our greedy, grabby hands. ESPECIALLY after those last chapters. Ugh, my heart <3

Anyway, I wholly, wholly recommend.

TWs/CWs: physical, emotional abuse by a parent (past and on page), death of a parent (past), death of a close friend (on page), toxic relationship with an ex.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

What a lovely little short story. It was heartbreaking, but I loved that ending. The perfect epilogue for Adam (and the shocking news he gets in book one) and Corin's story though I wouldn't mind reading more from them!

 4.5

What an absolute delight. I adored "Face Blind" to bits.
JL Merrow has been a favourite of mine since I devoured her "The Plumber's Mate Mysteries" a few years back (if you haven't read those, PLEASE DO), but I've always wanted to dive into her backlist a bit more. "Face Blind" was the perfect occasion: I loved this gentle, lovely, heart-wrenching romance so so much.

The atmosphere was so damn vivid and evocative; the prose absolutely dreamy. And the characters? I don't know were to start but I'd lay my life down for both Corin and Adam. UGH, they were so lovely. Adam was that peculiar blend of cocky and extroverted, while also being fueled by whimsy and that perfect amount of immaturity and gullibility that comes with being young and (mostly) carefree. He hasn't had it easy, and he goes through quite a lot of turmoil in this book, but I loved his easygoing nature. And Corin! He was my favourite. God, I wanted to jump into the book and hug him to death. He broke my heart, but I also adored seeing him slowly but surely get back that spark of life, the joy he'd forgotten about after his accident. He was so damn brave and relatable and lovable. I also loved their relationship so so much: they made me squeal into my pillow, and not many new-to-me romances manage that nowadays. I also looooooooved the disability rep: I've never read a book about a character with prosopagnosia (aka face blindness), and while I found the depiction both brutal and fascinating, I also found it really well done too. So yes, double kudos for that as well: I love how JL Merrow seems to always effortlessly include some kind of rep in her stories (like with Tom's disability in "The Plumber's Mate Mysteries").

I also loved the side characters: Sasha, you're an icon; Scratch? I cannot wait to be in your head for book two. He was the absolute BEST.
I even adored the plot: it was absolutely fascinating, and gut-wrenching too. Grief is the theme that guides the entire book, but it never feels overwhelming nor does it take away from Corin and Adam's romance.
I loved this book okay? And I wholly recommend it.
I'm jumping into book two ASAP.

TWs/CWs: grief, death of parent, death of partner, cheating (in the past), ableism, neglectful parents, abandonment, pregnancy complications (mentioned),

child kidnapping

.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

 What a freaking delight.
It's official: J.J. Mulder is one of my favorite hockey romance writers. I swear, everything I've read by this author has been an absolute delight, and it keeps getting better and better.

Remy and Gray's story stole my soul <3 it was EVERYTHING. Their dynamic had me in a chokehold since the very beginning: a smidge of secret identities shenanigans, a forbidden friends-with-benefits relationship between teammates, a whole lot of first times and a whole lot of pining? A queer awakening that feels so damn relatable and real you'll want to hug Remy to death? I was absolutely SOLD. Also, kudos for the demi rep. I loved it.
I adored both MCs so damn much: Remy is that precise, peculiar mix between a chronic, anxious over-thinker and an unbothered king; I loved how chill he was, and I also freaking loved seeing his more vulnerable, anxious side. And Gray! Gah, that man is a dreamboat. He's so gentle and kind, but also so damn sexy? Remy never stood a chance. I loved their relationship to bits.

"From Coast to Coast" is pretty much a light-hearted read, but it never felt shallow: there's an emotional undercurrent to the story and the budding relationship between Remy and Gray that made a world of difference. I loved it. I also loved how J.J. Mulder managed to balance out the hockey with the romance: everything felt precisely right.
One of the things I love most of the "Offside"series as well as the "SCU Hockey" one, is the fact that the author manages to write perfectly balanced stories: they're fun and light-hearted, sure, but the banter is actually funny, the emotional connection always feels so real, and J.J. Mulder never shies away from writing about heavy, emotionally tough topics either.
"From Coast to Coast" isn't a heavy read, but I so appreciated those little moments between Gray and Remy where both of them showed their fears and vulnerabilities. I also appreciated how the topic of homophobia in sports is handled; lots of hockey series nowadays kinda sugarcoat it a lot, and that's completely fine because we DO read romances to evade from our lives, but I think it's good to deal with real-world problems too.

Anyway, I freaking adored this novel, and I can't wait for J.J. Mulder's next gem. I hear it's going to be Vas's story and I'M EXCITED. I can't wait to go back to the SCU Hockey world, and maybe see Nico and Anthony again too.
Also, speaking of which: that epilogue? PERFECTION. No notes; I loved it.

TWs/CWs: homophobia, slurs, injury (mentioned).

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

This was freaking great, as usual.
"Skeleton Crew" was yet another amazingly gripping and fun installment in this masterpiece series from Jordan Castillo Price.
I think I was missing Victor's more unhinged moments (he's decidedly in his Responsible Era™, whereas Jacob is decidedly NOT lol), so not a full five star review, but this installment was a joy to read nonetheless.
I loved seeing both Jacob and Victor being so secure and in love with each other, and I loved the plot and I loved the side characters too: they're as wacky as any JCP character.

Victor Bayne's been my favourite since the very first time I laid my eyes on his addicted, disastrous, socially awkward ass. He's always going to be my favourite, even though he's very much put together (or acting like it at least lol) nowadays. His internal commentary is ALWAYS hilarious though, and I loved being in his head once again.
I hope JCP never stops writing this series. It's one of my favourites, and SUCH a joy to read.

TWs/CWs: death, injury, addiction (past), PTSD, confinement (past).

Oof this is a difficult one to rate.
This book should have TOTALLY been perfect for me. Roommates and teammates to lovers? A smidge of a kink awakening, with a D/s caretaking* dynamic? (* now I'm imagining Ethan being called out for being Riley's sugar baby LOL) Two protagonists that were really compelling? A whole lot of found family vibes and a fabulous cast of side characters? It has "me" written all on it.
Unfortunately, I got bored and started skimming. I don't know why, but this book felt too chunky and long, even though it's pretty short? I'm not sure how it's possible. I swear I've read 800 page tomes in less time.
Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. I've had a very stressful week, so a hockey/contemporary book might have not been the best choice to get out of my head. I'm very picky with those, and despite loving book one, this one didn't manage to hold my interest *ugh
A shame, since I really adored both MCs, especially Ethan (HE'S THE BEST!) and their dynamic was truly fire. 
I'm not sure if I should give book three a go now. I really want to read book four though, and I think a bit of the MCs backstory happens in that one. We'll see. I'm giving hockey romances a rest for a book or two though.