katiedermody's reviews
1972 reviews

I fully admit that I'm late to the Stephanie Archer fan club, but I'm here now! Whenever I'd see her book's covers I'd think "I want to read those" and I'm glad I finally did. They give me a Becka Mack vibes: a Vancouver hockey team (this one is the Storm), an interesting group of guys, funny moments, lots of excellent smutty moments. Pippa recently left the concert tour she'd be following and working for for two years, her boyfriend as the musician. She's given up on music for herself and is looking for other jobs, and becomes an assistant for a player on the team her sister, Hazel, works for as a physio. Surprise: the player is her old high school crush Jamie. What she doesn't know is he also had a crush on her back then. He's very serious now, doesn't date, has a mom he's taking care of, has a dog he just rescued from the street even though he isn't sure he wants a dog, and is kind of a grumpy asshole to her at first. But he ends up being super supportive and encouraging (and demanding, but she likes it), and helps her orgasm, which she's only ever done solo before. I really enjoyed this one and I can see myself going through the author's backlist now, starting with Hazel's book. 

I enjoyed this one, it was exactly what I expected the reading experience to be like. A mostly fluffy and smutty (with a side of more serious) sports romance. My instinct is to call it a quick read but it's over 500 pages and I was called out for that last time, so what I mean is it was an easy read that felt like it went by quickly. I've been waiting for this story since book one in this series, possibly longer since many of her books overlap. Maeve and Asher have been best friends for almost ten years and end up in a marriage of convenience after making a marriage pact and later being in Vegas. She's an artist who just got a big job doing a mural for his hockey team's rink, and he's starting a new charity with her brother, so both decide to stay married for the optics. But he's been into her (and in denial) for a couple years, and she's more recently felt attracted to him too. Smut, falling in love, etc. etc. etc. The serious I mentioned earlier is that he deals with some mental health stuff (anxiety leading to obsessive tendencies) and I thought it was handled well. This book also set up the next one really well and we met the MMC for the last book. There was a hot second at the start that I confused which series I was reading because Helena Hunting's current hockey series has similar storylines, a group of girl friends, etc. and I enjoy both series, but I got there. 

Okay, I loved this! I was always a big Beauty & the Beast girl, especially after I played Mrs. Potts in high school, so I was looking forward to this as soon as I saw people start to talk about it. It took me a bit to get to my hold, but I'm so glad I finally have. The references to the original are really clever, the enemies (ish) lovers is full of growling, banter,  denial, and pining. Bellamy is taking on this historical restoration on her own without her dad for the first time because he's been ill. She arrives to meet the mysterious "lost grandson" of the ridiculously rich man who hired them. Oliver has been hiding himself away for years after an accident that injured him and killed his parents, rumors abounding that he and the family are cursed. Over the months, they butt heads, eventually give in to their attraction, and become friends. Barely. It is all from her POV and it was pretty clear to me that he was into her but didn't know how to behave or express himself, which of course lead to distress for her. It's eventually spicy, often funny, definitely swoony and sweet at times, and I love that giving each other hell is a love language right til the end. I really enjoyed it and look forward to anything else the author brings us in the future. (And seriously, the references! The car, the chef's daughter named Nick... Incredible!)

I loved this one! I remember enjoying her first book and was excited for this one but took a little while to get to it between other holds, arcs, etc. and I'm glad I finally did because it's both so freaking cute and swoony and just so incredibly poignant for people my age (especially women). Josephine (Josie) is the creator, founder, and CEO of a fashion line that's working to expand into brick and mortar locations from just online, as well as achieving B corp status. After literally running into Will, a guy from her past, he ends up consulting for her and they eventually figure things out between them. It's all in her POV, but it was clearly to me very quickly how much he wanted her and when he finally let himself express it HOO BABY it was swoony and sexy. It takes longer for her because of her workaholic nature, partly of her own doing but also reality for women in their late 20s and early 30s who grew up as part of the grind culture. There were funny moments, a ton of lovely soft moments, and some great conversations about burn out and finding the right priorities in life. And seriously, some of the things this man says are just peak book boyfriend. Well done, Clare! 

Quotes:
"Because you are not and never have been a surface-level girl, Josephine. You're just a girl who loves things you have every right to love. And if I'm the boy who once convinced you that can't be true, then I will become the man who convinces you it absolutely is."

"What if I was okay with being your collateral damage?" he whispers.
My breath hitches. "What?"
"What if you took from me what you wanted and left the rest? I can take it." His voice is deep in his throat, breath warm on my skin. "Use me. Please. It would be an honor."

"The truth is I've been disguising the way I feel about you the best I can. But I'll stop that now. If you want."
His words create an avalanche. They create waves. They crack earth.
I cling to him, rubbing my nose against his soft shirt. "I want."

Beta read: I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the series now!

Reread: I love where this ended up after the beta read I did earlier this month! I really liked Damián and Nat's best friends to lovers story; the short story was a great intro to the new upcoming series. After he asked her out in college and she asked for friendship, that's what they've had: purely platonic, with him fully shoving down any feelings or attraction and ignoring it. Now years later, he's having a harder time denying what's still deep down and now she's starting to see him in a new way as well. The mutual pining is excellent, and because it's a short story we don't have to wait long for them to confess, talk about things, and test whether adding a physical aspect to their relationship is feasible (spoiler alert: it is!). Just a few hints into the series but they've got me excited! 

I had fully intended not to read any more holiday books right now but then was reminded that this one released at the new year and I'd been looking forward to it, so I decided to sneak it in. I'm glad I did! It's a novella, college romance, some sport involved (love interest is a hockey player, MC was a competitive figure skater until she couldn't be anymore, LI's brother is a gymnast, etc.), and it does take place over winter holidays from school. But what I was most interested in was the story: girl has a bit of a meet disaster with a guy and then gets friend zoned but is in love with him and when he agrees to come home with her as her fake boyfriend she hopes it'll turn into more. But then his twin brother ends up coming in his place, the one she can't stand because he hates her. But as they spend time together (some snowed-in only one bed, close proximity, fake dating beautiful time), she realizes how much she had wrong. There's also a tiny magical realism aspect. It was really good! The tension between them is great, and I figured out what was going on before she did, so that made it fun for me. The book is closed door up until the epilogue, which doesn't need to be read if that isn't your jam. Also, she has Endo and adenomyosis and the period (as impacted by these conditions) rep is great. Glad I decided to read it now!

This was so good! I had requested it from NetGalley a while ago and didn't remember much aside from best friends decide to get married so one can get his green card, but it was so much more than that. Within the first chapter, I saw Latinx rep, undocumented person rep, disability rep, and queer rep (including the characters attending a drag ball!), and I could already see the care the author put into portraying these experiences. 
Han (Alejandro) has lived in the US with his Tio, Tia, and family since he was a kid, and has shared an apartment with his best friend Kenny for the last five years. His parents are back in Mexico, and their relationship is strained because of his mother's addiction and the fact that he can't leave the country to go see them. So many facets of his life are influenced by the necessity to stay quiet, safe, unnoticed, and not risking deportation. When he loses his job, Kenny gets him a new one but soon realizes how serious things are. He leaves his abusive girlfriend, this time for the last time, and then proposes to Han that they get married for the green card. 
The men decide to go through with it and during their fake dating, engagement, etc. it becomes clear to both of them that the feelings were always there. But Kenny doesn't want to use Han as a rebound and Han thought he was straight. 
There were many emotions in this book, I teared up a couple times, laughed out loud multiple times, and swooned almost constantly because it is the quintessential best friends to lovers story and I loved it. I don't think I've read anything else by this author yet, but I definitely will now!
Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the arc. 
Release date: Jan 21/25

This one was still good, a little darker than any of the others as the omega escaped from sex trafficking right at the start, and then is claimed by one of the alphas in the pack accidentally/without prior discussion/etc. Serena agrees to stay with them only to stay away from the man who had her trapped before, and is drawn to all four men but two in particular. Avery is a newly pro MMA fighter and Jonah is a pro NFL player (same team as the guys in book1), and she feels safer around them pretty quickly, and later Spencer, professor and brother of their pack leader Tristan, whom Serena has the half bond with. Tristan can feel her emotions and stays away because of how fearful she is, and out of guilt, even though it physically causes him pain. Avery is definitely closer to morally grey than any other characters in this series, which also adds to the different tension. I still enjoyed it, and though there are still no new MCs with a happy immediate family, there's a reveal later on that brings potential for that to happen. Since I've read book4, I'll now have to wait for book5 to come out later in June. So far, I think book4 is my fave, flowed by book2. 

I think I liked this one more again! Remi has always wanted a family after left at children's home and put into foster care tonight at birth, not ever being chosen right through when she aged out. She's now trying not to be jealous of her best friend Meg and her pack (book1) and agrees to let them pay for a scent-matching organization. She doesn't think it'll work but reacts immediately to a pack of 3 and when they come in it's amazing and then not: she connects with Damon's playful flirtatious nature immediately, is shocked and thrilled with his packmate is Cassian, the boy she liked growing up before they came into their designations and never saw each other again, and then is shocked and not thrilled when his stepbrother, their pack leader Smith, is her scary, awful boss. The pack has to work to figure out if this will work for them, it's spicy, once again there's emotional depth to the characters, it's back in hockey territory with Damon and Cassian playing pro, and there's dyslexia rep. I have noticed a pattern in this series that almost no one has a family or parents they're in contact with (I think the only 2 of 14 main characters who did are in different books but are brother and sister, so it's still one family. Curious to see if this continues. 

My second last book of 2024 was the most recent in this series so I figured I may as well start things off in 2025 with some Omegaverse and read the first three. I'm not sure I enjoyed this one quite as much but it was still a spicy Omegaverse romance, so I was here for it. A pet name that I think was in the other one, usually makes me cringe but wasn't too bad last time, was here again and I didn't like it. But otherwise there were again a couple characters who needed to work out some emotional personal stuff, and the storyline about her not being raised with or taught the knowledge on how to be an omega and what to expect was good. On to the next one, which I think is hockey and more of my comfort zone vs football.