Rebel Heart (Starlight Cove #6) by Brighton Walsh

 

Harper Davidson has been ingrained on my heart since we were kids, and now she's tattooed on my skin. But she'll never know about either. Not when she's better off thinking we're enemies. Having her in my space every day and sharing a wall with her every night is a challenge I never saw coming. A challenge I'm not sure I'm up to. Especially when our daytime games turn into nighttime dares, pushing each other to the breaking point until our neighbors know exactly who's making her scream. As lines blur and feelings deepen, we begin teetering on the edge of something more. And it's becoming harder to pretend that this is nothing - that she is nothing. Because this second chance is starting to feel like a last chance. Rebel Heart by Brighton Walsh was published on July 2024. This is book six of the Starlight Cove series. 

I have really enjoyed this series and a lot of books by Brighton Walsh. So I was really excited when this book came out. I couldn't wait to get started and started. I finished this book within a few days of checking it out. I loved the build up in this book. The characters don't see each other coming throughout the book. Though, it was interesting to see how much changes with them as they grow in the book. The characters, Harper and Levi are well rounded both with a lot of faults in the book. You see a lot of Levi's siblings through the book which you introduced in the other books. Also you really fall in love with the whole town of Starlight Cove. The plot of this story flows amazing and the smut scenes are tame compared to other books that I have read. But they are amazing and I highly recommend checking out this book, because you will fall in love with Levi. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"If I wanted to know how well I fuck now, Sparrow, you could've just asked." 

"Get on the bike, Harper...We're going to the same place."

"I can walk."

"I never said you couldn't. But it's midnight and you're alone. And I don't give a shit if we live in the most boring town in the country, I'm not just going to drive off and let you walk home by yourself. Now, get on the fucking bike." 

"If I tell you the secret, will you get on your knees and pray to it, Sparrow?" 

"Time to be my dirty girl, Sparrow." 

Starlight Cove Series

1. Defiant Heart

2. Protective Heart 

3. Fearless Heart 

4. Reckless Heart 

5. Possessive Heart 

6. Rebel Heart 

Tropes

Second Chance 

Small Town

Enemies to Lovers

Forced Proximity

Friends to Lovers 

Slow Burn

Childhood Friends

He Falls First 

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

 

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Standford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from their injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships-at least, that's what she tells herself. Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It's how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes. So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water. Deep End by Ali Hazelwood was published on February 2025. 

I was wanting to read this book since it came out and I happened to be at a bookstore that had it on sale. I am so glad that I bought this book as I will be so wanting to read it over and over. This book is on the lighter side of smut but it has an amazing romance plot. The two main characters Scarlett and Lukas both have a history and personality before the book started. As the story went on both of their personalities grew with the book. Both characters are really well rounded as they have both faults and strengths throughout the book. The plot in this book has a lot of twists and turns that keep you wanting to turn the page. I read this book quite fast as I could not put it down. I highly recommend checking this book out. 

Quotes That I Loved

A minute later she's asleep. The entire universe is here, in his arms. 

"Scarlett....The only time wasted in time we are apart." 

"Mostly, I'm afraid of attempting something and not being perfect at it." 

Tropes

Sports Romance - Swim

College - New Age 

He Falls First 

Friends to Lovers 

BDSM 

All This Time (Blossom Peak #1) by Harlow James

 

Fletcher Adams is not just the man that stole my heart at fifteen and never gave it back. He's also my brother's best friend, and now one of the most famous players in the NFL. But now he's back in Blossom Peak for our mutual friend's wedding, and guess who are the maid of honor and best man? That would be us. I've spent the past twelve years ignoring what happened between us that fateful night, and avoiding him as much as possible when he did pop into town to visit. But now he's everywhere. All This Time by Harlow James will be published on October 10th, 2025. This is the first book in the Blossom Peak series. 

I was asked for my honest review from The Smuthood and from Harlow James. Now that is out of the way, I have to say I read this book in three days. It would have taken me a single day to read it but life of soccer games, and homecoming dances got in the way. I loved this book so much. This book sent me laughing like crazy as some of the crazy scenes. Then in the next second I was on the edge of tears. The characters, not just the two main characters Fletcher and Laney but all of the other side characters came to life on the pages. The story-line was perfected and left me hanging in some places but I felt fulfilled at the end of the book. I loved how their relationship was formed before the book started and then came back around. I didn't feel like I lost anything about their past relationship. I could totally see how these two characters came to each other. This is a book series I will for sure be grabbing each book as they come out. But not only that I will now check out all the other books by Harlow James. 

 

Quotes That I Loved 

"Then that settles it. We go out next Friday and you don't come home until you've seen a dick and felt it in your vagina."
"You'd think, given how long we've been friends, that nothing you say could shock me, yet here we are."
"It's a gift." 

"Awesome. I just want to make sure Laney eats something."
"That's really not necessary."
"Where are your snacks?" 

"Any man foolish enough to cheat on you deserves to have every one of his limbs ripped from his body." 

Blossom Peak Series

1. All This Time

2. On Borrowed Time (January 2026) 

Tropes

Sports Romance - Football

Enemies to Lovers

Brother's Best Friend 

Small Town 

Second Chance 

Forced Proximity 

Pucking Unhinged (Kings of Castlebrook #3) by London Snow

 

Tristan Vale was forced to make a sick choice: hurt his foster sister or watch someone else do far worse. The quiet and brooding goalie is known for his ruthless demeanor on and off the ice. When it comes to Winter LeBlanc, his dominance is gentle, protective and possessive in the most unhinged ways. Winter believes Tristan's careful attention is focused solely on her because of the guilt he carries. She's only ever felt self with him, and now he needs his dark side to help her heal. The delicate ballerina is unaware that her foster brother's need for her consumes him to the point it keeps him up at night. She doesn't know that the day they were attacked was not the first time he killed for her. Now they've expected to go back to their regular lives, but his obsession with her grown more intense. Tristan tracks Winter's every move, caters to her every whim without her having to ask, and there isn't a thing he wouldn't do to keep her safe. He vows to hunt down those who tried to harm her, but the villain might be closer than either of them realize. Pucking Unhinged by London Snow was published on October 1st, 2025. This is book three of the Kings of Castlebrook series. 

I was asked to read this book for my honest review from The Smuthood and London Snow. I will say that this is the first book that I have read in the Kings of Castlebrook series. I love hockey romances even though I will say that I know nothing about hockey. I have seen one game once in my lifetime in person as a kid. But anyways, something about hockey romances have always drawn me in. This book didn't per say have a lot of hockey references through the book but you got here and there. The characters go to one or two games in the book. I really enjoyed the book though. The characters, I felt like could use some more personality and personal growth in the book. But the plot was really unique and I loved how it was certain around the two characters who were foster siblings. Though, there was a lot of build up in the book that lost me a few times. There is not a lot of smut in this book but it hints of more to come. The author created a really nice book that I kind of wished we saw more of the characters when they were foster siblings and what happened the night that Tristian was forced to take Winter's virginity. It was a good book and I highly recommend this easy read. 

Kings of Castlebrook Series

1. Pucking Obsessed 

1.5. Burn It Down

2. Pucking Possessive 

3. Pucking Unhinged 

3.5. A Very Unhinged Christmas 

Tropes

Dark Romance

Sports Romance - Hockey

Forced Proximity 

College Romance 

Forbidden Romance

He Falls First 

Friends to Lovers 

Small Town

Virgin 

Father Knows Best (A Family Affair #1) by Daisy Jane

 

On their wedding night, Avery's honeymoon gift shatters her new husband Sutton's world, leaving her fleeing in tears, and him chasing her in shock. But when she collides with her father-in-law, the silver fox Geo Mercer, he proposes a solution that will unite the three of them in ways they never imagined. Sutton, the strait-laced heir to Mercer Properties, thought he knew his wife. But Avery's desires seem to challenge everything he thought he knew about her and their relationship. Geo, the charismatic and extroverted CEO, has always regretted the distance between him and his son. Now, with Sutton and Avery's problem, he sees a chance to heal old wounds and save them before they crash. As the three of them navigate uncharted territory, the Mercers discover that love, trust, and intimacy can take many forms. Father Knows Best by Daisy Jane was published September 26th, 2025. This is the first book of A Family Affair series. 

So I have to say this I was asked by The Smuthood and Daisy Jane for my honest review for this advance book. Okay, second thing I need to say, I came so close in DNF this book until a little over half way of the book. I kept saying, "Give the book a chance....give it a chance." I am not a huge fan of slow-burn type of books because sometimes the buildup is slow and can feel dragging. I felt like this build up was slow and a lot of it could have been left out of the book. Actually, I think it could have started at the wedding. Anyways, but I am giving the book four stars. Why....because once I got over the hump of the build-up it took off. This book left me in shock. I was actually shocked to know more about myself that I was totally okay with a father and son sharing. The characters felt a little flat but the story-line once it picked up really helped the speed up. The smut in this book once it got started was amazing. I loved the two different male characters in this book. I also loved how they were in it for each other but for Avery. I recommend checking this book out. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"Avery, I'm a grown man. I don't play with toys. And I certainly don't play around when making love to my life." -I wanted to Smack Sutton for this. 

"Good girl, now turn around and face your husband." 

"Look at me while you take it from him." 

"The most un-vanilla thing about me is how fiercely I enjoy watching her." 

A Family Affair Series 

1. Father Knows Best 

2. TBA 

Tropes

MFM

Why Choose 

Forbidden Love

Millionaire

Slow Burn 

Workplace 

Deserving Maisy (The Refuge #6) by Susan Stoker

 

A fake-marriage, a lie, and a murderous brother somehow combine to give her the life she always wanted...if only she can live long enough. Maisy Feldman has lived in a haze for years, coming out of it only recently to learn the brother she thought she knew was a man she no longer recognizes. Evil. A monster. And he's about to prove it again - by forcing her to marry a stranger. It's the only way she can gain access to her inheritance, and Jason wants that money. Badly. Badly enough to kidnap a man and force him to marry Maisy long enough to fulfill the stipulations attached to her parents' will. But Jason has no idea who he's kidnapped...and he certainly didn't count on Maisy falling in love with her handsome fake husband. Deserving Maisy by Susan Stoker was published on October 2024. This is the sixth book in The Refuge series. 

I loved Jack Stone in the other books in the series and could not wait to read his book. This book did not leave me hanging at all. I loved how different this book was to all other books by Susan Stoker. Jack felt well rounded as a character who grew into his own self through this book. Maisy at the beginning of the book was this girl who did exactly what her brother wanted her to do. She did not have a backbone at all. Then as the story went her character developed and she grew worthy of having a strong male counterpart who can stand her ground. I absolutely loved the developing romance between the characters even though at the beginning Jack thought he was already in love with her. This book had some smut but it's a very small amount which is normal for Stoker's books. I highly recommend checking out this sweet romance. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"I don't remember you, or the life we had, but deep down I know you're mine. My soul recognizes you. Not knowing who I am or anything..." 

The Refuge Series 

1. Deserving Alaska

2. Deserving Henley

3. Deserving Reese 

4. Deserving Cora

5. Deserving Lara 

6. Deserving Maisy

7. Deserving Ryleigh 

Tropes

Military Romance

Forced Proximity 

Burning Ivy (KORT #1) by Brandy Hynes

 

She's my mission. My prize. My obsession. Ivy Kingston is the most wanted woman in the world for reasons she is completely oblivious to, reasons I intend to capitalize on. She needs a husband to receive her inheritance, so I'm on the hunt for a wife. As long as it's her. I'm not who she thinks I am. But she has no idea who she really is either. I'll be her groom. Her keeper. Her lover. And quite possibly her demise. Burning Ivy by Brandy Hynes was published on January 2024. This is the first book of KORT series. 

This book had so many turns that it's insane. At the beginning of the book I was confused on what was going on. I couldn't get into the characters of Ivy and Wells. But then as the book went on the confusion eased up and the characters didn't seem so flat. I felt like it was really uneven in the book. Though I have to say that the plot of the book really kept me going in the book. I found out that as the book went on things were explained. I absolutely ended up falling in love with this book. So I highly recommend checking this book out as you will not be disappointed. The characters even the side characters will keep you on your toes in the book. 

Quotes that I Loved

"He would never ask me to sell myself to a man to earn my money like one percent whore." 

"You okay, Little Storm?" 

"Look at that. You talk like a brat, but you jumped right up to do as I ordered. Good girl, Ivy. You'll do just fine." 

"Anyone can be the light when the sun is shining. It takes a goddamn force to strike with a crash so bright  that even the outlines of the raging clouds are illuminated." 

KORT series 

1. Burning Ivy

2. Carving Graves 

3. Tracing Scars 

4. Charring Bones 

Tropes

Dark Romance

Mafia 

Marriage of Convenience 

Age-Gap

Billionaire

Grumpy Sunshine

Virgin 

He Falls First