Off the Shelf : Tie Breaker by P Dangelico

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy here for more details.

Picture this: You fell in love at the age of 10. Yes, IN LOVE. He was 13 and like all boys at that age not exactly keen on having a girl follow him around while he did cool stuff like jumped off cliffs into lakes. But despite it all you fell in love and you weren’t going to let anybody, not even the love of your life, tell you otherwise...until one night he ruins it all and all you’ve got left is your wicked serve and your grandfather who encourages you to pursue your dreams. You’re getting on fine with your platonic boyfriend slash trainer until one day the one man who always has your back does and all he asks for is one thing...for you come back to the town where it all began.

That’s the story for Maren and Noah and boy was it a doozy! I have to say that second chance romances aren’t my usual cup of tea. It’s weird because I’m into angst but apparently not the angst of a lover scorned or a lover jilted. I think it’s the inevitability of it I don’t like, in the sense that the heroine and hero just can’t resist each other and you know without a doubt they’ll be getting together in the end that does me in (this is the part where everyone screams about HEA novels being the same). Despite that, I had to give this one a try and I have zero regrets!

P Dangelico is a master with the written word and a wizard with the slow burn! I fell in love with the characters and I just wanted them to be happy goshdarnit! I was rooting for them the entire way and the fact that the steamy bits were saved until towards the end it made the book all the more sweet!

My favourite character had to be Rowdy who, although deceased, wrought as much mischief in death as he had in life! I loved how the story was about a love gone wrong but not just between Maren and Noah but between Noah and Rowdy and Maren and Rowdy and how good intentions don’t always translate to good results. 

Noah was sweet and while at first it was hard to forgive what he had done, when I contemplated his head space at the time of the incident I couldn’t help but understand how it had happened if not exactly why. I loved that he was sassy with Maren, but knew when to pull his punches. I loved that he was there for her when she didn’t even know it, how he fought for her and her Rowdy’s bar. I loved how he wanted it all with Maren and was uncompromising.

I thought Maren was both hilarious and stubborn to boot! She wouldn’t let anyone try to tell her Noah had changed and it was actually really cool because she got to see it for herself. I thought she had gone through a lot with her sister’s injury and the way it had changed her family dynamics. Overall I just wanted her to win - on the tennis court and in life.

This book was a 5 star read all the way! I hope Miss Dangelico is writing as fast as she can because my hand is about ready to press pre order on her next book in this awesome series!

I loved the cameos from old characters! It was great seeing how their love continued to be adorable!

Visit Miss Dangelico here...and thank me later!

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf : End Zone by LJ Shen

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy here for more details.

This one gets a 5 for steam and a 3 for overalls goodness. As I always say, novellas aren’t really my thing but I decided to give this one a go because who doesn’t love a football romance and a happy ending? 

This book starts off pretty much in the middle. Sage and Jolie have been best friends ever since Jolie pushed her window up one night and ran to him in the rain to give him the hug he so desperately needed. Sage had been crying out in the dark for eight nights, silencing himself so no one could here his suffering and Jolie could no longer resist the tug to her heart urging her to comfort him. The pair are in college when the book begins with Sage on his way to NFL stardom and Jolie on her way to ya teaching job and a life spent as close to her parents and grandma. While she has been harbouring a crush on Sage for years she doesn’t want to end up another notch on his well notched belt. 

I thought the dynamic between Sage and Jolie was funny, flirty and adorable. We all knew where this was heading (straight to happily ever after city) but it was so great to go along with them on the way there. My favourite part about these two was the texting. I loved how their senses of humour came across in their texting and how it said a lot about them (it was especially great because we learned more about them over a short period of time, a neat trick with a novella).

I enjoyed the brief dive into football and getting to meet Sage’s teammates! I also loved his possessive side. I think the premise on which he and Jolie began their relationship was a little bit faulty (in that he was motivated by jealousy) but it was great to see that he had also been harbouring feelings for his best friend (because who wants a one sided love?).

The steamy bits in this novel were pretty darn steamy and that was a treat! Sage and Jolie had fun in the bedroom and I honestly enjoyed seeing that part of their relationship extend to the bedroom. I really enjoyed the extended prologue and thought it was such a great summary of their dynamic: there was humour, some steamy sexy time and a happy ending that left you feeling satisfied.

I like a bit more angst in my novels than this one had and I felt that it was light on drama and heavy on the sweetness. I completely understand that novellas can only tell so much of a story and this is typically why I go for full length novels (I like to see the couple fight for that happy ending and I love to see a little drama here and there while they do). That being said, this novella was a treat. If you’re looking for a quick, satisfying read then this one is definitely for you! It was a solid 3 star read and I’m keen to check out the author again in future! 

Find more by L.J. Shen here.

TK MAJ

Cover Reveal : The End Zone by LJ Shen

The End Zone, a sexy sports romance from LJ Shen is coming April 1st!

The End Zone

Author: LJ Shen

Release Date: April 1st

Designer: Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs

Photographer: Rafael Catala

Model: Jorge Del Rio

Synopsis

Jolie Louis is a smart girl.

She knows that her best friend, Sage Poirier, is a bad idea.

He’s a walking, talking cliché. The Adonis quarterback with the bulging biceps and harem of fangirls trailing behind him on campus like a stench you can’t get rid of.

Sadly, it is also the very reason she can’t seem to stay away from him.

No, wait. That’s not fair. They’re also roommates, at least until May, when they graduate from college.

Jolie is already straddling the line between friendship and more when Sage comes to her with an offer she cannot refuse: be his fake girlfriend and live for free for the rest of the semester.

She tells herself that she can handle it.

He’s just the boy she saved ten years ago, right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

He is a man now, and she is his captive

Heart, body, and soul…

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About LJ:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat. Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards. She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with LJ:

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Off the Shelf : Babymaker by P Dangelico

A book where two people determined to have a child the practical way find love...picking up this book was a no brainer! I love the premise and any book with love and babies is a book I’m ready to jump of board to! 

Firstly, P Dangelico is an author I’ve recently read and loved! She does slow burn with a humorous twist similar to Mariana Zapata. I have to say slow burn is a genre I am falling more in love with everyday and this story didn’t disappoint.

Stella is a fierce financial analyst who doesn’t need a man(do you sister!) but a complex character with vulnerabilities around money and security that I found so relatable. The fact that she had an older twin brother Alex who she shared a twin connection with was super cute and discovering her brother was a man in military uniform certainly didn’t hurt either! Stella was practical in a way I can relate to but also human; I loved how Dane described her ugly red glasses which she needs to see! 

Speaking of Dane. A funnier, more considerate male lead I haven’t read in a while! He was so witty he had me chuckling along as I read and that made me fall for him so hard (because what I want more than anything in a partner is to laugh!) I also loved how unexpected he was. Sure he was a retired football player but he also had brains and that more than anything set him apart. When football players are portrayed as airheads I can’t fall in line with that imagery so thank you P Dangelico for breaking the mold! 

Stella and Dane both so desperately wanted a baby and that was the sweetest thing not to mention the thing drawing them  together! The character of the baby wasn’t as big as I thought it could have been though. I would have loved more moments between Stella, Dane and the baby but that’s just my gluttony for cute family scenes talking! 

I loved the parents in this book! Stella’s mom and Dane’s dad were such wonderful additions to the tale not to mention hilarious in their own ways! Stella’s mom was also fierce and you could see where her daughter got that characteristic from. Dane’s dad was sweet and that character trait was well evidenced in Dane! 

As far as angst goes there was a bit but not too much. This book was high on humour and low on angst. As a drama lover that got to me but I was soon giggling at quotes by Dane so didn’t have too much time to dwell on it. 

Lastly, I would highly recommend reading Wrecking Ball and Sledgehammer by P Dangelico to get a heads up on the characters mentioned throughout the book. There are quite a few references to characters introduced in those two novels. When reading Babymaker I had to try and remember who was who in the zoo from reading Wrecking. Ball and knowing the other characters was worth it because I enjoyed hearing from them and about them more!

I gave this book a high rating of: 4 stars!

I can’t wait for more in the series! 

See books by P Dangelico here.

TK MAJ

Off The Shelf: The Hooker and the Hermit

When you find a gem there's no choice but to share it, right? This series by LH Cosway and Penny Reid is a great find and that's the reason why it's today Off The Shelf pick! First of all, I love the fact that this novel is by a duo of novelists instead of one because I can hardly decide what I want to do on any given day let alone coordinate with another person. Secondly, a novel about rugby instead of the plethora about hockey or American Football (which I love wholeheartedly but don't mind a break from every now and then)? Score (see what I did there?)!

So this is the scene: a hermit publicist slash celebrity blogger Annie Catrel "meets" Irish rugby player Ronan Fitzpatrick and by meet I mean takes a picture of him in some unattractive gear and blabs about it all on her blog...much to the rugby player's consternation. It would be all well and good if Ronan had kept his anger to himself about the incident but he decides to email Annie and so begins a tense relationship between celeb and celebrity trasher in the form of Annie writing as the Socialmedialite! Things take a turn for the worse when Annie is paired up outside her virtual reality with Ronan to act as his publicist. The man doesn't know Twitter from Twatter and hates taking photos of himself like some people hate having their roots show in public! It would all work out fine if someone didn't find out Annie's secret and Ronan didn't have to deal with a meddling mom...and the media!

The story was fun, full of self-depricating humour in the form of statements made by Ronan and a fair share of angst as we tried to work out who knew what and what it would mean for a romance between Annie and Ronan. I thought the book was a breath of fresh air in the sports romance genre because the characters were different: Annie was well established in her career instead of having a flighty job and was painted as being ambitious if uninterested in fashion while Ronan was shown as a celebrity who preferred to focus on his sport as opposed to the fame! His character was similar to Aiden's in the book the Wall of Winnipeg which I reviewed recently here. I really enjoyed the fact that Ronan didn't like Annie's boss dressing her up all "fashionably" when she was comfortable in her greys and nudes and wanted her to be happy in herself even if meant she wasn't rocking the latest trends.

Annie was a real hermit, preferring to stay indoors and having no real friends to speak of. I have to say, I related to her tendency to stay indoors and live life on the web but I definitely am nowhere near where she was at in the novel. She learnt a valuable lesson in the end about going out and living real life which is something I think many of us struggle with in today's day and age. Ronan had his own challenges to overcome including some anger towards an ex and a teammate of his and I enjoyed the way the issue was explored in the novel.

I loved this novel so much I shared it with a friend and she's reading it now! I'm glad there are more novels coming in the series from this duo and I'll be tackling the next one as soon as possible!

Books in the Series:

#1 The Hooker and the Hermit

#2 The Player and the Pixie

You can visit the authors on their websites here and here.

TK MAJ

Off The Shelf: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

This novel was so unique in so many ways. Firstly, the famous football is not a playboy. Secondly, the protagonist is not in love with him in the beginning. Thirdly, the novel is full of emotionally satisfying scenes that leave you believing the ending.

The premise of the novel is simple. Vanessa Mazur is the beleaguered PA of famous footballer Aiden The Wall of Winnipeg Graves. She prepares his (vegan) meals, keeps his social media sites up to date and even washes his extra-large underpants! While doing all of this she works on her business designing websites for Aiden's teammates, taking photographs and saving for the day she no longer has to be the slave to the "Big Guy". When she finally manages to save enough to quit her day job she is in for a surprise...

Aiden's character was what made this novel special for me. He is a bit of a socially challenged mega star athlete who doesn't even know how to say "hi" back to Vanessa, his PA of two years. Preferring to focus on his sport, he's depicted as having few friends and living for the love of the game of football. When he finds out that she is leaving him, he starts to treat her even more anti-socially than usual prompting her to walk out in a blaze of glory. That's when he realises he needs her back!

When Vanessa sees Aiden on her front doorstep she wonders what he's doing there, especially since there is no chance she'll take her old job back. When he reveals why he wants her back and what he's willing to do for her to make that happen...she has to decide whether she can live the rest of her life knowing what she could have had and didn't choose to take.

The love between these two characters is slow to grow and well worth the challenges they have to face. Much of the difficulty comes from Aiden's failure to understand emotional cues and while he's not as awkward as I'm sure my two mentions of his difficulty make him sound, he definitely missed some red flags here and there. Vanessa also has to deal with her past and her difficult family upbringing and it's when the two reach a place where they are comfortable to communicate with one another that the relationship develops to its full potential.

This was a standalone novel which I devoured from start to finish!

It was written by author Marianna Zapata whose website can be found here.

She has other novels out that I'm keen to try.

Any recommendations of where I should go first?

TK MAJ