Review: Test The Ice by S.J. Sylvis

October 23, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

RUSH THE EDGE
Series: Blue Devils Hockey #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: October 23, 2025

A flirty, fake-engagement, single-mom, hockey romance by Amazon Top 50 and USA Today Bestselling Author S.J. Sylvis

I swore off men the second I trusted the wrong guy and ended up pregnant by a wealthy playboy. I was ready to prove I didn’t need him–or anyone else.

At least, until Malaki Young, Chicago’s hottest pro hockey star, slid into the backseat of my car and proved me wrong.

He’s relentless on and off the ice. Especially when it comes to pursing me. Not to mention his charming smirk and annoyingly smooth one-liners have me testing the ice and thawing every boundary I swore I’d never cross again.

But my ex is out for revenge… and Malaki makes an offer I never saw coming: a fake engagement.

One oversized diamond. One perfectly fabricated love story. One mission: convince the world–and my revenge driven ex–that this single mom just landed one of Chicago’s most sought-after bachelors.

Malaki swears it’s just pretend. But the deeper we get, the harder it is to tell where the lies end and we begin. And I can’t help wondering how long before the ice beneath us gives way.

AMAZON 

The last thing I think about before falling asleep myself is how on earth can I get this girl to be my real fiancée, instead of my fake one?

This was, hands down, my absolute favorite book in this series. And considering I love this series so much, that’s saying something. But the giddiness that I felt reading Malaki and Reese’s story simply cannot be matched. And Malaki Young just shot up on my top five favorite MMCs list. The man was PERFECTION.

…I’m willing to give her whatever she asks for. Money? It’s hers. My bed? As long as she doesn’t mind sharing. My last name? Let’s make it official.

If you love a fake dating trope, this is easily one of my favorites. Reese is a single mom who is barely making ends meet by driving an uber at night. If you’ve read Rush the Edge, then you’d remember Reese and the way she quickly became besties with Daisy. Well now you get to see her through Malaki’s eyes, and the man was instantly enraptured with her the first time he laid eyes on her. And this reader? WAS SO HERE FOR IT.

My pretty Uber driver with secrets that she’s unwilling to spill is doing nothing but tempting me by running off like that. She’s about to find out the hard way that I’m relentless.

The way that Malaki relentlessly pursued Reese, even though she fought him at every turn. Reese was burned by her ex and father of her baby and to say that the ex was insufferable was an understatement. I have never wanted a secondary character to get hit by a bus more. Alas, he lives, but he does get what’s coming to him. But I digress.

The romance between Reese and Malaki was very much a slow burn, but the chemistry between them felt electric. I loved their banter and their dialogue made my whole heart happy. Malaki gives total golden retriever vibes, and I loved the way he was always there for Reese. And don’t even get me started on his connections with her adorable daughter. But did I mention his chemistry with Reese?

You’re insane.”
“I’m not insane,” he argues. “I’m persistent.”
“You mean annoying,” I quip.
“Charming.”
“Irritating.”
“Handsome.” I can’t help but laugh.
He shows me his heart-stopping smile. “I’m funny too.”

Reese had it tough growing up, so she definitely struggles with Malaki’s attention. She’s fierce and strong, but there’s also this layer of vulnerability to her that I connected with. But nothing made me happier than the way Malaki never shied away from his feelings and his interest.

Hey, fiancée.”
Reese, to my surprise, smiles. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”
I grin. “Yes. When we get married, I’ll just start calling you wife.”

The romance was everything. EVERYTHING. And the story was sheer perfection. I loved Reese’s adorable daughter and I also loved her close relationship with her sister (who I’m hoping get a story next).

If you’re looking for a swoon, steamy, and absolutely unputdownable romance with an MMC who would move mountains for his woman, then look no further. This series and this book is not to be missed!

S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and pets! She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book! 

Connect with S.J. Sylvis

Website | https://www.sjsylvis.com/

Goodreads | https://bit.ly/40mP8yW

Amazon | https://amzn.to/40riM5R

Facebook | https://bit.ly/3JT0SUh

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/42pdvhj

Instagram | https://bit.ly/3lvTcOt

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Bookbub | https://bit.ly/3lwbyiq

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Newsletter | https://subscribepage.io/cRYT3U

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Review: Save Your Breath by Kandi Steiner

March 7, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

SAVE YOUR BREATH
Series: Kings of the Ice #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: March 7, 2025

THIS JUST IN: HOCKEY BAD BOY AND POP STAR EXTRAORDINAIRE ENGAGED!
That was the headline we’d wanted. If only I’d known the cost to get it.

Aleksander Suter has been my best friend since high school—and the only man who’s ever been able to truly get under my skin. With his reputation for trouble and a smirk that could melt ice, he’s also the NHL’s favorite bad boy.

When my publicist’s plan to fix my image collides with his need to clean up his own, we find ourselves in a fake engagement that feels too real from the start.

Now, I’m releasing my new album, putting on a show for the paparazzi I usually try to dodge, and falling too fast for a man who never falls for anyone. Every stolen glance, every heated touch blurs the lines between us until I’m wondering where the lies end and the truth begins.

And when a hurricane traps us together in his high-rise condo, all my carefully built walls collapse, and resisting the pull between us becomes a losing game.

Suddenly, the stakes are higher than just headlines, and the risks feel more personal than ever.

But as our past resurfaces and old feelings reignite, I realize the biggest risk isn’t losing my career—it’s losing my heart to the one person I thought would never be mine.

AMAZON 

Because my best friend, the woman I’d been sick over since I was sixteen, the one woman I knew I could never truly have… She’d just proposed that we pretend to date each other. No, that we pretend to be engaged. And just the thought of her being mine, even if only for a publicity stunt, had my insides twisted into an unholy knot of anticipation.

This series just gets better and better, I swear! Because the level of obsession that I now have with Aleks is simply unrivaled. I mean, I knew I would love him already when he was a secondary character in Learn Your Lesson when he finally let Will see beneath that bad boy mask of his. But actually being inside his head? OHMYGOD.

I wanted her so badly, I’d risk being her mistake.

Aleks is the resident bad boy of NHL with a reputation that precedes him. But after one fight too many, he’s at a risk of losing it all.

Mia has been crushing on Aleks since they were in high school but never recovered from his rejection those years ago. She’s moved on, or at least she tried to. But when her ex from over a year ago is still determined to smear her in the media, she needs a PR plan. And who better to make the world think she moved on than the bad boy of NHL and her high school best friend? But when the chemistry between them is this incendiary, they can only “fake it” for so long.

It was surrender and assassination in tandem.
He wanted to ruin me. I was desperate to be ruined.

The way I loved these two, I can’t even tell you. I loved the raw vulnerability that both of them had with each other. Even if their lack of adult communication made me want to shake them at times, I also understood why they were they way they were. Aleks feelings like he’s not good enough for Mia and Mia still stinging from his rejection when she laid herself bare for him all those years ago. But when Aleks decides that he’s going to risk it all, he really goes all in, and oh my god I was so here for it.

You’re so full of yourself,” I said breathlessly, the bite of my rebuttal weak. “You’ll be full of me soon, too.”

It was a slow burn with sizzling chemistry and the type of friends to lovers that I will always devour. I loved everything about their story; their history, their connection, their emotion, and their chemistry.

If you love a hockey romance with a bad boy/good girl vibe, friends to lovers, and plenty go angst and feels, then you need this book on your TBR!

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Review: The Misfit by JL Beck

February 28, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

THE MISFIT
Author: J.L. Beck
Series: Oakmount Elite #5
Genre: Dark Romance, New Adult
Tropes: Misunderstood hero / He falls first / Dark romance / Fake dating / “Who hurt you” / Playboy VS Grumpy heroine / OCD/ADHD REP / Frienemies to lovers
Release Date: February 28, 2025

Golden boy. Party king. Trust fund brat.

That’s what they call me – Lee Sterling, Oakmount University’s favorite disaster.

Everyone thinks they know me, but they only see what I let them.

I’m the guy who can charm his way out of anything and never takes life seriously. But it’s all a ruse. They don’t see the mask I wear or the cage of family expectations slowly threatening to suffocate me.

Three months. That’s how long I have to find someone “suitable” to present at the Sterling New Year’s Gala, or it’s over.

I tell myself I can handle it, like I handle everything else – with a smile and a shot of bourbon, but deep down, I know I’m inching closer and closer to the edge.

Then I meet Salem Masters in a dark pantry at a party, and suddenly, nothing feels simple anymore.

They call her crazy, and broken. The girl who wears latex gloves and counts her steps.

I call her beautiful, careful, haunted.

One encounter and I’m obsessed. I need to know more about her. I need to know if she’s just like me.

When I discover we share a common interest, I convince her to be my fake girlfriend. She could use the protection, and I need to convince my family I’m normal…but when our fake relationship turns real I discover just how close to danger I am.

Because for the first time in my life, I want something that I can’t have, that I don’t deserve.

AMAZON

Who knew obsession could ignite so quickly?

The way that I have been waiting for Lee’s book I cannot even describe to you. And considering that he was the broken troublemaker of the group, is it any wonder? I have a thing for those broken bad boys.

Now I do have to admit that I had hoped this would be an MM or an MFM. But the more I read, the more I connected to him with Salem. Two broken souls healing each other.

If you’ve read this series, then you already know Lee and the trouble he’s caused. You know that this is a guy with an easy smile and quick humor that he uses as a mask to hide something. And in this book we get to the true depths of what that something is.

Salem is dealing with her own trauma as she’s trying to get some semblance of her normalcy back after something tragic. A fateful meeting in the pantry of a party changes the trajectory for both of them when Salem lands in Lee’s sight. He feels an instant connection with the girl who for the first time seems to see behind his mask to the man beneath. And when his parents start breathing down his neck about settling down and finding an appropriate wife, he decides they have a mutual benefit. He’ll help her find her new normal and protect her on campus and she pretends to be his girlfriend. Only there’s not much to pretend with their chemistry.

There were definitely some heavy themes in this story that I found the author handled really well. Lee and Salem are both broken in their own way but Lee’s past damn near broke my heart. This was a fake dating trope with plenty of spice that I enjoyed quite a bit. The ending was satisfying though a touch heavy on the sweet, though I didn’t mind all that much. While this has dark themes, it was more of a gray romance. But if you’re looking to dip your toes in the genre, this is a great one to start with.

JL. Beck writes steamy romance that’s unapologetic, meaning it makes no apologies for the way it rips you open and makes you crave more. Her heroes are alphas who take what they want, and she pairs them with heroines that bring them to their knees.

She loves writing about darkness, passion, suspense, and of course, steam. Leaving her readers gasping and asking what the hell just happened is only one of her many tricks.

Her books range from morally grey to dark and spicy but always end with a happily ever after. She loves to write across numerous tropes, but her favorite is enemies to lovers.

She started her writing career in the summer of 2014 and hasn’t stopped since. She lives in Wisconsin and is a mom to two, a wife, and likes to act as a literary agent part-time.

Visit her website for more info:
www.beckromancebooks.com

Connect with JL Beck:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJLBeck/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjlbeck/
Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@authorjlbeck
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2srbge9
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2tOVZl8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8425041.J_L_Beck
Unapologetic Romance Book Club FB Group: http://bit.ly/2sWljZG

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Review: An Armored Heart by RC Boldt

May 26, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

AN ARMORED HEART
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: RC Boldt
Release Date: May 23,  2023

RULE #1: Do NOT catch feelings for the man who doesn’t believe in love.

Four months. That’s how long I’ll need to pretend to be Steele Cunningham’s doting girlfriend.


I agreed to this insanity only to save my restaurant. He’s doing it because he needs someone outside his “social circle” to stick it to his meddling parents and clingy ex.


Ruthless and emotionless in both his personal life and his career, Steele’s ego rivals his net worth.


Operating on joy and positivity—and a healthy bit of feistiness—I challenge him at every step.


He’s a tin man—heartless and cold. Falling for him would be a colossal mistake, because there’s no chance he’ll ever love me.


He can’t.


After all, he’s the man with an armored heart.


AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

 

Everyone should have a fake fiancé who has a magical penis. One who’s all prim and proper on the outside in those fancy suits but has a filthy mouth when you least expect it.

I love Boldt’s PNRish suspense and greedily awaiting the next one. But when I saw she’s releasing a contemporary fake relationship trope? I jumped on it faster than those seagulls can say ‘mine’
Admittedly, this wasn’t what I expected, because it was even better. I didn’t anticipate the level of banter, sass, and humor laced into this delicious fake dating romance.

Ella is a woman on a mission when the local millionaire developer sets his sights on tearing down her beloved restaurant for his new project. So what’s a woman to do? Why show up at his office unannounced and bribe him with carbs, of course. Except said millionaire doesn’t do carbs or feelings. So how is. it that they end up with a bargain of her pretending to be his girlfriend for four months in exchange for her keeping her restaurant? Well, you’ll have to read that part and see.

What I will say, is I fell hard for Ella. This is a woman with a heart of gold and a spine of steel. SHe’s this wonderful and endearing heroine who’s impossible not to love. Steele is prickly, grumpy, and definitely earns her nicknaming him Tin Man. The man is all work and no play but you just know there’s something fiery beneath that stuffy persona. And boy was I right. Yowza!

Admittedly his hot and cold lasted a bit too long for my liking, thought I still enjoyed it so can’t complain much. He knows how to right a wrong, but it just took hime entirely too long to get his head out of his anus. But I digress.

This is a slow burn full of sizzle, chemistry, and some family drama. Oh how I LOATHED Steele’s family. Luckily the friendship dynamic made up for their venom and balanced it out. This goes not only for Ella’s friends but also Steele’s. This is grumpy sunshine gold with a splash of fake dating and I devoured it in one sitting. Highly recommend for my lovers of sass and grump.

RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me.

If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl.

Connect with RC Boldt 

Website: http://www.rcboldtbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14543027.R_C_Boldt

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kq1H9C

Facebook: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BBBReaders/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtIG

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtBB

Verve: https://bit.ly/3jEf18z

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Review: One For The Money by Skye Warren

June 2, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

ONE FOR THE MONEY
Series: Book #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: May 31, 2022

Finn Hughes knows about secrets. His family is as wealthy as the Rockefellers. And as powerful as the Kennedys. No one knows that the men in his line have a debilitating, early-onset illness. He’s managed the business from a young age while his father served as the figurehead. All the while knowing there’s a ticking clock on his ability to lead.

Eva Morelli is the oldest daughter. The responsible one. The caring one. The one who doesn’t have time for her own interests.

Especially not her interest in the charismatic, mysterious Finn Hughes.

A fake relationship is the answer to both their problems.

It will keep the swarming society mothers from throwing their daughters at him.

And it will keep Eva’s mother from bothering her about marriage.

Then the fake relationship starts to feel real.

But there’s no chance for them. No hope for a woman who’s had her heart broken. And no future for a man whose fate was decided long ago.

AMAZON | KOBO | IBOOKS | B&N

In the faint moonlight, Eva gazes up at me. She looks exhilarated, fully alive, and breathtakingly beautiful. It makes me want to corrupt her in every way I can imagine.

If you’ve read books in the Midnight Dynasty world, then you’re already familiar with Eva Morelli. And if you haven’t been introduced to this world yet, you must, it’s absolutely addictive. I suggest start with her best friend and brother Leo in Beast of Bishop’s Landing for the best insight to Eva. Because let me tell you, ever since that book, I’ve been dying to get my hands on her story. This is a woman with some dark secrets and I couldn’t wait to peel back the layers.

Eva is the oldest Morelli sister, the backbone of the Morelli household, the stable one. She’s also not looking to be married off, but as the oldest sister at 33, she’s basically almost past her prime by the society standards. She doesn’t see herself as the beautiful or interesting sister, so when the enigmatic Finn Hughes suddenly sets his eyes on her, she can’t imagine why.

The Hughes are an infamous family by their own right in the society. The family is connected to the Constantines via Finn’s mother, whose sister Caroline married Lane. They’re also friends with the Morellis. So when Finn pays attention to Eva, her mother couldn’t be more thrilled.

But Finn, while wildly attracted to Eva, also has his own reason for pursuing her.

You’re a thirty-three-year-old woman. Of course you’ve had sex. Lots of sex. I’m not one of those uptight assholes who can’t stand to be compared to other men.”
“Lots is a little much.”
“But don’t worry. I’m not afraid of competition. When you scream my name it won’t be because I was first. It will be because I was best.”

He’s not looking for marriage either, and his scars run almost as deep as his dark secrets. The arrangement is simple; they’ll pretend to date to get their families off their backs. But you know what they say about intentions.

This is a super emotional romance full of family secrets and drama, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Finn is a broken man, but given what he hides, I understand it. He pursues Eva with a single minded intent but Eva is no easy conquest. I loved their dynamic and the way they heal each other but still hold themselves back.

I do want to make it clear that this is not a standalone. I’m not sure if it’ll be a duet or a trilogy either? I wish it was made clearer on Goodreads, but it is what it is. What I do know is duet or trilogy, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.

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