What I've Been Reading
Usually, I struggle coming up with something interesting to talk about for my life update, but this time I actually have some personal news. I'm currently self-isolating for two weeks since I came into contact with someone who has covid, my grandma. She's in the hospital but doing well. This is the first time the pandemic has hit close to home so I'm navigating it all the best I can. All of this though is partially why I've been a little less active in interacting on social media. It was just such a shock to all of us that I lost my footing a bit.
However, I am thankful to report that everyone is doing alright with everything considered. I'm just hoping we'll all make it out the other side unscathed. Until then, though, I'm doing my part and limiting contact with others even more so than usual. Anyways, let's get into the reviews.
Disclaimer: This blog post will contain affiliate and referral links. I may earn a small commission to feed my book hoarding tendencies if you use these links to make a purchase. This in no way impacts my opinions of the books listed - they are all my own.
Title: High Risk Rookie
Author: Odette Stone
Genre: Romance
Description: He's a gifted hockey player who can't get his act together.
The moment I heard about Levi Ziegler, I had a bad feeling in my gut.
As a seasoned sports agent, I just knew he was going to be trouble.
But despite my reservations, as a favor to the GM of the Vancouver Wolves,
I agreed to sign this young, wild player as a client.
One reckless night,
One terrible mistake,
and suddenly my entire world,
and everything I have worked for,
is on thin ice.
Thanks to my rookie.
I shouldn’t work with him professionally,
because I can't seem to keep my hands off him.
The more tangled our lies get,
The more complicated our relationship becomes.
Can I figure out how to get him signed with the team,
while keeping him out of my bed and my heart?
He's a high risk rookie, and
he's a liability I can't resist.
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
I'm by no means new to Odette Stone books. I've read multiple, including the earlier ones in this series. Most of them were read in the very early days of my book blog so you have to go back a ways to find the rest of the reviews. I was super excited to discover unintentionally that a new book had been released in the Vancouver Wolves series. I loved all the others so what more can I ask for than a continuation of the saga featuring my favorite sports agent character, Krista.
I can say with certainty that High Risk Rookie was by far the most thrilling of the series. It upped the stakes of an already high scale that the other books had set. It was like an adrenaline trip in the field of rom-coms I've been leaning toward recently. You can't help but be hooked as your blood pounds in your ears, eager to discover what else is to come. It is due to a combination of the hot-headed Levi and fire-cracker Krista who combust on contact on the page.
There's everything in High Risk Rookie from forbidden love to family drama to hockey romance. It lives up to the previous books and carries the mantel of the series well. I often find series can, at times, diminish in quality over time, especially by the fourth book. However, this book didn't. It held its own and added value to an already stellar series. There was no faltering under the weight of its impressive prequels. Instead, it was a marvelous triumph for Odette Stone.
If you're interested in hockey romance I can't praise these books enough.
Title: Twisted Emotion
Author: Cora Reilly
Genre: Romance
Description: Nino Falcone is genius and monster. As the right hand man and brother of the Capo of the Camorra, his lack of feelings is a blessing, not a curse – until his brother asks him to marry for the sake of the Camorra.
Kiara Vitiello, cousin of the Capo of the New York Famiglia, is chosen to marry Nino Falcone to prevent war with the Camorra, but what she hears about Las Vegas makes her veins pulse with terror. After her father betrayed his Capo and paid with his life, her family thinks marriage is her only chance to bring honor to her name; but only Kiara knows she’s a faulty prize given in return for peace.
A man incapable of emotions and a woman scarred by the past – an arranged marriage with the potential to unite, or destroy…
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Yes, we have another Cora Reilly book. I read it during my previous binge of her works though so I don't feel bad about it.
I loved the sequel to Twisted Emotion so much that I couldn't imagine the series starting in a better place which left me skeptical. I mean Remo, the main character of the sequel, is the head of the family so I wasn't sure why they didn't start with him. Looking back, I was proven oh-so-wrong by the detonation that is Twisted Emotion. I 100% have converted to a believer and will never have any further doubts about something like this.
For a book focused on a love interest who can't 'feel' emotions, I certainly felt enough for everyone involved. I, like Kiera through most of the book, was a mess of overwhelming emotions with no cap. I absorbed her shock, love, and subsequent heartbreak at loving someone who she doesn't believe can love her back. It was like I was living her life through the entirety of the book and it reminded me of how much of an emotional wreck I am normally. There was blushing, laughter, and plenty of tears to go around. Save me a Kleenex.
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