Just Breaking The Rules ~ Lauren Blakely ~ New Release and Review

There are rules in life, just like there are rules in the rink.
The “don’t date your business partner” rule.
The “don’t fall for your best friend’s sister” rule.
The “stop kissing each other over the cookie batter” rule.
And we’re breaking every single one.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the first standalone hockey romance in her brand new Hockey Ever After series, JUST BREAKING THE RULES! This sexy, single dad, opposites attract hockey workplace romance is filled with spicy baking sessions, love letters, and all the feels, spice, and heat! JUST BREAKING THE RULES is now available in all formats including the special edition hardcover and free to read in Kindle Unlimited! Check out the excerpt below and one-click your copy today!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAUD
Samantha Brentmoor & Teddy Hamilton narrate in Duet!

About JUST BREAKING THE RULES:

Everyone knows the golden rule of business—don’t bang your business partner.
Especially if he’s your brother’s hot-as-sin, hockey-star best friend.

But when the sexy single dad athlete saves me from a cake contest catastrophe—and shows me how good he is with his hands—I blurt out the world’s worst business pitch: Want to invest in my bakery?

With no loan or backup plan, this is my last shot at proving I’m more than my past mistakes, and shockingly, he says yes.

We set one rule: don’t mix business with pleasure.
Except Corbin Knight’s impossible to resist.

When he’s not scoring goals, he’s staying up late with me to test tempting recipes.
Braiding my hair before we bake like it’s foreplay.
Giving me his jersey to wear to games.

I try to keep a professional distance from the bossy, possessive and dangerously flirty hockey player, but soon we’re testing the limits of the kitchen counter.

This bakery is my chance to finally get my life right, so I fight the messy feelings.
Until one night, he shows up after closing and admits he can’t stop thinking about me.

Suddenly I’m ready to break every rule—no matter the cost to our dreams.

And breaking the rules has never tasted so good.

ONE-CLICK YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAUD
Samantha Brentmoor & Teddy Hamilton narrate in Duet!

READ THE EXCERPT:

Corbin

Those last two words echo like a warning—working together. 

We are definitely working very closely together, and this—kissing, touching, f*&king—

is a recipe for failure.

But when she looks at me like that, lips wet, eyes dark, I can’t bring myself to care about

consequences. Not when she’s right here in my arms and I need her so damn badly.

I make quick work of the apron strings, undoing them at her neck as I crush her lips with mine.

Her mouth feels so good, soft and pliant. She moves with me, our tongues skating together.

Our moans mingling.

 “It feels like forever since I kissed you,” I mutter as I briefly break the kiss, frantically

tugging down the apron, exposing the collar of the dress that I bought her.

“A day is a long time,” she teases.

“I didn’t kiss you yesterday.”

She seems to think about that for a few seconds. “You should keep making up for that.”

ONE-CLICK YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/JustBreakingAUD
Samantha Brentmoor & Teddy Hamilton narrate in Duet!

ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party. 

Connect w/ Lauren:

Website: laurenblakely.com 

NL Signup: http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks

Instagram: http://instagram.com/laurenblakelybooks

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenblakelybooks

 

Elizabeth's Review

3.5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Author

Ms Blakely has introduced us to the San Francisco Foxes (and rival Sea Dogs) in the past. We have also met to town of Cozy Valley before too. In this series “starter” we spend time with Corbin and Mable, both previous secondary characters, as they see if they can have it all.

I liked both Corbin and Mable as leads and found myself invested in them finding their way both personally and professionally. The core secondary cast of kids, siblings, friends and teammates were interesting. The larger cast of the town and situations added flavor too! The recipe for this book worked!

As much as things worked, I also struggled just a tiny bit with the amount of side work this story seemed to be doing. Because we’ve been in these worlds before, there are a lot of previous main characters poppy up. But, since this is the beginning of a new series we are getting closer looks at the individuals who may be featured in future books. That’s a lot of different threads to have going at once and at times it seemed like Corbin and Mable got a little lost.
Those are probably me issues, so this is a book I can easily recommend.

View all my reviews

Cage by Tia Louise ~ Release Blitz and Review

 

Cage by Tia Louise is now live!

Sometimes fate sends a sign, and sometimes it sends a bloodhound with a hot hockey player holding its leash, dragging her off you.

Owen Stone is not your usual hockey player. He’s a six-foot-two single dad with dark hair, ocean eyes, and muscles for days. He’s also a last-minute trade trying to find a home for his seven-year-old daughter, his psychic sister, and his adoring bloodhound. Naturally, my hockey-star cousin tells him to move in with us, and I’m a sucker for a good dog. 

Gina Bradford hits me right in my weakness. She’s tall for a girl, with strawberry-blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a sweet smile. She’s also a champion dog groomer, judge, and owner of a pure-bred show poodle, who is also a notorious towel thief. 

When my new teammate invites me to be their roommate until I find a home for my crew, I should’ve said no. I’ve survived the worst, and I’ve achieved my dream of playing in the NHL. 

My focus is on winning games and taking care of my daughter, not romance. 

Until our dogs start acting like fated mates whose sole purpose is to push us together. And a charity calendar forces us to work closely. And a highway accident strands us overnight in a hotel with only one room… and only one bed.

 

We said it was just once. We’ve both been hurt. But once is never enough. 

My daughter loves her, and even my psychic sister predicted the girl of my dreams would be holding a dog.

It takes a little faith and a lot of courage, but what we’ve found is more than a cage. It’s a love that shows up, even when you’re not looking for it. 

(Cage is a hockey romance with a broody single dad, an FMC obsessed with dogs/not love, roommates-to-lovers, close proximity, “just once,” chosen family, and loads of spicy fun. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and no third-act breakup.)

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4qEsrnN  

Audio: Coming February 6th     

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/47HNDRa 

 

Meet Tia Louise

Tia Louise is the USA TODAY best-selling, award-winning author of super-hot and sexy romances. All her heroes are alphas with hearts of gold, and all her heroines are the smart, sassy ladies who love them.

NEVER miss a New Release or Sale--get her newsletter now: http://smarturl.it/TLMnews
OR Get New Release Text Alerts: Text "TiaLouise" to 64600 (U.S. only)

Keep up with her at TiaLouise.com or Instagram (@AuthorTLouise) or Facebook (@AuthorTiaLouise).

 

Connect with Tia

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Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

It took me a hot second to realize just who Owen Stone was, but once I did, I was so glad to see the cross over between such fun families in the world of Tia Louise!

This is a feel good read for two people who need to set baggage aside and let love in. I enjoyed getting to know Gina(Gigi), Owen, and Maddie. Add is a heavy dose of secondary characters and this is a winner of a book.

This is technically a standalone read, but it’s heavily connected to Haddy’s story and is a set up for Mav’s book next. The series is heavily connected and reading in order adds to the enjoyment. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this entertaining crew!

View all my reviews

Atlas ~ Sawyer Bennett ~ New Release & Review

As a star left-winger for the Pittsburgh Titans, Atlas Karolak thrives on the ice but keeps his

personal life uncomplicated. That all changes when tragedy strikes, pushing him into an

unlikely partnership that tests his patience, challenges his heart, and threatens to rewrite

everything he thought he knew about love and family.

Playing professional hockey wasn’t just a dream, it was the only one that ever mattered. I’ve

worked my whole life for this career, and now that I’m playing for the Pittsburgh Titans, I’m

exactly where I want to be. My life feels complete.

Losing my best friend to cancer shatters me in ways I didn’t see coming. And as I’m trying to

figure out how to say goodbye, I’m blindsided again—because he’s named me and Maddie St.

James as joint guardians of his daughter.

Maddie and I… we’re not friends. We’re barely acquaintances. If I’m oil, she’s water, and we’ve

never managed to mix without friction. But for the sake of a little girl who’s already lost too

much, we need to find neutral ground and figure out how to co-parent.

Are we capable? I’d like to think so. Are we scared out of our minds? Without a doubt. Can we

put our differences aside and work together? Honestly, it depends on the day. But when stress

turns into stolen glances, which turn into nights we can’t take back, our partnership gets a

whole lot more complicated.

Because what started as obligation is starting to feel a lot like forever.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/SB_Atlas

 Meet Sawyer Bennett:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life

experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary

romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just

about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur,

stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to

her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter

(sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Connect with Sawyer Bennett:

https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

Elizabeth's Review

Atlas by Sawyer Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a friend

Review copy Provided by Author

Oh my heart! I fell a little bit in love with Atlas in this installment of the Pittsburgh Titans!
We met Atlas as a secondary character in Lucky’s book, but we get to know him better here. It should come as no surprise that he is a stand up guy and rises to the challenge of becoming a dad when his lifelong friend passes away much too young.

His other half is the best friend’s other best friend.
Watching these two together was amazing. Given past hurts, current trauma, moving, etc they really did a fantastic job of working together. The slide from enemies to friend to more was sweet. I appreciated that Atlas was a bit more evolved of the two here!

I can’t wait to see what happens to him as the series evolves!

View all my reviews

Review Round Up ~ December

This version of the Review Round Up features several books that were published in the Fall of 2025. Life happened and I was behind in reading. 

December Release:

Secretly Yours by Stephanie Rose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

This is a quick novella focusing on second chances. Caiden and Sabrina reconnect as friends at their high school reunion.

This is a novella, so we don’t get a deep dive into who both of them are, but it was fun to get the glimpses that we do see. Caiden is our main narrator and I enjoyed seeing this from his point of view. Sabrina chimed in just enough to get a good feel for her as well.

The timeline is parallel to another great second chance story, so it was exciting to see a little more of that world.

Amazon

New(er) Releases:

Head Witch in Charge by Avery Flynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

I feel bad - this book got caught up in life stuff and it took me a while to get back to it.
Don’t let that deter you though because Lele and Erik are worth spending time with!

He’s the bad guy that isn’t so bad and she’s the “perfect” heir who isn’t as perfect as she seems. I appreciated the way they pulled each other toward the middle the more time they spent together. Add in some unexpected secondary supporting actors and this story is as enchanting as the Magic they wield.

I am definitely curious about the stories Lele’s sister have to tell!

Amazon

Lucky by Sawyer Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

If you are looking for a quick, feel-good read then check out Lucky!
Set in the world of the Pittsburgh Titans, Lucky does some heavy lifting of moving the series forward. We get to see where previous characters are now and get to know a few new people.
But, what about Lucky???
He and Winnie come with a cause! This is a book that may or may not age well due to the reliance of tik tok as a vehicle for how this unlikely pairing connects. But, once they do connect, all of the magic is them. Not are extremely likeable and are surrounded by good secondary characters.
I appreciated how Ms Bennett took our meet cute and also made it the source of conflict and used it so send a powerful message.
Now that I’ve met Lucky, I need to back and see what happened to Penn and can’t wait to meet Atlas!

Amazon   

The Accidental Christmas by Lori Foster

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Author

This is an entertaining novella length read.
Hendrix and Joey had been orbiting each other for months when timing brings them into direct contact.
The story is sweet and there is a tiny bit of conflict to keep things moving.
Due to the length, we had just enough information to know that we like the characters, but not enough to really get to know them.

Amazon

Free Reads:

Naughty List Cowboy by Hope Ford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Free Read

This is not a book - it’s a short story set it what appears to be the world of Whiskey River. Ms Ford is a new author to me and after reading this freebie, I am curious about her other works.
There isn’t enough here to get to know the characters, but there are bits that have me curious to get to know their world better

Amazon

View all my reviews

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