New Release Review: The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely

 I had one date with Leighton McBride before I found out she’s the coach’s daughter. And now the only woman I want is the one woman I can’t have.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her Love and Hockey series, THE GIRLFRIEND ZONE! This sexy, coach’s daughter, one who got away, age gap, forbidden hockey romance brings all the feels, heat and spice! THE GIRLFRIEND ZONE is now available in all formats including the special edition hardcover and free to read in Kindle Unlimited. One-click your copy today!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/TheGirlfriendZoneAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/TGZAudible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke narrate in duet!

About THE GIRLFRIEND ZONE:

In my defense, I had no idea the tattooed, glasses-wearing, soulful hottie I spent one perfect day—and one unforgettable night—with was a hockey star on my father’s team.

And Miles didn’t know I was the coach’s daughter.

That’s the point of a “no-work-talk” date.

But now? He's as forbidden to me as I am to him.

When I land a new gig as the team photographer, we vow to keep it professional. We mostly succeed…except for that time after a game when he couldn’t keep his talented hands off me. But I swear, it won’t happen again.

Too much is at stake—I can’t risk my heart or my father’s team.

But when I end up living at Miles’s place to care for his pack of rescue pups, the lines blur fast. Late nights turn into stolen moments and I discover there’s more to him than I ever imagined—a man who’s genuine, thoughtful, and irresistibly real.

He looks at me like he can’t believe his luck. Touches me like he never wants to let go. And listens to my hopes and fears.

My heart’s getting dangerously attached. But if I follow it… am I putting everyone’s dreams on the line?

ONE-CLICK YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/TheGirlfriendZoneAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/TGZAudible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke narrate in duet!

My review: 5 stars!

This was a DELIGHT! I loved how Leighton and Miles met and how Grandma Birdie was a part of it. Miles was such a great guy, just totally dreamy. Leighton's backstory was interesting and unique and Miles has such a big caring heart. Seeing them step back and create a solid friendship made for a slow burn, but I found the payoff totally worth the wait. I always enjoy author Lauren Blakey's trademark witty banter and tender romance, and this book even had Chihuahuas!

ONE-CLICK YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/TheGirlfriendZoneAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/TGZAudible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke 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

Narrator Reveal: Bridesmaid by Chance by Meghan Quinn

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes the next standalone romance in the Bridesmaid for Hire series, BRIDESMAID BY CHANCE! This steamy, marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, workplace romantic comedy is full of the witty banter, sizzling hot scenes, and laugh out loud moments you’ve come to love from Meghan Quinn! Narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin and Jason Clarke, BRIDESMAID UNDERCOVER releases April 15th in all formats! Pre-order your copy today!

https://mybook.to/BridesmaidByChance 

About BRIDESMAID BY CHANCE (Coming 4/15/2025):

Hudson Hopper is in some trouble. After doing his business partner, Jude, a favor by hiring his younger sister, Sloane, Hudson very quickly finds out that she is a massive distraction―especially since she's now his assistant.

But when they are confronted with a situation where Sloane is told to fill in as a bridesmaid for one of Hudson's business partners, she comes up with an equal trade. She'll be a part of the regency wedding--corset and all--if Hudson marries her. Sloane knows the value of the trade, he needs her, and she needs his wedding ring to get her into a high-society club that will further her career.

It's an instant no from Hudson at first, but when she convinces him that no one will find out, including her brother, and he will benefit from the marriage too . . . well, Hudson finds himself saying "I do."

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

https://mybook.to/BridesmaidByChance 

ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Connect w/ Meghan:

Website: https://authormeghanquinn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanquinnbooks/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn

New Release Review: Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Sara Ney

 

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT by @saraneyauthor is available NOW! Grab it in KU!   #OneClickHere https://books2read.com/HMWYBSSaraNeyKU Why you need to #ONECLICK this book… 🔥Hockey 🏒RomCom 🔥She’s his lucky charm 🏒Matchmaking Twin Sister 🔥He Falls First 🏒New Adult 🔥Fake Dating 🏒Banter 🔥Sizzling Slow Burn USA Today bestselling author Sara Ney sizzles with a fast-paced, sexy romp about a sassy fan-girl and flailing hockey star in this hilarious stand-alone... I didn’t mean to roast Gio Montagalo, goalie and crown jewel of The Houston Baddies hockey team. Honestly, I was screaming at the TV in a sports bar like any self-respecting sports junkie does when their team is on a losing streak! So when his twin sister sidles up on the stool beside me, laughing at my commentary, I figured I’d made a fan, too. What I didn’t expect? For her brother—the guy I called “a flashy ice peacock with the reflexes of a sloth”—to hear about it. Yikes. What were the odds?! Next thing I know, Gio is in my DMs with a challenge: “Hold up a sassy sign at my game and hit me with your best shot. Roast me in front of everyone.” For him, it’s fun. For me, it’s humiliating. But I did it. Glitter included. And because the universe thrives on chaos, the Baddies won. Now Gio thinks I’m his good luck charm, begging me to show up with more signs. He also wants to see me—off the ice. What does a hot, hockey hunk want with a bookish girlie like me? I try to keep my distance. Mostly.  Soon, Gio is showing up at my job for swoony kisses and trying to charm my dog—also named Gio—and failing because my dog hates him at first sight. I wonder if this whole “lucky charm” thing has less to do with hockey and more to do with the overwhelming, undeniable pull I feel toward him. Or maybe it’s fate’s way of showing me that sometimes, the guy you roast on national TV can be the one you accidentally fall for. Fast-paced and hilarious, Hit Me With Your Best Shot is full of electric chemistry—and tons of spice. Austin Adam's life just went from shouting at the TV screen—to becoming part of the show. My review: 5 stars! This was everything I love about author Sara Ney’s books! Gio and Austin were so great and this was such a hoot- the banter was top notch!

Trope Reveal: The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely

 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her Love and Hockey series, THE GIRLFRIEND ZONE! This sexy, coach’s daughter, one who got away, age gap, forbidden hockey romance brings all the feels, heat and spice! Releasing March 26th in all formats, and free to read in Kindle Unlimited, check out the tropes below and pre-order your copy today!

⭐ Coach’s Daughter
💨 The One Who Got Away
💥 Starts with a Bang
🧡 Second Chance Vibes
🖐️ Hand Necklaces
❤️‍🔥 Man Obsessed
💙 Age Gap
🚫 Forbidden
🏒 Hockey Romance
😍 Infatuation at First Sight
🛏️ Forced Proximity
🌶️ Red-Hot Spankings
💻 Workplace
🐾 All of the Cute Dogs

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/TheGirlfriendZoneAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/TGZAudible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke narrate in duet!

About THE GIRLFRIEND ZONE (Coming 3/26/2025):

In my defense, I had no idea the tattooed, glasses-wearing, soulful hottie I spent one perfect day—and one unforgettable night—with was a hockey star on my father’s team.

And Miles didn’t know I was the coach’s daughter.

That’s the point of a “no-work-talk” date.

But now? He's as forbidden to me as I am to him.

When I land a new gig as the team photographer, we vow to keep it professional. We mostly succeed…except for that time after a game when he couldn’t keep his talented hands off me. But I swear, it won’t happen again.

Too much is at stake—I can’t risk my heart or my father’s team.

But when I’m asked to dog-sit Miles’s pack of rescue pups for a few weeks, I discover there’s more to him than I ever imagined—a man who’s genuine, thoughtful, and irresistibly real.

He looks at me like he can’t believe his luck. Touches me like he never wants to let go. And listens to my hopes and fears.

My heart’s getting dangerously attached. But if I follow it… am I putting everyone’s dreams on the line?

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Amazon ➜ https://blkly.pub/TheGirlfriendZoneAMZ
✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/TGZAudible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke 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 cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and 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

New Release Review: The Drummer's Heart by Penelope Ward

 

Title: The Drummer's Heart

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Rockstar Hero/"My Wife"/Small Town

Close Proximity/Slow Burn/One Bed

Release Date: February 23, 2025

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…

Don’t say her name.

That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour.

My ex, Nicole.

The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart.

After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak.

Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything.

She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well.

Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me.

With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks.

Of course, I couldn’t refuse.

But there was a catch.

Nicole apparently never told her that we’d gotten a divorce.

She hadn’t believed Mimi could handle it, because her grandmother loved me so much.

So, not only would I have to see Nicole again, but I’d be pretending to still be her husband.

Two weeks in a tiny house in a small town with the woman who broke my heart. Or was it me who broke hers?

It was complicated.

And it was about to be a heck of a lot more complicated sharing one bed in the guest room with a woman who wasn’t mine anymore.

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

PURCHASE LINKS

Only $3.99 for a limited time and 

FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

AUDIOBOOK

Model Paperback and Hardcovers also available!

Read the first standalone in this series, The Rocker’s Muse FREE in KU and binge this complete duology!

https://amzn.to/3E9BdGB

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

ROCKSTAR HERO

"MY WIFE"

SMALL TOWN

CLOSE PROXIMITY

SLOW BURN

ONE BED

My review: 5 stars

After reading The Rocker's Muse and loving it, I was so excited to dive into The Drummer's Heart and get Atticus and Nicole's story. This story was so well balanced - there was heat and heart and just the right amount of angst. I adored Mimi and how her situation brought them back together. I was able to listen to an advance audiobook, and Sebastian York and Angelina Rocca were excellent. 

AUTHOR BIO

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS

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