Tag: crush revealed

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: L.B. Dunbar’s Sterling Fight ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A-/B+

Tropes: childhood friends; small town romance; crush revealed; fake engagement

In L.B. Dunbar’s latest addition to the beloved Sylver family series, Sterling Fight introduces us to Judd Sylver, a character who has lurked in the shadows of previous books but now takes center stage. Despite his minimal presence in earlier Sterling stories, Judd’s mysterious nature and carefully guarded private life have made him an intriguing figure among his siblings.

Judd’s character development is at the heart of this romance, centered around the compelling “misunderstood person” trope. While his oldest brother Stone recognizes Judd’s core motivations—his determination to avoid becoming like their father, his drive for financial security, and his tendency to make safe choices in relationships—the rest of his siblings remain unaware of how deeply these worries run.

Enter Genie, “the one who got away,” though she never fully grasped her significance in Judd’s life. The revelation of Judd’s long-standing feelings for her emerges as the story’s greatest strength. Dunbar expertly handles the “he falls first” trope, crafting Judd’s pining with remarkable skill and sensitivity. The narrative tension stems from Genie’s complicated history with both Judd and her ex-partner, which Dunbar resolves with careful pacing that keeps the story moving forward.

Among all the Sterling stories, Sterling Fight stands out as my personal favorite. The chemistry between Judd and Genie is absolutely captivating, though I suspect Stone Sylver’s upcoming story might give this one a run for its money. As a particular fan of the strong, silent type, I found Judd to be the most compelling Sylver brother yet, making him my favorite character in the series to date.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release

✍🏻 The Sylvers are back…L.B. Dunbar’s Sterling Fight is HERE. Don’t miss out on Judd Sylver finding his HEA! ✍🏻

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✨Let’s celebrate! It’s release day for STERLING FIGHT by LB Dunbar! 
Grab it in KU! 
#OneClickNowhttps://a.co/d/7KIiaqr

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…
💕Childhood Friends
🔥Crush Revealed
💕Fake Engagement
🔥More Secrets
💕Small Town Swoon
🔥All the steam!
These former friends might be faking their engagement, but revealed crushes prove there might not be anything fictional about their arrangement.

Blurb:

In college, I often saw Judd Sylver in the library. He was a cool, broody type of guy who reminded me of a deeply tortured soul who might write poetry.

He was very different from the boy I met in third grade on National Make a New Friend Day when I passed him a note, asking if he wanted to be my new friend: Check yes or no. (I’m a bit obsessed with calendar days.)

He was also vastly different from the young man who stood me up after I asked him to his prom.

Twenty years later, I can let bygones be bygones, especially when he rescues me from a bad date.

Then I witness him breaking up with his girlfriend which resulted in a sticky coffee drink on his chiseled cheeks and ice cubes on his fine-fitting jeans.

I offered him a napkin.

Hey, once a friend, always a friend, right? *insert sarcasm*

However, Judd takes us to the next level at my mother’s garden party, where a misunderstanding occurs with a teeny tiny slip of the tongue and a precious ring on my finger.

And suddenly, I’m Judd’s fiancée.

Fake or not, things are about to get a little too real with my old friend.