Tag: Sports Romance

new release

✍🏻 New Release + Tijan + My Brother’s Enemy ✍🏻

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My Brother’s Enemy by Tijan is now live!

Tyler Griffin is gorgeous, ruthless, and arrogant.
He’s also one of the best hockey players in the National Hockey League.
Not known to be a fighter on the ice, he has no problem dropping the gloves at the same time.
The sweet side of Tyler: he has a twin sister that he would do anything for, including disregarding any rules if they mean he can’t protect who he loves.

I know all of this about Tyler because I know him.
We grew up in neighboring towns.
He played against my brothers and ironically, he still does because my brothers are also NHL franchise stars.

The rivalry was in high school.
We’re all adults now.
That means certain grudges should be forgotten…

Wrong.

The rivalry is very much alive.
The hatred is visceral between my brothers and Tyler.
As for myself, I have my own complicated relationship with my brothers.
But things are about to get heated because the NHL team that I recently accepted a position to work for just traded for a certain star player: Tyler Griffin.

He’s the enemy to both of my brothers, but he’s also mine.

Book cover for 'My Brother's Enemy' by Tijan featuring two characters in hockey jerseys; a male in a black jersey with 'GRIFFIN' on the back and a female in a yellow hoodie, standing together with a hockey stick and other elements related to the story.

Download today!

Amazon: http://bit.ly/46veizZ

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/npXY05 

Available exclusively in Kindle Unlimited midday on release day!

Paperback

Amazon: http://bit.ly/3W7gmta

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/3W7dtss

Special Edition

Amazon: http://bit.ly/4ol6hVu

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/42Kglzc

Hardcover

Amazon: http://bit.ly/4n6KDmX

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/3W6VEcY 

Audiobook: https://bit.ly/47zFYWj 

Narrated by Andi Arndt & Tor Thom

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/46GYzPz

Book promotional graphic showcasing three editions of 'My Brother's Enemy' by Tijan, featuring a hardcover, special edition, and regular paperback cover designs with a hockey theme.
new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Helena Hunting’s If You Love Me, book 4 of her Toronto Terrors series ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A-

Tropes: second chance; forbidden romance; close proximity; sports romance; workplace romance; age gap; hockey romance; found family

Helena Hunting’s latest Toronto Terrors installment, If You Love Me, delivers a refreshing take on hockey romance that will delight fans of the series. Roman emerges as a surprising and complex male lead. Readers who met him as the protective father in If You Need Me will be delighted by his transformation into an unexpectedly dominant romantic partner. Hunting skillfully reveals new dimensions to his character while maintaining the protective nature established in previous books.

What distinguishes this romance is Roman’s nurturing personality. Despite workplace complications creating the primary tension, his devotion to Lexi and her sisters forms the emotional core of the narrative. Rather than following the conventional third-act breakup formula, Hunting focuses on the challenges of navigating professional boundaries.

Lexi stands out as a particularly well-crafted character. As a female coach in men’s hockey, she brings distinctly feminine qualities of empathy and connection to her coaching style. Hunting avoids the common pitfall of masculinizing female characters in male-dominated settings, instead showing how traditionally feminine attributes can be strengths in professional environments. This approach demonstrates how female perspectives can enrich traditionally masculine spaces.

The familial relationships, particularly Lexi’s commitment to her sisters, add meaningful depth to the story. These bonds, along with the hockey team’s found-family dynamic, create a rich emotional landscape that extends beyond the central romance.

The novel’s departure from the typical romance structure creates both strengths and weaknesses. While the absence of a third-act breakup feels refreshing, it does affect the narrative tension in the latter portion of the book. Even potential professional conflicts lose their edge against Roman’s steadfast support. The story transitions from compelling drama to sweet affirmation, which may satisfy readers seeking comfort but slightly diminishes the narrative momentum established early on.

If You Love Me showcases Hunting’s talent for creating multifaceted characters and sweet yet spicy romances. The novel skillfully balances workplace drama, family dynamics, and romantic development, even if the pacing slows toward the conclusion. With tantalizing hints of future pairings, this new story reinforces why Helena Hunting remains a master of romantic comedy, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next Toronto Terrors story.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release, Review, Uncategorized

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Karla Sorensen’s This Wild Heart, the final book of her Wilder Family series ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A

Tropes: sports romance; Vegas marriage; fake relationship; hurt/comfort

Karla Sorensen’s This Wild Heart serves as the poignant finale to her Wilder Family series, masterfully weaving together themes of grief, love, and healing. As Brittainy Cherry writes in The Problem with Falling, “[d]eath was the only life guarantee that humans had. We weren’t promised riches and fortune, or fame, love, or success, yet we were all promised a final chapter.” This sentiment echoes throughout Sorensen’s series, which is shadowed by the impending death of the Wilder family patriarch, Tim.

While each of Sorensen’s books explores how different siblings process their father’s terminal cancer, This Wild Heart focuses on Parker, the second-youngest Wilder child, who copes through avoidance. His struggle with grief forms the emotional core of this story, demonstrating Sorensen’s skill in portraying the varied ways people confront loss and how it shapes their journey toward love.

The novel gains additional depth through its connection to Sorensen’s Washington Wolves series. The female lead, Anya Hennessey, is the daughter of Aiden Hennessey and Isabel Ward from Forbidden in the Ward Sisters series. Anya proves to be the perfect match for Parker, possessing the emotional intelligence needed to help him confront his grief. Their story unfolds through compelling plot elements—a public breakup, an unexpected fake marriage, and the challenge of breaking through Parker’s emotional walls.

This Wild Heart showcases Sorensen’s greatest strengths as a writer: her nuanced understanding of human nature and her ability to craft emotionally resonant stories. As the final installment in the Wilder Family series, it delivers a satisfying conclusion while promising readers that Sorensen’s gift for creating impeccably written romances will continue in future works. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Rebecca Jenshak’s Comeback, book 3 of her Holland Brothers series ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A-

Tropes: best friend’s sister; brother’s best friend; forced proximity/roommates; sports romance; pro football; cinnamon roll MMC; dancer, sunshiney FMC

“He cares deeply for the people in his life and he makes sure they know it.”

Rebecca Jenshak’s Comeback stands as the pinnacle of her Holland Brothers series. Having tracked Archer’s character development from his peripheral appearances in both this series and Jenshak’s Campus Wallflowers series (notably in Tempting the Player), I found his emergence as a protagonist particularly compelling. Archer’s character distinction lies not only in his hearing impairment but in how this aspect of his identity interweaves with the series’ broader themes of familial loss and resilience.

The Holland brothers’ shared trauma – their mother’s death and father’s absence – creates a profound foundation for their relationships. While Archer’s disability could have dominated the narrative, Jenshak masterfully positions it as both integral to his character and seamlessly integrated into the larger story. Her nuanced portrayal reveals how Archer has learned to minimize himself to accommodate others, a pattern that makes his relationship with Sabrina particularly transformative.

Notable strengths:

* Jenshak subverts traditional romance tensions by focusing on individual growth rather than relationship conflict. The narrative tension emerges organically from Archer’s professional challenges and Sabrina’s complex relationship with her brother, Brogan, rather than artificial obstacles between the protagonists. This structural choice allows for a refreshingly authentic romance arc.

* The fraternal dynamics continue to illuminate why this series resonates with readers. Their group communications and collective support of their youngest member’s MLB career provide both emotional depth and moments of levity that enrich the narrative.

* The pacing demonstrates remarkable precision, maintaining momentum without sacrificing character development or emotional resonance.

In Comeback, Jenshak demonstrates her mastery of contemporary romance, crafting a narrative that balances emotional depth with compelling characterization. Through her deft handling of disability representation, family dynamics, and personal growth, she elevates what could have been a conventional sports romance into a nuanced exploration of self-acceptance and unconditional love. The result is an emotional addition to the genre that both satisfies series fans and stands confidently on its own merits.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release

✍🏻 I have wanted Asher’s romance since the first book of Rebecca Jenshak’s Holland Brothers series. And she did NOT disappoint with Comeback. From start to finish, Jenshak’s newest romance is equal parts sweet and spice. ✍🏻

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🏈 Comeback by Rebecca Jenshak is NOW LIVE 🏈

The next book in the Holland Brothers series is NOW LIVE!

🩰 Best Friend’s Sister

🏈 Sneaking Around

🩰 Roommates

🏈 Sports Romance

🩰 ASL Rep

🏈 Chronic Illness Rep

🩰 Ballet Teacher

🏈 Broody, Tattooed Hero

Comeback is a football romance with lots of spice, swoon, and a happily ever after. It’s the third book in the Holland Brothers series and can be read as a standalone.

Read in Kindle Unlimited Here -> https://geni.us/Comeback

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Tia Louise’s The Way We Score, book 3 of her Bradford Boys series ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A-/B+

Tropes: second chance romance; high school sweethearts; small town; pro football; accidental pregnancy; soul mates; he falls first

I’ve recently fallen into the world of big “teddy bear” MMCs who fall hard for their FMCs. Tia Louise’s newest book, The Way We Score, is a lovely, engaging romance that reminds us that first loves are hard to get over. In this story, Olivia and Garrett, are high school sweethearts who lose each other to long distance in college. Years later, newly divorced Olivia returns home for her friend’s wedding, only to be met with Garret, her friend’s older brother and the one “who got away.” Attraction is re-kindled, and the two spend a passionate night on the night of the wedding. A couple of months later, Olivia, who has since left town out of a fear of her growing attraction to Garrett, realizes she is pregnant. She also misses the simplicity and ease of her hometown, so she returns to their small town to be near her mother. What she doesn’t expect is Garrett deciding he would end his football career so he can be close to her and the baby. Over time, they grow closer and realize they want to be together. When a couple of incidents threaten their happy lives, Olivia and Garrett work together to find solutions, landing squarely in their happy ending. 

From the start, Tia Louise crafts Olivia and Garrett so that you cannot help but root for them as a couple. Garrett clearly adores Olivia, and Olivia has never moved past her feelings for Garrett, even though she works hard to ignore them. Their chemistry is off the charts. It is easy to love them throughout this story. In fact, there is no third-act break-up here; instead, they have to learn to navigate some challenges which Louise quickly resolves for her reader without much tension. 

This new series from Tia Louise, The Bradford Boys, has become one of my favorites of hers. Louise writes them as realistic; they are characters you cannot help but swoon over. Adding to that realism is a small town filled with characters who add dimension to each of her stories in this series. One of my favorite parts is the Dare Dish challenges of the fictional Cooters & Scooters found in each of the series’ stories. It’s the moment when the characters come together with banter and sibling love. You cannot help but love the Bradford family and their community. 

My only criticism relates to a slight plot point with Olivia’s husband. Creating that complication seemed unnecessary. It seemed tangential and out of focus. However, it’s a small moment in a larger enjoyable read.

If you’re looking for a story that grabs at your heart, steams up your glasses, and leaves you with all of the small town happily ever after feels, run and grab this book. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release

✍🏻 We all knew it. Jack Wyld would steal our hearts when Rebecca Jenshak finally gifted us his story. And it’s so true. Forever Wild, Jack and Everly’s romance, is THE best of Jenshak’s Wildcat Hockey series. It’s OUT NOW!!! ✍🏻

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Forever Wild by Rebecca Jenshak is now live! 

The annoyingly handsome hockey captain glaring at me needs my help.

He won’t admit that, of course. But with his teammate’s gone for the summer and him fresh off a season-ending injury, someone has to keep him in check and it’s not the nurses he keeps running off.

I’m having one last summer of fun before I move away to start my first grown-up job, and I seem to be the only woman on the planet immune to his charm. Sure, I’ve noticed his chiseled jaw and sculpted muscles (Did I mention he’s annoyingly handsome?), but I have too much self-preservation to fall for a grumpy hockey star who can have any woman he wants and doesn’t do serious relationships.

Except once he lets me help him, I see past his broody exterior and jerk comments and I realize something terrible. I want him.

Now I just need to convince him to throw out all his rules for a fling with his teammate’s little sister.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/foreverwildebook

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3XXi7uJ

Meet Rebecca


Rebecca Jenshak is a USA Today bestselling author of new adult and sports romance. She writes sexy, feel-good stories with lots of swoon-worthy moments.

Rebecca lives in Arizona. When she isn’t writing, you can find her cheering on local sports teams, hanging out with friends and family, or curled up with a good book.

Sign up for her newsletter to be notified of new releases: https://rebeccajenshak.com/newsletter/

Connect with Rebecca

Website: https://www.rebeccajenshak.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16681160.Rebecca_Jenshak

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Jenshak/e/B074F258NP/

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1523746940998401

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

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rebeccajenshak

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rebeccajenshak

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-jenshak

new release

✍🏻 Sorry for missing this new release from one of my favorite authors, Ilsa Madden-Mills! Jasper and Jane are the best of “cat and mouse” hate to love romance. Don’t miss out on My Darling Jane, available TODAY! ✍🏻

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My Darling Jane by Ilsa Madden-Mills is now live!

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills returns with a sexy he-falls-first sports romance about a quarterback and his frenemy-matchmaker.

On an ordinary day, Jane Darling wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports bar wearing a toga with angel wings. But she’s desperate to launch her matchmaking business to secure her young daughter’s future. Her mission: to attract new clients at any cost.

Her Cupid outfit catches the eye of New York’s beloved star quarterback, Jasper Jannich. She and Jasper have always clashed, but when a pushy admirer goes too far, he steps in as an unexpected knight in shining armor.

He offers a tantalizing proposal: to be Cupid’s Arrow’s premier client. Reluctantly, Jane agrees, aware of the business potential despite her reservations about Jasper and his playboy reputation.

As she sets him up on date after date, it grows clear that Jane’s the only woman he wants.
She is his goal, his endgame.

She’s not not interested…but her heart has been burned before. To get anywhere, they’ll need courage and faith. 

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BctHt0      

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3ZC56YG 

A black and white sign with white text Description automatically generated
A black and white sign with white text Description automatically generated

Meet Ilsa Madden-Mills


#1 Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills pens angsty new adult and contemporary romances.

A former high school English teacher and librarian, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa

Website | www.ilsamaddenmills.com   

Goodreads | http://bit.ly/2EESfM9   

Amazon | http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT    

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/authorilsamaddenmills     

Facebook Group |  https://www.facebook.com/groups/728703210580726     

Instagram |  https://www.instagram.com/ilsamaddenmills/    

Bookbub |  http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn        

Newsletter |  https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/contact     

Text Updates |  text romance to (877) 207-0713 to receive updates

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Devney Perry’s Rally ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A-/B+

Tropes: one-night stand to more; opposites attract; surprise baby; new adult romance; sports romance; cinnamon roll MMC; down on her luck FMC

Rally, Devney Perry’s third book in her Treasure State Wildcats series, gifts us with the story of Faye and Rush. If you have read the first book of this series, Coach (my favorite of the series to date), you’re familiar with the broad strokes of their story. However, Rally takes us deeper into its beginning, middle, and beautifully written ending. Seriously, Perry’s endings and bonus epilogues are some of my favorites in romancelandia, and Rally exemplifies this gift well. 

Faye and Rush’s story is one of complication. Perry has beautifully penned the trials of Faye becoming pregnant while struggling through life. Thankfully, Perry partners Faye with Rush whose background is less uncomplicated and filled with love so he can learn to love her through her struggles. Rally is a roller coaster ride of emotions as Faye learns to depend on Rush, even though she struggles to become vulnerable and willing to rely on someone. Thankfully, Perry crafts Rush to be uncomplicated and stalwart through Faye’s journey. This adds a sweetness to Rally that feels quintessentially Devney Perry. 

My only issues are the oft-used “we’ll rally” or “need to rally” as it feels a bit “on the nose” in this story. I know it’s the battle cry of their relationship, but it seemed too pedantic for Perry. Secondly, there are moments when Rush’s actions are inconsistent with the overarching sense of his character as a noble, compassionate fellow. He sometimes retreats from Faye when, as the quarterback of a successful college team, that seems contrary to who he is. Beyond these issues, I loved Faye and Rush’s story.

Devney Perry’s Rally and its predecessors continue her tradition fo writing palatable, engaging romance. I love her stories, and given Rally and her story, Crossroads, published earlier in the year, I won’t stop reading her stories anytime soon.

In love and romance,

Professor A

new release, Review

✍🏻 Professor Romance’s Reviews: Karla Sorensen’s The Best of All ✍🏻

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Overall Grade: A

Tropes: hate to love; enemies to lovers; forced/close proximity; grump/sunshine; slow burn; he falls first; sports romance (football)

I am always thankful when God grants Karla Sorensen the words, story, and characters for her next book. There is something special about her stories that attach themselves to you. When I pick up one of her books, honestly, it’s almost impossible to stop reading it, and, when required to adult, I mourn for my time in her stories. Her newest book, The Best of All, is more of all of this. 

While it borrows a plot point from the 2010 movie, Life As We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel (a movie I adored), Sorensen writes her way through it with her brand of romance. You may ask, what is Sorensen’s brand of romance? Well, recently, her stories showcase grumpy, protective MMCs who love their FMCs hard from afar, hiding their emotions behind walls that reach the heavens; FMCs who are so beguilingly independent and amazing that everyone falls in love with them; and so much slow burn that you don’t know if they will ever find their way into each other (wink wink!). Seriously, Sorensen knows exactly how to craft a slow burn which doesn’t lead you to want to send her DMs, cursing her for keeping her MMC and FMC apart. Instead, she inches them closer at a pace that feels organic to her characters’ story. At least, that’s my impression, although 73% for a first touch was eye-opening. 

What I loved the most about The Best of All (and having fallen deep for the predecessor book to this one, The Best Laid Plans – I loved this book more) is Liam. Oh how I loved Liam. He’s so emotionally buttoned up, denying himself of his heart’s desire for much of the book that you cannot help but fall in love with him because he is protective and intentional even when it’s misguided. Through Liam, Sorensen showcases the power of therapy to find the words for feelings. His journey is the foundation of this book even though Zoe has her own important Zoe. For me, though, what drew me to him a bit more over Zoe is the way he loves her to his bones. He hides it behind acrimony and derision, but it’s all an act meant to turn her away. I have found that this brand of MMC is my favorite by far. My therapist had a bit to say about the reasons for this, but we agreed that, in fiction, MMCs such as Liam make for swoon-worthy romances. And that is definitely the case. 

Once again, Karla Sorensen showcases her ability and passion for writing romance in The Best of All. I loved every page of this book, and it’s been one of my fastest reads in recent months. The ending felt poetic and beautiful, and it receives the highest marks from this reader.

In love and romance,

Professor A