Do you ever read a book and feel as though you are wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket? Even when the story grows cold, you still feel the warmth of that blanket because the cold isn’t too cold, and you know it will thaw eventually.

This is the state of Karla Sorensen’s The Ex Effect. Let me state that I did not read the first book in this series, The Bombshell Effect. It currently sits in my Kindle Library waiting for a read. Given my experience with The Ex Effect, I will read it sooner than later.

The Ex Effect tells the story of Ava and Matthew. Ava is the PR guru for the Washington Wolves, the fictional team of Sorensen’s first book. Matthew is a formerly retired player who comes out of retirement to play for the Wolves. Matthew and Ava have a past. It is this past that complicates a potential love relationship for the two. Will they be able to move beyond that past to find a future?

Together, Ava and Matthew make up the comfort of the warm blanket I mentioned at the beginning of this review. They have chemistry from the start, and, not shockingly, they end up together quickly. Personally, I love that. I don’t want them to rush into marriage at mach speed. However, I don’t want to be tortured by their tortured attraction to each other. Sorensen does not make us wait on them. She gets in, hooks them up, and starts the trouble in the relationship to move the story along.

The satin of the warm blanket that is this book is the continuing story of the Wolves. We read Allie and Luke again, along with Paige and Logan. It’s this community that provides the comfort of the trust of an ongoing story. We can relish in the idea that we will see the characters again in future stories. I’m hoping we will get a story for Logan, as he plays prominently in this story. With that, I’d expect to read Allie, Luke, Ava, and Matthew again in his story. It’s that warm comfort that keeps you picking up that blanket again.

Even when Ava and Matthew struggle, it isn’t a heart-rending struggle. It pinches for a bit, but Sorensen resolves it for us quickly. She does it with some humor, to boot. Lastly, and I appreciated this too (trust me, I am not a prude. I have read lots of sexy stuff in books), sexually, Ava and Matthew are fairly tame. Yes, they are sexual dynamite, but she doesn’t force them into bed over and over again. We understand that they are sexual dynamite but we read a focus on their relationship, not the sex. Lastly, Matthew is the one who first struggles with wanting deeper intimacy from Ava. He wants “in” because his feelings grow deeper by the chapter. It’s refreshing to read a man who has a certain depth of emotional maturity. It gives us hope for the men in our world.

If you want the comfort of a serious rom-com, wrapped in the love of two characters who will make you smile, then you’ll want to read this book. I couldn’t put it down, and I covered myself in its delicious warmth.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

i think this is honestly the best book in the whole series!! still just a fun read and nothing too serious

I am on a roll, I finished both book one and book two today and I think I loved them equally. They each had aspects that were lacking a bit but honestly, I haven't had so much fun reading something like this in a long time. I was a huge fan of all the couples and reading book three first made me so excited to continue, now I cannot wait to get to the Ward sisters. This series was exactly what I needed, i consider the books to be perfect fun summer reads with just the right amount of cuteness hotness and a touch of angst (but reeeaally just a teeny tiny bit).

I flew through Ava and Matthew's book, I was so invested in the story and I loved the way it unfolded. The sister's ex trope was fun but it wasn't making the story angsty at all which I very much appreciated. It was truly focused on Ava and Matthew's relationship and how they found love. I really thought they were great together, with Allie and Luke I kind of missed the getting to know each other/spending time together doing other things than having sex aspect of the story but here I was glad they knew each other before but also spent a lot of time doing couple-y things together. Those are my favorite because they show the compatibility of the characters. What killed me though, and it is just a side note here, is how when Allie was on the phone with Matthew she said she had to go pick up HER DAUGHTER from school - I literally about died, that is the cutest how she sees Faith as hers, I loved it.

Okay back to these characters. Ava was both great and super annoying. I loved her because she was so great with all the guys on the team, she was super likable and sweet, I thought she was funny too and but oh boy did that girl get on my nerves when it came to her family. She knew exactly how they treated her her whole life and still she was so naive and she made such mess of everything. It was quite hilarious seeing Logan be interested especially having read his and Paige's story, but Ava really annoyed me by creating so much drama. She didn't want to talk about anything ever, she was downplaying her and Matthew's relationship for a while even though a blind person could see how much he loved her and she was all around messy.

Matthew on the other hand was everything and more. I adored him so freakin much, he was unproblematic and when there were issues he had to face he did it with conviction, he wanted to communicate, he was completely gone over Ava and it showed and I honestly just loved him a whole lot. I was like hell yeah when he finally had enough and demanded answers from Ava and time to process things.

But, like I said I still loved Ava, and that girl really pulled through at the end. She knew her behavior was bad and she just got caught up in wanting her family to show love and interest in her. I absolutely get it and so I wasn't mad at her is was just unnecessary drama. Oh but I hate her mother though I do.
Ava realized her mistakes immediately and her big gesture and the way she made things right with Matthew and confronted her family was awesome, I loved that part of the book so much. And then the epilogue was just a nice cherry on top that I really loved because it was so romantic and cute.

3.5 Stars

Another fun and easy read! I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first, but I’m still interested in reading the next book in the series.

What I loved:
•Back in the Washington Wolves crew
•Complex family history

What I didn’t:
•The amount of conflict avoidance was a little frustrating to me
•It felt a little too “insta love”, even with their histories

Another touchdown! See what I did there? Karla Sorensen writes wonderfully, captivating stories that I just can’t help but get lost in. Ava and Matthew’s story had me hooked from early on. I needed to know how it was all going to play out. How the family dynamics were going to fit in and work. I felt for Ava and was glad with how that aspect of the story ended. Ava and Matthew are pure perfection, I loved that they were able to give in to how they felt pretty early on.

I loved the sports element of this story and the others in the series. Karla has a wonderful way of making you connect with the sport and feel the tension and excitement as if you were at the game yourself. I loved that each of the women has been a strong woman with her own career and how that’s fitted into the relationships. It’s been a pleasure to binge read/ listen to them.

Again, I wasn’t a huge fan of the audio casting. Although Teddy Hamilton was brilliant, I just felt he was much more suited to the character of Luke. I’m sure many people loved the audio and could get over some of the issues I had with it because it’s all subjective and how we hear things. I was able to enjoy the story regardless.

Na to jak byl příběh Allie a Luka skvělý, tenhle byl zase nic moc. Ze začátku mě to bavilo, ale ve chvíli, kdy se v příběhu objevil milostný trojúhelník to šlo hodně z kopce.
Navíc se tu Aliie a Luke objevovali hodně málo - proč autoři v takových sériích zapomínají na postavy z předchozích dílů?

3.5 ⭐️

Couldn’t put it down…..seriously….if I had 5 extra minutes at any point of the day I’d get it out to read. I loved Hawkins so much. I loved how Ava was all put together except around him. I did want to throttle Ava towards the end but she pulled it together and made things right. I hadn’t planned to pick up the next book of the series but plans change lol….off to download The Marriage Effect!