amanda_reads13's reviews
414 reviews

After graduating post secondary, Jessica returns to her home town. She immediately finds herself drawn back to the "losers" from high school. She becomes "theirs" temporarily, but what happens when their agreement ends? 

Please read the TW first. 

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book. I liked how different all of the men were and how they each had their own distinct personalities. I even started to like Jessica. She was very insecure and immature to start, but as her relationship with the men developed, she seemed to come into her own more. 

I felt like this was well written and I really enjoyed the story line. That said, it did feel too long and a bit repetitive at times. I really wish we spend a bit more time in the past to understand the men's relationships and personalities more. 

Tropes: opposites attract, found family, poly

Jessica was a mean girl in high school and Manson was her favourite target. Years later at a party, she has accepted his dare and her pride won't let her back down. The dare - she is his "slave" for the night. 

Approach with caution... Read the TW. 

Tropes: bully, revenge 

Mel, a social media influencer, ends up in small town Nova Scotia, where she meets grumpy fisherman Evan. 

As usual with Amy Lea's books, this is a very cute story with a spicy edge. It had more of a Hallmark-y feel to it than the other two books. It was definitely my least favourite of the series and was basically the same plot as It Happened One Summer. I wish this had been dual POV. 

Mel's entire identity is basically being her grown brother's caretaker and faking a glamorous life on social media. She doesn't have any deep attachments and keeps everyone at arms length. After ending up in a small town she discovers that there is more to life than material things and that maybe she should start letting people in. I found it interesting that she pesters her brother about therapy... But doesn't go herself. She has major abandonment and trust issues. This woman needs therapy. 

Evan is an asshole to Mel because he thinks she is a prissy rich bitch. After getting over the asshole attitude at the start, he is actually a very kind, caring, and thoughtful man. He puts everyone first and wants nothing more than his family to come back together. He blames himself for his cousin's accident... He also needs therapy. 

There banter was fun, but throughout the first half of the book they were both super immature. I found their relationship to be very surface level, lacking a relationship emotional depth. ALSO: She up and decides to move to another country to be with him after knowing him for mere weeks?! I guess if you know you know, but just doesn't seem plausible to me.

The whole thing with the 11 year old "stalker" kid was just weird to me. How is that the conversation that makes her realize she can't live without Evan? Was weird and creepy to me. 

Tropes: opposites attract, fake dating, enemies to lovers 

Olivia is a world renound singer who has been put under a conservatorship by her mother and manager. When attending a hockey game with her cousin, Walker (Disney) sees her and becomes obsessed.

I actually didn't find this one as dark as the others. But, as with the other books Walker has very dubious morals.

He messes with her birth control and pokes holes in condoms to get her pregnant.

Be aware that there are lot of issues around deception and consent of contraception use. 

Olivia has been abused and used by her mother and manager all her life. Her reputation has been destroyed and she has major trust issues. 

Walker is obsessed with Olivia from the moment he meets her. He will literally do anything to keep her

including getting her pregnant, blackmailing her cousin, and handcuffing her to him.

Yes, he is over the top and a psycho, but he does

manage to get revenge on her manager and mother and free her from the conservatorship. (Pancake penis iykyk)

The chats between the guys are pretty funny and I liked the budding friendship between the women. 

Tropes: stalking, obsession, athlete/singer, hockey, dark

Payton is a poor girl with a sad past. One evening while at home a man breaks into her apartment while escaping the cops. He becomes obsessed with her, she goes a long with it because he is hot and rich. 

I am trying to wrap my head around what I just read. This book has so many good reviews and I just don't get it. It is just so bad. It so poorly written and I was cringing half of the time. There was barely a plot. It's just about a woman who was once independent becoming a man's possession. 

I went in wanting a mafia plot, but it was barely there. The big "conflict" ends so quickly and is anti-climatic. 

There is zero character development, actually they regress. Payton was insecure, but independent and hardworking. She allows Nero to take over her entire personality and life. Nero has zero personality and depth. 

I wanted to DNF, but pushed through. Honestly wish I had DNFd. 

Tropes: mafia

Nicole "Cole" uprooted her whole life to be with her very Catholic/conservative boyfriend Patrick. Everything is going as planned until Patrick's "friend" Hawke moves into their house after being released from prison. 

I HATE the cheating trope and there is no excuse for it. Ya, Patrick was a misogynistic jerk, but no one deserves to be so blatantly disrespected by their partner. If you want to be with someone else, then breakup with your bf! Ugh! It was also weird how she would just "play house" with Patrick in front of Hawke then become jealous when Hawke is around other women. 

Hawke has recently been released from prison for

murder. He was convicted of driving under the influence and killing his best friend in a car accident. Only, that is not the whole story.

We get the impression that he is this bad boy who does nothing but bang random women and do drugs with his vagrant friends. But really he is a broken and sad boy who has endured so much loss, trauma, and pain.

He has never truly been loved or respected by anyone. He has always been looked down apon or cast aside.

All he really wants is for someone to love and understand him, his rough exterior is nothing but a mask. 

Cole is a lost woman. She thinks that she has a good life. Sure Patrick is a bit of a misogynistic ass, but he loves and takes care of her. As her relationship with Hawke grows she realizes how truly blind she has been. Patrick sees her as an accessory to creating this picture perfect life. He never consults her on any decisions, gaslights her, and completely disrespects her. 

Overall, she was very judgemental and childish. Unfortunately, there wasn't much growth to her character. She spent the whole time whining about how she was cheating on her "perfect" boyfriend with Hawke, but never did anything to change the situation.... 

Patrick

it turns out is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was the one who killed Hawkes best friend. He then fled the scene and pinned it on Hawke. Hawke not only lots his best friend, but he was then forced to take the fall for his death. At least Patrick got what was coming to him.

A few things - I really wish this had been dual POV. That would have added so much to the story. The writing was ok, but the story did drag and become very repetitive (Especially with Cole reprimanding herself that the cheating is wrong and her talking about Hawkes lip ring -mentioned 1000x). I felt like we didn't really dig deep enough into the characters and they felt a bit one dimensional. 

Tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, cheating, taboo, roommates, force proximity

Rylee and her sister are on the run and hiding out in the Den of Vipers. Meanwhile, due to Frank's manipulation and deception, Colton has been ripped from the Vipers and doing what he can to keep those he loves safe. 

Thank you for giving us a dual POV! I really enjoyed Colton's chapters and getting a peek inside his mindset. His chapters give us some valuable insight and background to the Jackles club, which adds a lot to the story. Also, it gives us some understanding of his choices and actions. He loves his brothers and Rylee, but is willing to sacrifice himself if it meant keeping them safe. 

There is so much heartache and pain that both Colton and Rylee endure, but it is integral to their growth. Your heart breaks for both of them as they are torn apart and aches for them to be reunited. They have so much chemistry and such a strong connection that they will always find their way back to each other. 

Rylee is such a strong and resilient character. In this part of the story, she really comes into her own and goes through so much emotional growth. I really appreciate how Hoyt depicted the reality of PTSD. She did a really good job of getting us into Rylee's head so we could really experience and understand the effects of her trauma. You could feel her pain and fear everytime a wave of panic hit her. I love that her mental health was taken so seriously by those around her and that she was never made to feel ashamed of what she was experiencing. 

One thing that really bugged me was how much Colton kept from his family. So much heartache could have been avoided has he just told them everything from the start. His family would have done everything to help him. I get that he was trying to keep them safe, but communication is key. 

I continued to adore the found family aspect of this book. Alex, Minho, Danny, Holly, and now Mac, add so much depth and emotion to the story. They have such a beautiful dynamic with one another. Can we get a Holly/Mac book please?!

The ending

was wrapped up nicely. Rylees father behind bars and the other bad guys dead.

Tropes: second chance, vigilante/Robinhood retelling, found family, slow burn, grovelling, 

Aurora and Russ hookup at a house party. The next day they find out they will be working together for 2 months at a summer camp. 

This was a cute and sweet story. The summer camp setting was a fun angle. 

The first half of the book had a lot of miscommunication and unnecessary drama. Instead of talking to each other like adults, both Aurora and Russ made assumptions about each other which made their situation super awkward. 

Russ and Aurara come from different worlds, but are both dealing with similar trauma. Daddy issues. Aurara's dad is a rich asshole who completely ignores her until he needs a photo opp, where as Russ' dad is gambling addict who has put him down his whole life. Aurara's reaction was to act out, where as Russ' was to make himself small. Aurara is loud and pushes the limits, where as Russ' is a shy rule follower who lacks confidence. 

I love how much these two grow and heal together. It takes a lot for Russ to open up and trust, he hates people knowing about his family situation. Aurora is so patient with him and pushes him to step out of his comfort zone. Russ is a definition golden retriever boyfriend (with a dirty mouth). He is incredibly kind, empathetic, and considerate. He is there for her as she struggles through her complicated relationship with her family and is there to support her at every turn. I adore these two together. 

One thing I love about this series is the friend group. They add so much to the story. They aren't what your expect from the typical "hockey boys". Yes, they tease and razz each other, but also show up for each other in the best possible way. 

Tropes: forced proximity, university, hockey player, opposites attract, found family 

One night Rylee receives a call for help from her estranged sister. Upon arriving to Eden, she finds a grieving and secretive sister and Colton, an infuriating man who she is instantly drawn to. 

I devoured this book. This is a story about the love of your town, for your people, for the community. There were so many twist, turns, and reveals. The ending felt rushed, but it definitely stabbed me in the heart. 

I loved the found family angle of this book. All of the characters were interesting and so dynamic. They had such a strong bond that you can't help but root for them all. I am interested to learn more about their backgrounds and stories. 

Rylee has had it rough. Her mother passed away and she was abandoned by her father and sister. She is a fighter and despite the odds she is incredibly persistent and driven to succeed. She is incredibly compassionate and empathetic, she drops everything to help her sister and is incredibly driven to help the town. 

Upon arriving to Eden, Rylee finds a town shattered. There had been a mining accident that killed hundreds of people and the town has never really recovered. The town itself serves as its own character and adds so much to the suspense if the book. It is a grimy and broken town filled with equally broken and distrustful town folk. 

She discovers that her sisters husband was a part of the Jackles, a secretive club in town. Since we only get one POV, we are made to wait along with Rylee to find out the secret of who they really are.

This book is a Robinhood telling, so it was obvious that they were stealing from the rich to help out their town. But the motivation wasn't clear at first. We eventually find out that the "mine accident" wasn't an accident at all and that there was one company who was responsible for mining deaths all over the world, Rylee's ex's family company. Now the Jackles are out for revenge.

Colton is mysterious and closed off, but as we learn about his past and what happened to his parents, his distrust and apprehension is completely understandable. As he opens up to Rylee, we see that is such a compassionate and protective man. He will do anything for his family. The build up between him and Rylee is TENSE and electric. I ate it up. I love that he chose a nickname for her that represented how strong and fierce she is. 

We also find out that

Rylee's father left because he was the head of the Vipers, an illegal mafia style gang who were once the Jackles rivals. They run all sorts of illegal activities. His involvement put their family at risk and her mother forced him to leave. We also find out that her sister, who is preggers, is also a Viper.

The end did feel rushed and because of that I feel like

Logan was not built up enough as the villain. But, it was so smart how everything was tied together. Logan sought Rylee out and kept a tracker on her in order to find her sister so that he could exact revenge for her stealing company secrets.

I cannot wait fo book 2

Tropes:  contemporary romance,  enemies to lovers, small-town, found family tropes, Robin Hood retelling, "secret" club, slow burn, 

Lucy hooks up with a cute guy she meets at restaurant in PEI only to discover it is her best friends brother, the off limits brother. 5 years later, when Bridget flees Toronto, Lucy has to finally face her true feelings.

This was a super cute story.  Yes, it was a romance between Lucy and Felix, but I loved that Bridget and Lucy's friendship was just as important to the story. It was such a fun and heartwarming read. 

The setting plays such a big role throughout the story. PEI is its own character. It add so much charm and heart to the story. The vivid descriptions make me want to get on a plane asap. 

Bridget and Lucy met 7 years ago and their friendship bloomed. They are there for each other through thick and thin. I am not surprised that Bridget

was so upset about moving, but theirs is a friendship that could survive the distance. I honestly guessed that this was the big secret early on, it was pretty obvious to me. If it wasn't her relationship in trouble, there was nothing else it could have been.

I adore their relationship. I really want a Bridget in Australia book now.

Lucy and Felix are electric. There are meant to be, end game. There is a fair bit of miscommunication between them. I wish they would have talked more about their relationship and been honest with Bridget. I get that they were afraid of telling her and worried that the other didn't feel the same, but communication is key. I actually really liked the slow progression of their relationship. Yes, there was a tone of physical chemistry, but there was always an emotional element to them as well. They are drawn to one another and no matter the distance or obstacles, they always find their way back. 

I am actually really glad that

they took a break from their relationship. Lucy really needed to find herself and take care of her needs/self. She had to grieve her aunt's passing and Bridget moving and figure out what she really wanted before throwing herself into a relationship.

The ending was adorable and everything I wanted for these two. 

Tropes: best friends brother, forbidden-ish, friends-to-lover, secret romance