Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.
But this December, Lauren‘s brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.
Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than 10 years.
Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.
She’s circumspect and organized. He’s flirty and spontaneous.
She’s convinced that people don’t change. He’s trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.
On this cross-country road trip, they’ll both discover that history doesn’t exactly repeat itself…but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse.
Lauren has never been much of a Christmas person. As a busy set decorator for a TV show, she rarely makes it back to her Midwest hometown—especially not during the holidays. But this December is different: her brother and his wife are expecting a baby, and they’re determined to have her there. Knowing she’s terrified of flying, her brother arranges a ride for her with Will, his best friend. It’s a road trip, he promises. It’ll be fun. And since she already knows Will, she reluctantly agrees.
Ever the planner, Lauren maps out a three‑day route complete with hotel stops. But when Will shows up, it’s immediately clear he has no intention of following her itinerary. He’s set on a week‑long adventure and refuses to change course—or let her drive. Frustrated but out of options, Lauren climbs in.
Will’s easygoing nature contrasts sharply with Lauren’s prickly mood, but he takes it in stride. She doesn’t like road trips, and she’s not particularly fond of Will either, yet the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes for her to stay frosty. Along the way, she uncovers a difficult truth about him that shifts her perspective entirely. By the time they reach home, their relationship has transformed. They might even be falling in love.
This closed‑door romance is a charming holiday read, and the narration really brings the characters to life. A great pick for fans of cozy holiday storytelling and Debbie Macomber’s warmhearted romances.
12/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CROSS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS by Courtney Walsh.Narrators: Reba Buhr & Will Collyer. Courtney Walsh. June 13, 2022. Listening Length: 6 hours and 34 minutes.
Fake dating a hockey player for Christmas wasn’t on my bingo card.
Clare Johnson’s job is handling PR for the Dallas Stampede—not getting tangled up with one of the players. But when Mitchell Drake—charming forward, fan favorite, and very off-limits—asks her to pose as his girlfriend for one week in small-town Minnesota, she reluctantly agrees. What’s the worst that could happen?
Mitchell’s had six months to get over his very public broken engagement, and his family is done waiting. The last thing he needs is pitying smiles and whispered gossip. Clare is smart, sharp, and strong enough to hold her own with both fans and family—the perfect fake girlfriend.
But holiday lights and snowy nights have a way of blurring the line between pretend and real. Clare fits too easily into his world—bonding with his grandma, winning at pond hockey, and looking unfairly good in his flannel. The more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.
Full of small-town holiday magic, meddling relatives, and sizzling chemistry, Checking It Twice is a hockey romance about second chances and falling in love when you least expect it. Perfect for fans of fake dating, one-bed tension, forced proximity, and happily-ever-afters wrapped in Christmas lights.
Because sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree—they’re standing right in front of you.
Clare loves her job in PR for the Dallas hockey team, but she has one firm rule: never get involved with the players. After being burned at her last job, she’s determined to keep her distance. That resolve wavers, however, when Mitch enters the picture. Despite his profession, she thinks highly of him, so when he asks her to pose as his fake girlfriend and go home with him for the holidays, she actually considers it. His family has been relentless since his ex left him for his best friend, and even six months later, he’s still not fully over it.
Clare reluctantly agrees, and the holiday adventure begins. The two are forced to share Mitch’s childhood bedroom—complete with the tiny bed he grew up in—and his family’s meddling only adds to the chaos. Clare rolls with it, reminding herself it’s all pretend and will be over soon. Of course, the more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.
As real feelings start to surface, Clare does her best to keep them in check, while Mitch is more than ready to lean into whatever’s happening between them. He understands her hesitation and past hurt, and his patience and kindness only make him more irresistible. Eventually, they surrender to the simmering attraction, and sparks fly.
This is a charming holiday romance filled with warmth, humor, and plenty of heat. Ryan proves once again that she’s a dependable storyteller who delivers every time. My only real complaint was the female narrator, whose constant whispery delivery made her sections frustrating to listen to. Mitch’s narrator, thankfully, did a great job. I found myself constantly adjusting the volume—turning it up for her parts and down for his—and while driving with Apple Maps, the sudden blare of navigation directions was genuinely jarring. It wasn’t the most enjoyable listening experience, even though I liked the story itself. I may need to start keeping track of narrators I don’t enjoy and steer clear of their audiobooks in the future.
12/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CHECKING IT TWICE by Kendell Ryan.Narrators: Grayson Owens & Rose Dioro. Dreamscape Media. November 25, 2025. Listening Length: 7 hours and 56 minutes.
Fact or fiction: proposing to your best friend so she can inherit her family business is a great idea.
When Addison “Roe” Monroe tells me she’s going on a husband hunt at the local lumberjack competition so she can inherit her father’s lumberyard, desperate times call for desperate measures.
She’s sworn off romance. Says she’s been through enough tragedy. So I offer myself as an alternative, ’cause that’s what best friends are for.
But my stubborn friend, who would rather drive a forklift than get her nails done, refuses to accept my help, and now I find myself training to become a lumberjack.
I refuse to let Roe hitch her wagon to some hulking ax wielder who might be a serial killer. She means too much to me.
And I swear there are moments where she looks at me like I mean something more to her, too.
On the surface, I’m offering a marriage of convenience to protect her. But the truth is…I’m hopelessly in love with my best friend.
So if I have to marry her and move her up to Fletcher Mountain just to see if she could love me back, so be it.
Because my only regret would be losing her forever, and that’s a fact.
Mountain Men Matchmaker: Book 1: Nine Month Contract Book 2: Seven Year Itch Book 3: Honeymoon Phase
I’m so glad I gave this series another chance! I liked the first book, wasn’t crazy about the second, but this third installment might be my favorite yet.
Addison “Roe” Monroe has spent her life working at her family’s lumberyard, and with her father thinking about retirement, she’s poised to take over. There’s just one complication: her grandfather’s will stipulates that only married family members can inherit. Roe has never been interested in marriage, but if a wedding is what it takes to secure the business, she’s willing to make it happen. Her plan is simple: find someone willing to marry her for a year, fulfill the estate’s terms, then divorce amicably.
Her best friend, Luke Fletcher, is horrified. He’s been secretly in love with Roe for years, but has accepted friendship as all she’ll offer. After the longtime lumberyard workers politely decline her proposal plan, Roe turns her sights to the annual lumberjack competition, assuming she can easily find a willing candidate there.
Luke, determined not to lose her to a stranger, writes Roe a heartfelt letter offering to marry her. She refuses, afraid of jeopardizing their friendship—he’s the only friend she has. Undeterred, Luke enters the competition himself, with the full support of his family and the enthusiastic matchmaking schemes of his niece, Everly.
The competition doesn’t go Luke’s way, but ultimately, he wins where it matters: Roe agrees to marry him. She abandons her plan to wed a stranger and instead chooses the man she trusts most. She moves up to Fletcher Mountain so their marriage will look legitimate. Roe believes she can divorce him after the required year and return to their friendship, while Luke sees the year as his chance to prove his love and make their marriage last.
Their courthouse wedding doesn’t sit well with Roe’s father, who insists on giving her a proper ceremony in six weeks before he retires to Florida. Roe is completely overwhelmed, but fortunately, her new mother-in-law is thrilled to take over the planning.
Meanwhile, Everly warns Luke that when Roe sees his face as she walks down the aisle, she’ll know that he’s truly in love with her—and she needs to feel the same for the marriage to have a future. The following weeks are full of highs and lows, but in the end, Roe and Luke get their well-earned happily ever after.
This was such a fun read with characters I genuinely cared about. The narrators did a fantastic job bringing them to life, which really speaks to the material they had to work with since they also narrated the first two books. Now that all the Fletcher brothers are happily married, it looks like it’s finally Everly’s turn to find her happily ever after, and I can’t wait to read her story.
12/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
HONEYMOON PHASE by Amy Daws.Narrators: Erin Mallon & Teddy Hamilton. Harlequin Audio. November 11, 2025. Listening Length: 11 hours and 40 minutes.
A hero’s welcome awaits NFL bad boy Jackson Knight in Bishop Falls. The Texas town lives and breathes football, and they’re thrilled to have Jackson as their temporary high school coach while he rehabs his torn ACL—and his battered image. But one person isn’t rolling out the red carpet. Journalist Calla Dunne knows the damage football can do, and she’s not cutting the coach any slack. Jackson’s trained all his life to push through every obstacle stacked against him. But conquering Calla’s heart will take a fight like none he’s ever faced…to claim a reward sweeter than any prize.
Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.
This book stirred up memories for me. When my husband and I moved to the Dallas area in the early 1980s shortly after getting married, we drove past an enormous football stadium on the way to our rental house. Naturally, we assumed it was where the Dallas Cowboys played. We couldn’t have been more wrong—it was a high school stadium! That was our first introduction to the almost religious fervor surrounding high school football in the Dallas suburbs. Friday night games were community events where everyone showed up, whether they had kids on the team or not, whether they’d attended that school or not.
This book captures that same football obsession in the small Texas town of Bishop Falls, where football rules everything and the booster club holds serious power. Injured NFL star Jackson Knight is at a crossroads in his career. After tearing his ACL, he’s struggling through a difficult recovery, and his playboy reputation isn’t doing him any favors. His agent secures him a temporary high school coaching position, hoping to salvage both his career and his public image.
Enter Calla Dunne, a journalist at the local paper who secretly hates football—with good reason. She keeps her opinions to herself as she knows better than to challenge the town’s obsession. She covers football while dreaming of writing features instead.
Jackson’s arrival is marked by a parade in his honor, but Calla happens to overhear him on a phone call, desperately trying to wriggle out of the coaching job. From that moment, she’s skeptical. She doubts he’ll help the team or provide any positive influence. I particularly appreciated how the author addressed bullying among team members and showed Jackson genuinely rising to the challenge.
As Jackson struggles with his recovery and faces the possibility that his NFL days might be over, he begins to see how empty his life was before Bishop Falls. His growing connection with Calla forces him to reevaluate everything.
This enemies-to-lovers, small-town sports romance delivers on every level. The narrator brought excellent vocal variety to the audiobook, making the story truly come alive. This is the first book in a series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.. If you loved “Friday Night Lights”, this is for you.
10/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE PERFECT PASS by Teri WilsonNarrator: Stacy Gonzalez. Harlequin Audio. (September 30, 2025.) Listening Length: 7 hours and 35 minutes.
IHe’s the sexy alpha male in the corner office who goes through assistants faster than free donuts in the break room.
I’m the assistant who was chosen to cover for his last fire.
The owner of the company is clear – hook the biggest client in our firm’s history and there’s a partnership for him and a promotion for me. Stipulation – we do it together.
It doesn’t take a tarot card-reading psychic to figure out where our story is headed…late nights, trips out of town, and more than a few awkward moments filled with sexual tension.
No worries though. I pride myself on my willpower. I can totally ignore his sexy grin, his rock-hard body, and his dreamy brown eyes. I will not become the woman other women hate.
But it turns out that Enzo Mancini has a lot of layer,s and if I don’t stop peeling, I’m going to lose everything, including my dignity.
I’d nominate this book for Worst Title Ever, but the algorithm knew what it was doing when it recommended it to me—I’m a devoted Piper Rayne reader who’ll tackle anything they write. Despite being put off by the title, I gave it a chance and ended up genuinely enjoying it.
Annie works as an assistant at a male-dominated advertising firm, hoping to climb the corporate ladder. Her sweet but unhelpful boss keeps her stuck in a support role, making it impossible to prove her capabilities. Enter Enzo Mancini, a fellow ad executive notorious for burning through assistants at lightning speed. When his latest quits, Annie’s boss desperately asks her to fill in temporarily. Though reluctant to take on extra work—especially for someone like Enzo—she agrees.
Everything changes when Enzo includes her in his latest campaign for a diaper company. This potential account could be the firm’s biggest win and Enzo’s ticket to partnership. As they work together, their professional relationship evolves into something deeper.
Enzo is drop-dead gorgeous but emotionally unavailable, preferring one-night stands over relationships. However, working with Annie awakens unfamiliar feelings. His close-knit family adds another layer—their widowed mother desperately wants grandchildren, especially since her sister’s kids are already reproducing. The three single Mancini brothers hatch a plan to set up their baby sister, hoping for future grandbabies.
Though that matchmaking effort doesn’t quite succeed, Enzo and Annie’s connection intensifies. I loved Annie’s backbone—she refuses menial tasks and demands meaningful work, which Enzo genuinely respects. Their growing attraction builds naturally to its steamy conclusion, and based on the cover and title, you know these two will generate serious heat.
The family dynamics shine throughout. Enzo’s seamless integration into Annie’s family feels authentic, while his own family’s closeness adds warmth to the story. A running gag about the brothers settling everything through Rock, Paper, Scissors—with Enzo always losing—provides perfect comic relief.
The dual narration elevated this audiobook significantly, with both narrators bringing their characters to vivid life. It was compelling enough to send me hunting for the rest of the series. Enzo’s brother Carm is up next, and I’m here for it.
10/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
SEXY FILTHY BOSS by Piper RayneNarrators: Lynn Norris & David Brenin. Piper Rayne Inc.. June 19, 2019. Listening Length: 7 hours and 42 minutes.
As my long time readers know, I have been having trouble with my eyes for years now. I have a somewhat unusual form of glaucoma, called Narrow Angle Glaucoma, that has been treated fairly successfully. I’ve had numerous surgeries along the way, and my next is scheduled for mid-October. That one is a fairly common procedure, but with a twist – I have a cataract in my left eye, but it has somehow attached itself to my iris. My surgeon says it’s just a few more steps for him to take, and that he can do it in his sleep – which I begged him not to do!
Due to surgery to repair a hole in my macula, I ended up with a small blind spot in my right eye. It is due to scar tissue, which I discovered when I had to take the vision test to renew my driver’s license. I had to read some lines, and when I finished, the woman at the DMV asked me to please read the last column. But I didn’t see another column! I had to get a letter from the eye doctor to renew my license, in which I learned a somewhat scary fact – you can actually be legally blind and still allowed to drive, provided you have a note from the doctor.
I know as I age, it is only going to get worse, not better. I have pretty much given up on reading print books, and thank God for the Kindle. I feel so blessed that this is happening to me now, when there are digital options available. If this had happened to me in a previous generation, I would have been screwed. With all that, I decided I had best learn to listen to audiobooks.
Over the years, I’ve tried many times to listen, but I always found my mind wandering. I would be driving along and realize I had no idea what was happening in the book I was listening to. I ended up successfully listening to some children’s books, and read the entire Harry Potter series on Audible. Then I graduated to the Outlander series. I had read all the print books, but my BFF Judy told me to try the audiobooks, too – she loved the reader. Davina Porter is the narrator, and she is Scottish but completely understandable (not always the case!), and she really added depth to the stories. Not only did I listen to them all, but so did my husband! I also watched the series on Starz, with subtitles because Scottish/British accents are not always understandable to me. Porter has retired with only one book left in the series, so the publisher has entrusted it to one of the stars of the TV series, Kristin Atherton, who plays the new Jenny, starting in season 7 (IYKYK). Not only will she read the last book in the series when (???) it comes out, but she has reread the entire series. You can now listen to either narrator. I haven’t tried them yet, though I will definitely be listening to the last book in the series that she reads.
Meanwhile, I have finally found that I can listen to romances on audio successfully. Makes sense, that’s what I read, primarily, so why not listen to them too? That said, I have found many books that I love, and several others that I just couldn’t listen to. Sometimes it was the narrators, sometimes it was the story itself.
Recently, my friend Nora suggested I try the Lucky River Ranch series by Jessica Peterson. I snagged the first book, Cash, from Hoopla, my favorite library audiobook app. I listened to the first few chapters and had to stop. I love Western romances, but apparently, I don’t like Western accents! I grabbed the ebook instead and loved it. I haven’t tried that with most of the audiobooks I’ve stopped, however, because they weren’t recommended by someone I trust but rather suggested by the publisher or algorithm.
I am privileged to have access to advance copies of upcoming titles and have started many audiobooks that way. I have also not finished many of them. There are also many audiobooks that I borrowed from my library but didn’t finish, but unfortunately, I didn’t keep records of those.
They are divided into two camps: books that I just didn’t like the story enough to keep going, and you can tell those by how far I got. And books that I didn’t like the narrator, and you can tell those by how far I didn’t get.
If you’ve read my audiobook reviews, you know that there are some narrators who irritated me, but I pushed on and listened to them anyway. I guess sometimes I have more patience than other times.
I remember when I worked for the public library prior to listening to audiobooks, I had patrons who selected audiobooks by the narrator and didn’t really care about the author or even the genre. I haven’t tried that yet, but it seems like most of the narrators I like generally read in the romance genre, so maybe that wouldn’t help me spread my wings, so to speak.
Is there a narrator that you love? Will listen to anything they read? Or a narrator you hate and wouldn’t listen to even if your favorite author had the narrator reading their book? I’d love to hear about your audiobook experiences! I am looking for suggestions as I travel along my audiobook journey. Please leave comments below. I read them all. Thanks!
It was a fun Vegas getaway—until I woke up married to my ex-fiancé’s brother.
After Watson brother #1 ditched me at the altar, I stopped believing in happily-ever-afters. So I have no clue how I ended up saying “I do” to Brooks—Watson brother #2—somewhere between tequila shots and bad decisions.
Okay, that may not be true.
Sheriff Watson has been a charming thorn in my side ever since his brother left our small ranch town in his rearview mirror. He’s a little too steady, a little too sweet, and way too intuitive because he sees through my facade. But no matter how tempting he is, he’s still a Watson.
I demand an annulment. He refuses, bargaining four real dates before he signs.
Fine. I’ll sabotage each one and keep my heart safely locked away. It’s easier this way because he has no idea the secret I’m keeping.
Of course, Brooks doesn’t go down easy—he has enough faith for both of us. He tackles my fears at every turn, making me wonder what would happen if I went all in.
But trusting the wrong man once nearly ruined me—doing it again might finish the job.
I first read the third book in this series, The One I Didn’t See Coming, and intended to circle back to the earlier ones—but forgot. Then this newest installment popped up in my Hoopla feed—bless the algorithm, because it turned out to be an absolute delight.
The drunken Vegas wedding is romance novel gold, and this story executed the trope perfectly. Lottie’s backstory provides the emotional foundation: Holden Watson left her at the altar, devastating her ability to trust—both men and herself. So when she wakes up married to his brother, Brooks, after a night she can’t remember, mortification doesn’t begin to cover it. An immediate annulment seems like the only solution.
Brooks, however, has secretly harbored feelings for Lottie for years. Once Holden claimed her, Brooks stepped aside. But now that fate has thrown them together, he’s not letting go without a fight. His parents are furious, hers are curious, and Brooks—small-town sheriff and son of the mayor—is determined to prove he’s the right man for her. He negotiates four dates before he’ll agree to an annulment. Those four dates change everything.
This is a slow-burn romance packed with angst, humor, heart, and heat—plenty to keep the pages flying. My only complaint is the cover design, which I found genuinely off-putting. But Piper Rayne, the writing duo behind the book, never disappoints—and this one’s no exception. I’ve downloaded the first two books in the series, so expect those reviews soon!
9/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CHASING FOREVER by Piper Rayne.Narrators: Vanessa Edwin & Stephen Dexter. Piper Rayne Inc.. August 22, 2025. Listening Length: 8 hours and 35 minutes.
An utterly delightful and sexy second-chance romance between a black cat and golden retriever with Mazey Edding’s signature sparkling voice!
Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.
“Edding’s latest rom-com is a second-chance enemies-to-lovers romp that nails her signature style, combining razor-sharp wit with an unexpectedly earnest story.” ―Booklist
“Witty… The setup is clever and the eventual love scenes are sensuous. The author’s fans will not be disappointed.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Readers who enjoy remarkably strong women leads and crave emotionally redemptive story arcs will adore this radiantly hot enemies-to-lovers romance from Eddings.” ―Library Journal
The female lead, Eva, hosts a quirky podcast where she eats hot dogs with guests—apparently a riff on the YouTube channel Chicken Shop Date. She works for a media company that dangles the promise of a real journalism job to keep her compliant. Eva’s personality is a tough sell: she’s petty, mean, and whiny, which makes her hard to root for.
Rylie, the male lead, undergoes an unconvincing transformation from villain to hero. He and Eva had a disastrous one-night stand in college, after which he ghosted her—hardly an uncommon college experience, yet the story treats it like a major betrayal. Rylie has reinvented himself with a successful podcast about dismantling toxic masculinity, which infuriates Eva. Fueled by jealousy, she goes live to publicly recount their college hookup, criticizing his bedroom skills and questioning his right to call himself a “good guy.”
That live stream goes viral, and Eva’s boss wants to capitalize on it. They convince Eva and Rylie to do a podcast together and hash out their issues. He uses that to basically force Eva into dating him, and we learn that he really feels bad for the way he acted in college and still harbors feelings for Eva.
Despite being marketed as a romantic comedy, this book delivered neither romance nor comedy. Their chemistry doesn’t spark until they sleep together again, and suddenly everything clicks. What was meant to be witty banter often felt like Eva being cruel and whiny, while Rylie inexplicably adored her for it. I just couldn’t grasp their dynamic. And while I’m heaping on, let me add that Rylie constantly calls Eva “kitten,” which I found annoying at best.
I chose to read this book because it was selected for the August LibraryReads list, written by a Hall of Fame author I hadn’t tried before, so I was genuinely excited to dive in. This was one of the rare LibraryReads picks that didn’t work for me.
I kept pausing to read other books—actually finishing two entirely different audiobooks before returning to this one. I struggled to reach 75%, then gave up. I tried again and stopped at 89%, then finally forced myself through the last 11% out of stubbornness. It didn’t improve.
The narrator, Crow, did a solid job with the material, so I don’t fault the performance. If you’ve read this and loved it, I’d be curious to hear your take. It’s sitting just below four stars on Goodreads, and I did browse some of the positive reviews, but none of them changed my mind.
9/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
WELL, ACTUALLY by Mazey Eddings.Narrator: Ariela Crow. Macmillan Audio. August 5, 2025. Listening Length: 11 hours and 33 minutes.
It’s not every day you ask your older brother’s teammate to be your fake boyfriend. But desperate times call for gorgeous, impulsive measures.
Miles Garrett is a pro basketball player with a heartstopping smile and infamous cocky charm. But to me, he’s always been more than a celebrity. Miles is the guy who puts friends and family first…and my college crush.
When my sorority sister decides to bring my ex to our reunion, I need a plus-one who can have my back and save my pride. Asking Miles is the perfect solution.
Until he raises the stakes for both of us.
He says he’s only playing to win. He’ll be the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.
But his gaze hunts mine across a crowded room. He protects me with a fierceness that steals my breath. Our just-for-show kisses ignite a wildfire inside me.
I’m fighting feelings that have been simmering for years. Soon our pretend relationship starts feeling dangerously legit…Because it’s hard to fake what’s always been real.
Tropes include: teammate’s little sister, brother’s best friend, fake dating, pro athlete hero, cinnamon roll hero, he’d do anything for her, sassy heroine, college crush, only one bed.
Hard to Fake is a pro basketball romance with banter, spice, and all the swoony vibes. It’s the first book in the Denver Kodiaks series. You’ll want to binge Miles and Brooke’s entire addictive story today!
Want even more Denver Kodiaks? Listen to the King of the Court series for Clay and Nova’s story! (It is NOT necessary to listen to King of the Court before listening to Denver Kodiaks):
1. Game Changer 2. Shot Taker 3. Play Maker 4. Game Day
This author was new to me, as was a basketball romance. I tend to love sports romances, especially hockey, football, and baseball, as those are the sports I watch. I am not a basketball fan, but I’ll watch when the Miami Heat or the NY teams make it to the playoffs.
I also have a very tall brother (6’5″) who loves basketball and only stopped playing recreationally after a couple of hospitalizations, when his doctor insisted on it. My nephew is 6’7″, although he played baseball until he finally decided he didn’t want to play it professionally.
I was invited to a dinner at the annual American Library Association conference several years ago and was seated next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They actually had to move the room where the cocktail party started because the ceiling was too low for him – these guys are tall! Just FYI, Jabbar writes a terrific mystery series based on Sherlock Holmes’ brother, Mycroft Holmes. Anyway, I mention all this because the main character, Miles, is a professional basketball player who I believe was described as being 6’4″, which is on the short side for a pro.
Brooke is our female protagonist—a struggling influencer whose mother has just cut off her financial support. Her brother plays for the fictional Colorado Kodiak NBA team, and his best friend and teammate is Miles.
Initially, I found Brooke difficult to connect with. She came across as whiny and entitled, two traits that really grate on me as a reader. However, she’s also hardworking and clearly going through a difficult period, so I decided to stick with her story. As an influencer desperately needing to secure a major account to stabilize her finances, Brooke gets a promising opportunity when one of her sorority sisters, who runs a wildly successful clothing line, begins looking for new influencer partnerships.
Brooke was already planning to attend her sorority reunion weekend when disaster strikes—she discovers that one of her sorority sisters is bringing Brooke’s ex-boyfriend as her date. This sends Brooke into full panic mode. The weekend is crucial for her career prospects, but now she feels she needs a fake date to help her save face when confronting her ex.
Enter Miles—her brother’s best friend, teammate, and the man Brooke has harbored a crush on for years. To her amazement, Miles readily agrees to the fake dating scheme. As they spend time together preparing for the weekend, genuine feelings begin to develop between them. Their chemistry felt authentic and compelling, and I found myself genuinely invested in their relationship.
Unfortunately, this investment made the ending all the more frustrating. The book concludes with a cliffhanger, completely violating romance’s cardinal rule: the guaranteed happily ever after (HEA). This kind of ending is enough to make me swear off both this series and this author entirely.
On the audiobook front, the narration was excellent. Tim Paige, whom I know from his work on Rebecca Yarros’s romances, delivered another solid performance. Simone Lewis was new to me, but she also did outstanding work—I’d happily listen to both narrators again in future projects.
9/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
HARD TO FAKE by Piper Lawson.Narrators: Simone Lewis & Tim Paige. Piper Lawson Books. August 1, 2025. Listening Length: 5 hours and 32 minutes.
A steamy new novella from the USA Today bestselling author of The Nanny—available only in audio!
Shy, awkward Cade Monroe must be the only man in Florida who hates the beach. But when the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen kisses him unexpectedly one summer night, he might be forced to change his mind. A year later, and he’s still pining after her. The only catch? She doesn’t seem to remember the kiss. In fact, Cade isn’t sure she even knows he exists.
Nora Whitfield has definitely noticed Cade, the dark-haired, hot-in-a-scowly-way guy who gets coffee from her every morning. But with a past full of heartbreak, Nora isn’t looking to get involved—especially not with a man who barely speaks except to order.
When Cade finds himself desperately needing a new roommate, fate intervenes, thrusting them together. As secrets surface and sparks fly, Cade and Nora must decide if they’re ready to risk their hearts for a second chance at a first kiss.
Room for Two may be a short novella, but it packs a delightful punch. The story follows Cade Monroe, a shy and awkward man who is not a fan of Florida’s beaches, but has never forgotten a magical kiss he once shared with Nora Whitfield on that very beach—but she doesn’t even remember their encounter.
When their meddling friends orchestrate a meeting, neither Cade nor Nora knows what they’re walking into. Cade believes he’s interviewing a potential roommate, while Nora thinks she’s on a blind date with a customer she’s been secretly crushing on for a year. This clever deception sets up a wonderfully awkward beginning that had me completely invested from the start.
As the date-slash-interview unfolds and they realize they’ve been set up, sparks inevitably fly. Secrets begin to unravel, and feelings they’ve both kept hidden become impossible to ignore.
Cade is the kind of hero you can’t help but champion—quiet and grumpy on the surface, yet soft, loyal, and deeply caring underneath. His longing made my heart ache in the most wonderful way. Nora perfectly complements him: she’s strong and relatable, though still healing from past heartbreak. While cautious about opening her heart again, her warmth and playful banter create a natural balance with Cade’s reserved nature, making their chemistry feel both authentic and compelling.
Despite its shorter length, this novella delivers complete satisfaction. The author beautifully crafted the dynamic of two characters secretly pining for each other, allowing their relationship to develop organically within the condensed format. Romances often ask us to suspend our disbelief – can two people really form such a strong connection in one night? I’d like to think so, and Ferguson convinced me.
Narrated in dual POV by Samantha Summer and Teddy Hamilton, the performance adds an extra layer of charm. Their voices breathe life into Cade and Nora, infusing the story with warmth, personality, and emotional depth.
Note: this is only available as an audiobook right now. There is no indication that print versions will be published.
8/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
ROOM FOR TWO by Lana Ferguson.Narrators: Samantha Summers & Teddy Hamilton. Spotify Audiobooks. August 19, 2025. Listening Length: 3 hours and 42 minutes.
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