Just One More Time (The Sterling Family Book #6)

Carly Phillips

Blurb:

One night. One heartbreak. One man she could never forget.

Years ago, Brooke Snyder gave her heart — and her innocence — to Aiden Sterling, her best friend’s older brother. For one perfect night, he was hers. Then he walked away without looking back.

Heartbroken, she focused on her career, and tried to move on, while he was half a world away. But no man ever measured up to Aiden, and the one time she tried, ended in disaster.

Now, he’s back to help his ailing father, and avoiding him isn’t an option— not when they’re forced to work together and definitely not when she’s sleeping in the bedroom next to his.

The past crackles between them, charged with everything they never said and everything they still feel. Every look dares her to remember. Every touch reminds her exactly what she spent years trying to forget.

Giving him her body is easy. But how can she protect her heart… when the man who broke it is the only one who can put it back together?

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

We have been wondering now for a while what the real story was, what kept Aiden from returning to his family and we are finally going to learn why as he comes back into the Sterling Family fold permanently. The Sterling kids were all shaped early on by a tragedy that left each of them with issues and hang-ups that followed them into adulthood and interfered with their ability to have healthy relationships. But as each of them found that other half of their souls they came to accept that their past could continue to drag them down or they could allow themselves to find and give love and finally move forward to happiness. Aiden has been on the run for years, leaving behind the woman he loved, never realizing that he broke her heart and left them both living a half life. Now that he is back to fill in for his brother while he is on paternity leave, Aiden is faced with Brooke daily and he is no longer willing to live without her, but getting her to forgive him, much less offer her trust again is going to be a huge feat for him. Brooke gave her heart to Aiden a long time ago, and though he walked away from them after a single night, she never stopped loving him and the pain of seeing him sporadically through the years made her into a woman that couldn’t trust in the passion and love he offered. Now that he says he’s back for good, giving up his traveling ways and wanting to have a relationship, she is willing to take a chance, even though she is scared to fully trust in him. Then when a danger from his past comes knocking, she refuses to let him walk away, leaving her behind again, because Brooke loves him too much to lose him again.

Reading Brooke and Aiden’s story was filled with trauma, passion, angst and love as they worked through their past, navigated their present, and found a way to build toward a future that would allow them both to reach for what they both wanted in life. Brooke and her mother have been extended family to the Sterlings for so long that she feels like a member of the clan, but she’s never felt like Aiden was a sibling, and when he offered her everything, she wanted then ripped it away from her years ago, she never imagined she’d be able to forgive and try again. But the Aiden that has returned has changed and she wants him even more. She is smart, sassy, brave, and loving, but seeing the way she makes him work to prove himself and earn his way back into her heart and earn her trust again shows me that she truly understands her worth. Aiden knows he made a big mistake leaving Brooke behind, but he never realized just how big it was until she confronts him with the truth and now, he will do whatever it takes to get her back in his bed and keep her there forever. When he learns that danger is stalking him, though, he has to accept that being with him puts her in danger and decide if risking her life is worth the happiness that being with her and loving her offers him. Aiden was a wounded, terrified man, that needed to accept so much in life cannot prevented, no matter how we wish it can, and that need to protect, his deeply caring nature, and sweetness made me love him immensely. Together Brooke and Aiden were firebrands, and their passion tore up that pages and when they both finally accepted that their feelings were undeniable and accepted, they were forever meant to be together it was beautiful to experience. I loved this series, and I am sad to see it ending after one more short novel, but I know that whatever Carly Writes next it’ll be fabulous, and I cannot wait!

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.

Rematch (Stingrays Hockey #3)

Mari Carr

Blurb:

One night, one kiss, and a spark hot enough to melt the ice.

Preston’s all in on his hockey career as a Stingray, and Chelsea’s just about to start a new adventure in Paris—until an unforgettable night at an Ugly Christmas Sweater party changes everything. A few drinks, some dirty jokes, and a kiss under the mistletoe leads to a night of toe-curling, name-forgetting, no-strings-attached fun.

They part ways in the morning, no regrets—just a sizzling memory they both assume will fade.

A year later, Chelsea’s in Baltimore, launching her dream bakery—and navigating life with a baby she never saw coming. The father? Mystery man from that one unforgettable night. What she really didn’t expect? Him walking through her door, very real, very sexy... and very much still capable of making her forget how to breathe.

Preston hasn’t been able to get her out of his head. Now that he knows the truth, he’s not going anywhere. The question is—can they turn one accidental night into a real shot at forever?

Themes: Contemporary, Surprise Baby

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

I am so happy that we finally got to have the whole story of why sweet and sexy Preston lost his heart—an apparently his mojo—for so long as we watched his friends fall in love in the previous novels in this series. Mari Carr returns to her sexy and strong hockey players in this latest installment of the Stingrays series, and I am happy to say that I was captured from the very beginning of this series to the last word. Mari has a way of pulling us into her worlds and showing us the beauty and passion of not only the men that star in our dreams but also the women that manage to steal their hearts and convince them to give up their playboy lifestyles once and for all. The story begins with a hot night of passion as two people that have both come looking for an escape at a holiday party find themselves drawn together and they are unable to deny the attraction. But when the sun rises the next morning, they walk away and think that is the end of it, never realizing that their paths were always meant to stay forever connected and with cross again months later. Can the chemistry of that night, the gift they created together, and the slim chance at a beautiful future together be enough to convince them both to give up their preconceived notions and go all in on a relationship that will give them everything they’ve ever wanted in life? I am so blessed to have had a chance to read this story, and I am dying for the story coming next because I can already tell that Tank is going to be a serious troublemaker and I am going to LOVE watching him lose his heart and head.

Preston Jacobson has always been the kind of man that only needed one woman in his life, despite being a hockey star always surrounded by woman after his attention, earning him the nickname “Romeo” from his teammates. His interest in women has led him to look for love in the wrong place once or twice, but he continues to believe that the right woman is out there for him—and he just might have found her at a holiday party. Chelsea Murphy is attending the holiday party in Philadelphia with her friend just to show that she is over the heartbreak of being left at the altar, but she never imagined she would meet the sexiest man she’s ever seen. Chelsea and Preston are both drawn to one another and the chemistry and connection is undeniable, leading them to agree to one unforgettable night together. But a year later Preston finds his dream woman, finally, while wandering the streets of his hometown of Baltimore and he is determined to make her his once and for all. Chelsea is beyond surprised to see Preston walk into her new Bakery as if they havent been separated by a year, but nothing prepares her for having to introduce him to the son they created on that long ago night of passion. Now Chelsea and Preston have to navigate this new world of co-parenting and getting to know one another, but Preston wants so much more, possibly more than she can give. Were they really always meant to be together or is their future one of friends and co-parents only? Preston is determined to have his family and will do whatever it takes to get both his son and the love of his life, and nobody understands the work it takes to win like a veteran hockey star.

I was thrilled to get to see this story finally get its full release, both because we’d gotten glimpses of Preston’s sadness during their separation in previous stories, and because I’d read the short story that was its previous iteration, and I wanted so bad to see it fleshed out. Some characters are just made to have a chance to tell their story so that you can fall in love with them and Preston is one of those. He is sweet, strong, loving, brave, and just genuinely a good guy. When he sees something that he wants he goes after it and works hard to earn it, instead of just thinking that it is his by right or force. We get to see him show his love and desire to be a good father and that he is willing to work hard to show Chelsea that he will always be there both for their son and for her. But at the same time, he takes steps to prove to her that he wants her for the love and passion that she will bring to his life, not just because she is the mother of his son. So often with this trope you don’t see that connection, only suspecting that the heroine is only wanted because she birthed the hero’s child, but definitely we see here that is not the case at all. Preston is a great guy, and I look forward to seeing him in future stories as he stays friends with the other Stingrays and I’m betting Chelsea’s bakery becomes a fun gathering spot. Chelsea has had a rough go of it, with her fiancée leaving her at the altar, leaving everyone she knows behind to travel to Paris to escape, finding out she’s pregnant, then losing the other grandparent archetype in her life. But now that she is home, her baby is happy and healthy and she and her bestie are finally opening their dream bakery things are definitely looking up for her, so having Preston come back into her life is truly just the icing on the cake. She might have her doubts, mostly put there by others whispering in her ear, but she is smart, sassy, and loving as she interacts with Preston, their son, and her friends. Its easy to see why it was so easy for Preston to fall in love with her and why she was such a perfect match for “Romeo”, because she is definitely the quintessential princess in need of rescuing, until she realizes she has her own strength and rescues herself. I loved seeing her finally come to trust her instincts and Preston by extension as they found a way to build their family and the love that was sparked by the fire, they started the first moment they met.

Sometimes you come across that one story that really makes you believe in love again… perhaps you’ve lost hope for yourself, or been hurt one time too many, or maybe your own relationship has lost its old spark… but reading that story reminds you that true love can truly begin with one word, one look, or one touch. Rematch was a perfect reminder that love, true love, can take less than a second to spark in your heart, but we have to trust in it, recognize it, and give it the oxygen and fuel it needs to flourish. Preston and Chelsea fed their spark for one night, both agreeing that would be the end of it, though neither of them wanted it to end. One year later, Preston is still pining for the girl of his dreams when he sees her from a distance and he cannot resist going to her, praying that he has a chance to prove to her that they were made to be together—be she has a secret that will change their lives and future forever. Chelsea walked away from their one night with a treasure that she has cherished and loved, a son that she now has to share with Preston despite her fears and all the terrifying scenarios that others are whispering in her ears. But the more time they spend together, with their son and alone, the more Preston and Chelsea realize that their love never truly got a chance to flourish and while they obviously need to be careful, for the sake of their son, there is every chance that they could have a future together. The passion and love between these two is beautiful to watch, as is the sweetness as we watch Preston fall instantly in love with his son (and I’m by no means a baby person so if I’m saying that you can trust me that it was WELL done), but when Chelsea finally admits how much she still wants Preston, that fire is truly unleashed. I am so glad that these two allowed themselves to have the future they deserved so their little family could blossom into a connection even more profound and meaningful than ever anticipated. I am dying for the next in the series (Release) where we will see Tank finally get his heart (and maybe another piece of his anatomy) handed to him because he finds himself chasing the one woman that doesn’t want him. This series is hot enough to melt the entire hockey ring, but who can resist an entire team of sexy players as they fall in love?

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.