Book Review: "Two Left Feet" by Kallie Emblidge

As many of you know, I’m a sucker for a sports romance. I’ve totally broadened my horizons, though—this is my first soccer (football) romance in a long while. And my heart grew a bit bigger from this one, that’s for sure!

Oliver Harris is a star in the Premier League for the Camden Roses. He’s a local boy, born and raised in Camden, so the fans treat him like royalty, despite the team’s mediocrity. But with the arrival of a new head coach from the Netherlands and rumors the team’s owner is getting frustrated, things have been a bit tense.

After an injury sidelines Oliver for a few months, the coach gives him a new assignment. The team is calling up a young recruit to sub for Oliver and hopefully play alongside him once he’s back on the pitch. Would Oliver mentor the player and ensure he fits in?

At first, he is angry and worried about this request. Why should he train someone to replace him? But when he is assured that isn’t the case, he reluctantly agrees to help the young player, Leonardo Davies-Villanueva, who has dreamed of playing for Camden since he played for their youth academy.

Oliver is jealous of Leo’s talent and confidence, and at first he can barely stand him. But he begins to realize that the coach’s idea of working with Leo isn’t a bad thing, as their playing styles complement each other. And the easy camaraderie they build leads to attraction—and a direction they’re not sure they want to move in. Will they have to choose between their sport and their happiness?

There were so many moments that left me emotional—not only the romantic ones between Oliver and Leo, but also confronting their fears about not being able to achieve their dreams. And there are some family issues that touched me too. I found the other teammates to be a hoot and also enjoyed the actual soccer games. I hope to see more sports romances coming from Kallie Emblidge!

Book Review: "Dangerous Play" by Elise Hart Kipness

I read and loved Lights Out, the first book in Elise Hart Kipness’ Kate Green series, about a year ago. I have no idea why it took me so long to pick up the second book, but after devouring it, I can definitely say that it won’t be long before I pick up the third one!

Sports reporter Kate Green is back on the job after the resolution of a murder case that put her in danger. She has the plum assignment of covering the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team as they battle for Olympic glory. It’s an exciting opportunity, even more so for Kate, a former Olympian soccer player. And given her past relationship with Savannah Baker, the head coach, she’s hoping for some good scoop.

The last thing she’s expecting is a murder to occur in the bowels of Yankee Stadium, where the games are being played.

The victim is Alexa Kane, a famous jewelry designer. Years ago, Kate and Alexa were best friends, playing on the U.S. Youth National Team with Savannah. Things ended quite abruptly, leaving Kate feeling guilty. But even with their shared past, there’s no reason that Alexa should’ve been behind the scenes at the game.

Kate feels a personal obligation to figure out who killed Alexa, and why. Doing so reawakens old memories. At the same time, she’s embroiled in a power struggle at the network, and she’s still digging into an old case involving her father, an NYPD detective. What is she in danger from?

I really am loving this series. Kate is a terrific character—tough yet vulnerable at times—and I can’t wait to see more of her interactions with her father as she digs more into his case. Like I said, I’ll be picking up the next book soon!!

Book Review: "Spectacular Things" by Beck Dorey-Stein

I loved this! It was my last book of August and one of my favorites of the month. I love stories about family dynamics, but this was more than that.

“She is coming to understand that love and loss live on the same coin. It’s never heads or tails but joy and agony, grief and delight, spinning in the air, waiting on time and luck to determine not when this chapter ends but how the next one begins.”

Mia and Cricket are sisters, raised by a single mother whose dreams of greatness on the soccer field were derailed just as they were getting started. Mia played soccer until it became clear that Cricket was destined for greatness. So Mia became the responsible one, making sure Cricket got to and from practices and games, and that all the bills were paid.

When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that if Cricket is to realize her true potential and one day play for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Mia will have to make sacrifices. But at what point does sacrifice and support breed resentment?

As Cricket pursues her dreams, she deals with the pros and cons of her single-mindedness, and the loneliness that often occurs when seeking greatness. Can she live up to her potential without ruining her relationships with Mia and others?

I’ve been a fan of Beck Dorey-Stein since her debut memoir, From the Corner of the Oval. I honestly knew very little about women’s soccer (save the superstars), so I found the story very interesting. But where the book sparkled the most was in its depiction of the complicated relationships of the sisters and their mother’s legacy.

Book Review: "Fun for the Whole Family" by Jennifer E. Smith

TFW you loved a book so much that you had to write a review immediately after you finished. Thanks so much to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book!!

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy and Jude—were an inseparable unit growing up. Their mother, an actress dreaming of her big break, left their family but would return for a few weeks every summer to take the four of them on a road trip. The destinations were never exciting but the trips were always memorable—until the events of one trip changed everything.

Now, as adults, it’s been three years since the siblings have seen one another and have barely communicated. But they get a text message out of the blue from Jude—now an Oscar-nominated actress—asking them to meet her in a small town in North Dakota in a few days.

Jude has called her siblings together because she has three secrets to share with them. Each has the potential to upend everything.

At the same time, each sibling is at a crossroads. Gemma, the oldest, who served as a surrogate mother for the others, wonders if she is pregnant—and if she wants to be. Connor, whose last book fictionalized their childhoods and angered his siblings, is divorced and has writer’s block. Roddy, a professional soccer player ready to retire, has the chance for one more season, but hasn’t discussed it with his future husband.

I love family drama, and this book was just so emotionally rich and compelling. The narration shifts between past and present and among the siblings, and the whole story was just so beautiful.

The book will publish 4/15/2025.

Book Review: "Only When It's Us" by Chloe Liese

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

A few months ago I fell completely in love with Everything for You, technically the 5th book in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series. I’ve been meaning to get back to the start of the series, and now that I’ve read the first book, I’m utterly hooked.

Willa is an amazing soccer player who hopes to turn pro after college. She’s fiercely competitive and has a tremendously short fuse; she’s definitely the type to get angry first and ask questions later.

Ryder is handsome, brooding, and dresses in flannel every day like a lumberjack. He’s not sure what he did to become the target of Willa’s wrath, but they start to enjoy needling each other in class. And then Willa makes a startling discovery: she thinks Ryder is just an egotistical idiot who’s ignoring her, but he’s actually deaf.

Thrown together by their professor, their connection is immediate and intense. But both are hiding secrets, vulnerabilities, and fears, and every time they get close to giving into their feelings, something happens. Can they trust another enough to let their guards down? Can they both give each other what they need and want, or will fear and stubbornness keep them away?

What I love about Chloe Liese is that her books combine humor, chemistry, banter, serious steam, and also serious emotion. All of the supporting characters—from Ryder’s family to his and Willa’s friends, even the manipulative professor who threw them together—are fantastic, too. I just got hooked on this world and can’t wait to go back!!

Book Review: "Everything for You" by Chloe Liese

It’s like this book was written for me, I loved it so much.

Chloe Liese, I don’t know what took me so long to read one of your books, but now you’ve hooked me. I need to go back and read about all of the Bergmans!!

Oliver Bergman is the youngest of five brothers and the sixth of seven children, so he’s tried to excel at everything he does. An excellent soccer player, he left college to turn pro and join the LA Galaxy.

When he first joins the team, he’s beyond excited to be playing with Gavin Hayes, a soccer legend who was Oliver’s teenage obsession. He also admired that Gavin is openly gay, which gave him the courage to be open in his own life. But for the last two years, Gavin has rebuffed him at every turn, treating him with outright disdain.

When their coach makes them both co-captains, Oliver hopes it will be the start of a friendship. But Gavin isn’t willing to budge, no matter what Oliver tries—kindness, pranks, outright hostility. So their coach gives them an ultimatum: get along or lose their co-captaincy.

The two vow to be civil to one another, but the more they work together, the more they are forced to acknowledge their intense feelings for one another. Gavin, in particular, knows his career is nearing the end, and he worries if he gives into his feelings for Oliver, will he resent all that Oliver has left in his career? Or worse, will Oliver leave him behind?

This book had it all—enemies to lovers, family dynamics, emotional and physical challenges, and steamy sex. I was hooked completely—I’m a sucker for a sports romance!

Book Review: "Furia" by Yamile Saied Méndez

Yamile Saied Méndez’s new YA novel, Furia, is a powerful, poignant story about standing up for yourself and going for your dreams, no matter what others say.

Camila dreams of being a fútbol star but she lives in the shadow of her less-talented brother, who plays for a local team. When she plays, her teammates call her La Furia (The Fury), as she weaves her way back and forth across the field, scoring goals and bewildering their opponents.

When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, she hopes that this may be the chance to realize her dreams. But she knows her abusive father and her overprotective mother will never let a girl play fútbol.

Meanwhile, the boy she has always been in love with, Diego, has returned to town. He’s now an international fútbol star, which causes Camila’s father a great deal of jealousy and anger, since he wants those dreams for his son rather than Diego. Diego wants another chance with Camila, and wants to take her out of this abusive life so she can accompany him around the world.

But as much as she may love Diego, is that the life she wants? Or does she want the chance to see La Furia go as far as she can, maybe realize her dreams? Whatever path she chooses will require revealing her secrets, and she’ll need the courage and strength to fight for herself and prove that girls deserve every right that boys do.

This is a moving story, and I loved Camila’s character so much. You get to watch her come into her own and deal with the obstacles thrown in her way by her family and friends. She's a tremendously positive role model for young women.

There is some physical and verbal abuse in here, and the story also takes place against a backdrop of young girls getting abducted and murdered in Argentina, but ultimately the book isn’t a downer.

If you like strong female characters, check out Furia!