She’s here to expose hockey’s biggest flaws. He’s the complication she never planned on. Neither one is prepared for the sparks that fly every time they collide.
Juno Paxton has built her award-winning documentary career dismantling institutions people blindly worship. Her latest assignment is her most high-profile yet: immerse herself in the league’s newest hockey expansion team—the Portland Wildfire—for an entire season and create a behind-the-scenes film the league can parade around as “authentic.”
Juno doesn’t buy it. Not the hype, not the hero worship, and definitely not the polished personas of pro athletes. She expects egos, theatrics, and plenty of manufactured grit.
What she doesn’t expect is Crosby Hale.
The Wildfire’s starting goalie is stoic, meticulously focused, and infuriatingly camera-shy. He wants nothing to do with her film, her questions, or her insistence that he “show some personality.” Unfortunately for him, the league wants Juno’s documentary to center on the enigmatic goaltender who refuses to cooperate.
But the more time Juno spends with Crosby, the more she glimpses the steady, thoughtful man beneath his guarded exterior. He isn’t the stereotype she’s built her name exposing—he’s better. The more she learns about him, the harder it becomes to keep her documentary, and her heart, objective. And for Crosby, letting Juno in feels less like a mistake and more like the beginning of something worth fighting for.
Warm, witty, and unexpectedly emotional, CROSBY launches the Portland Wildfire series with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance between a skeptical filmmaker and the goalie determined to stay out of her spotlight… until she becomes the one thing he can’t turn away from.
BRIELLE Dancing has been my life, my way of expressing myself, for most of my life. It’s opened doors for me and helped me through the day. It’s also broken my heart and made me feel desperate in a way only true passion can. Which is why I’m trying to convince myself that moving to Las Vegas to dance isn’t failure, just a new beginning.
While I might not be performing under the bright lights of New York City anymore, I can still entertain. Even if I’m now working at Elysium, a casino with a reputation that reaches far beyond the neon glow of the Strip. For me, the dancing is what matters; I don’t care that Elysium is run by the Steel Sinners Motorcycle Club.
I never expected to see a face from my past. Everton, now called Cowboy by his leather-wearing club brothers, was the first boy I ever loved. He’s all man now with a daughter who has been hardened over the years. The moment I see him again, one thing is clear—I never got my heart back from him and maybe second chances are possible.
EVERTON “COWBOY” Life has a funny way of giving you what you never expected at the strangest times. That’s the only thing I can think, when I see Brielle again. We grew up together in Seneca Falls and there was a time in my life when all I could see was a future with her. But we were too young and our paths ended up going in different directions.
Hers led her to the stage, because dancing was always what fueled her soul. Even though ranching is in my blood, taking over my family’s land was never in the cards for me. I wanted something different, and I found it with the Steel Sinners MC. I’ve found a family that is forged in fire, chrome, and leather.
I’m not the same man I was the last time I saw Brielle. Now I crave wind in my hair and the happiness of my daughter. But the moment I see my past in front of me, I know that life isn’t done with us yet. I never thought I’d want a second chance, but now all I can picture is a future with my dancer and the laughter of a family I’ll always put first.
❤️Review Brielle left her hometown almost two decades earlier to pursue her love of dance in NY where she enjoyed a modest career. She has recently moved to Las Vegas to extend her career with the dreams of opening a dance studio however she never imagined that it would include reuniting with her first and only love Everton.
Everton fell in love with Brielle when they were teenagers however their plans for the future were leading them in separate directions. His life is now centered around his daughter Rian and the Steel Sinners MC. He never expected to see Brielle again but when fate brings them together he knows that it is finally their time.
The love that Brielle and Everton shared was strong enough for them to let each other go so that they could follow their dreams. When they reunite the chemistry and connection between them is stronger than ever and they know how special what they share is and aren’t about to repeat the mistakes of the past.
The crowd shouts as I smile, hugging my girl close. I twirl her around the stage, feeding their cheers while planting a show-stopping kiss on her sinfully red lips. Our fans scream at our love, both excited and envious of what we have. But little do they know that, in spite of the goddess wrapped in my arms, my eyes look past her and gaze into those of another. My loverboy.
I came to Huckleberry Springs to regroup—not to flash a cowboy while rescuing some strays from a ditch.
Haven Hennessy is everything I don’t want anyway: A man who puts himself first. A man who’d rather have fun than face commitment. A man who can charm a girl right out of a good decision. So he can kiss my red lace panties goodbye the moment I figure out how to ditch this town.
Yet he takes in the puppy and three kittens I rescue from the side of the road. He’s loyal to his brothers and his company. And he makes it his mission to give me new experiences, like fly-fishing, horseback rides, and getting naked in a tack room.
My stay in this small Montana town is only supposed to be temporary until I can launch a new career. Am I as wrong about that as I am about Haven? Because he makes me feel something no one else ever has: wanted.
But the more I get to know Haven, the more I realize I was right all along. Haven doesn’t let people in. Not fully. Not when he’s spent his whole life being left behind. So when my dream opportunity finally manifests, I have to leave before I break all my rules and my own heart in the process. I don’t dare fall for his whiskey charm.
Lee Orrico is stuck. The family he depended on to care for his daughter since he lost his wife is moving on and moving out. Having his best friend Stella become his live-in nanny while he works as the team chiropractor for the Brooklyn Bats seems like the right idea. Until the combination of close quarters and cozy nights ignites an attraction that Lee never saw coming.
After years on the road in a job she never liked and a messy breakup, Stella Parker is ready to come back to Brooklyn to make it a real home for herself, not just a pit stop. Moving in with Lee to help care for his adorable daughter is the perfect temporary solution…except it means moving in with the man she’s always been secretly in love with.
Her once-forbidden love for her best friend was always just a one-sided fantasy, but the lingering touches, long looks, and almost kisses make her start to wonder if this love isn’t so unrequited anymore.
The passion between Lee and Stella is undeniable. But Lee isn’t sure he can love again – he barely survived the loss of it the first time.
Still, the heart he didn’t think would beat for anyone else… wants Stella.
And Stella has always wanted Lee. The question is, does Lee really love her back?
Or is she just a pinch hitter for the real love of his life?
BLURB: Neutral Zone is a friends-to-lovers romance featuring an unconventional hockey hero and his live-life-to-the-fullest best friend who have to get honest with each other when life gets real.
I’ve fallen in love with my best friend. I know, I know. That’s a terrible idea, but it’s going to be fine because we have a plan. A best friends with benefits plan.
We’ll keep spending our days and nights together. We’ll keep cheering each other on and making each other laugh. We’ll keep staying up all night in my room, watching true crime documentaries the way besties do.
But now it’s going to get steamy. Very steamy.
In order to keep our friendship intact, boundaries have been set, and as long as we don’t cross the line, everything will be fine. Seriously. Trust me. It’s a great plan, and it’s all going to work out, and there’s zero chance that everything will go up in flames.
Although I do have a history of accidentally lighting things on fire…but really, that was just a couch. And a house. This is different. I swear.
Neutral Zone is the fourth and final book in Season Two of the Bainbridge U Hockey series, and it can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you’re a sucker for a hot mess hero with a heart of gold and a feisty heroine who isn’t afraid to fight for the man she loves, then get ready for Mickey and Viv!
Cormac Kelly was my first best friend…and he broke my heart before I even knew it was his to break.
Every summer of my childhood belonged to Sugar Brush, Wyoming and the boy with pale blue eyes who knew all my secrets. We spent those long, golden days running wild across his family’s ranch, covered in dirt and convinced nothing would ever change.
But things do change. And somewhere along the way, my first best friend became a stranger.
Then the night before my wedding, I accidentally overheard what Cormac really thought of me, pushing me into making the worst decision of my life.
Three years later, I’m divorced and back in Sugar Brush for the summer, working as an outdoor adventure guide and hoping this will be the fresh start I need.
But Cormac still lives on the ranch. And he’s impossible to avoid.
He’s there when I need help. When I need a steady hand. And the gentle way he looks at me now doesn’t match the cruel words I heard him say that night.
The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to remember why we ever walked away from each other.
When one unexpected kiss sparks a passion neither of us saw coming, I start to question everything I thought I knew.
Did I misunderstand the night that changed everything?
Did we let the best thing in our lives slip away?
And more importantly…how can I let myself fall for Cormac when we both know this summer is all the time we have?
Their secret fake relationship began with a little white lie…
Nora
My ginger beer brewery is, quite literally, my life. Unfortunately, I’m about to lose it. My male business partner’s new fiancée is insanely jealous, and it’s only a matter of time before she forces him to quit.
So I ask him what it’ll take for her to back down.
A boyfriend.
I make one up, telling her it’s too early to introduce him, which works up until she walks in on a heated private conversation between me and Cormac, my soon-to-be stepbrother.
She comes to a wild conclusion: the reason I’ve been keeping my boyfriend secret is because it’s him.
I should definitely set her straight. Cormac is the last person I’d ever date, and not just because our parents are about to get married. I’ve known him since high school, and he’s awkward, introverted, and has the people skills of a houseplant.
But I’m desperate enough to tell the worst lie ever.
Cormac
Nora begs me to be her secret fake boyfriend–an act that only has to work on two people.
Any sane man would refuse, but I’ve promised my father to make peace with her. So I present her with an offer: dog sit my corgi for a weekend, and I’ll be the fake boyfriend of your dreams.
She accepts quickly, because she’s never met my dog.
There’s only one problem: I had a huge crush on Nora in high school, and the more time we spend together, the more I realize it never went away.
**A standalone romcom in the Babes of Brewing series**
Note: There are TWO different versions of this romcom:
A spicy open door version with some strong language and sex scenes
A closed door version with mild language and only kissing.
I’ve spent my life proving to my grandpa and dad that I’m more than just the Lewis family mistake. So when Grandpa sends me to Devon Falls, VT to take some ridiculous leaf festival to court, I head straight there and get to work.
But Dr. Jack Lancer keeps getting in my way.
He’s everywhere. Helping me out with my migraines, making me dinner, insisting people be nice to me even though I’m the enemy. Who is this guy? The next thing I know I’m pretending to be Jack’s boyfriend to get him out of a bind. I swear he’s putting kindness pills in my food or something.
Jack thinks he can fix me the same way he fixes everyone else. But I’m not broken. This podunk town will be when I’m done with it, though. And Jack? Well, he’s about to learn the meaning of the term “collateral damage.” Because I’ll do anything to win this case and end this festival.
Even if it means losing something that feels an awful lot like love.
Jerica MacMillan has released the cover for her new book The Winger and the Wife! Coming May 7, 2026
Professional hockey player Jason Chalmers lost his childhood best friend in high school. When his friend’s little sister—who he hasn’t seen in years—delivers his food while he’s home visiting his parents, he’s surprised and happy to see her.
When her car breaks down in the driveway, he knows he finally has his chance to fulfill his promise to his friend to look out for her.
When he finds out she’s struggling to pay her bills and needs health insurance?
A jazz festival. A missing past. A demon in 7/4 time.
When high school senior Joe Jameson lands a spot in the elite Missouri State Jazz Band, he thinks it’s his big break-a chance to perform at a luxury resort alongside the state’s top young musicians.
Then a goat-headed demon shows up.
Calling itself the Accuser, the creature taunts Joe with cryptic clues about his missing parents. At the resort, things get worse: some of the musicians are secretly in league with the demon…and Joe’s stuck rooming with one of them.
Between rehearsals, unraveling a deadly occult conspiracy, and trying not to fall for the lead alto saxophonist (whose ex wants him dead), Joe has to piece together the truth before the Accuser regains its full power-and devours every soul on Earth.
The one woman, my instinct is telling me to stay away from. The one woman I should never have… no matter how badly I want her.
She’s untouchable. She’s forbidden. She’s my new boss’s daughter.
And I definitely shouldn’t cross that line. One wild night, and everything changes. I could blame the long hours, the shitty pay, and the whiskey burning down my throat. I could pretend it was a mistake.
That would all be a lie.
Because the moment we’re between the sheets, I have her in my arms, and she’s whispering my name in the dark. There’s no going back.
I don’t care what lines I have to cross, who I have to fight, or what it costs me— I’m not letting her go.
📕 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞
✔️ Boss’s Daughter ✔️ Workplace Romance ✔️ She’s off-limits ✔️ Blue Collar Hero ✔️ Small town romance ✔️ One Reckless night
❤️Review When Willow begins working for the company her father recently invested in she meets Jace and the connection she feels for him is unexpected. When they arrange to have dinner together she confides in him the family dynamics that she is facing which only brings them closer.
From the moment that Jace met Willow he knows that she was the one and didn’t care if his job became collateral damage. When he finds out what she is going through all he wants to do is protect and be there for her and show her the wonderful life they could have together.
Willow has had to be strong as she had no other choice, but when Jace comes into her life she realizes that she doesn’t have to face everything on her own and the chemistry and feelings between them are intense and never in doubt.
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Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 