On the Rocks: an age gap, small town romance

On the Rocks is the first book in the Becker Brothers series by Kandi Steiner. Noah Becker has a reputation as being nothing but trouble. Ruby Grace Barnett was warned by her mother to stay away from Noah. In their small town, the brothers went wild after their father tragically died. She is reminded of the fact that he is nothing but trouble as she walks into Scooter Whiskey Distillery to buy a wedding present for her fiancé and he is there. Yes, he is trouble. Dirty, sweaty, rude trouble. And no matter how hard she tries, Ruby Grace just cannot escape Noah. He infuriates her and yet he sees what no one else else does: the real her. The person she isn’t allowed to be, the dreams and desires she wishes to accomplish before settling down. But she is the mayor’s daughter, raised to be a politician’s wife and fulfill the family legacy. What does she do with the man who makes her question everything in front of her? 

On the Rocks is an age gap, the wrong side of the tracks romance. I am usually wary about age gap romances, which aren’t usually my cup of tea. However, this age gap is about nine years which is a difference but not as big as some age gap romances I’ve read. That being said, I did not like this story. I did not care for Ruby Grace. She is way too young to be married. I don’t care if it is “family legacy” or “family expectations,” she’s too young. She is not even “mature for her age” young. Noah is supposed to be the bad boy all women secretly want; however, he has a big chip on his shoulder about the past, the elites of their small town and known to sleep around town. Overall, I was bored. I did not like any of the main characters or their supporting characters. I did not like this story and I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend On the Rocks. 

On the Rocks is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Wrong Game: sports romance with fun banter and angsty drama

The Wrong Game by Kandi Steiner is a sports romance with angst and spicy romance. Gemma Manchini is a diehard football fan. She bought season tickets to the Chicago Bears as a gift for her late husband. Reeling from his death and a secret she keeps heavily guarded, Gemma has zero interest in a relationship; however, in order to get her back into the dating scene, her best friend, Belle, comes up with a plan: take a new hot, preferably funny, single guy every week to the games. However, Bartender Zach Bowen offers to be a practice round for Gemma and she agrees. Gemma finds him infuriating, overbearing but undeniably gorgeous. She is still determined to keep her heart out of their arrangement. One night. One game. And he’s done. However, Zach wasn’t ready to step aside and decided to play a new game in order to show her he was worth taking a chance on. Will her plan play out? Will Zach win this game and her heart? 

I have been waiting to read this book ever since I saw an ad on Facebook and the premise intrigued me. When the chance came to read it, I dove right into it. I loved the football aspect from a fan’s perspective rather than a player. From the very beginning, Gemma is a woman who has been deeply hurt and yet has to play the grieving widow for the sake of her late husband’s family. From the opening chapter to the ending page, Gemma goes through an amazing growth and my heart broke for her when she finally hit rock bottom and shattered. However, my favorite character, by far, was Zach. He was a man who has a heart for Gemma and will do all he can to prove himself to her. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was worth the wait. I read it through the night as I could not put it down. If you enjoy sports romance with some spice, I highly recommend The Wrong Game. 

The Wrong Game is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

A Love Letter to Whiskey: a not so typical love story

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner is not your typical love story. Jamie Shaw and Brecks “B” Kennedy have been caught in a long string of almosts and they wonder if they will ever have the chance to have their happily ever after. Their connection has been difficult to understand. Sometimes too deep for just friends and yet too complicated for love. From their first meeting in high school, to college and beyond, Jamie and B had a decade of moments, choices and missed opportunities, they kept finding a way back to each other. The road to be together always seems to be blocked by relationships, careers and jobs but something still brings them together. Drawn together like a moth to a flame or an alcoholic to his next drink. Will they ever find a way to be together the way they are seemingly drawn to be? Is love not just finding the right person but finding the right moment as well? 

I have seen this book all over social media and everything I heard was to be ready to cry. Not just cry but ugly cry. So I dove right in and the story started off great. However, by the end of the story, I didn’t cry once. Where was the emotion? I expected to be “emotionally wrecked,” and yet I was bored, annoyed and frustrated. B was immature, never really deals with or confronts the family secret she learns as a teen. Yes, it was a devastating and shocking secret and would require a lot of energy to deal with. She just never tries. Jamie was a decent character and I enjoyed his character. I did enjoy the moments of deep friendship between B and Jamie; but their love story was odd and dragged on a bit too long. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. It was not the emotional story I was expecting. I do not recommend A Love Letter to Whiskey. 

A Love Letter to Whiskey is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

also available in Prime Reading for free for Prime members