✱✱Book Review✱✱ Show 'Em How by Jami Davenport

 

Show ’em How by Jami Davenport is book 2 in the Bang Brothers Hockey series

Meet the Bang Brothers—five hot hockey-playing brothers who are allergic to commitment.
The brothers are about to face off against their newly-retired mother…who suddenly has plenty of time to play matchmaker. Add in their baby sister and some secret dating, a single dad, an accidental pregnancy, a marriage of convenience, and a wrong bed—or two—and these siblings are not going to know what hit them!

JAKOB:
I'm a professional hockey player and a single dad with two rambunctious five-year-olds. My boys have driven away every nanny that's stepped foot in our house--except one--the one I don't want to keep, but they do. Tatted and pierced Gardenia Bliss is everything I dislike in a nanny and woman. She's a mouthy whirlwind, an obsessive recycler, a buyer of organic only food, and a lover of loud music. She's disrupted my household and destroyed my comfortable routine with her spontaneity. I want her gone, but I also want her naked, which is all kinds of messed up.

My plans to send her packing are thwarted by a road trip and no other options available. By the time I return, she's completely entrenched herself in my house, my life, and my dirty thoughts. She has to go, but I haven't found a way to extract the boys from her clutches. They adore her.

Then my meddling, matchmaking mom shows up for the holidays and enlists Gardenia to help her find the perfect woman for me. The two of them are forces of nature I'm powerless to combat. They'll never know the truth--I don't want those other women. I want Gardenia, but I can't have her. She's all wrong for my boys and me, but tell that to my stupid heart.

Bang Brothers Hockey Series Titles:

• 1--6/11/2024– Lace ’em Up by Elise Faber
• 2--6/25/2024–Show ’em How by Jami Davenport
• 3--7/9/2024–Hit ’em Hard by Kat Mizera
• 4--7/23/2024–Lock ’em Down by Gina Azzi
• 5--8/6/2024–Light ’em Up by Kelly Jamieson
• 6--8/20/2024–Hook ’em Hard by Cathryn Fox

https://geni.us/ShowEmHow

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another great couple in the Bang Brothers Hockey series. Jami Davenport brings us Jakob and Gardenia in a nanny romance. The chemistry is so good between them, and they're both easy to like and root for. There's also a set of twins who steal the show quite often.

I love how each book starts with a letter and one momma's determination to see her boys in healthy, happy relationships.  So far, the books have been pretty light-hearted. This one has just a bit of angst for that big aha moment. It's also got lots of tension (the good kind) and plenty of feels (also the good kind).                                                                                    

✱✱Book Review✱✱ Lace Em Up by Elise Faber

 

With a last name like Bang, the jokes were endless.

I’d decided long ago it was easier to pretend to embrace my namesake than try to prove myself to the world.
No one had ever seen through that…
Until I rescued a runaway bride from the side of the road.
Then my mom—my interfering, matchmaking mom—saw the diamond ring, made assumptions I didn’t have the heart to dispel, and, suddenly, Rory and I were pretending to be engaged.
Only…somewhere along the way, it became real.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I could never let her go.

Meet the Bang Brothers—five hot hockey-playing brothers who are allergic to commitment.

The brothers are about to face off against their newly-retired mother…who suddenly has plenty of time to play matchmaker. Add in their baby sister and some secret dating, a single dad, an accidental pregnancy, a marriage of convenience, and a wrong bed—or two—and these siblings are not going to know what hit them!

Lace 'em Up is Book 1 in the Bang Brothers Hockey series

Bang Brothers Hockey Series Titles:

• Book 1: 6/11/2024–Lace ’em Up by Elise Faber
• Book 2: 6/25/2024–Show ’em How by Jami Davenport
• Book 3: 7/9/2024–Hit ’em Hard by Kat Mizera
• Book 4: 7/23/2024–Lock ’em Down by Gina Azzi
• Book 5: 8/6/2024–Light ’em Up by Kelly Jamieson
• Book 6: 8/20/2024–Hook ’em Hard by Cathryn Fox

https://geni.us/LaceEmUp

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lace Em Up came at just the right time for me. It's one of those books that leaves you smiling. Granted, it's not all happy and light. There is the very serious issue of physical abuse - not between King and Rory, but it is part of the story. I'll just leave that right there to avoid spoilers and move along to the good stuff.

King and Rory have great chemistry, and while they do have some stuff to work through, their relationship just feels right. They have a pull between them from the start that neither is able to resist, and the more I got to know each of them, the more I wanted their HEA.

Lace Em Up is part of a multi-author series, and Elise Faber got the ball rolling - or the puck sliding, as the case may be - with the eldest Bang sibling, Kingston, and Rory. Their romance is fast-paced and maybe happens a little faster than I'd expect, given their circumstances, but the whole full-speed-ahead relationship doesn't feel like such a stretch for them.

So, we have a lovable couple, some terrific secondary characters - Mama Bang is a hoot! - and a romance that leaves you smiling. That all adds up to a great weekend read, or if you're like me, an overnight read because I couldn't get enough of King and Rory. 

✱✱Book Review✱✱ Merry Pucking Christmas by Kelly Jamieson

 

Merry Pucking Christmas by Kelly Jamieson is available now!

https://geni.us/MerryPucking

Available on All Platforms

Harley Reid
My holiday plans? Boxed wine, flannel pajamas, and Netflix minus the “chill”. I hadn’t planned on getting off my apathy until after New Years—until I accidentally crash into my ex’s new girlfriend’s car. But it’s the motivation I need to flee to my Aunt Nora’s place in NYC for Christmas.

Colliding with a typically grouchy New Yorker isn’t my best foot forward. But sweet Jesus on a cracker, he’s a lickable, Viking-size hunk of hotness. As we somehow keep running into each other, I begin to believe I can shed the hurt and humiliation and be fearless.


Nils Axelsson
My holiday plans? Spending my hockey team’s break alone. My friend Nora, however, won’t let me escape her vortex of holiday cheer, and I find myself agreeing to take her niece to a Rockettes show.

I was expecting an awkward teenager in braces, but it’s the same woman who plowed into me in the elevator. A knock-me-sideways stunning blonde whose beauty and kindness hits me like a puck to the chest. The more time I spend with her, the more I want as much as I can get before she has to go back home. Unless I can give her a reason to stay.

Momma Says: 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's a friends-to-lovers romance you won't be able to put down for Merry Pucking Christmas. Kelly Jamieson is a must-read author for me, and this book is another reason why. It's fast-paced, and the romance is a great combination of sweet and sexy. I loved the meet-cutes between Nils and Harley - yes, I meant to make that plural.

I rooted for this couple from the start, but I'd have to admit that had they just remained friends, I still would've liked the story. Yeah, I know, but it's totally true. Both characters are lovable, and you can't help but want to see them happy, whether that's as friends or something more. I'm not saying I wouldn't have been disappointed if they hadn't crossed the line to lovers, but romance or friendship, Nils and Harley are the kind of characters you just want good things for. Does that say a lot about Kelly Jamieson's writing, or what? As with pretty much everything I've ever read by her, I was hooked from the start and completely invested in these characters. We also get a secondary romance going on, which is pretty emotional in its own right.

So, we get two romances between some pretty great characters. The story moves at a good pace, and the flow is good. The dialogue feels natural, and it's often witty, which I've come to expect from Kelly Jamieson. Merry Pucking Christmas is part of the Bears Hockey II series, but it is a standalone. There are some characters from earlier books that pop in here and there, so if you're familiar with the series, you'll get to see some past favorites. It's also one of my favorite Christmas romances this year, so I'd definitely recommend it.  

〰〰〰〰

Kelly Jamieson is a USA Today bestselling author of over 40 romance novels and novellas.

Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. She likes black coffee, white wine and high heels…and of course cheering on her Winnipeg Jets during hockey season!

Connect with Kelly

Website: www.kellyjamieson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyJamiesonauthor

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2wkUtxp

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Ikekli

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyJamieson

Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorkellyjamieson

✱✱Book Review✱✱ RELEASE BLITZ: Shut Out & Cross Check by Kelly Jamieson

 

You won't want to miss out on the sizzling chemistry and thrilling on-ice action in these must-read books.

Cross Check: https://geni.us/CrossCheck

Shut Out: https://geni.us/ShutOut

Available on All Platforms

Jacob

The Bayard College hockey team isn’t where I thought I’d be a season ago. I was a rising star in the Canadian major junior league, cruising toward a spot on an NHL roster—until a single disastrous night on the town brought it all crashing down. Now I’m out of options, except for playing well, studying hard, and staying away from girls. I shouldn’t be flirting with the hottest, sweetest chick I’ve ever met. But maybe she can actually help me out…

Skylar

I know Jacob is out of my league. I’m just trying to go with the flow, which isn’t easy when six feet and four inches of total hockey hotness is making a play for me one moment, then giving me the cold shoulder the next. Then he suggests a ridiculous plan that could help both of us. My head tells me this rugged athlete isn’t worth my time, but my body says something altogether different. Risking my heart for Jacob may be the craziest thing I’ve ever done . . . but I won’t let him shut me out.

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Somewhere, I saw this book labeled as new adult romance, but to me, it felt more like a coming-of-age romance, especially given the characters' ages. That said, they've both had to grow up and face reality. Jacob and Skylar are on opposite ends of an issue, and I liked how the author handled things between them. There are some serious topics touched on here: rape, consent, shaming, and even false accusations. These topics take up a good deal of the book, as well they should, and they are as prevalent today as they were when this book released in its original version. Serious subject matter isn't the whole book - this is Kelly Jamieson, so we get plenty of chemistry and steamy goodness between Skylar and Jacob. We also get some hockey, and I'll just tell you, I knew next to nothing about hockey when I started reading Kelly Jamieson, but it's become a sport I enjoy watching. I love that Kelly includes a bit of gameplay in her sports romances, so the romance isn't just about a character who happens to play hockey. It's about a hockey player who puts his heart into the game. So, Shut Out is made up of several topics and tropes, and they all come together very well. 

✸✸✸✸✸

Ella

I have three goals this semester: get off academic probation, fix my relationship with my BFF Skylar, and take some responsibility for my life. All of which are hard enough without hot, snobby hockey player Ben Buckingham around to distract me. I can’t stand Ben, and I know the feeling is mutual. But he’s best friends with Skylar’s boyfriend, so he’s always around—taunting and tempting me in ways that really rile me up.

Ben

As the star forward of the Bayard College hockey team, I have goals too, like playing well enough to land a spot on an NHL roster. I’m perfectly in control on the ice, so why can’t I keep my cool around Ella? Her wild behavior rubs me in all the wrong ways—and a few of the right ones. But as we skate around each other, I learn there’s more to Ella than her bad reputation. And when the line between love and hate starts to blur, I can’t resist crossing over and sweeping her off her feet.

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cross Check is book 2 in Kelly Jamieson's Bayard Hockey series. It faces some of the same topics as the first book, and they're handled with just as much care and respect. Ella and Ben are the focus of the romance, and these two are just totally perfect for each other. I'm sure you can figure out from the blurb as well as my few comments, this one definitely has its serious moments. It also has its tender moments between Ben and Ella. Of course, this is a Kelly Jamieson novel, so it's gonna have some steamy goodness as well. This pair has terrific chemistry, and I really liked the way their romance progressed. This is a standalone in the Bayard Hockey series, but I would suggest reading both books in order because there is some crossover. I always enjoy more time with past characters from a series, so seeing them again in this second book was perfect. As always with Kelly Jamieson, the book is well-written, the characters are likable and interesting, and the hockey is tense and exciting. 

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