What I read

I discovered a new favourite author and I read almost a book a day…

I’ve upped my goal to 200 now.

Quick stats:
29 books read
167 out of 200 so far
17 ahead of schedule
2 BABALs*
1 Val McDermid
9 new authors
5 library books

September’s five star reads:

Him (Him #1) – Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
I think I’ve found my new favourite authors alongside Tal Bauen. This was so much fun. Jamie and Wes were best friends, even though they only ever saw each other for six weeks of hockey camp each summer. But then, after a stupid bet, Wes walked away from the friendship. They meet three years later when their college teams make the same championship and end up coaching back at the same hockey camp from their youth. Turns out Jamie was never mad about the bet, he was just mad that Wes abandoned him. They’ve got three years to make up for now, but then it has to be over as they’re off to different NHL teams.
Tear rating: 2/5 tears. Tropes: Friends to lovers

Us (Him #2) – Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
I had just been complaining that you never see the same couple getting more than one book in a romance series and then I got proved wrong. I’m eternally glad. Jamie took up coaching instead of the NHL which means he and Wes can build a life together. Happy ever after, right? Only… Wes is on the road, a lot. Jamie’s job isn’t going great. And they’re keeping their relationship a secret while Wes is a first year rookie. And then Jamie gets sick and Wes accidentally blows their cover and stirs up a media storm.
I think I cried for about 30% of this book. While there was no actual break up it wasn’t looking good for them for a while. Obviously there was a HEA but by god they didn’t make it easy.
Tear rating: 5/5 tears. Tropes: Secret relationship

Epic (Him #2.5) – Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
My only complaint is that this was 7 chapters and not a whole book. But it was so fun and I was laughing throughout. I loved getting to see that Jamie & Wes really did get their HEA after things tied up in book 2.
Tear rating: 0/5 tears (unless you count crying with laughter). Tropes: Fluff & hockey players being hockey players

Top Secret – Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
When Keaton (so rich he’s Keaton Hayworth III) starts chatting (and by chatting I mean flirting) with Sinnerthree on an app the last thing he expects is that it’s Luke Bailey, the frat brother he gets on with the least. Likewise, Luke doesn’t for one minute imagine that LobsterShorts is his annoying, spoiled neighbour at the Alpha Delta house. Luke is dealing with a whole lot of crappy family stuff and can barely afford the smallest room in the frat house. He also really doesn’t like Keaton. But he likes LobsterShorts, a lot. They start to navigate a sort of tentative friendship despite Luke finding it hard to let anyone in, and it’s just starting to go well when his family almost ruin it for him.
Tear rating: 1.5/5 tears. Tropes: Opposites attract/enemies to lovers

The New Guy (Hockey Guys #1) – Sarina Bowen
I don’t usually go for single parent romances because they so often come with an over-precociously annoying child. And also, children and new romances don’t always mix well for me. But this was great. Hudson and Gavin meet at a bar but then realise they are both part of the same hockey team (as player and athletic trainer) so it’s a no-go. Only it’s harder to keep apart than they think.
Tear rating: 1.5/5. Tropes: Secret/forbidden romance

The Year We Fell Down (Ivy Years #1) – Sarina Bowen
This is hockey-adjacent rather than an actual hockey story. But that’s OK because it was brilliant. Hartley’s on the hockey team’s injured list with a broken leg and his accessible dorm neighbour Corey was a hockey player until a bad tackle left her legs paralysed. They bond over playing a hockey video game and become best of friends. Anything more is complicated by the fact Harley already has a girlfriend.
Tear rating: 2/5. Tropes: Friends to lovers, hurt/comfort

Ruby in the Ruins – Shirley Hughes
WWII has ended and all the dads are coming home. This beautifully illustrated book shows how Ruby struggles to adjust with a dad she barely remembers suddenly back in her life.
Tear rating: 1.5/5

September’s four star reads:

Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2) – Jasper Fforde
Thursday’s life just doesn’t get any easier. The world is due to end soon. Her husband has been deleted from the world and everyone’s memories but her own. Miss Havisham (yes, she of the tattered wedding dress) is a harsh tutor in the art of book-jumping. People keep trying to kill her. Oh and Pickwick (her Dodo) is trying to hatch an egg.

International Relations – Zac Hammett
This was silly but heartfelt at the same time. A fake marriage of convenience between Max (it’ll look good for him applying for an important diplomatic post abroad) and Hunter (whose UK Visa is about to expire) slowly turns real. Only the authorities are suspicious after they’ve caught feelings and want it to be real.

Between the Pipes (Offsides #3) – JJ Mulder
I’m glad I stuck with the series as this was the best so far. Goalie Lawson is out injured so he decides to spend his time helping coach a college hockey team. Nico, the head coach is a grumpy so and so, but Lawson just can’t help wanting to get under his skin. I loved how Nico’s visual impairment was worked into the story and all the ways it impacted on his life. Lots of sweet hurt/comfort in this one even if Nico struggled to accept it at first.

From Coast to Coast (Offsides #4) – JJ Mulder
Not quite as good as Between the Pipes but still good. Remy joins a new hockey team and makes friends with fellow player Grayson. He also makes a match on a dating app and spends a while chatting and flirting with someone who he thinks is a strange. Then he discovers it’s his friend and now flatmate Grayson… Things are further complicated by Grayson finally getting his long-awaited trade to another team. I did like this but both characters spent a bit too long assuming the other one wasn’t serious about the relationship when they could have just used their words!

Enemies of the State (Executive Office #1) – Tal Bauer
Head of the presidential security team Ethan falls for widowed president Jack Spiers, which is obviously a recipe for disaster, even when the feelings end up being reciprocated. Then everything gets turned upside down when the president is ambushed on a trip to Ethiopia and Ethan is captured. What’s worse that it was an inside job and suddenly nobody knows who to trust. This was an absolute rollercoaster of a book. Disbelief had to be suspended, definitely, as it’s far more Mission Impossible than The West Wing. A thrilling story, though, and another heady romance. I cried a lot. (4.5/5 tears.)

Interlude: First Noel (Executive Office #1.5) – Tal Bauer
I thought this was going to be mostly Christmas fluff (and there is some of that). There is also the story of Ethan’s investigation into counterfeit money and the murders of three women in Iowa where he’s been sent in disgrace after breaking ALL the Secret Service rules.

Enemies of my Enemy (Executive Office #2) – Tal Bauer
This wasn’t as strong a book as the first as the relationship was already established, but I enjoyed seeing more of Faisal & Adam and seeing more of the Russian president too. This was even more of a rollercoaster as the president is attacked not once but TWICE (his staff need to be sacked, seriously!). Lots of high-octane action, more tears, and a cliff-hanger ending leading into book three.

Thrown for a Loop (New York Legends #1) – Sarina Bowen
Zoe and Chase fell in love as young adults coaching at a skating camp. Ten years later and Zoe is the new skating coach for Chase’s hockey team. Sparks fly. This was really cute. Initially it’s told with Zoe’s present day POV and Chase’s past POV alternating, until we finally get to understand how it all went wrong ten years before.

Big Stick Energy (New York Legends #2) – Sarina Bowen
Darcy, Zoe’s best friend is the team’s admin. An accidentally sent to the wrong person DM brings her to the attention of her hockey crush Eric. She’s probably not supposed to date a player, but they’ve both got to go to the same wedding, and they might as well go together and act as a buffer for each other’s awkward families. What could go wrong?

Good Boy (Wags #1) – Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
This follows on from Him & Us but is about Jamie’s sister Jess and Wes’s teammate Blake. We get a little of Wes & Jamie’s wedding though I would much rather have seen in a book about them. I liked this but I found Blake walked a very fine line when it came to consent at times.

Wear it Like a Crown – Zarah Detand
I can’t resist a royal romance it seems. Had to suspend disbelief a bit because I don’t think princes say “like” all the time, but that’s a minor quibble. Prince Joshua is being blackmailed over his sexuality, and he turns to a PR/Scandal Solvers company for help. He immediately clashes with Leo who knows a lot about royal etiquette but also hates royals. But he gives really good advice and before long Josh is trying to unpick Leo’s murky history.

Star Struck (Kate Brannigan #6) – Val McDermid
Kate’s last story and this time she’s acting as bodyguard to soap star Gloria Kendal. She’s just about to jack it in when a ‘seer to the stars’ is murdered in the studio carpark. Obviously, Kate sticks her nose in, because Gloria was the last to see the murder victim alive. To keep her even busier her old mate Dennis is also accused of murder, and her techy friend Gizmo is planning to meet up with a woman he met online.

Luna Loves Library Day – Joseph Coelho
A cute picture book with lovely illustrations as Luna visits the library.

September’s three star reads:

Square to the Puck (Offsides #2) JJ Mulder
This had a little more plot to it than the first book, but sadly the drama/tension sort of just fizzled out without any sort of resolution. I also struggled to see Corwin as young and inexperienced as he was given that he seemed older and more mature in book 1 as he was always giving advice and support to his teammates. Also… (and Stef will testify that I just couldn’t get over this) the other lead character’s name was Nigel. Sorry to all Nigels out there, but it’s just not a twenty-something romantic lead’s name in 2026. Not a terrible book, it had some enjoyable stuff in it but not amazing either.

See You at the Finish Line – Zac Hammett
This was Zac Hammet’s first book, and not as good as his second (International Relations). George is the leading rower in the first Cambridge boat. Lucas is the cox. George has money and hasn’t had to do any real work because he passes everything just by turning up. Lucas has hard to work for everything he has. Naturally don’t like each other. This had some good parts but the reunion at the end seemed a bit rushed and neither of them exactly covered themselves in glory with their behaviour at times.

Playing His Game – Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James
I wanted to like this more than I did. Fake dating is usually a winner for me. I just struggled to follow the main characters’ motivations and the way they both kept taking a step forward with their relationship and then two steps back. Definitely felt for Mo with his awful parents but he was also pretty obnoxious at times while Adam seemed a bit emotionally stunted.

Rookie Recovery – Lex Easton & Jemma Croft
I liked a lot of this, as British-born Archie falls for team PT Jamie. The grumpy/sunshine was good, though Archie pushed the boundaries (to inappropriate levels at times) given Jamie’s professional status the team physio. Also hard to believe that in today’s world Archie never thought to Google Jamie to find out about his history as an NHL player.

Breaking Ice – JL Rhys
The story here was decent and I liked the background of Caleb and his sister leaving behind their religious family, and the relationship he falls into with Connor. The fact it was beer league hockey as opposed to pro was also interesting. Sadly the writing was just a bit flat. There were times of upset and anger and yet there was no real emotion. It’s very had to put my finger on what the problem was, too much telling and not enough showing possibly.

The Plot Thickens (Nevermore Bookshop #10) – Steffanie Holmes
I keep reading this series for some reason. This turned out to be a retelling of book 1 but from the POV of the three male main characters. This added some fun new things to the story, but about 75% of it was just the first story with someone else’s thoughts.

Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #1) – Agatha Christie
I really didn’t get into this, and it took well over a month for me to finish it. Not nearly enough Marple and Richard E Grant reads SO SLOWLY I ended up listening on 2x speed.

Books Make Good Pets – John Agard
Obviously, I’m not the target audience here but didn’t find the rhyming/rhythm particularly good and the repeat of ‘Books make good pets, they don’t need vets’ a bit lame.

September’s two star reads

Icing on the Cake (The Barracudas #1) – Christopher J Bryce
Some of this was OK but a lot of it made NO sense. Spoilers, Elliot has been living in the campus library all year and nobody noticed? Not even his best friend? Not his colleagues? Not the college which would need a local address on file for him? Even with free accommodation he can barely afford to eat half the time but then he pays hundreds of dollars for a Christmas tree for the frat house? Also, the boys/men were grossly immature at times (probably accurate, but not the most fun to read about?).

September’s one star reads

None, thankfully.

Not yet rated, as I didn’t finish them in September:

• The Ring O’Bells Mystery
• The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next #3) – Jasper Fforde
• I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin (Kitty Collins #2) – Katy Brent

What I watched

• A few episodes of the Simpsons, and Only Connect.
• The second series of The Pitt and more of Lego Masters Grand Masters of the Galaxy
• I’ve also watched most of Off Campus which is based on the series by Elle Kennedy and stars no other than Ella Bright (Darrell from the Malory Towers TV series) as Hannah.
• I rewatched Heated Rivalry because Stef had never seen it

What I did

• I took a trip to Edinburgh to meet Stef and we mixed high culture (the Edinburgh Portrait Gallery) with more usual stuff (Nando’s and Primark).
• Then Stef visited me and we visited a bunch of places including Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Jupiter Artland, Craigtoun, Anstruther and of course St Andrews. Plus we just hung out a lot and talked about fictional characters.
• I redid my Famous Five jigsaw because I’d never taken a photo of it completed, after doing my new Five on Brexit Island jigsaw.

My Kindle got out and about plenty too.

How was your September?

*Books About Bookshops and Libraries