Showing posts with label Carolyn Miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carolyn Miller. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Muskoka Blue by Carolyn Miller

Series: Original Six Hockey #6
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: July 26, 2022
376 pages

About the Book:

An ice princess with a broken heart. A pro hockey player with a secret.

For Sarah Maguire, spending the summer at Lake Muskoka was supposed to be about finding the courage to put back the pieces of her shattered life—not falling in love with the charming yet unsophisticated hockey player from next door.

Daniel Walton may have been praying for Miss Right to appear, but Sarah’s ice princess act just cries Miss Wrong. Dan’s summer plans hadn’t included befriending a redhead with a sassy tongue and cute accent, but as Muskoka works its magic he soon discovers that underneath the frost and prickles is the funny, feisty, loving woman he’s waited all his life to meet.

As their friendship deepens, Sarah comes to appreciate Dan’s patience and kindness yet struggles to let go of the past and embrace the future, while Dan, only too conscious of the personal history he wants to forget, questions the wisdom of pursuing a girl whose heart may never be wholly his – who may soon return to live on the opposite side of the world.

Will past regrets lead to further heartbreak? Or can Sarah and Dan learn to leave the past in the past and embrace God’s promises for the future?

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Set in Muskoka, Ontario. Sarah is from Australia and staying with her aunt and uncle for a while, she meets Dan, who has a cottage next door. At first Sarah comes across rude. We learn this is because of the trauma and grief she is dealing with but I found her really hard to get to know and care about. As the story progressed I began to connect with her and begin to care. Whereas I loved Dan immediately and was excited to get to know him (he had been mentioned in pervious books in this series, but we didn't really know him). I enjoyed watching the relationship develop as the two got to know one another however I hated how Sarah refused to talk and the way she hurt Dan. I enjoyed the scenes with the Bible study guys, the way they teased one another and the updates we got on past characters we'd met. One thing that has stuck with me was the scene were Sarah when a reference to church being about the people and not so much the building. This has resonated with me. I enjoyed the ending and how Ms. Miller included little hints about what characters we may see in upcoming books.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Big Apple Atonement by Carolyn Miller

Series: Original Six Hockey Romance # 5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: May 26, 2022
364 pages
About the Book:

She’s the saint with a secret. He’s the sinner with a heart of gold.

For Emma Moritello, giving abandoned and rejected children a safe home is her life’s purpose, but pressures at work mean her dream may be coming to a close. And just when she thought life couldn’t get more challenging, along comes hockey’s bad boy, keen to make amends. God might want her to love her enemies, but it doesn’t mean she has to like them. Especially this hockey enforcer, who has the nerve to try to stir her heart.

TJ Woletsky has never tried to hide his sins—his exploits are tabloid fodder, and hockey teams love to hate him. Including his own. When a trade takes him to New York he’s confronted with the repercussions of his past, and time spent with the unfortunate helps ignite his desire to turn his life around. Until an incident in a nightclub makes everyone question whether this sinner can ever really change.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


I loved Emma and was fully invested in her storyline. Emma becomes interim director of a children's home and meets TJ through her best friends husband Tim. Tim is captain of the hockey team that TJ has just been transferred to and the team actively volunteers at the children's home. Emma has preconceived notions about TJ and wants to keep her distance. However Tim & his wife Lacey are trying to help TJ change and he is constantly making appearances. TJ was great with the kids in the home and this begins to soften Emma's heart toward him. We witness TJ begin to change and pursue a relationship with God. I was rooting for a relationship between these two and I loved the friendship interactions between Emma and Lacey; and Tim & TJ. It did feel like the last couple chapters were telling the rest of the story rather than us showing us what happened, like how did TJ and his father reconcile? I also enjoyed getting updates from past series characters.

Favourite Quote: 
“None of us are ever going to be good enough. Our best will never measure up. That's the point of grace.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Hearts and Goals by Carolyn Miller

Series: Original Six Hockey Romance # 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Independent
Released: March 22, 2022
354 pages
About the Book:

He’s a goalie with a big heart, while she’s afraid to trust again.

After a series of tragedies, Maggie Joly’s dreams have been confined to her work at Montreal’s botanic gardens and caring for her little boy. Besides, wishing for more would simply be selfish, especially when she’s already loved well. But when a surprising workplace encounter sees her in the arms of a handsome sweet-talking stranger, she’s soon forced to reassess whether romance might still be in her future after all.

Working in this fairytale-like city is a dream come true for Beau Nash, Montreal’s new goalie. And while he’s excited to explore all his new city offers, he hadn’t counted on meeting a striking brunette with heart-melting eyes, or so quickly bonding with her and her son, even thought Maggie’s faith is a little tenuous, and shadows from the past mean she might never really be ready to love again.

An incident at the Gardens forces Beau to choose between his dream job and the woman of his dreams, while an accident on the ice invites Maggie’s deepest fears. Perhaps a Pumpkin Ball might help convince them to believe in happily-ever-afters once again.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Beau is new to Montreal and while discovering the city he meets Maggie in a couple separate incidences. They strike up a tentative friendship and slowly get to know one another. Beau is a strong Christian and we don't know where Maggie stands. She is a single mother living with her mom and 5 year old son after the passing of her husband and her father. We see Maggie discover God and learn to open herself up to others. As this is set in Montreal there were little inserts of French that threw me off each time I came across them, however it wasn't because I didn't know what was being said as that is explained, it was more because it was a different language. There is a strong faith message presented, especially about the importance of a persons relationship with God being an individual desire not because of a relationship with another person. Beau had a wonderful relationship with his mother where he felt comfortable to talk about everything. She was supportive, provided bits of wisdom and also teased him. She was probably my favourite character. Some of the feelings expressed throughout did feel a bit rushed, but the ending slowed things down and allowed time to see what would happen next. I expect to see more of these characters in future books.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Friday, August 9, 2024

Checked Impressions by Carolyn Miller (Review)

Series: Original Six Hockey Romance #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: February 24, 2022
390 pages
About the Book:

Sparks fly when a hometown hockey hero meets a classy art-loving museum guide hiding a secret...

Jai Mullins is used to being the fastest man on ice. Trouble is, his ability to find a genuine woman is tracking at glacial melt levels. He’s trusting God she’s out there, but he’s wary of getting trapped by a superfan, when all he wants is someone with whom he can be real.

Allie Davis has two great loves: impressionist art and hockey. More specifically, a certain hockey player. But between her shyness and her family, she’s convinced she’ll never meet him, let alone connect with him in a non-embarrassing way.

Until she does. And they connect. And romance sparks.

But she is hiding a big secret, and he’s about to find that first impressions sometimes need a reality check. Will they learn to trust and find a way forward, or will half-truths lead to further hurt on opposite sides of the country and lonely lives?

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐


I'm sad to say this was not a favourite. I struggled to feel the connection between the characters. I enjoyed the initial meeting of Allie and Jai but I struggled to form a connection with Allie. I also wish she had told Jai about the website herself. Just as I was beginning to root for and care about the characters the story began encompassing the NHL playoffs and there were details that were incorrect which really bothered me. If you are going to use real teams, please ensure you get the divisions and conference lines correct. I liked watching the friendship develop between Allie and Amber and the opportunities to share about God that were happening. I wonder if we'll catch up with these characters in future books in this series.

Favourite Quote: 
“We'll never be able to control what others, and trying to live according to other's opinions is a sure fire way to insecurity.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023

Review: Love on Ice by Carolyn Miller

Series: Original Six Hockey Romance #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: January 1, 2022
404 pages
About the Book:

She’s focused on winning gold. He wants to lose the player tag. Can a fake relationship become something real?

Aussie short track skater Holly Travers has one goal - make the Vancouver Games, no matter what it takes. She has no time for distractions, even if they come in the handsome form of her best friend’s twin brother. This hockey player may say he’s not a player, but can she trust him?
Brent Karlsson has one goal - make his sister’s best friend realise he’s a changed man and she should give him a chance. When a set-up in Hawaii helps these two opposites realize they have more in common than they thought, what happens when he wants to turn their fake relationship into something real? And how can a relationship work when these two elite athletes never see each other and live on opposite sides of the world?



My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Enjoyable love story between two elite athletes. A hockey player and a speed skater both with the goal of representing their respective countries at the Vancouver Olympics. I love watching both of these sports and really enjoy the winter Olympics. The speed skating scenes make me feel like I was right there with Holly and felt intense. I found the build up at the beginning a bit slow, but it picked up and once the Olympics happened I was fully invested in the characters. I enjoyed seeing the change in Brent from book one and how he pursued Holly and tried to live for God. It was nice to see Bree and Mike again, I enjoyed catching up with them.

Favourite Quote: 
“I'm saying one day I want us to live in the same city, live in the same house, share the same last name.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   
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Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Review: The Breakup Project by Carolyn Miller

Series: Original Six Hockey Romance #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: Dec. 29, 2021
370 pages
About the Book:

New Year. New Project. New Love?
What happens when the best-laid plans break a friendship?

As the twin of hockey’s hottest forward, romance-loving Bree Karlsson is used to being ignored, leading to a New Year’s resolution to not date any athlete in her attempt to find Mr. Right. But what happens when the man who might prove to be her personal Mr. Darcy is her brother’s hockey-playing best friend?

Mike Vaughan might be happy playing in Boston, but he’d be even happier if Bree could one day see him as more than a good friend. He agrees to help Bree with a special project in the hope she’ll finally see him as something more. But when a misunderstanding ends in a Valentine’s Day disaster, Bree realizes that her breakup project may have broken her friendship with Mike in two. Can she ever redeem her mistake?


My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


I'm a big hockey fan and enjoy reading romance stories so I was looking forward to this one. I liked Mike right off the bat, but Bree took much longer to warm up to...at the beginning she was very judgmental and not friendly to her brother's girlfriend. Yes Brent may have been straying from his Christian beliefs, but the way Bree acted wasn't going to encourage him to change his ways. We follow Bree and Mike trying to encourage Brent to walk his Christian faith and in the process learn that Mike had feelings for Bree. However Bree only sees him as a friend and has made a crazy New years resolution she is determined to stick to (even though her feelings may change). There was one scene in particular that had me hurting for Mike, I felt his hurt and wished Bree had not been so clueless. I enjoyed following the characters over the course of the year. Mike is a hockey player and we learn about the online hockey players Bible Study and follow talk of player trades, road trip games, contract negotiations, etc. However there wasn't a ton of hockey related stuff that even if you weren't a hockey fan you would be able to follow the story. I grew to like Bree as I got to know her more and saw her caring personality come through. I do wish she would have let her resolution go when she realized how it was holding her back. I really enjoyed seeing the characters everyday lives and following their interactions with friends and family members. The characters faith is discussed quite a bit as they pray for God to lead them and put their trust in Him for their future. I can't wait to read more in this series.

Favourite Quote: 
“This is life. Sometimes there are bumps in the road and we can decide to either push through and over or draw back and stagnate because it's too hard.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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