The Recovery Coach: A steamy, slow-burn, childhood best friends to lovers hockey romance (Coaching The Connors Book 2)

This story definitely speaks to the reader. The different dynamics within the plot immediately grab your attention, and layered with the relationships between the characters, you’re drawn in emotionally. I could only admire Livy for the way she valued her friendship with Connor, even after he had “rejected” her love and wanted to remain just friends. The author brings in humor and lightness through their friends, who clearly see that they are meant to be together and try to orchestrate it in their own ways. Amid all the “dates” and friendship get-togethers, the emotional depth of Connor and Livy’s relationship remains the central focus. Connor’s journey, in particular, is the most profound—he has to open himself up to the realization that what’s been there all along is something deeper and more meaningful, something Livy has always believed in and what their friends have already seen. I loved how the author balances the more emotional moments beautifully with those of fun and friendship. And when Connor finally opens his eyes, I appreciated how seamlessly the two of them move between their roles as friends and as partners. Their journey to a HEA will truly captivate you. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

If you like: brother's best friend/best friends little sister, friends to lovers, hockey romance, slow burn, fake dating (not between MCs) This book is a true slow burn, with a side plot of fake dating between the FMC and a side character. It was a quick cute read, it is a standalone that does not need to be read with the other books in the series. CW: Cheating, Endometriosis, Sports Injury, Parental Abandonment. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book had me invested from the start and I couldn’t put it down after starting it. I had to know where things were going to go. I truly felt for Olivia and what she went through with endometriosis. It made her so much more relatable. I loved that Livy and Connor have such a beautiful friendship. It’s a deep connection that gave a strong foundation to everything they could be. And what a thing that could be. This book was the definition of slow burn but that doesn’t mean it burned any less hot or intensely. It is a story that felt genuinely and real. We get banter and sass, and connection and support. Their chemistry could be felt coming off the page. Once it was finally acknowledged it was wondrous. It was so much more than if it was an instant thing in my opinion. I also really appreciated that we got to see the group dynamics with his teammates and their friends. It gave more backbone to the relationship, romantic and not. And the ending was well earned and well deserved. They truly got an ending that felt satisfying and meaningful.

To be honest, this was the full definition of a slow burn. I like that this book was an instant love or a very quick process for both characters fell in love, but a culmination of things that led them to their HEA. It definitely made it seem much more realistic. I will definitely be putting this on my to be read again shelf.