The Best Kind of Forever

Riverside Reapers #1

by Celeste Briars

Aeris Relera has always drawn the short end of the stick in life—a self-absorbed ex, neglectful parents, and a past that continues to haunt her. When she’s down on her luck one night, a mysterious knight in shining armor—or more realistically, a knight in hockey shoulder pads—saves her from a few too many tequila shots.

Hayes Hollings’ checkered past refuses to stay very far behind him, and his mistakes are even more catastrophic when they’re broadcasted to the whole world. Being a disgraced NHL player isn’t good for his love life or his reputation. Determined to get into the public’s good graces, Hayes constructs a devious plan to rebrand his image as a doting boyfriend.

Aeris has grown to accept that she’s not destined for what love has to offer, but when Hayes rewrites her fate, she’s thrown into an internal battle that has her stretched between giving love a shot or keeping her distance from the Riverside Reapers’ biggest playboy. Hayes might seem like the perfect guy to help Aeris learn how to love again, but little does she know that he’s harboring a secret big enough to ruin her completely.

Will love prevail between two polar opposites, or will fatal lies break these two apart?

The Best Kind of Forever is a hilarious hockey romance featuring a swoon-worthy, reformed playboy, a fake dating scheme, spice hot enough to make you question your religious values, and a newfound chance at love between two polar opposites. It’s the first book in a series, but can be read as a standalone.

The Best Kind of Forever is a hockey romance, he falls first and harder, opposites attract, midsize heroine sports romance with no cheating and a satisfying happily ever after.

Genres: Romance, Hockey, Sports Romance, Sports, Hockey Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary

306 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2023

About the author

Celeste Briars is an indie author who specializes in spicy hockey romances. She’s a UC Davis alumnus with a bachelor’s in psychology. She loves creating memorable meet-cutes and happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching horror movies, playing with her cats, or dancing the night away with her friends. If you’re looking for books with spice hot enough to question your religious values and feel-good moments that make your heart sing, please cuddle up with a Reapers novel and stay a while!

You can keep in touch through Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/celestebria...) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@celestebriars...).

Reviews

[Meredith Clemens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: don’t read books you find on tik tok while high

[Maditales · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate grand public gestures. Why do ppl always think it makes it so much more “special” and “brave”.
It’s way braver if you tell someone face to face how you messed up instead of hiding behind a screen

[k · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh… the writing was not good, the story was too insta-lovey, i didn’t really believe in the characters. and i hated the fact that we found out what was wrong with them in literal chapter one… like it should be a gradual reveal. and there was so much dialogue in this book with no real necessity. there should have been a lot more narration than there was. it was too straightforward imo. also wth was her job. like there should’ve been more scenes about that, because how else is she like providing for herself. it’s not that big a deal, considering this isn’t a problem in most other books, but the job was brought up in the beginning and was given so much thought that i was really confused. and i just couldn’t picture where they lived or what the vibe of the town was at all. there was so much telling and less showing. describing the character’s surroundings is just as important as describing them. and i hated that everything was tied to their trauma. like yeah makes sense, but you don’t have to sat it over and over. i feel like it should be implied based on how they make decisions and act around others rather than reiterated every page. smut was mid. grovel was so small. i got through it just because there were decent tropes and i just needed something to kill time, but there is definitely better out there.

[Susana · Rating 1 out of 5]

He did just proposed by putting the ring in the champagne glass. No just NO. Then she proceeds to choke on it in a room filled with people at restaurant. That’s how you end a epilogue. Skip the book

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not good. It felt like a Wattpad book and you knew what was doing to happen from the time fake dating is suggested. The sex scenes felt like it was written by a 12 year old who had only read Wattpad sex scenes.

[Aleah Ardoin]

dnf after she described french kissing as welcoming him to her dna or some shit

[Stephanie Kirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 27%

This isn't a fake dating romance. Fake dating implies both parties know it's for show. This was straight up one sided lying.

[nicole ೀ ✧˖° · Rating 1 out of 5]

had really high hopes for this book but it was really such a letdown. first of all the writing?? it was just so unnecessarily descriptive in my opinion, i kid you not there was almost a full page describing her taking ONE BITE out of a cheeseburger but then you miss out on things that are actually crucial to the story like the world building and them actually falling for each other like in the space of one date they’re suddenly head over heals for each other like what?? to me, insta love can be a good trope if you do it right and this was just pure wrong, even the fake dating aspect was bad and didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

a really ranty review i know but this had such potential. it was just really bad in so many ways when it could have been great like i would have loved to read about an average/midsized girl struggling with anorexia/Ed’s like that’s such a unique perspective i’ve never read about before and it could have been amazing but it’s literally fixed as soon as they get together properly that’s just not realistic. i understand he could have helped her with it but you don’t just get into a relationship and they’ve suddenly fixed years worth of trauma and personal issues?? don’t waste your time.

[kendall ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Story Itself: 3 out of 5 🌟

The Writing: 3 out of 5 🌟

   read this if you like

    🧺 fake dating
    🧺 plus sized fmc
    🧺 sports romance
    🧺 insta love
    🧺 he falls first
    🧺 good grief representation

     ~three songs that vibe with this book~

    🧺 we can't be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande
    🧺 Astronomy by Conan Gray
    🧺 Dumpster Fire by Neriah

♡ Plot ♡

Aeris doesn't want to need anyone. She's been doing just fine by herself. Until Hayes. The second she meets him, she knows that he's different. He has the potential to be someone she could learn to lean on. But she's afraid of giving herself to one more person who won't end up wanting him. Hayes, however, is determined to prove her wrong.

this plot was absolutely adorable and i was actually so excited for this. the beginning had me in a chokehold, but the more i progressed the less i cared LMFAO. i don't even know what i didn't like at this point. it just didn't hit. call me a hater and atp i won't even bitch about it 🕊️🕊️

    ⋆·˚ ༘ * Aeris Relera 

╰┈➤People will leave no matter how hard you beg them to stay.

Aeris was such a sweetheart. i loved her character so much and i just found so much comfort in her personality. she was such a wholesome girlie and i just LOVED HER. i don't know if you can hear me screaming from wherever you are, but open your damn ears.

    *ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hayes Hollings 

╰┈➤“Loving you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” he says. The easiest thing.”

Hayes is actually everything i need in a man minus the miscommunication. he had me on the floor half the time. there's this moment where he's flirting with Aeris and she says something to insult him like, suggesting he has a two inch dick and he just GRINS and says "thanks for adding the two extra inches" THE SCREAM I SCRUMPT?? WHY DID I FIND THAT SO ATTRACTIVE? I LOVE MEN WHO CAN JOKE AROUND??? live laugh love hayes.
   
   🩷 The Romance 🩷

“You have a soft belly. That’s all it is. You need to eat. You should be consuming at least two thousand calories every day. I don’t care where those calories come from. If you want to eat your weight in chicken nuggets, I’ll buy you every single bag.”

“I never used to get nervous around women before Aeris, but to this day, I still get butterflies when I’m around her.”

He gets on his knees. His knees. “These flowers don’t even begin to scratch the surface to show how sorry I am. I want to earn your trust back if you’ll let me. If you want me to leave you alone, I’ll leave you alone. If you want me to prove my love for you, I’ll prove my love for you. I already bought you a nectarine orchard in South Africa, but I’ll buy you a vacation home out there, too. I’ll build you your own personal library, so you never run out of books."

Hayes and Aeris had so much potential and i think that's why it killed me. they were so adorable together but there was no lead up. it was like they got introduced and then BAM. instantly obsessed with one another. not to mention Hayes minor fuckup, but like, come on buddy 🤡🤡

    ୨୧ Side Characters I Want to Talk About ୨୧

- Aeris's Best Friend
this is embarrassing, but i don't remember her name 🥲🥲 i think it started with an L? i don't know anymore dude. i just remember liking her.

- Faye and Kit
i'm pretty sure the next book is about them and i am very much looking forward to the brothers best friend trope 🥹🎀

- Hayes Entire Friend Group
i lived for them.

          ༉‧₊˚. Things I Liked ༉‧₊˚.

- How Difficult Topics Were Portrayed
Miss Briars did such a beautiful job portraying grief and eating disorders. she wrote this out stunningly and nothing felt cliche or inappropriately portrayed.

- The Humor
this mf was actually so funny. i laughed way more than i normally do. i think this had four star potential if i had just read it in another moment in time.

    ༉‧₊˚. Things I Didn't Like ༉‧₊˚.

- How Short it Was
if this had been one hundred to two hundred more pages . . . this could have been four or five stars. a little less spice and a little more talking would've been nice 💓💓 it just felt so RUSHED 😭😭 these two need a nice little slow burn with the amount of trauma they've been through. i just wanted more 🔥🔥

- THE MISSCOMMUNICATION
kill me now.

    ✧ The Writing ✧
i really enjoyed Celeste's writing style. i'm hoping i enjoy the next book more, because like I've said, this had so much potential to get a higher rating and i hope the next one does.

    ✧ Summary ✧
i had fun with this, don't get me wrong. i would 100% recommend this, just for a certain audience. i'm happy that i read this and if i'm ever falling into a slump i could see myself picking it up again.

Official Age Rating: 18+

Spice Level: 4.5 out of 5 🌶️

TRIGGER WARNINGS 
*there is a list of more detailed trigger warnings in the book*
(eating disorder, talks of suicide, talks of loss, parental neglect)

[megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

i refuse to believe this monstrosity was ever published

[•.~*Izzy*~.• · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 25%. im tryna heal from a pathological liar, i dont need to read about a mmc that is one too. no thanks.

[nikkyireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆”

If you're new here, I'm a sucker for a sports romance. Hayes and Aeries did not disappoint. I really liked the bar scene where Hayes and Aeries meet. You could feel the instant connection between the two. They both have some trauma in their lives and and for the first time, feel like someone really understands what they've been through. Hayes is so supportive and encouraging with Aeries insecurities. I love how he hypes her up. The group chat with the team over Hayes birthday had me laughing so hard. I really enjoyed the found family aspect for both Hayes and Aeries. Overall, I loved the storyline and look forward to the next book.

✨️Sports Romance - Hockey
✨️Opposites Attract
✨️He Falls First
✨️Found Family
✨️Dual POV
✨️🌶🌶🌶 (two words, Strawberry Lemonade scene 🥵🥵)

“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑨𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉. 𝒀���𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒔, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓.”

“𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 ,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 , “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

“𝑯𝒆𝒚, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.”

[pauline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t want to talk about it… everything about this book is bad.

[Omnya Ali (Free Palestine) · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO NO NO NO NO NO ... I HATE WATTPAD STYLE, LITERALLY 😤🙂💔

[eli windsor · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

this was so disappointing. i had the literal highest hopes for this ever. i cant even say the writing was mediocre because what was that pacing. like seriously what was that pacing. they went on one date and theyre in love??? do they even know each other???? everything moved so fast and wasnt well developed. he shouldve grovelled more and she shouldve made him grovel more. AND WHATS WITH THE PLOT HOLE WE STILL DONT SEE HER FATHER GET RETRIBUTION.

also the ending sucked. it was decent enough for butterflies to flutter a little bit but some of those lines are the most delulu line one could come up with.

essentially, i cant believe this is a published novel. it is peak wattpad fanfiction material and dont get me wrong cause the rating would be very much different if i were rating this as a wattpad novel. wattpad novel wise maybe 3.6 stars (the pacing is such a turn off).

[Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

the best kind of forever by celeste briars review

₊˚ʚ . ⛸️ ✧ ˚. ᵎᵎ 🐈‍⬛ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡🏒˚ . ⬫⁺ 📖 . ˚ ⊹ .

the unique fake dating twist >>>
i love a good fake dating plot and if it’s unique i’m all for it!

the secret was my favorite part of this book, it added so much drama that i ate up every. single. time!! hayes & areis have amazing banter from the moment they met it was nonstop! their relationship gave me allll the feels. if you love fake dating go in blind [trust me] ;) loved this book & i cannot wait for more to come in this series 🫶🏽

˗ˏˋ ꒰ i received an arc in exchange for an honest review ꒱ ˎˊ˗

📖🩵: hockey, he falls first, fake dating, opposites attract, & dual pov

xoxo, dem ⬫⁺

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 13%

after i read the lines “his tongue prods at the seam of my lips, requesting passage, and I let him slip deeper into my mouth, allowing him complete access to the very threads of my DNA.” and "my peaked nipples brush against his chest as viscous arousal saturates my panties." i knew this was not going to be for me

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s too wattpad-y for me to rate it any higher than 2 ⭐️. I honestly read this purely because of a Tik Tok video of a scene from the book that seemed good. Also it being a hockey romance.

I did not expect these characters to be 24+ years old. They talk and act as if they are teenagers. The chapters were short which was both nice and horrible…because while they were short, the scene kept changing so fast that one second you are in a game and the next you’re in a room with friends playing dare or drink.

I liked the backstories of the characters, they could both relate to their family trauma and gave some characteristics to the plot. Meanwhile the plot wasn’t giving, it was straightforward where she found out, he did a grand gesture sorry and she forgave, happily ever after.

This was also supposed to be a fake-dating trope ?? How? One part was just lying to the other about fake dating them until they actually caught feelings. Fake dating trope is when both parties agree to said fake dating :/

Why did Hayes propose with a champagne glass with a ring in it and then chokes on it, in front of people, and then goes on one knee? HELP.

I read it, i liked some scenes, the backstories and some smut to add a little sprinkle on top of a bland cake :)

[ang · Rating 1 out of 5]

surprised i didn’t yack while reading this

[jay ౨ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no words for how bad this book was. Hayes Hollings, the mmc, gave big stalker/Joe Goldberg vibes. Honestly, I wish the book would’ve taken more of a You route, because at least that would have been entertaining. The ending would’ve been better if Aeris ended up in a death box underneath the rink than whatever happened in the epilogue.

Hayes sees Aeris, the fmc, basically crying at a bar. And what does he do, you ask? Well, he flirts with her of course. She proceeds to trauma dump on him, because why not? And ✨instantly✨ they form a bound. He shares his trauma, and they fall in love within 10 minutes. Throughout the relationship, he forces her to eat a burger(she has an ED that is immediately cured by how hot he is), while also saying he doesn’t want to force food on her. All of her grief and sadness and insecurities just melt away because this hot, 6’3 hockey player wants to kiss her ☺️ She has to make him promise not to get mad before she can disclose her past relationship trauma, what a green flag, am I right? She’s never been called beautiful, or been able to talk about her deceased brother, even though she has a seemingly amazing best friend who lifts her up repeatedly throughout the book. He’s 24 and hasn’t dealt properly with the grief from his mom’s death, which occurred when he was 8. Like bro, I know you have easy access to a therapist.

**********************************spoilers*************************************

Aeris finds out that 1.) Hayes started dating her because he needed to rebuild his image and 2.) Hayes screamed at her brother a week before he committed suicide. Like sure, getting screamed at by one of your heros isn’t going to make a mentally healthy person commit suicide. But it would definitely be a nail in the coffin for a struggling person. Clearly, considering he COMMITTED SUICIDE A WEEK AFTER BEING SCREAMED AT BY HAYES. And instead of burning every memento she has of him and scheduling a therapy session, what I would consider a normal reaction, SHE FUCKING TAKES HIM BACK. Like honey, heal yourself, and then find yourself a man who didn’t put a nail in your brother’s coffin? Maybe try finding your self worth in something other than a man? I mean seriously! Ughhh my feminism is raging.

[Yana Le · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swear this is the last time I read a book tiktok recommends!!! Cliché after cliché, give me a break please

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so torn what to rate this one. Let's start with saying that I'm apparently in a hyper-critical mood lately.

‼️ Little TW for ranting about the ED representation in the book‼️

On one hand, Hayes was really cute and their banter was adorable at times (somehow more so via text idk). Him saying those things to Aeris (cool name but kinda to fantasy vibe-y for me) did some things to my plussize heart, even though it hurt because she calls herself midsized and as a huuuge problem with that. But on the other hand, there were just quite a few things I did not like.

This kinda felt like a Wattpad story. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because I'm convinced there are quite a few real good stories on Wattpad. But this wouldn't be one of them. I hate to say it - and again, I'm kinda hyoer-critial atm - but so much of this story seemed... naive. Maybe that's me being biased and having a small inside into the bts hockey/nhl world. But my god, losing sponsorships because of a ons or getting trading because of that just doesn't sound realistic to me.

This whole mmc-sleeps-with-daughter-of-sponsorhip-dude-storyline is just - pardon my cynism - ridiculous and sexist. As long as the daughter doesn't claim that it wasn't consensual - with it was, because we had to read it (wtf) - it shouldn't matter. I can't be the only one thinking that's ridiculous, right? How naive does a dad have to be not to know his daughter gets railed once in a while 😂 (not a comforting thought but still)

‼️ TW ‼️ But I gotta admit, this book taught me something; EDs can be a trigger for me. I got to pissed at her calorie counting or more like how all of this was handled. Or maybe it was because she was so mean to herself yet calling herself midsized the whole time, which would insult everyone bigger than her imo, me included.

I get that with the disordered eating and the obsession of calories in this case the actual nutritional value can be irrelevant. But what I understood about that type of disordered eating she wouldn't really eat that much fruit, no? Fruit has lots of sugar and therefore a higher calorie count. Why would she waste so many calories - from the 700 a day she limits herself on - on a banana? Anyways, I get that EDs don't always make sense to other people. BUT I am convinced that it would take her a lot longer to get over her eating habits than to get a encouraged to eat a bite of a burger and a few more encouraging words. Maybe there was more off-page of that. But it didn't really seem like something that would change that quickly. ‼️ End of the TW ‼️

And those too quick and imo unrealistic changes (his stupid decision making skills, her self-image, body positivity, eating habits, overall insecurities) are a major reason for me to claim this all as naive. I thought it might be the length (300+ pages), but I've read books that had more realistic character development in 300 pages. I also get that their love changed the and made them a better person, but that stuff doesn't happen overnight and I'm just a fan of a little more realism in book (that aren't fantasy yk) because most mmcs are already totally unrealistic (again my pms cynism ig).

Tl;dr idk what to rate this after that rant still. I feel bad giving it 2 stars but it doesn't deserve 3 after my complaints 😅 we need half stars asap 🙄

Ugh okay, I'll be harsh. Because I also don't really wanna continue the series in general 🙊


💜 PSA: I've you struggle with your body-image, self-worth, disordered eating etc. know you're not alone and it's okay to feel bad about oneself *sometimes*. I might not be the person, but there will always be someone you can talk to.

Also, it's the clothes and the clothing industry. It's okay to get a size bigger when you need it, because size is not universal. It's okay that not every style fits or looks good on every body in your opinion. As long as you feel comfortable and confident in your outfit, nothing else matters. And we shouldn't put others down if they feel comfortable and confident in their outfit even if we are not a fan of it. 💜

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️


Hayes is a playboy, hothead, hockey player. He seems to have no concern for the repercussions of his actions. But one night he goes too far, and is scrambling to save his spot on the Reapers as well as his public image. He can only come up with one option that can help him out if his mess- fake date someone to clean up his image.

Aeris has had the worst luck with relationships of any kind. She’s estranged from her parents. Her last boyfriend was a narcissist. The only person she has in her life is her best friend, and her cat. But one night after a terrible day, a handsome stranger helps her when she drinks too much and needs help getting home. What happens when that hot stranger ends up being a hot hockey player who wants her number?

Congratulations to Celeste on her debut novel! I loved so much about this book. Hayes came off as a this tough bad boy, but he was a secret cinnamon roll for Aeris and Aeris only! I loved their banter. I will also say that this fake dating scenario is definitely not one I’ve read before- he completely lies to her and leads her to believe they have a real relationship when to him it starts out as fake.

This book was a slow start for me. It took about 15% for me to get used to the writing style. I feel like I wanted more deep conversations between Aeris and Hayes. I just wanted them to have more swoony butterfly moments. I also definitely found it weird that Aeris’ father randomly found out about the fake dating before Aeris. It seemed as if it was super left field.

I would recommend this book if you want a light hockey romance with spice!

[casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3★

[ hockey romance | strangers to lovers | fake dating with a twist | famous MMC | reformed player | he falls first ]

If you’re looking for a fast-paced hockey romance filled with lots of sugar-sweet moments and spice, this is the book for you! 💙

Aeris & Hayes were so cute! You see from their first interaction that they understand each other on a different level than anyone else ever has. Aeris has hardly had any support or love given to her in life, and Hayes giving that to her so unconditionally and adoringly was very wholesome to me 🤧 It was also nice to see how much of a simp Hayes becomes after a long-lived bachelor lifestyle — few things are better than a properly reformed player!

But while the fake-dating plot was unique and interesting to read about, I am not sure if I liked how it ultimately played out. I will not say too much, but I think more groveling would’ve helped LOL. I also wish I had felt more of a connection with the characters and that it hadn’t felt so insta-lovey, but it is a relatively short book + a debut, so I get why it might have felt that way to me.

Overall, this was a cute and quick hockey romance read that I would say is worth a shot if any of the tropes interest you! There were a lot of side characters that I liked, and I can already sense that I will be having lots of fun with the rest of this series :)

Thank you so much to Celeste Briars for an ARC of this book & congrats to her for releasing her debut novel 💌

[Sands · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whatever you do, don’t read this book. Hands down one of the worst, if not the worst books I’ve ever read. The writing was middle school level if that and the plot was god awful. The cheesiest most cringe book ever, and everything about it gave me the ick. If I could give this book a negative rating I would.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a fake dating trope, but this one was fun with a twist! In that, Hayes needs to fake date someone to turn around his reputation or get traded to another team, so he starts dating someone without telling her it's fake!

Hayes is the resident badboy in the NHL. He parties hard, fights, and hooks up with all the Puck bunnies. When he takes it too far with one of the team's major sponsors daughter, his agent sits him down for some tough love. Improve your image asap or risk being traded to another team.

While on his mission to meet the lucky fake lady, he meets Aeris at a bar on a night in which she's drowning her sorrows on the anniversary of her brother's death. Lucky for Aeris, Hayes is immediately intrigued by her and goes out of his way to help her. Lucky for Hayes, she has no idea who he really is.

I don't like that Hayes embarks on this fake dating relationship without telling Aeris, but I understand it. And I love that Hayes very quickly falls for Aeris and realizes nothing about his feelings are fake. I love a reformed playboy who becomes a golden retriever boyfriend.

I really like Aeris's character. She's incredibly strong and independent. We learn that she's been through a lot of bad relationships in her life, from her parents to her ex-boyfriend. She doesn't give her trust easily, and I like that she sticks her guns and makes Hayes work for it.

I think my favorite scene is when Hayes helps Aeris overcome her securities about her body. My goodness, it is both special and also HOT. We stan a man who puts his woman on a pedestal and makes sure she knows it.

I do think that to really develop more of the plotline with Hayes's relationship with his father and Aeris's relationship with her family, the book needed to be longer. It felt like those plots were introduced and resolved quickly due to time constraints.

Some of the language used to describe the steamy scenes put me off a bit... like "slurp" and labia (I tend to prefer less technical terms) 🫣 Do you ever replace words in your head when you're reading something if you would have personally said something different? I found myself doing that a lot...

Overall, I did enjoy the book! I think it's a solid start to the series and will be excited to see where the story goes with more characters down the road!

3⭐️

☆I received an advance copy, but the review is my own☆

Tags: Hockey romance, sports romance, fake dating, opposites attract, he falls first
Spice: 🌶🌶🫑
First person/Dual POV

[Alveena · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf did i read?? it wasn't that bad it just wasn't good. I knew this was gonna be trashy but it was lowk worse then I thought. I don't hate it, I don't care for it. Like at all. Why are they even together? What are their personalities? Am I supposed to care? Like Idgaf abt this book, the only thing keeping me engaged was the tiktoks abt this book and the anticipation of the good scenes. It felt like false advertisement because there weren't many, if any, scenes discussing her ed (I am not a professional abt false advertisement, pls don't sue me, I do believe it wasn't actual false advertisement). Again this book wasn't even that bad but it may be because I didn't care for it. Maybe if I cared for it or if the entire book was god awful I would feel a stronger feeling but genuinely speaking I did not care for this book. I rated it 2 stars because it felt right but again it wasn't even *that* bad. Again I didn't really care for the book and the characters. Aeris is a sick name and she had her good moments; I liked her (but also she should've let him groveled more). I liked Bristol and Lila, they were sane and had a proper, pakka personality. Hayes was lowk terrible person but I DID NOT CARE ENOUGH TO HATE HIM. I may read Bristol and Lila's book because they actually have personalities but I fear that the book won't do them justice. Also the epilogue was wild like how did you mess up an epilogue that badly??? Its quite simple; they're happy and in love and no drama just fluff. That's how it should be but apparently not.

To summarize: I didn't care, could give less a f*ck (this review is the most I cared for this book, and we all know its because I love to give my opinion)

[Evangeline Munster · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to thank my friends for turning this into an experience I will never forget

[Marina Adair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new to me author and I loved this book! The blurb and the fact that it was a hockey romance grabbed my attention. And I am a sucker for "he falls first" and a fake dating trope (although this fake dating trope had a unique twist on it, that I won't give away) From the moment they met in the bar I was rooting for them to get together. Their journey was sexy and tender and gave me all the feels. This book also has a great secondary cast, who I hope each get a book. *wink wink*

[Meera Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ i loved this book it was so fun tender and fluffy like it was awesome there were some deep topics discussed but nothing too heavy in my opinion

i loved the main couple they were super cute and the whole plot was something new that i hadn’t read in a while or at all tbh but i totally enjoyed the book 😁