Too Safe

Boys of Lake Chapel #1

by Abby Millsaps

Never let them get you to the second location.
Even if that location happens to be a lakeside mansion home to four hot-as-sin men. After years of living in survival mode, I’m finally hitting rewind on the story of my life. There’s nothing standing in the way of my bright future at Lake Chapel University. Or so I thought. Being ambushed by four devastatingly attractive football players wasn’t on my bingo card. Ironically, they seem just as stupefied by me as I am of them. There’s the brooding, scowling leader. Then the iPad-wielding nerd. Next is the gruff, gorgeous jock. And finally, the huge, tattooed emo boy. It’s the last one that catches my eye. As the recipient of the Crusade Scholarship, I’m here on a full ride, and I intend to make the most of my education. But a girl’s allowed to have a little fun, right? That’s how I find myself hooking up with the right guard of the Lake Chapel Crusaders at the first party of the school year. My plan for a casual fling is derailed a few days later when I unexpectedly run in to a couple of the guys outside of school. Now Decker Crusade thinks I saw something I shouldn’t have, and he’s decided the only way to control the narrative is to control me. There’s nowhere to run, considering Decker and his boys live in a lakeside mansion that can only be accessed by boat. Apparently, I live here now, too. They think they can keep me captive indefinitely, but there’s something about me they’ve sorely my will to finally live. TOO SAFE is the first book in the Boys of Lake Chapel series. It is a full-length why choose sports romance featuring darker themes and high heat.

Genres: Why Choose, Sports, Romance, Dark Romance, Sports Romance, College, Enemies To Lovers

315 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2023

About the author

Abby Millsaps is an author and storyteller who's been obsessed with writing romance since middle school. In eighth grade, she failed to qualify for the Power of the Pen State Championships because all her submissions contained the same theme: young people falling in love. #LookAtHerNow

She's best known for writing unapologetically angsty romance that causes emotional damage for her readers. Abby prides herself in writing authentic characters while weaving mental health, chronic illness, and neurodiverse representation into the fabric of her stories.

Abby met her husband at a house party the summer before her freshman year of college. He had a secret pizza stashed in the trunk of his car that he was saving for a midnight snack—how was she supposed to resist that level of golden retriever energy and preparedness? When Abby isn't writing, she's reading, traveling, and raising her three daughters.

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Reviews

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW AND OTHERS. can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

🌀 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 🌀 is the first full length why choose romance book in the 'Boys of Lake Chapel' series by new to me author Abby Millsaps. Multiple pov's

The cover, the synopsis and the fact that I've been seeing this jump onto my feeds, I had to oneclick!! And pretty much dived in straight away and didn't come up for air until that last page was closed. This was so easy to get into, making it a good solid 4 star unique, unputdownable read, I loved the storyline and enjoyed getting to know the characters.

Twenty-one year old Josephine is hoping that her full scholarship ride at Lake Chapel University is exactly the new start she's seeking. Other than her uncle who owns a scrap metal yard she knows no one else, yet.

Until she comes under the radar of the four hot footy players Decker is the brooding, scowling quarterback, the leader of the group. Kylian is the numbers guy an iPad-wielding nerd. Kendrick is the gruff, gorgeous jock who we don't really get to know, although he's the only one within the group who hasn't fallen on his knees for our heroine. And finally Locke, is the huge, tattooed emo boy, he's the first to come under our heroines spell.

She's not exactly settled into living under the roof of her uncle until in the dead of night she's whisked away (kidnapped) by these guys because they believe she saw something which could destroy their futures. With eyes on her wherever she goes she's to stay with them for the foreseeable future.

Her only escape is to gather whatever information she can on these guys, garner their trust and escape.

But things don't always go according to plan.

Really keen to jump onto the next book because I have no idea what that cliffy entailed.

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[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

”You’re okay, Josephine. You can go back to hating me in the morning, but tonight, I’ve got you.”

another reverse harem cause I’m very predictable. i don’t have much to say about this, the characters were.. fine. the only one i liked was Kylian— our resident nerdy, neurodivergent cinnamon roll. i didn’t mind Locke, Decker felt like a cardboard cutout of the “broody leader type” and i couldn’t stand Kendrick at all.. he needed to tone it down several notches cause the aggressive animosity was very unnecessary. the reasons for why Decker forces Jo to live with them on the island was stupid. it ended on a cliffhanger, but i can’t say im desperate to continue the series right now.

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earning the Crusade Scholarship at Lake Chapel University, Josephine Meyer has a fresh start. Soon, she catches the eye of Nicholas Lockewood, one of the school’s hottest football players.

When a misunderstanding puts the star quarterback on high alert, Joey’s life is turned upside down.

Whew! Too Safe was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it! Each of the guys is very different with distinct personalities and baggage. Getting to know each of them individually was appreciated as that can sometimes be lacking in a why choose.

Despite a lack of steam, I enjoyed the angst and buildup. With the surprising end to book one, I’m guessing Too Fast should have some action. I’m hoping we’ll get to know the aloof Kendrick better too.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🩶
Heat: 🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😊🥰😬🫤😳
Ending: 🧗🏻‍♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual Multiple Single}

Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre: Sports, Suspense

✨ Tropes: Billionaire/Rich AF, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Kidnap/Captive, Miscommunication, Neurodivergent Rep, Rich Boy/Poor Girl, Why Choose
💫 Microtropes: Alphahole, Athlete, Caveman Carry, College, Hand Necklace, One Bed, Pierced 🐓, Reformed Player, Tattooed MMC, Tracking/Spying

💋 Kinks: Daddy, Toys

⚠️ Warning: The angst in this slow-burn will edge you to the point of combustion!

🚩 Safety Squad: n/a

📣 Type: Too Safe is the first book in the Boys of Lake Chapel series and ends on a cliffhanger. This series must be read in order.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Neelakshi]

I'm sorry I just COULDN'T get myself to finish this😭

The heroine saying
Shit on a crumbly cracker. whenever things went south was my last straw really.

I might go back and give this a try again but not rn

[Johanna Pou · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kinda read like someone playing with dolls: you only have two hands so if there is a group of dolls in one scene, only two of them can be played at once. It happened a good number of times in this book. Male characters would just disappear in the background or just stand still while the MFC was talking to only one of them at a time (for example during their so called family dinner). It didn't feel organic at all and took me out of the story multiple times.

Kinda intrigued to see where this is going next.

[Main Energy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF AT 32%
Gross. I dislike door mat females. She says she's angry but doesn't do anything? They just pick her up and take her to their house? She just does what they say. Go to games/live in the house/ follow everywhere. Soooooo freaken annoying!

Perhaps it gets better? Maybe. I will never know.

[Carley Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

spelling killian as kylian is a tragedeigh.

do read if: you want something quick and easy

don't read if: you want a plot that's held together with more than shoestrings and bubblegum

[purlpur · Rating 2 out of 5]

це було перше і, на жаль, провальне знайомство з авторкою. книга мене просто вибісила. я дала їй шанс і все ж таки дочитала до кінця, але моя думка не змінилась.
протягом усього читання була одна емоція 🤦‍♀️

логіка поведінки персонажів та сюжет вийшли з чату. я не проти, коли історія вертиться навколо налагодження стосунків гг, але це не той випадок. тут недолуго описане все. почуття, або ні, потяг гг один до одного, його розвитку зовсім немає. авторка просто ставить перед фактом - от ваші 5 персонажів, вони не знайомі, але за замовчуванням по вуха один в одного 🫤

усі четверо хлопців та джо картонні персонажі. авторка ніби намагалась їх ускладнити, надавши їм фізичних хвороб, ментальних проблем та травматичного минулого, але забула це нормально прописати, щоб ми все відчули.

кліфхенгер в кінці виглядав просто як "meh і що з того" 🙂

2 зірки тільки за пару сцен з кіліаном 👌

[kay ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm seeing so many five-star reviews. I'm not sure if I was reading the same book as everyone else.

[Kseniia ✨️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Трохи не те, чого я очікувала. З тропів подумала, що це буде щось темне/сіре з ненавистю до кохання. Але це спокійна, мила книжка. Викрадення не вийшло, жгг без опору пішла до них жити😄

Персонажі:
Джозефіна. Зухвала майстриня на всі руки з таємним трагічним минулим. Вона здалася мені дивною і більшість часу я подумки називала її істеричкою. Але потім виявилось у неї є діагноз, тож можна пробачити її поведінку.
Деккер. Квотербек. Багатій. Головний в банді, бо його батько відомий футболіст. Поки не розкритий персонаж.
Локк. Захисник. Весь в татушках і пірсингу. При першій зустрічі з ним у героїні злітають труси. Спочатку думала він самовпевнений мачомен, але він м'який та поступливий, бігав за жгг наче цуцик)
Кіліан. Stats daddy and nerd🔥 Гарячий, розумний хлопчик в окулярах. Ну просто секс ходячий. А як він про неї турбувався під час шторму🥹
Кендрік. Нападник. Ненавидить Джої, бо вона може зруйнувати його кар'єру (на його думку). Поки не розкритий, його було мало.

Любовну лінію оцінити не можу, бо вона тільки формується. Гарему теж поки немає на горизонті. Поки що 2 чгг по вуха в неї, 1 під питанням і 1 типу ненавидить.
Є питання до швидкості стосунків. Окей, Джо хоче кожного відлюбити після крихти уваги, ну буває. Але вона їх ледве знає, а вже має "глибокий зв'язок" з ними. Іскру та хімію не побачила, просто в один момент всі хочуть друг друга трахнути. І періодично ображаються один на одного (переважно Джо, але і хлопці теж).

Плюси:
- Репрезентація хронічних хвороб. Тут у чгг ревматоїдний артрит, вовчак і ще у одного героя аутизм. Я таке ще не читала, було цікаво. Поки що поверхнево розкрито, але може далі цьому більше уваги буде.
- Кіліан. Він вивозить всю книгу. Але цього пиріжечка недостатньо, щоб спокусити мене читати продовження серії.
- Тут було декілька сцен 18+. Досить непогано. Особливо ботанік з брудними розмовами і кінком на похвалу🔥

Мінуси:
- Стиль написання не дуже сподобався. Було важко вчитатися. Написано посередньо. Короткі розділи, я звикла до більших. До речі з 49 розділів лише 7 від лиця хлопців, обділили їх☹️
- Сюжет. Його немає. Це character-driven книга, яка тримається на почуттях, думках та розвитку персонажів. І такі книги теж бувають класні, але
- У мене не стався зв'язок з персонажами. Жгг не зацікавила. А хлопці всі наче одна людина, але з різною зовнішністю. Вся книга тримається на персонажах, але нам їх майже не розкрили і розвитку нуль.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing is a bit too fast, I would have liked the tension between her and the boys drawn out more, but the cliffhanger does have me intrigued enough to continue

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did this a little backwards and started with Abby's South Chapel series first, but I absolutely had to go back and read Joey's story. Her guys are definitely a little infuriating, especially Decker and Kendrick, but I'm already hooked and needing more of them. Locke and Joey hit it off first at a party, but that is soon derailed once she is forced into living with the boys. She soon finds comfort and a sense of safety with Kylian, who is just adorable. Slowly but surely she also starts building something with Decker, despite her early hated for him. I'm curious to see where Kendrick will fit in and I'm impatiently waiting to find out more about Joey's past. Off to book two now and thankful I don't have to wait since of course there was a cliffhanger!

[Megan&Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐? 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍. 𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢? 𝙿𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 ☺️
𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗!

Rating: ★★★★★
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pages:334
Format: Kindle

𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 (𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲) 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝟐𝟏 and she’s just trying to survive in life. She only has herself to rely on. She has a tragic past but we don’t know the whole story yet. You can tell she’s been through a lot, she has conversion disorder and we kinda get little snippets on what triggers it and how she handles it throughout the story. I love Joey! Even though she’s had bad things happen to her I absolutely love her feisty attitude.

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 out to her to offer her a place to stay but she’s always declined until now. She wants more for her life so she applies for a scholarship to Lake Chapel University and moves in with her uncle. On her very first day she runs into the most popular guys at the University…who happen to be on the football team. 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 who’s QB1 (has pro bowler dad so the pressure is high)..𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 (Running back who also has Lupus) 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞 (tackle and has RA) and 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 (who basically runs the team, he calls the plays to the coach’s... he’s a tech genius and is also autistic).

𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 and they instantly clicked as friends. She basically takes Joey under her wing and shows her around. Joeys never really had a friend before so this was a huge deal for her. We meet Hunters step-brother Greedy who goes to the Rival school of Lake Chapel and I felt like something was off with him but I couldn’t quite figure it out. He was a jerk but I wondered if he was going to play a bigger part in the story. So I definitely kept him in the back of my mind.
Hunter and Joey go to the party at Deckers lake house and that’s where she sees Locke again and there’s this instant attraction since she saw him her first day and do we get to see them explore that attraction a little ? Sure do. We get a really good teaser of what’s to come and I was all in.

𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 and one day she hears the boys come in and she sees the boys hand one of the doctors something but doesn’t think much about it, she thinks Locke is there to see her but when she goes to confront them to say hi…Kendrick is MAD that she’s there. They wanna know why she’s there, they think she’s suspicious and she has NO idea where the accusations are coming from. Locke doesn’t even know what to say when Kendrick and Decker are giving her the 3rd degree. So Joey tells Locke to never call her again and she thinks that’s the last time she will hear from any of them…..𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 and bring her back to Deckers lake house and tells her she will be living there for the football season. She has no idea what is going on but they think she knows something about what she saw at the spa sooooo they decide that they’re gonna keep her under their watch.

𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 with the boys. She definitely didn’t cower to them and gave them attitude right back. The bad thing is she knows how attractive they all are and can’t help herself checking them out….but is that a bad thing? There was angst…there was tension…. And ohhhh man the spice was SPICY and I loved EVERY single moment. I definitely had to set my kindle down quite a few times to just take a breath. These men have dirty mouths and I’m here for it.

"𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂, 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻. 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓹 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓻𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓴. 𝓝𝓸 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓤𝓷𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰."

𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐚 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 the mental health in this book which I absolutely loved. I loved getting to know each of the guys and Joey and seeing life through their eyes. It’s definitely not easy for them. Some are in pain all the time and some think they’re a freak cause of their disability but Joey reassures them in every way she can that there’s nothing wrong with them and she cares for them. She’s still trying to overcome her fears, she doesn’t want to be alone.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐲𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 everything was going great until she gets kidnapped. By who? That you will definitely have to read to find out.

I can’t wait to jump into book 2! Which I will be doing right after this review 🖤

𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚕 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 😏

[nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, fast paced and enjoyable read with low drama. I'll admit, I despised Kendrick (still do) and Decker. But I eventually warmed up to the latter towards the end. Kylian was great and so sweet. Locke's my fave tho ngl (gotta love a man who's devoted and knows what he wants!). Looking forward to reading the next book and hopefully, Kendrick working his ass off for Joey's forgiveness and not being a grade A asshole (tbh he's giving major red pill incel vibes lolz💀)

safety squad:
- no major OW drama (Decker has OW on his lap in the first 40% or so, OW is seen coming out of a room saying that one of the H's wanted to go to bed and basically told her to go - h thinks the OW's coming from Kylian's room but I think it's a typo because she's near Kendrick's room and also because Kylian was into Joey by that point, another OW was sitting on Kendrick's lap at around the 75% mark and they head over to the hot tub, Decker's PR agent is into him but he's professional with her. No real info about whether or not two of the Hs hooked up with OW but I'm gonna assume not)
- no OM drama
- RH
- slowburn
- no virgins, no mentions of manwhores
- cliffhanger

[Shanna Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Why Choose
• College romance
• Sports romance (football)
• Neurodivergent MMC
• FMC who struggles with panic attacks
• Past trauma
• Autoimmune disease rep
• Daddy k*nk
• Found family
• Kidnapping

🎧Audiobook review🎧
Dual narration
Performed by June DeBorahae, Vincent Skye, and Ace Bentley

This review will be fairly short only because I am feral to start the next book in this series! But I have loved this first book so much. Watching Joey's attraction grow for all of these guys had me hooked! I'm so curious about so many things, but Abby did an incredible job with the way she opened this series, giving us just enough information about each character. Kendrick has me very on the fence, and I'm eager to learn more about him. HOWEVER, sweet baby Kylian stole my heart instantly. I am always down bad for a nerdy, neurodivergent MMC. But a dominant, daddyyyyy, nerdy, neurodivergent MMC!!! HOT. So, so hot. Abby also did an incredible job with the pace of Locke's relationship with Joey, and his tattooed self had me absolutely swooning! Similar to Kendrick, Decker has had me on the fence, but the ending of this book absolutely sold me on his feelings for Joey. Him calling her “my girl”!! I melted!!!

These three narrators have done an incredible job bringing this book to life! I have absolutely loved June’s performance as Joey. It's spunky and full of all the emotion Joey deserves. And the way the guys’ voices were brought to life by Vincent and Ace? Absolute perfection. This whole audiobook was so well done and perfectly cast. And if this is how Abby is starting the series, I know I'm about to be feral for every single book… including the other series.

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 5 out of 5]

This BOOK has me on a chokehold!! Why choose romance fans grab a copy of this NOW 👀 this is a spicy sports college romance with the FORCED PROXIMITY trope (kidnapping)😈, one-bed and hate-to-love!

Josephine needs a new beginning, and going to university somewhere new while staying with her uncle seems like a good way to get a fresh start. Everything was going well until she witnesses a dark secret that the star football players of the famous Crusaders must keep at all costs 👀 the 4 hot football players decide to kidnap her and force her to live with them to guarantee she stays in line..

This book is PERFECT for fans of Devils Night series by Penelope Douglas! 🥵 I’m absolutely obsessed! The dynamic between Josephine and each of the 4 players is filled with tension and angst. Each one of the guys is so unique… Kylian was a whole new level of unexpected!🔥 the writing is hot and had me smiling from ear to ear with excitement 😈

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too Safe is a why choose, sports romance that is described as giving a “Beauty and the Beast & Friday Night Lights mashup” vibe! And this was honestly just so entertaining and steamy! It moves quickly but I was immediately invested in Josephine, Decker, Locke, Kylian, and Kendrick. When Decker doesn’t trust exactly what Josephine accidentally witnesses, he kidnaps her and moves her into the house with him and his 3 best friends. I liked seeing how badass Josephine is and her relationships being so different with each of the heroes, we get all the POVs and everyone stood out.

“I’m playing a game I’ve never played before. If they ask me to choose, I don’t know what’ll become of me. I’m too attached.”

✨college sports romance (football heroes)
✨why choose (1 heroine, 4 heroes)
✨found family vibes
✨heroine is looking for a fresh start at life and gets a scholarship for the college
✨heroes move her in with them at their lakefront mansion on a private isle
✨1 hero is neurodivergent (autism), 1 hero has rheumatoid arthritis, 1 hero has lupus (in remission), heroine has panic attacks
✨multiple POVs
✨believable chemistry between all the characters
✨ends on a cliffhanger!

“There’s a bond between the four of us that’s always been unshakable.
Until now.
Until her.”

Thank you so much to the author for an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own! Too Safe has a pub date of July 21, 2023.

CW: on-page panic attacks, mentions of past abuse, mentions of past sexual assault, death of a parent

[Tiffani · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BOYS OF LAKE CHAPEL ENTIRE SERIES

Rating: Would 1000% fake my identity for these boys 🖤
Spice Level: Group chat-worthy. Group scene-worthy. 🔥
Emotional state: wrecked but hot about it🥵

TROPES I DEVOURED
🖤Why Choose
🏈College jocks with issues (my kryptonite)
🖤Protect her or perish
🏈Touch her and you’ll regret it
🖤Boat mansion only accessible by water?? Yes pls
🏈Hidden pasts, loud chemistry
🖤Soft nerd, bossy QB, tattooed chaos, golden retriever with a dark side
🏈Mental health + neurodivergent rep done right
🖤Found family but hotter
🏈Big hurt = BIGGER comfort
🖤”Oh no, there’s only one bed” but it’s a mansion with 10 rooms

My Thoughts 🥰
This series came for my soul and absolutely railed it. Joey is THAT girl—scrappy, clever, and suddenly living in a lakeside boy mansion like it’s totally normal. Each guy peeled back a layer of her and themselves, and the way they all collided emotionally and physically? I will never be the same.

Kylian broke me. Locke unhinged me. Kendrick made me blush. Decker made me scream. And together?? Chaos. Beautiful, spicy, emotionally charged chaos.

By book three, I was laughing, crying, and possibly drooling all at once. The love they build? Feral. The lengths they go to protect her? Criminal. And that one snack line scene?? CHOKED.

If you love high-stakes romance, messy healing, and boys who act like bodyguards with benefits, read this series and join me in the emotional lake house.
I’ll bring the tissues. And the fan. 🖤🥰

[Wyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first 5 star read of the year!! Y’all that cliffhanger 😭 starting the second book immediately. Also Kylian 🫶🫶

[Lia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where the heck was the plot? I can overlook the lack of it, but when it’s coupled with the most boring spice ever I just am at a loss. Not once, but twice does our FMC get closer to these dudes by happening to wake up in bed curled up on them.

There’s so many names and nicknames in this book I’m going cross eyed trying to keep everyone straight. It doesn’t help that the two female characters we see most have traditionally masculine names. And at one point in conversation the phrase “no cap” was uttered but I don’t know if they’re talking about the character “Cap” or what.

Speaking of phrases, I never want to see “shit on a crumbly cracker” ever again.

I didn’t get how this chick is basically kidnapped and then they’re all YOURE SO MANIPULATIVE DIGGING YOUR CLAWS IN. Like babes, you … did this???

It’s hard to explain but some points in this book didn’t feel like they were researched at all? It’s not that deep, but just the vibe I got.

Lastly, maybe this is me being a hater, but the way the “Emo Boy” is written feels like it’s just a normie’s idea of what an alternative dude is like.

I gave it two stars because it’s easy enough to fly through in a day. Also Kylian was the only redeeming character.

[Oksana OM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Загальна ідея цікава, хлопці різні і це прекрасно. Але перша книга це розкачка перед наступною і цей кліфхенгер просто жахливе знущання над читачами. Мені цікаво, що буде далі, але через те, що авторка сильно затягла з цими стосунками я не хочу продовжувати😩

[Kaity]

Audio: 4 stars for June deBorahee and 3 for the other two guy narrators idk which one was talking for the two guy pov chapters I read.

Book: DNF @57%

To quote Joey, “Shit on a crumbly cracker”. (Which after the first time I read that I am just as annoyed with that saying as I was writing it).

This is probably the 5th book I have dnf’ed and I not trying to count them towards my reading goal in Goodreads, but I do read almost 150-200 pages in each of those books so I should have put them towards my count haha!

Either way this book was whiplash personified, Joey is trying to stand up for herself with these 4 boys and then in a blink of an eye she is lusting after them and hooking up with 2 so far. It’s like where is your backbone girl?!

I stopped caring and don’t wish to read more of these stupid decisions. Am I curious about Joey’s past? Yes. Is it worth it to continue? No.

I am really hoping the next book gets me out of this slump because it’s hitting hard. I normally don’t DNF this many books in a row.

[Olivia ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

★3.5/5! KYLIAN IS SO FUCKING CUTE UGH MY LITTLE CUTIE PIE! just want to put him in my pocket to keep him safe forever. my filthy mouth nerdy lil munchkin!


“She’s been my rock for hours. Calm and steady. Comforting and kind.”

this book is so addictive! i like every single person pin this book, shocking since i normally hate atleast one. LOVEEE THE MAIN CHARACTERS SO MUCH! i need to find out about all their pasts, i can already tell ill need tissues.

[Andi Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5🌟

The ending?! 🤯 immediately starting book 2!

[tane'a · Rating 4 out of 5]

hold onnn, yall might’ve got me, let me tune into the next book

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️

[Krystal - nerdy_book_lover_1987 · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤ Why Choose
🖤 Sports Romance
❤️ Mystery Elements
🖤 Multiple Pov's

Holy shit!! What did I just read?!? This.... oh my word!! I loved the why choose aspect, with a touch of reverse harem! I love that this is a football romance following four members of the football team!!! I have no idea which one is my favorite!! I liked them all!! And that ending!!! Talk about a wild cliffhanger!

[Lauralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m invested and here for it.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to expect:
🦋 College football romance
🦋 Reverse harem
🦋 Forced proximity
🦋 Light Enemies to Lovers
🦋 Past Trauma
🦋 Anxiety & Societal Pressure
🦋 Secrets
🦋 Autism Representation
🦋 Autoimmune Disease Representation
🦋 Meantal Health & Disorders

Hero(s) rating: 3 ⭐️
Heroine rating: 4 ⭐️
S£xual tension rating: 4 ⭐️
S£x scenes rating: 3 ⭐️
S£x scenes frequency: 2 ⭐️
Plot rating: 4⭐️
*******************************
Overall rating: 4 ⭐️

Smut Included:
🖤 Toys
🖤 Public Play
🖤 🐓 Piercing
🖤 Lots of 🐱 Appreciation 💦

Okay, now that that’s out of the way 🤣

The tropes used to advertise this book made me pick it up immediatly! I mean “only one bed” & “kidnapping” = Sign Me UP!😌

If you prefer a more plot heavy reverse harem that builds up to the spice, this is for you 🔥👏🏻

I won’t lie, the first 50% of the book is building up the entire story. I was able to stick with it because something was always happening, it was never boring! But I definitely wish it had picked up a little faster. 🧐

Once I got past that mark, this story shot off like a rocket and then left me really upset that I didn’t immediately have the rest of the series in my hands! 😩👏🏻🚀

This is the first book I’ve read that had autoimmune disease representation. As someone with Crohn’s, reading how a character has similar experiences and even eating the same diet as me?? Let’s just say it’s super cool & I felt really seen 🥹🥹 So far it’s being depicted very well & I nosily wonder if the author has an AID herself considering how well it’s portrayed.

By the last 20% of the book I was completely hooked and immediately needed to know what was going to happen next. The super possessive alpha-hole vibes are my kryptonite 🔥 this isn’t a particularly spicy book since the author spent a lot of time setting the scene and building the relationships, but I can see my spice rating going up & up with each book if my predications are correct.

Kylian is a hottie and my current fav 🥵😍

I’m excited to read book 2 & have already signed up for the ARC (fingers crossed).

🦋ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. As always, read responsibly and check Trigger Warnings🦋

Happy reading sweet friends🔥

[Vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to be honest, I had low expectations for this book. Kindle recommended it to me after I read a RH, which was so bad and so I was a little biased.

My preconceptions were a load of s**t, because this book is soo so good. I was a bit confused when she caught them at her work at the start, I thought they might have been undercover cops. They in fact were not. But despite how crazy it sounds I kinda understood why they kidnapped her. Their careers are everything to them and they couldn’t risk it.

The chemistry was so natural, it never felt forced and I love the moment when she’s confronting Kylian about being hot and cold … great scene. I really loved Kylians character, from the start I knew he was probably autistic from his sensitivity to noise and his social skills, but it never needed to be made into a big deal at the start of the book. It was just apart of you he is and those additional traits is what she really liked about him. I really like all the boys, I mean Kendrick is a dick - but they can’t all be great.

Massively, definitely, incredibly upset that book 2 isn’t out yet (I will not cry). I should have check before I started reading this book, but now I will just be pining after this book, until it’s released.