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More Than A Feeling
Decker Brooks is hockey’s bad boy, and he’s about to spend his summer in the penalty box.
When his off-ice antics lead to on-ice trouble, The Chicago Grinders give Decker Brooks an ultimatum: stay out of trouble in the off-season or he’s off the team. So he decides to spend the summer in his tiny hometown, laying low and hanging with his childhood best friend Archer, who left the NHL after a career-ending injury. Cardinal Springs, Indiana is so boring that not even Decker Brooks can get in trouble there.
But then one bar fight and a community service sentence turn his summer—and his hockey career—upside down.
Grace has always hated her big brother’s best friend. Decker was a menace when she was a kid, and if the tabloids are to be believed, he’s a menace now. Unfortunately, he’s the menace who’s just been assigned to complete his community service at the library where Grace runs the children’s programming. And Grace, who is spending her summer trying to save the library from budget cuts, does not have time to wrangle a playboy jock who can’t keep his hands to himself.
It doesn’t take long for their reluctant partnership to turn into a no-strings-attached fling. But as the summer heats up, it’s getting harder to keep their growing feelings on ice. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking down on their relationship, and Grace and Decker will have to decide what—and who—matters most.
When his off-ice antics lead to on-ice trouble, The Chicago Grinders give Decker Brooks an ultimatum: stay out of trouble in the off-season or he’s off the team. So he decides to spend the summer in his tiny hometown, laying low and hanging with his childhood best friend Archer, who left the NHL after a career-ending injury. Cardinal Springs, Indiana is so boring that not even Decker Brooks can get in trouble there.
But then one bar fight and a community service sentence turn his summer—and his hockey career—upside down.
Grace has always hated her big brother’s best friend. Decker was a menace when she was a kid, and if the tabloids are to be believed, he’s a menace now. Unfortunately, he’s the menace who’s just been assigned to complete his community service at the library where Grace runs the children’s programming. And Grace, who is spending her summer trying to save the library from budget cuts, does not have time to wrangle a playboy jock who can’t keep his hands to himself.
It doesn’t take long for their reluctant partnership to turn into a no-strings-attached fling. But as the summer heats up, it’s getting harder to keep their growing feelings on ice. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking down on their relationship, and Grace and Decker will have to decide what—and who—matters most.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2024
78 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Morrill
18 books1,061 followersLauren Morrill is the author of spicy adult and sweet YA romance, including Sister of the Bride, Meant to Be (Delacorte) and It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). She loves all things romantic comedy and specializes in kissing books. Lauren lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, Adam Ragusea, and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
January 21, 2024
I am completely obsessed with this book. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the author, and breezed through it during two snow days.
I am so enamored with this town, and so desperately hope that we will be returning in future books! Lauren did such a wonderful job making all of the background characters lovable and well rounded. I would be especially interested in the romance of the father!
I don’t know which of our MC’s I loved the most, they both had so many positive attributes for me. Grace was a very tangible woman, she felt like so many of my close friends that I care deeply for. Decker, meanwhile, had a natural charm that paired so well with his bad boy persona. I was rooting for these two from the moment he started calling her a nickname.
The romance was so natural and well written, and with spice to match! One page I would be giggling and kicking my feet, only to be blushing and jaw-dropped the next.
This will be my go to recommendation from now on when people ask for a hockey romance!! Hands down this is the best one I have read yet!
I am so enamored with this town, and so desperately hope that we will be returning in future books! Lauren did such a wonderful job making all of the background characters lovable and well rounded. I would be especially interested in the romance of the father!
I don’t know which of our MC’s I loved the most, they both had so many positive attributes for me. Grace was a very tangible woman, she felt like so many of my close friends that I care deeply for. Decker, meanwhile, had a natural charm that paired so well with his bad boy persona. I was rooting for these two from the moment he started calling her a nickname.
The romance was so natural and well written, and with spice to match! One page I would be giggling and kicking my feet, only to be blushing and jaw-dropped the next.
This will be my go to recommendation from now on when people ask for a hockey romance!! Hands down this is the best one I have read yet!
March 28, 2024
I think this book was made for me. Grace has all the same ambitions as me AND she gets the hot hockey player.
I love this book because it has all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, only one bed, small town romance.
This is also the first book that I've read that is set after the pandemic and actually adresses it, and it didn't feel cringe reading about modern things. Because that usually happens to me.
I can't wait to read more about the Cardinal Springs people, because Carson deserves a good man and not those dating sites douchebags.
Thank you Lauren Morril for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.
I love this book because it has all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, only one bed, small town romance.
This is also the first book that I've read that is set after the pandemic and actually adresses it, and it didn't feel cringe reading about modern things. Because that usually happens to me.
I can't wait to read more about the Cardinal Springs people, because Carson deserves a good man and not those dating sites douchebags.
Thank you Lauren Morril for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.
November 3, 2025
As someone who personally loves when people call me underrated — LAUREN MORRILL IS UNDERRATED!!! What are you waiting for?? This book combines the best of both worlds for small town and sports romance, and the end product is a total delight.
February 9, 2024
~I was able to read an ARC for this book~
Love a small town romance: hockey bad boy, brothers best friend, FMC that LOVES books, lots of Taylor Swift references I mean what more could I want
I will say the beginning definitely started off slow but once it picked up I really enjoyed it! And there were some really funny one liners that made me giggle to myself
This is the first in a series and I’m interested to see who the rest of the books will be about
February 13, 2024
I absolutely ADORED this small town hockey romance, which kicks off a brand new series from Lauren Morrill. NHL star Decker is in a heap of trouble, so he's shunned back to his small Indiana hometown for the summer to lay low and lick his wounds. It's there he runs into Gracie, his best friend's sister, who is now all grown up and is all sorts of temptation. Throw in some forced proximity and things heat up quickly between the pair.
I loved Gracie and how big her heart was. She wants to take care of her family, but she also wants to help save the library that has given her so much in her life. Seeing her go for her dreams of opening a bookstore was a treat.
Decker was such a great hero. There is more to him than what meets the eye and I loved being able to peel back the layers as the book progresses. He's grappling with the end of his hockey career, while also navigating a strained relationship with his parents. My heart broke for him so many times.
Together, Decker and Gracie help each other grow and push the other to face their fears. I loved how Decker was so fiercely protective of Gracie and would do anything for her. There was lots of good character development, which only added to my love for this book. The book is on the longer side (405 pages), but reads quickly.
MORE THAN A FEELING gives you...
• Age gap
• Brother’s best friend
• Forced proximity
• Enemies to lovers
• He falls first
• Hockey romance
I loved this book so much and I cannot wait to see where this series goes next! If you like hockey romance or small town romance, this one's for you. A huge thanks to the author for the advanced copy of her book.
I loved Gracie and how big her heart was. She wants to take care of her family, but she also wants to help save the library that has given her so much in her life. Seeing her go for her dreams of opening a bookstore was a treat.
Decker was such a great hero. There is more to him than what meets the eye and I loved being able to peel back the layers as the book progresses. He's grappling with the end of his hockey career, while also navigating a strained relationship with his parents. My heart broke for him so many times.
Together, Decker and Gracie help each other grow and push the other to face their fears. I loved how Decker was so fiercely protective of Gracie and would do anything for her. There was lots of good character development, which only added to my love for this book. The book is on the longer side (405 pages), but reads quickly.
MORE THAN A FEELING gives you...
• Age gap
• Brother’s best friend
• Forced proximity
• Enemies to lovers
• He falls first
• Hockey romance
I loved this book so much and I cannot wait to see where this series goes next! If you like hockey romance or small town romance, this one's for you. A huge thanks to the author for the advanced copy of her book.
February 5, 2024
I cannot stop raving about this book and it's annoying the hell out of me. I am annoyed at how much I love it. I am annoyed at how much I cried during it. I am annoyed at how much I laughed. And I hate how much money I am going to spend buying copies for people I like as I shove this down their throats.
This is everything you want a small town romance to be.
It has a spunky librarian who wants to open a bookstore and decides to torture her nemesis by making him read to toddlers during Storytime.
It has a professional hockey player who is a bad boy but also blushes when a little old lady starts talking to him about the virtues of why-choose romances.
It has small town shenanigans without being overly cheesy (A FEAT!).
Yes, the cover is an eye-roll and I wish it were different. But the contents, OH MOMMA!
READ THIS BOOK.
This is everything you want a small town romance to be.
It has a spunky librarian who wants to open a bookstore and decides to torture her nemesis by making him read to toddlers during Storytime.
It has a professional hockey player who is a bad boy but also blushes when a little old lady starts talking to him about the virtues of why-choose romances.
It has small town shenanigans without being overly cheesy (A FEAT!).
Yes, the cover is an eye-roll and I wish it were different. But the contents, OH MOMMA!
READ THIS BOOK.
January 27, 2024
This book is HOTTIE HOT MCHOT HOT and I loved every minute of it. The hockey, the underwear prints, the IKEA furniture, just all of the little thoughtful details made me squeal with joy. Decker isn't necessarily a bad boy, though his reputation would beg to differ, but he's certainly more risqué than budding librarian Grace. The brother's best friend + baby sister combo is absolute fire - it feels just the right amount of forbidden as a romance (though they're not subtle about it at ALL). My Kindle edition is covered in highlights, and god you're gonna want a man like Decker Brooks. A man who reads all of your favorite books and then ANNOTATES THEM (and not only that, he does it like you do it so he can reread all of your favorite parts). Lauren Morrill absolutely *nails* the characterization of a romance reader in Grace and then proceeds to nail her multiple times courtesy of Decker. EYYO! (The laundry room?? DEAR GOD)
I cannot WAIT for Dan's book and hope that y'all love this series as much as I do so that we get all 5 brothers!! (Also Hazel and Felix is the ship I'll die on soooooooo)
*Thank you to Lauren for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review*
I cannot WAIT for Dan's book and hope that y'all love this series as much as I do so that we get all 5 brothers!! (Also Hazel and Felix is the ship I'll die on soooooooo)
*Thank you to Lauren for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review*
March 2, 2024
I absolutely loved everything about this book! It was funny, steamy, and an utter horny delight! I can't wait for Wyatt's book!!! Lauren Morrill has turned me into a life long fan!!!
August 10, 2024
who needs to read books for ur diss when u could be reading small-town-brother's-best-friend-age-gap-hockey-romance at 3am?
June 4, 2025
לא יודעת איך להסביר את החיבוק שהספר הזה נתן לי
הוא היה כיפי, מצחיק, מנחם, לוהטטטטטט
אני צריכה דקר ברוקס משלי, אני רוצה לחיות בתוך הספר הזה🥹
מחכה בקוצר רוח לספר השני הזמנתי מראש גם את האודיו של שני הספרים🥰🥰🥰
הוא היה כיפי, מצחיק, מנחם, לוהטטטטטט
אני צריכה דקר ברוקס משלי, אני רוצה לחיות בתוך הספר הזה🥹
מחכה בקוצר רוח לספר השני הזמנתי מראש גם את האודיו של שני הספרים🥰🥰🥰
March 30, 2025
Really engaging, super fun, I loved the whole McBride crew! Decker and Grace were so perfect and the small town setting was great!
February 14, 2024
I don’t know what it is about hockey romances, but I will forever be in my hockey romance era✨
Happy pub week More Than A Feeling! A friend suggested to the author that I would be the perfect reader for this book, and man was she right! I feel like pretty soon here I’m not going to be able to say I don’t like reformed playboy books, because I LOVED Decker🥺
Read this book if you like:
🏒hockey
📚enemies-to-lovers
🏒brother’s best friend
📚forced proximity
🏒age gap
📚only one bed
But really, read this book! It’s out now. Decker is such a great MMC and encourages Grace to be herself. He falls first and he falls HARD! And let’s not leave out Grace. I loved her character and how much she tried to show Decker who he really is.
Thank you to the author for an early copy. All opinions are my own.
Happy pub week More Than A Feeling! A friend suggested to the author that I would be the perfect reader for this book, and man was she right! I feel like pretty soon here I’m not going to be able to say I don’t like reformed playboy books, because I LOVED Decker🥺
Read this book if you like:
🏒hockey
📚enemies-to-lovers
🏒brother’s best friend
📚forced proximity
🏒age gap
📚only one bed
But really, read this book! It’s out now. Decker is such a great MMC and encourages Grace to be herself. He falls first and he falls HARD! And let’s not leave out Grace. I loved her character and how much she tried to show Decker who he really is.
Thank you to the author for an early copy. All opinions are my own.
July 29, 2025
Brother's best friend ✔️
Hockey romance ✔️
Small town romance ✔️
One bed ✔️
Forced proximity ✔️
Found family ✔️
Forbidden romance ✔️
🌶🌶/5
It was an absolute pleasure! This was my initial choice for my vacation, and it turned out to be ideal. I found myself laughing out loud frequently. Grace aspires to open a bookstore. Decker, a professional hockey player, regrettably, has a less-than-stellar reputation. He happens to be her brother's closest friend. Initially, she cannot stand him. The connection between them was beautifully developed, leading to a captivating and engaging romance. I simply could not put it down. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Hockey romance ✔️
Small town romance ✔️
One bed ✔️
Forced proximity ✔️
Found family ✔️
Forbidden romance ✔️
🌶🌶/5
It was an absolute pleasure! This was my initial choice for my vacation, and it turned out to be ideal. I found myself laughing out loud frequently. Grace aspires to open a bookstore. Decker, a professional hockey player, regrettably, has a less-than-stellar reputation. He happens to be her brother's closest friend. Initially, she cannot stand him. The connection between them was beautifully developed, leading to a captivating and engaging romance. I simply could not put it down. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
February 23, 2024
4.5 stars!
Indiana-based hockey/book lover romance! I totally want to be Lauren Morrill’s friend though I just stalk her on IG 😆 But after following her process of writing this book, I had to buy it ASAP!
I really enjoyed all the cheeky romance trope references and the MCs had great banter. I appreciated how open they were with one another and had an emotionally mature relationship. I was totally invested in Decker and Grace and am ready for more of the Cardinal Springs series.
Indiana-based hockey/book lover romance! I totally want to be Lauren Morrill’s friend though I just stalk her on IG 😆 But after following her process of writing this book, I had to buy it ASAP!
I really enjoyed all the cheeky romance trope references and the MCs had great banter. I appreciated how open they were with one another and had an emotionally mature relationship. I was totally invested in Decker and Grace and am ready for more of the Cardinal Springs series.
January 30, 2024
fuck that was perfection
✨full review to come once my tears dry up and my heart beat slows back down✨
✨full review to come once my tears dry up and my heart beat slows back down✨
March 3, 2024
Truly a gem! Why aren't more people talking about this book?
It did start out a teeeeeny bit slow, but once it picked up, it flew by! The last 10% or so bought on tears more than once. The tension, the talk, the character growth, the spice -- it was incredible!
Thank you Lauren for bringing this story to life.
It did start out a teeeeeny bit slow, but once it picked up, it flew by! The last 10% or so bought on tears more than once. The tension, the talk, the character growth, the spice -- it was incredible!
Thank you Lauren for bringing this story to life.
March 20, 2024
okay, I loved it and now I just have to figure it out how I can find for myself a real life Decker Brooks
June 15, 2024
I really liked this, but wow, this cover is terrible.
Read
January 2, 2026Scratched the itch I had. Not great, but it was what I wanted at the moment.
December 28, 2025
Great book! Decker and Grace are so good together!!! Love the best friend’s little sister trope!!
February 20, 2024
Such a great read! The buildup and tension is A+ and I can’t wait for more books in this series!
March 16, 2024
Exactly the book I needed right now.
January 29, 2024
MORE THAN A FEELING was my first read by this new-to-me author and it had a lot of good parts. I love a good F*ckboy Finds Love romance and add the small town librarian to the mix (along with lots of book stacks make-outs) and there was a ton to like about this story.
The first half of this book read quite slow to me. Once I got to 50% it started to really flow and have a better pace. There was major storyline about the female main character's ex being a serial cheater (which is fine by me as a reader), but there was also very brief mention of that same ex being physically abusive. This felt really unnecessary. It never came up in the story again-so it felt like an added insurance that the reader knows he's not just bad, but REALLY bad.
Decker and Grace had good chemistry throughout the book. And the slow burn is perfect as it builds. Totally done well.
I read an ARC of this book so I am not sure if this will remain the same at the time of publishing (because I did mention it to the author), but there is a very pivotal scene in which the FMC tells the MMC that she had a vanilla sex life with her ex and that he never dirty-talked. They have an entire discussion about how she wants to experience dirty talk. Tessa Bailey books even get brought into this chat. Then the author finally gets these two in bed and there's.....NO dirty talk. Not even one sentence. Nada. Talk about setting my horny self up for disappointment.
MORE THAN A FEELING was good opposites attract, brother's best friend story that I recommend...especially if the author takes my advice and adds some filthy prose to those sex scenes.
𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: cheating ex, brief mention of past domestic violence
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.
👇🏻𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘👇🏻
INSTAGRAM
The first half of this book read quite slow to me. Once I got to 50% it started to really flow and have a better pace. There was major storyline about the female main character's ex being a serial cheater (which is fine by me as a reader), but there was also very brief mention of that same ex being physically abusive. This felt really unnecessary. It never came up in the story again-so it felt like an added insurance that the reader knows he's not just bad, but REALLY bad.
Decker and Grace had good chemistry throughout the book. And the slow burn is perfect as it builds. Totally done well.
I read an ARC of this book so I am not sure if this will remain the same at the time of publishing (because I did mention it to the author), but there is a very pivotal scene in which the FMC tells the MMC that she had a vanilla sex life with her ex and that he never dirty-talked. They have an entire discussion about how she wants to experience dirty talk. Tessa Bailey books even get brought into this chat. Then the author finally gets these two in bed and there's.....NO dirty talk. Not even one sentence. Nada. Talk about setting my horny self up for disappointment.
MORE THAN A FEELING was good opposites attract, brother's best friend story that I recommend...especially if the author takes my advice and adds some filthy prose to those sex scenes.
𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: cheating ex, brief mention of past domestic violence
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.
👇🏻𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘👇🏻
March 5, 2024
I was very excited to read this author. But quickly disappointed to find typos in every chapter. That mixed with a big vocabulary for silly things, put a damper on this book for me. At least the story was cute!
January 1, 2026
This book deserves more hype! It has all the good tropes: brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, one bed, but it manages these without being cheesy? Like, sometimes books feel like they are just ticking off checkboxes, but this was done incredibly well!
The two main characters, Decker (bad boy/reformed) and Grace (only girl w/ four older brothers, and dreamer bookshop owner) were fairly relatable, and had very grounded personalities. Both their individual journeys and growth were handled with care both as individuals, and as two characters falling in love.
I cannot wait for the rest of the series as even the secondary characters provided depth to rounding out the book. I picked this up on a whim at a local romance bookshop, and it’s for sure a winner!
The two main characters, Decker (bad boy/reformed) and Grace (only girl w/ four older brothers, and dreamer bookshop owner) were fairly relatable, and had very grounded personalities. Both their individual journeys and growth were handled with care both as individuals, and as two characters falling in love.
I cannot wait for the rest of the series as even the secondary characters provided depth to rounding out the book. I picked this up on a whim at a local romance bookshop, and it’s for sure a winner!
December 16, 2024
brother’s best friend / hockey star
This was a great read. My first by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books, including more in this series. I’m especially interested in Dan’s story. One thing I especially appreciated about the storytelling was that the FMC has some lifetime issues with her family. (I’m intentionally being vague to avoid spoilers.) The MMC empowers her to address the issues herself, and that happens gradually. It felt authentic. The book is still fiction and has all the romantic tropes you want, but it was written in a way that felt like HEA is achievable.
This was a great read. My first by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books, including more in this series. I’m especially interested in Dan’s story. One thing I especially appreciated about the storytelling was that the FMC has some lifetime issues with her family. (I’m intentionally being vague to avoid spoilers.) The MMC empowers her to address the issues herself, and that happens gradually. It felt authentic. The book is still fiction and has all the romantic tropes you want, but it was written in a way that felt like HEA is achievable.
March 23, 2024
Spicy: R
Perfect if you like:
Enemies to Lovers
Brother’s best friend
Small town romance
Hockey players
Librarians in love
I loved Lauren Morrill’s Sister of the Bride. It was a heart-melting friends-to-lovers story that felt like a love letter to 1) old-school romances, 2) sisters and 3) Boston. All things I myself love. More Than A Feeling gave me the same joy as I read it. It had all the elements of a great romance novel: sexual tension, sweet moments, and well-executed tropes that felt perfect for the characters.*
Grace McBride is a librarian in the small town of Cardinal Springs, the youngest of five kids and the only girl. She stayed home instead of going off to college and ended up working at the town library, but what she really wants to do is open a bookstore. Decker Brooks is a professional hockey player but also her brother’s best friend. And he has been sent by the team to spend the summer in Cardinal Springs to stay out of the spotlight and the paparazzi’s lenses. Grace can’t stand Decker and his devil-may-care attitude, even as she comes to realize it covers a soft heart, but they can’t deny the sexual tension that has sprung up between them. It’s only a matter of time before they give in.
Look, am I automatically going to like a book where the heroine is a librarian who wants to open a bookstore? Of course I am. Am I going to melt for a hero who has a bit of an unsure little boy still hiding him? Again, yes. I am always here for vulnerable heroes and the saucy heroines who come to show them how much they are worth. But when it is executed in a way that brings tears to your eyes and leaves you with the warm fuzzies but has the spicy? That isn’t guaranteed and I think it is hard to pull off successfully but More Than a Feeling did it all for me.
Now — give me the rest of the Cardinal Springs’ crew's books. I can’t wait!
*Spoiler: Archer’s comment that they could have just called him to pick them up after the Bronco broke down was so on point. Of course they could have, but didn’t they secretly want to be sharing one bed? I loved this moment.
Perfect if you like:
Enemies to Lovers
Brother’s best friend
Small town romance
Hockey players
Librarians in love
I loved Lauren Morrill’s Sister of the Bride. It was a heart-melting friends-to-lovers story that felt like a love letter to 1) old-school romances, 2) sisters and 3) Boston. All things I myself love. More Than A Feeling gave me the same joy as I read it. It had all the elements of a great romance novel: sexual tension, sweet moments, and well-executed tropes that felt perfect for the characters.*
Grace McBride is a librarian in the small town of Cardinal Springs, the youngest of five kids and the only girl. She stayed home instead of going off to college and ended up working at the town library, but what she really wants to do is open a bookstore. Decker Brooks is a professional hockey player but also her brother’s best friend. And he has been sent by the team to spend the summer in Cardinal Springs to stay out of the spotlight and the paparazzi’s lenses. Grace can’t stand Decker and his devil-may-care attitude, even as she comes to realize it covers a soft heart, but they can’t deny the sexual tension that has sprung up between them. It’s only a matter of time before they give in.
Look, am I automatically going to like a book where the heroine is a librarian who wants to open a bookstore? Of course I am. Am I going to melt for a hero who has a bit of an unsure little boy still hiding him? Again, yes. I am always here for vulnerable heroes and the saucy heroines who come to show them how much they are worth. But when it is executed in a way that brings tears to your eyes and leaves you with the warm fuzzies but has the spicy? That isn’t guaranteed and I think it is hard to pull off successfully but More Than a Feeling did it all for me.
Now — give me the rest of the Cardinal Springs’ crew's books. I can’t wait!
*Spoiler: Archer’s comment that they could have just called him to pick them up after the Bronco broke down was so on point. Of course they could have, but didn’t they secretly want to be sharing one bed? I loved this moment.
May 29, 2024
When a hockey player trying to keep a low profile for the summer returns to his hometown, he begins to see his best friend's baby sister in a new light.
I will start by saying I thought Decker was a bit too old for Grace, but I saw some value in the 9 year age gap. Decker was able to remember a lot of big events in Grace's life. He remembered her surgery and her mother's death, and given that he lived it along side the family, it gave him a bit of insight into Grace. Given the way the story ended, I think he needed to be older, but regardless, I loved them together.
They had great Chemistry and their banter was fun. I think they really were able to show their whole selves when they were together, too. Grace was the youngest in a family of men. Given her past health issues, they had a tendency to treat her like she was made of glass. Decker encouraged Grace to be more honest with her family and he also encouraged her as she reached for her dreams.
Grace initially put Decker through his paces while he worked with her at the library, but then she saw how wonderful he was with her most difficult group of kids. She gave him praise where praise was due and pushed him to develop the program in his own way. She also helped Decker see that he didn't need to lean into the image created by the media. I just felt they both grew so much over that summer.
There were a lot of fun moments with a great cast of characters who I look forward to getting to know better. If the laughs, hijinks, and swoons weren't enough, there was an over the top grand gesture coupled with a super feel good ending. I am eager to return for the next book because I think that couple will be amazing.
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I will start by saying I thought Decker was a bit too old for Grace, but I saw some value in the 9 year age gap. Decker was able to remember a lot of big events in Grace's life. He remembered her surgery and her mother's death, and given that he lived it along side the family, it gave him a bit of insight into Grace. Given the way the story ended, I think he needed to be older, but regardless, I loved them together.
They had great Chemistry and their banter was fun. I think they really were able to show their whole selves when they were together, too. Grace was the youngest in a family of men. Given her past health issues, they had a tendency to treat her like she was made of glass. Decker encouraged Grace to be more honest with her family and he also encouraged her as she reached for her dreams.
Grace initially put Decker through his paces while he worked with her at the library, but then she saw how wonderful he was with her most difficult group of kids. She gave him praise where praise was due and pushed him to develop the program in his own way. She also helped Decker see that he didn't need to lean into the image created by the media. I just felt they both grew so much over that summer.
There were a lot of fun moments with a great cast of characters who I look forward to getting to know better. If the laughs, hijinks, and swoons weren't enough, there was an over the top grand gesture coupled with a super feel good ending. I am eager to return for the next book because I think that couple will be amazing.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
February 6, 2024
Tropes:
✨brothers best friend
✨enemies to lovers
✨ one bed
✨small town
From the very start I love the writing and not even done with the first chapter. Small town hockey romance heck yes. Decker plays on an NHL team and ended up getting into some trouble so he gets a talking to and told his career is in jeopardy because of his last fight. So he chooses to go back to his boring small town to lay low for a while. This is where he runs into grace. She just so happens to be stuck in a planter almost upside down and flashing her cherry panties. Their first encounter together is everything 😂 I immediately love grace for decker because she does not fall for all of his antics and charm. She actually hates it and gives him a run for his money. She of course can not seem to escape him though. He ends up punching her ex boyfriend for some things he said to her, got thrown in jail for the night and then given community service. His community service just so happens to be done with her. She works at the library and she is now his supervisor. He has also moved into to the apartment across the Hall from her. At first I was concerned I would not be able to connect with decker. I definitely wanted to but in the beginning you don’t get much under the surface with him. It didn’t take long though his character growth was wonderful! You finally get to see what’s really under that bad boy hockey player persona. Grace was very strong, independent and confident. She had such a big heart and fought for what she believed in. Her brothers and father coddled her but she didn’t let that hold her back. She was more of the better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission type and I loved it. These two had amazing chemistry!
I can not wait to get more of this world! Thank you Lauren Morris for the ARC!
Releasing February 13th!
✨brothers best friend
✨enemies to lovers
✨ one bed
✨small town
From the very start I love the writing and not even done with the first chapter. Small town hockey romance heck yes. Decker plays on an NHL team and ended up getting into some trouble so he gets a talking to and told his career is in jeopardy because of his last fight. So he chooses to go back to his boring small town to lay low for a while. This is where he runs into grace. She just so happens to be stuck in a planter almost upside down and flashing her cherry panties. Their first encounter together is everything 😂 I immediately love grace for decker because she does not fall for all of his antics and charm. She actually hates it and gives him a run for his money. She of course can not seem to escape him though. He ends up punching her ex boyfriend for some things he said to her, got thrown in jail for the night and then given community service. His community service just so happens to be done with her. She works at the library and she is now his supervisor. He has also moved into to the apartment across the Hall from her. At first I was concerned I would not be able to connect with decker. I definitely wanted to but in the beginning you don’t get much under the surface with him. It didn’t take long though his character growth was wonderful! You finally get to see what’s really under that bad boy hockey player persona. Grace was very strong, independent and confident. She had such a big heart and fought for what she believed in. Her brothers and father coddled her but she didn’t let that hold her back. She was more of the better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission type and I loved it. These two had amazing chemistry!
I can not wait to get more of this world! Thank you Lauren Morris for the ARC!
Releasing February 13th!
February 29, 2024
I’ve been reading Lauren Morrill for a while, and I love following her writing journey on social media. Overall, this one was good! I love a hockey romance, and I can’t wait to see how the other McBride stories unfold.
However, I do want to note a few things. First, though, I do want to say that I recognize that independently published books don’t have the same resources as those put out by big publishers, so I am cutting this book some slack for that. That being said, there was at least one typo per chapter on average, and obvious ones too. They weren’t so bad that they became distracting, but they were all pretty clear and could have been caught with a couple third-party read-throughs or even something like Grammerly. Second, there were a number of “hockey inaccuracies.” Now, I know this won’t matter to 95% of the readers, but being a big hockey fan myself, they’re pretty glaring. Again, I don’t think they matter much to the telling of the story itself, but I’m also a stickler for if you’re going to write about a sport, it better be accurate. One example is Stanley Cup Final (singular, correct version) versus Stanley Cup Finals (plural, incorrect).
It’s small things like that, which if improved, could have made for an even stronger book. I do want to note, too, that I didn’t deduct any stars from my rating because of this. If the story itself was 5 stars to me, I would have rated it that, typos and inaccuracies and all. I rated it four stars because it didn’t grip me and make me want to read without putting it down, the characteristic I normally equate to being five stars and a fave.
However, I do want to note a few things. First, though, I do want to say that I recognize that independently published books don’t have the same resources as those put out by big publishers, so I am cutting this book some slack for that. That being said, there was at least one typo per chapter on average, and obvious ones too. They weren’t so bad that they became distracting, but they were all pretty clear and could have been caught with a couple third-party read-throughs or even something like Grammerly. Second, there were a number of “hockey inaccuracies.” Now, I know this won’t matter to 95% of the readers, but being a big hockey fan myself, they’re pretty glaring. Again, I don’t think they matter much to the telling of the story itself, but I’m also a stickler for if you’re going to write about a sport, it better be accurate. One example is Stanley Cup Final (singular, correct version) versus Stanley Cup Finals (plural, incorrect).
It’s small things like that, which if improved, could have made for an even stronger book. I do want to note, too, that I didn’t deduct any stars from my rating because of this. If the story itself was 5 stars to me, I would have rated it that, typos and inaccuracies and all. I rated it four stars because it didn’t grip me and make me want to read without putting it down, the characteristic I normally equate to being five stars and a fave.
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