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Glendale Magic #1
Conner
Sasha Maloof was a successful plus-size influencer, but she left it all behind after an incident with a stalker. She finds a new job managing social media for a hockey team. It might just be the fresh start she was looking for, the only problem is the infuriating team captain. But she can’t hide from her past forever.
Conner McPhee is captain of the Glendale Magic. He has devoted his whole life to hockey and is focused on finally bringing home the cup. That focus is tested when the Magic hire a new social media manager who is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen … and a distraction he didn’t need. But when her safety is at stake, he can’t help but be her knight in shining hockey pads.
Despite their rocky start, Sasha learns Conner is someone she can depend on and he learns there is more to life than hockey.
Conner McPhee is captain of the Glendale Magic. He has devoted his whole life to hockey and is focused on finally bringing home the cup. That focus is tested when the Magic hire a new social media manager who is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen … and a distraction he didn’t need. But when her safety is at stake, he can’t help but be her knight in shining hockey pads.
Despite their rocky start, Sasha learns Conner is someone she can depend on and he learns there is more to life than hockey.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2024
383 people are currently reading
1727 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
July 12, 2024
choppy romance and the part about the st4lker… @southern.lady.reads
I didn’t feel like there was enough continuity in the romance.. jumping timelines are ok but this just didn’t feel like it was clearly delineated enough to make it work
I didn’t feel like there was enough continuity in the romance.. jumping timelines are ok but this just didn’t feel like it was clearly delineated enough to make it work
May 4, 2024
I loved that we finally got Conner's story after meeting his twin, Kate and bestie Wes in the last hockey romance book! This story has a strong fat female lead in the form of Sasha, who is a former influencer trying to start over after a traumatic stalker incident.
When the Glendale Magic hire Sasha to be the new social media person for the team she and Conner get off on the wrong foot from day one. Eventually the chemistry between the two becomes too much to resist and hockey-focused Conner gives in to his feelings for Sasha, falling hard and fast.
When Sasha's stalker reappears, the suspense and tension escalates, bringing out Conner's protective instincts. This was a quick, highly entertaining and very steamy read with a fun cameo from fortune teller Bridget. If you love hockey romances you don't want to miss this one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an early copy of this book compliments of the author and all opinions are my own. I can't wait to read read Cash's book next!!
When the Glendale Magic hire Sasha to be the new social media person for the team she and Conner get off on the wrong foot from day one. Eventually the chemistry between the two becomes too much to resist and hockey-focused Conner gives in to his feelings for Sasha, falling hard and fast.
When Sasha's stalker reappears, the suspense and tension escalates, bringing out Conner's protective instincts. This was a quick, highly entertaining and very steamy read with a fun cameo from fortune teller Bridget. If you love hockey romances you don't want to miss this one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an early copy of this book compliments of the author and all opinions are my own. I can't wait to read read Cash's book next!!
Read
May 5, 2024I'm dnf it... I tried, but the MMC is annoying me, and I don't think i can read more. And he's also so rude to her.. like, sir, read your email before you assume stuff..
Wish it was more insta and less slow..
Recommend-eh
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wish it was more insta and less slow..
Recommend-eh
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 30, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ (DNF at 70%)
This is the second Mary Warren book I’ve read and I don’t think they are for me unfortunately. While I dnf’d this book it’s definitely not badly written. I mainly dnf’d it because I just came out of a reading slump and I don’t want one again so I’m only reading books I truly enjoy.
From the beginning I wasn’t really hooked. Conner was an ass the whole time and I know that’s part of the story. It’s just not my thing. But while he was mean he already had feeling for her from the start which I didn’t like either. I’m pretty picky when it comes to romance books.
The writing wasn’t a style I really enjoyed but it was pretty good. Mary is talented and I know lots of people will like her books. Lots already do. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance!
I received this arc in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second Mary Warren book I’ve read and I don’t think they are for me unfortunately. While I dnf’d this book it’s definitely not badly written. I mainly dnf’d it because I just came out of a reading slump and I don’t want one again so I’m only reading books I truly enjoy.
From the beginning I wasn’t really hooked. Conner was an ass the whole time and I know that’s part of the story. It’s just not my thing. But while he was mean he already had feeling for her from the start which I didn’t like either. I’m pretty picky when it comes to romance books.
The writing wasn’t a style I really enjoyed but it was pretty good. Mary is talented and I know lots of people will like her books. Lots already do. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance!
I received this arc in exchange for my honest review.
July 11, 2024
First, I think fat representation in romance is important and this book does it reasonably well.
Unfortunately, the writing, editing, and proofreading throughout this book were bad to the point of distraction and, occasionally, outright confusion. Lots of nonsensical sentence fragments, repeated words and descriptions, switching tenses, misused homophones, switched pronouns, and so on.
I respect the challenges of becoming published. I don’t think a book that is so difficult for the reader serves the author’s goals. I won’t seek out her other work, but I do hope she can continue to grow her audience.
Unfortunately, the writing, editing, and proofreading throughout this book were bad to the point of distraction and, occasionally, outright confusion. Lots of nonsensical sentence fragments, repeated words and descriptions, switching tenses, misused homophones, switched pronouns, and so on.
I respect the challenges of becoming published. I don’t think a book that is so difficult for the reader serves the author’s goals. I won’t seek out her other work, but I do hope she can continue to grow her audience.
May 6, 2024
Star Rating: 4/5 ⭐
Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️
What to Expect:
- Hockey Romance
- Enemies to Lovers
- Curvy FMC
- Golden Retriever MMC
- Protective MMC
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
- HEA
'Conner' is my first book by Mary Warren, and it won't be my last. I am huge on body positivity, diversity, and representation in characters. I will always love reading about a curvy and confident FMC.
Sasha is a former plus-sized influencer who has become the social media manager for the Glendale Magic hockey team. Conner is the captain of the Glendale Magic. Initially, Conner and Sasha get off on the wrong foot. Conner is attracted to Sasha but feels her presence is distracting and causes him to play poorly. When Sasha's past rears its ugly head, Conner is there to protect her.
I truly enjoyed this story. The suspense elements kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are well-developed, relatable, and likable. I loved Conner and Sasha together, and their chemistry was palpable. Conner stopped denying his feelings and was all in for Sasha. He was committed to making sure Sasha was safe. This book was a quick and entertaining read.
Thanks to Mary Warren for the eARC. Opinions expressed are my own.
Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️
What to Expect:
- Hockey Romance
- Enemies to Lovers
- Curvy FMC
- Golden Retriever MMC
- Protective MMC
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
- HEA
'Conner' is my first book by Mary Warren, and it won't be my last. I am huge on body positivity, diversity, and representation in characters. I will always love reading about a curvy and confident FMC.
Sasha is a former plus-sized influencer who has become the social media manager for the Glendale Magic hockey team. Conner is the captain of the Glendale Magic. Initially, Conner and Sasha get off on the wrong foot. Conner is attracted to Sasha but feels her presence is distracting and causes him to play poorly. When Sasha's past rears its ugly head, Conner is there to protect her.
I truly enjoyed this story. The suspense elements kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are well-developed, relatable, and likable. I loved Conner and Sasha together, and their chemistry was palpable. Conner stopped denying his feelings and was all in for Sasha. He was committed to making sure Sasha was safe. This book was a quick and entertaining read.
Thanks to Mary Warren for the eARC. Opinions expressed are my own.
May 2, 2024
Thank you so much to Mary Warren for the advance copy!
This book will be out May 3rd.
Content Warnings from the Author:
I am truly in my sports romance era and added this one to my list as we have Conner our captain, hockey star of the Magic. We briefly were introduced to the couple in Reclaiming Kate (LOVE) and as soon as read their appearance, I just knew that we were going to be in for a treat and boy were we.
If you are into insta love, then Conner McPhee is your golden retriever book boyfriend of your dreams! He is over the moon for Sasha as soon as he sees her but they do have a rough start to their relationship. Sasha was smitten with him but after some mishaps they just kept butting heads and we learn it is because Conner was trying not to fall for Sasha.
Sasha is such a smart, beautiful woman who is just tired of running away from the problems in her life. She was a successful plus size social media influencer and an overzealous fan turn stalker made her take this position far away to start fresh.
"Sasha, baby, nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe and I'll make sure you stay that way."
I love seeing how their relationship grew over the course of the book. Conner learns fairly early on in the book about this possible stalker who came back into Sasha's life. And he immediately took charge and wanted to protect her. In addition to watching the progression of their relationship, I also love seeing how much Sasha grew in this. She was a confident woman to begin with but seeing work in social media flourish and she's going to excel in her new role!
If you have read other books by Mary, I would say this one is different compared to the others as it does deal with a pretty graphic detail of violence from the hands of the stalker. The whole time you are waiting for this moment but it still doesn't prepare you for when it happens. I just felt so bad for Sasha and the guilt that Conner & Cash felt.
Once again Mary knocks it out of the park with their intimate scenes. They just came off as so hot on page and you could feel their chemistry and then love for one another. There was a moment approx 80% that really showcased their feelings for one another and it was the moment that they truly were in love.
We got to see glimmers of Cash in this book and even though we learn he is a playboy there are moments where you see another side of him. It makes me very excited to see how the relationship between him and Sasha's best friend Evie happens.
PS - When I saw this cover, my jaw dropped! I could not believe how gorgeous it was!! The artist knocked it out of the park!
This book will be out May 3rd.
Content Warnings from the Author:
I am truly in my sports romance era and added this one to my list as we have Conner our captain, hockey star of the Magic. We briefly were introduced to the couple in Reclaiming Kate (LOVE) and as soon as read their appearance, I just knew that we were going to be in for a treat and boy were we.
If you are into insta love, then Conner McPhee is your golden retriever book boyfriend of your dreams! He is over the moon for Sasha as soon as he sees her but they do have a rough start to their relationship. Sasha was smitten with him but after some mishaps they just kept butting heads and we learn it is because Conner was trying not to fall for Sasha.
Sasha is such a smart, beautiful woman who is just tired of running away from the problems in her life. She was a successful plus size social media influencer and an overzealous fan turn stalker made her take this position far away to start fresh.
"Sasha, baby, nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe and I'll make sure you stay that way."
I love seeing how their relationship grew over the course of the book. Conner learns fairly early on in the book about this possible stalker who came back into Sasha's life. And he immediately took charge and wanted to protect her. In addition to watching the progression of their relationship, I also love seeing how much Sasha grew in this. She was a confident woman to begin with but seeing work in social media flourish and she's going to excel in her new role!
If you have read other books by Mary, I would say this one is different compared to the others as it does deal with a pretty graphic detail of violence from the hands of the stalker. The whole time you are waiting for this moment but it still doesn't prepare you for when it happens. I just felt so bad for Sasha and the guilt that Conner & Cash felt.
Once again Mary knocks it out of the park with their intimate scenes. They just came off as so hot on page and you could feel their chemistry and then love for one another. There was a moment approx 80% that really showcased their feelings for one another and it was the moment that they truly were in love.
We got to see glimmers of Cash in this book and even though we learn he is a playboy there are moments where you see another side of him. It makes me very excited to see how the relationship between him and Sasha's best friend Evie happens.
PS - When I saw this cover, my jaw dropped! I could not believe how gorgeous it was!! The artist knocked it out of the park!
April 21, 2024
Will forever be a fan of Mary Warren and the care she puts into writing fat love stories. Even though there is a sense of danger and dread (check warnings + take care of yourself) you always know that Conner will keep our girl, Sasha, safe. A knight in shining skates is what we were promised and that was certainly delivered.
October 16, 2025
the cover is the only good part of this book
April 23, 2024
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 3rd person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: stalking, violence, attempted SA, victim blaming (by police)
standalone: book 1 in the Glendale Magic series
final thoughts: A cute, quick read with some dark elements to add a thriller element to this sports romance. This was both an insta love/lust as well as a slowburn which was both fun and frustrating (in a fun way) of ”ugh when are they going to get their heads on straight and speak up!” Conner turns into a bumbling fool every time he’s around Sasha, always says the wrong thing, and doesn’t know how to dig himself out of the hole he’s created for himself. Sasha is convinced this sunshine hockey captain is only sunshine to everyone else and is determined to ignore him as much as she can… while also dealing with a stalker she’s keeping a secret from her friends, family, and coworkers.
I loved the body confidence of Sasha from both MCs and that changing her body type was never a thought or a plot point, but rather something that was embraced by both parties 🥰
The banter and miscommunication were fun in this story but I always think the MMCs need to grovel more than they do 😅 and there was more telling than showing at some points to move the story along and it left me wanting more!
Fans of Evie Mitchell’s style will love this steamy hockey romance.
read this book if you love
😬 angst
💼 workplace romance
🏝️ forced proximity
🏒 sports romance (hockey)
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🫡 big boy MMC
💓 slowburn
🤩 curvy FMC
🤐 miscommunication
💘instalove/lust
🤫 hidden secrets
❓ mystery
💏 he falls first and hard
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 3rd person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: stalking, violence, attempted SA, victim blaming (by police)
standalone: book 1 in the Glendale Magic series
final thoughts: A cute, quick read with some dark elements to add a thriller element to this sports romance. This was both an insta love/lust as well as a slowburn which was both fun and frustrating (in a fun way) of ”ugh when are they going to get their heads on straight and speak up!” Conner turns into a bumbling fool every time he’s around Sasha, always says the wrong thing, and doesn’t know how to dig himself out of the hole he’s created for himself. Sasha is convinced this sunshine hockey captain is only sunshine to everyone else and is determined to ignore him as much as she can… while also dealing with a stalker she’s keeping a secret from her friends, family, and coworkers.
I loved the body confidence of Sasha from both MCs and that changing her body type was never a thought or a plot point, but rather something that was embraced by both parties 🥰
The banter and miscommunication were fun in this story but I always think the MMCs need to grovel more than they do 😅 and there was more telling than showing at some points to move the story along and it left me wanting more!
Fans of Evie Mitchell’s style will love this steamy hockey romance.
read this book if you love
😬 angst
💼 workplace romance
🏝️ forced proximity
🏒 sports romance (hockey)
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🫡 big boy MMC
💓 slowburn
🤩 curvy FMC
🤐 miscommunication
💘instalove/lust
🤫 hidden secrets
❓ mystery
💏 he falls first and hard
May 3, 2024
Can we take a moment to appreciate this cover? I mean come on!! It is so beautiful and there is no question here that the FMC is a fat FMC.
Sasha, was a plus size influencer with over 1 million followers. Things took a turn when she had a stalker and she moved to behind the camera and became the social media manager for the Glendale Magic Hockey Team where she meets Conner, the Capitan of the hockey team who is serious about his game. Conner doesn’t want to be in a relationship, he wants to focus on his game, but he cannot help but be pulled in by Sasha. When he finds out she has a stalker that has found her again, he ensures that she is safe.
I loved how strong willed Sasha is and how she will not accept Conner’s brush offs. I loved the conversation about respecting athletes and getting their consent for thirst traps for social media. Only thing I would have loved to see more of is Sasha being given control more to allow her to regain the control she was losing especially given that she was feeling that loss of control.
Overall, I really enjoyed Mary branching off into sports romance more and doing it with her charm and I always love when Bridget comes in and meddles, Mystic Falls would not be complete without our meddling Scottish witch.
Sasha, was a plus size influencer with over 1 million followers. Things took a turn when she had a stalker and she moved to behind the camera and became the social media manager for the Glendale Magic Hockey Team where she meets Conner, the Capitan of the hockey team who is serious about his game. Conner doesn’t want to be in a relationship, he wants to focus on his game, but he cannot help but be pulled in by Sasha. When he finds out she has a stalker that has found her again, he ensures that she is safe.
I loved how strong willed Sasha is and how she will not accept Conner’s brush offs. I loved the conversation about respecting athletes and getting their consent for thirst traps for social media. Only thing I would have loved to see more of is Sasha being given control more to allow her to regain the control she was losing especially given that she was feeling that loss of control.
Overall, I really enjoyed Mary branching off into sports romance more and doing it with her charm and I always love when Bridget comes in and meddles, Mystic Falls would not be complete without our meddling Scottish witch.
April 28, 2024
The story follows Sasha, a former influencer starting a new job as the social media manager for popular hockey team. Sasha left the influencer lifestyle after a scary run in with a stalker. She is determined to start a new chapter in her life and this team seems to be the perfect way to do it. Until she meets the team captain, enter Conner, our frustrating, sexy, and protective MMC that seems to have it out for Sasha. That is until Sasha’s stalker comes back into the picture. With her safety on the line, Conner decides to stop resisting and step up to protect the girl he can’t stop thinking about. Who knew her biggest pain would soon become her biggest protector?
I LOVED the tropes in this book and LOVED the protective hockey boys! Conner can be protector any day!
+ Hockey Romance
+ Enemies to Lovers
+ Forced Proximity
+ Stalker Situation
+ Protective MMC
+ Plus size FMC
+ Slow Burn
+ HEA
Ps. I’ll forgive Conner for hating Florida even though I’m from Florida 🤣🤣🤣
I LOVED the tropes in this book and LOVED the protective hockey boys! Conner can be protector any day!
+ Hockey Romance
+ Enemies to Lovers
+ Forced Proximity
+ Stalker Situation
+ Protective MMC
+ Plus size FMC
+ Slow Burn
+ HEA
Ps. I’ll forgive Conner for hating Florida even though I’m from Florida 🤣🤣🤣
June 4, 2024
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up, it was nice read, some things could’ve been a little different or better but I definitely liked it. As a plus-size woman myself, I’m always a little biased to female representation like myself. I love how Sasha represented that just because she’s big, she can be confident and love herself.
FULL RTC.. maybe, I’m so bad at doing reviews.
FULL RTC.. maybe, I’m so bad at doing reviews.
May 5, 2024
Fave quotes
"I don't give a fuck what your underwear looks like if you are letting me take them off you,”
“Laugh all you want, baby. But I'm going to marry you someday. I know that.”
"I don't give a fuck what your underwear looks like if you are letting me take them off you,”
“Laugh all you want, baby. But I'm going to marry you someday. I know that.”
September 15, 2024
Oh boy, I most definitely should have dnf'd. I did not care for 80% of this book, and the 20% I did enjoy was overshadowed by the baffling writing style. So many phrases were repeated in the mc's inner monologues, explanations of plot points were repeated but posed as brand new information, sentence structure was odd at times, and the way time passed in this story was just weird and clunky. And both MC's drove me absolutely crazy!!! I was so excited to read a hockey book with true fat representation (and the cover is pretty perfect), but this was just not for me.
September 15, 2024
As another reviewer said, I bought this because I think fat representation and fat love stories matter and I want to support them, but, the writing quality, proofreading, and editing were so egregiously poor that I couldn't make it past the first few chapters. Humdingers such as "He walked in, and he walked by the cameras that were there for when they walked in" are just scratching the surface of examples of sentences that were screaming for someone, anyone, to edit them.
April 28, 2024
I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️/5
Trope Breakdown:
(Sorta)Enemies-to-lovers
He Falls Hard
Touch Her and Die
Forced Proximity (sorta)
Hockey Captain x Social Media Manager
Plus Size Heroine
First off, thank you so much Mary Warren for this ARC! It was a blast getting to read this.
Conner (the book) revolves around Sasha, a plus-size ex-social media influencer turned new Social Media Manager for the Glendale Magic Hockey Team, and Conner, the Captain of the Glendale Magic's Hockey team and rather superstitious player (which apparently a lot of hockey players are!). After their first meeting Conner worries the beautiful new hire is throwing off his game and begins giving her the cold shoulder, much to Sasha's dismay as she finds she has to work with him quite a bit to help promote the team online. On top of trying to work with the sexy, infuriating hockey Captain, Sasha has a secret stalker she's hiding from and realizes trying to protect herself by herself doesn't do her any good. She'll need help, and who better to help protect her than the redheaded Captain she's constantly butting heads with?
I gotta say, this book was adorable. As a plus-size reader, I devour a book with a plus size leading lady. Sasha was great; confident, smart, sexy, and a bit headstrong. She's been burned before when dealing with her stalker, so her hesitation to admit to it when it begins happening again is very valid and realistic.
Conner, our titular character, was hilariously frustrating and wonderful at the same time. He made a lot of choices with blinders on, often ending up putting his foot in his mouth and looking like a fool in front of Sasha because of what he did or said, but once he finally gets to that point where he's realizing he's in a romance novel that frustrating bit melts away and enters Mr. Protector.
Overall, I thought the plot and flow of the story was very well put together and the realization and development of feelings between Sasha and Conner built nicely with a satisfying conclusion. My sole reason for only awarding 4 stars were mainly due to quite a few errors throughout the book that were noticeable (words missing, wrong words used, spelling errors) and a few minor things I will list below with the spoiler tag. Hopefully once this book is released on May 3rd a majority of the errors I saw are corrected, then we can at least bump it up to 4.5 stars 😊 I can see a lot of people loving this story, and I am excited to get book next!
Some Things I did Not like (Potential Spoilers):
Baby, I meant what I said. You're mine. You can take all of the time you need, but we're end game. You know that, right?
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️/5
Trope Breakdown:
(Sorta)Enemies-to-lovers
He Falls Hard
Touch Her and Die
Forced Proximity (sorta)
Hockey Captain x Social Media Manager
Plus Size Heroine
First off, thank you so much Mary Warren for this ARC! It was a blast getting to read this.
Conner (the book) revolves around Sasha, a plus-size ex-social media influencer turned new Social Media Manager for the Glendale Magic Hockey Team, and Conner, the Captain of the Glendale Magic's Hockey team and rather superstitious player (which apparently a lot of hockey players are!). After their first meeting Conner worries the beautiful new hire is throwing off his game and begins giving her the cold shoulder, much to Sasha's dismay as she finds she has to work with him quite a bit to help promote the team online. On top of trying to work with the sexy, infuriating hockey Captain, Sasha has a secret stalker she's hiding from and realizes trying to protect herself by herself doesn't do her any good. She'll need help, and who better to help protect her than the redheaded Captain she's constantly butting heads with?
I gotta say, this book was adorable. As a plus-size reader, I devour a book with a plus size leading lady. Sasha was great; confident, smart, sexy, and a bit headstrong. She's been burned before when dealing with her stalker, so her hesitation to admit to it when it begins happening again is very valid and realistic.
Conner, our titular character, was hilariously frustrating and wonderful at the same time. He made a lot of choices with blinders on, often ending up putting his foot in his mouth and looking like a fool in front of Sasha because of what he did or said, but once he finally gets to that point where he's realizing he's in a romance novel that frustrating bit melts away and enters Mr. Protector.
Overall, I thought the plot and flow of the story was very well put together and the realization and development of feelings between Sasha and Conner built nicely with a satisfying conclusion. My sole reason for only awarding 4 stars were mainly due to quite a few errors throughout the book that were noticeable (words missing, wrong words used, spelling errors) and a few minor things I will list below with the spoiler tag. Hopefully once this book is released on May 3rd a majority of the errors I saw are corrected, then we can at least bump it up to 4.5 stars 😊 I can see a lot of people loving this story, and I am excited to get book next!
Some Things I did Not like (Potential Spoilers):
May 12, 2024
Very mediocre, not interesting enough characters
April 30, 2024
— "𝙞 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮"
— "𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?"
Conner obsessed with Sasha 🤝 Sasha existing
(It's practically 1am as i'm writing this so bare with me please) This is my first ever hockey romance (ikik) and i think the fact that the fmc was plus-size personally made it enjoy it 10x more. Best believe i'll be eating hockey romances uppp.
I love Sasha she's officially one of my favourite fmc. I love her confidence and genuinely look up to her. Not just confident abt her body but her personality. She's that girl and she knows it and i love that for and about her. (Sidenote: i really love that there wasn't a fixation over the fact that she was plus size like i read books where the author kept mentioning it and i was like ughh or like the fmc would have 0 self-confidence and mention it all the time like it gets old sorry but none of that here which i absolutely loved)
And then we have Conner 😩 i love him sooo bad. The way he was obsessed with Sasha and kept giving her words of affirmations, how he was protective of her and how overall he was super affectionate and attentive with Sasha like their energies are very compatible which i think lacks sometimes in other books ive read. Like they really balance each other, it was beautiful to see.
Now the SPICE?!! I was not readyyy but it didn't disappoint like i went "oop" so many times. The spice and definitely spicying 😏
I loved the friendships in this book too and how supportive everyone was. Like Cash, Wes and i'm so glad Sasha got to befriend Evie.
I genuinely loved everything about this book and omg the dedication. Honestly everything about this was perfect to me. I knew halfway through it was gonna be a five star read and ordered the physical copy right away, i can't wait to annotate it and make a Pinterest board for this book <<3
Anyways, now i have to read Kate and Wes' book and can't wait for Cash (bae) and Evie's book hehe
please please please check trigger warnings!
thanks to the author for the ARC 🫶🏾
— "𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?"
Conner obsessed with Sasha 🤝 Sasha existing
(It's practically 1am as i'm writing this so bare with me please) This is my first ever hockey romance (ikik) and i think the fact that the fmc was plus-size personally made it enjoy it 10x more. Best believe i'll be eating hockey romances uppp.
I love Sasha she's officially one of my favourite fmc. I love her confidence and genuinely look up to her. Not just confident abt her body but her personality. She's that girl and she knows it and i love that for and about her. (Sidenote: i really love that there wasn't a fixation over the fact that she was plus size like i read books where the author kept mentioning it and i was like ughh or like the fmc would have 0 self-confidence and mention it all the time like it gets old sorry but none of that here which i absolutely loved)
And then we have Conner 😩 i love him sooo bad. The way he was obsessed with Sasha and kept giving her words of affirmations, how he was protective of her and how overall he was super affectionate and attentive with Sasha like their energies are very compatible which i think lacks sometimes in other books ive read. Like they really balance each other, it was beautiful to see.
Now the SPICE?!! I was not readyyy but it didn't disappoint like i went "oop" so many times. The spice and definitely spicying 😏
I loved the friendships in this book too and how supportive everyone was. Like Cash, Wes and i'm so glad Sasha got to befriend Evie.
I genuinely loved everything about this book and omg the dedication. Honestly everything about this was perfect to me. I knew halfway through it was gonna be a five star read and ordered the physical copy right away, i can't wait to annotate it and make a Pinterest board for this book <<3
Anyways, now i have to read Kate and Wes' book and can't wait for Cash (bae) and Evie's book hehe
please please please check trigger warnings!
thanks to the author for the ARC 🫶🏾
May 2, 2024
I loved this book. I've read other books by her and it was nice to see characters from previous books make an appearance in this one. I liked the chemistry between Sasha and Conner, how they both were attracted to each other from the very start. I didn't like how Conner kept being rude to Sasha at first because he saw her as a distraction. They quickly got past that though, and when Sasha's stalker made a reappearance he was there for her. I loved how sweet he was with her once he stopped resisting his attraction to her.
“𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞���𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”
𝙃𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢.
I can't say what happens because I don't want to ruin the book but the story does have a happy ending even with Sasha having a stalker incident. Thank you to Mary Warren for the advanced copy.
“𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞���𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”
𝙃𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢.
I can't say what happens because I don't want to ruin the book but the story does have a happy ending even with Sasha having a stalker incident. Thank you to Mary Warren for the advanced copy.
May 7, 2024
Rating : 2.5 stars
I’m so sad nothing is keeping me interested
This is gonna be DNF unfortunately like I really enjoyed the premise of the story but I think it would have been better if we didn’t get Conners POV. It would have given a more mysterious vibe to him and made the story better. I was getting sick of hearing conners thoughts. He constantly kept jumping to conclusions but thankfully he realized and apologized which I liked it but then he did it again 😐like you think he would have learned his lesson
I’m so sad nothing is keeping me interested
This is gonna be DNF unfortunately like I really enjoyed the premise of the story but I think it would have been better if we didn’t get Conners POV. It would have given a more mysterious vibe to him and made the story better. I was getting sick of hearing conners thoughts. He constantly kept jumping to conclusions but thankfully he realized and apologized which I liked it but then he did it again 😐like you think he would have learned his lesson
January 16, 2025
Love hockey romance that makes space for plus sized characters! The main characters were both flawed and worked through some things. The MMC initially is unlikeable but as the story unfolds and he begins to admit his feelings a switch flips for him.
It feels like a slow burn but there's fun steam. The story doesn't feel overly complex or deep, everything is fairly light despite the stalking situation. You can read this in a day if you were motivated.
It feels like a slow burn but there's fun steam. The story doesn't feel overly complex or deep, everything is fairly light despite the stalking situation. You can read this in a day if you were motivated.
May 19, 2024
I'm OBSESSED with this book! From the cover to the story, it is fresh and new and breaking some amazing ground in the romance world. I highly recommend getting your hands on this ASAP!
March 30, 2025
This writing style just wasn't for me. I really tried getting into it, but just couldn't.
January 19, 2025
Unfortunately, this is my second book by this author and I don't think the writing style is for me.
First off, love the fat FMC rep! That's amazing! However...
I'm surprised more wasn't done in the editing process. There were many repeated words and phrases, and lots of sentences by a third person narrator that were so unnecessary and long winded. About half way I ended up skipping a lot of paragraphs without dialogue and missed nothing. Not to mention, even when I didn't skip anything and agonised over reading every word, the story felt disjointed.
Although it seemed like a good premise on paper, it wasn't executed very well and the last 20% was lack luster (especially after a hard slog reading all that unnecessary drivel).
What put me off really quickly, was that the MMC was nice to her briefly, then incredibly mean, then BAM.... in love with her.
First off, love the fat FMC rep! That's amazing! However...
I'm surprised more wasn't done in the editing process. There were many repeated words and phrases, and lots of sentences by a third person narrator that were so unnecessary and long winded. About half way I ended up skipping a lot of paragraphs without dialogue and missed nothing. Not to mention, even when I didn't skip anything and agonised over reading every word, the story felt disjointed.
Although it seemed like a good premise on paper, it wasn't executed very well and the last 20% was lack luster (especially after a hard slog reading all that unnecessary drivel).
What put me off really quickly, was that the MMC was nice to her briefly, then incredibly mean, then BAM.... in love with her.
November 14, 2024
I DNF'ed at like page 30 because I just couldn't get past the writing. It's written in such a robotic way that it could've had the best storyline ever and it wouldn't even matter. I wanted to DNF on page like 3, but forced myself to keep going, but this just ain't it.
October 25, 2024
Conner is finding out how to not compare Sasha to his ex in college. Sasha is dealing with a stalker. It's an interesting book.
April 28, 2024
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
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Connor, Glendale Magic Book 1 by Mary Warren
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
I saw this book was offered by the author in a reader event group I was attending. I love a good hockey romance and jumped to read it. I fully admit I don’t know much about the game but enjoy them the most with sports romance books.
I thought the story and flow was an easy read. I sat and was halfway through the book one afternoon. It was a nice feel-good story even with the heavy topic of stalking. I would not qualify this book as dark since the stalker storyline was pretty small.
Sasha is the new girl with the company. She is very capable and independent. However, she would love to find a “love of the lifetime” love. She is a very confident woman, and I enjoyed her fire and sass. She really didn’t take anything but also treated everyone like they were the most important person in the room.
Connor is all hockey all day long. His life is hockey, and he has zero time for romance or romantic entanglement. However, he seems to be attracted to Sasha but then sticks his foot in his mouth every single time he is around her.
I enjoyed the story but found there was a lot of push and pull in the beginning of the story which started to feel like filler….drama for drama sake. I did enjoy it when the two stopped pushing and finally admitted feelings.
The stalker plot was pretty minimal and then slowly increased as the plot thickened. When it was revealed, I thought the scene was well played out and enjoyed the resolution. It was a great twist of who he was.
I was invested in the cast of characters in the series. I am interested in reading Cash and Evie. They seem like oil and water so this will be a great read.
Check out this review and others at:
www.Twinsietalk.com
www.Facebook.com/Twinsietalk
www.Twitter.com/Twinsietalk
www.instagram.com/twinsietalkbookreview
Newsletter : http://eepurl.com/brwkPv
Connor, Glendale Magic Book 1 by Mary Warren
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
I saw this book was offered by the author in a reader event group I was attending. I love a good hockey romance and jumped to read it. I fully admit I don’t know much about the game but enjoy them the most with sports romance books.
I thought the story and flow was an easy read. I sat and was halfway through the book one afternoon. It was a nice feel-good story even with the heavy topic of stalking. I would not qualify this book as dark since the stalker storyline was pretty small.
Sasha is the new girl with the company. She is very capable and independent. However, she would love to find a “love of the lifetime” love. She is a very confident woman, and I enjoyed her fire and sass. She really didn’t take anything but also treated everyone like they were the most important person in the room.
Connor is all hockey all day long. His life is hockey, and he has zero time for romance or romantic entanglement. However, he seems to be attracted to Sasha but then sticks his foot in his mouth every single time he is around her.
I enjoyed the story but found there was a lot of push and pull in the beginning of the story which started to feel like filler….drama for drama sake. I did enjoy it when the two stopped pushing and finally admitted feelings.
The stalker plot was pretty minimal and then slowly increased as the plot thickened. When it was revealed, I thought the scene was well played out and enjoyed the resolution. It was a great twist of who he was.
I was invested in the cast of characters in the series. I am interested in reading Cash and Evie. They seem like oil and water so this will be a great read.
April 21, 2024
Just yes to all of it. Conner is plus size hockey perfection. Once again, the main characters weight does not define Sasha, it's mention with how Conner loves her body but it definitely isn't the main characteristic of this hardworking, confident, creative, "high maintenance" social media queen. And since I'm on that train of thought, I love how Mary Warren turned "high maintenance" into what it is. We often hear and use that term negatively but there is nothing wrong to want to present yourself a certain way, as there is nothing wrong if you choose comfort over style, and yet we are either labled slobs or high maintenance, we basically can't win, so I very much enjoyed that Sasha is described as high maintenance and I'm all for it. The other very sad and very real point brought up in this fictional book is the lack of action, and all the victim blaming women have to deal with when it comes to, in this case, stalking situations. I understand stalking is a hard crime to solve procecute, but if women don't even feel safe to disclose, there is something seriously wrong with our society. Sorry for my rambling, now back o the book. The tension and misunderstandings from the beginning just build the wait up so much that it becomes so satisfying when these two get their heads out of their asses and just give in .Sasha is just this perfectly well rounder character that deserves someone who will protect her like Conner. He's just so protective, thoughtful, and caring and a real consent king, not taking advantage of her in a vulnerable state or pushing her. He's just perfect.
All in all, great book. The story was there, nothing felt forced, the stalking plot wasn't overpowering and yet kept you wondering what would happen, the reminders about consent and victim blaming where on point and of course the spice was flawless.
Just go buy this book
All in all, great book. The story was there, nothing felt forced, the stalking plot wasn't overpowering and yet kept you wondering what would happen, the reminders about consent and victim blaming where on point and of course the spice was flawless.
Just go buy this book
April 21, 2024
📚rating : 4/4.5 stars out of 5
🌶️ rating: 2.5/3 out if 5
**Potential spoilers ahead**
Hockey romances are my jam and this one I very much enjoyed. Author Mary Warren creates a very realistic world view of what being in hockey is like, as well as, the realities of how reporting to the police is for people, especially women and influencers.
One of the things I loved most was you have a confident sexy plus size MC Sasha Maloof and she owned it, this was perfection for the vibe of the book. In contrast, I loved how Conner was so enamoured by Sasha, that he just kept digging holes without meaning to - highly entertaining and had me cackling! We also dig a protective king and him and Cash came through for Sasha.
Getting to the darker end of the spectrum, the stalking was written so well, the tension was built well. My heart was racing during those bits, honestly and Mary captured that brilliantly in a careful and concise way. I can’t lie though, did not expect who it turned out to be that was stalking her which is good, I like being surprised!
If I had anything to say, I wish it was longer and I wish we got a meeting the family moment, but that’s just personal preference.
I have to admit I was shocked at how emotional I got, feeling grief for Sasha, and as a woman, understanding how violating that all must have felt. Something I truly loved about how Sasha was written is, she’s a confident girl, owns her sexuality and allows herself to be in her vulnerability the balance was perfection and I think that’s what makes Sasha a relatable character to me. I got so angry with the police interactions, but they were so real I’ve heard them say things like this - that’s wild!
So to sum up Conner it’s fluffy, it’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s sad, emotional but wow I loved every second of it and would read it again!
🌶️ rating: 2.5/3 out if 5
**Potential spoilers ahead**
Hockey romances are my jam and this one I very much enjoyed. Author Mary Warren creates a very realistic world view of what being in hockey is like, as well as, the realities of how reporting to the police is for people, especially women and influencers.
One of the things I loved most was you have a confident sexy plus size MC Sasha Maloof and she owned it, this was perfection for the vibe of the book. In contrast, I loved how Conner was so enamoured by Sasha, that he just kept digging holes without meaning to - highly entertaining and had me cackling! We also dig a protective king and him and Cash came through for Sasha.
Getting to the darker end of the spectrum, the stalking was written so well, the tension was built well. My heart was racing during those bits, honestly and Mary captured that brilliantly in a careful and concise way. I can’t lie though, did not expect who it turned out to be that was stalking her which is good, I like being surprised!
If I had anything to say, I wish it was longer and I wish we got a meeting the family moment, but that’s just personal preference.
I have to admit I was shocked at how emotional I got, feeling grief for Sasha, and as a woman, understanding how violating that all must have felt. Something I truly loved about how Sasha was written is, she’s a confident girl, owns her sexuality and allows herself to be in her vulnerability the balance was perfection and I think that’s what makes Sasha a relatable character to me. I got so angry with the police interactions, but they were so real I’ve heard them say things like this - that’s wild!
So to sum up Conner it’s fluffy, it’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s sad, emotional but wow I loved every second of it and would read it again!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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