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Riverside Reapers #4
The Last Kind of Kiss
Upcoming model Lila Perkins has a long-standing feud with fate. She no longer believes in soul ties or coincidences, and she definitely doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. Not after suffering through The Great Ghosting with her ex-situationship. Now she swears by the ball-busting belief that you have to do things yourself instead of waiting for the stars to align. But right as she’s about to embark on a modeling campaign with the potential to change the trajectory of her career, fate rears its ugly head and plays a sick joke on her. The catch to getting her dream job? She has to work with the captain of the Riverside Reapers…the only man who has ever broken her heart.
Bristol Brenner, hockey team captain and all-around stand-up guy, gets whatever he wants with a flirty smile and a sweetened sentiment. From the outside, his life looks perfect. He’s got the looks, the charisma, the wealth, the fame, and an astoundingly clean track record. But not everything can remain hidden behind a rose-colored lens. Bristol’s running from an inescapable past, and a year ago, he ran right out of Lila’s life as a result. He never imagined he would see her again…until he walks into her chemistry read as her new costar. And the worst part? The sexual tension is still there between them, and keeping things professional is proving to be harder than a hat trick.
Lila and Bristol have three months to convince the world they’re Hollywood’s next “It” couple or they can kiss their modeling jobs goodbye. With each photoshoot and paparazzi run-in, their feelings for one another become more apparent. Hatred takes one hell of an R-rated turn, and suddenly, stolen glances and clandestine kisses aren’t enough to satiate the flame of desire between them. But the closer they become, the harder the world works to pull them apart, and deep-rooted façades begin to crumble to reveal unbearable truths.
Will this fake relationship blossom into something real, or will insecurities prevent these two lost souls from finding their way back to each other?
The Last Kind of Kiss is a heart-wrenching hockey romance featuring a golden boy hockey captain, a strong-headed model with a plan for revenge, a fake dating ploy, spice hot enough to make you question your religious values, and a reunion of two lost souls. It’s the fourth book in a series but can be read as a standalone.
The Last Kind of Kiss is a hockey romance, fake dating, dislike to lovers, one bed, forced proximity, workplace, second-chance romance with no cheating, and a satisfying happily ever after.
Bristol Brenner, hockey team captain and all-around stand-up guy, gets whatever he wants with a flirty smile and a sweetened sentiment. From the outside, his life looks perfect. He’s got the looks, the charisma, the wealth, the fame, and an astoundingly clean track record. But not everything can remain hidden behind a rose-colored lens. Bristol’s running from an inescapable past, and a year ago, he ran right out of Lila’s life as a result. He never imagined he would see her again…until he walks into her chemistry read as her new costar. And the worst part? The sexual tension is still there between them, and keeping things professional is proving to be harder than a hat trick.
Lila and Bristol have three months to convince the world they’re Hollywood’s next “It” couple or they can kiss their modeling jobs goodbye. With each photoshoot and paparazzi run-in, their feelings for one another become more apparent. Hatred takes one hell of an R-rated turn, and suddenly, stolen glances and clandestine kisses aren’t enough to satiate the flame of desire between them. But the closer they become, the harder the world works to pull them apart, and deep-rooted façades begin to crumble to reveal unbearable truths.
Will this fake relationship blossom into something real, or will insecurities prevent these two lost souls from finding their way back to each other?
The Last Kind of Kiss is a heart-wrenching hockey romance featuring a golden boy hockey captain, a strong-headed model with a plan for revenge, a fake dating ploy, spice hot enough to make you question your religious values, and a reunion of two lost souls. It’s the fourth book in a series but can be read as a standalone.
The Last Kind of Kiss is a hockey romance, fake dating, dislike to lovers, one bed, forced proximity, workplace, second-chance romance with no cheating, and a satisfying happily ever after.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2024
384 people are currently reading
6855 people want to read
About the author
Celeste Briars
11 books812 followersCeleste Briars is an indie author who specializes in spicy hockey romances. She’s a UC Davis alumnus with a bachelor’s in psychology. She loves creating memorable meet-cutes and happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching horror movies, playing with her cats, or dancing the night away with her friends. If you’re looking for books with spice hot enough to question your religious values and feel-good moments that make your heart sing, please cuddle up with a Reapers novel and stay a while!
You can keep in touch through Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/celestebria...) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@celestebriars...).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
November 22, 2024
Two stars and that’s generous for how much I disliked this book. I wanted to like it so bad, but I just could not stand the FMC at all. I really struggled to finish this as she just became repetitive and whiny. She hardly took accountability for any of her own actions, which drove me crazy. Both characters obviously had trauma, but she was so hyper-focused on her own I couldn’t do it. He’s in the middle of grieving, and all she can focus on is how insecure she is. It’s a no from me. Her being jealous of someone that’s dead was the last straw for me tbh. The only reason I even finished this was because I did like the mmc. There was so much potential for this book and it just fell short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2025
Honestly at this point I feel like I’m just reading these to complete the series. The characters are decent, but I feel like the stories are all very similar to each other. I liked the beginning of this one but it just sped up wayyy too fast toward the end. Which I should have known because it’s kinda been the same with the past three. I also couldn’t stand the fmc. I understand being insecure but she created so many issues that could have been avoided if she just stopped and actually listened instead of assumed. She just came across as extremely self centered and insensitive towards the mmc when he was literally grieving the loss of a loved one.
It was a cute read but probably not something I’d recommend to friends. :/
It was a cute read but probably not something I’d recommend to friends. :/
October 4, 2024
This book had the potential to be so good - I love a good enemies to lovers x second chance. But the constant whining from the FMC and her gaslighting the MMC was making my stomach turn! The MMC lost someone super important to him and the FMC was like “you don’t love me” “no one loves me” “ I am a beautiful blonde model” meanwhile the MMC is finding ways to calm her insecurities while being emotionally jerked around by the FMC
I wanted to DNF but I soldiered on.
I wanted to DNF but I soldiered on.
October 4, 2024
I was going to dnf cause H is a spineless dick and h goes from girl with a spine to a doormat real quick but since i like to torture myself i finished it
** Spoilers ahead** - don't read further if you don't want me to spoil the plot for you
H has a first love- almost engaged- bought ring and all but she died girlfriend from 3 years ago. An year ago, H/h have an situationship which ends badly. h is said to be content with flings with men but H being the ass that he is, leads her on, pretends to be in a relationship, call it that, only to dump her one day without any reason. She already has abandonment issue from her father which he knows about, so great asshole move on his part. The story start an year after he dumped her.
Even though they run in same circles, he never apologises. They end up in the same room a year later not cause H has a sudden guilty conscience or feels bad but because they model for same campaign. She has a spine, doesn't take H's shit and makes him grovel but also falls into bed with him real quick. Only to get ghosted later for a week. She has to confront the asshole herself to learn the truth about his dead gf.
At this point H is still not over his ex because before this below scene he was looking at his dead gf's picture thinking about how much he loves her
immediately clicking on an album that’s titled LILA. Even though we parted ways a year ago, I kept every picture I took of her. I couldn’t force myself to delete them, much like I’ve been unable to force myself to get rid of Summit’s engagement ring. Call me sentimental or a dumbass, but erasing a piece of them is like erasing their memory completely
Getting real tired of his woe is me attitude from H. He did the lying, dumping alongside being a dick for an entire year but dude is all, i'm so broken save me.
know Lila’s still contractually with me because of the campaign, but a little part of me hopes that she’ll stay with me because I’m worth saving. She hasn’t given up on me, while I’ve inadvertently given up on her twice
h likes his dick with a side of suffering so she's all I’m fucking addicted to him. And I know that’s a bad thing—especially because he remains emotionally unavailable—but that sex was life-changing
There's not really any depth to their relationship and i honestly don't understand their big blowout fight about the ring. He kept his dead gf's ring cause she was the love of his life before meeting h, i don't know why she thinks he should be shucking it out the window just cause he met someone else.
Overall, it was an meh read. I'd have preferred if h had a lil more bite and H had groveled harder.
** Spoilers ahead** - don't read further if you don't want me to spoil the plot for you
H has a first love- almost engaged- bought ring and all but she died girlfriend from 3 years ago. An year ago, H/h have an situationship which ends badly. h is said to be content with flings with men but H being the ass that he is, leads her on, pretends to be in a relationship, call it that, only to dump her one day without any reason. She already has abandonment issue from her father which he knows about, so great asshole move on his part. The story start an year after he dumped her.
Even though they run in same circles, he never apologises. They end up in the same room a year later not cause H has a sudden guilty conscience or feels bad but because they model for same campaign. She has a spine, doesn't take H's shit and makes him grovel but also falls into bed with him real quick. Only to get ghosted later for a week. She has to confront the asshole herself to learn the truth about his dead gf.
At this point H is still not over his ex because before this below scene he was looking at his dead gf's picture thinking about how much he loves her
immediately clicking on an album that’s titled LILA. Even though we parted ways a year ago, I kept every picture I took of her. I couldn’t force myself to delete them, much like I’ve been unable to force myself to get rid of Summit’s engagement ring. Call me sentimental or a dumbass, but erasing a piece of them is like erasing their memory completely
Getting real tired of his woe is me attitude from H. He did the lying, dumping alongside being a dick for an entire year but dude is all, i'm so broken save me.
know Lila’s still contractually with me because of the campaign, but a little part of me hopes that she’ll stay with me because I’m worth saving. She hasn’t given up on me, while I’ve inadvertently given up on her twice
h likes his dick with a side of suffering so she's all I’m fucking addicted to him. And I know that’s a bad thing—especially because he remains emotionally unavailable—but that sex was life-changing
There's not really any depth to their relationship and i honestly don't understand their big blowout fight about the ring. He kept his dead gf's ring cause she was the love of his life before meeting h, i don't know why she thinks he should be shucking it out the window just cause he met someone else.
Overall, it was an meh read. I'd have preferred if h had a lil more bite and H had groveled harder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2024
my new favorite riverside reapers book!!!! the tropes?? the tension?? longing?? chemistry??? lila + bristol are such a complex and beautiful couple, i had the best time with their story!!
June 17, 2025
I am so disappointed. For one, the amount of times I felt cringed out was like a bad amount. I don’t think a book has ever made me this cringe. For another reason, I felt like this book was a drag. Like they’d be in a good spot then they’d argue, they’d be in a good spot then they’d argue and it just kept repeating. This book definitely had potential to be good, great even, but I feel like the author is just dragging it at this point. Oh and here’s another thing that ticked me off: their names!! Like ok Lila is a normal name but when have you ever met someone name BRISTOL!?!! Oh and let’s not forget about his dead ex SUMMIT!?!? Like why couldn’t her name be normal and be like summer. That’s normal. But where did she get Bristol from?? Oh and another thing that pissed me off, IF HIS EX IS DEAD AND HE DOESNT LOVER HER ANYMORE STOP BRINGING HER UP AND COMPARING YOURSELF TO HER LIKE OMG JUST STOP ALREADY!!! Like I get that Lila has a lot of Insecurities and for 1000% justifiable reasons, but gurl, you are a LITERAL MODEL why would you even compare yourself to other people!?!! Like ok I get why but like in the same time you shouldn’t be doing that.
Am I extremely disappointed? Yes. Am I annoyed? Yes. Am I gonna read the next book in the series? Also yes.
I CANT HELP IT I JUST NEED TO FINISH THE SERIES 😭😭😭 but like if other books in the series come out I ain’t reading em
Ok yea so that’s it, I was really disappointed
*read this online*
Am I extremely disappointed? Yes. Am I annoyed? Yes. Am I gonna read the next book in the series? Also yes.
I CANT HELP IT I JUST NEED TO FINISH THE SERIES 😭😭😭 but like if other books in the series come out I ain’t reading em
Ok yea so that’s it, I was really disappointed
*read this online*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2024
Not bad
Ok book but I won't reread.
Bristol and his grief were a sad plot line but I didn't connect as sympathetically as I normally would I thing. Not sure if it's the young love aspect of if it was over-played but I thought the whole thing thing dragged it out.
I felt for Leila in the beginning then found her a little too much. She was very self self self and yes I know he broke her heart but they never said "ILY" and she kept referring to him as a fling but held in to do much anger.
I dunno, something didn't get for me.
Ok book but I won't reread.
Bristol and his grief were a sad plot line but I didn't connect as sympathetically as I normally would I thing. Not sure if it's the young love aspect of if it was over-played but I thought the whole thing thing dragged it out.
I felt for Leila in the beginning then found her a little too much. She was very self self self and yes I know he broke her heart but they never said "ILY" and she kept referring to him as a fling but held in to do much anger.
I dunno, something didn't get for me.
September 21, 2024
This was so stinking cute, I cannot🤩
Bristol called things off with Lila a year ago, which led to heartbreak for her… only to be thrown together with her ex-fling for a modelling job that is bound to elevate Lila’s career to a new level!
But Lila is hurt by how Bristol so carelessly tossed her aside, and absolutely despises him! Thing is, Bristol regrets his decision and has been living with the consequences ever since! Something happened in his past that made him scared of commitments, something so heartbreaking, he doesn’t know how to function around the only women who made him feel lighter!
But he is determined to win her back and when the model agency asks them to fake a relationship for the benefit of the campaign, it’s the perfect opportunity to try and mend things with Lila.
This book had me laughing out loud one moment and then sobbing my heart out the next! I absolutely loved the friendships especially between Lila and Aeris! I always crave to read about healthy relationships between women and this one here was just perfect!
Bristol’s past was like a punch in the gut and even though I was so mad at him for how he handled things, I couldn’t but give him some (ok, a lot!) of slack!
And Lila reminded me so much of myself in my mid twenties, her insecurities, her loud personality, how people thought she was too much! Loved how relatable she was!
Thank you so much Celeste Briars for the ARC of The Last Kind Of Kiss 🫶🏻🩷
Bristol called things off with Lila a year ago, which led to heartbreak for her… only to be thrown together with her ex-fling for a modelling job that is bound to elevate Lila’s career to a new level!
But Lila is hurt by how Bristol so carelessly tossed her aside, and absolutely despises him! Thing is, Bristol regrets his decision and has been living with the consequences ever since! Something happened in his past that made him scared of commitments, something so heartbreaking, he doesn’t know how to function around the only women who made him feel lighter!
But he is determined to win her back and when the model agency asks them to fake a relationship for the benefit of the campaign, it’s the perfect opportunity to try and mend things with Lila.
This book had me laughing out loud one moment and then sobbing my heart out the next! I absolutely loved the friendships especially between Lila and Aeris! I always crave to read about healthy relationships between women and this one here was just perfect!
Bristol’s past was like a punch in the gut and even though I was so mad at him for how he handled things, I couldn’t but give him some (ok, a lot!) of slack!
And Lila reminded me so much of myself in my mid twenties, her insecurities, her loud personality, how people thought she was too much! Loved how relatable she was!
Thank you so much Celeste Briars for the ARC of The Last Kind Of Kiss 🫶🏻🩷
October 16, 2024
DNF @ 40%.
Thanks so much to Celeste for inviting me to read an ARC of this one. It just wasn't for me.
There were a few things that really bothered me:
- The use of the C* word frequently. I like it ~occasionally~ but it was just distracting.
- There were some weird descriptions of some of the physical reactions that one's body has to being aroused. These were also distracting. Or made me laugh? Like, I don't think you were trying to be funny but this description is... so bad it's funny?
- The FMC, Lila, is either thinking about how much she hates the MMC, how turned on the MMC makes her, or how insecure she is about being a model. This is a second chance romance, and I'm good with you being enemies, but you're literally working with him on a modeling campaign you've been "waiting your whole career" for, yet you're so consumed with hate that you end up screaming at him AT WORK FUNCTIONS for everyone to see/hear/watch? I've never had anything gush onto my thighs at a work function (weird descriptions mentioned above example). And I love when mental health and anxiety are topics of any book, but there is NO confidence for this supposedly pretty established model? Like, be nervous before a shoot, but also you're supposed to be a professional, so tell us about your rituals you do before you shoot and then do them... don't "forget" about them because you're so distracted by your ex-fling.
As you can tell, this story was just not for me. I'm sure a lot of folks will like the model x hockey player, forced proximity, lil spicy romance novel. Just not me. These are my honest thoughts.
Thanks so much to Celeste for inviting me to read an ARC of this one. It just wasn't for me.
There were a few things that really bothered me:
- The use of the C* word frequently. I like it ~occasionally~ but it was just distracting.
- There were some weird descriptions of some of the physical reactions that one's body has to being aroused. These were also distracting. Or made me laugh? Like, I don't think you were trying to be funny but this description is... so bad it's funny?
- The FMC, Lila, is either thinking about how much she hates the MMC, how turned on the MMC makes her, or how insecure she is about being a model. This is a second chance romance, and I'm good with you being enemies, but you're literally working with him on a modeling campaign you've been "waiting your whole career" for, yet you're so consumed with hate that you end up screaming at him AT WORK FUNCTIONS for everyone to see/hear/watch? I've never had anything gush onto my thighs at a work function (weird descriptions mentioned above example). And I love when mental health and anxiety are topics of any book, but there is NO confidence for this supposedly pretty established model? Like, be nervous before a shoot, but also you're supposed to be a professional, so tell us about your rituals you do before you shoot and then do them... don't "forget" about them because you're so distracted by your ex-fling.
As you can tell, this story was just not for me. I'm sure a lot of folks will like the model x hockey player, forced proximity, lil spicy romance novel. Just not me. These are my honest thoughts.
October 4, 2024
I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t get to that point 😭.
I just feel like the whole plot surrounding the ow drama was too much. The ow being Bristol’s past love (dead). Like i get that sometimes it’s hard to move on and it takes time for you to heal before u find ur next true love. But this book took that storyline too far along. Bristol moved on but yet to readers it feels like maybe he didn’t . The amount of times he keeps thinking and talking about her and then the whole ring thing. Even with Lila revealing her insecurities during the ring scene, it just felt like whatever he was saying wasn’t enough and then he walked away AGAIN 😭. I just felt like if he truly deeply loved her then he shouldn’t have done something that had caused them to seperate before.
I truly wanted to love this book and find it appealing but i just couldn’t get past the ow plot. And it makes me sad because i loved the other books in the series. Celeste is one of my top favorite authors too. so it was a bit disheartening for me 🥲. i really hope that past love/dead partners are not a trope for any future books but if it is then i hope it’s handled in a much better way lol where it doesn’t seem like the MMC is clinging too much.
coming to the things that i DID manage to very much like and the reasons for my stars; the lovey dovey lines that Bristol said 🥰, the jealousy scenes 😏, the spiceeee 🥵, and the side characters specifically my favorites Cali and Gage ❤️.
side notes: i would recommend this book for if u like second chance or enemies to lovers or sports romance. this book does contain ow storyline so i wouldn’t recommend it if u dislike ow drama.
Can’t wait for Fulton and Shiloh!
I just feel like the whole plot surrounding the ow drama was too much. The ow being Bristol’s past love (dead). Like i get that sometimes it’s hard to move on and it takes time for you to heal before u find ur next true love. But this book took that storyline too far along. Bristol moved on but yet to readers it feels like maybe he didn’t . The amount of times he keeps thinking and talking about her and then the whole ring thing. Even with Lila revealing her insecurities during the ring scene, it just felt like whatever he was saying wasn’t enough and then he walked away AGAIN 😭. I just felt like if he truly deeply loved her then he shouldn’t have done something that had caused them to seperate before.
I truly wanted to love this book and find it appealing but i just couldn’t get past the ow plot. And it makes me sad because i loved the other books in the series. Celeste is one of my top favorite authors too. so it was a bit disheartening for me 🥲. i really hope that past love/dead partners are not a trope for any future books but if it is then i hope it’s handled in a much better way lol where it doesn’t seem like the MMC is clinging too much.
coming to the things that i DID manage to very much like and the reasons for my stars; the lovey dovey lines that Bristol said 🥰, the jealousy scenes 😏, the spiceeee 🥵, and the side characters specifically my favorites Cali and Gage ❤️.
side notes: i would recommend this book for if u like second chance or enemies to lovers or sports romance. this book does contain ow storyline so i wouldn’t recommend it if u dislike ow drama.
Can’t wait for Fulton and Shiloh!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2024
A great hockey romance story🏒⛸️
I love the fact that there was deep topics as well as banter between the characters and it was a very enjoyable read. I wish I would’ve read the two books in between before reading this one. I know it’s an interconnected series so you don’t have to I would definitely recommend doing so. 🎀
I love a enemies to lovers, but I’m not the biggest man of second chance romance but this was written very well and I very much enjoyed it🩷✨
I love the fact that there was deep topics as well as banter between the characters and it was a very enjoyable read. I wish I would’ve read the two books in between before reading this one. I know it’s an interconnected series so you don’t have to I would definitely recommend doing so. 🎀
I love a enemies to lovers, but I’m not the biggest man of second chance romance but this was written very well and I very much enjoyed it🩷✨
November 9, 2024
Me da mucha pena ponerle solo 3 estrellas porque me estaba encantando, pero esa discusión en Navidad... Creo que Lila tiene muchos muchos problemas y los demuestra en esa discusión. Y me da mucha rabia como la autora lo solventa donde los dos protagonistas se piden perdón y ya viven felices para siempre sin dar una muestra de que evidentemente Lila necesita ayuda profesional. Ademas, de que me da mucha rabia también que Bristol crea que él tiene la culpa de que Lila se sienta y piense así, cuando él lo único que ha hecho es cuidarse e intentar seguir hacia delante después del trauma que le toca vivir.
En resumen, me da pena ese final porque su historia me ha gustado mucho.
🪩 “To any readers who’ve ever been told they’re too emotional, too loud, too much. You’re not too much for the right person. Be you, and be you beautifully. Also, fuck those people.”
🪩 “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss her.”
🪩 “When I’d come home late from modeling shoots and was too tired to take my makeup off, he’d do it for me. He’d draw me a bath and bring me the dinner that I hadn’t eaten yet, and he’d take care of me for the rest of the night. Whenever we slept at his place, we’d spend the next morning cuddling, talking about the future, just… relishing in each other. He constantly told me how beautiful I was, staring at me like it was the last time he’d ever see me.”
🪩 “How is it possible for this girl to be both my salvation and ruination?”
🪩 “Her existence overwhelms me. It overwhelms me in the best possible way. It hurts to breathe when I’m not around her.”
🪩 “–And you somehow look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, –he drawls.”
🪩 “–You’re going to laugh at me.
–Never in a million years, angel, –he whispers.”
🪩 “–God, you make me so fucking crazy that I can’t think straight!
–And you make me so fucking crazy that all I can think about is you!”
🪩 “[...] but her lips give me a reason to fall back in love with life.”
🪩 “–Don’t think you’re worthy of anything less than love. I envy whoever gets to have you for the rest of their life, because just knowing you for a quarter of mine has already been the best gift I could’ve ever asked for.”
🪩 “–[...] I can see it in your eyes when you’re with her.
–See what?
–Life.”
🪩 “She’s my best friend. She makes me want to be a better person. She always puts everyone else before herself, but she’ll never have to again, because I’m finally choosing her for the right reason. I want to spend the rest of my life listening to her snort-laughs. I want to spend the rest of my life falling over and over again into those blue eyes of hers.”
🪩 “I haven’t turned the engine on yet… I don’t want to. I turn to face her fully, losing myself in the infinite, star-flecked universe in her eyes, and I watch as she leans her head back to laugh. I memorize the way her eyes shut and her nose wrinkles in unadulterated bliss. And oh… that sound. That heavenly sound. That peace-bringing sound that could probably stop wars.”
🪩 “–For you? I’ve got all the time in the world.”
🪩 “He’s so beautiful that I don’t know how God could’ve created something so pure.
[...] –“I love you, Lila Perkins. I love you with everything I am. You may not have been my first love, but you’re my last love. And the thing about first love is that they prepare you for your greatest love of all.”
🪩 “All that love I’ve been missing my whole life—from my father and myself—is made up for right here, [...]”
🪩 “He sets the box down so he can twirl me around, matching my intensity with his own bruising kiss. A last kind of kiss.”
En resumen, me da pena ese final porque su historia me ha gustado mucho.
🪩 “To any readers who’ve ever been told they’re too emotional, too loud, too much. You’re not too much for the right person. Be you, and be you beautifully. Also, fuck those people.”
🪩 “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss her.”
🪩 “When I’d come home late from modeling shoots and was too tired to take my makeup off, he’d do it for me. He’d draw me a bath and bring me the dinner that I hadn’t eaten yet, and he’d take care of me for the rest of the night. Whenever we slept at his place, we’d spend the next morning cuddling, talking about the future, just… relishing in each other. He constantly told me how beautiful I was, staring at me like it was the last time he’d ever see me.”
🪩 “How is it possible for this girl to be both my salvation and ruination?”
🪩 “Her existence overwhelms me. It overwhelms me in the best possible way. It hurts to breathe when I’m not around her.”
🪩 “–And you somehow look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, –he drawls.”
🪩 “–You’re going to laugh at me.
–Never in a million years, angel, –he whispers.”
🪩 “–God, you make me so fucking crazy that I can’t think straight!
–And you make me so fucking crazy that all I can think about is you!”
🪩 “[...] but her lips give me a reason to fall back in love with life.”
🪩 “–Don’t think you’re worthy of anything less than love. I envy whoever gets to have you for the rest of their life, because just knowing you for a quarter of mine has already been the best gift I could’ve ever asked for.”
🪩 “–[...] I can see it in your eyes when you’re with her.
–See what?
–Life.”
🪩 “She’s my best friend. She makes me want to be a better person. She always puts everyone else before herself, but she’ll never have to again, because I’m finally choosing her for the right reason. I want to spend the rest of my life listening to her snort-laughs. I want to spend the rest of my life falling over and over again into those blue eyes of hers.”
🪩 “I haven’t turned the engine on yet… I don’t want to. I turn to face her fully, losing myself in the infinite, star-flecked universe in her eyes, and I watch as she leans her head back to laugh. I memorize the way her eyes shut and her nose wrinkles in unadulterated bliss. And oh… that sound. That heavenly sound. That peace-bringing sound that could probably stop wars.”
🪩 “–For you? I’ve got all the time in the world.”
🪩 “He’s so beautiful that I don’t know how God could’ve created something so pure.
[...] –“I love you, Lila Perkins. I love you with everything I am. You may not have been my first love, but you’re my last love. And the thing about first love is that they prepare you for your greatest love of all.”
🪩 “All that love I’ve been missing my whole life—from my father and myself—is made up for right here, [...]”
🪩 “He sets the box down so he can twirl me around, matching my intensity with his own bruising kiss. A last kind of kiss.”
October 3, 2024
This was such a cute second chance romance!
From the start I loved Bristol and Lila.
Their story was so emotional, and a roller coaster but I loved that we got to see the raw and messy parts and watch them come back together. When we first meet them it seems like it starts as a enemies to lovers (at least on Lila’s part) but as the book goes on and we learn more about Bristol’s and Lila’s story and it is so much more!
Omg Bristol I just wanted to give him a hug! I feel like both him and Lila grew so much by the end of the book. I was happy that they eventually both found comfort in each other. The way Bristol cared for Lila made my heart melt and I loved their banter.
Lila was a relatable character. I totally understood all of her insecurities and her struggles. She just felt real to me and I really wanted to see her growth and I felt like we got it.
The spice was hot!! Lila calling him a good boy?! Obsessed. I loved the one bed scene, it was funny but also spicy!
I cannot wait for Fulton’s book! The sneak peak was so good! I already love him!!
Rating ⭐️: 4.5/5
Spice 🌶️: 2.5
Dual POV
💚 Second chance
💚 Hockey romance
💚 Fake dating
💚 Cinnamon roll MMC
💚 One bed
💚 Enemies to lovers
💚 Forced proximity
"𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓘 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾,"
"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍?"
“𝓙𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼𝔂'𝓼 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒋𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎.”
Thank you so much to Celeste Briars for the arc! 🤍
From the start I loved Bristol and Lila.
Their story was so emotional, and a roller coaster but I loved that we got to see the raw and messy parts and watch them come back together. When we first meet them it seems like it starts as a enemies to lovers (at least on Lila’s part) but as the book goes on and we learn more about Bristol’s and Lila’s story and it is so much more!
Omg Bristol I just wanted to give him a hug! I feel like both him and Lila grew so much by the end of the book. I was happy that they eventually both found comfort in each other. The way Bristol cared for Lila made my heart melt and I loved their banter.
Lila was a relatable character. I totally understood all of her insecurities and her struggles. She just felt real to me and I really wanted to see her growth and I felt like we got it.
The spice was hot!! Lila calling him a good boy?! Obsessed. I loved the one bed scene, it was funny but also spicy!
I cannot wait for Fulton’s book! The sneak peak was so good! I already love him!!
Rating ⭐️: 4.5/5
Spice 🌶️: 2.5
Dual POV
💚 Second chance
💚 Hockey romance
💚 Fake dating
💚 Cinnamon roll MMC
💚 One bed
💚 Enemies to lovers
💚 Forced proximity
"𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓘 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾,"
"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍?"
“𝓙𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼𝔂'𝓼 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒋𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎.”
Thank you so much to Celeste Briars for the arc! 🤍
October 13, 2024
Before I get into the review, I want to thank Celeste for sending me a copy! 💚
This is the first time that I read THIS trope and the pain is very intense.
Respect to my girl Lila because I know I couldn’t date someone who experienced that..
Model Lila Perkins no longer believes in soul ties or coincidences, and she definitely doesn't believe in happily ever afters. Not after suffering through The Great Ghosting with her ex-situationship. Now she swears by the ball-busting belief that you have to do things yourself instead of waiting for the stars to align. But right as she's about to embark on a modeling campaign with the potential to change the trajectory of her career, fate rears its ugly head and plays a sick joke on her. The catch to getting her dream job? She has to work with the captain of the Riverside Reapers...the only man who has ever broken her heart.
Hockey team captain Bristol Brenner is running from an inescapable past, and a year ago, he ran right out of Lila's life as a result. He never imagined he would see her again... until he walks into her chemistry read as her new costar. And the worst part? The tension is still there between them, and keeping things professional is proving to be hard.
Lila and Bristol have three months to convince the world they're Hollywood's next "It" couple or they can kiss their modeling jobs goodbye. 🙂↕️
Bristol’s past is definitely something I wasn’t expecting. Like I said the trope is something I’ve never tried before and personally I wouldn’t go for but nonetheless I really loved Lila & Bristol as characters and their banter was refreshing & fun despite his dark past.
‘The Last Kind Of Kiss’ is the 4. book of the ‘Riverside Reapers’ series. This is an interconnected series which can be read as stand alones.
This is the first time that I read THIS trope and the pain is very intense.
Respect to my girl Lila because I know I couldn’t date someone who experienced that..
Model Lila Perkins no longer believes in soul ties or coincidences, and she definitely doesn't believe in happily ever afters. Not after suffering through The Great Ghosting with her ex-situationship. Now she swears by the ball-busting belief that you have to do things yourself instead of waiting for the stars to align. But right as she's about to embark on a modeling campaign with the potential to change the trajectory of her career, fate rears its ugly head and plays a sick joke on her. The catch to getting her dream job? She has to work with the captain of the Riverside Reapers...the only man who has ever broken her heart.
Hockey team captain Bristol Brenner is running from an inescapable past, and a year ago, he ran right out of Lila's life as a result. He never imagined he would see her again... until he walks into her chemistry read as her new costar. And the worst part? The tension is still there between them, and keeping things professional is proving to be hard.
Lila and Bristol have three months to convince the world they're Hollywood's next "It" couple or they can kiss their modeling jobs goodbye. 🙂↕️
Bristol’s past is definitely something I wasn’t expecting. Like I said the trope is something I’ve never tried before and personally I wouldn’t go for but nonetheless I really loved Lila & Bristol as characters and their banter was refreshing & fun despite his dark past.
‘The Last Kind Of Kiss’ is the 4. book of the ‘Riverside Reapers’ series. This is an interconnected series which can be read as stand alones.
October 3, 2024
A great read!
This book has so many of my favorite tropes in it. I loved the fake dating and second chance romance throughout. Lila and Bristol were meant for each other. They had so many hardships but ultimately were able to get past them.
Thank you so much to the author for the ARC!
This book has so many of my favorite tropes in it. I loved the fake dating and second chance romance throughout. Lila and Bristol were meant for each other. They had so many hardships but ultimately were able to get past them.
Thank you so much to the author for the ARC!
dnf-collection
October 5, 2024This story had so much potential. I can see with more experience and some fine tuning, this author will only get better and better and I’ll definitely be looking out for her future stories to see the growth.
Ended up DNF’ing at 44% because I’m not a huge fan of and even though it was kindly warned at the beginning of the book that the trope was coming, and I was given good warning to back out, I was already hooked enough to see how the author would iron out these creases, but alas, MMC hit a strike 2 that he couldn’t come back from in my books, and with the undesired trope being a huge stain on the whole story, I didn’t really want to see the rest play out anymore. I will say, kudos to the author for trying to challenge herself with a difficult task.
Beside good grovel, I do love me some great MMC pinning, so I’ll definitely look out for the next book in this series as the blurb sounds up my alley.
Ended up DNF’ing at 44% because I’m not a huge fan of and even though it was kindly warned at the beginning of the book that the trope was coming, and I was given good warning to back out, I was already hooked enough to see how the author would iron out these creases, but alas, MMC hit a strike 2 that he couldn’t come back from in my books, and with the undesired trope being a huge stain on the whole story, I didn’t really want to see the rest play out anymore. I will say, kudos to the author for trying to challenge herself with a difficult task.
Beside good grovel, I do love me some great MMC pinning, so I’ll definitely look out for the next book in this series as the blurb sounds up my alley.
October 16, 2024
2.25 ⭐️
this book has so much potential 💔
this book has so much potential 💔
September 2, 2025
❝ i think about you more than you possibly know. i think about the life we could've had together... the life i still fantasise about❞
5★
5★
October 5, 2024
I told her I'd wait for her, but I'd wait forever if she asked me to.
Tropes:
💚 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake Dating
💚 Second Chance
🏒 Black Cat x Golden Retriever
💚 Dislike to Lovers
🏒 Forced Proximity
💚 Found Family
🏒 Hockey Player x Model
💚 ARC Review 💚
I’m so in love with Lila & Bristol 🥹💗Both of them were absolutely perfect for each other – Bristol is so in love with Lila and will do anything to prove to her that she’s his everything! I was captivated so quickly and fell in love with Lila and Bristol 💗
Lila is such a queen – she’s such a hard-working, beautiful but also nervous girl who wants to be a model. But after her last relationship ended with a heartbreak – she reinvented herself and learned to love herself more! On her first day, she meets Bristol – the boy who broke her heart. She’s such a strong person who puts everyone else first and she needs someone who will protect her, love her, and will do anything to make her love herself cause she is amazing! The friendship between Lila and Aeris was so adorable 🥹 They saved each other, and it's so beautiful to see how much love they have for each other 😭💗
Bristol Brenner – our flirty hockey captain. He was so funny the whole book – I adore him so much. When I read how he lost his first love, I started crying and wanted to hug him 😭💗I could understand why he was so nervous to start a relationship with Lila – he did everything to make up to her and show her that hopefully he was the boyfriend she deserves. Cause for Bristol, Lila deserves everything and he will make sure she is happy.
My heart swooned when Bristol proved to Lila that he had changed and was ready for her. He drove 50 miles to get her favorite burger - what a gentleman!! He makes a playlist of all the songs that remind him of Lila and shows it to her. Also, he memorizes the different color changes Lila's eyes go through depending on her mood, and to top it all off, he ADOPTS A DOG FROM HER MOM'S ANIMAL RESCUE SHELTER – I LOVE BRISTOL SO MUCH 🥺💗
Celeste brought out all the feelings - Lila and Bristol truly captured my heart 🥹💗
Thank you so much Celeste for the ARC 🫶🏻💗
Tropes:
💚 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake Dating
💚 Second Chance
🏒 Black Cat x Golden Retriever
💚 Dislike to Lovers
🏒 Forced Proximity
💚 Found Family
🏒 Hockey Player x Model
💚 ARC Review 💚
I’m so in love with Lila & Bristol 🥹💗Both of them were absolutely perfect for each other – Bristol is so in love with Lila and will do anything to prove to her that she’s his everything! I was captivated so quickly and fell in love with Lila and Bristol 💗
Lila is such a queen – she’s such a hard-working, beautiful but also nervous girl who wants to be a model. But after her last relationship ended with a heartbreak – she reinvented herself and learned to love herself more! On her first day, she meets Bristol – the boy who broke her heart. She’s such a strong person who puts everyone else first and she needs someone who will protect her, love her, and will do anything to make her love herself cause she is amazing! The friendship between Lila and Aeris was so adorable 🥹 They saved each other, and it's so beautiful to see how much love they have for each other 😭💗
Bristol Brenner – our flirty hockey captain. He was so funny the whole book – I adore him so much. When I read how he lost his first love, I started crying and wanted to hug him 😭💗I could understand why he was so nervous to start a relationship with Lila – he did everything to make up to her and show her that hopefully he was the boyfriend she deserves. Cause for Bristol, Lila deserves everything and he will make sure she is happy.
My heart swooned when Bristol proved to Lila that he had changed and was ready for her. He drove 50 miles to get her favorite burger - what a gentleman!! He makes a playlist of all the songs that remind him of Lila and shows it to her. Also, he memorizes the different color changes Lila's eyes go through depending on her mood, and to top it all off, he ADOPTS A DOG FROM HER MOM'S ANIMAL RESCUE SHELTER – I LOVE BRISTOL SO MUCH 🥺💗
Celeste brought out all the feelings - Lila and Bristol truly captured my heart 🥹💗
Thank you so much Celeste for the ARC 🫶🏻💗
October 11, 2024
arc review 💚💚
a fake dating second chance romance, that is all you had to say 😌 this was such a ride because we get these moments of angst and just cuteness but there’s also some very sad parts.
is it possible to be in love with both mc’s because i know for a fact i am 😙🤏🏼 there is no denying that lila & bristol don’t have the strong chemistry that they have!! like the way these two are so in love with each other is just so 🤭🤭 we have bristol driving 50 MILES to get lila’s favorite burger 🥹 if that isn’t love, i don’t know what is 🤷🏻♀️
lila the strong hardworking amazing girl. i give this girl so much props for sticking up for herself. I say this because after getting her heart broken by bristol and meeting with him again while she was still heartbroken was hard itself. but having to work & hang out with him while he’s trying to get her back along with her going through her own situation was just brutal 😭 even though this girl was fighting demons to not do anything with him, she only did when she knew he was serious about her!! she was able to finally feel loved 🥺
bristol the man you are 🙂↕️ this man is such a flirt, had me giggling kicking my feet. this why i say lila was strong because if i was her, this book would be short 😅 i gotta say this man is determined! he knew the second he let lila go, he lost one of the best things in his life!! bristol knew that he had to have lila back. when i read about his story with summit, something inside died because it was just so sad. it’s something he carried with him for so long that it gotten in between his relationship with lila at first. but he was able to recover his relationship with lila and most importantly with himself 🤍
two last thing i want to mention!! first of all lila and aeris’ friendship HAS ME CRYING CAUSE THEY ARE SO CUTE ☺️ when hayes would come talk to lila about bristol and lila would be like ‘idc’ aeris hyping her up even though it’s her man’s lila is talking to PLEASE 😭 second when bristol finally opens up to lila about his past stood out to me so much. i don’t know why but something about this interaction was so raw. you just felt how things are definitely moving on to better!!!
a fake dating second chance romance, that is all you had to say 😌 this was such a ride because we get these moments of angst and just cuteness but there’s also some very sad parts.
is it possible to be in love with both mc’s because i know for a fact i am 😙🤏🏼 there is no denying that lila & bristol don’t have the strong chemistry that they have!! like the way these two are so in love with each other is just so 🤭🤭 we have bristol driving 50 MILES to get lila’s favorite burger 🥹 if that isn’t love, i don’t know what is 🤷🏻♀️
lila the strong hardworking amazing girl. i give this girl so much props for sticking up for herself. I say this because after getting her heart broken by bristol and meeting with him again while she was still heartbroken was hard itself. but having to work & hang out with him while he’s trying to get her back along with her going through her own situation was just brutal 😭 even though this girl was fighting demons to not do anything with him, she only did when she knew he was serious about her!! she was able to finally feel loved 🥺
bristol the man you are 🙂↕️ this man is such a flirt, had me giggling kicking my feet. this why i say lila was strong because if i was her, this book would be short 😅 i gotta say this man is determined! he knew the second he let lila go, he lost one of the best things in his life!! bristol knew that he had to have lila back. when i read about his story with summit, something inside died because it was just so sad. it’s something he carried with him for so long that it gotten in between his relationship with lila at first. but he was able to recover his relationship with lila and most importantly with himself 🤍
two last thing i want to mention!! first of all lila and aeris’ friendship HAS ME CRYING CAUSE THEY ARE SO CUTE ☺️ when hayes would come talk to lila about bristol and lila would be like ‘idc’ aeris hyping her up even though it’s her man’s lila is talking to PLEASE 😭 second when bristol finally opens up to lila about his past stood out to me so much. i don’t know why but something about this interaction was so raw. you just felt how things are definitely moving on to better!!!
October 2, 2024
The Last Kind of Kiss is a second chance romance between Lila & Bristol. When Lila gets a dream job in modeling her co-star ends up being no other than the boy who broke her heart a year ago. For the next 3 months, they have to pretend to be a couple for the modeling campaign. But faking it ends up being harder than expected. These feelings start feeling really ... real.
There's no denying these two had some off the charts chemistry. I loved how vulnerable Bristol was. Once he finally decided to open up to Lila about his past, he let it all out. He was not afraid of showing those feelings. They both had a lot of things to overcome before they could fully trust each other. There was a tremendous amount of character growth for both of them. They both challenged each other. And talk about a man obsessed! Whew!There was some miscommunication towards the end I wasn't a fan of but they figured their crap out!
"I love you with everything I am. You may not have been my first love, but you're my last love. And the thing about first loves is that they prepare you for your greatest love of all."
What to expect:
💗Hockey captain x model
🏒Second Chance
💗Enemies to lovers
🏒Fake dating
💗One Bed
🏒Forced Proximity
This one releases October 3. Thank you so much to Celeste Briars for this ARC.
There's no denying these two had some off the charts chemistry. I loved how vulnerable Bristol was. Once he finally decided to open up to Lila about his past, he let it all out. He was not afraid of showing those feelings. They both had a lot of things to overcome before they could fully trust each other. There was a tremendous amount of character growth for both of them. They both challenged each other. And talk about a man obsessed! Whew!There was some miscommunication towards the end I wasn't a fan of but they figured their crap out!
"I love you with everything I am. You may not have been my first love, but you're my last love. And the thing about first loves is that they prepare you for your greatest love of all."
What to expect:
💗Hockey captain x model
🏒Second Chance
💗Enemies to lovers
🏒Fake dating
💗One Bed
🏒Forced Proximity
This one releases October 3. Thank you so much to Celeste Briars for this ARC.
September 25, 2024
My first book by the author and it definitely won't be my last! This was such an addictive read!
Lila and Bristol deserve the world and I just wanna give them a tight hug! They've both dealt with so much and found peace with each other which was so beautiful to read about!
The spice was spicyyy, the romance was so swoony and I was a blushing mess the entire time reading this!
Bristol was a cinnamon roll boyfriend and would do whatever it took to not let go of his girl! Lila was a dream and just wanted someone to appreciate her.
On many occasions, I could relate to Lilah and I just loved her character!
However, I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication type situation in the book and the drama it caused but I completely understand that it was much needed!
The push and pull made the book so hot and paired with fake dating, it was amazing 😍
Lila and Bristol deserve the world and I just wanna give them a tight hug! They've both dealt with so much and found peace with each other which was so beautiful to read about!
The spice was spicyyy, the romance was so swoony and I was a blushing mess the entire time reading this!
Bristol was a cinnamon roll boyfriend and would do whatever it took to not let go of his girl! Lila was a dream and just wanted someone to appreciate her.
On many occasions, I could relate to Lilah and I just loved her character!
However, I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication type situation in the book and the drama it caused but I completely understand that it was much needed!
The push and pull made the book so hot and paired with fake dating, it was amazing 😍
October 3, 2024
This is another great book for the lovers of enemies to lovers romance because the banter between these two and how the FMC was not ready to back down was the best thing ever, I actually loved the aspect that the author had given so much attention and love to the male main character and showed such a depth to his emotions as it is rarely seen in Romance novels. His vulnerability, the way he broke down, he cried, brought a lot of real emotions in the book and that is what made this read an amazing read for me.
October 8, 2024
wow this was a tough read. so much miscommunication and whining good lord. i don’t even have the energy to write about how bad this was because I’m annoyed. Lila was so. annoying and whiny. and Bristol was a cry baby. like I understand things are hard but good night grow a pair and tell the truth. and Lila girl not everything is such a huge deal get tf over yourself. the only reason I rated it 2 stars is because I liked the appearances by the other characters but idk I’m lowkey feeling 1.
⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
October 4, 2025
I am torn about the fourth installment of the Riverside Reapers. I want to make it clear that I am giving this book 4 stars based on my personal fantasy about Bristol and Lila and not on the actual writing. If I were only reviewing the writing, I think I would give it 2-3 stars. It's not badly written, don't get me wrong; it just drags on.
If you go back and read my reviews for Celeste Briars books, you can always see that I said she had amazing potential but that the pacing of her books needed fine-tuning. She was missing details in some of her earlier works, it would jump from thought to thought. As the series continued, I could see improvement in the writing style. Now, I am going to say the opposite. I think there was too much detail in this book.
Let's go first with the story. We met Bristol and Lila in The Best Kind of Forever and knew they were hooking up. In The Worst Kind of Promise, they broke up or had some sort of fallout, but we don't really have any additional details. Well, here we learn that Bristol called off whatever their relationship was because it was getting too serious and he freaked out. Bristol had been in a serious relationship during his college years, and he was ready to propose to that girl. However, she unfortunately died before he had the opportunity. He never moved on from the grieving phase until he met Lila and that simultaneously scared him and made him feel guilt. Lila grew up with just her mother, her father abandoning her as a baby, leaving her feeling unworthy. She opened up to Bristol and saw he was different from any other "boyfriends" she had in her past, and he broke her heart and confidence when he called off their relationship. They spent a year avoiding each other despite being in the same friendship group. A modeling job/campaign has now thrown them together, and this is Bristol's opportunity to win Lila back and prove he can be the person she needs and can trust.
The love story itself is what my little hearts want. I love the second-chance romance trope: a relationship that existed in the past and now comes back together.
I had to push myself to continue reading this book at times because it felt like it dragged on. There are definitely some very poetic lines, such as:
But Celeste Briars also writes the same thing multiple ways and drags out certain parts. I'm not saying I don't like it occasionally but it happens every other page. An example is:
Again, this is a beautiful quote, but there are parts where Lila and Bristol are in a conversation, and there is a bit of dialogue. Then one of the characters goes into an internal monologue that lasts 2 pages before we finally return to the dialogue and the other character's response. By this time, I had already forgotten what the initial dialogue or conversation was about. There is a fine line between poetic or romantic and rambling.
This is also a series about hockey players and teammates, and of the four books in the series, I think this may be the book where we see very little hockey playing and almost no interaction with the teammates. The Cruelest Kind of Hate would be a close second, but I can understand that there was little hockey in that book as Gage was injured as part of the plot. I would have thought that the Reapers were in the off-season if it wasn't for the occasional mention of a game and it being winter.
Our next book is Fulton and Shiloh, who we briefly met in this book. I'm not overly invested in Fulton as a character yet so I'm not sure how excited I am about the next installment, although that doesn't mean that I won't read it.
I'm just hoping that we get a book with Casen and Josie. I really like them as a couple and I want to get to know them more.
If you go back and read my reviews for Celeste Briars books, you can always see that I said she had amazing potential but that the pacing of her books needed fine-tuning. She was missing details in some of her earlier works, it would jump from thought to thought. As the series continued, I could see improvement in the writing style. Now, I am going to say the opposite. I think there was too much detail in this book.
Let's go first with the story. We met Bristol and Lila in The Best Kind of Forever and knew they were hooking up. In The Worst Kind of Promise, they broke up or had some sort of fallout, but we don't really have any additional details. Well, here we learn that Bristol called off whatever their relationship was because it was getting too serious and he freaked out. Bristol had been in a serious relationship during his college years, and he was ready to propose to that girl. However, she unfortunately died before he had the opportunity. He never moved on from the grieving phase until he met Lila and that simultaneously scared him and made him feel guilt. Lila grew up with just her mother, her father abandoning her as a baby, leaving her feeling unworthy. She opened up to Bristol and saw he was different from any other "boyfriends" she had in her past, and he broke her heart and confidence when he called off their relationship. They spent a year avoiding each other despite being in the same friendship group. A modeling job/campaign has now thrown them together, and this is Bristol's opportunity to win Lila back and prove he can be the person she needs and can trust.
The love story itself is what my little hearts want. I love the second-chance romance trope: a relationship that existed in the past and now comes back together.
I had to push myself to continue reading this book at times because it felt like it dragged on. There are definitely some very poetic lines, such as:
Nebulous clouds gather overhead, stippled with thunderous shadows that unfold night over a lit-up cluster of shingled rooftops. The sky borrows its color from basalt, and the leftover tears dirtying my face have begun to freeze.
But Celeste Briars also writes the same thing multiple ways and drags out certain parts. I'm not saying I don't like it occasionally but it happens every other page. An example is:
You infect every living part of me—my heart, my head, my lungs, my stomach. I breathe easier when I’m with you. My heart’s lighter when I hear you laugh or see you smile. You occupy every thought I have. You give me butterflies on a regular basis. You’re everywhere; you’re all around me; you’re at the forefront of my entire being. You are my present—you are my ass-whopping, hard-headed, strong, independent, selfless, caring present. I feel everything for you. I feel it so greatly that you burn me, Lila. You burn me so badly that the only way I can stop thinking about you, even for a second, is to carve you from my goddamn body.
Again, this is a beautiful quote, but there are parts where Lila and Bristol are in a conversation, and there is a bit of dialogue. Then one of the characters goes into an internal monologue that lasts 2 pages before we finally return to the dialogue and the other character's response. By this time, I had already forgotten what the initial dialogue or conversation was about. There is a fine line between poetic or romantic and rambling.
This is also a series about hockey players and teammates, and of the four books in the series, I think this may be the book where we see very little hockey playing and almost no interaction with the teammates. The Cruelest Kind of Hate would be a close second, but I can understand that there was little hockey in that book as Gage was injured as part of the plot. I would have thought that the Reapers were in the off-season if it wasn't for the occasional mention of a game and it being winter.
Our next book is Fulton and Shiloh, who we briefly met in this book. I'm not overly invested in Fulton as a character yet so I'm not sure how excited I am about the next installment, although that doesn't mean that I won't read it.
I'm just hoping that we get a book with Casen and Josie. I really like them as a couple and I want to get to know them more.
October 8, 2024
Temporarily DNFing, read it while stoned last night and it was just terrible and it made me want to tear my eyeballs out and for now I simply cannot return from that.
January 9, 2025
I liked the idea of the plot these characters pissed me off
May 12, 2025
no pienso desarrollar nada, al final me ha gustado :(
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