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Wilder Wolves #1
Cold As Ice
Book One in the Wilder Wolves hockey sports romance series!
A year ago, Alondra Brown quit figuring skating, and since then, she's spent every day trying to piece back together the broken parts of the person she used to be.
After an impulsive night out, Alondra finds herself caught in a lie, pretending to be the tutor for the charming stranger she kissed the night before, now realizing he's her father’s star hockey player, Jack Schultz.
Avoiding Jack becomes impossible once he begs for their lie to become a reality after admitting he needs her help to maintain his eligibility to play. Caught between resisting the pull toward the hockey captain, and the fear of being hurt again, Alondra's surprised to find out there's more to Jack than the front he wears as the playboy who doesn't believe in love.
The lines of their unlikely friendship become blurred as Jack and Alondra struggle to fight their connection. No matter how much they try to deny it, the heart wants exactly what it shouldn’t.
A year ago, Alondra Brown quit figuring skating, and since then, she's spent every day trying to piece back together the broken parts of the person she used to be.
After an impulsive night out, Alondra finds herself caught in a lie, pretending to be the tutor for the charming stranger she kissed the night before, now realizing he's her father’s star hockey player, Jack Schultz.
Avoiding Jack becomes impossible once he begs for their lie to become a reality after admitting he needs her help to maintain his eligibility to play. Caught between resisting the pull toward the hockey captain, and the fear of being hurt again, Alondra's surprised to find out there's more to Jack than the front he wears as the playboy who doesn't believe in love.
The lines of their unlikely friendship become blurred as Jack and Alondra struggle to fight their connection. No matter how much they try to deny it, the heart wants exactly what it shouldn’t.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2025
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December 22, 2025
4 stars
⤹review contains NO spoilers || trigger warnings are needed for this book! (will be stated at the end of this review.)
i LOVED this book! a hockey romance is successful once again. am i finally being converted?
this was my first laurea Matthews book and OH did it serve. i truly started this yesterday and i had such a fun time with it that i couldn’t put it down for 2 days straight. i stayed up late reading this book, kicked my feet, fell off my bed, ran 3 miles to mourn not having my own jack, and FELT. through my whole heart, i felt.
both of these characters are SO precious to me. both of them have heavy trauma that kind of hinders them and makes them hesitate from entering a relationship, but throughout the book, they eventually trust each other with it and immediately deeply understand each other. seeing two people connect on an atomic level was truly precious to read. although they share intensely emotional moments together, their playful moments were undoubtedly my favorite. my notes literally just read: THEIR BANTER THEIR BANTER!! because of my gosh was it amazing 😩 jack’s intensely playful and flirtatious personality and alondra’s reserved but feisty-when-comfortable’s matched so well. constantly throughout the book, i was SWOONING because of how perfectly laurea wrote the banter. it was AMAZING. i’m going to shut up soon, but i also adored their unwavering, strong, and never-ending support for each other. alondra constantly showing up at his games, cheering, and wearing his jersey, and Jack helping her be confident on the ice again 😩 all of this to say, I LOVE THEM!!
when he wore a figure skate on his necklace so “SHE COULD ALWAYS BE CLOSE TO HIS HEART” 😭💗
there was a reason i read this in one day and it was also partly because of the addictive writing. it was straightforward, but it also flowed so well. from the beginning, i settled into the book easily and the rest of the book was just as effortless to read.
overall, I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND! hockey romances have just been hitting the sweet spot lately, and I'm so glad that this one continued the streak.
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
ᝰ ⋆ ── preread ✶
hockey romances have been working out for me lately, sooo 🤭.
༄˖ thank you to love notes pr for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
⤹review contains NO spoilers || trigger warnings are needed for this book! (will be stated at the end of this review.)
i LOVED this book! a hockey romance is successful once again. am i finally being converted?
this was my first laurea Matthews book and OH did it serve. i truly started this yesterday and i had such a fun time with it that i couldn’t put it down for 2 days straight. i stayed up late reading this book, kicked my feet, fell off my bed, ran 3 miles to mourn not having my own jack, and FELT. through my whole heart, i felt.
both of these characters are SO precious to me. both of them have heavy trauma that kind of hinders them and makes them hesitate from entering a relationship, but throughout the book, they eventually trust each other with it and immediately deeply understand each other. seeing two people connect on an atomic level was truly precious to read. although they share intensely emotional moments together, their playful moments were undoubtedly my favorite. my notes literally just read: THEIR BANTER THEIR BANTER!! because of my gosh was it amazing 😩 jack’s intensely playful and flirtatious personality and alondra’s reserved but feisty-when-comfortable’s matched so well. constantly throughout the book, i was SWOONING because of how perfectly laurea wrote the banter. it was AMAZING. i’m going to shut up soon, but i also adored their unwavering, strong, and never-ending support for each other. alondra constantly showing up at his games, cheering, and wearing his jersey, and Jack helping her be confident on the ice again 😩 all of this to say, I LOVE THEM!!
when he wore a figure skate on his necklace so “SHE COULD ALWAYS BE CLOSE TO HIS HEART” 😭💗
there was a reason i read this in one day and it was also partly because of the addictive writing. it was straightforward, but it also flowed so well. from the beginning, i settled into the book easily and the rest of the book was just as effortless to read.
overall, I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND! hockey romances have just been hitting the sweet spot lately, and I'm so glad that this one continued the streak.
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
ᝰ ⋆ ── preread ✶
hockey romances have been working out for me lately, sooo 🤭.
༄˖ thank you to love notes pr for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2025
જ⁀➴ 4 stars
Thank you to Laurea Matthews and Love Notes PR for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Cold As Ice is out now!
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡
I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I honestly requested the book on a whim and sort of went into it with no expectations and read it blind, and if you're looking for a heartfelt story with found family vibes and MCs who learn to find their voices and strength after trauma and heartbreak, PLEASE read this book. I will say that this book does come with some major trigger warnings, and it's not for the faint of heart if you're sensitive to some of these subjects, but this was my first-ever Laurea Matthews book, and I'm not disappointed at all!
Alondra Brown was on her way to being a nationally-ranked figure skater when disaster struck, and she quit skating indefinitely, as a shock to the entire community. On a night out with her friends, she runs into Jack Schultz, who unbeknownst to her, is the captain of her college's hockey team that her dad coaches. After Jack kisses her on a dare, they're caught in a web of lies as she pretends to be his tutor for their Comp II class after discovering that Jack may be kicked off the team for not keeping his grades high enough. As they get closer together, Alondra realizes she's starting to break her rules for him, and he pulls her into his orbit, and Jack is starting to realize that maybe it's possible to love someone after all he's been through.
First thing I want to get out of the way is that some extremely sensitive/heavy topics are discussed in the story that are integral to both Alondra and Jack's backstories and why they make some of the decisions they do. With that said, I highly encourage everyone to read the trigger warnings (I left them at the end of this review under the page break) before deciding to proceed. The portrayal of said content is not sugarcoated in any way and shouldn't be because of how severe it is, and to be completely honest, I had to step back a few times from the book to have a moment before picking up where I left off again.
With that out of the way, I must say that despite the heavy content that's in the overarching story, I absolutely loved Al and Jack. I think they're some of the most realistic MCs I've read about in a story, especially a college romance. They go to class, they party, they study, they have chaotic roommates with their own drama, and the found family that brings them all together? It was just so wholesome and felt very realistic as someone who was (semi-recently) in college and has now graduated. It was so refreshing to see scenes of Al and Jack in class, going out with their friends, and growing closer together.
Jack is literally the greenest flag of a character I've read about in any romance book EVER. Like, he's such a green flag that if you Google "green flag," I swear his character drawing would theoretically show up as one of the results. I legitimately think he's on the same level as Hudson Hayes from Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto. Maybe it's that southern hospitality vibe they both have going on, but I think he's in my top three favorite MMCs I've read about so far in 2025. Jack Schultz can literally do no wrong. He offers to stay over at Al's apartment to watch over her? He brings her home to meet his mom? He buys her period products to keep in his apartment for when she and her friends are over and may need them? He's a little overprotective of Al, but given what he's been through in his life, I say it's warranted, and I can understand why he acts the way he does. Oh, and he falls first and HARD.
As for Alondra, I just wanted to give her the biggest hug in the entire world. Honestly, both she and Jack need a giant hug. Alondra's been through so much that no one deserves to go through, and as scary and traumatic as it was, I loved reading her POV during the story and her finding her strength to stand up for herself, getting back to who she was before, and finding her passion and love for figure skating again. I loved how Jack helped her get back to skating, and he constantly motivated her to let herself go and find her passion and love for life again, and I loved how Alondra helped Jack learn that falling in love is okay if you give it a chance. I think the best part of the story is that they both taught each other that letting people in after tragedy and putting your trust into other people is hard, but putting that trust into the right people and letting love in is one of the first steps to overcoming that trauma.
The only thing I took a star off for was the sideplot about Alondra's cousin, Macy, and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Chad. I'm sure there's some foreshadowing going on there for a future book in the series about Macy, but I could NOT stand every time that girl got back together with that absolute idiot, good-for-nothing man, and I don't think the overall plot of the story would've been affected if this wasn't included. I swear they got back together like, three or four times in the span of the entire book—which was 436 pages, by the way—and I'm just like, "WOMAN. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND KNOW YOUR WORTH, PLEASE!"
Overall, while this is supposed to be a romance, this is also a story about overcoming trauma, baggage, and finding the strength to trust people and let yourself fall in love and reconnect with what makes you happy. I genuinely enjoyed reading about Al and Jack, and I look forward to reading more from this series in the future!
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡
Trigger/content warnings: sexual content (probably like a 2/5 on the spice scale, although this rating may vary from person to person and their experience with reading spice in books), recalled past experiences of domestic violence as well as on-page portrayals of domestic and relationship violence
Thank you to Laurea Matthews and Love Notes PR for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Cold As Ice is out now!
"I love you. I'm in love with you. I feel every type of love I could possibly have for you, and I want to know what it's like to be called yours."
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡
I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I honestly requested the book on a whim and sort of went into it with no expectations and read it blind, and if you're looking for a heartfelt story with found family vibes and MCs who learn to find their voices and strength after trauma and heartbreak, PLEASE read this book. I will say that this book does come with some major trigger warnings, and it's not for the faint of heart if you're sensitive to some of these subjects, but this was my first-ever Laurea Matthews book, and I'm not disappointed at all!
Alondra Brown was on her way to being a nationally-ranked figure skater when disaster struck, and she quit skating indefinitely, as a shock to the entire community. On a night out with her friends, she runs into Jack Schultz, who unbeknownst to her, is the captain of her college's hockey team that her dad coaches. After Jack kisses her on a dare, they're caught in a web of lies as she pretends to be his tutor for their Comp II class after discovering that Jack may be kicked off the team for not keeping his grades high enough. As they get closer together, Alondra realizes she's starting to break her rules for him, and he pulls her into his orbit, and Jack is starting to realize that maybe it's possible to love someone after all he's been through.
First thing I want to get out of the way is that some extremely sensitive/heavy topics are discussed in the story that are integral to both Alondra and Jack's backstories and why they make some of the decisions they do. With that said, I highly encourage everyone to read the trigger warnings (I left them at the end of this review under the page break) before deciding to proceed. The portrayal of said content is not sugarcoated in any way and shouldn't be because of how severe it is, and to be completely honest, I had to step back a few times from the book to have a moment before picking up where I left off again.
With that out of the way, I must say that despite the heavy content that's in the overarching story, I absolutely loved Al and Jack. I think they're some of the most realistic MCs I've read about in a story, especially a college romance. They go to class, they party, they study, they have chaotic roommates with their own drama, and the found family that brings them all together? It was just so wholesome and felt very realistic as someone who was (semi-recently) in college and has now graduated. It was so refreshing to see scenes of Al and Jack in class, going out with their friends, and growing closer together.
Jack is literally the greenest flag of a character I've read about in any romance book EVER. Like, he's such a green flag that if you Google "green flag," I swear his character drawing would theoretically show up as one of the results. I legitimately think he's on the same level as Hudson Hayes from Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto. Maybe it's that southern hospitality vibe they both have going on, but I think he's in my top three favorite MMCs I've read about so far in 2025. Jack Schultz can literally do no wrong. He offers to stay over at Al's apartment to watch over her? He brings her home to meet his mom? He buys her period products to keep in his apartment for when she and her friends are over and may need them? He's a little overprotective of Al, but given what he's been through in his life, I say it's warranted, and I can understand why he acts the way he does. Oh, and he falls first and HARD.
As for Alondra, I just wanted to give her the biggest hug in the entire world. Honestly, both she and Jack need a giant hug. Alondra's been through so much that no one deserves to go through, and as scary and traumatic as it was, I loved reading her POV during the story and her finding her strength to stand up for herself, getting back to who she was before, and finding her passion and love for figure skating again. I loved how Jack helped her get back to skating, and he constantly motivated her to let herself go and find her passion and love for life again, and I loved how Alondra helped Jack learn that falling in love is okay if you give it a chance. I think the best part of the story is that they both taught each other that letting people in after tragedy and putting your trust into other people is hard, but putting that trust into the right people and letting love in is one of the first steps to overcoming that trauma.
The only thing I took a star off for was the sideplot about Alondra's cousin, Macy, and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Chad. I'm sure there's some foreshadowing going on there for a future book in the series about Macy, but I could NOT stand every time that girl got back together with that absolute idiot, good-for-nothing man, and I don't think the overall plot of the story would've been affected if this wasn't included. I swear they got back together like, three or four times in the span of the entire book—which was 436 pages, by the way—and I'm just like, "WOMAN. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND KNOW YOUR WORTH, PLEASE!"
Overall, while this is supposed to be a romance, this is also a story about overcoming trauma, baggage, and finding the strength to trust people and let yourself fall in love and reconnect with what makes you happy. I genuinely enjoyed reading about Al and Jack, and I look forward to reading more from this series in the future!
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡
Trigger/content warnings: sexual content (probably like a 2/5 on the spice scale, although this rating may vary from person to person and their experience with reading spice in books), recalled past experiences of domestic violence as well as on-page portrayals of domestic and relationship violence
December 12, 2025
cold as ice
⌗ dec. 02 - dec. 04
⤿ 3.75 stars [rounded up]
༉ initial thoughts- spoiler review
the story behind both of these characters independently to their romance is the thing that made this book such a good read. both characters struggled with their own issues and dealt with them both together and by themselves.
i’m a sucker for a forbidden romance, which was very present throughout the book with alondra being the coach’s daughter as well as them constantly pushing the fact that they are only friends.
hockey and figure skating were not in the spotlight for this book but it was still present in the story which provided a nice balance. the amount of characters interaction were also perfect, the author did an amazing job with showing their friendships with others outside of the relationship.
༉ characters - spoilers ahead
⛸️ alondra brown - her personality gave very black cat energy, i loved her dry sarcasm mostly because that’s also my type of sarcasm. her relationship with her dad was a very strong plot point and i’m glad there was so form of resolution to it. bradley was also a huge prick and i’m glad that the plotline involving him resolved in the way it did. i loved the fact that we still got to see the skating side of ever even though she quit.
🏒 jack schultz - he was a really likable character, flirty but also very understanding. i loved his mom and their relationship, everything that happened with his dad clearly had an impact on him and how his mom handled that situation clearly had an impact on him. i’m glad he had closure and was able to really work through his issues before really getting his happy ending. his friendship with alondra also felt very organic which made the way their relationship evolved perfect.
༉ final thoughts- spoilers ahead
i really love the friends to lovers trope, even though jack definitely had a small crush on alondra, they were still very much a friends to lovers situation which i had a great time reading about. the main characters were written wonderfully and so were the side characters. I know that this is the beginning of a series and i can’t wait to see more of these characters.
༉‧₊˚. pre - read
what better time to read a hockey romance than hockey season 🙂↕️ i think got into a bit of a reading slump after finishing brimstone so this book is a perfect palate cleanser
ⓘ thank you love note pr & laurea matthews for this arc in exchange for an honest review
⌗ dec. 02 - dec. 04
⤿ 3.75 stars [rounded up]
༉ initial thoughts- spoiler review
the story behind both of these characters independently to their romance is the thing that made this book such a good read. both characters struggled with their own issues and dealt with them both together and by themselves.
i’m a sucker for a forbidden romance, which was very present throughout the book with alondra being the coach’s daughter as well as them constantly pushing the fact that they are only friends.
hockey and figure skating were not in the spotlight for this book but it was still present in the story which provided a nice balance. the amount of characters interaction were also perfect, the author did an amazing job with showing their friendships with others outside of the relationship.
༉ characters - spoilers ahead
⛸️ alondra brown - her personality gave very black cat energy, i loved her dry sarcasm mostly because that’s also my type of sarcasm. her relationship with her dad was a very strong plot point and i’m glad there was so form of resolution to it. bradley was also a huge prick and i’m glad that the plotline involving him resolved in the way it did. i loved the fact that we still got to see the skating side of ever even though she quit.
🏒 jack schultz - he was a really likable character, flirty but also very understanding. i loved his mom and their relationship, everything that happened with his dad clearly had an impact on him and how his mom handled that situation clearly had an impact on him. i’m glad he had closure and was able to really work through his issues before really getting his happy ending. his friendship with alondra also felt very organic which made the way their relationship evolved perfect.
༉ final thoughts- spoilers ahead
i really love the friends to lovers trope, even though jack definitely had a small crush on alondra, they were still very much a friends to lovers situation which i had a great time reading about. the main characters were written wonderfully and so were the side characters. I know that this is the beginning of a series and i can’t wait to see more of these characters.
༉‧₊˚. pre - read
what better time to read a hockey romance than hockey season 🙂↕️ i think got into a bit of a reading slump after finishing brimstone so this book is a perfect palate cleanser
ⓘ thank you love note pr & laurea matthews for this arc in exchange for an honest review
December 25, 2025
ARC Review - 2 ★
⋆˚࿔ i was kinda invested in their love story at first especially their initial meeting and then meeting again only to find out the fmc was the coach’s daughter. that part really caught my interest. but as the story went on, it felt like the plot just fell apart and their connection didnt feel that genuine anymore. it was really annoying how the fmc kept repeating that she was the coach’s daughter over and over. the mmc was okay but the constant push and pull in their relationship just made me feel frustrated. towards the end, i started skimming because i didnt want to dnf the book since i was already almost done with it anyway lol.
Thank you to Laurea Matthews & Love Notes PR for the e-ARC!
⋆˚࿔ i was kinda invested in their love story at first especially their initial meeting and then meeting again only to find out the fmc was the coach’s daughter. that part really caught my interest. but as the story went on, it felt like the plot just fell apart and their connection didnt feel that genuine anymore. it was really annoying how the fmc kept repeating that she was the coach’s daughter over and over. the mmc was okay but the constant push and pull in their relationship just made me feel frustrated. towards the end, i started skimming because i didnt want to dnf the book since i was already almost done with it anyway lol.
Thank you to Laurea Matthews & Love Notes PR for the e-ARC!
December 11, 2025
The beginning of this book started off fun but as the book went on I found myself losing interest in the storyline as it settles into a loop: Al gets close to Jack, Al pushes him away, Al regrets it… then rinse and repeat. I get that she’s recovering from an abusive relationship, but the push-pull dynamic is so constant it stops feeling like growth and starts feeling like déjà vu.
And when I say slow burn, I mean sloooow. Glacial. By the time their relationship finally made any progress, I had already checked out emotionally because Alondra’s character just wasn’t developing in a way that felt meaningful to me.
Overall, the book was fine - nothing terrible, but nothing that really landed for me either. I just wanted more depth.
And when I say slow burn, I mean sloooow. Glacial. By the time their relationship finally made any progress, I had already checked out emotionally because Alondra’s character just wasn’t developing in a way that felt meaningful to me.
Overall, the book was fine - nothing terrible, but nothing that really landed for me either. I just wanted more depth.
January 26, 2026
I think this book handled really hard topics poorly and it was just sorta half baked? I just don’t like when books solve everything in 5 pages after fucking around the whole book
December 3, 2025
e-ARC review ♾️⭐✨!!!!
Jack and Alondra are an emotional journey the kind that hits you in the soft parts of your soul you didn’t even know were there. What grows between them isn’t just a cute romance; it’s something deeper, more intentional, more human. And everything makes sense when you start with Jack.
Jack is a storm disguised as sunshine. A burst of energy who hides his trauma behind charisma and that precious instinct he has to care for everyone around him. He loves hard: his mom, his coach (who also happens to be Alondra’s dad) and his teammates. Especially Dylan and Nate, who form this spectacular trio with him; chosen family, chaotic loyalty, warmth that feels like home. Jack doesn’t just interact with people he lights them up. He makes every character shine with their own personality, their own purpose, and honestly, that moved me more than I expected.
And then there’s Alondra. My Black Cat queen. Sharp, direct, zero sugarcoating. She carries so much, more than anyone should, and it hurts to see how someone who used to be a full sun ends up like a dark sky with no stars left. Fierce, guarded, armored to the teeth… and still, you just want to hold her. You want to be her friend, her person, because that’s exactly what she’s aching for even if she’ll never say it. Beneath every hard edge, every mask, there’s a silent scream: help me, I want to heal, I just don’t know how to do it alone. And that’s what makes her heartbreaking and powerful at the same time.
And then comes Jack campus golden boy, the popular one everyone loves, star captain of the hockey team, carrying his father’s legacy like both armor and wound. Everything shifts when he takes advantage of one tiny mistake, one small opening, and from that moment on they build the most beautiful part of their relationship: a friendship. Not a rushed romance, not instant sparks. A slow, tender friendship that cooks on low heat. This book is slow burn like slow-slow. The kind that feels old school in the best way: patience, boundaries, space to breathe. Nothing forced. Nothing hurried. Things just fall into place, naturally, quietly, as if the universe whispered, “Relax, I got you.” The setting the rink, the house, the team, that warm orbit around them makes everything even more beautiful.
And now comes the part I don’t even know how to explain. How do I say that Jack and Alondra carved out a massive space in my heart? Like genuinely, how do I explain that Jack is one of the sweetest, most charismatic, supportive, understanding book boyfriends I’ve ever read? A real friend, someone who shows up no matter what, someone who holds you without making you ask. I know this review might sound biased, but honestly? Can you blame me? Laurea, you don’t make this easy for me. I put on my current obsession, Official髭男dism – “Subtitle” (please, if you’re reading this review, watch the video and read the lyrics, you’ll get it), and everything just clicked.
Thank you, Love Notes PR, for the chance to read this ARC, and of course, thank you to Laurea too. I devoured this book. I mean DEVOURED. I ate those 400+ pages like I hadn’t eaten in days. One moment I was at 20%, laughing, tearing up just a little, feeling every emotion at once… and suddenly I was done. I didn’t even know I needed this story until it grabbed me by the collar and refused to let go. I loved every second.
Jack and Alondra are an emotional journey the kind that hits you in the soft parts of your soul you didn’t even know were there. What grows between them isn’t just a cute romance; it’s something deeper, more intentional, more human. And everything makes sense when you start with Jack.
Jack is a storm disguised as sunshine. A burst of energy who hides his trauma behind charisma and that precious instinct he has to care for everyone around him. He loves hard: his mom, his coach (who also happens to be Alondra’s dad) and his teammates. Especially Dylan and Nate, who form this spectacular trio with him; chosen family, chaotic loyalty, warmth that feels like home. Jack doesn’t just interact with people he lights them up. He makes every character shine with their own personality, their own purpose, and honestly, that moved me more than I expected.
And then there’s Alondra. My Black Cat queen. Sharp, direct, zero sugarcoating. She carries so much, more than anyone should, and it hurts to see how someone who used to be a full sun ends up like a dark sky with no stars left. Fierce, guarded, armored to the teeth… and still, you just want to hold her. You want to be her friend, her person, because that’s exactly what she’s aching for even if she’ll never say it. Beneath every hard edge, every mask, there’s a silent scream: help me, I want to heal, I just don’t know how to do it alone. And that’s what makes her heartbreaking and powerful at the same time.
And then comes Jack campus golden boy, the popular one everyone loves, star captain of the hockey team, carrying his father’s legacy like both armor and wound. Everything shifts when he takes advantage of one tiny mistake, one small opening, and from that moment on they build the most beautiful part of their relationship: a friendship. Not a rushed romance, not instant sparks. A slow, tender friendship that cooks on low heat. This book is slow burn like slow-slow. The kind that feels old school in the best way: patience, boundaries, space to breathe. Nothing forced. Nothing hurried. Things just fall into place, naturally, quietly, as if the universe whispered, “Relax, I got you.” The setting the rink, the house, the team, that warm orbit around them makes everything even more beautiful.
And now comes the part I don’t even know how to explain. How do I say that Jack and Alondra carved out a massive space in my heart? Like genuinely, how do I explain that Jack is one of the sweetest, most charismatic, supportive, understanding book boyfriends I’ve ever read? A real friend, someone who shows up no matter what, someone who holds you without making you ask. I know this review might sound biased, but honestly? Can you blame me? Laurea, you don’t make this easy for me. I put on my current obsession, Official髭男dism – “Subtitle” (please, if you’re reading this review, watch the video and read the lyrics, you’ll get it), and everything just clicked.
Thank you, Love Notes PR, for the chance to read this ARC, and of course, thank you to Laurea too. I devoured this book. I mean DEVOURED. I ate those 400+ pages like I hadn’t eaten in days. One moment I was at 20%, laughing, tearing up just a little, feeling every emotion at once… and suddenly I was done. I didn’t even know I needed this story until it grabbed me by the collar and refused to let go. I loved every second.
December 10, 2025
Thank you so much to the author and LoveNotes Pr for the ARC I really appreciated the chance to read this one. The beginning pulled me in right away — it had a fun vibe and I genuinely thought I was going to love where the story was heading.
As the book went on, though, the slow burn became very slow, and I found myself losing interest. The Bradley plotline took up more space than I expected, and it didn’t fully work for me personally. Overall, the pacing felt overwhelming and long, and I struggled to stay engaged.
Even though this one wasn’t the right fit for me, I’m sure readers who enjoy super slow-burn stories with layered subplots will connect with it more than I did. I’m still grateful I got to read it!!
Thank you again💗
As the book went on, though, the slow burn became very slow, and I found myself losing interest. The Bradley plotline took up more space than I expected, and it didn’t fully work for me personally. Overall, the pacing felt overwhelming and long, and I struggled to stay engaged.
Even though this one wasn’t the right fit for me, I’m sure readers who enjoy super slow-burn stories with layered subplots will connect with it more than I did. I’m still grateful I got to read it!!
Thank you again💗
December 5, 2025
Holy damnnnn!
That was a long ass slow burn, but so endearing.
Jack and Alondra are two pining idiots, who clearly love each other - even if they don’t/can’t recognise their feelings for what they are.
I truly loved how they built a fantastically beautiful friendship, which created a perfect romance.. once they admitted their feelings.
And the spice - it may have been a long ass slow burn - but it was so worth it ;pppppp
Thank you Laurea and Love Notes for an advanced copy.
That was a long ass slow burn, but so endearing.
Jack and Alondra are two pining idiots, who clearly love each other - even if they don’t/can’t recognise their feelings for what they are.
I truly loved how they built a fantastically beautiful friendship, which created a perfect romance.. once they admitted their feelings.
And the spice - it may have been a long ass slow burn - but it was so worth it ;pppppp
Thank you Laurea and Love Notes for an advanced copy.
March 24, 2026
Wait bc I actually really enjoyed this one. Like… it kept me on my toes (as much as a romance book can)
April 12, 2026
i keep randomly reading these indie books and they’re so good, i spent the entire morning reading this in my hammock.. time well spent
December 10, 2025
Firstly, I love the pace of the story. It’s not a true slow-burn, but it does take a hot second before the characters get together. I love that it takes a bit longer because the characters needed to develop a bit more.
Speaking of the character, Jack is truly the perfect golden retriever boyfriend. He is the perfect mix of supportive and protective. His character arc align’s perfectly with Alondra’s as they both fight their own battles both separately and together. I loved seeing a strong fmc that worked through overcoming past trauma to become stronger
Overall, the plot and characters are 5/5 stars.
Speaking of the character, Jack is truly the perfect golden retriever boyfriend. He is the perfect mix of supportive and protective. His character arc align’s perfectly with Alondra’s as they both fight their own battles both separately and together. I loved seeing a strong fmc that worked through overcoming past trauma to become stronger
Overall, the plot and characters are 5/5 stars.
January 17, 2026
Not the greatest writing. Like very sophomoric, but not horrible enough for me the dnf. There were parts where it wasn’t clear who was talking and grammar was off. It was also just very very bland. Sometimes the conflict felt very middle school and then it jumped to being super deep and about trauma and abuse which made it all feel very immature.
December 8, 2025
Alondra is a former skater trying to figure out how to get her life back together. Jack is the super star captain the hockey team. As daughter of the head coach Alondra should stay away from Jack. But when she finds herself caught up in a web of lies she ends up tutoring him to keep up the act.
The back and forth between Al and Jack was a bit much. One second she was fine and the next she’s pushing him away before being open again. Like girl, make up your mind already. I love a good push and pull but this was exhausting. There isn’t much deep development going on here, just a fast paced plot with an overcrowded cast of characters that all feel and sound exactly the same with no proper plot structure going on. It’s repetitive and pretty surface level. What really rubbed me the wrong way was when she basically made him a dating profile without his knowledge and started messaging girls with her friends. What’s supposed to be funny falls incredibly flat. Same goes for the more serious moments. Nothing hits the way it’s supposed to. The fun part about forbidden romance is being swept away by the tension, not constantly reminded.
Thank you Love Notes for sending me an e-arc in exchange for a honest review
The back and forth between Al and Jack was a bit much. One second she was fine and the next she’s pushing him away before being open again. Like girl, make up your mind already. I love a good push and pull but this was exhausting. There isn’t much deep development going on here, just a fast paced plot with an overcrowded cast of characters that all feel and sound exactly the same with no proper plot structure going on. It’s repetitive and pretty surface level. What really rubbed me the wrong way was when she basically made him a dating profile without his knowledge and started messaging girls with her friends. What’s supposed to be funny falls incredibly flat. Same goes for the more serious moments. Nothing hits the way it’s supposed to. The fun part about forbidden romance is being swept away by the tension, not constantly reminded.
Thank you Love Notes for sending me an e-arc in exchange for a honest review
January 14, 2026
The 4.17 rating is deceiving.
It is not a slow burn, it's dragging. Alondra is annoying as hell, I was really sorry for Jack, who was dragged along the rollercoaster what is Alondra's moods. A real slow burn can be entertaining the whole time, but this was not.
DNF 60% because I was bored out of my mind.
It is not a slow burn, it's dragging. Alondra is annoying as hell, I was really sorry for Jack, who was dragged along the rollercoaster what is Alondra's moods. A real slow burn can be entertaining the whole time, but this was not.
DNF 60% because I was bored out of my mind.
December 9, 2025
This book delivers an emotional, hockey filled start to a new college romance series, and while I enjoyed the premise, I was left wanting more depth from the characters and their relationships.
The female main character grew up resenting hockey players because her father, a longtime coach, always put the sport before her. After surviving an abusive relationship with a football player, she abandoned her dream of figure skating and built walls around anything that reminded her of the ice. The male main character is the captain of the college hockey team, a top NHL draft prospect, and a Texan with a sweet country drawl. His “darlin’” absolutely melted me every time. He carries his own trauma, having witnessed his father’s horrific abuse toward his mother, which ultimately landed him in prison.
Their chemistry is there, and the setup for a “two broken people finding healing in each other” storyline is strong. But the central conflict, that they cannot love each other because of their pasts, drags on for most of the book. The push and pull becomes repetitive, leaving very little time to see them functioning as a real couple. Just when you think they will grow together, they snap back into “he does not love me” and “she does not love me” which kept me from fully connecting to their romance.
A couple of plot resolutions also felt underwhelming. The closure surrounding the female main character’s abusive ex never truly landed emotionally, and I did not feel like he got the level of fallout he deserved. Likewise, the reconciliation between the female main character and her father happened too quickly to feel believable after years of neglect and hurt.
Overall, this was a solid start to a series with a lot of promise. I liked the foundation, the setting, and especially the male main character’s protective but gentle nature. I am hoping future books dive deeper into character development and allow the romances to breathe more fully. I will definitely pick up the next installment to see where the author takes the world and cast from here
The female main character grew up resenting hockey players because her father, a longtime coach, always put the sport before her. After surviving an abusive relationship with a football player, she abandoned her dream of figure skating and built walls around anything that reminded her of the ice. The male main character is the captain of the college hockey team, a top NHL draft prospect, and a Texan with a sweet country drawl. His “darlin’” absolutely melted me every time. He carries his own trauma, having witnessed his father’s horrific abuse toward his mother, which ultimately landed him in prison.
Their chemistry is there, and the setup for a “two broken people finding healing in each other” storyline is strong. But the central conflict, that they cannot love each other because of their pasts, drags on for most of the book. The push and pull becomes repetitive, leaving very little time to see them functioning as a real couple. Just when you think they will grow together, they snap back into “he does not love me” and “she does not love me” which kept me from fully connecting to their romance.
A couple of plot resolutions also felt underwhelming. The closure surrounding the female main character’s abusive ex never truly landed emotionally, and I did not feel like he got the level of fallout he deserved. Likewise, the reconciliation between the female main character and her father happened too quickly to feel believable after years of neglect and hurt.
Overall, this was a solid start to a series with a lot of promise. I liked the foundation, the setting, and especially the male main character’s protective but gentle nature. I am hoping future books dive deeper into character development and allow the romances to breathe more fully. I will definitely pick up the next installment to see where the author takes the world and cast from here
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2025
**Slight Spoilers but nothing major that will ruin the story**
First off, the dedication hit hard, if I saw one of those posts that’s like “the dedication alone will make you want to read this book” I’d 100% go looking for this book to read it.
I love the back and forth that Jack and Alondra have, it’s the perfect amount. I have a lot of book boyfriends but add Jack to the top of the list please. The questions they want to ask and slowly get answers for, each MC’s back story is so good. I love how Laurea gives Jack dyslexia, I wish more authors would include common things that you wouldn’t know unless told like this (coming from someone with epilepsy but no one would know if I didn’t tell them, and I’ve only ever read one other book where the author has done this).
Jack is quite literally the light in people’s lives and for someone who doesn’t believe in love, he sure knows how to make people feel loved. His mom, his teammates, his friends, Alondra. As for Alondra, she’s serving black cat energy and girl, I get the daddy issues 100%. I think she showed Jack love is real without either of them realizing it at first.
This is like a classic, old school, slow burn romance. It’s not enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers or any stereotypical book trope in my opinion. To me, this book is its own trope, I don’t know exactly how to describe it aside from maybe the invisible string trope. Coach B has had his eye on Jack since high school, Alondra obviously knows he tends to put his players before her so she’s probably heard her dad mention him, years later Jack is playing for him and all she knows is stats because she doesn’t look at pictures. Maybe the skating and trying to avoid hockey players blocked out her dad talking to Jack in high school. Also, Jack is from Texas and Alondra mentions a few times about going to school or transferring to a school in Texas, and on the topic of school they are literally in the same class. All invisible strings to me…I officially declare this an invisible string trope (with a sprinkle of the typical tropes). You can agree or not, I will still see it this way. It’s like the universe is trying to tell them, “you don’t have to worry or be scared anymore, I’ve had your back since day one”. It’s natural and doesn’t feel rushed at all and I love that because some stories need a little speed but not this one, it’s set at a perfect pace.
This book is my 3rd (!!!) ARC Read for Laurea Matthews and I haven’t been disappointed in the slightest for any of the reads. She will always be an author that I recommend to someone who wants a good book or even series. The Reckless Love series has been amazing and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books as they come out. I also cannot wait to see where this series goes! Thank you Laurea for the chance to keep being an ARC reader for you, it means a lot to me, I’m always looking forward to the next book sign up.
Some side notes:
* My favorite line is “Wear the hat, ride the cowboy” (I have been DYING to read a book where this line is used and it’s made my day reading it in this book)
* The acknowledgments is amazing. Please take your time reading it and don’t skip over it, it’s worth the extra 2 minutes.
First off, the dedication hit hard, if I saw one of those posts that’s like “the dedication alone will make you want to read this book” I’d 100% go looking for this book to read it.
I love the back and forth that Jack and Alondra have, it’s the perfect amount. I have a lot of book boyfriends but add Jack to the top of the list please. The questions they want to ask and slowly get answers for, each MC’s back story is so good. I love how Laurea gives Jack dyslexia, I wish more authors would include common things that you wouldn’t know unless told like this (coming from someone with epilepsy but no one would know if I didn’t tell them, and I’ve only ever read one other book where the author has done this).
Jack is quite literally the light in people’s lives and for someone who doesn’t believe in love, he sure knows how to make people feel loved. His mom, his teammates, his friends, Alondra. As for Alondra, she’s serving black cat energy and girl, I get the daddy issues 100%. I think she showed Jack love is real without either of them realizing it at first.
This is like a classic, old school, slow burn romance. It’s not enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers or any stereotypical book trope in my opinion. To me, this book is its own trope, I don’t know exactly how to describe it aside from maybe the invisible string trope. Coach B has had his eye on Jack since high school, Alondra obviously knows he tends to put his players before her so she’s probably heard her dad mention him, years later Jack is playing for him and all she knows is stats because she doesn’t look at pictures. Maybe the skating and trying to avoid hockey players blocked out her dad talking to Jack in high school. Also, Jack is from Texas and Alondra mentions a few times about going to school or transferring to a school in Texas, and on the topic of school they are literally in the same class. All invisible strings to me…I officially declare this an invisible string trope (with a sprinkle of the typical tropes). You can agree or not, I will still see it this way. It’s like the universe is trying to tell them, “you don’t have to worry or be scared anymore, I’ve had your back since day one”. It’s natural and doesn’t feel rushed at all and I love that because some stories need a little speed but not this one, it’s set at a perfect pace.
This book is my 3rd (!!!) ARC Read for Laurea Matthews and I haven’t been disappointed in the slightest for any of the reads. She will always be an author that I recommend to someone who wants a good book or even series. The Reckless Love series has been amazing and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books as they come out. I also cannot wait to see where this series goes! Thank you Laurea for the chance to keep being an ARC reader for you, it means a lot to me, I’m always looking forward to the next book sign up.
Some side notes:
* My favorite line is “Wear the hat, ride the cowboy” (I have been DYING to read a book where this line is used and it’s made my day reading it in this book)
* The acknowledgments is amazing. Please take your time reading it and don’t skip over it, it’s worth the extra 2 minutes.
December 30, 2025
Wow—this book absolutely consumed me. I devoured it in just three days, starting it in Las Vegas during a wedding weekend and finishing it amid the chaos of Christmas with family. Being surrounded by such different family dynamics really amplified why this story felt so profoundly real to me.
Not only did it land perfectly in my current healing era, but it beautifully illustrates how—despite the simple idea that boy meets girl and girl meets boy—our childhoods shape the love we believe we deserve. The characters are incredibly likable and authentic, and the raw emotion pouring from the pages makes you feel truly alive, as if you're experiencing everything right alongside them.
This was my very first hockey romance, and what an introduction. The author masterfully shows what it means to go slow and steady after trauma, even when hormones are screaming otherwise. She captures how the body keeps the score, and how overwhelming yet freeing it can feel when you finally meet someone with whom you can truly feel safe.
I loved watching both characters grow—not just toward each other, but within themselves. It’s a powerful reminder of how vital it is to take care of ourselves first.
Huge thanks to Love Notes PR and Laura Matthews for selecting me as an ARC reader—I’m so grateful.
And isn’t it fascinating how two people can come from nearly identical circumstances yet respond in completely different ways? It’s a quiet, beautiful testament to the truth that, in the end, we can choose to be love.
Not only did it land perfectly in my current healing era, but it beautifully illustrates how—despite the simple idea that boy meets girl and girl meets boy—our childhoods shape the love we believe we deserve. The characters are incredibly likable and authentic, and the raw emotion pouring from the pages makes you feel truly alive, as if you're experiencing everything right alongside them.
This was my very first hockey romance, and what an introduction. The author masterfully shows what it means to go slow and steady after trauma, even when hormones are screaming otherwise. She captures how the body keeps the score, and how overwhelming yet freeing it can feel when you finally meet someone with whom you can truly feel safe.
I loved watching both characters grow—not just toward each other, but within themselves. It’s a powerful reminder of how vital it is to take care of ourselves first.
Huge thanks to Love Notes PR and Laura Matthews for selecting me as an ARC reader—I’m so grateful.
And isn’t it fascinating how two people can come from nearly identical circumstances yet respond in completely different ways? It’s a quiet, beautiful testament to the truth that, in the end, we can choose to be love.
February 4, 2026
"𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍."
3,5✨
Wasn't life changing but I really liked it and Laurea Matthews' writing. A story where two souls wounded by their past experiences learn to love again in a healthy, peaceful, and wholehearted way. Lighthearted, full of emotion, with just a hint of drama to keep you hooked until the very last page.
Through Alondra, the author deals with powerful and sensitive subjects. Abused in a relationship, refusing to put herself in anyone's hands, and having a tumultuous relationship with her father, she's funny, always there for her friends, strong and vulnerable all at once. She moved me every time HE reappeared in her life, only to fill me with joy when she took back control.
As for Jack, I loved seeing the hockey team captain, a loyal, calm, patient friend who doesn't believe in this thing called love, succumb to it and face his demons to no longer live in the shadow of his traumas and heal alongside Alondra.
Their relationship grows step by step, and I loved that confessions weren't rushed but happened at the right time. The side characters bring more lightness and laughter when things get dark, and I loved them (especially Dylan!). The only downside for me was that I would have liked the ending and the conflicted family relationships to be resolved at a slower pace and in more depth. Despite this, I'm curious to continue with this series.
3,5✨
Wasn't life changing but I really liked it and Laurea Matthews' writing. A story where two souls wounded by their past experiences learn to love again in a healthy, peaceful, and wholehearted way. Lighthearted, full of emotion, with just a hint of drama to keep you hooked until the very last page.
Through Alondra, the author deals with powerful and sensitive subjects. Abused in a relationship, refusing to put herself in anyone's hands, and having a tumultuous relationship with her father, she's funny, always there for her friends, strong and vulnerable all at once. She moved me every time HE reappeared in her life, only to fill me with joy when she took back control.
As for Jack, I loved seeing the hockey team captain, a loyal, calm, patient friend who doesn't believe in this thing called love, succumb to it and face his demons to no longer live in the shadow of his traumas and heal alongside Alondra.
Their relationship grows step by step, and I loved that confessions weren't rushed but happened at the right time. The side characters bring more lightness and laughter when things get dark, and I loved them (especially Dylan!). The only downside for me was that I would have liked the ending and the conflicted family relationships to be resolved at a slower pace and in more depth. Despite this, I'm curious to continue with this series.
December 22, 2025
Thank you Laurea and Lovenotes.pr for this arc!!
What happens if the girl you accidentally kiss in a club turns out to be your hockey coach’s daughter?
Imagine the look on Jack’s face when he found out right in front of his coach—and had to pretend nothing was wrong to avoid raising suspicion 👀
Jack is the captain of the Wilder Wolves, a true golden boy and always wearing a smile.
A smile that hides pain and the traumas of his past.
He’s afraid of love, afraid he won’t be loved.
But instead, he loves deeply and protects the people he cares about.
Alondra comes from a previous relationship that ended very badly and left deep marks on her.
I loved watching her growth throughout the book, it’s never rushed or unrealistic.
Learning to believe you deserve happiness isn’t easy, especially when you’re not in a good place, and seeing her face her insecurities was both moving and inspiring.
The found family adds value to the story. There are scenes that make me smile and others that hit straight to the heart.
As I said before, trauma is handled with great sensitivity: love is never portrayed as a magic wand, but as something that can help you rediscover faith in yourself and the courage to try again.
What happens if the girl you accidentally kiss in a club turns out to be your hockey coach’s daughter?
Imagine the look on Jack’s face when he found out right in front of his coach—and had to pretend nothing was wrong to avoid raising suspicion 👀
Jack is the captain of the Wilder Wolves, a true golden boy and always wearing a smile.
A smile that hides pain and the traumas of his past.
He’s afraid of love, afraid he won’t be loved.
But instead, he loves deeply and protects the people he cares about.
Alondra comes from a previous relationship that ended very badly and left deep marks on her.
I loved watching her growth throughout the book, it’s never rushed or unrealistic.
Learning to believe you deserve happiness isn’t easy, especially when you’re not in a good place, and seeing her face her insecurities was both moving and inspiring.
The found family adds value to the story. There are scenes that make me smile and others that hit straight to the heart.
As I said before, trauma is handled with great sensitivity: love is never portrayed as a magic wand, but as something that can help you rediscover faith in yourself and the courage to try again.
December 23, 2025
Cold as Ice is a college sports romance featuring Alondra, the hockey coach’s daughter, and Jack, the star hockey player handpicked by her father. Alondra has grown up resenting hockey because her father puts the sport before her, and she’s also walked away from her figure skating dreams following an abusive relationship. That’s when she meets Jack: steady, patient, and very different from the cocky star hockey player she expects.
This one has all the elements for an angsty, emotional romance about two wounded people finding comfort and healing in one another. The banter and chemistry are strong, the found family vibes are especially well done, and the complex family dynamics add emotional weight. There’s also a subplot that raises the stakes and keeps the tension high, along with a compelling will-they-won’t-they dynamic at the heart of the story. However, the push-and-pull between Alondra and Jack feels a bit drawn out and repetitive, and I would have loved to see more of them together as an established couple, as well as deeper exploration of the familial reconciliation. That said, the emotional foundation is solid, the tension kept me wanting to see if they would finally give in, and the secondary characters really help bring everything together.
Overall, this was a great start to a college romance series full of angsty romance, strong found family vibes and lots of tension! I’m excited to see where Laura Matthews takes this series next!
Thank you to Laurea Matthews and Love Notes PR for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
This one has all the elements for an angsty, emotional romance about two wounded people finding comfort and healing in one another. The banter and chemistry are strong, the found family vibes are especially well done, and the complex family dynamics add emotional weight. There’s also a subplot that raises the stakes and keeps the tension high, along with a compelling will-they-won’t-they dynamic at the heart of the story. However, the push-and-pull between Alondra and Jack feels a bit drawn out and repetitive, and I would have loved to see more of them together as an established couple, as well as deeper exploration of the familial reconciliation. That said, the emotional foundation is solid, the tension kept me wanting to see if they would finally give in, and the secondary characters really help bring everything together.
Overall, this was a great start to a college romance series full of angsty romance, strong found family vibes and lots of tension! I’m excited to see where Laura Matthews takes this series next!
Thank you to Laurea Matthews and Love Notes PR for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
January 11, 2026
I’m sorry, but what the hell are you even doing. You’re saying you won’t call the police after your abusive, narcissistic ex literally beat you up—then why did you even bother filing a restraining order in the first place? Make it make sense. A restraining order isn’t a cute warning sticker, it’s a legal step that already acknowledges he’s dangerous. You don’t half-commit to that and then suddenly grow a conscience when it’s time to follow through.
And don’t get me started on the excuse that you’re only scared because he threatened to hurt Jack. Girl, you already have actual physical evidence—bruises, injuries, proof of assault. This isn’t a “he said, she said” situation anymore. This is real life. Saying “you’d do the same if you were in her position” only goes so far, because at some point survival instincts are supposed to kick in. Being manipulated and brainwashed doesn’t mean you get to ignore reality forever. If her father truly wouldn’t care like she keeps telling herself, then why does she still base every decision on his approval? That’s not fear, that’s denial—and it’s exhausting to watch.
Even her friends are practically screaming at her to go to the police, and honestly, they’re the only ones acting like adults here. When everyone around you sees the danger clearly and you’re still making excuses, that’s not loyalty or love—that’s self-sabotage.
I did enjoy the first part of the story, but at this point it’s just dragging. The FMC keeps milking the same excuse over and over—coach’s daughter this, rules that—as if it’s some unbreakable law of the universe. Let’s be real: you both clearly know you like each other, you’re both emotionally invested, and all this stalling just feels forced. It’s not slow burn anymore, it’s unnecessary delay, and it’s starting to kill the momentum of the story.
At some point, the plot needs to move forward—or at least let the FMC grow a spine.
And don’t get me started on the excuse that you’re only scared because he threatened to hurt Jack. Girl, you already have actual physical evidence—bruises, injuries, proof of assault. This isn’t a “he said, she said” situation anymore. This is real life. Saying “you’d do the same if you were in her position” only goes so far, because at some point survival instincts are supposed to kick in. Being manipulated and brainwashed doesn’t mean you get to ignore reality forever. If her father truly wouldn’t care like she keeps telling herself, then why does she still base every decision on his approval? That’s not fear, that’s denial—and it’s exhausting to watch.
Even her friends are practically screaming at her to go to the police, and honestly, they’re the only ones acting like adults here. When everyone around you sees the danger clearly and you’re still making excuses, that’s not loyalty or love—that’s self-sabotage.
I did enjoy the first part of the story, but at this point it’s just dragging. The FMC keeps milking the same excuse over and over—coach’s daughter this, rules that—as if it’s some unbreakable law of the universe. Let’s be real: you both clearly know you like each other, you’re both emotionally invested, and all this stalling just feels forced. It’s not slow burn anymore, it’s unnecessary delay, and it’s starting to kill the momentum of the story.
At some point, the plot needs to move forward—or at least let the FMC grow a spine.
January 6, 2026
“𝙒𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙚, 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚, 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚.”
Cold As Ice by Laurea Matthews
5☆
Some love stories aren’t meant to be rushed, and somehow they’re still feral-soft, reverent, and emotionally honest.
Jack and Alondra’s dynamic was perfectly calibrated. He’s the soft, caring golden retriever and she’s the guarded, sassy black cat. And the banter 🙌🏻 Laurea just has a way with witty repartee that leaves me GIDDY every single time. But, even the things that were left unsaid…the secrets and scary truths—felt real in a quiet, devastating way.
Jack is a true southern gentleman with a heart of gold. He claims he doesn’t believe in love while fighting fiercely for those he does— for his mom, his teammates, his friends, and slowly, without realizing it, for Alondra.
“𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣’, 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.”
And Alondra is carrying wounds she didn’t ask for. Watching her slowly allow herself to be seen — not fixed, not rushed, not forced — was nothing short of inspiring. There’s no insta-love in this story. The dynamic between Alondra & Jack is fought with nail, tooth, & claw almost the WHOLE book until that invisible string is pulled tight and they realize they’re each other’s endgame.
“…𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚, 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤.”
Compassion and empathy are rare these days, and stories like this plant the seeds of revival. They remind us to look closer. To listen better. To understand that not every struggle is visible — and that doesn’t make it any less real. The trauma. The healing. The hard parts that don’t look pretty or end clean. This book shows how deep wounds shape people, how survival changes us, how healing is messy and nonlinear — and how 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 it is to witness it. Laurea writes about human experience and it hits every time.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙚���𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
This is a slow, old-school, soul-deep burn. The kind that trusts the story enough to let it unfold naturally. No rush. No shortcuts. Just two people learning that maybe love isn’t something to fear but something that makes us brave.
*Thank you to Laurea Matthews & Love Notes PR for this arc opportunity.
Cold As Ice by Laurea Matthews
5☆
Some love stories aren’t meant to be rushed, and somehow they’re still feral-soft, reverent, and emotionally honest.
Jack and Alondra’s dynamic was perfectly calibrated. He’s the soft, caring golden retriever and she’s the guarded, sassy black cat. And the banter 🙌🏻 Laurea just has a way with witty repartee that leaves me GIDDY every single time. But, even the things that were left unsaid…the secrets and scary truths—felt real in a quiet, devastating way.
Jack is a true southern gentleman with a heart of gold. He claims he doesn’t believe in love while fighting fiercely for those he does— for his mom, his teammates, his friends, and slowly, without realizing it, for Alondra.
“𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣’, 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.”
And Alondra is carrying wounds she didn’t ask for. Watching her slowly allow herself to be seen — not fixed, not rushed, not forced — was nothing short of inspiring. There’s no insta-love in this story. The dynamic between Alondra & Jack is fought with nail, tooth, & claw almost the WHOLE book until that invisible string is pulled tight and they realize they’re each other’s endgame.
“…𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚, 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤.”
Compassion and empathy are rare these days, and stories like this plant the seeds of revival. They remind us to look closer. To listen better. To understand that not every struggle is visible — and that doesn’t make it any less real. The trauma. The healing. The hard parts that don’t look pretty or end clean. This book shows how deep wounds shape people, how survival changes us, how healing is messy and nonlinear — and how 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 it is to witness it. Laurea writes about human experience and it hits every time.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙚���𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
This is a slow, old-school, soul-deep burn. The kind that trusts the story enough to let it unfold naturally. No rush. No shortcuts. Just two people learning that maybe love isn’t something to fear but something that makes us brave.
*Thank you to Laurea Matthews & Love Notes PR for this arc opportunity.
December 8, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
I love a good sports romance, but wow… there are so many hockey romances coming out lately. Probably because it’s hockey season somewhere, and here I am trying to catch up while also feeling like I’m already behind. 😅
This one was such an easy, enjoyable read. I liked Alondra and Jack’s dynamic, the little lie-turned-tutor setup, and the mix of tension and sweetness between them. It gave me exactly what I wanted from a sports romance without feeling too heavy.
Thank you to Love Notes PR and Laurea Matthews for the eARC! 🧡
I love a good sports romance, but wow… there are so many hockey romances coming out lately. Probably because it’s hockey season somewhere, and here I am trying to catch up while also feeling like I’m already behind. 😅
This one was such an easy, enjoyable read. I liked Alondra and Jack’s dynamic, the little lie-turned-tutor setup, and the mix of tension and sweetness between them. It gave me exactly what I wanted from a sports romance without feeling too heavy.
Thank you to Love Notes PR and Laurea Matthews for the eARC! 🧡
Read
January 13, 2026Sorry, but I really don’t like it when people refer to their parents as Momma like that’s their name. Like “Momma used to be a figure skater” STOP “My momma used to be a figure skater” because she’s not also my momma.
Review of advance copy
This book was actually good!! 😭 I'm sad it is over!! 🥹
December 21, 2025
I very much enjoyed this book by Laurea, she really hits all of the emotions through her writing. Both main characters were amazing and I would 100% recommend this book!
January 20, 2026
LOVED!!!!!!! Couldn’t put it down!!!!
Small completely irrelevant spoiler: Jack never finds out where she got her blanket :/ Al get momma one please the queen deserves it
Small completely irrelevant spoiler: Jack never finds out where she got her blanket :/ Al get momma one please the queen deserves it
January 27, 2026
4.5 stars
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