Boys of Richland: Gabriel

Boys of Richland

by Daniela Romero

824 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2026

About the author

Daniela Romero is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She enjoys writing steamy, new-adult and paranormal romance that delivers an emotional roller coaster sure to take your breath away.
Her books feature a diverse cast of characters with rich and vibrant cultures in an effort to effectively portray the world we all live in. One that is so beautifully colorful.
Daniela is a Bay Area native though she currently lives in Washington State with her sarcastic husband and their three tiny terrors.
In her free time, Daniela enjoys frequent naps, binge reading her favorite romance books, and is known to crochet while watching television because her ADHD brain can never do just one thing at a time.
Stop by her website to find all the fun and unique ways you can stalk her. And while you’re there you can check out some free bonus scenes from your favorite books, learn about her Patreon, order signed copies of her books, and swoon over her gorgeous alternative cover editions.
www.daniela-romero.com
You can join her newsletter by visiting
https://hi.switchy.io/VIP

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ - This is for the first book only. I received an ARC copy. I think it was supposed to be for all 3 books covering Gabriel and Cecilia’s story, but it only had the first installment. The other pages were blank.

I had a good time with this story! The topics were HEAVY. So, please be sure you read trigger warnings. There are detailed accounts of trauma, rape, suicide, family abandonment, bullying.

I ❤️ Cecilia and Gabriel’s love story here. Everything wasn’t necessarily believable, but it was sweet. He found her after her suicide attempt and got her help. Then, when running into her on campus later decided to be her friend to help her after he realized she still wanted to die. His twin brother committed suicide. So there was definitely some displacement of feelings there, but his intentions were good.

Cecilia didn’t make it too hard on him to be friends. She did push back some, but Gabriel had that hot confidence that says “I’m here to help and you’re going to like it.” Is it pushy and sometimes crosses a few lines? Yes. Is it hot and what I want in an MMC? Also Yes!


They fall “in love” quickly. Especially with Cecilia’s rape trauma. I expected it to take longer, but she was attracted to him and moved on it. He was patient and she led pushed each time.

There are some questions and gaps. Like how they got the info of what happened to Cecilia so quickly and thoroughly when she had only spoken about it twice. Also, how quick our MCs fell in love and in bed. Then when she was finally feeling a little better she broke up with him. Parts of me get it. She wants to be strong in her own, but the whole thing felt like it came from left field. Strange. Why can’t you be there for each other and grow together?

Overall, good time. Strong, confident, a little possessive MMC, found family with his friends. Recommend.

*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC copy!*

[Neena · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SAVAGE:
‘He’s like me in a way. Broken. Hurting.’

TROPES:
⚽️Trauma Bonding
🔥Who Did This to You?
⚽️Protective Hero
🔥He Falls First
⚽️Sports Romance (Soccer)
🔥Parental Issues

Gabe (age 22) is on a scholarship for soccer at PacNorth. His Twin brother Carlos passed away in sad circumstances which has left him and his parents broken.
Cecilia was drugged and assaulted by Austin and his friends. This has forced her to shut down and lose herself.

A chance encounter links Cecilia to Gabe and they are never the same. Gabe is a complete sweetheart who falls for Cecilia easily. She is trying to fight her attraction as her PTSD is strong. It’s more of a slow burn due to the delicate incident. You really feel for Cecilia and Gabe and are rooting for them.

Loved having Felix and Julio. We decreased by Allie but sadly no appearance by her. Ends in a cliff so looking forward to the next one.

THE STRIKER:
“It’s like I need to relearn how to live my life.”

This is book 2 of a trilogy. This continues the trend of book 1 as Cecilia continues to deal with her PTSD and makes an unexpected new friend. Gabe continues his jealous/dominant behavior as he continues to support Cecilia. He is such a sweetheart but oh so dirty during those intimate scenes 🫠
The last few chapters are intense and I can’t wait for the conclusion!

Loved the cameos of the Sun Valley crew!

THE REPLAY:
The emotions are strong as we conclude Gabe and Cecilia’s story. They finally get their HEA as we wade through the issues of the couple.

I felt frustrated with Cecilia at times as Gabe is all in with helping her and she’s still so uncertain. I think this book could have been a duet and the story would have paced better.

A lot of seeds have been planted for Julio and Adrianna’s story next!

[Emily Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

​What I Loved:

​The Emotional Depth & Found Family: If you love deep, raw emotions, this book delivers. Cecelia is a broken victim dealing with severe depression, pushing people away because she's scared and alone. She doesn't want to be "fixed" by someone else; she wants to fix herself, which I really respected.

​The Character Dynamic: Gabriel is the ultimate contradiction—a college soccer player who is broken himself, a protector, a "fixer," and a bit morally grey, yet somehow still gives off major golden retriever energy. The connection they share forms a powerful trauma bond. Watching Gabriel help her pull out of a deep depression and step in as her protector when her attacker begins harassing her was incredibly moving. The found family aspect in this book is absolute perfection.

​The Hurdles:

​Trigger Warnings & Formatting Issues: Please check the trigger warnings before diving in. This story is hard to read at times, but the emotional payoff makes it worth it.

​Pacing & Dialogue: The chapters are incredibly long, and there is a lot of repetitive internal dialogue that slowed the pacing down significantly.

​The Ending: With three books, the story definitely could have wrapped up a bit tighter. The ending felt a little disappointing to me; after all the buildup, I was expecting a lot more to come from Holt, and it felt like it missed the mark on a grander conclusion.

​Overall, it’s a deeply emotional story with characters you will root for, but the formatting glitches and repetitive pacing held it back from being a top-tier read for me.

[Barbara Cesar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply emotional sports romance filled with angst, healing, and found family.

Boys of Richland, Volume One brings together The Savage, The Striker, and The Replay, taking readers on an intense journey with Cecilia and Gabriel. A story about trauma, survival, and learning how to trust and love again.

Gabriel, a talented soccer player, and Cecilia, a former cheerleader who always has an escape swimming, now on the swim team, have a connection that is both powerful and heartbreaking. Their relationship is packed with emotional highs and lows, and I found myself completely invested in their story. The "touch her and you die" protective hero trope and the strong found-family dynamics added extra layers that romance readers will likely enjoy.

This is not a light read. Trauma is at the center of the story, and the book explores difficult topics including sexual assault, suicide attempts, and family trauma. These themes are handled throughout the series and have a significant impact on both the characters and the plot.

The emotional intensity kept me turning the pages, and I appreciated seeing the characters navigate their pain while finding support in each other and the people around them. If you enjoy dark romance with plenty of angst, protective heroes, found-family relationships, and stories focused on healing from trauma, this book may be worth adding to your TBR.

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours, the author and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Magically Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Baddies and author Daniela Romero, for providing me with the eARC of “Boys of Richland: Volume One”.

💭My Thoughts💭
Book 1: The Savage
This is my second time reading book 1 and I have to say I appreciate it more the second to around. The topics this book covers and the trauma Cecelia goes through in college, happens far too often. The way it plays out is an experience some have, so be mindful of that when reading. Responses are not black and white, they are grey.

The bromance between Gabriel, Felix and Julio is what I would want a friendship to be. They are all family and they will be there for each other no matter how dark it gets.

Book 2: The Striker
Book two is a lot of heartbreak. Cecelia my poor girl, she truly cannot catch a break.

But Gabriel deserves a better mom. Just wow.

Book 3: The Replay
The last book was the perfect conclusion for Cecelia and Gabriel. They went through so much, I am glad they figured it out.

Check your triggers

❣️Tropes❣️
Dark Romance
Soccer
College Setting
Found Family

TW: SA, suicide, drugs

🩵RATING🩵
Book 1: The Savage
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Level: 🌶️
Publisher: Baddies
Length: 356 Pages
Dual 1st POV

Book 2: The Striker
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Publisher: Baddies
Length: 398 Pages
Dual 1st POV

Book 3: The Replay
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Publisher: Baddies
Length: 306 Pages
Dual 1st POV

[Nathalie DeSousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the author for the copy of the book in advance.
This book is a collection of three books based on the relationship between Gabriel and Cecilia (The Savage, The Striker, The Replay). PLease know your triggers as this book deals with serious traumas in great detail.

Gabriel is a star soccer player, who saves Cecilia from her demons one night, and it opens to a relationship that will bring them both to the precipice of losing it all before working things out,
Cecilia is trying to survive the trauma that has marked her life. As a cheerleader she has learned to keep an upbeat/sunshine persona but her demons are drowning her. When Gabriel arrives, he becomes a saviour, obsessed with keeping her safe and protected. But he also has a lot of baggage to haul on his own. Together they are passionate, careful, beautiful, but there is so much trauma (suicide, drugs, sexual assault) that they will have to navigate at such young age.

BE ready for a rollercoaster of emotions that will bring you to the highest of love then sink you to the lowest of pain. THe characters are beautifully messy and painfully relatable, the plot is fast paced but dark in places and descriptions. The story just deals with human emotions at its rawest, and a love that is born from pain and fear.

[Diah · Rating 3 out of 5]

digital ARC was provided by publisher and Netgalley

Wew, it was... something. I didn't know it'd be a trilogy banded into one lol

Synopsis
Gabriel, fresh of the death of his twin and ruined family, found a girl in the middle of her own pool of blood. Curiousity bred intensity and Gabriel is ready to break down the wall surrounding Cecilia. But will it worth it? And will Gabriel share his own demons to her?

Commentary
Just when I thought we can end the book right then and there, Romero adds more. Apart from miniscule typo throughout, I found nothing concerning regarding the writing. Yes, making it 800-ish (or a trilogy) is a stretch for me, but I guess, some things are necessary to be discussed over and over again and that it doesn't always be sunshine and rainbows eventhough you are 'healed'.

I think my 'complain' would be too many focus on the ensemble cast. It's not as if they're overshadow Gabriel and Cecilia, but I think if the book can be trimmed just for them, it'd be great.

[Aish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't realized this contained three books in one (I probably should have, considering it says "Volume One" 😅), but after finishing it, I honestly think it could have been condensed into one book. The breaks between each book caused the story to lose momentum for me, and I found some parts to be repetitive. Also, for some reason, my ARC copy was missing the entire second book, so I had to find it elsewhere in order to finish the story.

That being said, I still really enjoyed Gabriel and Cecilia's story. The yearning between Gabriel and Cecilia was what kept me turning the pages, and I found myself rooting for them. I also loved the found family aspect and Gabriel's friendships, which added some lighter moments to an otherwise heavy story. Overall, I had a great time reading this, but I do think the story would have been even stronger with a little more editing and a more streamlined format - 4 stars!

Thank you to Daniela Romero, ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours | Baddies, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.

#BoysofRichlandVolumeOne #NetGalley

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading the first few chapters, I had a nagging sense of familiarity — and after a little digging, I realized why: I had actually read this book before, finishing it back on March 19, 2023. For those browsing NetGalley, it’s worth knowing this is a reprint rather than a new release, as that context would be helpful when requesting it.

That said, I want to give credit where it’s due. One thing the author does exceptionally well is grounding the story in real data around difficult topics like suicide and sexual assault. It’s not always easy to weave statistics into fiction in a way that feels purposeful rather than preachy, but the handling here feels genuine and necessary. These are conversations our society needs to keep having, and it means something when an author treats them with that kind of weight and honesty.

[Tammy Zadai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boys of Richland is a omnibus consisting of three books: The Savage, The Striker and The Replay. The series tells the story of Gabriel and Cecelia. I finished it in two and a half days- it was that good. I could not put it down. So much happens and there are so many emotions. There’s angst and suspense and betrayal and so much love. If you have ANY triggers please please please check the trigger warnings. As a person who has ZERO triggers some of the things that happen to Cecelia we’re hard to read. I absolutely loved how Gabriel was there for her (even when she didn’t want him to be). He was really a next level book boyfriend and his friends were also. It was also great to see some characters from Daniela’s other series, Boys of Sun Valley. But wow, this one was a really great series. I look forward to more from Daniela Romero.

[Gina Burkart · Rating 5 out of 5]

One girl on the edge.
One obsessive college soccer star determined to save her.
One devastating love story that nearly destroys them both.

Cecilia Russo was ready to disappear the night Gabriel Herrera found her.

Now, the star athlete refuses to let her go.

This is a dark read. This is a heartbreaking and tragic story that will have you in a chokehold that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending is WOW. I had to reread to make sense of the ending because it felt like my heart stopped beating and I need to know what happened. This is amazing read that has been a roller coaster ride through out this series and is a masterpiece written on the pages of love and trust and heart break.

Check your triggers

Tropes
Dark Romance,Soccer, College Setting, Found Family

[ladyintrovert21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t a light college romance. It’s dark, emotional, and heavy in a way that sticks with you.

Both characters come into the story carrying a lot of baggage, and it really shapes their connection. The relationship is intense and messy, not healthy or easy, but hard to look away from.

I really liked the found family moments because they gave the story some warmth when everything else felt heavy.

If you enjoy emotional, darker romances with flawed characters and intense dynamics, this might be for you.
Definitely check trigger warnings before reading.

I recommend this one.

Thank you to the author and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the college setting fool you; this is a dark and heavy read that packs a serious emotional punch. The leads carry so much history into their relationship, making their bond intense, complicated, and impossible to look away from. The found family moments were a beautiful touch, offering a glimmer of light in an otherwise heavy narrative. This is a solid recommendation for fans of dark romance and flawed characters. Please check trigger warnings before diving in!

Thank you to the author and Xpresso Book Tours for this copy.

[Lisa Serrano-Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriel and Cecilia’s story is a whirlwind of emotion, packed with love, pain, and healing. Gabriel is the ultimate protective book boyfriend and watching him fight for Cecilia as she battled her demons was heartbreaking. With all the emotional angst and just the right dash of spice, it was impossible to put down. Definitely check the trigger warnings though because this one hits deep, but every bit of the emotional ride is worth it. ❤️⚽📚