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Bellevue Bullies #5

Changing Lines

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Claire and Jude Sinclair have been living the perfect life for the last ten years.

Blissfully in love, professionally successful, happily married… They have everything they want—except a baby to make their family complete.

On the eve of the birth of the baby they’re planning to adopt, Jude gets traded to another hockey team in another state, and their thoughtfully planned-out road to parenthood hits a speed bump.

But they didn’t survive all the turmoil of their pasts to get knocked out now. This is their game seven, and they won’t accept anything less than a win for the family they’re destined to have.

75 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2019

452 people are currently reading
871 people want to read

About the author

Toni Aleo

85 books6,730 followers
WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BEST SELLING AUTHOR TONI ALEO IS AN AUTHOR YOU CAN'T MISS!

make sure to Join my Mailing List: https://www.subscribepage.com/toniale...

My name is Toni aleo and I'm a #PredHead, #sherrio, #potterhead, and part of the #familybusiness!

I am also a wife to my amazing husband, mother of a wrestler and a gymnast, and also a fur momma to Phoebe, Gaston el Papillon & Winston.

You can usually find me hollering for the whole Nashville Predators since I'll never give my heart to one player again. When I'm not in the gym getting swole, I'm usually writing, trying to make my dreams a reality or being a taxi for my kids. I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, Supernatural, Disney and anything that sparkles! I'm pretty sure I was Belle in a past life and if I could be on any show it would be supernatural so I can hunt with Sam and Dean.

Also, could I LOVE hockey anymore?

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5 stars
850 (53%)
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475 (29%)
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218 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
Profile Image for Christy.
4,581 reviews36k followers
December 2, 2025
4.25 stars

 photo C53E1BC4-F67D-45E3-B047-EC343F85AE28_zps1rvwd1ej.png

Claire and Jude may be my favorite couple Toni Aleo has ever written. I loved their book so hard. I really fell for Claire way back when I read Phillip's book. I couldn't have been happier to see that we were getting a novella with them. And that cover... Jude with a baby... I die. 

If you've been invested with this series like me, you know that Claire and Jude have been together for some time. They have the best relationship but something is missing for Claire. A baby. The struggle with fertility issues is real for them and adoption has kind of fell in their lap so they've decided to pursue it. 

Claire's struggles felt so real to me. I cried way more than I should have while reading such a short story but this one brought on all the feels. I love this couple so much and the love Jude has for his wife is something so beautiful. 
"I love you. I love you so damn much. I don't need anything but you. Kids are added bonuses' cause I get to watch you be a mom and fall in love with you all over again."

I loved this little novella so much. I only wish it was longer. I could read about this couple/family all day. For all fans of the Assassin's series and the Bellevue Bullies series, this is a must read! 
Profile Image for Karen.
5,385 reviews74 followers
July 4, 2019
Bringing up to date with your favorite characters.
Profile Image for Tpagirl Loves Romance.
1,672 reviews185 followers
June 25, 2019
Changing Lines was the fifth book in the Bellevue Bullies series by Toni Aleo. It was a sweet novella as a follow up for Jude and Claire Sinclair, book one.

Aleo took us on a quick journey for the next phase of Jude and Claire’s lives, parenting. They had been trying for awhile but ran into a few road blocks. Aleo demonstrated the emotions, thought processes and options while navigating through a team trade (NHL) for Jude.

In the end, it was short, sweet, emotional and a great ten year follow up to a beloved couple.
Profile Image for Cindy (BKind2Books).
1,849 reviews40 followers
June 4, 2019
This novella takes us back to Jude and Claire's story. We get a sweet glimpse into their life as a couple, and they are struggling to start a family. Toni Aleo has such a gift for writing the stories dealing with hard subjects - alcohol or drug addiction, abandonment, infertility. These are tough subjects that I'm sure at least some of her readers have had to deal with, and she does not shy away from them. She tackles them head on and, while we get our HEA, it's not without its share of heartache along the way. This was another absorbing story - in fact, I think I like grown-up Jude and Claire even better. Thanks for this sweet 'beach read' - perfect quick read for a summer's day.

Loved these quotes:

Your first breath took ours away.

The greatest things are worth the wait.
Profile Image for Stacey Adam.
201 reviews2 followers
June 4, 2019
Be still my heart..
Toni has done it once again!
This little novella was perfect in every single way. It was gut wrenching, heart soaring, and just absolutely beautiful.
I fell in love with Claire when we first met her in the Assassins series and always rooted for her and then once again when we met her along with Jude in the Bellevue Bullies opener. They are both so strong individually but together they are a force to reckoned with, and it shows in this little novella. I laughed with this, and I cried and I couldn’t put it down until I turned that last page. It’s a beautiful novella and one you won’t want to miss!
Profile Image for Rachael.
184 reviews
June 4, 2019
Claire & Jude are one of my favorite characters. I don't know a couple in the authors books that are more deserving to be so happy. This book shows how no matter what life throws at your relationship, having a partner that loves & supports you, will help you overcome anything.

The story was beautiful and the characters still have the same fire they had all along.

Awesome Read!

You definitely should read their whole story(Boarded by Love) before reading this one.
Profile Image for ✰  BJ's Book Blog ✰Janeane ✰.
3,038 reviews12 followers
Read
June 14, 2019
ARC received for an honest review

"The greatest things are worth the wait"

Sigh... this novella was everything I never knew I needed.

And I didn't know how much I missed Jude and Claire until I read it either.

I like the way that Ms Aleo tackles the hard subjects, and has me coming out loving the characters more than I thought I could.

This was a lovely look back at Jude and Claire as a couple. the struggles with hockey players being traded and the hardships it can put on relationships.

This pair are a force of nature, and nothing can keep them down. Their love for each other bounds off the pages.

It has made me want to go back and read Boarded by Love all over again.

I cannot get enough of Ms Aleo's hockey stories, and now I am impatient for more.


Smokin Hot Book Blog Email
Profile Image for Erin Lewis.
6,262 reviews219 followers
June 17, 2019
5 star Review Changing Lines (Bellevue Bullies #5) by Toni Aleo
 
I am new to Claire and Jude Sinclair as I have not read any other books in the series. However, having said that, I had no problem following this story.

What an emotional roller coaster of a read this was. Jude and Claire are so in love, the only thing that would their lives complete would be a baby. Sadly despite many attempts, infertility and heartache abound.

Just when it looks like they will finally be able to adopt the baby they desperately want, Jude is traded to another hockey team in Florida.

Toni Aleo had me totally invested from the first to the last chapter. If ever a couple deserved to get their hearts desire it was Jude and Claire.

This story was beautifully written, a story of love and determination, of never giving up. It was emotional, uplifting, devastating and absolutely real. Ms. Aleo handled the highs and lows of infertility with care and dignity.

Changing Lines is a sweet novella full of love and family. Although a quick read the emotions and love packed into this story will hit you right in the heart.

Never have I cheered for a couple to achieve their hearts desire as much as I did Jude and Claire.




Profile Image for Brianna.
58 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2019
Changing Lines follows the story of Claire and Jude, a Toni Aleo classic couple. These two have always been among my favorites and I was so excited to get to read more about their lives. I would suggest reading Claire and Jude’s first book before reading this one so that you know their whole story (it is a great read, I promise).

Jude and Claire are a young couple thriving in their perspective careers. However, personally, they are struggling with infertility. While adoption is an option for this couple, Claire feels a strong need to experience pregnancy herself. This story follows Claire and Jude through their emotional journey to parenthood. While we do get a classic Toni happily ever after, there are plenty of struggles along the way.

As with Toni’s other books, this story includes many members of the extended Assassins family, which allows everyone to catch up on some of their favorite characters. While this may be a shorter novella style story, it packs a punch and leaves you feeling happy and excited for your next Aleo read.
Profile Image for Ashley.
27 reviews
June 6, 2019
Warning: Spoilers Ahead

I have loved Jude and Claire since the moment I picked up “Boarded by Love”. To be honest, this was the book that started it all for me. I read “Boarded by Love” before I started any of Toni’s other books and after I finished it, I was hooked. (Intentional hockey pun) Jude was the bad boy player that every girl told all their friends they would never fall for, but secretly crave. Claire was a troubled youth who needed the love that no one thought a guy like Jude could provide her.

It was amazing to be able to not only see their love form in “Boarded by Love”, but to now see how they’ve continued to love each other through life’s ups and downs. Coming from someone that suffers from PCOS and as a 20 year old I was told that it was almost impossible for me to have kids, Toni did this book justice and then some. I could feel myself in Claire’s shoes and the reactions that she makes her characters go through are so real that when she was crying about a negative test result, I was right there with her. I can only hope that I’ll have a man as amazing as Jude when the time comes that I’ll want to try for children, or adopt.

As always, I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next installment of whatever Toni decides to grace us with. :)
Profile Image for Court.
911 reviews48 followers
June 10, 2019
Wow, was an amazingly beautiful story. It gutted my heart, broke it into pieces, but Claire and Jude's journey put it beautifully back together again. Claire and Jude have been together and gone through ups and downs, but are still there for each other. Claire struggles with what her and Jude go through, but man, Jude is a rock and so sweet to Claire he makes you swoon every time. This story will make the waterworks happen on full blast, but the journey Claire and Jude go through together is painful, but worth every moment that are there for each other. Read this amazing story, you won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for Alison (Ali's Books) Flores.
1,652 reviews45 followers
June 25, 2019
Let me preface this by saying that I haven’t read any of the previous Bellevue Bullies books, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this novella at all.

I loved that this was about the struggles of a married couple. I just don’t think you see that often enough in romance novels. I also loved that you could really FEEL the love that Jude has for wife, Claire. They are struggling with something so many real life couples have struggled with, infertility. They are under some serious stress, but they work things out so beautifully.

Another thing that I loved and yet hated about this book is that I was so completely sucked in that I totally forgot that this was a novella. I loved it because I was so engrossed, but I hated that it was over so soon. I would have absolutely LOVED to see this stretched out into a full-length novel.

All that being said, I’m looking forward to going back to the beginning of this series to see what I missed out on! 4.5 STARS!!
Profile Image for Lynn.
1,038 reviews47 followers
June 25, 2019
Claire has been a favorite character of mine since Breaking Away with her Uncle Phillip. I love her and Judes' love story in Boarded By Love and so happy to see where life brought them years later. It's not enjoyable to read about infertility, but it's alot of people's truth, so it should be written about. I just love how the whole storyline went, though I do wish we could have started from when Claire met Tristan and it be full length book. I'll take any number of pages from the Assassins' family and gobble them up.
Profile Image for Diane Lynch Lynch.
1,883 reviews53 followers
June 23, 2019
Toni Aleo has a game-winner with CHANGING LINES (Bellevue Bullies #5). I was so excited when I discovered that Toni Aleo was going to write another book with Claire and Jude Sinclair. CHANGING LINES is a heartfelt novella about their struggles to get pregnant, their decision to adopt, and the unexpected occurrences in their lives.

I loved this book. It made me smile and cry. Jude and Claire are amazing characters. They have grown so much since they were introduced: Claire in BREAKING AWAY (Assassins #5) and Jude (with Claire) in BOARDED BY LOVE (Bellevue Bullies #1). They would both make amazing parents.

I enjoyed the plot. It was realistic and heartwarming. I adored that they were active in volunteering in the Minnesota Wild’s Foundation and at the women’s shelter of domestic abuse. I like that they built a relationship with Tristan and could relate. Jude and Claire are an amazing couple with wonderful friends and family. The story had a fantastic ending. I recommend CHANGING LINES to people who enjoy sports romances. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Profile Image for Ashley.
467 reviews10 followers
June 21, 2019
A glimpse of one of my favorite young couples! Ashley @ Carolina Chic’s Read


This novella give us a glimpse of Jude and Claire’s story and how they struggle to start a family. I love how Toni is not afraid to tackle the hard subjects and this one does not disappoint. This was an easy read that will give you all the emotions you expect from Toni!
Profile Image for Lauren.
2,597 reviews13 followers
June 25, 2019
This quick read was worth it all ... it made me sad, happy and down tight excited at times. I love Claire and Jude both and this book made it even better. Im so glad that these two get there happy, they get there dreams and so much more. These two have been through so much and deserve the love and happiness.
Profile Image for Sofia Lazaridou.
2,864 reviews134 followers
June 25, 2019
Changing Lines is the fifth book in the Bellevue Bullies series by Toni Aleo. It's a novella and it serves mostly as an epilogue to Jude and Claire's story. Some of you might already know them from
Boarded by Love book one in the series. I haven't read their book, but I had no problem getting into this one. Jude and Claire had problems conceiving, but know they are expecting their first baby. Tristan is pregnant and she doesn't want the baby because she is not in the right place at the moment and thinks that they could give her child everything he deserves. This book broke my heart for two reasons. Claire feels less of a woman because she can't get pregnant and it was very sad to read about. Tristan is giving her baby away because she doesn't think that she is the best person to raise him. I would love to read her story one day. On the bright side, this book is about two people getting what they wanted and that's a family with a kid. It was a sweet and heartbreaking story and I would recommend it even if you haven't read a single book in the series.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.5k reviews545 followers
June 26, 2019
While this one is short it covers a lot and that is just in feelings alone. Many times I found myself tearing up due to the choices the characters made. Some of them were hard choices, but in the end I think everyone did what was right for them. I loved the ending, loved the big happy family celebrating so much!
Profile Image for Regina.
2,163 reviews37 followers
January 29, 2021
Honesty here: don't take this as a review about the story itself as being bad it was just that this book wasn't for me. I've never had a burning need or desire to have children. I have friends and family who've been through the infertility/in vitro process and know of their pain but I really cannot relate so this so this story did nothing for me.

Profile Image for Heather.
1,586 reviews26 followers
June 2, 2019
Jude and Claire have always been one of my favorite couples in Toni Aleo's Bellevue Bullies series, so it was so much fun to get to catch up with them and see what is going on in their world now!

Things are going great for the young couple. Jude is doing amazing things on the ice, he and Claire have just bought a house and they are preparing for the adoption of a baby. When Jude gets the news he's been traded, it obviously throws quite the wrench into the plans that he and his wife have. The one thing we've always known with this duo is their love is strong and will get them through just about anything.

You could really feel the emotion throughout this novella and I loved that. Everything they are going through in this book is highly emotional, stressful, you name it and so it was nice to see them going through it and handling it just like we all would in real life. I always get transported into the world that Toni creates whenever I read her books and this one was no exception. Super awesome novella!
Profile Image for Suzi (Obsessive Reading Disorder).
2,235 reviews
June 14, 2019
Just perfect. Short read but so very emotional. I think I cried through most of it. Loved catching up with Jude and Claire. Great to see the whole family again as well.

Perfect extended epilogue of the whole series.


*Complimentary copy provided for an honest review.
Profile Image for The Book Lover.
2,070 reviews32 followers
June 23, 2019
What can I say? the queen of hockey has done it again! what an emotional ride this book was, I'm glad that Jude and Claire got the happy ending that they wanted! I loved the story from beginning to end, it was full of emotions with every page you turned, simply amazing.!
Profile Image for Mary McFarlane.
662 reviews6 followers
June 26, 2019
Ugh this book had my crying so hard for being so short. I loved see Claire and Jude again and their families again. I just wish this was longer so we could meet baby number 2!!!
Profile Image for Robin.
1,006 reviews29 followers
June 28, 2019
Great story

It was so great to catch up with Jude and Claire. While this was a very emotional read it was so well written.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Clinton.
868 reviews36 followers
June 2, 2019
Everyone deserves their happiness and after ten years, Jude & Claire Sinclair seem to be right there.
Still madly in Love they have everything they ever wanted, successful careers, Amazing families but the one thing that would make it complete would be a child of there own.
Just maybe their dreams are coming true and they can see happiness right there in front of them, they will go through so many emotions and you can’t help feel them right along with them. Jude & Claire just want what everyone in the family has and when it’s in reach your heart will feel all the love coming off the pages and knowing that they will finally have that HEA
28 reviews
June 25, 2019
Changing Lines

What can I say? I have always loved Jude and Claire. This book pulls at my heartstrings! It follows the ups and downs of Jude and Claire’s infertility issues.

As their life in Minneapolis has grown, Jude and Claire have started a foundation that Claire is very active in. While working in a woman’s shelter Claire befriends Tristian, an unwed mother. This could be there chance, until Jude gets traded... Will it work out?

Another great visit with old friends!! Thank you Toni Aleo!!!!
Profile Image for Jackie Ziegler.
1,850 reviews8 followers
June 2, 2019
All the feels with this one.. Jude and Claire have been through many ups and downs but the ultimate heart break has been in conceiving a child.. When Claire meets Tristan at the shelter and finds out Tristan doesn't want to keep her baby she can only pray that maybe it will be their baby since nothing else is working. Tristan knows Claire and Jude will be the perfect parents but Claire still wants to experience everything. As Baby Sinclair is born and they come home to a full house will they be sharing more news?
Profile Image for Stacie R..
696 reviews24 followers
June 25, 2019
Claire and Jude have been living their best life for the last 10 years. College sweethearts, they have been through it all. The one they want is to have a baby, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for them. They are planning to adopt a baby, they’ve finally set down more roots in Minnesota, they are living the good life…and then Jude gets traded. That wrench thrown in their perfectly laid out plans, throws them for a loop, but the two know that their love can get them through anything.

Claire and Jude have always been one of my favorite couplings from Toni Aleo. I fell in love with them in ‘Boarded by Love’ and have loved being able to do quick catch ups with them in other novels that Toni has written. This book was such a quick but awesome read, I enjoyed getting to catch up with Jude and Claire in a more in-depth way. I love that in every book Toni makes her characters so relatable. As someone who is currently struggling with this now, it was a breath of fresh air to read about it. I only wish we could get more and more from all of her characters!
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