Hockey, studying, and school runs. That’s my life now.
After a tragic accident that took our parents’ lives, it’s up to me and my big brother to take care of our five younger siblings.
In between burning their meals and keeping them from killing each other, I’m supposed to get a college degree. It’s hard when I don’t have time to breathe let alone study, and if I don’t get my grades up, I’m in danger of losing the one thing that makes me happy: my spot on the hockey team.
Which is why when the new equipment manager offers to tutor me, I really can’t afford to say no. Even though I should.
He’s Coach’s son and way too tempting.
KOLE
As this year’s equipment manager for Dad’s hockey team, I’m expected to deal with sweaty jock straps and herding hockey players to their rooms at away games.
The job is easy, but babysitting Asher Dalton is not supposed to be a part of it.
So why, when his brother asks me to keep an eye on him, do I agree?
Why, when he’s struggling in classes, do I offer to help?
And why, when we’re studying, do I suggest a reward system that lands us squarely in bed?
Asher's trouble, I know he is. But there's something about him that makes it impossible to stay away.
My Rating - 5 Stars!
Line Mates and Study Dates is the fourth book in the CU Hockey series by Eden Finley and Saxon James. It's easily enjoyed as a standalone.
Oh man, I love this series and this book is a great addition to the fun.
I love college romances. But I really love college sports romances. And this series is fabulous! Everything about it works for me.
First, it's a coach's son romance. I am giddy! And the authors play this out so damn well.
Second, Asher! I am thrilled to get Asher's story.
These men are simply fantastic. Asher's a moody bastard, the bad boy of the team. As for Kole, he's way more than I could have ever expected.
I adore the way these two are brought together and the connection that develops between them. Their tutoring sessions are beyond hot and do a wonderful job of carrying the story.
Asher and Kole develop an intense connection, and I adore all the highs and lows of their relationship. But, damn, the way all the emotions develop between the two had me all in. Love these men!
The family aspect. Omg. So sad. So heartbreaking. And so damn emotional in general. Of course, there's a lot going on with all the siblings and all of it is great. Asher's backstory is something that brings him fully to life, and makes him totally loveable.
Line Mates and Study Dates is everything I could have asked for. I love it all. These authors have once again penned a magical read. I can't get enough of the emotional connection in this story.
Meet Ryan, aka, Joey Hole, disgraced former adult entertainer with more issues than he can keep track of. His boyfriend left him for an Instagram twink with 150K followers, his Mum wants him out of her spare room and then there's that idiot at college who just won't take no for an answer.
Meet Luke. He was once the rich kid who'd just been gifted his first car, and now he doesn't even own a bike. He's also slumming it in a house full of ungrateful siblings and his first trip to the Food-bank gave him some goddamn emotional scars. Life is getting better though, and he's acing it at college, as well as making some brilliant new friends. Well except for that stuck up twatwaffle Ryan who won't talk to him and refuses to like his brilliant social media posts....
The first of Sophia Soames new London Series, BREATHE will release on May 15 2021. This series will follow the ups and downs of three couples living extraordinary ordinary London lives.
Pre order for Breathe is available now, and the remaining two books will release during 2021
My Rating - 5 Stars!
Breathe is a fabulous romance by Sophia Soames. The first book in the London Love series, everything about it is emotional and all consuming.
Ryan and Luke's story is a tender, hurt/comfort read. Both are so damn broken and unsure of their futures. Their pasts are vastly different, yet equally damaging.
Ryan's back home in London, after separating from his ex. After a career in porn, and his open relationship, he's trying to find his way.
As for Luke, his background is heart breaking. He had to grow up way too fast, helping to raise his siblings, after his parents left them in a bad way.
I love the way both are from the start. Both make the other feel safe. Both are intrigued by the other, without expectations. It's very sweet.
I enjoy their journey from strangers to friends to more. It's all tastefully done and I absolutely love the sexual awakening aspect.
Everything about their journey is emotional and realistic. I love the flaws in each man, as well as the mistakes they've made. I enjoy the strength of each and the way they overcome all their obstacles.
They make for a beautiful couple and I am left feeling honored to have read their story.
The writing style is wonderful, making the reader feel completely relaxed and entertained. Written in alternating first person pov, both men are fully explored.
Breathe is a great, mesmerizing story. This is classic Sophia Soames, as she will make you think, feel, and fall in love. Her writing style is unique and easy to become mesmerized by. It's hard to explain how much I enjoy her writing, so I will just say it that way. I love her writing and the depth of her stories.
Meet Ryan, aka, Joey Hole, disgraced former adult entertainer with more issues than he can keep track of. His boyfriend left him for an Instagram twink with 150K followers, his Mum wants him out of her spare room and then there's that idiot at college who just won't take no for an answer.
Meet Luke. He was once the rich kid who'd just been gifted his first car, and now he doesn't even own a bike. He's also slumming it in a house full of ungrateful siblings and his first trip to the Food-bank gave him some goddamn emotional scars. Life is getting better though, and he's acing it at college, as well as making some brilliant new friends. Well except for that stuck up twatwaffle Ryan who won't talk to him and refuses to like his brilliant social media posts....
The first book in the new London Series. This series will follow the ups and downs of three couples living extraordinary ordinary London lives.
My Rating - 5 Stars!
Breathe is a fabulous romance by Sophia Soames. The first book in the London Love series, everything about it is emotional and all consuming.
Ryan and Luke's story is a tender, hurt/comfort read. Both are so damn broken and unsure of their futures. Their pasts are vastly different, yet equally damaging.
Ryan's back home in London, after separating from his ex. After a career in porn, and his open relationship, he's trying to find his way.
As for Luke, his background is heart breaking. He had to grow up way too fast, helping to raise his siblings, after his parents left them in a bad way.
I love the way both are from the start. Both make the other feel safe. Both are intrigued by the other, without expectations. It's very sweet.
I enjoy their journey from strangers to friends to more. It's all tastefully done and I absolutely love the sexual awakening aspect.
Everything about their journey is emotional and realistic. I love the flaws in each man, as well as the mistakes they've made. I enjoy the strength of each and the way they overcome all their obstacles.
They make for a beautiful couple and I am left feeling honored to have read their story.
The writing style is wonderful, making the reader feel completely relaxed and entertained. Written in alternating first person pov, both men are fully explored.
Breathe is a great, mesmerizing story. This is classic Sophia Soames, as she will make you think, feel, and fall in love. Her writing style is unique and easy to become mesmerized by. It's hard to explain how much I enjoy her writing, so I will just say it that way. I love her writing and the depth of her stories.
My headphones blasted music as I walked down the college corridors towards the on-site gym, where our first session today would cover gentle workouts for the older generation, a topic I found intriguing. I liked the idea of giving something back. Not that I had any contact with any of my grandparents. All except for my maternal grandfather had long departed, and I wasn’t even sure he still lived in the country. Family could be an unwelcome obligation, but if there was one thing I would fight for to the death, it was that Olive would never be sent to some goddamn boarding school and would never, fucking ever be looked after by our parents again. That was like…fuck. I was sweating just imagining the horror my little sister would go through. In any circumstance, it would never happen. She had us in her corner now, and we would bloody protect her to the end of the earth.
The gym was busy as always, a few people huddled over by the water dispenser, and there was muffled giggling coming through from the weights room, where I could see all the girls in our class bent over staring at the phone in Danielle’s hand. Well, all except Bridget, who stormed out and barged past me without saying hello.
“What did you do to Bridget?” I asked, squeezing down on the last remaining place on the bench and huffing in disappointment when Danielle pressed the screen against her chest and glared at me like I’d interrupted something private. I probably had, but as always, I didn’t have the sense to care.
“You don’t want to see this,” she said, an odd mix of excited and horrified.
“Why? Is it porn or something?” I didn’t know why I said these things, but Inez looked like she was about to cry.
The other girl, whose name I momentarily couldn’t remember, whispered, “Go on, show him.”
It was a shitty thing to do. A shitty thing to show any human being. Danielle shoved her phone in my face, and right there, filling the entire screen, someone’s arse was being pounded by one of the thickest dicks I’d ever seen. The sound was off, but from the way the owner of the arse was shaking, it must have bloody hurt. Not that the guy attached to the dick seemed to care, letting his thing slide in and out of the slick hole, which gaped and then clenched before the guy brutally shoved his dick back in.
They were two guys, that was clear. A sculpted stomach came into view as the bloke on the bottom was flipped over, and a curved dick bounced against his stomach.
I realised I was blushing, my face flaming in embarrassment. Not for me, because…it was porn. Gay porn, admittedly, but still porn. I really wasn’t into this kind of stuff in public, and anyway, who watched porn with a bunch of girls?
“Put that shit away before Mr Greenwood comes in and has you thrown out. For fuck’s sake, Danielle!”
“You need to watch it to the end,” she insisted, thrusting the phone back in my face.
“I really don’t want to.” I got up to leave, but Inez grabbed my arm and pushed me back down.
“You should know,” she said, turning even paler. “I don’t agree with Danielle showing it, but someone needs to tell him.”
“Tell me what?”
“No, not you. Someone needs to talk to Ryan.”
“For fuck’s sake.” I was in no way a worldly guy, but seriously?
“Ladies, I’m sure as a gay man, Ryan knows where to find gay porn if he feels the need. I’m not going to go tell him that you girls found gay porn on the big ugly web and feel the need to warn him there are men out there who want to stick their dick up his arse.”
“Who wants to stick their dick up my arse?”
That was Ryan, thank God, because I didn’t want to explain this shit on my own.
“The girls found porn on the web, and it’s done something to their brains.”
I was expecting him to laugh, but instead, he turned around and left the room.
“What’s going on?” I called after him as Danielle once again thrust the phone back in my face.
And on the screen was none other than Ryan, sticking his tongue out with a cheeky wink before swallowing some guy’s dick down his throat.
Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over TV shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job.
Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The Au Pair just sighs.
She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in Scandinavia.
Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever, and she hopes it may long continue.
Find me on social media @sophiasoames on all platforms
Christina Stern is a Russian based artist. Quick sketches and portraits drawn in pencil are what she likes to do the most. Her work can be found on @christinastern on Instagram
Aurelia Morris is a cover artist, photographer, Photoshop wiz and eternal fangirl. She works in many mediums under more aliases that she can keep track of.
Welcome to the tiny European country of Rosavia, where roses ramble over alpine slopes and princes fall for the men of their dreams. Every Rosavia Royals book happens simultaneously, so books can be read on their own, or in any order... but keep an eye out for familiar faces around the palace!
After spending half his life dodging his duty to the crown, the rebel heir to the Rosavian throne has been told in no uncertain terms that it’s time to settle down. Crown Prince Leopold has one month and a vetted list of suitable princesses, and he will announce his engagement during Rosavia’s Royal Ball. But Leo’s got his own ideas about what really suits him…
Royal Librarian Edvin Blom is good at not attracting attention. Shy and self-conscious of his stutter, he’s used to being overlooked and more than happy to stay in the background. At least, until the crown prince with a wild reputation shows up at the library’s new opening and decides to flirt with Edvin’s sister…
Edvin isn’t at all what Leo thought he wanted, but turns out to be everything he can’t stay away from. Edvin’s been burned by falling for someone out of his league before, though. And believing that Leo has really fallen for him? While Edvin’s drowning in his own doubts and insecurities, that might prove impossible… unless love gives them both a reason to come up for air.
It took me a long time to get into Stella Starling's Up For Heir. The first book in the multi-author Rosavia Royals series, I was excited to read this, but it gets off to a slow start, making it tough to become interested.
Leo's a Prince who has no interest in getting married, but his family has other plans for him. Enter Edvin, who's a common man raising his siblings. Leo's instantly intrigued with Edvin, finding himself doing things he'd normally not do, just to be with the librarian.
Their story is one with rules, rules, and more rules. The men are great together, but definitely aren't supposed to be together.
Written in alternating pov 3rd person, the readers get an insight into both men, including the reasons behind their actions. It's slow going, but the storyline is beautiful in the end.
Overall, Up For Heir is a decent royalty romance. This Stella Starling book is a sweet story between a prince and his nerdy love interest.
Exclusive from Stella & the Inspirations behind her Prince:
Up for Heir by Stella Starling
How did you become a part of this project/world?
I’ve been friends with Ed and Helen for a while now and love them to absolute pieces! I’m not normally one for group projects, but they knocked it out of the park when it came to shared-world building with their Men of Hidden Creek series, and more than that, they are truly some of the loveliest human beings I know, so when they asked if I was interested, I said yes… and I’m so glad I did! It’s been a total blast to create this world with both of them, Max, and Zoe. I’m pretty sure that Rosavia has become “real” to all of us over the last couple of months, and my only regret is that we’ll never be able to visit it in person. *sob*
Where did your story’s inspiration come from?
The title and cover were already set when I joined Rosavia, and the other authors had already worked out some general ideas about the royal family, including the fact that my prince would be the oldest and the heir… and that he’d be none too happy about his responsibilities in that regard.
I absolutely LOVE starting with “limits” or pre-existing parameters on a story. It almost reminds me of a creative writing drill. Having to make a story fit certain cues pushes my creativity and gives me a chance to ask myself, “but why would he…?”
For this one, I knew based on the world building that the group had already done that the heir would need to marry, and he’d need to do it fast—by the Royal Ball where each of the five concurrent storylines culminates—and that he would start out not very happy about those facts- LOL! So given that he was one to dodge responsibility and rebel against his duties whenever possible, I wanted him to meet a man who was his opposite. Who embraced responsibility and could inspire Leo to do the same with his. And I also just adore shy nerdy-boy characters, so once I knew I was going to do an opposites-attract story, I just let my imagination loose on it, came up with Eddie—my sweet, selfless, stuttering little librarian—and let his Cinderella story unfold as I wrote it.
How did you create your Prince?
I generally find that I get to know my characters best once I’m a few chapters in, and this was definitely true with Leo. While I knew some basic parameters about him from the pre-existing world building already in place when I joined the project, I really only started to figure out what made him tick once I dove into the writing.
I started Leo’s first chapter with a conversation between him and his valet, and as that relationship unfolded throughout the book—along with Leo’s relationship with Treble, the cat who adopted him—I realized that he was someone who didn’t know how to show his feelings, and was, in fact, often in a bit of denial of them. But then I got to ask myself “why?” …well, I already knew that he’d rebelled against the responsibilities of being the heir, and I figured that a great reason for that was that it had emotionally distanced him from the people who loved him. And voila! Now I had a man in need of love who wouldn’t recognize it when he gets it. Perfect—*grin*—because I absolutely adore writing clueless men who are actually head-over-heels for their love interests but somehow remain oblivious to that fact even though it’s crystal clear to everyone else—LOL! And that, combined with Leo’s shy little librarian’s assumption that the prince was out of his league, made for a whole cascade of fun, sweet moments as their love story unfolded and they each finally started to believe in the other.
Prince Cassander is on vacation from his overdeveloped sense of duty. While hiding out as simply ‘Cas’ in the Rosavian capital, he rescues a gorgeous, distressed American tourist. Matty has no idea that Cas is second in line to the throne. And with only two weeks together to explore the sparks between them, he doesn’t need to ever find out.
New Yorker Matty Doyle is a fish out of water, taking care of his niece and mending his broken heart. When Cas rescues him, the handsome stranger coaxes Matty out of his shell and he throws caution to the wind. Nobody knows him here. Would it hurt to live a little for once?
But a prince can’t stay secret in his own country for long. Cas would give anything to protect Matty from reality, but how can this fantasy together continue when they belong in different worlds?
Prince Julius has only ever wanted one man. Raised alongside Prince Dante of Thedes, the two were inseparable until their unspoken mutual attraction ignited into a single passionate encounter. Convinced that it ruined their friendship, Julius retreated to his duties in Rosavia, where he daydreams of another chance to win Dante’s heart.
After four years apart, fate brings Prince Julius back to Thedes. He offers Dante a coveted invitation: return to the Rosavian palace for ten days, and be his plus-one to the Royal Ball of the century. Before long, they realize one night of passion wasn’t enough, and they can’t imagine losing each other again.
As the clock ticks down to the ball, Julius catches wind of Dante’s family meddling, and he must decide if their feelings are real or if they’ve both been played. Were they always meant for each other, or is it all an illusion that will melt away at midnight?
A spy prince needs: a man who sees through his disguise.
Prince Benedict is not what he seems. His image as a lazy playboy is carefully constructed to hide the truth. Trained since childhood to become Rosavia's top spy, he spends his life in disguise—and danger—to protect his country. Nobody sees the loneliness in his heart.
Felix Wright is a genius with four degrees, no real-world experience, and a top-secret job... and he's never even been kissed. A lifetime of being alienated for his most valuable assets has left him reluctant to trust the charming prince who thrusts him into fieldwork for the very first time.
When the Crown Jewels are stolen two weeks before the royal ball, it's their job to save the country's reputation. Benedict helps Felix believe in himself, while Felix slowly coaxes the real prince out of hiding. But can they find the jewels and rescue the most priceless treasures of all: each other?
Prince Renford is a royal brat. Nineteen and last in line for the throne, Wren hates his made-up job: Commander of Roses. Good thing his long-time valet has a firm hand—if only Wren could tempt him to break all palace protocol and use it.
Thom Pierce is sixteen years older. Old enough to know he should ignore his prince's less-than-subtle flirtation. He's been burned by a higher-ranked boy before. His job and reputation are at stake if the palace catches a scandal unfolding under their noses.
Wren needs the part of Thom that he's kept locked away for years. If the young prince wants to be taken as seriously as his older brothers, he has to grow up fast. Thom's rules could help Wren become the man Thom knows he can be in time for the Royal Ball... or they could attract the very attention that forces them apart forever.
Stella Starling is the storytelling team of two M/M contemporary romance authors who have far too many stories to tell on their own, so decided it would be fun to tell a few of them together. The authors bring their love for writing, romance, and sweet, steamy “happily ever afters” to every story, and hope that “their boys” will give readers a delicious escape into a world where love always wins.
