This month, I devoured book after book of my favorite trope—sports romance. Although almost all my books featured a sports star, there was still an eclectic mix of secondary tropes and exciting storylines. 

I began my November reading month by picking up where I left off in October by finishing the Washington Wolves series by Karla Sorenson which revolves around football. “The Ex Effect” managed to trick me with the title. The male main character is in fact not her ex-boyfriend but her sisters. Usually, that would turn me off from reading a book, but Ava and Matthews’s connection and desire to work on their problems together overpowered my initial dislike. The outside factor of familial troubles and working through parental expectations added an interesting element to the couple’s love story.

Immediately after finishing “The Ex Effect,” I started reading “The Marriage Effect,” which was definitely my favorite book out of the entire series due to its unique storyline. Logan and Paige need to get married, Logan to keep custody of his three younger sisters, and Paige to gain control of the money her grandmother left her. Logan is the epitome of a grump with a heart of gold, which he dedicates to his sister, and eventually to Paige. I loved being able to see them break each other out of their shells and find the true connection they had been searching for. Paige’s relationship with Logan’s sisters added to the overarching trope of the entire series, which was dedicated to finding your family. 

Because I loved these sports romances so much, I decided to keep with the theme but switch to hockey. I started by reading “Puck Shy” by Teagan Hunter, which is the first book in the Carolina Comet series. While the couple had an adorable meet-cute, I found the rest of the book to be a little boring and got frustrated with the lack of communication between Harper and Collins. That being said, it did what a rom-com is supposed to do and made me laugh with some of the heroine’s wacky tendencies. It was definitely the palate cleanser I needed before diving into “Mile High” by Liz Tomforde, which is another hockey romance.

The first book I read by Liz Tomforde was on Wattpad, and when I saw she made the transition to traditional publishing I was so excited to read one of her polished works. “Mile High” definitely didn’t disappoint. Stevie is the flight attendant for Zander’s team, which is the first bump in their relationship. However, Zander’s dedication to Stevie, despite his reluctance to get into a relationship is very admirable. I also loved the book’s discussions involving mental health and going to therapy, especially since mental health among men in the sports industry is very stigmatized.

After reading a couple of hockey romances I returned to my tried and true football romances. I started and finished the Mavericks Tackle Love by Max Monroe. While I enjoyed every book in this series, which includes “Wildcat,” “Pick Sick,” “Trick Play” and “4th and Girl,” the books became very repetitive and had little drama that left me engaged. All of them were sweet and the relationships were all great, but after reading four in a row they became very formulaic. If you are looking for a low-angst sports romance where the couples get together relatively early, then this series might be perfect for you, but they left me wanting more.

Next, I did a complete 180 and read “Macbeth” by Shakespeare for my AP Literature class. While normally I find Shakespeare to be daunting, I loved exploring the intricacies of gender roles in “Macbeth” and thoroughly enjoyed how it challenged me to think without being too challenging.

 My last book of the month was “Water Under the Bridge” by debut authors, Kelse and Denise Stone. This book has been on my TBR (to be read) for months because I love the authors on BookTok and always trust their recommendations. However, I really struggled to enjoy this book. Much of the book focused on factors outside of the main character’s relationships. We didn’t see Avery and Luca really become a couple until 70% through the book, which left readers with little time to enjoy their on-page interactions.

While this month may not have been the best, the sports romance definitely got me out of my reading slump in time to enjoy some new releases I am looking forward to in December. 

Highlight of the Month: “Mile High” 

*Always make sure to read trigger, content and age warnings before reading any recommendations. These can typically be found within the first few pages of a book or the author’s website.