I hate that I didn’t enjoy this one, since the cover is gorgeous! Let’s break down why this book let me down:

1.) It read to me like… a male wrote it. I know that this isn’t always a bad thing, some of my favorite authors are males. However, it just didn’t work here. As soon as Linc saw Emma, he lusted after her. 90% of the book was just him making remarks about how great her ass looked. It was hardly ever a compliment about her, just her body. If this is your thing, then go for it! Just kinda gives off male douche vibes, who only see women as objects. Gross.

2.) How can this be a slow burn AND an insta-love (lust)???? Literally, they make sexual jokes with one another ALL THE TIME. They both know they are attracted to one another, they’re both adults, both have extroverted personalities, but neither act on their feelings??? Wtf. When I say it’s a slow burn, I mean it. Sex didn’t occur until 79% of the book (literally, my kindle has the proof). Insta-love (list) is gross to me anyhow. Please see reason one.

3.) The plot was boring. Dreadful, even. I wanted to dnf this one, but didn’t because it was an arc and the writing style wasn’t terrible.

4.) 3rd-act break up. I don’t need to say more.

This one got 2 stars because the writing style was about a 4/10 (mediocre) and I liked Greer.

Thanks NetGalley & Entangled Publishing for the arc of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I made it through one chapter. The masculinity of Linc was bleeding through the page in the internal thoughts as he narrated the scene. Way too over the top.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Sadly it was a DNF for me. The plot and tropes were right up my alley which is why I wanted to do the ARC but sadly the third person writing and the some of the explanation and dialogue were just not my jam.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to voluntarily read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Sweet Spot for Love follows single mom Emma and former professional baseball player Linc. Linc runs a community center, and needs to appear "family oriented" to attract investors, so pretends that Emma is his fiancé.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good fake dating/marriage of convenience story, but this book missed the mark for me. The main characters had physical chemistry, but not much else about their relationship is fleshed out beyond that. Linc would wax poetic about admiring and supporting Emma being a single mother, but he was very controlling and made all of her decisions for her. It bordered on misogyny, the word "females" was used instead of women, which always puts a bad taste in my mouth

I thought the fake dating premise was weak, the plot was a little all over the place, the writing style was questionable, and the author frequently introduced side characters that it seemed like we were already supposed to know who they were. The FMC's weight and the MMC's race were frequently referenced, though not in a particularly thoughtful way.

The relationship between Emma and her daughter Greer is one of the positives of this book. It was sweet watching Greer open up from her shy persona as she got involved with the baseball team.

Overall, this book was not my favorite and I would not recommend.

Linc is a former pro basketball player, who is focused in running his community centre and the kids who attend it. Emma is a single mom to her little girl Greer, and there is an attraction between her and Linc. When Linc needs to encourage investors, he needs to be in a relationships, and Emma comes to mind. Will Emma agree to a fake relationship? This is a well written story which has off the charts and undeniable chemistry, witty banter, humor, challenges, small town gossips, and love, which leads to an entertaining page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

A Sweet Spot for Love is the perfect romance book to read when you’re looking for something fun (and a little sporty). Emma is the FMC, a single mom who would do anything for her kid, including becoming fake engaged to Linc. Linc is the MMC, an ex-pro baseball player who has recently opened a rec center for the kids in town. He is very passionate about bringing community together and providing a safe haven for kids who need it.

My favorite part of the book was definitely the chemistry between Linc and Emma. They had good banter and while Linc never noticed her in high school, it’s clear how attracted his is to Emma now. The heat was rolling off the pages! I also enjoyed how Linc commented on any negative self-talk Emma had, and made sure to correct it. It was sweet and made me believe he truly loved her.

However, there were a couple issues within the book. Some of the dialogue felt stilted and unnatural. Sometimes it was just the use of a word or phrase that felt awkward, and other times it was whole conversations. The other thing that I noticed was that the author does a lot of telling on how characters felt instead of showing me. I think that was a missed opportunity because both Emma and Linc cared a lot about their families. I wish there were more scenes showing me that emotional depth instead of just telling me in a sentence or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy!

This book for me was really difficult to follow. Especially in the beginning I just felt like I was missing information about the plot and different characters.

Linc Conner is a former professional baseball player and runs community center and is focused on the kids at the center. Emma Henricksen is a single mom to her daughter Greer who has a passion for baseball. With Greer’s passion for baseball Linc is there is to help her along the way. Linc is very much attracted to Emma, but Emma is very much invested in her daughter Emma and doesn’t have time for a relationship. Linc wants to expand on his community center nationwide to help other children. For Linc to get possible investors he needs to be in a relationship. The only person that comes to mind to help Linc is Emma who he has been lusting after and is very much interested in and attracted to. He needs Emma to agree to be engaged to him so that he can get investors to invest in his community center. Now that the two are in a pretend engagement they both get more than they bargained for. For Linc it is a win win situation since he already has feelings for Emma. This is a great read, love the banter, attraction and chemistry between Emma and Linc.

Did Linc get the investors to back his community center deal, will Linc and Emma take their relationship to the next level, how is Emma progressing with baseball?

I received an ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

A Sweet Spot for Love was my first Aaliyah Burke book, but it certainly won’t be my last! This is the perfect book for any romance lover. Such a cozy and romantic read. I read this in one sitting, because it was so good. There is romance, trauma, a big makeup and some pretty sexy scenes. There is something for every type of romance reader.

I truly enjoyed all of the characters, they were so real with real problems and faults. They had baggage, but were still amazing people that you wanted to root for. It was a bit of a super sexy slow burn. Hand holding has never been described so sexily! The only thing that I think could have been done a bit better is that there are some traumas that are spoken about in detail, but you never really see any of them resolved. They are brought up as part of the plot for why the characters are the way they are, but they are never actually addressed between the two love interests or even in therapy etc. The book is rather short, but I would have gladly read more especially if the main characters addressed some of their traumas.

Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to read more by this author. I will be singing praises far and wide. Thank you Aaliyah Burke for creating this!

A fab read, the story of Emma and Linc. I loved the relationship he had with her daughter. Looking forward to more books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher @entangled_publishing for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
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This book has a single mother, need I say more? I also read it in two hours! Anyway, I loved every character in this book, they were all wonderful. I loved Emma and Linc's chemistry and the spice. Emma's daughter, Greer was the cutest character ever.
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I also loved the tiny miscommunication trope, although I was annoyed at Linc. Miscommunication tropes are not my thing, but I love it when it's only few chapters and not the whole book.
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I really loved this book and I'll definitely be re-reading it. So, if you're looking for an easy, spicy romance, this book is for you.

Single mom / Ex Pro Athlete / Fake Engagement

This book didn’t work for me. I liked the blurb, but it was a disappointment. It was sometimes confusing, I didn’t really liked the writing style, the MMC is an asshole (and he knows), they didn’t have chemistry and the relationship with the child is missing.

I received an arc through netgalley, all the opinions are my own.

Could their pretend relationship start to be real?

Former professional baseball player Linc Conner just wants to run his new community center and possibly take it nationwide but he still can’t get his eye off of single mom Emma Henricksen. But when he told a possible investor that he was with someone, Emma’s name was first on his mind. Would Emma pretend to be dating Linc for the investors?

Emma was thrilled that her daughter Greer was coming out of her shell by trying baseball but could pretending to date Linc hurt her daughter because Greer came first.

I loved that Emma always put Greer first when her pretend relationship with Linc started to be something more even when they don’t seem to listen to each other.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this story! Emma and Linc at first site might seem like an unlikely pair but together they were fire!

I loved reading a book with a curvy single mom who may have been a hot mess express but at her core was a loving soul knew how to work hard and had a brilliant mind! As a former single mom I will say that the author really nailed how it feels to take on the world when your whole world is your child! I love the patience Linc had for Emma and for Greer!

The dual point of view in each chapter had me loving the book even more! I love dual perspective and being able to see what each was feeling and thinking made the reading experience feel more involved!

This book was an easy and enjoyable read because of its great characters!

I love this series and as always this was a cute romance the series. Emma is a single mom who is doing her best to give her daughter more than she currently has. Linc has a passion for his community center and he needs to make a good impression.

Insert the fake dating relationship. I love a man who takes charge but not in an overpowering way. This was overly cheesy but we need that in our lives sometimes.

The reconnection after the ending conflict breakup was a little rushed and the conflict was a little characteristic of Linc considering how hardcore he was for Emma but it was made of the usual romance formula.

All in all - this was a refreshing read, a good romance to purge from a longer or more complicated book.

I look forward to reading about the other men in this series

After a career ending injury ends his pro baseball career, Linc Connor puts all his energy, and money, into running his community center, determined to give all kids an opportunity to play sports. In order to expand the center, he needs investors, but for some reason his biggest investor believes he's engaged. Emma just started working with him at the center after her daughter Greer joined the baseball team and she goes along with the fake engagement to help out. But it doesn't help that she's had a crush on him and followed his career since high school while he never noticed her until he needed something. How can he convince her that his attraction to her is real and not for show?
I love that this book is based on an interracial couple with a curvy woman. Linc does everything he can to show how attracted he is to her and how much he loves her daughter. Both of them have issues in their past to work through in order to find their HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was okay, I guess. Despite loving the blurb and cover, however, it didn't really speak to me!
Linc was entirely too possessive, to the point of being annoying. I didn't feel the spark between the main characters.
However, I didn't dislike it, and it was a nice read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aliyah Burke has scored another homerun with the latest book in the Rock Falls series! One hot, super sweet, pay-it-back, former sports star and a curvy single mom with the most precocious kid? Um, yes please!

Emma lives for her daughter. She puts up with her skeevy boss thinking its the best she can do for now after dropping out of high school when she got pregnant. But when her daughter Greer develops a passion for Baseball, she is brought back into the orbit of the star of all her teenage fantasies - Linc.

Linc may have been a superstar Baseball player but he had to give it up before he was ready to and he cut himself off from his former life and friends. Now he lives for the community and sports centre he runs. He wants kids to have a chance at everything he couldn't and to have a space space they can go to. But he needs investors with deep pockets but when his latest whale investor infers it would go better for his financial application to be in a relationship. Well Linc knows just the person to ask!

Fake relationships, very real feelings, small town gossip and well meaning, interfering friends and family make for great reading. Whilst it's very much a romcom, there is a morale to the story - Don't make assumption based on the labels YOU attach to someone. We are all more than the sum of our parts. Emma struggles with thinking that she is failing her daughter and not enough for Linc. Linc struggles with his injury, addiction and being constantly underestimated.

I read this in one fell swoop, I could not put it down. I loved seeing Rock Falls again and meeting some of my favourite characters from the previous book. Witty banter, all the feels and Greer is just an absolute angel, she is so wise beyond her years and her instant bond with Linc was just awwwwww.

Thank you Entangled Publishing to let me read this book in advance through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first, I wasn't sure. It's going to fast at a point. You don't see it coming and then they are in a fake relationship. But the more I read, the more I find this story cute and fun. I can see myself reading this on a holiday to chill and relax.

The characters are likable and Emma would do everything for her daughter. She is truly what comes first in every decision she makes and I love that.

There was some interactions who felt cringy a little bit, like it was not natural, that's why I give it 2.5 stars.
This book feel like a Hallmarks movie on Christmas. You have to be in the mood to watch that. You know you're gonna wince, feel embarrassed for the character, but you also love it. I don't know if it makes senses, but it's the way I felt about it.

I give this book 2 stars and a half.

It's definitely not a book that I would recommend to everyone.

1.5 stars

Boy and girl went to high school together. Boy and girl ran in two different crowds. Boy was a popular baseball player. Girl was an overweight loser. Boy did not know who girl was, but girl knew who boy was.

Sound familiar? This is a very similar backstory to Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner. And while it worked in Hail Mary, it did not work here. Steiner used her first three chapters to set up the story, showing us Mary and Leo's lives in high school. In A Sweet Spot for Love, we get none of this depth. Instead, we are told about the past through the main characters' inner monologues.

The male main character, Linc, is paternalistic, possessive, and self-righteous. He repeatedly makes decisions for Emma, the female main character. At the beginning of the book, he quits Emma's job for her. Mind you, she is single mother struggling to make ends meet (she reminds us enough of this throughout the novel; Linc could never be attracted to an overweight, single mother, high school dropout). Even though her boss was a total creep, Linc had no right to interfere with her life like that, even if he offered her a job afterwards.

Emma and Linc's relationship felt a little too close to insta-love to me. I didn't feel the connection between them. Sure, I kept hearing about their supposed physical connection but nothing about an emotional connection. They went from 0 to 100 really fast, as soon as they started talking to each other. In fact, some of the first words Emma said to him were, "Take that shirt back off." At one point, we are told that Emma had "been more than half in love with [Linc] for the majority of her life," but she didn't actually know him, had never actually talked to him, until a couple days ago?? Babe, bffr.

The writing style constantly sucked me out of the story. The dialogue was cringey, and I often found myself confused by what was happening. The characters felt very one-dimensional, especially Emma's daughter, Greer. I think the author was trying to do too much, leaving everything underdeveloped.

I could say more, but those are my biggest gripes with this book. I will say that it had potential, but I honestly can't recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to voluntarily read and review an advanced copy of this book. I'm grateful for the opportunity! All thoughts and opinions are my own.