I loved this story and getting to see the characters from The Brightest Light of Sunshine again. Maddie is a wonderful strong character and James is such a protective handsome giant. Lisina deals with the sensitive subjects in a beautiful way. I personally don't get the big deal with the age difference but that is probably because I grew up with parents who have a 16 year age gap.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the arc in order to review this book!

one of the main reasons i wanted to read this book was due to how it was blowing up on tiktok and twitter. and i can confirm it was blowing up for a good reason! now i didn’t read the book before this, and im glad that in a way it is a stand alone novel. this story had me kicking my feet and giggling at all the romantic parts and got me in my feels during the talks about mental health and the struggles the characters went through. i don’t really categorize it as a “forbidden romance” i would say it’s more like a romance that society really doesn’t view as acceptable.

there is an age gap, but it’s not some creepy older guy pursuing the younger girl. honestly the male lead was my favorite character out of the two due to how much he cared for the female lead.

overall a great read! literally read it all in one go that’s how good it was!

This was just, holy shit wow.

This hurt me in so many ways but only because I could all of their pain. I loved their journey so freaking much, Maddie is such a strong FMC. I loved this one as much as the first.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

This is the second book in Lisina Coney’s brightest light series. This story centres on Maddie, who was a child and Cal’s sister in the first book. Taking place many years later, the book follows Maddie as she recovers from an ankle injury, stunting her progress in becoming a professional ballet dancer.

James is Maddie’s PT helping her through her recovery, becoming friends along the way. Having his own experience with career ending injuries, James can’t help but feel for Maddie beyond her being his client.

This was really enjoyable, and I loved reading about Maddie as an adult. It explores her struggles that stemmed from her childhood and her dysfunctional relationship with her mother, estranged relationship with her father, her feelings of being a burden on her brother growing up, and becoming her own person as an adult. The romance progressed really nicely and felt very authentic. I loved the snippets of Cal and Grace, alongside their daughter Lila (who I’m hoping will have a book of her own after that epilogue!)

Overall, this was a great follow up from the first book and I really enjoyed it!

4.5 ⭐️

Review will be posted on Instagram @jessluvs2read on publication day

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


I saw this line on the synopsis and was like ‘say less!’
‘’A forbidden romance between an injured ballerina and her physical therapist, who thinks he’s too broken to deserve her.’’
It is a forbidden slow burn romance. The cover is so pretty and the story is heart wrenching yet so sweet at the same time.

I’ll be honest, the cover isn’t my favourite and didn’t grab my attention, but I’m so glad I clicked and read the description because that drew me in. I would describe this as a slow burner (a little excruciatingly but thankfully worth it in the end!) with some heavy themes, but of course a romance at heart. The age gap between the two MC’s was well handled, in that it didn’t feel icky or inappropriate. I really enjoyed it, Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this,

A beautiful cover at odds with a love story growing from the dark places in life we travel through. *(3.5 stars)

A 20-something ballerina spends her entire life trying to achieve the high point in her career and prove her worth, it all falls apart the day before her big audition. A physical therapist 10 years her senior finds himself drawn to protecting her while battling his own demons. They have more in common than they know and it's becoming harder to deny their attraction.

It was hard to get into these characters at first. Their personalities didn't really come through until later in the story. Once their backstory starts to develop, you start to get a feel for the trauma they're both trying so hard to overcome. Perhaps that is because I did not read the fist book in this series, but it took me a while to really care about these characters. This slow-burn is on the darker side with themes of abuse, addiction, death, and family trauma. But I found myself rooting for them in the end and I loved the later than usual epilogue. I hope the next installment is about her niece.

ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Publishing note: The chapter numbers start with a synopsis, authors note, background, and trigger warnings. Not with the first chapter.

I was two seconds away from begging on my knees for an early access to this arc, and I stand by my decision. I had so much fun reading this.

With that said THANK YOU Netgalley, Lisina Coney and Publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this, I spent less five whole hours reading this book, but it was totally worth it

The story revolves around Maddie, a 21-year-old whose dream of becoming a ballerina is shattered by an ankle injury. Following her injury she goes to Physical Therapy where she meets Dr. James Simmons, ten years her senior, and from there, things unfold.

I want to highlight how well the age gap was handled in the story. There was never a moment where I felt uncomfortable or disgusted, thinking that James might be taking advantage of Maddie because of his age and experience. James himself was wary of the age difference, which helped, but mainly, it was just expertly written. The love story felt genuine and healthy, and it left me with a warm feeling in my heart as I closed the book.

I absolutely loved the scene where Maddie comes across James, her PT, on a dating app, and then accidentally swipes right. It was hilarious, so awkward, but I couldn't help but love it.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I’m such a sucker for a Grumpy x Sunshine trope.

Received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you!

Just last week, I saw the author’s post about The Brightest Light of Sunshine and could not think of a sweeter book to dive into. The book was on KU and I immediately had it in my Kindle. BUT, at the time I was reading another book that needed to be reviewed so decided I’ll get to it next.

BUT, I saw The Darkest Corner of the Heart on NetGalley and something about it drew me in. By this point, TBLoS had of sorts slipped my mind, but something about TDCotH drew me in and I was surprised because it was an age-gap romance and I don’t usually feel drawn to them (*all my fantasy characters side-eyeing me where the hero is a 100 year old fae and the heroine is in her 20s*). Fiiiiine, I don’t feel drawn to contemporary age-gap romances but I couldn’t stop thinking about TDCotH.

As soon as this baby landed on my Kindle I could not for the life of me think of reading ANY other book but this. I dived right in.

How. Sweet. Was. This. Book.

This book is like the warmest hug during a difficult time that can both make you cry and hold you together. TDCotH handles one primary sensitive subject as its main plot but it feathers into many aspects of both the protagonists’ thoughts and the kind of emotional, physical and mental impact one incident can have upon their whole lives. The many sub-plots that somehow balance and play very importantly into the primary narrative, even while building a strong connection between the protagonists, introducing and establishing relationships and sprinkling a dash of humour and so much emotion into the book, were my favourite.

The main characters had my heart from the moment they appeared on page. Maddie, our very sweet, hardworking FMC, I related to on so many fronts. She’s an old soul in many ways and carries around a quiet pain despite being one of the warmest people with the brightest smile. I cried so much for her, it’s not even funny. James was… I think James was whom sold me on the romance. I loved his considerations, and worry and his general persona that’s mostly grump but all heart. TDCotH is written in dual person POV and given the nature of the story, I felt it was important to look into both their minds. To watch them grapple with their thoughts and feelings before bringing it to the table and communicating them.

The secondary characters truly stole my heart. They were such a lovely representation of the kind of people that likely surround you and me as well. Supportive, caring and kind. But, the book isn’t all fluff. There’s a lot of heart, yes, but also a lot of emotion, heartbreak and healing. This book will break you and mend you many many times over. So go in with that emotional readiness, so your heart can take it.

The writing *clutches heart*. I’ve never read Lisina Coney before and after TDCotH, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Coney’s writing is so reflective of how the characters feel to the reader. Despite the moments of heaviness and pain, the writing keeps your afloat and heals you whole both with humour and time.

The pace of this book is perfect, my friends. I took it slow. I just wanted to simmer in the warmth this book created and despite being four hundred odd pages (and all my trying to read slower) the book can really fly by. This is the second book I’m reading with situations that can define the genre without any of the drama and all of the communication. The book won’t break your heart for the wrong reasons and even if for a second it feels like it might, trust the author. Coney’s got your back.

Also, the book works perfectly well as a standalone! I personally would’ve loved to read book one because I wanted to, but you can very well read TDCotH without having read TBLoS.

Five stars. I have no complaints. TDCotH releases in five days and will be available for free if you’re a KU subscriber! TBLoS is available right now to read. Happy reading! Check trigger warnings as always!

I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. The story revolves around Maddie, a dancer who faces a setback when she injures her ankle just before a crucial audition. She undergoes intense physical therapy, where she meets James, her new physical therapist, who is gruff yet attractive. Through a serendipitous mishap on a dating app, Maddie and James become connected, and their journey unfolds from there.
The characters were complex and relatable.
The alternating points of view between Maddie and James were expertly executed, providing insight into their individual perspectives and the evolving dynamics between them. Although, the forbidden romance trope here was somewhat dragging, the development of their relationship was satisfactory. I highly recommend this book to fans of slow-burn romances.

I wanted to love this, but although it was cute and sexy at some parts, it fell flat for me. It felt like the inner monologues of both characters were so repetitive. And the “forbidden love” was not that big of a deal for it to be drawn out like it was. The push and pull was just taking too long and it took me out.

I love this series and was super excited for this book and it totally delivered! The Ballerina/Physiotherapist is something I haven’t ever read and it was so intriguing! I thought they had such great chemistry and I love a good grumpy and sunshine trope! Lisina Coney always manages to take what could be just a tropey romance book and really elevate it to something that has more depth and really gets you to connect with the characters! I loved this as well as her other books and will be adding to our library!

Thank you to NetGalleyand Victory Editing for providing me with an arc of this book.


Tropes:
-Age gap
-Ballerina/Physiotherapist
-Cat dad
-slow burn
-Grumpy/sunshine (Boy was he grumpy at the start)

After reading the first book of the series 'the brightest light of sunshine' I was hoping it wouldn't be the last we saw of the characters and I was so excited when I saw that Maddie was getting a book as well. Her and James made the cutest couple and I absolutely fell in love with them both from the start. James tried so hard to keep the relationship professional but he just couldn't fight the attraction to Maddie. After suffering from an injury Maddie needs James; help to get back to her old self and we see their relationship just blossom from there.

I love how careful he was with her and how protective he was, one of my favourite scenes was the bar scene when a few customers got a little too rowdy. The chemistry between the two was so hot and exciting, and i could probably read another 3 books on their relationship alone.

I also just loved seeing Grace and Cal again and how close their relationship to Maddie still was, this book could be read as a standalone however I think to get the full experinece it's best to start with the brightest light of sunshine. Then you can understand fully the relationship Maddie has with her brother and Grace.

This is a 5 star book and I can't wait to see what this group of characters have for us next.

"𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬," 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬. "𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 ?"

It literally took me 5 hours to read this book. Five hours which turn out to be pure pleasure. I started this book without expecting anything. I was just thinking of reading one more book.

This one more book turned out to be one that I gave my all to for five hours. Five hours of my time during which I devoured every word, enjoyed every interaction, every event.

I simply love this book, I can't explain it better but this book is my comfort book ?

Twenty-one-year-old Maddie injures her ankle so that she can no longer pursue her dream - to become a professional ballerina. Following this injury, she went to a center where she met Doctor James Simmons, 10 years older than her.

And it all starts from this moment.

I loved discovering these characters. Maddie who was broken time and time again by people who should have taken care of her, James who experienced things no nicer than what Maddie experienced. The more you read, the more you become attached to these characters. I became attached to these characters from the beginning because they are so well written. They seem real, their trauma, their emotions, everything seemed real.

"𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞."

At times I laughed, and at others I smiled like an idiot. Because yes, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by all the emotions that this book offers.

Little by little, slow burn sets in and the idea of a forbidden relationship too. And damn, the slow burn here was something crazy. This book definitely got me giggling and kicking my feet.

Maddie and James are undeniably attracted to each other. They don't admit it reject this idea, but little by little their relationship evolve, and It was so exciting to see this relationship evolve, to see them question each other, hesitate, open up and confide in each other.


𝐈 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 "𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬," 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥— 𝐈'𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝.

"𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐭."
"𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡."

One thing I have to point out is that despite the age gap, everything was perfectly well written. At no time did I have the disgust that one might have when saying to oneself: this man is older and is taking advantage of his age/experience to manipulate his younger partner.

At no point did I think it was weird. Probably because James himself was afraid of this age difference but above all because everything was well written.

It's a love story that is healthy and made my heart sink as I finished this book.

Beyond Maddie and James' relationship, this book deals with other more or less sensitive subjects such as abandonment, psychological violence, the fear of no longer having a future. And I think that's - besides the romance - what makes this book a five star.

The characters don't just have a relationship, they help each other heal, they try to have a healthy life, to move forward towards something better.

"𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞?" 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. "𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐲? 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞'𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?"

"𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨."

And it was so beautiful to see how little by little they became happy. One of the strong points of this book is that the relationships of the main characters with the "secondary" characters is just as present as the romance between Maddie and James. And I loved Maddie's relationship with her brother. It lifted my heart.

"𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧, 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲? 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 —𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡.

If you are looking to read a romance dealing with multiple subjects such as age gap or the need to heal/love oneself in order to move forward AND which ends with a happy ending, read this book. You will not be disappointed. In any case, I am not disappointed.

Words fail me to explain how enjoyable this reading was. I'm ending this review with my favorite passages even if I can't include them all - there are so many.

———

"𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭... 𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭, 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬—𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞.
𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧."

"𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞.
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲, 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨."

𝐇𝐞...
𝐎𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝.
𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐚. 𝐁𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.

"𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞."


Thank you Lisina Coney, thank you Netgalley and thank you Victory editing for this incredible read.

This was my first book by Lisina. I seen the book blow up online and thought I had to pick it up, and i’m glad i did! Maddie and James are so beautifully written and the topics are broached with heart without tiptoeing around them. The chemistry of the two is insane and they’re characters you can easily fall in love with.
If your fans of Abby Jiminez, I’d recommend to pick this one up!

Wow. I just did not know what I was expecting with this book but I really enjoyed it.

The narrative follows Maddie, a dancer who has just been given the biggest break a ballerina could dream of. Right before her big audition, she hurts her ankle and has to undergo weeks of intense physical therapy in order for her to even have the potential to dance again. She is met by her new physical therapist, who is built like a God. He is grumpy (my type to a T) and cold with her. Whilst fiddling about on a dating app, Maddie's friend accidentally swipes to be matched with James, her doctor, and so their story begins.

I really adored this novel for a variety of reasons. Maddie was an extremely likeable and realistic character and I was really rooting for her at the beginning. I truly felt devastated for her when her injury prevented her from auditioning.

Obviously, James was the perfect male protagonist. He was cold, grumpy and ten years older than Maddie. I really warmed to him and his caring nature and Coney was fantastic at presenting us with moments where his kindness really shone.

The dual POV was exceptionally well written, especially to see both perspectives of the same scenario. It was interesting to see the contrasting thoughts of both Maddie and James as the story progressed and their utter denial of feelings for one another.

This had all the feels - we love an age gap love and the way in which they were both trying to convince themselves they were just friends was beautiful.

This is the definition of a super-slow burn. If you are a fan of this, then this is bound to be a winner in your eyes. I am an inpatient little soul and was just itching for them to explore their feelings for one another, but on the whole, a delightful read and one I would definitely recommend.

Thanks so much to Lisina Coney, Page & Vine books for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own!

I absolutely adore this author and I was ecstatic to learn that Maddie would be getting her own story, the plot started off strong, the introduction of James had me giggling and the underlying tension was excellent. Unfortunately the remaining story didn’t seem well paced, it seemed underdeveloped and the age gap between the two characters was constantly mentioned on every page, and as the main source of reluctance for the characters (when it didn’t seem like an issue at all).

Similarly the conflict and the backstory of the characters was not explored enough and tied up a little too quickly, in the same way the history between James and his brother was a bit random.


I really wanted to like this book, and whilst it started off strong, it didn’t quite meet expectations. Although I am looking forward to the next instalment.

I absolutely loved this book! Maddie and James romance really warmed my heart. The way the both supported each other through everything was so heartwarming. I can't wait to see whats next from Lisina Coney.

This story was truly beautiful. I admire Maddie so much. Her journey was hard and she is such a brave and loving person. James is my new favourite book boyfriend. He ticks all the boxes. This book is exactly what I am looking for in a romance. The writing is incredible and so genuine and authentic.
I will post my review on Goodreads and Instagram in the next couple of days.

“life is hard sometimes, but it doesn’t mean you have to live it miserably”

4.5⭐️

one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC! After loving TBLOS, my expectations were high for maddie’s book and they were (very) easily met. I absolutely adored this! the forbidden romance, the age gap, the slow-burn, the hopeful and healing sentiment of this entire book had me all mushy inside. getting to revisit this universe and lisina’s writing was so lovely from the beginning to the end.

Maddie has never felt good enough. her dad left her, her mom chose alcohol, her older brother was forced to step up, and she’s felt like a burden since. With a dream of the National Ballet, Maddie gets the exclusive invitation to audition only to injure herself days before. She’ll have to rely on physical therapy, more importantly her grouchy (but hot as sin) PT James. not only is he ten years her senior, but she can’t seem to get her mind off him. he calls to check in, he drives her home after her late night shifts to make sure she’s home safe, and he seems to be the first one she wants to call. will they or won’t they… especially when she finds that the feelings might be reciprocated.

the 10-year age gap had me a little nervous at first, especially with a 21 - 31 year gap but this was done SO well. no professional boundaries were crossed, there’s no power dynamic, and Maddie is truly in control the entire time. I loved the protectiveness James had over Maddie. he was always there to ensure she was safe without being overbearing. I’m a sucker for a grumpy, burly, older man and then you add GLASSES to the mix…. swoon 🤩

Maddie was exactly who I thought she would be. Her resilient, strong, sassy (otherwise known as bratty) and kind personality made me fall in love with her. to know so thoroughly how her early childhood life was like in TBLOS, to how she is now was such a full circle moment. I’m glad she got her HEA and had James there to hold her steady while she found her footing. I also loved getting to know older Cal & Grace. If you think James is protective, just wait for Cal to find out Maddie may have a bf👀

This was a fantastic, swoon-worthy, slow-burn romance with raw vulnerability and realistic healing journeys for both main characters. let’s not forget the spice!!! I HIGHLY recommend!! Thank you NetGalley, Page and Vine, and Lisina Coney for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Releases in paperback and on KU February 20th, mark your calendars‼️

read if you like:
🌺 forbidden romance
🌺 age gap
🌺 slow burn/sexual tension
🌺 cat dad
🌺 healing journey
🌺 unique family dynamics