🏈🩷 Book 2 in the Best Men Series 🩷🏈

Oh, Liam.... You big, beautiful, stubborn Brit 🥰 He's going to make you want to scream, but you're going to love him. Seriously, this broken man stole my heart from the very beginning.

He is so afraid to open himself up to the possibilities... To break down the walls surrounding his heart. To live beyond his fears. But once he does, it's absolute perfection! 🩷

So much grief, hurt, anger, fear, sadness, and ultimately love...the journey of Liam & Zoe is anything but easy. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Frustrations will run deep, but you'll fall in love with two people who are so perfect for one another, but each afraid to take the chance...

Tragedy & overwhelming grief might be what brings them together, but it's the healing processes that makes them a family.

Karla is the Queen of slow burns and this one is every bit of a slow, slow, simmering burn with harbored feelings ten years in the making,... An absolute emotional rollercoaster, you'll find yourself wanting to jump right in and wrap Liam up in a great big hug & shout "you are enough, you bloody fool!" 🤣

A Beast on the field, a giant Teddy Bear when it comes to "his girls", fall in love with Liam, Zoe, Mira and this beautiful story of love and healing in the wake of utter devastation...🩷🦆💙

I did not want this book to end!!

After an unimaginable tragedy, Liam (a commitment-phobe) and Zoe (rebuilding her life after a divorce) find themselves raising their best friends’ toddler together. Zoe thinks Liam has hated her for the last decade, so what happens when they’re forced to co-exist?

A slow burn with:
🐤One of the hottest, most anticipated first kisses I’ve ever read
🐤A MMC who deals with his baggage in an honest and raw way. Who doesn’t love that in a hero?
🐤An adorable almost-three-year-old who loves ducks
🐤Sassy older ladies who live for reading spicy novels and dispensing life advice

In classic Karla fashion, this novel tugs at your heartstrings and shows how being vulnerable and true opens you up to lasting love.

I also loved the nod to “Faked,” one of my favorite of her books.

Some scenes I would’ve loved to read were missing, but the characters were so strong I could picture the moments I wish were captured.

Thank you Karla Sorensen for the arc! Find “The Best of All” on Kindle Unlimited on July 16!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

A Must Read for 2024!!
Have some tissues ready. This is a story within a story. The heartbreak of losing your best friends and then being the ones picked to raise their child. Such an amazingly good book!! Patience, love and understanding.
My favorite line:
"When I stared at Zoe, I felt like a thief. Like I was stealing some little piece of her that didn’t belong to me, a piece that I’d hoard, that I’d hide away so no one could take it from me."

Five stars!! Karla Sorensen has brought ALL THE FEELS in this grumpy/sunshine romance. Every single book she writes becomes the newest favorite of mine. Her phenomenal writing in this story wraps around your heart and soothes all your thoughts and feelings.

A tragedy throws these two characters together. They’ve fought back and forth with each other for years. But the moment these two need one another…all walls get dropped and these two end up with a love like no other.


A must read book of 2024. Highly, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After reading Burke’s story and getting a glimpse of Liam, Mira and Zoe this book became one of my most anticipated reads of this year and oh my goodness it did not disappoint!!!

This lady’s writing grabs me every time….from her ability to catch the subtle nuances in human nature to her skilful way of pulling emotions and feeling right off the page….ones that grab you in the chest!

The whole background of these two books is heartbreaking. The repercussions of Chris and Aimee’s tragic deaths and the trust they put in their friends….and it’s felt even more in this book as Liam and Zoe take the most precious thing they had…their little cutie Mira and build a life with her, a future full of love, honesty and care.

Liam….where do we start with this guy….oh my goodness he is such a wonderful character, made so much better by having Zoe and Mira come into his life. His gentleness but also the reasons for his reluctance to bond with this little girl had my heart aching for him. Then as she persisted and wormed her way into his heart I was done for! Ms Sorensen wrote it beautifully with care and subtlety that would melt the coldest of hearts!

Zoe is a sweetheart but with a fire in her belly that is not to be underestimated….her full force mamma bear and her acceptance of the situation even while she was grieving for her best friend showed her true character.

This story grabbed me by the heart and I couldn’t put it down…..I was so sad to leave this little family!
Yes it’s a slow burn but it’s so much more than that and I think the author has got it just about perfect!

My one complaint…I wanted more of them as a family…a further glimpse into their new lives, maybe another intimate moment, would have been the cherry on the cake for me!

With a torturous slow burn that finally snaps with the most electric kind of tension, a seriously swoony tortured hero, and a storyline that made my chest ache, this was even better than I expected. I liked the first book in the series, but my complaint was that it didn’t FEEL like one of Sorensen’s books, and this was the exact opposite experience. It had everything that I love about her work, from a focus on the slowly building emotional connection, tender moments, and hearty dose of swoon. I loved watching the dynamic between these two shift as they gradually opened up and got to know each other better. It’s a heavy storyline in a lot of ways, but it’s brightened up by a truly spectacular love story. This is “it’s always been you” done right, and I fell for the hero a little deeper with every layer that was revealed. It made me smile, it made me cry, it made me rub my chest with a burst of feels. This snuck up on me in the best of ways, and ended up being such a powerful romance - I loved it!

The story follows Zoe and Liam, two people who are still reeling from the deaths of mutual friends when their lives are thrown into chaos. Liam’s best friend left a young daughter behind, and for some inextricable reason he left her in the care of both Zoe and Liam - two people who have never gotten along. They’ve clashed from the day they met a decade ago, so becoming co-guardians to a little girl is the last thing either one wants, especially when Liam has always made it clear that he doesn’t want a family. But neither has much choice in the matter, and it’s not long before they’re living together and navigating guardianship. Spending time in close quarters threatens to expose the secret that Liam has been hiding for years - he never truly hated Zoe at all.

I knew from book one in this interconnected series that this storyline was going to be heavy, and it is definitely that. It made my heart ACHE sometimes, and the angst did something to my blood pressure. It’s a super slow burn, but there are these little breadcrumbs along the way that made the whole thing worth it. Liam is a complex character who needs to let down his walls before they have any chance of making it to the other side, and I adored the depth of his feelings. I’m not the biggest fan of “it’s always been you” romances unless the hero took that seriously - and I absolutely believed it here. Liam is a stubborn grump who refused to make his feelings known because of “reasons,” but it was incredibly fulfilling to watch him slowly lower his walls. And when those feelings were finally out in the open? It was the most pulse-pounding intimacy I’ve read in a long time, made even richer by the wait. This far exceeded my expectations, and might be my new favorite from the author.

I was very drawn to this cover!

This book is definitely more than just a romance. I almost feel like the romance was on the back burner for most of this book.
It mostly centers around their shared grief of losing their best friends, and learning to raise a young child. Also, lots of Liam and him working through his own issues. It took a while for me to warm up to him but I liked him by the end of the book.

For me, it fell a little flat. I wasn’t connecting with either character. It took until around 60% for me to get into the story.

I have not read the first book in this series, so I will be going back and reading that.

I did enjoy Mira! And the book club ladies. The side characters were great. I also adore the nickname “love” coming from a British hero!

4.75
* *Huge thank you to Karla Sorensen and The Author Agency for an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

What an emotional read, I knew it was going to be emotional but it made me sob. I don't want to spoil anything but I really loved loved loved Zoe how she just jumped straight in no questions asked to take care of Mira. Liam had such strong character development, I really liked getting to see him grow as a character. I did love them together but I felt like it was really rushed there at the end to where I wish there was more. I really did enjoy it so much.

Books written by Karla Sorenson just hit different. i knew after reading Burke's book that Liam and Zoe's story was going to be a definite tear jearker and boy did it live up that promise. I believe I cried through at least 50% of the book. Karla needs to do a master class on the slow. burn because the pacing is perfection! I have not seen tension building done better.
Zoe and Liam have been in each other lives for 10 years as Chris and Amie's best friends but Zoe has always believed that Liam hated her. The tension has been building for 10 years and after the Chris and Amie tragically pass away Zoe and Liam are tasked with raising their daughter Mia.
This story of tragedy and moving on after grief is done so beautifully.
Thank you Karla for how you handled the elements of grief and the all of the moments of therapy. It was so wonderful to see that in a book!
I could not recommend this more.

The Best of All is a terrific antagonists to lovers, forced proximity romance. Karla Sorensen writes an impeccable slow burn, and Liam and Zoe’s story is another winner.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Football player Liam’s always been extra prickly around his BFFs Chris and Amie’s friend Zoe. But when their besties are killed in a car accident, Zoe and Liam have to work together to care for their 3 year old daughter Mira. Zoe jumps in, but it takes Liam a bit longer to accept the situation. After all, he’s sworn he’ll never have a family. As the two battle each other while learning what life with a duck-loving toddler is like, Liam tries not to let his cinnamon roll center show. And could there be another reason why he always gives Zoe a tough time?

I adore this book. The story highlights unexpected grief, and doesn’t shy away from how loss affects everyone in different ways. Zoe is great, whether she’s reclaiming her life after her divorce, taking care of Mira, or bickering with Liam. And her neighbor Rosa is a hoot, especially when she hangs out with her book club friends.

As for Liam, it’s a blast to watch him struggle with so many FEELINGS. Clearly caring for his teammate’s child wasn’t on his lifetime to do list, but he steps up when he needs to. And the chemistry between him and Zoe is great. He’s so grumpy on the outside, but he’s just hiding his gooey center.

For a book about coming to terms with grief, this book is an incredibly hopeful story. It’s a joy to watch Zoe and Liam work together to care for Mira, and then create the life they’ve dreamed of together. If you are a fan of an emotional slow burn romance, read The Best of All.

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

this was sooo good <333

as someone who was raised by katherine heigl’s romcoms and had life as we know it on constantly, i didn’t know how much i needed a book like it. ememies (ish) forced into a co-guardian situation then they fall in love and become the most perfect family ever??? YES PLEASE

i love when i read a book and immediately fall in love with the characters (even the grumpy ones); karla made it so easy. i became obsessed with zoe, liam, and mira as soon as i met them. their story & situation was so sad and heartbreaking but also happy and full of love & family

i can’t wait to go back & read the best laid plans now <33

This was so good! This was the first book i read by karla and it didnt disappoint! I really loved both Zoe and Liam and seeing them come together to raise Mira was so sweet. Watching this family come together was the best and i couldnt get enough of these three. Very easy to get lost in this story, the pace of the story was great and seeing Liam and Zoe do what they have to get through it all with Mira was exactly what i needed. Highly recommend!

Wow. I don’t even know where to start. This story made me laugh but mostly cry. There was a scene towards the end that I just literally lived out in real life last month. I’m going to do my best to give this book the justice it deserves.

Liam is a grumpy Brit who plays on an American football team. Zoe is an accountant who can’t stand Liam’s grumpy ways. After their best friends pass away, they find themselves the guardian of two year old Mira.

I feel like everyone handles grief differently and this was definitely the case with Liam and Zoe. He wanted to run away while Zoe just jumped right into parenthood. However, little Mira wasn’t letting him get very far.

The Best of All is my favorite book of the year so far. The characters were so relatable with how they dealt with hard situations. Their relationship was slow progressing but I could not love that more. Their love for Mira was so beautiful. The best books are the ones that make you feel every emotion and I felt every one.

Liam never wanted a family of his own. He’s a grumpy billionaire and his focus is football. When his best friend dies unexpectedly, it turns his whole world upside down. He’s grieving and isn’t anticipating being called in by a lawyer to discover that his friend left him something so valuable.

Zoe stepped up the minute she found out her best friend and her husband passed away in a terrible accident. She’s exhausted and desperately needs a partner, but all she gets is Liam. He’s rude and useless, and wants nothing to do with their friend’s wishes. He thinks he can solve everything by throwing money her way, but what she needs is help.

This book had me MELTING. Everything about it absolutely captivated me from start to finish. I don’t want to get to in depth and spoil anything, but all you need to know is that despite the sad subject matter, it’s so very sweet and filled with so much joy. Grief isn’t a linear process, and it was so very lovely watching these characters work their way through their emotions.

Speaking of which, I loved these characters so much! They had me laughing out loud one moment, and then on the verge of tears the next. I knew from the first chapter that this book was going to be a hit. It was such an incredible journey, and I cannot wait for everyone to dive into this book. Karla is a powerhouse, and I look forward to seeing what’s next from her.

The BIGGEST thank you the Karla, her team, and NetGalley for the copy of this eARC! It was such an honor to receive this highly anticipated read.

I read The Best Laid Plans which was the first book.

There was a lot going on in this book, so I’m sure where to start with a review. The author did an amazing job with this story.

This prologue opens with the happy birth of Mira Grace Spencer, to her parents Amie and Chris. They choose Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine to be little Mira’s god parents. The thing is these two are enemies that can’t even be in the same room together without fighting!!

When little Mira was almost three years old her parents were in a tragic accident. Never did Liam and Zoe want to hear these words from the attorney. “The two of you were chosen by Chris and Amie to share guardianship of their daughter, Mira.” They each took this news so differently Zoe had already been taking care of Mira, Liam wanted to run far far away!!

This has so may facets to the story, best thing for you is to read this amazing story. I will say that once Liam leaned into it, WOW!! Him and little Mira so cute “duck”!! And when he finally opened up to Zoe, well...

We got an epilogue in Liam’s pov which I loved!!

"It wasn’t wise to admit just how far she’d gotten under my skin. That she had always been under my skin."

This book gave me all the feels! I was such a goner for all the scenes with Liam & Zoe taking care of Mira. She was just the cutest little thing and reading her baby talks made me feel so relaxed and happy! Liam was grumpy and brooding and I kind of resented him in the begging but as he made some progress, I just wished to give him a hug, I could undergo him better as the chapters flew by and to see him being a goner for Zoe since the very beginning was so enjoyable lol! Zoe was so sweet and kind and she deserved her fairytale ending. I was happy that she found her family in both Liam and Mira. The chemistry between Liam & Zoe was top tier and the slow burn was delicious! But I just wish that we got to see more of them as a couple. Because when they got together, it was already the end which left me feeling bummed. But overall, the plot was solid and some parts especially with Mira were really entertaining. The book made me sad with grief but also the happy and adorable moments made up for it! So, it was definitely worth the time.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me the arc in exchange of an honest review

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen is the second book in The Best Men series. It is an interconnected standalone. Liam and Zoe have known each other for a decade. Zoe’s best friend Amie is the wife of Liam’s best friend Chris. Tragedy strikes and they find themselves the co-guardians of Mira. She is the 2-year-old daughter of Chris and Amie. Zoe has already stepped into the parental role. Liam is very hesitant to take on the role of care giver for Mira.

The book has a huge emphasis on found family. Liam has his football team which included Chris as his family. Zoe is a part of that through Amie. Both Zoe and Liam can lean on the people in their lives to help them get though this unimaginable situation.

Mira is an amazing little girl who can help bring Zoe and Liam together. Even though Liam is uncertain Mira is able to break through his defenses. When she finally does it changes everything for all three of them.

This book had me in my feelings.

This was a beautiful and emotional romance with characters that have a lot of depth; it broke my heart and put it back together again. I admired how strong Zoe was and I was proud of Liam and how he was able to overcome his past and step up to help Zoe care for Mira. Zoe and Liam had hot chemistry and developed a wonderful connection overtime. I loved watching Zoe and Liam lower their walls and get to really know each other while caring for Mira. Even though there was a lot of heartbreak, there were several times throughout the book that I had a good laugh. This is a must read! You will fall in love with the new found family.

I think this just became my favorite Karla book! This is a slooowww burn - like, they don’t even kiss until 75%! But it’s worth it. Liam has it DOWN BAD for Zoe but he also has his walls up high - and not just for her, but Mira too.

Seeing him soften to Mira was absolutely heart melting! Those two developed the sweetest bond and I think it’s exactly what Liam needed, and Zoe too as she watched it.

Warning that this book made me cry MULTIPLE times but in the end it was such a hope-filled and beautiful story of love, grief, and healing. Loved it!!

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen – 5 stars
Pub Date Jul 16 2024

“Our past dictates how we move through our future” (c)

This book is amazing. I’m happy that I got a chance to read it. Liam is grumpy; he doesn’t believe in family after a hard childhood and tries to avoid it at any cost. Liam is also the godfather of Mira. Zoe is a bright girl who believes in love despite her unsuccessful marriage, and she is the godmother of Mira.
Mira is a three-year-old girl who just lost her parents. They were the best friends of Liam and Zoe. You see where I’m going with this, right? Now, Liam and Zoe have to step into co-parenting Mira because of the will of their late friends, Mira's parents. Both of them know it won’t be easy at all, but it doesn’t stop Zoe; she dives into it right away. However, Liam has to find his way through all this.
I really liked this story and how the relationships developed between Liam and Zoe, how they found their own way to open their hearts to each other. This book gave me a good couple of evenings and left a nice aftertaste.

Publisher: Montlake
Pages: 331

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#TheBestofAll #NetGalley