What can I say about this book? It was so good. This was probably the slowest burn I’ve read but I didn’t care one bit. The story was an emotional read at times. The characters had been through so much. Little Mira was so sweet and cute I just adored her and her obsession with ducks. There was so much tension 😉 between Liam and Zoe and their banter was rather funny. I only wish there was just a little bit more spice.

I just loved this book! I had been looking forward to it since the end of The Best Laid Plans knowing Mira was in the hands of Liam and the best friend. I love how Karla set up this series. The way she made it so these characters were thrown into something they didn't want or expect, but that it brought them together. Zoe and Liam together was perfection. Liam's grumpy to Zoe's sunshine. I loved having these characters forced together to take care of child and having to face all of their feelings. The slow burn, the push and pull of taking care of Mira, everything just made this story better. The feelings Karla's books bring out will always have me coming back for more. This book was amazing as always!

3.5 Stars
1.5 Chili Peppers

Tropes:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Roommates
Football Romance
Slow Burn

Dual POV

This one was good. However, I wasn't really able to connect with either Liam or Zoey. Liam was frustrating, which he had reasons to be. But he took grumpy to the extreme. I just wanted him to tell Zoey the truth immediately.

I loved Mira. I felt for her. I wanted to wrap her up in a hug and never let go.

If you love slow-burn romances, then this is the book for you.

Gah this book hit me right in the feels. I seriously teared up off and on the entire time, it was just broke my heart.

What didn’t break my heart though was that Liam was written with Roy Kent in mind. Liam 😮‍💨 the mouth on him. But also all that trauma he’s been carry around. Seeing his growth was absolutely beautiful. Zoe is so amazing. I loved her and everything she does. I loved them together and their banter. Their chemistry was amazing, phew did was burn slow and tension pulled tout, until it finally snaps! Loved it!

Seeing how they both go through their grief and having a small child going through it as well just killed me, but I loved their journey of healing together.

uhm wow?! i loved this book waaaay more than i thought i would. karla sorensen is a new author for me, so i didn’t know what to expect going into this story, but now i’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her.
the angst, and especially the tension between zoe and liam were literally everything; i was rooting for them from page one.
it was a very slow burn and that was a huge plus for me since it will always be one of my favorite tropes.
needless to say, you should give this book a try, it will not disappoint. 💘

The Best Men #2

Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have known each other for about a decade but a lot has changed during that time. Their best friends Chris and Amie had a little girl Mira 2 1/2 years ago and named them as Godparents.

Liam plays pro football in Denver and is a defensive end. He and Chris are teammates and have been for a decade. He doesn't do relationships, had a rough childhood and has loved Zoe since he met her.
Zoe is an accountant. She's always loved books and wanted the happily ever after getting married only for it to end in divorce.
She and Liam share nothing but animosity between them.

When Chris and Amie died in a traffic accident Zoe and Liam were appointed as co-guardians to Mira. Zoe stepped up immediately but Liam dragged his feet saying he's not a family guy until he finally gave in. Zoe lived next door to Chris and Amie but when Liam steps up and Mira wants to be in her own room they all move into Chris' house.

This story is a slow burn, emotional, filled with lots of tension and humor and learning how to deal with being a family and with issues from their past.
I loved the interaction between Mira and Liam.

4.5 stars

Oh my god, it has been years since I have cried such ugly tears over a romance book. "The Best of All," the second instalment in The Best Men series, is a phenomenal read. Zoe and Liam's story is a slow-burn, heart-wrenching journey that left me breathless. But it's little Mira who truly steals the show on the emotional front. My goodness, I'm still processing how scenes with a 2 1/2-year-old could bring me to my knees time and time again, either reaching for the tissues with her heartfelt one-liners or laughing out loud at her adorable toddler antics.

The Golden Girls add delightful light-hearted moments amidst the real, emotionally devastating ones, providing a much-needed balance. Dark, broody Brit Liam is a man of many sides, and watching both Zoe and Mira break down his walls is utterly enchanting. The underlying tension between Mira and Zoe is beautifully portrayed, and the build-up to their inevitable coming together is simply perfect.

Karla Sorensen has crafted a masterpiece that tugs at the heartstrings and stays with you long after the final page. Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions and an unforgettable reading experience.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love everything about this book! Gah!! The emotions and character growth are top notch and the storyline is excellent. My heart now belongs to Liam, Zoe, and little Mira!

I read this book in one sitting. I didn't even mean to but it's that good! Liam is my favorite kind of hero. His character grows so much and it made my heart so freaking happy. The childhood he had really hurt him and the trauma still gets to him. Once we get his background, the way he keeps everyone out really makes sense. He has the perfect hard exterior hiding the biggest, softest heart! I loved how Mira just adored him. Oh! And I absolutely LOVE that he has had feelings for Zoe for so long! He falls first and so, so hard! And how could he not? Zoe is amazing! She is the best mother figure for little Mira and definitely has the patience of a saint.

The way Zoe and Liam navigate through their grief while trying to raise Mira was both beautiful and heartbreaking. You can feel their emotions through the pages. Karla is so extremely talented when it comes to writing slow burns that don't feel like it's too much. I think it was perfect how long it took the main characters to get together. Everything just felt so real and nothing was rushed. The healing they all did together was chef's kiss perfection. Seriously, this story is so amazing! I can't recommend it enough!

ARC review.

My heart needed this book! I cried, I laughed, I swooned… Liam and Zoe were enemies to lovers perfection ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This author has a way of creating characters you immediately feel an affinity for which then makes the reader fully invested in their HEA as if you were old friends.

Definitely recommend!!

I was not really ready for this book. I went in thinking it was a spicy romance boy was I wrong. While it did have the romance and a bit of spice but I felt so many emotions. I may have had tears a few times. It had a punch of emotions in it but I really enjoyed it. I loved it enough I plan to go back and read the first one(I didn’t know it was part of a series) I just loved Zoe and Liam.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. This book just hurt my heart in so many ways and slowly put it back together. The two of them together fumbling through uncharted territory while dealing with their own emotions and grieving is so hard and makes you just hurt for them. Duck will steal your heart and not give it back.

The story while not loaded with a lot of spice is filled with a true love story and it feels just perfect.

Beautiful slowburn romance

If there's one thing I've learned from reading Karla Sorensen's books, it's that they are emotional, passionate, and include wonderful humour. After reading The Best Laid Plans, book #1 in the The Best Men series, I knew that book #2 THE BEST OF ALL was going to push my emotions, and it certainly did. A grumpy/sunshine, hate to love, he falls first romance which had me laughing, sighing, shedding a few tears, and growling in frustration.

Two years ago Zoe Valentine and Liam Davies were celebrating the birth of Chris and Amie's daughter, Mira. Jump to present day and they have just received the news that they are to be Mira's guardians, after the tragic death of her parents. Zoe already knew this was going to happen, but Liam was completely blindsided, he never wanted children and couldn't understand why his best friend had chosen him for this role.

I loved Zoe, Liam and Mira from the outset. Zoe was a sweetheart, even though she was grieving her best friend and was recovering from a recent divorce, she took on the role of caring for Mira with gusto. She wore her heart on her sleeve and gave her love unconditionally, even when she was constantly reaching the point of exhaustion. Liam comes across as being grumpy, cold, and closed off, he has his reasons, and they are heartbreaking. Discovering Zoe struggling and nearing breaking point he finally steps up and joins her in caring for Mira, but in separate houses. Beneath the facade he shows is a man with a heart of gold, one who would do anything for both Mira and Zoe. He really was a giant teddy bear behind the armour he wore. Mira is an adorable little girl, not quite understanding that her parents wouldn't be coming home. The relationship she had with Liam was beautiful, she had him wrapped around her little finger.

I adored the friendship/relationship that developed between Zoe and Liam. While they had known each other for years, there was always some between them, but the was something more that neither was willing to admit. Naturally, spending time together brings out a torrent of emotions, feelings they weren't ready to admit, Zoe because she had just come out of a messy divorce and Liam because he had always told himself he didn't want to find love. Would it take a precocious little girl to bring together two adults who deserved to have love in their lives?

For lovers of emotional, slowburn romances, THE BEST OF ALL is definitely the one for you. A beautiful story of grief, understanding, acceptance and love. A top read for 2024.

Read and Reviewed for Reading Is Our Satisfaction

✨✨✨✨✨ FIVE SLOWBURN STARS ✨✨✨✨✨

"The Best of All" by Karla Sorensen is a captivating romance novel that had me hooked from start to finish. The chemistry between Liam and Zoe is palpable, and I loved how hard they worked to reach their happy ending. Their journey as co-guardians of little Mira is both heartfelt and emotional, highlighting the challenges of making tough decisions and doing the right thing. Despite the obstacles, love and what the heart desires ultimately prevail. This book is a touching and engaging read from one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend it to romance lovers.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

Ahh this is a great read. I devoured this story. This is like an instant parent story with both God parents having to step in and raise the little girl. Such a fab read

I really enjoyed this although I had put off reading it for quite a while as I wasn't sure I could cope with the sadness, based on reading the first book in the series. But this didn't have quite the same focus on the grief throughout so it wasn't as sad as I was expecting, thanks to the fact they had to take care of Mira day to day.

I adored the banter between Liam and Zoe and the 'British-isms' were definitely on point. I could practically hear Liam in my head, the flow of the insults and sarcasm was so well done. As ever, Karla's writing flowed and makes this an easy and enjoyable read. This was the slowest of slow burns but it worked so well. Liam had a lot of issues to work through but that makes his HEA with Zoe so much sweeter.

Liam & Zoe’s story was emotional for me from start to finish – and I loved every bit of it. It gave me major “Life as We Know It” vibes, and I love that movie, so sign me up!

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

Life throws Liam & Zoe a curveball when their best friends unexpectedly pass away in a car accident – and they are made co-guardians of their daughter, Mira. Zoe steps up right away, but Liam is a lot more hesitant. He wants to keep as much distance as possible from Mira & Zoe – for reasons. But he can only keep his distance for so long.

This was my first book by Karla Sorensen, and it won’t be my last. I absolutely loved Liam & Zoe’s grumpy/sunshine dynamic. She’s bookish, and he’s a Brit who plays American football. They’re both absolutely drowning in grief from the loss of their best friends and trying to figure out life after that loss. The development of their relationship and the healing from that grief – loved it! Chef’s kiss! And Mira was the cutest little toddler to read and just added so well to the dynamic of the three of them. This book is a slowww burn, which I loved because the tension was everything! For me, this slow burn made complete sense to the story – which is not always the case. I loved everything about this. Highly recommend!

CW: Death of friends, grief, domestic violence (past, not by an MC)

Absolutely phenomenal. This story tugged HARD at my heartstrings. Zoe and Liam were everything I wanted and needed them to be. And Mira, that sweet little baby. I adored watching Liam’s softer side come out when he was interacting with her.

The slow burn with this one too, my land, the anticipation was anticipating!!! I just kept asking if this is it, is this when it’s going to happen, the chemistry between these two was off the charts and I couldn’t get enough of them. And the book club ladies, Rosa, Martha, and Phyllis were the perfect comedic relief.

Another fantastic story from Karla Sorensen, I truly cannot get enough of her books!

This book was everything! I enjoyed Liam and Zoe’s story! Who knew something tragic for them all ended up bringing them together?

To give a quick backstory, in book 1 we learn that Mira’s parents died in a tragic accident leaving her with no parents. This is where Zoe and Liam come into play.

Liam is this guardian British man who comes with all sorts of mysteries but ends up becoming Mister Softy for a sweet little angel girl, Mira. At first, Liam was not ready to co-parent to his best friend’s child, but she won over his heart quickly and he couldn’t say no!

Zoe is a sweet, kind, and loving person. She quickly took on the role of the mother figure after her best friend’s death. She didn’t even have to think twice about it. She is recently divorced and lives right next door to the family.

Liam had secretly always had a thing for Zoe but couldn’t act on it because she was married. Now that she isn’t married the tables have turned. As we go through the book we watch their love grow for each other, even if they were trying to deny it at first.

This book did not disappoint! I loved the first book and the second was even better with Liam and Zoe! You can tell how much they love that little girl and want what’s best for her. They tried so hard not to let their feelings get in the way of what was best for Mira, but in the end, being together was what was best for her. I loved the development of the book and I honestly think it’s what made the whole book! The detail that we were given on both characters not only told us the story about them individually but also told us why they were the way they were. They had their trauma to get through to even be together on top of raising a little girl that wasn’t theirs. They had no clue what they were doing and if what they were doing was even correct.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book for free and give my honest opinion. Thank you, Karla Sorensen, for writing another great book! I can’t wait to continue to read new books from you! You have gained another fan of your writing!

This is the second book on the Best Men Series. This book is Liam & Zoe. Frenemies who find out their best friends suddenly pass away and they find out they are guardians to three year old Mira.
This book is definitely a slow burn but I loved how Karla builds this story. You have two people who are not fans of each other and now they have to, not only navigate being sudden parents, but have to navigate their feelings for one another. I loved the vulnerability of Zoe & Liam. This book does deal with grief, especially with Mira, but there is also humor. Karla wrote a great balance between the two.
I do wish we got more of Liam & Zoe as a couple but overall I did enjoy the book and was satisfied with how it ended.
I like to thank NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review

I loved the first book, The Best Laid Plans, and I was very curious about Liam and how he ended up as a guardian for the little girl, Mira. I did not expect Liam and Zoe's story to have started 10 years ago. They had so many repressed emotions going on, and that meant that I was turning pages and trying to force them to say what they needed to say. This is a slow burn romance, but it pays of in a big way when they finally admit the truth. Very satisfying