Riverside Reapers, book 1: The Best Kind of ForeverCeleste Briars2023

Aeris Relera has always drawn the short end of the stick in life—a self-absorbed ex, neglectful parents, and a past that continues to haunt her. When she’s down on her luck one night, a mysterious knight in shining armor—or more realistically, a knight in hockey shoulder pads—saves her from a few too many tequila shots.

Hayes Hollings’ checkered past refuses to stay very far behind him, and his mistakes are even more catastrophic when they’re broadcasted to the whole world. Being a disgraced NHL player isn’t good for his love life or his reputation. Determined to get into the public’s good graces, Hayes constructs a devious plan to rebrand his image as a doting boyfriend.

Aeris has grown to accept that she’s not destined for what love has to offer, but when Hayes rewrites her fate, she’s thrown into an internal battle that has her stretched between giving love a shot or keeping her distance from the Riverside Reapers’ biggest playboy. Hayes might seem like the perfect guy to help Aeris learn how to love again, but little does she know that he’s harboring a secret big enough to ruin her completely.

Will love prevail between two polar opposites, or will fatal lies break these two apart?

It’s the first book in a series, but can be read as a standalone.