By: Lynn Painter
SO Many thanks to Berkley Romance for the gifted Paperback ARC of this book!
Duffy Distefano gets booed at a Coyotes football game after she shoved away their mascot because he put his hands where they shouldn’t have been. Duffy agrees to appear on a morning show to clear the air. When the hosts also bring out Connor Cunningham to provide positive PR for the Coyotes, as it seems the mascot got handsy with others as well. During this interview, Duffy and Connor get into a verbal sparing match, and it intrigues Connor. The interview goes viral. The Coyotes PR team encourages Connor to ask Duffy out. He’s doesn’t love PR stunts, but feels this could help him with his future. He finds himself drawn to Duffy. However, he’s kept it a secret that it all started with a PR request.
OMG, I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. Lynn Painter is excellent at this sparing match flirty banter. It’s never too mean or over the top, and you can always tell it’s flirty. Duffy is sassy and smart, but also has felt that she’s destined to be alone. I think a good amount of readers will be able to connect with that feeling, I definitely have felt that one earlier on in my life. Connor is sweet and thoughtful. he’s the definition of a Cinnamon Roll MMC, but it’s not so overly sweet or over the top. I LOVED that he really got to know and understand Duffy. He didn’t try the normal over the top romantic gestures. He takes her places and does things that she likes.
The book is told in dual point of view, chapters from Duffy and chapters from Connor. I liked them both. I liked getting in both of their heads. The side characters were fantastic in this book too! Tony, Duffy’s dad, almost stole the book!! He made me laugh more than once.
I read the paperback, and I don’t often read physical books this fast, but I devoured this one. It is so well written and the chemistry between Duffy and Connor draws you in instantly.
So if you haven’t read this one yet, what are you waiting for!?
Publish Date: May 12, 2026
Find the book here.
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