New Release & ARC Review: Make Your Play (Aston Archers Hockey #2) by Cali Melle

 

Title: Make Your Play
Series: Aston Archers Hockey #2
Author: Cali Melle
Release Date: January 24, 2025

Publisher: Cali Melle

Pages: 236

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports Romance

Source: ARC/Ebook via author's ARC team

Falling for my best friend’s brother was not a part of my plan… especially while I was pregnant with someone else’s child. 

In my defense, I got pregnant by a guy who wants absolutely nothing to do with me or the baby. And, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, my health insurance drops me, claiming I lied about a pre-existing condition.

Being in this alone is scary enough, but trying to figure out how I’m going to pay for my medical care? That’s a whole new level of terrifying. 

When Nash Simmons—my best friend’s brother, and Aston Archers star hockey player—finds out about the predicament I’m in, he steps in to save me from a financial disaster with an offer I can’t possibly refuse. 

His proposal: I marry him for his insurance and we get it annulled after the baby is born. It seems like the perfect solution, but as our arrangement unfolds and we continue to grow closer, it becomes even harder to ignore the electricity sizzling between us. 

The lines between real and fake are starting to blur, and I can’t help but wonder if there’s room for my son and I in his future. 

Or am I only fooling myself by thinking this could ever be more than what it was supposed to be?

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Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher/author. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own. 

I loved the first book in this series and knew that I was going to dive into this book immediately. I was absolutely ravenous to read their story after reading about Nash and Riley in Make Your Move. 

I have been so impressed with Cali Melle's writing style. She knows how to draw me in and keep me entertained. Her narration is smooth and easy to read. I love it when I connect with an author's writing so passionately. 

The characters in this series are incredible. There is a found family vibe that I can feel down to my bones with these characters. It is so easy to love them because they are so relatable. The characters are distinct and make an impression on the reader. 

I was on cloud nine with the romance in this book! I am a sucker for the "pregnant but it's not his" trope big time. There was so much emotion and the feels just kept coming. I loved the genuine chemistry that Riley and Nash shared. 

Overall, this was a stellar hockey romance chock-full of some incredible tropes. If you love a sports romance with the best friend's brother trope or the marriage of convenience trope then this book is your golden ticket. If a love story where he falls first is your jam then this book will fill that hole on your TBR. Memorable characters, a riveting plot, and a romance that will pull at your heartstrings are the backbone of this fantastic read. 

Cali Melle is a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes sports romance that will pull at your heartstrings. You can always expect her stories to come fully equipped with heartthrobs and a happy ending, along with some steamy scenes.

In her free time, Cali can usually be found living in a magical, fantasy world with the newest book or fanfic she's reading or freezing at the ice rink while she watches her kids play hockey.

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