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Riverside Reapers #5
The First Kind of Love
Shiloh Nguyen is a one-woman army. Married to her job at the ripe age of twenty-four, her vision board consists of espresso machines and foam art instead of white dresses and wedding bells. With her family’s business about to go under, her future’s balancing on a knife’s edge of guilt and responsibility. She has her whole life planned out—in a pretty little schedule planner, no less—until a rogue hockey slapshot comes careening into her tiny coffee shop, dismantling everything she thought she knew about herself.
Fulton Cazzarelli—well-known nervous wreck and bearer of the dreaded virgin title—has been crushing on the pretty barista who’s been serving him dairy-free coffee for the last four years. He never thought he’d muster the courage to ask her out…until one of his teammates springs a destination wedding on the entire team. Now, with his friends goading him into bringing a plus-one, Fulton takes a quantum leap of courage to get the girl of his dreams.
A hesitant Shiloh agrees to three weeks in Cabo with the Riverside Reapers’ biggest sweetheart, yet her work obligations simmer on the back burner the moment her feet hit that golden sand. But as she gets closer to Fulton—and she discovers they’re more alike than she thought—Shiloh is caught in a crossfire of loyalty to her parents and loyalty to her heart. Playing pretend isn’t on her itinerary, and neither is prioritizing a short-lived relationship. Fulton, however, knows what lies in his future, and it consists of one brown-eyed brunette.
Will Shiloh finally find the balance between business and pleasure, or will she let the best thing that’s ever happened to her drift out to sea?
The First Kind of Love is a laugh-out-loud hockey romance featuring a socially awkward virgin, the strong-willed barista of his dreams, a destination wedding, beachside tomfoolery, a boatload of secondhand embarrassment, spice hot enough to make you question your religious values, and a soul-deep connection between two lost—yet likeminded—individuals. It’s the fifth book in a series but can be read as a standalone.
The First Kind of Love is a friends to lovers, one bed, soulmates, forced proximity, destination wedding, virgin MMC, hockey romance with no cheating, and a satisfying happily ever after.
Fulton Cazzarelli—well-known nervous wreck and bearer of the dreaded virgin title—has been crushing on the pretty barista who’s been serving him dairy-free coffee for the last four years. He never thought he’d muster the courage to ask her out…until one of his teammates springs a destination wedding on the entire team. Now, with his friends goading him into bringing a plus-one, Fulton takes a quantum leap of courage to get the girl of his dreams.
A hesitant Shiloh agrees to three weeks in Cabo with the Riverside Reapers’ biggest sweetheart, yet her work obligations simmer on the back burner the moment her feet hit that golden sand. But as she gets closer to Fulton—and she discovers they’re more alike than she thought—Shiloh is caught in a crossfire of loyalty to her parents and loyalty to her heart. Playing pretend isn’t on her itinerary, and neither is prioritizing a short-lived relationship. Fulton, however, knows what lies in his future, and it consists of one brown-eyed brunette.
Will Shiloh finally find the balance between business and pleasure, or will she let the best thing that’s ever happened to her drift out to sea?
The First Kind of Love is a laugh-out-loud hockey romance featuring a socially awkward virgin, the strong-willed barista of his dreams, a destination wedding, beachside tomfoolery, a boatload of secondhand embarrassment, spice hot enough to make you question your religious values, and a soul-deep connection between two lost—yet likeminded—individuals. It’s the fifth book in a series but can be read as a standalone.
The First Kind of Love is a friends to lovers, one bed, soulmates, forced proximity, destination wedding, virgin MMC, hockey romance with no cheating, and a satisfying happily ever after.
354 pages, Paperback
Published February 24, 2025
597 people are currently reading
6135 people want to read
About the author
Celeste Briars
11 books810 followersCeleste Briars is an indie author who specializes in spicy hockey romances. She’s a UC Davis alumnus with a bachelor’s in psychology. She loves creating memorable meet-cutes and happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching horror movies, playing with her cats, or dancing the night away with her friends. If you’re looking for books with spice hot enough to question your religious values and feel-good moments that make your heart sing, please cuddle up with a Reapers novel and stay a while!
You can keep in touch through Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/celestebria...) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@celestebriars...).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
May 3, 2025
જ⁀➴ 1.5/5 ⭐️
arc review 💌
release date: march 6 (KU)
every time i remember this book exists i hate it even more
also i think editors are WAY too nice these days, like they should be consistent and actually make the book better?!!
꒰ ☕️꒱ 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 - so basically this follows our 2 main characters : fulton and shiloh. shiloh works at a coffee shop and is the workaholic overachieving daughter of her vietnamese parents. fulton is a hockey player and plays on the riverside reapers. they’ve both had the hots for each other for the past 4 years ever since they laid eyes on the other. she works as a barista at the coffee shop he visits twice a week. he invites her as his plus one to his teammates wedding in cabo, it’s a three week vacation. they spend a lot of time together and end up falling in love.
⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🐢 forced proximity
🌺 insta love
🐢 secret dual pinning
🌺 one bed
🐢 social anxiety rep
🌺 barista x hockey player
꒰ 🤍 ꒱ 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
so if you’ve seen my update for this book you might know that i did not enjoy this as much as i would have liked and it may be the worst book i’ve read this year 💔 im so sad to say this cuz there was a hype around the author and the cover looked cute… safe to say i’m not judging a book by a cover anymore. i literally have SO much to say and i can’t like form proper sentences. not rating the book until after it’s published. something i liked was the anxiety rep we got with fulton and it gave him some depth and understanding. has spice
longest review yet sooo
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 🎀 ꒱ 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐡 - okay im actually so shocked to say that i kind of hated her. like ive never openly wanted to scream at a fmc before and shiloh - i want to yell at you. like girl be for real. like she was obsessed with her work and doing everything for her parents, putting everything into keeping their coffee shop afloat and surviving. she stopped caring for love years ago BUT apparently was a secret hopeless romantic??? like i think if you swore off love and etc. there wouldn’t be any part of you a romantic or whatever… like i understand if you became one AFTER meeting him but ugh whatever. she like was so annoying the whole book and i dreaded her chapters (more of hers than his) here’s a quote from the start which i did like
“i want to be loved by someone for my strengths, my flaws, my past, everything.”
it was relatable and it made her seem strong
so this book is 26 chapters okay? they were somewhat acquaintances for the past 4 years - she knows he’s a hockey player and they know each other’s names. in chapter EIGHT she says this:
“it’s like he single handedly sutured the scars of my past with hope, allowing me to finally heal.”
like it’s giving a confession at least 50% in like kinda falling in love makes sense but for the grief and mental health related stuff i need more development. like I don't even know shiloh yet, how does fulton know her that much and helped already?!
“and now that i know where i stand with fulton, i don’t feel that pang of jealously stewing inside my stomach anymore. i feel… happy.”
GIRL ITS BEEN THREE FREAKING WEEKS omd
like usually romance novels take place in a short time period but its literally only because they are on vacation together that they “fell in love” everything about this book makes me get so annoyed.
“i finally solidified things with the man of my dreams, made lifelong friends…”
solidified? you weren’t with him before this trip… or did y’all secretly date and didn’t let us know cuz… things are not adding up. like being official and etc after the wedding makes sense since like they “grew” their relationship over the course of 3 weeks. tbh they should’ve been flirty friends first but whateverrrr
꒰ 🏒꒱ 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 - okay moving on. he’s sweet and i’d probably have a crush on him or something since he’s hot and shy. BUT him calling her sunshine all of a sudden and then his terms of endearment, thoughts, and literally every interaction with shiloh in 30% was already doomed to ruin the book. like wdym you think she is reason you breathe or whatever cliche stuff. im asking authors rn not to add a typical cliche line in the middle of a fight to make it seem like theirs tension or chemistry. it doesnt even make sense atp. like one of the quotes would’ve (like if we’re pushing it) made sense in a enemies to lovers setting but they never hated each other?? they were always fond of the other and like had a crush on the other for freaking years.
“i feel like the world left this dwindling fire inside me, but destiny knew that you’d be the oxygen to keep me alight. and i’ll burn for you everyday, for the rest of my life.”
it wasn’t giving, sorry.
omd like i dont think i could ever read another one of her books NO OFFENSE since i understand that there’s lots of work behind writing and the whole process is time consuming. i feel like celeste could use a lot of work with her style and avoid the random filler scenes.
i read this one review where they mentioned in the first few chapters how we didn’t get to know their dynamics and what the friendliness between them was like, and i agree completely. there were times where i didn't understand something or it felt so out of context and forced.
when shiloh got mad i was so pissed cuz girl you wanna go into debt when the love of your life is a billionaire/millionaire?! i know you want to be independent and all that but one investment in a huge help and you could pay him back.
and i literally wanted her to beg for forgiveness so so bad, he has anxiety and the fear of abandonment and he’s voiced this many times. like not wanting her to leave him. and what does she do? take an uber to the airport to fly back to the states.
you’d halt the entire wedding so i can chase after the girl i love?
friends CARRIED
kinda forgot about them while ranting but they took shiloh as their own and she became part of their group within seconds (kinda odd to me but carry on) and they supported fulton no matter what so super sweet and caring <33
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 🪩 ꒱ 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬
"not only is shiloh the embodiment of a glowing beacon, but she’s a luminescent lure dangling in the ocean’s midnight zone, enticing me, leading me on a safe path home after i narrowly miss the snapping of carnivorous teeth."
"it’s just how my brain works. i know i’m hurting myself, but it’s like… i can’t stop hurting because it’s all i know. i’m constantly striving for validation. i’ve become dependent on it at this point. i always do better so i can make my parents proud."
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 💟 ꒱ -𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
if you’re still reading this thank you and ily!! like this is my longest review EVER!! if you didn’t know by now i do not recommend this and it was a first for me. i usually read and rate based purely off vibes and the writing style - if i vibed with it. vibes usually help with my ratings and increase a 3 star to a 4 etc. sadly the vibes carried this rating and it was low. fulton being a softie and cute gave that 1.5 and the rest was the somewhat character development and the mental health rep. but this book SUCKS
thank you to the author for an arc
arc review 💌
release date: march 6 (KU)
every time i remember this book exists i hate it even more
also i think editors are WAY too nice these days, like they should be consistent and actually make the book better?!!
꒰ ☕️꒱ 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 - so basically this follows our 2 main characters : fulton and shiloh. shiloh works at a coffee shop and is the workaholic overachieving daughter of her vietnamese parents. fulton is a hockey player and plays on the riverside reapers. they’ve both had the hots for each other for the past 4 years ever since they laid eyes on the other. she works as a barista at the coffee shop he visits twice a week. he invites her as his plus one to his teammates wedding in cabo, it’s a three week vacation. they spend a lot of time together and end up falling in love.
⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🐢 forced proximity
🌺 insta love
🐢 secret dual pinning
🌺 one bed
🐢 social anxiety rep
🌺 barista x hockey player
꒰ 🤍 ꒱ 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
so if you’ve seen my update for this book you might know that i did not enjoy this as much as i would have liked and it may be the worst book i’ve read this year 💔 im so sad to say this cuz there was a hype around the author and the cover looked cute… safe to say i’m not judging a book by a cover anymore. i literally have SO much to say and i can’t like form proper sentences. not rating the book until after it’s published. something i liked was the anxiety rep we got with fulton and it gave him some depth and understanding. has spice
longest review yet sooo
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 🎀 ꒱ 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐡 - okay im actually so shocked to say that i kind of hated her. like ive never openly wanted to scream at a fmc before and shiloh - i want to yell at you. like girl be for real. like she was obsessed with her work and doing everything for her parents, putting everything into keeping their coffee shop afloat and surviving. she stopped caring for love years ago BUT apparently was a secret hopeless romantic??? like i think if you swore off love and etc. there wouldn’t be any part of you a romantic or whatever… like i understand if you became one AFTER meeting him but ugh whatever. she like was so annoying the whole book and i dreaded her chapters (more of hers than his) here’s a quote from the start which i did like
“i want to be loved by someone for my strengths, my flaws, my past, everything.”
it was relatable and it made her seem strong
so this book is 26 chapters okay? they were somewhat acquaintances for the past 4 years - she knows he’s a hockey player and they know each other’s names. in chapter EIGHT she says this:
“it’s like he single handedly sutured the scars of my past with hope, allowing me to finally heal.”
like it’s giving a confession at least 50% in like kinda falling in love makes sense but for the grief and mental health related stuff i need more development. like I don't even know shiloh yet, how does fulton know her that much and helped already?!
“and now that i know where i stand with fulton, i don’t feel that pang of jealously stewing inside my stomach anymore. i feel… happy.”
GIRL ITS BEEN THREE FREAKING WEEKS omd
like usually romance novels take place in a short time period but its literally only because they are on vacation together that they “fell in love” everything about this book makes me get so annoyed.
“i finally solidified things with the man of my dreams, made lifelong friends…”
solidified? you weren’t with him before this trip… or did y’all secretly date and didn’t let us know cuz… things are not adding up. like being official and etc after the wedding makes sense since like they “grew” their relationship over the course of 3 weeks. tbh they should’ve been flirty friends first but whateverrrr
꒰ 🏒꒱ 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 - okay moving on. he’s sweet and i’d probably have a crush on him or something since he’s hot and shy. BUT him calling her sunshine all of a sudden and then his terms of endearment, thoughts, and literally every interaction with shiloh in 30% was already doomed to ruin the book. like wdym you think she is reason you breathe or whatever cliche stuff. im asking authors rn not to add a typical cliche line in the middle of a fight to make it seem like theirs tension or chemistry. it doesnt even make sense atp. like one of the quotes would’ve (like if we’re pushing it) made sense in a enemies to lovers setting but they never hated each other?? they were always fond of the other and like had a crush on the other for freaking years.
“i feel like the world left this dwindling fire inside me, but destiny knew that you’d be the oxygen to keep me alight. and i’ll burn for you everyday, for the rest of my life.”
it wasn’t giving, sorry.
omd like i dont think i could ever read another one of her books NO OFFENSE since i understand that there’s lots of work behind writing and the whole process is time consuming. i feel like celeste could use a lot of work with her style and avoid the random filler scenes.
i read this one review where they mentioned in the first few chapters how we didn’t get to know their dynamics and what the friendliness between them was like, and i agree completely. there were times where i didn't understand something or it felt so out of context and forced.
when shiloh got mad i was so pissed cuz girl you wanna go into debt when the love of your life is a billionaire/millionaire?! i know you want to be independent and all that but one investment in a huge help and you could pay him back.
and i literally wanted her to beg for forgiveness so so bad, he has anxiety and the fear of abandonment and he’s voiced this many times. like not wanting her to leave him. and what does she do? take an uber to the airport to fly back to the states.
you’d halt the entire wedding so i can chase after the girl i love?
friends CARRIED
kinda forgot about them while ranting but they took shiloh as their own and she became part of their group within seconds (kinda odd to me but carry on) and they supported fulton no matter what so super sweet and caring <33
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 🪩 ꒱ 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬
"not only is shiloh the embodiment of a glowing beacon, but she’s a luminescent lure dangling in the ocean’s midnight zone, enticing me, leading me on a safe path home after i narrowly miss the snapping of carnivorous teeth."
"it’s just how my brain works. i know i’m hurting myself, but it’s like… i can’t stop hurting because it’s all i know. i’m constantly striving for validation. i’ve become dependent on it at this point. i always do better so i can make my parents proud."
────୨ৎ────
꒰ 💟 ꒱ -𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
if you’re still reading this thank you and ily!! like this is my longest review EVER!! if you didn’t know by now i do not recommend this and it was a first for me. i usually read and rate based purely off vibes and the writing style - if i vibed with it. vibes usually help with my ratings and increase a 3 star to a 4 etc. sadly the vibes carried this rating and it was low. fulton being a softie and cute gave that 1.5 and the rest was the somewhat character development and the mental health rep. but this book SUCKS
thank you to the author for an arc
Read
April 27, 2025dnf @35%
I give up. I can’t do this anymore lol. I really thought I would enjoy this book but it turns out that it was boring af for me. Like it just wasn’t holding my interest yk? I’m a sucker for virgin bois but even that wasn’t enough for me to continue reading. My last straw was the cringey dialogue that made me go “yep, I can’t do this no more”😭 There were some cute/wholesome moments and Fulton is def a green flag…but it just wasn’t for me ig🤷🏻♀️
Safety squad:
- no OW/OM drama afaik (the H liked OW years before he met the h and wanted to ask her to be his gf but it turns out that OW only pretended to want him for his fame and hooked up with his teammate)
- virgin H
- pining (both the MCs had crushes on each other for 4 years - the H doesn’t look at another woman since he laid eyes on the h. And h has only ever been with her ex)
- asian rep
- hockey romance
- forced proximity
- HEA
I give up. I can’t do this anymore lol. I really thought I would enjoy this book but it turns out that it was boring af for me. Like it just wasn’t holding my interest yk? I’m a sucker for virgin bois but even that wasn’t enough for me to continue reading. My last straw was the cringey dialogue that made me go “yep, I can’t do this no more”😭 There were some cute/wholesome moments and Fulton is def a green flag…but it just wasn’t for me ig🤷🏻♀️
Safety squad:
- no OW/OM drama afaik (the H liked OW years before he met the h and wanted to ask her to be his gf but it turns out that OW only pretended to want him for his fame and hooked up with his teammate)
- virgin H
- pining (both the MCs had crushes on each other for 4 years - the H doesn’t look at another woman since he laid eyes on the h. And h has only ever been with her ex)
- asian rep
- hockey romance
- forced proximity
- HEA
March 20, 2025
What kind of fuckery was this? No plot. No story. Just two characters who immediately fall in love. No.
No chemistry, characters were whiny, wasn’t realistic— need I go on?
The fmc, Shiloh, or however you spell it, was boringggg. Girl was so emotionally immature and annoying, wanted to send her back to primary school. Like dude, chill out. No one forced you to go on holiday with him. That’s on you. All on you.
The mmc, bro, just diminished the role of a hockey player. Dude. Come on. Quit your whiney ass and man up. Idk why he stood for her shit and at the same time he just needed to shut his trap.
I had to skip past the smut because it was NOT it. Like ew. I saw one line and I ran.
It was funny when he shat his pants tho. Doesn’t she have common sense? What do lactose intolerant people tend to do after eating dairy? They go for a shit. This beg wouldn’t leave him alone after he asked her to, claiming she “poisoned” him and “wanted to make it better.” Broksi, you can make it better by letting him shit in peace. No, instead she barges in on him and the guy couldn’t hold it in anymore LMAO.
Anyways, one of the worst books I read, wasn’t the worst, but it was one of the worsts.
No chemistry, characters were whiny, wasn’t realistic— need I go on?
The fmc, Shiloh, or however you spell it, was boringggg. Girl was so emotionally immature and annoying, wanted to send her back to primary school. Like dude, chill out. No one forced you to go on holiday with him. That’s on you. All on you.
The mmc, bro, just diminished the role of a hockey player. Dude. Come on. Quit your whiney ass and man up. Idk why he stood for her shit and at the same time he just needed to shut his trap.
I had to skip past the smut because it was NOT it. Like ew. I saw one line and I ran.
It was funny when he shat his pants tho. Doesn’t she have common sense? What do lactose intolerant people tend to do after eating dairy? They go for a shit. This beg wouldn’t leave him alone after he asked her to, claiming she “poisoned” him and “wanted to make it better.” Broksi, you can make it better by letting him shit in peace. No, instead she barges in on him and the guy couldn’t hold it in anymore LMAO.
Anyways, one of the worst books I read, wasn’t the worst, but it was one of the worsts.
March 3, 2025
"𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚑.𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎."
4,75⭐
This book feels like a breath of fresh air : simple, with strong romantic sentences that make your heart beat faster, charming characters, really good spicy scenes, a few cliché rom-com scenes but oh gosh this was so good and the author knows how to play with words to soften our hearts at the slightest expression of feeling.
I fell for Fulton. He's so pure, kind, shy, insecure at times, generous and feels everything. The kind who waits gentlemanly for the love of his life for a lifetime til Shiloh's ready, who listens to every word she says, memorizes everything about her and is mesmerized by her. He deserves nothing less than the whole entire world.
As for Shiloh, I adored this strong, independent woman who puts others first, sacrificing herself and her dreams for her family's sake. I loved seeing her opening to Fulton, communicating, growing and realizing that she deserves more peace, passion and an exciting life full of love and laughter.
Thank you to Celeste and her team for the ARC and their trust in sharing her new book with me. Out March 6th !
4,75⭐
This book feels like a breath of fresh air : simple, with strong romantic sentences that make your heart beat faster, charming characters, really good spicy scenes, a few cliché rom-com scenes but oh gosh this was so good and the author knows how to play with words to soften our hearts at the slightest expression of feeling.
I fell for Fulton. He's so pure, kind, shy, insecure at times, generous and feels everything. The kind who waits gentlemanly for the love of his life for a lifetime til Shiloh's ready, who listens to every word she says, memorizes everything about her and is mesmerized by her. He deserves nothing less than the whole entire world.
As for Shiloh, I adored this strong, independent woman who puts others first, sacrificing herself and her dreams for her family's sake. I loved seeing her opening to Fulton, communicating, growing and realizing that she deserves more peace, passion and an exciting life full of love and laughter.
Thank you to Celeste and her team for the ARC and their trust in sharing her new book with me. Out March 6th !
March 24, 2025
it all went downhill after the words “hubba hubba” were spoken
March 16, 2025
shiloh sucks. dnf.
May 16, 2025
This book is the perfect example of don't look at other people's Goodreads reviews!!!🙂 and also at the same time I understand why people didn't like this book 🤷🏾♀️.
Is the book well written? Maybe. Did I enjoy it? HELL YEAH 🤣
This is a quick, quirky fun read with wtf moments and fluff. 🙂 This book is not for the people who actually want a straight up plot.
For me though 🤣 I enjoyed it 🤷🏾♀️. People are saying the FMC ( Shiloh) is dumb because they have NEVER actually been in her shoes. They don't understand the guilt of seeing your parents struggle to pay for your college fees 🤷🏾♀️ 💀. I do and that's why I actually like her 👏🏾🤌🏾.
This has convinced me that I need to read the other books in this series 🥲 and I will.
Is the book well written? Maybe. Did I enjoy it? HELL YEAH 🤣
This is a quick, quirky fun read with wtf moments and fluff. 🙂 This book is not for the people who actually want a straight up plot.
For me though 🤣 I enjoyed it 🤷🏾♀️. People are saying the FMC ( Shiloh) is dumb because they have NEVER actually been in her shoes. They don't understand the guilt of seeing your parents struggle to pay for your college fees 🤷🏾♀️ 💀. I do and that's why I actually like her 👏🏾🤌🏾.
This has convinced me that I need to read the other books in this series 🥲 and I will.
March 21, 2025
I wouldn’t recommend this book. It was really good the first 50 pages, but then it started to go downhill. I feel like he put a lot more effort into the relationship than she did. And she would definitely leave him for work. In their arguments she would say the meanest things and then he would apologize when in reality, he was being the reasonable one. He also had a good reason because you can’t just run away from everything in your life. His dad did the same thing and when he got mad over it, everyone took her side. Their relationship developed way too fast and without any chemistry at all. Their fights were all her fault and then he ended up being blamed for something SHE STARTED. She was just insufferable. He was way too nice and honestly deserved better. It was also way too detailed for my liking and I’ve read some crazy things. You’re telling me she was going to bail out of that wedding without even a thought of how it would affect him and the people getting married. I’m sorry, but she was just incredibly selfish. He was also just too stupid to put up with her crap. Anyways, the ending just felt too rushed and I wish I had read the reviews before reading this.
May 14, 2025
god this was horrific. idk if i’m even allowed to add this to the books i’ve read because i skipped through probably 30% of it due to the over in-depth, utterly useless paragraphs that served absolutely no purpose to any part of the storyline. unless you want to hate yourself and question what the point of reading books is- do not even look this books way. i picked this up because i saw a spoiler that he broke the bed when they fucked and i wanted to read it because im a whore. but it wasn’t worth it. this book reminded me that i could publish a book, even with my utter lack of writing abilities. this is what gives men the idea that they can start podcasts. someone says one word of praise to them and, suddenly, they’re in their car on their way to buy a microphone. these characters hardly even knew each other besides for the useless small talk they had and they claim they’re “soulmates” and “in love” with each other. bc why do you have a breeding kink after 3 weeks 😟. leave me alone i don’t want to touch another book for a while.
anyway, i hope you’re having better luck with books than i am!! kisses! 💋
———
YK WHAT. EDITING THIS REVIEW (i posted it less than 30 seconds ago). half the fucking plot is that he’s a virgin and the first time they fuck he lasted probably 5-10 minutes??? BABE. I WANT YOU COMING IN SECONDS. DONT GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT I KNOW YOURE LYING. i want “give me a minute.” i want him to be an out of breath, teeth clenched, muscles spasming, utter loser. i live for that. i BREATHE for that. do not deprive me of that ever again. i love when the men are a little bit of a loser. i use that as a term of endearment. he was played up to be a loser but fucks like a god and knows how to dirty talk? ignoring the fact that i wasn’t into his dirty talk, he still knew what he was doing. i’m upset. this ruined my night. thanks.
———
actually. i’m not done. i’ve got another bone to pick. a lot of the book is centered around him being in the nhl, yet there isn’t a LICK of hockey in the book. nothing. the most we got was how his mom would take him to practices when he was a kid and how his stick was too big for his body as a wee lad. we don’t even know what position he plays. what college he went to. how he got to be where he was. the hockey isn’t even a SUBplot. i hope you’re hungry. FOR NOTHING.
i might be back to update this in 5 minutes. i should probably put my phone down but i wasted a whole day on this book.
anyway, i hope you’re having better luck with books than i am!! kisses! 💋
———
YK WHAT. EDITING THIS REVIEW (i posted it less than 30 seconds ago). half the fucking plot is that he’s a virgin and the first time they fuck he lasted probably 5-10 minutes??? BABE. I WANT YOU COMING IN SECONDS. DONT GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT I KNOW YOURE LYING. i want “give me a minute.” i want him to be an out of breath, teeth clenched, muscles spasming, utter loser. i live for that. i BREATHE for that. do not deprive me of that ever again. i love when the men are a little bit of a loser. i use that as a term of endearment. he was played up to be a loser but fucks like a god and knows how to dirty talk? ignoring the fact that i wasn’t into his dirty talk, he still knew what he was doing. i’m upset. this ruined my night. thanks.
———
actually. i’m not done. i’ve got another bone to pick. a lot of the book is centered around him being in the nhl, yet there isn’t a LICK of hockey in the book. nothing. the most we got was how his mom would take him to practices when he was a kid and how his stick was too big for his body as a wee lad. we don’t even know what position he plays. what college he went to. how he got to be where he was. the hockey isn’t even a SUBplot. i hope you’re hungry. FOR NOTHING.
i might be back to update this in 5 minutes. i should probably put my phone down but i wasted a whole day on this book.
March 12, 2025
mm ok few things. 1.) they went from practically strangers to I wanna put a baby in you in less than three weeks uh im uncomfy 2.) speaking of uncomfy this book was WAYYY to detailed. like and that’s coming from someone who isn’t easily offput. 3.) Shiloh made me so mad. miss girl did not give as much as Fulton did and she was selfish. 4.) I need both characters to grow up. this has been a common issue in this series. overall I didn’t hate it but gosh there were so many small things that could be fixed to make this a good story.
⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
May 13, 2025
What the fuck was this?
March 11, 2025
Boring. Badly written. Annoying characters. That’s all I have to say
February 26, 2025
"For you, Shiloh, I'd dance until my feet fall off."
Honestly, Celeste wrote the sweetest and swoon little romance book about our virgin mmc and his long time crush with the barista, who happens to share the sentiment. I loved every second of this and I hope everyone loves it too!
overall rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
spice rating: 🌶🌶
blush rating: 🍅
Shiloh, my sweet, hard working girl. She's a hard working barista and part owner of her family's business that is struggling. She works every day to support her family, working hard at school to be bale to take over the business when her parents are ready to hand it down. So the, he longtime crush, Fulton comes in, shy as hell as always, and asks her to be his plus one for his friends destination wedding, all expenses payed for. And what a tempting offer from the one man she can't stop thinking about. But what of her family's business?
Fulton, MY SHYALAAAAAA! Honestly, I have never loved a man as much as I love Fulton! He is a yearner and a simp. Harbouring a crush on his favourite barista for four years, and so when his friends finally give him the push he needs, he asks her to be his plus one... and when she says yes... there's only so much before being in close proximity till he spills his feelings.
After much of hesitation on Shi's side, not wanting to leave her family, she finally put herself first (I totally didn't cry because I'm a hard worker too and don't know how to take a break), and uses this time to finally show Shiloh how he feels. Even when he is scared. When all his friends, (I love those boys so much) can't help but embarrass Fulton about not telling his friends that Shi was so pretty hehehehehe. Threw him of kilter. But during the flight, Shi gets scared and holds his hand in a death grip, and he has no problem being her anchor.
When they arrive to Cabo, they find out that they have to share a room and you beta I was screaming in joy! HEHEHEHE. I loved it so damn much! The rushed compliments that he fumbles, ADORABLE! How he blushes around her but is finally learning to be confident in himself and flirty with SHI!!I also LOVE FULTONS INNER MONOLOUGES! My little sweetie was so nervous but he's just so sexy!
This man was so gentle and sweet, not wanting to scare Shiloh away. They open up to each other, Shi about her family and her Vietnamese hertiage, Fulton about his absent father and his terrible ex girlfriend who used him for his fame. They showed each other their worst and they stayed for their best. Wanting to be there for each other and toeing the line of finally giving in. but when I tell you I CACKLED when Shi accidentally gave him dairy! LAUGHED HARDDDD!
This man may be a virgin but HOLY CRAP, I WAS FANNING MYSELF! IT'S ALWAYS THE SHY, QUIET ONES I TELL YA! He just knew what he was doing. Giving pleasure to Shi and feeling like it's the most natural thing for him. And the way this man BEGGGGSSSSSSS! UGHHHH! YES YES YES! And the sunshine nickname is just swoony! "I would've waited forever for you to be my first." AHHHHHH! AND WHEN THIS BOY FINALLY LET'S LOOSE.... HE HAS A FILTHY MOUTH! and a cheeky breeding kink he didn't know he had.
These two also made me sob! Fulton feeling he is broken, Shi feeling like she has to constantly be the glue to her family... these two needed each other so bad. He loves when she talks too like UGH! The fact that Fulton did some research on Shi's hair type so he could help her take care of it?!?!? LIKE! "I would've waited forever for you to be my first." AHHHHHH!
The conflict in this booking being that Shi wanted to protect her family and feeling guilty for leaving on a vacation instead of being there broke me. I knew exactly how my girl felt! But the way Fulton didn't back down and was there with her even when she hurt him because he wanted to show her how much he loved her. I love them so much! I'm a sucker for a cute, silly, wholesome romance and this filled my cup!
Thank you Celeste for reaching out and asking if I wanted to be an ARC reader for you again! I am so sad this series is finished! I still have the first 3 books but I just know you'll serve up a fantastic new series soon!
Honestly, Celeste wrote the sweetest and swoon little romance book about our virgin mmc and his long time crush with the barista, who happens to share the sentiment. I loved every second of this and I hope everyone loves it too!
overall rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
spice rating: 🌶🌶
blush rating: 🍅
Shiloh, my sweet, hard working girl. She's a hard working barista and part owner of her family's business that is struggling. She works every day to support her family, working hard at school to be bale to take over the business when her parents are ready to hand it down. So the, he longtime crush, Fulton comes in, shy as hell as always, and asks her to be his plus one for his friends destination wedding, all expenses payed for. And what a tempting offer from the one man she can't stop thinking about. But what of her family's business?
Fulton, MY SHYALAAAAAA! Honestly, I have never loved a man as much as I love Fulton! He is a yearner and a simp. Harbouring a crush on his favourite barista for four years, and so when his friends finally give him the push he needs, he asks her to be his plus one... and when she says yes... there's only so much before being in close proximity till he spills his feelings.
After much of hesitation on Shi's side, not wanting to leave her family, she finally put herself first (I totally didn't cry because I'm a hard worker too and don't know how to take a break), and uses this time to finally show Shiloh how he feels. Even when he is scared. When all his friends, (I love those boys so much) can't help but embarrass Fulton about not telling his friends that Shi was so pretty hehehehehe. Threw him of kilter. But during the flight, Shi gets scared and holds his hand in a death grip, and he has no problem being her anchor.
When they arrive to Cabo, they find out that they have to share a room and you beta I was screaming in joy! HEHEHEHE. I loved it so damn much! The rushed compliments that he fumbles, ADORABLE! How he blushes around her but is finally learning to be confident in himself and flirty with SHI!!I also LOVE FULTONS INNER MONOLOUGES! My little sweetie was so nervous but he's just so sexy!
This man was so gentle and sweet, not wanting to scare Shiloh away. They open up to each other, Shi about her family and her Vietnamese hertiage, Fulton about his absent father and his terrible ex girlfriend who used him for his fame. They showed each other their worst and they stayed for their best. Wanting to be there for each other and toeing the line of finally giving in. but when I tell you I CACKLED when Shi accidentally gave him dairy! LAUGHED HARDDDD!
This man may be a virgin but HOLY CRAP, I WAS FANNING MYSELF! IT'S ALWAYS THE SHY, QUIET ONES I TELL YA! He just knew what he was doing. Giving pleasure to Shi and feeling like it's the most natural thing for him. And the way this man BEGGGGSSSSSSS! UGHHHH! YES YES YES! And the sunshine nickname is just swoony! "I would've waited forever for you to be my first." AHHHHHH! AND WHEN THIS BOY FINALLY LET'S LOOSE.... HE HAS A FILTHY MOUTH! and a cheeky breeding kink he didn't know he had.
These two also made me sob! Fulton feeling he is broken, Shi feeling like she has to constantly be the glue to her family... these two needed each other so bad. He loves when she talks too like UGH! The fact that Fulton did some research on Shi's hair type so he could help her take care of it?!?!? LIKE! "I would've waited forever for you to be my first." AHHHHHH!
The conflict in this booking being that Shi wanted to protect her family and feeling guilty for leaving on a vacation instead of being there broke me. I knew exactly how my girl felt! But the way Fulton didn't back down and was there with her even when she hurt him because he wanted to show her how much he loved her. I love them so much! I'm a sucker for a cute, silly, wholesome romance and this filled my cup!
Thank you Celeste for reaching out and asking if I wanted to be an ARC reader for you again! I am so sad this series is finished! I still have the first 3 books but I just know you'll serve up a fantastic new series soon!
March 10, 2025
The FMC is absolutely INSUFERABLE in a way that if any MMC were we would grab pitchforks and go after him, she KNOWS she is fucking up and still DOES NOT STOP and it happens AGAIN later in the book, oh and she did it before in a previous relationship
March 22, 2025
1 star ⭐ for Fulton only.
March 12, 2025
Want some good advice I should have gone by? Don’t waste time reading Celeste Briar’s books. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and reminisce about the time when I was blissfully unaware of how terrible this book is.
The lowest low-points:
-FMC was so terrible, I wanted to throw hands.
-MMC had no backbone nor self respect, allowing the FMC to treat him like trash.
-The “spin the bottle” scene😷 ..cheating? They apparently never heard of the term.
The lowest low-points:
-FMC was so terrible, I wanted to throw hands.
-MMC had no backbone nor self respect, allowing the FMC to treat him like trash.
-The “spin the bottle” scene😷 ..cheating? They apparently never heard of the term.
March 6, 2025
ARC Review🧡
~Tropes
🧡Barista x Hockey Player
🐢Found Family
🧡One bed/ forced proximity
🐢social anxiety rep.
🧡spicy/ virgin MMC
🐢Destination wedding
Quote~ Fulton Cazzarelli is my Achilles’ heel. But as vulnerable as he makes me, he instills in me an equal measure of strength. When I’m with him, I don’t live with both feet in the future or in a permanent state of worry. When I’m with him, he lends me the courage to shut out the voices of unreason so I can swim to shore.
Review~ I was NOT expecting to get this book in my inbox this morning. I ran around screaming and apply dancing. I canceled any important things i had going on just to read this book. I don’t even know where to start with this book, good lord I loved it. Fulton is so freaking adorable and i relate to his anxitey so much. Shiloh made my heart break a little because this girl has been doing everything for others and doean’t know how to except help from others. Even these tow had fights about it Fulton did a great job of understanding and taking her through it. Their two arguments did make me upset but there have such strong feelings about what was happening, it makes sense. This book made me laugh so much I couldn’t breathe poor Fulton and his lactose intolerate issues, but that scene was hilarious. futon is just funny in general with his awkwardness. Also the dirty tal that man did, whoooooooo. I loved it, the crawling scene and the fact they broke the bed, and then when Feya asked about a crash- I died of laughter. I love ow SHiloh gave up some of the control at the end and how Fulton made sure she knew, her would help no matter what
~Tropes
🧡Barista x Hockey Player
🐢Found Family
🧡One bed/ forced proximity
🐢social anxiety rep.
🧡spicy/ virgin MMC
🐢Destination wedding
Quote~ Fulton Cazzarelli is my Achilles’ heel. But as vulnerable as he makes me, he instills in me an equal measure of strength. When I’m with him, I don’t live with both feet in the future or in a permanent state of worry. When I’m with him, he lends me the courage to shut out the voices of unreason so I can swim to shore.
Review~ I was NOT expecting to get this book in my inbox this morning. I ran around screaming and apply dancing. I canceled any important things i had going on just to read this book. I don’t even know where to start with this book, good lord I loved it. Fulton is so freaking adorable and i relate to his anxitey so much. Shiloh made my heart break a little because this girl has been doing everything for others and doean’t know how to except help from others. Even these tow had fights about it Fulton did a great job of understanding and taking her through it. Their two arguments did make me upset but there have such strong feelings about what was happening, it makes sense. This book made me laugh so much I couldn’t breathe poor Fulton and his lactose intolerate issues, but that scene was hilarious. futon is just funny in general with his awkwardness. Also the dirty tal that man did, whoooooooo. I loved it, the crawling scene and the fact they broke the bed, and then when Feya asked about a crash- I died of laughter. I love ow SHiloh gave up some of the control at the end and how Fulton made sure she knew, her would help no matter what
March 17, 2025
this is good but so cringy. i did enjoy this and the plot was really good but i had thoughts of dnf’ing so many times. the reason for the 3 star was also because of things that were being said and how they handled many situations.
March 31, 2025
so bad. not enough hockey!!!!!
why is this a hockey novel when there IS NO HOCKEY BEING PLAYED ?!?!
i have other problems with this book but for some reason the lack of hockey pisses me off the most
only read this bc i was sad over hunger games x hamilton edits
why is this a hockey novel when there IS NO HOCKEY BEING PLAYED ?!?!
i have other problems with this book but for some reason the lack of hockey pisses me off the most
only read this bc i was sad over hunger games x hamilton edits
March 6, 2025
This was an electrifying, grasping, and heart-pounding championship-level book, this hockey romance is fast-paced, hard-hitting, and swoon-worthy! Celeste Briars' romance is so riveting and flawlessly refreshing from the first scene that I couldn't help but smile foolishly at my phone, without a doubt, Shiloh and Fulton have a slow-burning relationship that has been waiting for the right time to explode for four years! The charmingly nervous hockey player whose long-standing crush on Shiloh is the kind of thing that makes hearts race, is Shiloh's match. Shiloh is an overachieving workaholic who is carrying the weight of her family's business! I was completely captivated by their story, which is wonderfully grasping, entertaining, and deliciously steamy!
.
Fulton Cazzarelli. is the hero that surprises you and wins your heart over, awkward, kind, and so terribly adorable, this man is a disaster in the greatest way, he really has a strong love for Shiloh, and his tense energy is humorous and tremendously caring, but when he turns on the heat, it's game over, so don't be fooled by his nervous, golden retriever energy! It delivered all I could have dreamed for: the slow-burning suspense, the one-bed trope and that scene with the issue of lactose intolerance, I was laughing so hard that I was gasping for air, this can easily be a Netflix movie and have a 100% rotten tomato score!!!
.
Undoubtedly, a flawless romance would not be complete without an amazing supporting cast, and the Riverside Reapers cast did not let us down, this book's found family element is outstanding, I loved every moment of Shiloh's parts with Fulton's colleagues and their girlfriends , who accepted her into their crazy, hilarious world, the book really felt vibrant because of the banter, inside jokes, and sheer secondhand shame, furthermore, the setting in Cabo was excellent; I doubt that any other location could have been more fitting!
.
This hockey romance was an instant favorite since it was entertaining as hell, funny, and completely original, with a love story that makes you feel every second, Celeste Briars delivers a romance that is steamy and spicy, the entangled honest, and emotional relationship between Fulton and Shiloh is the kind that gives you the best kind of heart ache! Even though I'm sad that this is the final book in the Riverside Reapers series, I know that I will remember these characters for a very long time! The First Kind of Love is an untamed hockey romance if you adore a story with humor, flavor, and a hero that will make you swoon, this is Celeste's finest work and I can't wait to see what she comes up next!
.
Fulton Cazzarelli. is the hero that surprises you and wins your heart over, awkward, kind, and so terribly adorable, this man is a disaster in the greatest way, he really has a strong love for Shiloh, and his tense energy is humorous and tremendously caring, but when he turns on the heat, it's game over, so don't be fooled by his nervous, golden retriever energy! It delivered all I could have dreamed for: the slow-burning suspense, the one-bed trope and that scene with the issue of lactose intolerance, I was laughing so hard that I was gasping for air, this can easily be a Netflix movie and have a 100% rotten tomato score!!!
.
Undoubtedly, a flawless romance would not be complete without an amazing supporting cast, and the Riverside Reapers cast did not let us down, this book's found family element is outstanding, I loved every moment of Shiloh's parts with Fulton's colleagues and their girlfriends , who accepted her into their crazy, hilarious world, the book really felt vibrant because of the banter, inside jokes, and sheer secondhand shame, furthermore, the setting in Cabo was excellent; I doubt that any other location could have been more fitting!
.
This hockey romance was an instant favorite since it was entertaining as hell, funny, and completely original, with a love story that makes you feel every second, Celeste Briars delivers a romance that is steamy and spicy, the entangled honest, and emotional relationship between Fulton and Shiloh is the kind that gives you the best kind of heart ache! Even though I'm sad that this is the final book in the Riverside Reapers series, I know that I will remember these characters for a very long time! The First Kind of Love is an untamed hockey romance if you adore a story with humor, flavor, and a hero that will make you swoon, this is Celeste's finest work and I can't wait to see what she comes up next!
March 15, 2025
2/2.5 ⭐️
“Shiloh’s my shining light. She led me through a bleak, desolate landscape of loneliness, and I did the first smart thing by letting the purity of her spirit guide me out of the encroaching darkness.” ❤️
Tropes
Hockey romance (NHL) but story takes place in the offseason
vMMC
Spicy
Found fam
Destination wedding
Even though I loved all of the tropes, I was so disappointed with this. The 2/2.5 stars I gave this are for Fulton, the spice, his friends, and that’s about it.
Fulton was supposed to be a shy, nervous, anxious wreck, and I only got those vibes in his inner monologues. And him being a virgin wasn’t all that believable either because he jumped right into being super dominant with a filthy mouth, but maybe that’s all thanks to Kit lol.
But regardless, I liked Fulton. He was sweet, passionate, thoughtful, caring, and really the kind of guy any woman would want. And he said some of the sweetest things.
What I didn’t like ..
- The pacing. Apparently they had been secretly in love with each other for 4 years but we (the reader) didn’t get to see that. So everything happened really fast with no build up.
- I didn’t like Shiloh at all and Fulton deserved better than her. She walked away and showed him twice that she didn’t care for him like he did her, and wouldn’t choose him at the end of the day. I wanted to DNF so bad both times.
- I hated that both times the friends had him chasing after her, when he did nothing wrong. He said some of the things he needed to and had a bit of a backbone, but not enough during those arguments.
- The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying as far as a HEA is concerned, especially with how much majority of the second half of the book pissed me off.
“Shiloh’s my shining light. She led me through a bleak, desolate landscape of loneliness, and I did the first smart thing by letting the purity of her spirit guide me out of the encroaching darkness.” ❤️
Tropes
Hockey romance (NHL) but story takes place in the offseason
vMMC
Spicy
Found fam
Destination wedding
Even though I loved all of the tropes, I was so disappointed with this. The 2/2.5 stars I gave this are for Fulton, the spice, his friends, and that’s about it.
Fulton was supposed to be a shy, nervous, anxious wreck, and I only got those vibes in his inner monologues. And him being a virgin wasn’t all that believable either because he jumped right into being super dominant with a filthy mouth, but maybe that’s all thanks to Kit lol.
But regardless, I liked Fulton. He was sweet, passionate, thoughtful, caring, and really the kind of guy any woman would want. And he said some of the sweetest things.
What I didn’t like ..
- The pacing. Apparently they had been secretly in love with each other for 4 years but we (the reader) didn’t get to see that. So everything happened really fast with no build up.
- I didn’t like Shiloh at all and Fulton deserved better than her. She walked away and showed him twice that she didn’t care for him like he did her, and wouldn’t choose him at the end of the day. I wanted to DNF so bad both times.
- I hated that both times the friends had him chasing after her, when he did nothing wrong. He said some of the things he needed to and had a bit of a backbone, but not enough during those arguments.
- The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying as far as a HEA is concerned, especially with how much majority of the second half of the book pissed me off.
March 19, 2025
This was a really sweet book. It was not without its ups and downs but overall it was great! I don’t really have much to say but I loved all the characters. 😂 I need to go back and read the other book, because this is the 5th and I haven’t read the others. But this gives me hope the others are just as good, would recommend.
March 17, 2025
First of all, almost every interaction was so fucking awkward that it was insufferable. Second of all, it was so weird that basically the first time they spoke she agreed to go to a wedding with him for 3 weeks and then all of a sudden they were in love and whatnot even though they has maybe 2 meaningful conversations.
March 13, 2025
I HATE THE MISCOMMUNICATION LASHOUT TROPE
It felt so forced especially the last fight so unnecessary really ruined the ending
It felt so forced especially the last fight so unnecessary really ruined the ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2025
DNF: I can only think of one other booked that i’ve DNF’d before, but this was just so terrible I don’t even know where to begin. overall, terrible writing, read like a wattpad.
February 23, 2025
"𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤."
I think I would have connected more to the story if there was more of a build-up between Shiloh and Fulton. They've had very little interaction, and then he invites her on a 3 week trip to a remote location. It just felt odd. I loved Fulton and his personality - even his overthinking. The just relationship felt rushed.
⇢Hockey Player
⇢Barista FMC
⇢Pining hero
⇢V*rgin Hero
⇢One Bed
⇢Found Family
⇢Social Anxiety Rep
⇢Destination Wedding
⇢Dual POV
I think I would have connected more to the story if there was more of a build-up between Shiloh and Fulton. They've had very little interaction, and then he invites her on a 3 week trip to a remote location. It just felt odd. I loved Fulton and his personality - even his overthinking. The just relationship felt rushed.
⇢Hockey Player
⇢Barista FMC
⇢Pining hero
⇢V*rgin Hero
⇢One Bed
⇢Found Family
⇢Social Anxiety Rep
⇢Destination Wedding
⇢Dual POV
December 27, 2025
DNF at 76%
March 30, 2025
Where do I start with this book? I was psyched about the premise, and I love the cover. The book had a lot of ups and downs for me in the end, though. Overall, it’s a fun book with a happily ever after like you’d expect, but there were some weird bits for me that kept me from rating it higher.
First off, it’s a hockey romance in name only, this is more of a vacation rom-com in which the MMC and his friends happen to be professional hockey players. There are no hockey scenes, and most of the hockey talk is incidental. I’m sure the earlier 4 books in the series probably have more hockey content. I suspect this one doesn’t have as much simply because of the wedding trip setting, but I’ll have to read the other 4 to be sure of that. Fulton’s teammates and their significant others are a fun cast of secondary characters, though. They bring a lot of big personalities to the mix and are very entertaining.
The second issue I had was that there were two scenes I really didn’t think needed to be there. A scene where Fulton literally craps his pantd, right in front of our FMC - and then the next day followed up by a sex scene. This is followed by the second scene, which I don’t think needs to be there. Shiloh gets locked out of the hotel room and is in the hallway naked. That one has been done, and I just don’t find it funny or see the need for that. Neither scene really added anything to the plot, in my opinion.
I feel like Fulton ends up doing a lot more for Shiloh than she gives to him. He opens up very early on about his abandonment issues and his trauma from his workaholic father. Shiloh proceeds to hurt him TWICE later on with that exact issue, and both times, he’s expected to chase after her and beg for forgiveness even when she acknowledges she was in the wrong. She doesn’t make an effort to go to him the second time, she did the first time.
First off, it’s a hockey romance in name only, this is more of a vacation rom-com in which the MMC and his friends happen to be professional hockey players. There are no hockey scenes, and most of the hockey talk is incidental. I’m sure the earlier 4 books in the series probably have more hockey content. I suspect this one doesn’t have as much simply because of the wedding trip setting, but I’ll have to read the other 4 to be sure of that. Fulton’s teammates and their significant others are a fun cast of secondary characters, though. They bring a lot of big personalities to the mix and are very entertaining.
The second issue I had was that there were two scenes I really didn’t think needed to be there. A scene where Fulton literally craps his pantd, right in front of our FMC - and then the next day followed up by a sex scene. This is followed by the second scene, which I don’t think needs to be there. Shiloh gets locked out of the hotel room and is in the hallway naked. That one has been done, and I just don’t find it funny or see the need for that. Neither scene really added anything to the plot, in my opinion.
I feel like Fulton ends up doing a lot more for Shiloh than she gives to him. He opens up very early on about his abandonment issues and his trauma from his workaholic father. Shiloh proceeds to hurt him TWICE later on with that exact issue, and both times, he’s expected to chase after her and beg for forgiveness even when she acknowledges she was in the wrong. She doesn’t make an effort to go to him the second time, she did the first time.
March 16, 2025
I found her. I found my sunshine.
Tropes:
🧡 Hockey Romance
🏒 Friends to Lovers
🧡 Social Anxiety Rep
🏒 Destination Wedding
🧡 Found Family
🏒 He Falls First
🧡 Forced Proximity
🏒 One Bed
🧡 Barista y Hockey Player
🧡🏒 ARC Review 🧡🏒
Celeste, I'm so in love with Fulton & Shiloh 🥺💗
I’ve fallen in love with the Riverside Reapers series and don't want to say goodbye - all the books have captured my heart 🥹💗 Celeste knows exactly how to write books that you can relate to and fall in love with – every single one was absolutely beautiful. You feel like you're part of their characters' friendship group. What's more, Celeste has a wonderful way of writing that you instantly fall in love with – I love you so much 🥹
Shiloh, my sweet hard working sunshine. She's working at her parents' coffee shop but the family business is struggling a bit - therefore she works every day to support her family, working hard to take over the family business in the future and make her parents proud. You can tell that her family means a lot to her, but she puts their welfare before her own - so when Fulton - her crush - asks her to be his plus one at his teammate's wedding it's her chance to prioritize herself.
Fulton - I love him so much 🥹💗 I never loved a man as much as I love him. He is the sweetest man ever. The way he harbored his feelings for his favorite Barista for 4 years - she is his soulmate 🥹💗 He is very shy and doesn't know how to ask Shiloh out on a date - but when he finally asks her to be his plus one for the wedding he is the luckiest man on earth 💗
I loved how Fulton became so confident around Shiloh and how he constantly blushed around her. And I loved how Shiloh became friends with the hockey players' girlfriends 🥹💗 All of them were so supportive of Shiloh and Fulton, they wanted both of them to be happy.
Both of them also made me emotional, like Fulton feeling like he is broken and Shi feeling like she has to be the glue to her family all the time - these two needed each other so much. The way he loves it when she talks too 😭💗 And the fact that Fulton researched Shi's hair type so he could help her take care of it? Fulton is THE book boyfriend - I love him so much 🥹💗
I'm so sad that the Riverside Reapers series has come to an end - Celeste, I'm so incredibly proud of you 🥹
Thank you so much Celeste for the ARC 🫶🏻💗
Tropes:
🧡 Hockey Romance
🏒 Friends to Lovers
🧡 Social Anxiety Rep
🏒 Destination Wedding
🧡 Found Family
🏒 He Falls First
🧡 Forced Proximity
🏒 One Bed
🧡 Barista y Hockey Player
🧡🏒 ARC Review 🧡🏒
Celeste, I'm so in love with Fulton & Shiloh 🥺💗
I’ve fallen in love with the Riverside Reapers series and don't want to say goodbye - all the books have captured my heart 🥹💗 Celeste knows exactly how to write books that you can relate to and fall in love with – every single one was absolutely beautiful. You feel like you're part of their characters' friendship group. What's more, Celeste has a wonderful way of writing that you instantly fall in love with – I love you so much 🥹
Shiloh, my sweet hard working sunshine. She's working at her parents' coffee shop but the family business is struggling a bit - therefore she works every day to support her family, working hard to take over the family business in the future and make her parents proud. You can tell that her family means a lot to her, but she puts their welfare before her own - so when Fulton - her crush - asks her to be his plus one at his teammate's wedding it's her chance to prioritize herself.
Fulton - I love him so much 🥹💗 I never loved a man as much as I love him. He is the sweetest man ever. The way he harbored his feelings for his favorite Barista for 4 years - she is his soulmate 🥹💗 He is very shy and doesn't know how to ask Shiloh out on a date - but when he finally asks her to be his plus one for the wedding he is the luckiest man on earth 💗
I loved how Fulton became so confident around Shiloh and how he constantly blushed around her. And I loved how Shiloh became friends with the hockey players' girlfriends 🥹💗 All of them were so supportive of Shiloh and Fulton, they wanted both of them to be happy.
Both of them also made me emotional, like Fulton feeling like he is broken and Shi feeling like she has to be the glue to her family all the time - these two needed each other so much. The way he loves it when she talks too 😭💗 And the fact that Fulton researched Shi's hair type so he could help her take care of it? Fulton is THE book boyfriend - I love him so much 🥹💗
I'm so sad that the Riverside Reapers series has come to an end - Celeste, I'm so incredibly proud of you 🥹
Thank you so much Celeste for the ARC 🫶🏻💗
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