The Blocks We Make (Rixton U 3) by Brooke O’Brien-review tour

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Sandy

The Blocks We Make (Rixton U 3) by Brooke O’Brien-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 3, 2026

I wasn’t supposed to notice her.

The girl behind the bar with a guarded smile has something in her eyes that pulls me in. The one who insists she doesn’t need protecting—even after I watch them threaten her right in front of me.

Brinley isn’t just a risk. She’s a secret that certain people don’t want getting out.

I knew she was my head coach’s daughter. What I didn’t understand was why no one else did.

I’ve spent my whole life building a name on the ice. Now I’m being warned to stay away from her or risk losing everything I’ve worked for.

And the pressure doesn’t just come from the bench. The threats aren’t subtle anymore—stopping at nothing until she leaves town. They expect me to fall in line, focus on blocking shots, keep my mouth shut, and choose my career over her.

But they’re wrong.

Because this time, I’m not just protecting the net.

I’m protecting her. And the truth they’ll do anything to keep silent.

•••••••

REVIEW:THE BLOCKS WE MAKE is the second instalment in Brooke O’Brien’s contemporary, new adult RIXTON U erotic, hockey romance series, a spin off set in the author’s BRAYSEN U world.. This is college goalie Cooper Rowden, and student Brinley Taylor’s story line. THE BLOCKS WE MAKE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but there is an ongoing premise throughout.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Brinley and Cooper) THE BLOCK WE MAKE follows in the wake of the arrival of new Rixton U student Brinley Taylor, a young woman with a secret that is about to blow up not only her life but the life of the Rixton U hockey team. A part time job at a local bar, a loft apartment, and a car that is struggling to survive find Brinley on the brink of spiral when she becomes the target of some powerful yet unknown people. Meeting university star goalie Cooper Rowden finds Brinley at odd when their personal lives are about to collide, a collision that threatens Cooper future, and any chance of happiness for our story line couple.

The world building follows several intersecting pathways including the threats against Brinley, Cooper’s need to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love, and the possibility that the events in their lives are all part of a larger conspiracy.

The relationship between Brinley and Cooper is one of immediate attraction but Brinley is struggling to find with a direction in life, and the threats against our heroine seem personal and dark. Cooper is determined to protect Brinley , even at the risk of his future career, a future that he is hoping includes our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.

There is another large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and determined secondary and supporting characters including Cooper’s teammates: Kade, Reed, Talon, Gavin and his sister Wren, Rowdy, Coach Dawson, Coach Glasgow, and Cooper’s sister Atlee Rowden, and the introduction of new player Macklin Greer, a transfer.

THE BLOCKS WE MAKE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dramatic and dark; the romance is provocative and fated; the characters are desperate, dynamic and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

USA Today Bestselling author Brooke O’Brien writes steamy and swoon-worthy new adult and contemporary romances.

She believes a love worth having is worth fighting for, and she brings this into her stories where her characters risk it all for love.

If Brooke’s not writing or reading, she’s probably spending time with her family, binge-watching the latest crime documentary, indulging in chocolate, or watching Hawkeye football or NBA basketball.

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/brookesbookbabes

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Website: https://www.authorbrookeobrien.com

The Players We Hate (Rixton U 2) by Brooke O’Brien-review

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Sandy

The Players We Hate (Rixton U 2) by Brooke O’Brien-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK:Release Date

I never should’ve let Wren Perry get close—not with everything her last name cost mine.

She’s the governor’s daughter. Untouchable. Off-limits.

A walking reminder of everything I should hate.

She was a distraction I had no business touching. The kiss we shared? A cheap shot meant to rattle her brother, not leave a mark. But her lips hit harder than I expected, and the memory stuck like a bruise I can’t shake.

I’ve been off my game ever since. Now she’s back in my life, tied to my team in a way I can’t avoid. I don’t trust her. I shouldn’t want her. But every time she looks at me, I forget why I ever let her go.

Our season’s already hanging by a thread. Stats don’t match the game footage. Players are faking injuries. And Wren’s dropping clues like she wants to help me find the truth without ever saying a word.

They’re waiting for us to fall apart. They think I’ve lost my edge. But I’ve never backed down from a fight. This time, I’m not just playing for my team.

I’m playing for our season. For the truth. And for the girl I should’ve hated… but never could.

••••••

REVIEW: THE PLAYERS WE HATE is the first full-length instalment in Brooke O’Brien’s contemporary, new adult RIXTON U erotic, hockey romance series, a spin off set in the author’s BRAYSEN U world. This is team captain Talon Pierce, and the governor’s daughter Wren Perry’s story line. THE PLAYERS WE HATE can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the introductory novella THE PUCKS WE FREEZE. The events of THE PLAYERS WE HATE cross over with, and run parallel to the events of THE PUCKS WE FREEZE.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Wren and Talon) THE PLAYERS WE HATE follows the building but tempestuous relationship between our story line couple. Wren Perry has been raised to be the politician’s picture perfect daughter, for the picture perfect family that was anything but perfect but when the university’s hockey captain took a liking to our heroine, Wren was hoping to step out of her comfort zone, if only for a short while. Talon Pierce was aware of Wren Perry’s family, and the name that destroyed his family back home but Talon saw something different in our story line heroine until mistrust and previous betrayals had Talon pushing Wren out of his life. Months would pass, and the betrayals grew darker, until our heroine revealed the truth that would send the entire sports department into a spiral. Desperate for forgiveness, Talon would being another slow seduction of the woman with whom he would fall in love, a woman who would place her life and her future in the direct line of fire.

The world building follows Wren as she goes from the perfect daughter to a woman who is willing to risk it all for the truth. As our heroine begins to dig deeper into a possible scandal and corruption leading all the way to the top, Talon watches from the sidelines believing the betrayal comes from our story line heroine.

The relationship between Wren and Talon is a friends to enemies to frenemies to lovers in which issues of trust, secrets and miscommunication threaten the fragility of an already questionable relationship. Wren had hope Talon would see beyond the secrets she so desperately wanted to reveal but a past betrayal threatened any hope of a possible reconciliation. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Talon’s teammates: Gavin, Rowdy, Kate, Owen, Coach Dawson, his sister Tatum, as well as Wren’s parents Governor and Mrs Perry,her brother Wells, and her roommate Alisa.

THE PLAYERS WE HATE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, threats and blackmail, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is dramatic and edgy; the romance is seductive and impassioned; the characters are determined and charismatic.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of the prequel novella THE PUCKS WE FREEZE

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

USA Today Bestselling author Brooke O’Brien writes steamy and swoon-worthy new adult and contemporary romances.

She believes a love worth having is worth fighting for, and she brings this into her stories where her characters risk it all for love.

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/brookesbookbabes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorbrookeobrien

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrookeo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorbrookeo

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbrookeobrien

Website: https://www.authorbrookeobrien.com

THE PUCKS WE FREEZE (Rixton U .5) by Brooke O’Brien-review tour

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

THE PUCKS WE FREEZE (Rixton U .5) by Brooke O’Brien-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 22, 2025

I never expected to see Willow Anson again—not after the way she left.

No warning. No goodbye. No explanation.

She was the girl who got under my skin.

The one who kissed me like she meant it… and disappeared like none of it mattered. I’ve spent every day since convincing myself it didn’t.

Now she’s back in Rixton, staying at her family’s lodge while her dad recovers from surgery. And thanks to our parents’ surprise wedding, we’re stuck under the same roof.

She’s off-limits. My new stepsister. But the way she looks at me says she remembers everything.

And the tension between us? It’s anything but frozen.

I’ve trained my whole life to handle pressure—on and off the ice. The last thing I need is a distraction in the middle of a season that’s already falling apart.

Games are being thrown. Players are faking injuries. And Willow’s holding on to the photos that could expose everything.

They’re watching. Threatening. Waiting for us to slip.

But I’m not just playing defense anymore.

I’m fighting for the truth. For my team.

And for the girl I never stopped wanting.

•••

REVIEW: THE PUCKS WE FREEZE is the introductory novella in Brooke O’Brien’s contemporary, new adult RIXTON U hockey romance series, a spin off, set in the author’s BRAYSEN U world., This is journalism student Willow Anson, and university hockey player Kade Brooks’ story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Willoa and Kade) THE PUCKS WE FREEZE focuses on the return of Willow Anson to her hometown in the wake of her estranged father’s surgery, and his marriage she knew nothing about. Working at the family owned lodge, Willow will come face to face with her one-night stand from months earlier, Kade Brooks, the Rixton U hockey player whom she will discover is her new step-brother. Struggling to remain distant, Willow finds herself pulled into the aura that is our story line hero, a man who is about to find himself the target of threats as the team for which he plays, may be under attack.

The world building introduces some of the characters are back ground of the author’s new Rixton U series, a series focusing on university hockey players, the women with whom they will fall in love, and a potential case of betrayal and revenge.

The relationship between Willow and Kade begins as a one night stand months earlier in which our heroine ghosted before Kade awoke. Kade is determined to seduce the woman that has starred in his fantasies and dreams but our couple find themselves investigating a possible betrayal that places them in the direct line of fire. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include Willow’s father, Kade’s mother Lynette; several members of the Rixton U hockey team including Gavin, Rowdy, Owen, Talon, coach Dawson; and Governor Perry’s daughter Wren.

THE PUCKS WE FREEZE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and threats, investigations and mystery, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is fated and impassioned; the characters are desperate and determined. THE PUCKS WE FREEZE ends on a happily ever after-for now-there is more story to tell. The conflict has yet to be resolved.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy