Published by Big Dog Books, LLC on January 13, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
As a star left-winger for the Pittsburgh Titans, Atlas Karolak thrives on the ice but keeps his personal life uncomplicated. That all changes when tragedy strikes, pushing him into an unlikely partnership that tests his patience, challenges his heart, and threatens to rewrite everything he thought he knew about love and family.
Playing professional hockey wasn’t just a dream, it was the only one that ever mattered. I’ve worked my whole life for this career, and now that I’m playing for the Pittsburgh Titans, I’m exactly where I want to be. My life feels complete.
Until the day it doesn’t.
Losing my best friend to cancer shatters me in ways I didn’t see coming. And as I’m trying to figure out how to say goodbye, I’m blindsided again—because he’s named me and Maddie St. James as joint guardians of his daughter.
Maddie and I… we’re not friends. We’re barely acquaintances. If I’m oil, she’s water, and we’ve never managed to mix without friction. But for the sake of a little girl who’s already lost too much, we need to find neutral ground and figure out how to co-parent.
Are we capable? I’d like to think so. Are we scared out of our minds? Without a doubt. Can we put our differences aside and work together? Honestly, it depends on the day. But when stress turns into stolen glances, which turn into nights we can’t take back, our partnership gets a whole lot more complicated.
Because what started as obligation is starting to feel a lot like forever.
Maddie and Atlas had lost their best friend, and it seemed Grey was doing some matchmaking from the great beyond by naming them both guardian for his daughter Grace.
This book started by ripping my heart out. Being there near the end of Grey's life gutted me, and I cannot lie, my heart broke for Grace. Here was this little girl, not even a year old, and she had already lost her mother and father. Though I felt she was left in very capable and loving hands, I could only think that this would still effect her. I wonder if Bennett will do a "next generation" series. If she does, I hope Grace gets a book.
Atlas and Maddie were very different, but Grey was their person, their constant, their family. They both had a huge hole in their life to fill, and it was wonderful they got to ease that pain by taking care of Grace. I adored this little trio and was rooting for a friendship and more to form between Atlas and Maddie. I thought they meshed together well and admired how they accepted the challenge to co-parent Grace.
I grew to really adore Atlas. He had a tough upbringing, but he really showed he was dad-material. The moments shared between him and Grace were precious. Atlas was loyal, and he proved it with his actions. There was this one scene where he stood up for Maddie and it made me want to cheer. I adored how this was all wrapped up even if it felt a bit rushed because I am a sucker for show stopping stuff like that.
Published on November 17, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
When her world is shattered, a single mother must summon every ounce of strength and determination to rebuild a future for herself and her five precious boys. Can she save her Montana ranch and protect her babies?
Stella
I’m a mother above all else. My boys are my life and my heart. When I’m suddenly raising them alone, I must face the possibility of selling the ranch that’s been in my family for generations.
The last thing on my mind is finding a second chance at love. Yet, when a buttoned-up banker offers his assistance, I can’t help but say yes. Will the man in a suit and leather loafers be the key to my next chapter?
Jasper
When I agreed to open a bank branch in a small town in western Montana, I had no idea how much I would love life in a sleepy community full of cowboys and cowgirls. Things get even more interesting when I meet Stella. She’s a mother of five adorable boys with the prettiest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. She also has a rundown ranch in desperate need of repair.
I’m only a city boy in a suit with no business on a ranch. Yet, Stella and her boys feel like home. Can I convince her I’m the one to repair her broken heart and her ranch?
This clean and wholesome series starter will warm hearts as Stella and Jasper make a family from the broken parts of trampled dreams in this opposites-attract, contemporary romance.
It had been a longtime coming, but divorce was finally on the horizon for Stella when her husband leaves her for what will be the last time. Now, Stella must pick up the pieces and create a Rex-free life for her and her boys.
This was a very sweet story. Stella was a woman with grit who put up with too much for too long. She had been trying to keep the family ranch afloat while caring for her five boys with little support. The boys brought so much to this story. Each had their very own personality, and they all charmed me. Jasper fit so well in their world, too. I loved him as their father figure. He had a respect for women which was a direct result of his upbringing by a strong, single mom, and that was the type of man Stella needed. Though one of the twists was obvious, the other shocked me, but I suppose it made things neater?
Overall: A warm romance where I was rooting for everyone and terribly invested in the fate of Jasper, Stella and her boys.
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