If you’re looking for a new book series to read then keep reading my Windy City by Liz Tomforde book series review to see if these sports romance books are something you would enjoy.
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Author
Liz Tomforde is an author of contemporary romance filled with healthy relationships and characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Beisdes being an author, Liz is also a flight attendant for an NHL team which is where she got the idea for Mile High. In 2020 when the hockey season was postponed due to the pandemic she decided to use her free time to write and I’m so glad she did.
Mile High
Chicago hockey isn’t complete without the man everyone loves to hate, Evan Zanders. Zanders knows his role and plays it well. He loves spending the majority of his game in the penalty box and leaving the arena with a different girl every night. What Zanders doesn’t like is the new flight attendant for the teams private plane. She doesn’t fall at his feet like the others have, in fact, she gives him attitude. But she works for him, not the other way around. Zanders will be sure to remind her of that and guarantees that she’ll be begging to quit her job by the end of the season.
Stevie Shay has been a flight attendant for a few years. She thought she’d seen it all until her job lands her working on board for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL. But suddenly Stevie is second guessing everything. Including her promise to herself to never be with an athlete again. No matter how tempting Zanders may be.
The Right Move
Ryan Shay is the new captain of Chicago’s NBA team the Devils. He has a lot on his plate and the last thing he needs is his sisters best friend Indy moving into his apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting. But when the team’s general manager vocalizes his disapproval or Ryan being the captain due to him being unapproachable and having no work-life balance. Ryan decides on a whim to tell him that his new roommate is actually his fun loving, outgoing girlfriend. The only problem is, faking with Indy feels far too easy. This wasn’t supposed to get so completed, especially when she wants all the romantic things Ryan can’t give her.
Indy Ivers never imagined I’d be living with her best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. What’s even more unbelievable is he’s asked her to act like the loving girlfriend that’s changed him into a friendly approachable guy which is far from the truth considering Ryan is controlling of his space and untrusting of others. The arrangement has benefits for Indy though. Ryan has agreed to be her date to her childhood friends wedding where her ex-boyfriend and Ryan’s biggest fan will be in attendance. Lines start to blur that make it impossible to tell the difference between real and fake. Falling for her roommate was never part of Indy’s plan, especially when Ryan made it clear he doesn’t believe in love.
Caught up
Kai is a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. He’s feeling stretched too thin but still doesn’t want help raising his son. Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before he let them go. But now, his couch is putting his foot down and hiring the one person he can’t fire. His coaches daughter. Miller Montgomery is the last person he should fall for. She’s young, wild, and unattached. Chicago is a quick stop for her. He thought he’d be counting down the days until she left. But instead he wishes the summer could last forever.
Miller is a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in her industry, and she’s desperate to prove she deserves it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and she can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save her life. With only two months before she needs to get back in the kitchen, she should be spending all her time working on new recipes. But instead, I let my dad talk her into using her time off to nanny for his star player’s son. She loves to get under Kai’s skin and remind him what fun feels like. But when he and his son start to feel like home, she needs to remind herself and Kai, that her time in Chicago is temporary.
Play Along
Kennedy Kay is the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors baseball team. After years of dealing with the sexist head doctor, hoping he’ll see how great she is at her job, she’s desperate to land her dream job on another team next year. All she needs to do is maintain her professional reputation for the rest of the season and ace her interviews. But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving her with a fuzzy memory and a ring on her left hand. Now, not only is she legally stuck with the most persistent man she’s ever met, but thanks to his scheme to save her job, she has to pretend that this was a planned elopement and not a horrible drunken mistake. Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, frustratingly charming, and also happens to be Kennedy’s new husband. Unfortunately for Kennedy, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. It follows you back home.
As the shortstop for Chicago’s baseball team, Isaiah’s had his fair share of fun. But all that ended when he realized Kennedy Kay was finally single. He’s had a crush on the team’s athletic trainer since she joined the team. He’s flirted with her constantly with no luck. So imagine his surprise when he wakes up in Vegas married to the girl he’s been pinning after for years. She agreed to stay married to him for the remainder of the baseball season to keep her job safe. But in Isaiah’s mind, this is the perfect opportunity to convince her that they’re meant for each other.
Rewind It Back
When Hallie Hart was eleven, she moved next door to Rio. When she was thirteen, he was her first crush. When she was sixteen they fell for each other. When she was nineteen, they broke each other’s hearts. Six years later, Hallie has landed her dream interior design internship in a new city. Unfortunately, it’s Chicago, the city he plays hockey for. She thought Chicago would be big enough to avoid him. But shockingly, she ends up moving right next door to him. What’s even worse, the project she’s supposed to renovate in hopes of turning her internship into a full time job, is his house. How is she supposed to update his house when they can barely stand to be in the same room. Hallie may have loved Rio once, but a lot has happened in the past six years. She’s not that girl anymore.
Rio never thought he’d be the only single one left in his friend group. But after years of trying, he’s convinced it may not exist for him anymore. That is, until he accidentally hires Hallie to renovate his house and their jaded history has him reliving memories he’s kept secret for years. He’s been keeping a big secret from his friends. The connection he’s been looking for since he moved to Chicago, he already found when he was twelve yeas old. And now the only girl he’s ever loved, is living next door. Again.
Quotes
“You don’t have to love your body every single day. That’s unrealistic to expect, but I’ll be here loving it for the days you can’t.”
“But the truth is, I do want to be loved, and that’s scary to admit. It’s a lot easier to say you don’t want to be loved when no one loves you.”
“I love that you read romance novels to feel something. I love that you love flowers and plants because nurturing and allowing something to grow is second nature to you. I love that you experience every emotion so hard it takes over your entire body. But baby, I want to be the one to make you feel how your favorite books do.”
“At some point, I should probably tell her that my love language is whichever one she wants it to be so she can stop guessing. I’ll make sure that girl feels loved however she needs.”
“If you ever decide to stop running and make a home…” His eyes are begging, pleading. “Make it with me.”
“Life is meant to be spent chasing happiness.”
“You’ve never gotten a say in your own life, and the last thing I’m going to do is take that away from you again. Every option is yours, Kenny. Whatever you want to do, I will be your biggest supporter. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t allow you the space to fulfill your goals, to live up to everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“How lucky am I that I get to love and be loved so effortlessly?”
“Spoken or unspoken, I’ve always loved you.”
“I pick a song when something cool or important happens so I can remember it. Then when I want to relive a moment, I rewind it back and start the song from the beginning.” ”
My Review
I’ve heard so many great things about the Windy City series so I was so excited to start Mile High. The rave reviews were so right, I loved this book. Zanders was a little annoying at first with his play boy attitude but the way he changes when he falls for Stevie is amazing and its so great to see his transformation into being who he truly is without the act. Stevie is such a likeable character. I love a strong women who doesn’t cower to the men around them like Stevie when Zanders gave her attitude when they first met. Stevie was such an easy character to root for and I loved seeing her come into her own and be confident. Zanders and Stevie compliment each other as a couple in such an unexpected way and they were a great introduction to this series. I rate this book 3.5/5 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes a forbidden romance, forced proximity, hockey romance.
I’ve heard so much about The Right Move and specifically Ryan Shay and now I understand why. Ryan is the perfect book boyfriend. He cares so much for those around him and worked hard to be everything for both his sister and Indy. Ryan will be an MMC that future MMC’s are compared too and I think very few will get close to him. I loved Indy and felt really connected to her. We’re very similar in a lot of ways, including her emotional side and I love that no one made her feel bad about it. It’s part of who she is and that makes her special. Ryan and Indy are such an amazing couple together. They’re both so caring and know what the other needs which is so important. This book was an easy 5/5 stars for me and I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you love fake dating, roommates, best friend’s boyfriend, and forced proximity then you’ll love this book.
When it comes to The Windy City series, Caught Up is the one I’ve heard about the least and I can’t understand why. I love the single dad/nanny trope and I think this one was done really well. I love that Miller had such a successful career that kept her so busy but of course, she was so stubborn which was a little difficult to read about. I did love reading about her realizing what she really wanted in life and learning that it’s fine if what you always pictured isn’t what you want now. I really liked Kai as an MMC. It’s always fun for the MMC to be a professional sports player but I loved that in this book you got a glimpse at his single dad life as well. Kai and Miller were such an unexpected but great match and I loved reading about them falling for each other, no matter how much they fought it. I rate this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to anyone who loves single dad/nanny, coaches daughter, and forced proximity romances.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about Play Along and the rave is completely warranted. I loved this book more than I thought I would and still think about it all the time. I loved reading about Kennedy. The fact that she was so successful in her career and pushed herself to be even better despite having no support from her family is so admirable. Isaiah is the ultimate MMC with how much he cares for his friends, family, and how he treats Kennedy. Their relationship was so sweet and it was so nice to read how they cared for each other, were what the other needed, and lifted each other up even before they were officially together. This book was an easy 5/5 stars for me and I recommend it to anyone who likes accidental marriage, rival’s sister, and he falls first and harder romances.
After reading the rest of the Windy City series I didn’t think I would love Rewind It Back as much as I did. Rio seemed like such a goofy, fun-loving character but he turned out to be so much more. The secret he kept of his past relationship with Hallie was so shocking after reading the other books. And even though they ended their relationship as teenagers in a horrible way, he never stopped loving her. I don’t think an MMC has ever loved anyone the way Rio loved Hallie. He loved her so stongly for so long, even when he had no business loving her. He is easily a new top MMC for me. Hallie was such a good match for Rio. She’s so strong, driven, and cares about her family just as much as Rio. She sacrificed so much in her life and I’m so happy that her and Rio made their was back to each other the way they did. This book was easily a 5/5 star read for me and I recommend it to anyone who likes childhood friends to lovers, neighbours, and second chance romance.
And that’s the end of my Windy City by Liz Tomforde book series review. I absolutely loved this series and couldn’t recommend it enough. If I had to list my favourite books from first to last I would pick; Rewind It Back, The Right Move, Play Along, Caught Up, then Mile High. My top three are so close to each other and my rankings may change depending on the day. They were just that good. If you read these books let me know in the comments and if you loved them as much as I did. If you’re looking for other books to read check out these reviews: See You At The Summit, The Love Hypothesis, Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal.
