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Infinity stars for this one. We get Ruby who is shy, wears cardigans, loves books, stays home most of the time, awkward, no confidence, but so loyal and honest and fun. (So basically I see myself in her!) Then enter her old neighbor Griffin. Except he's no longer the boy she remembers, he's this beast of a man that just wants someone to believe in him, but is stuck labeled by his past.

You do not understand how thoughtful this man was. He was EVERYTHING to Ruby and for Ruby. This author took you for a deep dive and forced you through every range of emotion while reading. At one point I gasped so loud (and probably said a few choice words 🫣) while fighting a losing battle with tears, that both of my kids were asking what was wrong.

You have to read this. I need a physical copy for my shelf. I also need the author to write a book about Liam pronto. Please and thank you.

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This smalltown, childhood friend's book was wonderful. The banter between Griffin and Ruby was fun to read.
Ruby is the town's librarian who is afraid of getting her heart broken. Griffin is from her childhood and a pro football player.

When their paths cross because Ruby needs help there is no denying the chemistry they have!

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📖 ʟᴇꜱꜱᴏɴꜱ ɪɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ – ᴋᴀʀʟᴀ ꜱᴏʀᴇɴꜱᴇɴ
🎧 ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ: ꜱᴀᴍᴀɴᴛʜᴀ ʙʀᴇɴᴛᴍᴏᴏʀ, ᴀɪᴅᴇɴ ꜱɴᴏᴡ
🗣️ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʏᴘᴇ: ᴅᴜᴀʟ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ (ʀᴜʙʏ ᴛᴀᴛᴇ & ɢʀɪꜰꜰɪɴ ᴋɪɴɢ)
⏱️ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʟᴇɴɢᴛʜ: 10 hrs and 23 mins
ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢꜱ, ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1

"Lessons in Heartbreak" by Karla Sorensen just SLAYED me! 🎧 If you're into those super swoony small-town romances with a killer slow burn and all the feels, you NEED this book in your life!

This story centers around Ruby Tate, our shy, never-been-in-a-relationship librarian in her thirties, who bravely decides to hire an escort to get over her intimacy fears. But plot twist! Instead of the escort, her childhood neighbor and now famous pro football player, Griffin King, shows up! What?! Griffin, with his "player" rep, secretly admires Ruby and volunteers to help her in the "friend zone." Watching him give her "lessons" in confidence and dating, while their friendship deepens into undeniable chemistry, is pure magic. Karla Sorensen crafts characters who are so real, dealing with their own pasts (like Ruby's medical history and Griffin's family drama), making their journey to trust and love incredibly beautiful. You'll be rooting for them SO hard!

🎧 And the narrators?! Samantha Brentmoor and Aiden Snow were phenomenal. Samantha perfectly captured Ruby's vulnerability and growing confidence, and Aiden brought Griffin's charming, slightly notorious, but deeply protective vibe to life so well. Their dual narration pulled me right into their heads, making every emotional beat feel authentic. Such a fantastic listen! 🤩

If you're craving a forced proximity, opposites-attract, sports romance that delivers on all the feels and a truly satisfying HEA, stop what you're doing and grab this one! It’s everything you want in contemporary romance.

Tropes: Small Town Romance, Sports Romance (Football!), Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Opposites Attract, Childhood Acquaintances, Good Girl/Bad Boy (sort of!), Friendship to Lovers, Healing Hearts.

4🌟 — So. Much. Heart. Obsessed!

#LessonsInHeartbreak #KarlaSorensen #TheKingsSeries #AudiobookReview #SportsRomance #ForcedProximity #OppositesAttract #SlowBurn #RomanceBooks #Bookstagram #AudiobookLover #MustListen #BookRecommendation

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GodDAMN this book is good. Karla Sorensen is a one-click author for me and this book was swoony, steamy, 5-STAR magic!

I loved these two and their shared childhood memories. From their funny reconnection to the last page of this book I was hooked!

SPICE LEVEL: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
CONTENT WARNING: heart disease, non-fatal car accident
FEELS: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.
POV: Dual - M/F - 1st Person

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I really liked the flirtiness of this book! Ruby is so sweet and just the right amount of awkward to identify with. Griffin is a sweet man who basically stood by Ruby, helping to build her up so that she became who she needed to be to be with this hockey player. I have to admit that I was a little late to the game and ended up having the opportunity to read and listen as part of the KU experience and I loved the opportunity to live through this book with Aiden Snow and Samantha Brentmoor narrating. I smiled a lot through this story and just having the auditory magic bring it to life- perfect. Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the arc, and sorry life got in the way of a timely review but thank you all the same!

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Aahh Ruby and Griffin were easy to read. Loved the banter between these two.

Ruby is a good girl, shy librarian and has trouble in the dating field. She pays an escort to teach her to be more confident and help her secure decent dates, but then Griffin walks in. It's all fun and games from there. Ruby doesn't know Griffin is a big time playboy football player that's hiding out in her town.

I felt so much for Ruby and I just loved how Griffin was patient with her. How he let her lead and made her comfortable.

I love this author's work. She always has a good backstory to the characters and this book wasn't any different. I can't wait to read more of her.

Ruby and Griffin got 4,25 stars

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Ruby is a librarian who isn’t comfortable dating so she is convinced by her best friend to hire an escort aka dating coach. She believes that she is meeting her dating coach but after some awkwardness she realizes that isn’t the case and instead it is Griffin, her childhood neighbor and professional football player.

Griffin is facing some changes both when it comes to his career and his personal life. When he finds out about Ruby’s situation he is more than willing to be her teacher however she teaches him so much as well.

At first glance Ruby and Griffin are complete opposites, but they couldn’t be more perfect for each other. He helps her emerge from her cocoon and shows her she is perfect just the way she is while she sees the man he is beneath his public persona and that man will have you smitten. Their journey is romantic and finds the perfect balance between humor and emotion.

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This story is so cute! A shy librarian wants some help in the dating department, her old friend, now a famous football player happens to be in the right place at the right time. He helps her with dating tips while he takes so,e time off to recover from his life. Loved the banter between these two. Super cute friends to lovers story.

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This book was such an incredible read. The writing was done so perfectly. From start to finish I couldn't put this book down. The chemistry the characters have is off the charts. This is a book you need to get your hands on. The plot is great and well planned out. There is so much of this book that I loved but I don't want to give anything away. I look forward to the next book from this amazing author.

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Thank you netgalley and the author for the ARC!
3.5 stars
Karla is an auto read author to me and I did enjoy this book! The FMC is a librarian who is wanting to up the steam level in her life. The MMC is the bad boy previous next door neighbor who is happy to help with the FMC steam level issues.
This was a quick easy read with some emotional elements. It reminded me of RS greys Make Me Bad that I loved. I think if you haven’t read a lot of of this trope you’ll enjoy this one a lot and if you’ve read a lot of this trope you’ll still enjoy the ride but won’t be obsessed.

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I loved, loved, LOVED this book! Karla Sorensen has entered the "auto-buy" tier of authors for me. The characters were so delightful, with relatable issues that required work by the characters to move past. I also really enjoy when the female is the "grumpy" one in the grumpy-sunshine trope.

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Lessons in Heartbreak by Karla Sorensen
Ok I don’t know about you but I’m in love with Griffin King. He was the absolute perfect book boyfriend. He was pretty perfect in every aspect and I hated that any one ever made him feel less than how amazing he was. I especially hated that it was as his own twin brother the one who made him feel so empty and insecure about himself. Then we have Ruby I hated that she felt so uncomfortable in her own skin. However her reasoning made complete sense why she would feel that way and it broke my heart. So I love that they reconnected as adults because they were both in need of each other without even knowing it. They were each other’s missing pieces and they didn’t even know it. I absolutely loved their journey and how much they cared for each other. Fear can be scary but love can overcome it all. Definitely a great story and I’m looking forward to what comes next.

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This book had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. The connections and relationships in this book were amazing and the chemistry was on another level. Add this to your tbr list and you wont' be disappointed.

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As usual, I devoured a Karla Sorensen book. Probably some of my favorite banter in a book by her ever. The way the they talked to each other added another layer to their chemistry. I loved learning more about the characters as the story progressed. It was serious but with the right amount of humor that it made for a very balanced and enjoyable story.

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So much is going on in this story, the two main characters, Griffin, who is now a football star, and Ruby, the shy librarian, would not be a perfect couple, but they work. It also helps that they lived next door to one another while growing up, and they were able to work out some of those past issues. Griffin is also dealing with issues with his brother, who has stopped playing and has become a coach. He still feels less than because of past issues with his brother and those days in college. A good story about forgiveness and finally finding someone.

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FMC Ruby is a rule follower and exceeds everyone’s expectations (a true Good Girl). She also loves her life as a small town librarian. She is 30 years old and just wants the elusive “more” from life. She has lots of friends, but no intimacy or romantic relationships. She decides to hire a male escort to help her overcome her fears and to teach her about romance. Enter MMC Griffin King who shows up to the coffee shop at the same time as Ruby’s scheduled meeting. Ruby mistakenly thinks Griffin is her escort AND she remembers Griffin as the boy who was her neighbor and teased her mercilessly. She had a crush on his twin brother, Barrett. Griffin is a pro football player in town to lay low and await a new contract. He his thrilled to run into Ruby again and more than willing to play whatever role she wants him to play and teach her whatever she wants. A swoony romance story ensues as does some terrific banter! The chemistry between these two characters is palpable and Ruby and Griffin have everything needed to make you eat up their story! I really, really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for more books in the series!

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

•Griffin & Ruby
The Kings book 1

*I was provided an ARC of this book by the author and their promotional team

I said it once, and I'll say it for months to come, this is one of my FAVORITE reads of the YEAR!!

Ruby Tate is tired of being the shy, inexperienced, small town girl. As the librarian her little town in Colorado, the dating pool is "small"...if not, non-existent. Desperate to spread her wings, she signs up for an "escort" service to get some dating advice. In a fateful turn of events, instead of her assigned "date", she come face to face with none other than football royalty Griffin King. The two where childhood neighbors, but when Ruby and her family moved away during high school, Griffin forgot about the nerdy girl that used to watch him and his twin brother from her treehouse. The universe has thrown them together again, and Griffin cant help but be intrigued by Ruby Tate. When Ruby's "escort" plans go up in flames, she ask Griffin to fill the role of "dating advisor" before she could give it a second thought. Griffin happily accepts, but pretty quickly he's realizing that teaching Ruby won't be his biggest challenge, it will be trying to resist his attraction and developing feelings for her. Ruby has made it clear that she's not a safe bet when it comes to a long term relationship, and since Colorado will soon become Griffin's new home, he's not sure he can let her go knowing she's so close...

I love a good opposites attract, classic athlete/ nerdy girl story which Griffin & Ruby encompassed, but their story has SOO much more heart. Griffin King is the ultimate cinnamon roll MMC, and the way he continually showed up for and supported Ruby was my absolute un-doing. The little plot twist in the middle of the book had me in shambles, but I never rooted for a couple harder. I resonated so much with Ruby fear and hesitation to commitment so I admired her bravery in letting Griffin in. I laugh, cried, smiled so big, and kicked by feet in excitement while reading this book. It's the PERFECT blend of emotions and I cannot thank @karla_sorensen enough for a PHENOMENAL READ!

*available on KU

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I absolutely adored this book. Ruby and Griffin just fit. There was no extreme over the top love it was a friendship that blossomed into a huge love. They learned from each other and grew personally. The side characters were absolutely wonderful. It all just felt right. Which I should never expect anything less from Karla. I will be waiting impatiently for the next book

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Karla Sorensen delivers another winner with this one! Ruby Tate is the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for—a shy, bookish librarian who’s spent most of her life playing it safe. When she accidentally mistakes her childhood crush, pro football player Griffin King, for the escort she hired to help her overcome her fear of intimacy, the resulting mix-up is total rom-com meet-cute. Griffin, with his easy charm and unexpected depth, is the perfect foil to Ruby’s cautious nature. What starts as an awkward misunderstanding quickly turns into a tender, slow-burn connection that had me grinning like a fool.

Sorensen excels at crafting characters who feel real—flawed, layered, and impossible not to love. Ruby’s journey from self-doubt to self-assurance is beautifully written, and Griffin’s playboy-with-a-heart-of-gold persona is balanced by moments of surprising emotional depth. I loved how they challenged one another with their respective long-time issues, but also made each other look to the future in different ways.

And yes, this book *did* make me cry—just a little—but in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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4.5 stars - Lesson in Heartbreak has so much heart, heat and just the right amount of humor, its darn near perfect. Childhood neighbors meet again as adults and Griffin isn't bored anymore and Ruby can't get away with letting life pass her by any longer. Reading these childhood friends reconnect and fall in love was really special.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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