This was a good palate cleanser romance. I’ve been in a big book slump lately and this helped me just read and turn my brain off. Not my favorite but definitely was what I needed in the moment.

Griffin has to work at getting Ruby to open her heart!

Librarian Ruby Tate needed someone to help make her more comfortable with dating and hiring an escort as a dating coach was the way to build her confidence. She never expected to mistake her former neighbor Griffin King for the escort since she hadn’t seen him and his twin brother since her family had moved to Colorado as a teen.

Football star Griffin King was stuck Welling Spring by his agent trying to hide from the media storm when he said too much about his twin brother while he waited to sign his new contract for Denver. But finding out that Ruby needed lessons about love was what he was looking for in his future.

I loved reading about Ruby and Griffin because he had to work trying to get Ruby to open her heart and mind about love.

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

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Lessons in Heartbreak, and I loved it! I’ve always been a Karla Sorensen fan, and a sports romance with a librarian MFC, sold a thousand times over!

A great book for me is where I am able to fall for both main characters separately and get behind them as a couple. This was definitely the case with Ruby and Griffin. Each were going through a significant transition point in their lives and navigating it as best they could. A really enjoyed that they had the childhood history but also didn’t allow that to cloud getting to know each other as adults.

They were slow burn in the best way, being friends and supporting each other before they were anything official. The storyline with Griffin broke my heart (and I can’t wait to watch it repair in the next book) but I loved that it gave Ruby the opportunity to stand up for him and be 100% in his corner.

As a massive Jane Austen fan, I loved the sprinkling of her books throughout this one. Football players and Jane Austen? A winning and hilarious combination I didn’t know I needed. Excellent start to the series, and I can’t wait to read more. Thanks again for the ARC!

Another touchdown by Karla. In this new football series, we are introduced to Ruby and Griffin. Griffin a star football player and Ruby a small-town librarian. These two use to live next to each other growing up but haven't seen each other in years. Ruby needs someone to teach her about dating and enlists the help of Griffin. What ensues is a sweet heartwarming connection between two friends that have more in common than you would think. Be prepared for some secrets to be revealed, some nice spice and a typical knockout book by Karla Sorensen. Already looking forward to the next book in the series.

Griffin is a misunderstood bad boy of football. The fun loving twin who finds himself when the quiet girl from his past shows him that it’s ok to be who you are!!

Griffin and Ruby are serious couple goals. My goodness their love had me swooning and falling so hard right along with them. Griffin….book boyfriend PERFECTION! I love the Jane Austen refrences and just how easy it was to fall into the pages of this book and not want to leave.

Also as a Colorado girl and Denver loving fan this book had me giddy that it takes “place” here. Though it was the quirky, strong librarian and her hilarious, literature loving footballer that kept my attention and had me in love with everything about this book.

Perfect book to hold you over until football season comes again.

Lessons in Heartbreak was my first Karla Sorenson, but will not be my last! I loved how easy to read this was! It totally pulled me in and kept my attention (at a time when my focus is nil). The lessons, childhood acquaintances, opposites attract tropes are always a lot of fun for me.

At its core, this is a story about fear, and if we can be brave enough to love someone, when the future is unknown or downright scary. It also is about the roles we find ourselves playing due to the expectations of others and how it can be so tough to break out of those patterns.

I loved how Griffin got sucked into Jane Austen adaptations and romance novels. How he was always really listening to Ruby. I really identified with Ruby in many ways. From the Type A achiever who was a bit of a shy nerd in HS, to having had a major health scare. I totally felt that pressure to be what was expected, and cause no one to worry. The only part that didn’t quite work for me in this book was that she had gotten to 30 and was in this situation.

While Griffin is a professional football player, this takes place in the off season, so the sportsball impact is small. Ruby is a librarian, and in the current climate where funding for libraries is being slashed, the storyline about the library hit close to home.

This was a fun read with a lot of heart and I really enjoyed i!

I am so happy this is a series because I can't wait for the next book to come out! I love when a romance book isn't just all fluff, but has great character development, and we can see them grow and learn about themselves and overcome obstacles, and its not just all sunshine and rainbows, and this has this in spades. It Is kinda a childhood friends to lovers because Griffin and Ruby were neighbors when they were younger until she moved away, although she had a crush on his twin brother and they never were friends.

Ruby was feeling very insecure with her, eh, dating life, so her friend Lauren convinced her to hire a professional escort to give her lessons to help her learn how to be more comfortable. Griffin, who is now an NFL player, is in town, staying at his agent's house on a timeout after getting into some trouble bad-mouthing his twin brother at a press conference, recognizes grown up Ruby at the coffee shop where she was supposed to meet the escort and offers to help her.

Who is the teacher and who is the student?

I love Karla Sorensen books. She writes relatable stories with just the right amount of romance. Ruby and Griffin’s story was cute - I liked the backstory of how they knew each other when they were younger. Ruby’s health back story gave depth to how one lives their life. It was a pleasure to read the ARC. Thank you NetGalley

Ruby and Griffin’s story is the stuff dreams are made of! Ruby Tate is a smart, wholesome, soft-spoken librarian in Welling Springs, Colorado, trying to rebuild her confidence. When she runs into her childhood crush—now NFL superstar Griffin King—at her local coffee shop, she’s less than thrilled. She remembers him as cocky and unreachable, and at first, she can’t stand him. But what she doesn’t know is that Griffin is about to become very smitten with her.

Determined to win her over, he starts reading all her book recommendations (even the steamy ones) and watching her favorite movies—yes, including Pride and Prejudice. What begins as him helping her feel comfortable around men again slowly transforms into something deeper, as Griffin unexpectedly falls hard. Their love story is everything I adore in a rom-com: witty banter, heartfelt moments, and a delicious slow burn that leaves you aching for more.

Lessons in Heartbreak is the first book in the Kings series. This was also the first Karla Sorensen book that I have read and it wont be my last. Lessons in Heartbreak follows the love story of Ruby and Griffin. Ruby a shy, small town librarian hires an escort to help overcome her fear of intimacy. Instead of the escort, she meets Griffin a handsome pro football player, who was her childhood neighbor., who accepts the job of her dating coach. This book contains some of my favorite tropes: small town, opposites attract, good girl/bad boy, and dating lessons. Also I really connected and related with the main characters, which made the story more heartfelt. Reading this book felt like I was watching one of my favorite rom-coms from the 90s/ early 2000s. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lessons in Heartbreak was a fun read! The tropes are so good and were executed well. Like so many, I love some spicy lessons, I love fake dating, and he's. freaking football player. Say less, Montlake. Karla wrote it so I'm reading it!

I loved the meet cute(ish) uncomfortable moments when Griffin and Ruby met/reconnected. It was pure gold, I was cringing and laughing and enjoying every word! The book only took off from there, weaving through some fun and lighthearted moments and some deeper ones. I think Ruby's struggles are super relatable. I have definitely felt lost and out of my element at times, and I only wish I had a Griffin to guide me!

Griffin was an above par hero with all the things we love. I loved how he fell hard and fast for Ruby and was so determined to make her his. I loved how he had to navigate moments that we don't always see MMCs figuring out in real life and I enjoyed his story as well.

Overall- cute, cozy and spicy. A fantastic trifecta!

In all my years of reading Karla Sorensen books, I haven’t met a book of hers I didn’t like. She writes some of the most heartfelt stories, and I will always be coming back for more.

Now this book: Griffin and his twin (!!!) brother were Ruby’s next door neighbor way back when. She used to climb the tree between their houses to watch them play sports. She may have even had a crush on his twin, because all Griffin did was tease her.

Fast forward to today: Ruby has a fear of intimacy (don’t worry, it’s a good reason and was explained and handled with care), so she decides she will hire an escort to help her get over it without risking heartbreak.

But as she sits in the cafe waiting for said escort, the person who ends up sitting down is none other than Griffin himself. The annoying twin she hadn’t seen in years.

And the job is his. 😏

I will never stop recommending Karla and her books. Don’t sleep on this!

She’s a small town librarian who wants to gain new experiences while protecting her heart. He’s a football player and playboy who lived next door to her as a kid. He’s reckless and she’s cautious. It’s heartbreaking and then healing as they work through the baggage with honesty and great dialogue.

I loved every minute of this. I was completely invested from the very beginning and I absolutely loved Griffin and Ruby. I laughed, I cried but the tears were worth it.

Shout out to Griffin's Niece and Nephew who were so funny. Oh and I loved Marcus and Lauren. Getting a little glimpse of previous characters is also one of my favourite things to read so I was happy yo see Liam again.

Sweet, Spicy, and Utterly Swoon-Worthy!
This book was everything I didn’t know I needed—a feel-good romance that made me laugh out loud, blush like crazy, and hug my Kindle at 2 a.m. The chemistry between Griffin and Ruby is off-the-charts, but what really got me was the heart behind their story.
Griffin is your classic playboy on the surface, but the more we see him through Ruby’s eyes, the more you realize there’s so much more going on under the charming smirk and football pads. And Ruby—I loved how relatable and endearing she was. Her inner monologue is hilarious, and her journey from cautious to courageous felt so real.
The mistaken escort setup? Absolute gold. I was hooked from that moment on. The banter is witty, the tension is slow-burn perfection, and the emotional payoff is so worth the ride.
If you’re in the mood for a flirty, funny, and surprisingly touching romance about second chances, opposites attracting, and learning to risk your heart, this is the book to pick up. Total comfort read with just the right amount of spice and sparkle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5⭐️

Ruby and Griffin were next door neighbors growing up, until Ruby moved away when she was 15. Griffin and his twin brother Barrett were a few years older than our introverted bookworm Ruby. There was a tree that straddled the property line of both homes, and while the boys were outside playing every sport they could, only child Ruby would climb into the tree and read. Hence the nickname Griffin had for her, “Birdy.” (This in’s the reason I took off half a star. I just couldn’t deal with that name.)

They meet again when Griffin, playboy NFL defensive lineman has gone viral for comments made about his (former NFL player turned head coach) now estranged brother. His agent sends him to his home in Welling Springs, CO to keep out of the public eye until he can sign with the Denver team. (This team is the one Liam from The Best of All plays for, so if you liked that book, you get to see Liam and Zoe for a scene.)

I really loved Griffin- golden retriever sweetheart who
was labeled the “fun” brother in high school and made it his mission to live up to the expectation, even though he feels himself maturing and wanting to be more respected for who he’s BECOMING now.

He was AMAZINGLY sweet with Ruby. The hand holding scene while watching Pride and Prejudice 2005 was so filled with sexual tension and I loved it.

Ruby was kind, and practical. I knew I loved her when she said this about shopping:

“There’s a reason we have the internet, and it’s so we never, ever have to set foot in a clothing store ever again.” Preach, Ruby, preach.

She was a librarian who loved her community, but as a college student she had a massive health crisis that leaves her feeling like she will not have a permanent relationship ever in the future. But when she an Griffin reconnect, she wants him to teach her how to be comfortable flirting with a man so she can enjoy dating and casual sex.

It was the sweetest romance and slow burn as she and Griffin spend time together and ultimately fall in love. But what will happen when a young woman with a serious health condition and a former playboy have a “casual fling” that ends when he moves to Denver? Heartbreak- that’s what.

But it made sense to me why these two were scared to be honest with the other one about their true feelings. So, there’s a third act separation, but it was worth it in the end. Sometimes you need space to realize what you really don’t want to live without.

In the end, the two epilogues were happy endings I absolutely believed in, and I could close my Kindle with a smile.

So, it’s another winner from Karla for me. I love how she writes a football player. I loved the scenes with Griffin’s new teammates, and I see the set up for Barrett’s book in the last chapters of this one.

Highly recommend this book if you love a slow burn, friends to lovers that’s filled with kindness, warmth, and a lot of heart.

I really loved this book. It was definitely an emotional story, but not really angsty. The emotional development both characters did was amazing, I really felt how they influenced each other and grew together in their relationship, but also separately, each of them individually with themselves, how they overcome the things that hold them back. It was a little bit slow paced for me and I wanted more plot. Usually, I don’t like what happened through the end, but it did worked out in this book, I think it work well, and it was written really good.

My first dating coach romance and I really enjoyed it. I found the FMC relatable and loved the way her relationship with the MMC developed. A childhood neighbours to lovers romance that I’d defo recommend

Lessons in Heartbreak is a new series about the King brothers. This book starts off the series strong, as we meet Griffin and Ruby. I don’t know what it is about sport romances, but I eat them up! As old childhood neighbors that are reunited by chance, Griffin and Ruby’s story sucked me in and kept me entertained. Like in Sorenson’s other novels, the main character’s friends are equally entertaining and important. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and peek into their lives. I also appreciated the two epilogues because they left me satisfied and with no unanswered questions. I’m excited to read the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

He read a cowboy romance for her, need i say more??? First 50% was a 5 star but i feel like they got together too quickly for my personal taste and then it just turned into smut and then plot. But love the writing style and will definitely read the other books in this series!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!