He's A Mean One - Content Advisory #8 - By Lani Lynn Vale

Title: He's A Mean One

Series: Content Advisory #8

Author: Lani Lynn Vale

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Tropes: Holiday Romance, One Bed, Forced Proximity

Grumpy (Her)/Sunshine (Him), Snowed In

Release Date: December 9, 2025

BLURB

For a solid five years, Jasper Madden has done nothing but look the other way when it comes to Calliope Hodges. At first, she was way too young for him, barely eighteen the first time he laid eyes on her. It also didn’t help that he’d witnessed her at the lowest of lows, practically making peace with rock bottom.

But as time goes by, he realizes that Calliope is different. She’s a brave, stunning young woman that has slowly captured his heart while he was watching from the shadows.

He knows that it’ll take time for her to realize that he’s not the enemy, but instead her saving grace. So he decides to play the long game.

For years, he’s waited in the periphery for her to be ready. He stands right there, knowing that one day she’ll look up and finally see him as the man that is desperately in love with her.

But that chip on her shoulder keeps her from looking everywhere but his direction.

Luck finally leans his way when she moves in next door, and a battle of the neighbors ensues.

Where she sees war in the form of a friendly holiday decorating competition, he sees the opportunity of a lifetime.

All it takes is one bed, a freak snowstorm, and a Christmas miracle for her to realize that he’s been there all along. A silent knight in shining armor willing to take on the world just to make sure she never has to feel unworthy ever again.

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AUTHOR BIO

Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown. in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.

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TIKTOK

Kace BY Sawyer Bennett (Kace and Laurel)

Kace Elliott is the hockey player with a genius IQ and a secret side hustle in applied physics. He’s falling

for his research partner, but she doesn’t know who he is outside of the lab. Now, the closer they get, the

harder it becomes for him to keep his two worlds from colliding.

On the ice, I’m Kace Elliott—starting goalie for the Pittsburgh Titans, fighting to prove myself in the

playoffs. Off it, I’m William—a scientific researcher, quietly holding on to the academic world I’ll return to

when hockey is over. Both versions are real, they just aren’t meant to overlap.

Until Dr. Laurel Kent.

Laurel is brilliant, principled, and deeply rooted in a world where transparency matters. She knows me

online as William, her intellectual equal, the man who shares her passion for data, late-night

collaboration, and easy, unexpected chemistry. William is very much her type whereas athletes are not.

I need her to like the bigger part of me—the hockey player. When she meets me in person, as Kace, I

make the choice to let her see the type of man she’s sworn off from ever dating. She gets the Titans

goalie and all the craziness that comes with the playoffs. But here’s where it gets complicated: I make

the dangerous decision not to tell her Kace and William are the same person.

By some stroke of luck, Laurel agrees to give Kace a shot, and our time together is more than I ever

hoped for. The closer together we grow, the less she talks about William, and I convince myself I’ll tell

her the truth when the timing is better, once I’m able to prove I’m more than the label she’s written off.

But timing has a way of unraveling even the best intentions.

As the pressure of the playoffs intensifies, the boundary I’ve relied on becomes impossible to maintain.

When Laurel discovers how closely intertwined my worlds really are, I’m faced with the cost of asking

someone to love only part of me.

And winning on the ice means nothing if I lose the woman who made me want to stop dividing my life in

two.

Buy https://geni.us/SB_Kace

Tropes

 ● Secret / Hidden Identity

● Hockey Romance

● hockey player

● Slow Burn romance

● He Falls First & Harder

● he falls first aesthetic

● Found Family

● Brainy Heroine

● Swoony Hero

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life

experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary

romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just

about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur,

stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to

her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter

(sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Connect with Sawyer Bennett:

https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

I received a complimentary early release e-book prior to release and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a fun book about insta love. It stars Kace, William and Laurel. Its  a secret identity story where Kace is William also but Laurel has no clue that he goes by two names. 

Kace falls hard very fast and he has no idea how to tell Laurel the truth as he falls hard very fast. Laurel is a sweetheart but she doesn't love the athlete way of life. So thats why Kace holds off from the truth right away.

Its a fun story with a bit instalove. Its not super realistic but its a really fun shenanigan type of romance.