I actually never got to read this because they only gave me a week with it, before it was archived. Disappointing :(

*4.5 stars*
At first sight you'd think Cole Phillips and Tess Gardner being very different- yet the more I read the more I realized they were somewhat the same but in different ways-if that makes sense. They were both quirky in their own unique way. And Tess's random facts about nothing and everything had me laughing and taking some notes to use on later conversations 😉

"We got weddinged" were the famous words that Tess echoed and if she only knew that that would be the beginning of a rollercoaster of an adventure that they both would be facing soon. Tess hasn't had an easy life and because of her past she has found it hard to allow people in her life and much less trust them with her secrets/life. But that is exactly what she is having to learn to do with Cole. As they both coexist in each others lives it's like trial and error and at times I felt like there was a massive wreck about to happen. I didn't know if they were going to survive to be honest and I wanted them to because they were so quirky and cute together. They were like apple pie and ice cream/whip cream. You couldn't have one without the other one. A cute/quirky/laugh out loud romance that will have you smiling like a fool at the end.

goodness gracious. i adore avery flynn. this was so freaking cute. i admit, oops baby after one night stand is not normally my jam, and after my own loss, i tend to stay away from baby centric plots.. but that's just me. but i never considered not reading this because, again, avery flynn. i loved this so much. my favourite part was the found family - made me think about my own. and of course it was adorable and hilarious and sexy. love love love. need the next one right meow. and bonus points for khan. there aren't enough cats in books ;)

This was the most AWE-SOME book! I found myself smiling and laughing through so much of the story. It wasn’t just funny though. I liked Tess a lot. She comes off kind of quirky and very upbeat. However, she’s got some inner demons (don’t we all though). She struggles with the feelings of being wanted and consistency. Cole was completely charming but still dreaming of his ex. It’s a shame because him and Tessa seriously hit it off! Their connection is sweet and hot! One month later and a MIA monthly and these two are bound together for at least 18 years! What follows is adorably funny and sweet story with a slow burn.

Avery Flynn really created a greatly developed story. I loved the slow burn, yeah, I know, she’s pregnant, but the building up their friendship after a costly one-night stand was sweet and I adored Tessa and Cole together. The quirky, nerdy Tessa and the hard-working Cole with the big heart were a story that just pulled and tugged at my heart. Miss Flynn gave us some fabulous secondary characters too which makes up Tessa’s family. The family from heart, not blood. I totally recommend this heartwarming and happy story!

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

I really liked this first book I have read from this author. I liked the chemistry and characters. Really liked the writing and the chemistry was amazing. The story pulled me in from the beginning.

I love Avery Flynn and her books are some of the best!

I also love characters that march to the beat of their own drummer. They are not the perfect people, living in the perfect world doing perfect things!

Tess is beyond smart and can sometimes be socially inept. Her friends have moved on with their lives, and she is once again the girl left behind! Cole is OCD. Forever thinking things will all play out in a straight line. Well we all know life is not like that. It’s full of uncertainties and disarray.

Tess and Cole spent a great deal of time going back and forth, but outside of that it was cute, funny and just as quirky as the characters.
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This was weird, like I had so many high expectations to love this, but I unfortunately didn't. I thought it was adorably awkward and slightly cute. I found the main couple immature and annoying most of the times, I can see the appeal to others though, I can see why its potential for other readers to enjoy and love, it is though a continuation of her other series. Well I thought it was, as the main chick is bff with the girls from Butterface, Muffintop and Tomboy. This is not my first Avery book, and it probably wont be my last, they are fun easy, some what angst/drama (ish) rom/coms. Tess and Coles story is very boy meets girl at said wedding they bang, she gets knocked up and then they fall in love, with a hell of a lot of miscommunication, they breakup well not really they are really ever together just boning. "Temporarily" I liked it overall 3 stars

Awk-weird is a quirky romance filled with amazing, fun and interesting characters. Having a baby is a serious matter, but Ms. Flynn had me laughing out loud at the antics of Tess and Cole as they brought their unique perspective and personalities as the story developed.

The characters were well developed and fun and I loved seeing the glances at their personalities and quirks as they were taken out of their comfort zones and thrown together over the unexpected circumstances.

I have been a fan of Avery Flynn's books since I discovered her last year. Since that point, I have added almost all of her books to my shelves in some form or fashion. \

Awk-weird is an adorable read. I loved it from start to finish. My husband? Not so much. Every time Tess nervously spouted out a fact I would stop reading so I could tell him. In the middle of making dinner? New fact! Watching TV? New fact! Falling asleep? New fact!

The little facts and tidbits were one of the best aspects of this book. I enjoyed so much about this story from the characters (I'll get to them in a minute), to the character growth, to the fun way Avery Flynn had the characters develop their relationship both with each other and others around them.

Let's start with Tess. She has low self-esteem and thinks everyone is going to leave her. While this may be annoying to some people, this aspect of her character made me connect with her in a way I hadn't expected. I got what she was saying and I liked that it was explained why she was the way she was. Family. The root of all our issues...

Anyway, Tess goes to her best-friends wedding and hooks up with a Thor look-alike hottie who rocks her world while using old condoms and gets her pregnant. Whoops!

Now, let me talk about Cole. In my personal opinion, Cole had no game. Like at all. Outside of most likely being sex on a stick in the looks department, when it came to flirting and fun he was a definite awkward dweeb. Due to Cole's parents moving around a lot when he was a kid, Cole as an adult has become inflexible. He has to do everything a certain way and doesn't do anything spontaneously. This causes some issues not only with his relationship with Tess but also on his hockey team.

I won't go into more detail about the plot since spoilers suck. I will talk about how much I adored this story. I loved the characters so much. They felt like real people that I would know and like to hang out with.

Awk-weird is a definite must-add to any shelf. The characters are well awk-weird. The plot while not 100% unique, had a great spin on a really great trope.

If you have never met Avery Flynn, she is a must meet author. She has a personality just like the ladies in her books, full of life, over the top sexy and funny. But back to the book at hand. The first book I read by her was Butterface. It is in my Top 10 list for 2019 and a review will be posted soon. Although, this is the first I’ve reviewed on the blog, it doesn’t mean I love this one more or less than the other one I’ve read. It’s just time slips away and before you know it, the book I read from my TBR pile got buried in other must do reviews. One day I will get the review for Butterface (The Hartigans Book 1) done. The Ice Knights series this one is in is a spin off of The Hartigans so I was able to keep up well.

I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in a while, actually since I read Butterface several months ago, I’ve been reading paranormal romance since Dad passed to keep me out of my head so this was quite a break, and I laughed out loud while I was reading. It was great!!

The lead is constantly spewing trivia to cope with her social anxiety. It seems random unless you are a trivia geek yourself, kind of like the hero, and are following the conversation. It’s like they have their own language and it is funny as H**l!! Besides both of them being sexy, for onlookers it seems so strange that they aren’t both normal and ultra cool, especially since he’s in the public eye as a celebrity hockey player. She doesn’t know anything about his sport, but she becomes super willing to learn about it when she discovers they will be attached at the hip for at least the next 18 years. That made my heart warm. The dynamic between them is eye opening and exciting because you never know what either is going to say next.Â

There is a “one-upmanship” in some of the conversations that shows how independent each of them are, but how much they are trying to work together to make a spark develop into a fire. They work very hard at using their background as a way to keep each other at arm’s length even though they are both dying to let the under their guard. It takes bravery to step over their abandonment issues and see that life is better when you learn to trust again.

Avery builds real characters that are like people you see everyday and gives them courage to work through their issues and trust other people to help them become part of a community and not remain an island in the storm of life…this makes me feel like I too can hurdle some of my issues and keep me from dying alone on a deserted island with one dog. Just kidding it will be me, my hubby, and 3 dogs 🙂

Now that I’ve gotten into her writing, I think you will be seeing a lot from me where her books are concerned. Also, I’ve been trying to connect with her to do a live interview. Hopefully I can make that happen soon. But in the meantime, pick up on fo the Ice Knights series or The Hartigans books and enjoy.

Ps…If you have any questions for Avery, please comment below and I’ll see what I can do. I almost forgot, I’m giving this a 4.5 of 5 because it was so funny. Can’t wait for the next one.

Funny, quirky, Awk-weird, yep all of these make this book a hit for me!

First let’s mention the cover that is super cute and funny. This is book two in the Ice Knights series which is a hockey team(Book one Parental Guidance is out now) that we meet Cole at his fellow teammate and friends wedding. There he meets Awk-Weird Tess who loves to spew trivia facts especially when nervous. Tess is refreshing and funny and says the funniest facts so not only is this a romance but you learn great little facts to share! Tess and Cole meet and end up enjoying their night. Fast forward to present where there is a lasting gift that both Tess and Cole will have to see how to Co parent. Throw in some complications and the chemistry starts brewing between these two but Tess does have some insecurities that will keep Cole just far away enough that will have him questioning everything. Can these two finally iron everything out and be happy? I loved this story it had great characters and not to mention there are hockey players so what else could you want. Great 5 star read and I would highly recommend this series or as a matter of fact any book from this author is a hit.

Awk-weird by Avery Flynn is book number two in the Ice Knights series. This is Ice Knights hockey player Cole Phillips and florist Tess Gardner’s story.

This was a hilarious read! Cole and Tess’ relationship starts off in an awk-weird way. The interactions between these two were so much fun and the chemistry was intense. This was one read that I couldn’t put down until I finished.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This book was a bit slow to get started, at times I just sighed at the dance these two did around each other. But when the words did take off, it had me hooked!
Tess & Cole meet at a wedding, end up spending the night together, she said it's just a one time thing, and she really thought that's what it would be...till a month later when she ended up pregnant, and yes they used protection!
Follow their story, as each one of them has their own demons they deal with on a daily basis, but see if they can come together and help each other deal and get past the demons. 4 stars for this one, looking forward to the next one in this series!

Awk-Weird is Awesome. I absolutely love Avery Flynn’s books. I’m addicted to the Hartigan clan and the Ice Cats hockey team equally and this book is the perfect mix of the two. In it we revisit some of my favorite characters from past books and of course we get to explore Tess’ story. You just have to love Tess and her weirdness. She’s a sweet woman with abandonment issues and tries hard to navigate her awkwardness by keeping her distance from others and using her love of trivia knowledge. Cole is a sexy AF hockey player with his own slice of weird. Growing up moving from town to town left him feeling out of control and alone. He too lives his life implementing a set of coping strategies that don’t allow him to veer away from his day to day routine. These two complex individuals fall hard for one another after a heady one night stand. Couple their off the charts attraction to one another with faulty condoms and bam, things just got awk-weirder 😉. Their cat and mouse game goes on until they can longer fight their attraction to one another and get their happily ever after. I read an ARC of this book and voluntarily left a review.

“Change is hard,” she said, needing to break the silence that had fallen between them.
Cole looked up at her, an intensity in his blue eyes that nearly jolted her. “I’m learning that sometimes it’s worth it, though.”


Tess just wanted to go unnoticed at her friend's wedding rehearsal dinner. But a trivia game will put her in the sights of a hockey player who looks like the embodiment of Thor. And although all her instincts are screaming at her to get out of this situation, she ends up having fun throughout the night. And after a party escape plan is executed, waking up the next day in a room other than her own, accompanied by a handsome player will make her relive every moment of last night. Until Cole opened his mouth and called her by another woman's name.
To say that the mood between them is awkward and tense is an understatement. But it's not because her friend will marry his teammate that they need to get along together. After all, this was a unique situation, provided solely by the vibe of the wedding. But expired condoms may be responsible for bringing these two together.
And with a baby on the way, their lives will never be the same. And when a leak leaves Tess homeless, she ends up staying at Cole's house. With her cat. And the confusion begins.
Cole strictly follows his routine. Changes make him uncomfortable, so he clings to the same old ways. Order, cleanliness, silence, planning. Everything in his life has a place, a purpose, and a goal. Until Tess, a rogue cat and their future baby turn his life upside down.
Tess didn't have an easy life. Her mother was never present, and left her at a relative's house too long until she was shooed away and taken to another relative. Her almost invisible manner, and her craze for saying random, unimportant things, are mechanisms she has found to protect herself. But allowing herself to enjoy what she is feeling for Cole and to acknowledge that she likes to stay in his house are just reminders that eventually it will all be over. And she will be alone again. After all, she is never anyone's priority.
As the narrative progresses, we see Cole setting aside his routine and embarking on new adventures, allowing himself to be spontaneous and accepting some changes, just like Tess allowing herself to rely on someone and accept help. But miscommunication, old insecurities, and some misunderstandings can put everything on the loose.
The book is funny, cute, the characters are well written, the plot catches the eye, the secondary characters move the story, and Kahn the cat is sneaky and will cause lots of confusion.
I wanted to hit both of them a few times. Cole and his obsession with Marti and Tess and the story of the "temporary" pissed me off. But they redeem themselves in the end. A good read, fun and light.

What a great read! The writing flowed well, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Cole and Tess had great chemistry, and I loved them together. Even though hey both needed to learn to get out of their own ways. Tess lived in a constant state of "when will the other shoe drop", and Cole's life was micromanaged down to the minute. While I got the background of why she was like that, I really wanted to shake Tess most of the time. Keeping absolutely everyone at arms length was no way to live. It took her WAY too long to realize that though. Cole had a tight grip on everything, and it drove him nuts when stuff didn't go as planned. Watching him come to the realization that not everything had to be planned for was great. The ending was really sweet, and I loved their HEA. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book in this series!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Release day: October 14, 2019
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 Bigfoot Stars!!

Well, after reading this, I’m about as loaded with trivial knowledge as Tess and Cole are. 😝 That was definitely something new for me. This is the second book in the “Ice Knights” series, but can be read as a standalone.
Written in third person, it introduces us to Tess Gardner, a florist with a penchant for random factoids, and Cole Phillips, Thor’s twin lookalike and star Ice Hockey player who have his whole routine and life planned to the dot. Then a surprise in a bun happened after their crazy “weddinged” night. 😉

“Temporary had always been her mantra, her constant in a swirling world. She was ready for the rest of the world to come and go but not Cole—and that hit her square in the face, a hard slap of reality. She loved him.”

Their characters took some time for me to warm up to because at first I was confused as to why they were like that, but then I learned the sad reasons behind it and how those reasons have shaped them to who they are both now. 🙁
Come to think of it, they were perfect for each other, quirks and all. Here’s Tess with her brain like the Almanac and views things would always be temporary-no thanks to her mom and her childhood. Then Cole who has built himself a routine and a series of constants in his life because his childhood was spent going from one place to another, never being able to grow and show his roots.

“Tess and the baby had never played into his well-thought-out plans before, but now he couldn’t imagine home without them. And it wasn’t just making them part of his normal routine. It was more. He was falling for her. Hard.”

The surprise knocked them out of their usual lives for better and worse. The story revolved around them playing chicken with their true feelings and intentions, and I loved the push and pull of situations and emotions they gave. Their story was sad and sweet and hot! I mean, Avery did not hold back with those scenes.🔥
And of course, let’s not forget their crazy friends who helped them with all their shit and became the voices of reasons. I love them! Plus, how cute is Kahn, Satan’s feline fuzzball?🐱 And the epilogue was so cute and sweet!!❤️

The next book in the series is about Petrov! And I enjoyed the teaser chapter included about him and Shelby. 😊


Thank you, Avery Flynn and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for my ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinions.✨

I loved this book so much that I read it in one day because I just couldn't put it down.

This book got me laughing out loud .

If you are into rom-coms then I think you will enjoy this one

4.5 Stars / 5 Steam Fans

I thought I was getting a couple that was directly related to the first book in the Ice Knights series but oh was I wrong. Cole is a member of the same hockey team that appears in Parental Guidance but that is pretty much where the connection ends. Cole is the nerdy teammate that has a routine and likes things done a certain way on a schedule. Tess is a free spirit that is always waiting for the other shoe to fall. During a wedding the two of them hookup and thanks to defective condoms Tess ends up preggers (this is not a spoiler, the female character on the cover is clearly pregnant). Tess then has some bad luck and moves in with Cole. Cole is also having struggles within his life and the two of them bump around irritating each other. There are so many laughs out loud moments, quirky knowledge bombs, smoking hot sexy times, and super sweet swoony moments that I was sad that this book ended. I had fun reading this and think in the cycle of illustrated covers this one got it right.

This specific video review will be included in the October 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

4.5⭐️
So straight up, I don’t love an accidental pregnancy trope but Avery Flynn really did this one so well! I liked that the baby wasn’t forced upon them; I liked that Tess thought about her options realistically and then decided to have the baby. Tess and Cole were so great together as far as chemistry was concerned. I liked the heat level we got here and their version of flirting. Tess was so sweet and so damaged, I just wanted to be one of her girlfriends - force her to talk and then hug her endlessly. Cole was adorable and I could definitely stand to be around more Thor-lookalikes that stress bake.

I liked that Tess and Cole recognized and enjoyed each other’s “flaws” like awkwardly sharing trivia tidbits and being a neat freak/intense planner. I liked that they talked about where these habits came from with each other, though they could’ve talked a bit more on a deeper level to avoid the story’s conflict (obviously they couldn’t actually have done that). I wanted to shake each of them at times and say “SAY THAT OUT LOUD” lol. A true sign of how much I cared about these characters 😘

This was an absorbing read and I can’t wait for the rest in this series!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.