Review: The Best of All by Karla Sorensen (The Best Men #2)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by Montlake via the author.

The Best of All is the second novel in Karla Sorensen's The Best Men duet--but don't hold me on that because I have no idea if there's a possibility of the author adding more books to the series or not--and while it does share particular ties with the first book, The Best Laid Plans, either book can be read as a standalone. This new story features the enemies-to-lovers and opposites attract romance tropes and has a veteran football player and a freelance accountant who find themselves legal guardians to the young daughter of their best friends who unexpectedly passed away. That's easier said than done, especially since Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have never gotten along in the ten years they've known each other. Add to that the fact that the only commitment Liam has ever wanted to have was to his sport. But while co-parenting Mira has its challenges, Liam and Zoe learn unexpected things about each other and themselves. The realization that maybe, just maybe, the life and family they're building will work could turn out to be the best of all.

You know that idea about a boy pulling a girl's pigtails because they actually like them but act like they don't? Welp, the adult version of that is how Liam was with Zoe. To be fair, he wasn't the way he was simply as a way to entertain himself while pretending he didn't have feelings for her, and the same goes for his lack of desire to truly build deep-rooted relationships, save for a rarefied few that Liam allowed get close to him, like Chris and Amie. A lot of it is explained in his back story, and even though there were moments throughout the story where I did feel a hint of frustration towards him, I understood where he was coming from. As for his being abrasive with Zoe, I got why even if I didn't agree with his methods; this was his way of keeping his distance and respecting the fact that she was with someone else. It did take a while for me to really feel the connection between Liam and Zoe, but while that's what I felt regarding the romance, I did like the family dynamics between them and Mira. Overall, The Best of All was a four-starred read.

Release Date: 16 July 2024

Date Read: 29 June 2024

Learn more about Karla Sorensen.

Purchase The Best of All on Amazon.