The Right Move (Windy City Series Book 2) Paperback – February 4, 2023

I have had the HONOR of meeting and falling in love with some AMAZING book boyfriends this year- so first off thank you to everyone else who has read this book as it encouraged me to see what all the fuss was about. This book was FANTASTIC!! I enjoyed book one, but this one was on another level for me. And OMG Ryan Shay was PERFECTION. I have decided to create a list of my fav book boyfriends because of how inspired I was by Ryan. This man yall. He was so guarded and icy- I wondered what would happen when the walls fell. I was not expecting what I saw. He was beyond tender, and thoughtful and terrified of being hurt. He just wanted to be someone that someone could care about for him, not for his status or his job. Enter Indy. Ryan's sister's best friend who has just broken up with her boyfriend of forever and now needs a place to stay. The chemistry between these two was legit OFF THE CHARTS! The buildup was epic. The way they were both so curious about each other but wary at the same time. Liz just killed it.Indy is beyond uncomfortable with her current situation. Because her ex boyfriend of forever has cheated on her, she now needs a place to stay and has found herself basically forced on her best friend's brother. Oh and her brother- he is Ryan Shay. Yes that Ryan Shay- the main man in Chicago for our basketball team. He also happens to hate Indy. She is convinced- she doesn't blame him with the fact the he has seen her throw up and sobbing. Yet he is letting her live with him. Of course he has rules. Rules she finds absurd but can deal with. She tries to crack his icy exterior to no avail, but everything changes when they come to an agreement to fake date. He is going to go to her friend's wedding as her plus one because her ex will be there, and Indy will help Ryan out with his GM who thinks his image as a family man could use some work. No problem right? Except wrong because Ryan is gorgeous! And now she starts seeing all of these little things he is doing for her- like buying her coffee or flowers. She wants to do things with him in the worst way but doesn't think she has anything else to give him. They toe the line so many times until things happen and MAN Indy was not expecting what Ryan told her. Now she is even more aware of her attraction to him and how big of a deal it would be if things happened. She is starting to realize she may have more to give to this beautiful, sweet man than she realized. But will he believe her intentions with everything he has gone through?Ryan likes his life. He plays ball. Comes home and relaxes. He doesn't really go out with the team anymore. It is too stressful to go out with where his level of fame is now. No he is content to be alone. But then he can't say no to his sister. So when she asks if her best friend, Indy, can live with him for a minute, he finds himself saying yes. And then immediately questioning what he agreed to. Because now all of the order he has given himself is turning into cute chaos. There are the things in his living room, the chaos of her room. The chaos that is her and yet she is stunning. He knows this but of course nothing can happen. His walls are too high. But when his GM starts questioning if Ryan is in it for the right reasons he finds himself making a deal with Indy. She will be his sunshine of a girlfriend and he will be her plus one to piss of her ex. The problem is that now that they are dating in the open, lines are starting to get blurred at home. Like how much he wants to kiss her. How much he just wants her. But he can't. He has been too burned before. But he is only human so when things happen between them he goes with it. And WOW is it hot. Now they are teetering on something real and his walls have completely been smothered. But when Indy runs into her ex again will she know how he feels about her? And does she feel the same way too? He is starting to realize how much he can't live without her. He just has to show her he is for real.I had so many emotions reading this book. I was heartbroken for both Ryan and Indy. The heartbreak and betrayal they both went through was just UGH. I was on the edge of my seat like a giddy little girl reading all of this tension waiting for it to explode. And then the first spicy scene between them where they barely touched was somehow hotter than a lot of other spicy scenes I have read. My heart was mushy when I read about all of the ways that Ryan was slowly but surely taking care of Indy. How he was gathering her to him without either of them even realizing it. And at the end after their third act breakup thing when he drops his longterm plan on her and how long he has been planning it- well I basically screamed with joy!!! If you haven't picked up this series, I can't recommend it enough! We had some nice cameos from Zanders and Stevie. Oh and I can't wait to read book 3 and meet this nanny and baseball player.

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde deserves the hype around it.This book took me by surprise in the best way—I absolutely loved these characters, both individually and together. Ryan and Indy’s relationship felt like such a breath of fresh air because it was built on a foundation of friendship, and mutual respect. I loved how their connection unfolded slowly, allowing them to truly know each other before anything romantic even entered the equation. Their dynamic was so steady and intentional, and it made their relationship feel even more special.Indy is hands down one of my favorite FMCs in a while. I admired how sure of herself she was—confident in her career, clear about what she wanted out of life, and unwilling to settle for anything less. She had such a quiet strength about her that made her incredibly easy to root for. But she also had this really soft, charming side that made her feel so real—like the kind of person you’d want to be friends with in real life.And then there’s Ryan… oh, Ryan. The stoic, guarded, secretly soft basketball player who quietly took care of Indy in ways that made my heart ache. I loved how thoughtful he was, always anticipating what she needed without making a big show of it. The way he protected her without ever making her feel weak was one of my favorite things about him. He wasn’t perfect—far from it—but that only made him feel more authentic. Watching him slowly let his walls down for Indy was such a satisfying journey.As much as I adored their relationship, I have to be honest—this wasn’t a five-star read for me. The story introduced some really complex, emotional conflicts for both characters, but I don’t think those struggles were explored as deeply as they could’ve been. Certain moments felt like they were resolved too quickly, especially considering how significant they were to Ryan and Indy’s personal growth. I wanted to sit in those heavier moments a little longer and see the characters work through them in a more layered way.One thing I didn’t expect was how much I would love Stevie and Zee in this book. I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of Mile High, but they completely won me over here. Their playful, supportive presence added the perfect balance to the story, and honestly? They made me excited to keep going with this series.Overall, this book was a solid 3.75 stars for me. Even though I wish some of the emotional arcs had been fleshed out more, I can't deny how much I loved these characters and how invested I was in their journey. Liz Tomforde writes chemistry and connection so well, and while I’m not sure her books will ever be five-star reads for me personally, she’s creating characters that genuinely stay with me—and sometimes, that’s even better.I’m definitely excited to keep going with this series!

This sports romance book was done so right. And if I learned anything from reading this book is that I would rather have someone like Ryan Shay. This fake relationship they agreed on was not even starting out that way, if you know what I mean 🩷I didn’t think I would devour this book so fast! Ryan and Indy relationship was an epic love story. I think I loved Indy so much because I could relate so much from her. She’s a girl with a big heart, smart, compassionate, and very spunky/ funny. And of course she’s a book girly and romantic at heart.It was very fitting for Ryan Shay to fall in love with Indy. Ryan is very stern and collected. And I’m so happy that he was able to break out of his shell, especially from the help of Indy.This month I’m finally dabbling into sports romance books. And I have to say I think this is my number one book I read so far. I don’t want to spoil anything from this book but Ryan did so much for Indy, even more than Indy ex-boyfriend who she was with for about 6 years. I would never get over how many things Ryan has done, especially learning sign language. I really enjoyed this book. And I can’t wait to read more from this author.