Lessons in Heartbreak

The Kings

De: Karla Sorensen

Narrado por: Samantha Brentmoor, Aiden Snow

A playboy football player. A shy librarian. When old friends reunite, opposites attract in a witty and lighthearted romance about taking chances and falling in love against the odds.

It’s an unwritten rule somewhere: small-town librarians shall not commit spontaneous acts, for fear of mortal embarrassment. I’d certainly just proved it true, though hiring an escort was perfectly logical. How else should I overcome my fear of intimacy without risking heartbreak?

Unfortunately, what came next wasn’t so logical.

Instead of a dating coach, Griffin King showed up. Yes, that Griffin King: my childhood neighbor and now, to my dismay, an obscenely handsome pro football player. He’s not actually an escort, but how was I supposed to know that?

Avoiding him after the mix-up is impossible. The man is everywhere—put in time-out by his agent after a PR snafu. Griffin might be an outrageous flirt determined to torment me until I snap, but he’s also the perfect man to help me.

The lessons aren’t what I thought they’d be. Neither is Griffin. Every time we touch, every time he shows me a different side to myself—and to him—I can’t help but wonder if we’re about to break another rule: the playboy and the good girl aren’t supposed to fall in love.

©2025 by Karla Sorensen. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

If this is how the series starts, we're in for it

Obsessed

Okay, I didn’t sign up for this ARC because I was drowning in life, but a friend of mine did get it and she’d been yelling at me about this book for weeks. By the time pub day hit, I had already preordered the audiobook, and the moment it landed in my app, I dropped everything to start listening.

Aiden Snow and Samantha Brentmoor were perfect. They brought so much depth to Ruby and Griffin. They nailed both the emotional beats and the light banter. Truly spot-on casting.

I love a good opposites-attract / childhood acquaintances story, and this one absolutely delivered. Ruby and Griffin couldn’t be more different on the surface, yet they’re similar in ways neither of them realizes at first. The book gave me all the cozy vibes of a late-’90s/early-2000s romcom but layered with a powerful storyline exploring grief, trauma, and family. I came for the banter, but I stayed for the emotions.

The spicy lessons and the way their connection deepened truly rounded them out. The fact that Griffin showed Ruby he cared (without trying to “fix” her) made him a walking/talking green flag. Both of them have been through so much, and the way they helped each other navigate to the other side? That’s what stitched me back together.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll keep it brief, but just know: if this is how the series starts, I’ll be following it to the very end. And if you need one more reason to read this book, let it be this: there’s a whole team of football players who binge romcoms and lose their minds over the Darcy “hand flex.” It’s the most adorable thing I think I’ve ever read.

Thank you, Tiffany, for yelling at me to read this, and thank you, Karla, for giving us such a beautiful story that broke my heart in the best way (and for the two epilogues—you spoil us!).

Never judge a book by its cover

4.5⭐️

📖/🎧
NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER:
Not me thinking this was going to be a 🌶️ palate cleanser from all the mystery/thrillers I’ve been reading..
Jeez, I wasn’t expecting this plot. Slowburn, funny, heartbreaking, and heartfelt.
Love a grand gesture too🥹.

📖:Small Town Romance
🏈:Football player/Librarian
Dual POV, Audiobook Narrators:
Samantha Brentmoor/ Aiden Snow

“We can always learn something from the things we read or watch or listen to. But we have to be open to it, willing to apply it to our lives.”

Good story

Not only did they fall in love and stay in love, but they overcame physical obstacles.

KICKING FEET GIGGLES AND I LOVED IT!!

Favorite Quote - “I knew two things right in that moment: Ruby Tate was so much sexier than she realized. And I was completely ******.”

Rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy – 🌶️🌶️

Main Characters – Griffin King & Ruby Tate

Title – Lessons in Heartbreak
Author – Karla Sorenson 😍😍😍😍😍

Narrators – Aiden Snow & Samantha Brentmoor
Narration Type – Dual
Male Narrator - 💙💙💙💙💙
Female Narrator - 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Genre – Contemporary Friends to Lovers
Tropes – Feet Kicking Giggles – Hilarious Side Characters – Opposites Attract –
Finding Themselves – Banter – Sweet MCs

Story
Chemistry - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Banter - 💬🗨️💬🗨️💬
Plot - 🔺🔺🔺🔺🔺
Side Characters - 👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩👨‍🤝‍👩

Hero – Griffin King - 📘📘📘📘📘
Humor - 😂😂😂😂😂
Jealousy - 😡😡😡
He Grovels - 🙏🙏
Growth - 🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️

Heroine – Ruby Tate - 📕📕📕📕📕
Humor - 😂😂😂😂😂
Strength - 🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️
Sweetness - 🍬🍬🍬🍬🍬
Sassy - 😉😉

Love. Love. Love!!!

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. I did get emotional in certain parts. Also, beautiful ending!!

Kindle Unlimited Rocks (read/listen)!!

So Good!!!!

I absolutely loved Ruby and Griffin! Their journey to a happily ever after was such a joy to read. The story was so well written that I couldn’t help but fall in love with both of them!💙💜

Heartfelt Story

Lovely read. Likable characters. I enjoyed their initial meeting and the way their relationship grew. Griffin is such a sweetheart.

Great Listen!

Karla Sorensen is one of my go-to authors, and somehow I missed when this came out. Started it this morning and finished it within the day. Sweet and spicy with a lot of heart and laughs along the way, I truly enjoyed this book. Narration was stellar!

Loved

This book just felt very real, I really enjoyed it! One of the best I’ve read in a long time and I read a lot!!

shy librarian x bad boy football player

Ruby is a shy library living vicariously through romance books. Determined to break out after bad dates, she hires an escort. When she goes to meet the estcort, she mistakenly thinks her former childhood neighbor is the escort. Griffin is a bad boy football player hiding out after a PR interview nightmare. They develop a friendship, but when it turns into attraction, boundaries are put up to protect them both because what's happening between them can't be forever.

Extra- We get a glimpse of Liam and Zoe from Best of All 🥰

Narrated in Duet by Samantha Brentmoor and Aiden Snow