THE Courtney Walsh: Where It All Started

It wouldn’t be right for me to start with any other author or any other closed-door romance books, so we’re talking about Courtney Walsh today.

I had just graduated from Utah State University and was trying to get back into reading for pleasure. Between 18+ credit semesters and going all year (summer semesters included), I hadn’t had much time or energy to read for fun.

A close friend had recommended Fourth Wing to me and even let me borrow her copy. The story was so cool, and I loved the dragons—OBVIOUSLY. But I was seriously put off by the spiciness of the romance. I just don’t enjoy reading that kind of content for some reason.

I tried a few more popular romance books, but they were equally off-putting in terms of spice level. The connections felt more physical than emotional, and again—not my cup of tea.

I had kind of given up hope on finding clean, adult romance books. Until I was scrolling on Instagram and came across a “suggested” reel by Courtney Walsh. It touched on so many of the things I had been thinking about—like how hard it is to find steam-free, but still entertaining, romance.

I figured I’d check if any of her books were on Kindle Unlimited before buying anything—just in case they also weren’t my type of read.

And that is when it all began. 😍

My Phony Valentine

My Phony Valentine is the first book in the Holidays with Hart series and focuses on Poppy and Dallas with a fake dating trope.

Poppy is a small-town chef in a city that loves Valentine’s Day, and Dallas is hockey’s bad boy, playing for the Chicago Comets. They decide that fake dating will benefit both Poppy’s struggling restaurant and Dallas’ controversial reputation.

But will it grow into something real? Or will their fake relationship end at the big Valentine’s Day festival?

I obviously don’t want to give too much away, so we’ll leave the summary there—but My Phony Valentine introduced me to the wonderful writing of Courtney Walsh.

I finished the book in a day and immediately bought the next one in the series.

My Lucky Charm

The next book in the series is My Lucky Charm, another hockey romance that focuses on Poppy’s sister Eloise and the new, grumpy Chicago Comet, Gray.

It’s a classic grumpy x sunshine trope—which are my personal FAVORITES!

Eloise is getting out of a toxic relationship with her former boss and starts working as Gray’s assistant. Gray has a secret he left behind in Philly… but I won’t spoil it for ya. 😉

I actually loved My Lucky Charm even more than My Phony Valentine—which I didn’t think was possible! It was such a sweet and sassy read that I absolutely devoured it.

These books were easy five-star reads for me, and everything I’ve read from Walsh has knocked it out of the park.

Girl can write!

Raya’s Story

Our wonderful queen, Courtney, has also announced that she’ll be writing a third Holidays with Hart book about the oldest Hart sister, Raya.

I absolutely cannot wait!

I highly recommend reading this series before the third book comes out later this year. For me, that book cannot come soon enough.

More Clean, Sweet Romance by Courtney Walsh

Here’s a quick guide to more of her swoony, clean reads:

Roadtrip Romance

• A Cross-Country Christmas

• A Cross-Country Wedding

Holidays with Hart

• My Phony Valentine

• My Lucky Charm

Standalone Fiction

• The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley

• Can’t Help Falling

• The Summer of Yes

• Merry Ex-Mas

• Christmas with a Crank

• Everything’s Coming Up Rosie

• ...and more!