As a previous dancer, this book drew me in. I loved the use of terminology and dancer lingo. I feel in love with the main character and wanted to see her succeed through her trials and obstacles. Readers will love the perseverance and determination of this main character!

I really liked this book! It was great to read more about Maddie after meeting her in The Brightest Light of Sunshine.

This book feels different from book one and starts off a bit darker. Maddie has had a difficult time as a child and bits of her experiences have followed her into adulthood. Now at 21 she's still battling these demons while reaching for her dreams until she suffers an injury while preparing for a ballet audition. She ends up somewhere dark and it takes her a while to find the light.

I love how you can see the exact moment when Maddie finds her light and the book shifts and becomes just as sweet and heartwarming as book one. This book is a romance, but it also touched heavily on forgiveness and emotional growth. As the name suggests you have to go through the dark in order to get to the light.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!

Is book #2 in the Brightest Light series and it follows Maddie who is the sister of the mc in book 1.

Maddie is a ballerina training for an audition to be accepted into this prestigious company and she gets injured. James is assigned as her physical therapist. They both have been through a lot in their personal lives and didn’t want to bring in anyone romantically until they are healed yet their hearts called to each other.

“She’s my light, my world, my everything.”

Thank you net galley and Lisina for the arc

Thank you to the Author & publisher for this wonderful read!!
This book was *Chefs Kiss*
✨Dual POV✨
🩺Physical Therapist, HOT, broody, glasses + scrubs wearing MMC 🫠
🩰Professional Ballerina FMC who injures her ankle while over rehearsing for a dream position with her dream ballet company.

Well, home girl injures herself so bad that she is unable to audition or care for herself. Her older brother takes over (his book is the first in the series, btw). Said brother gets her an appointment, unknowingly maybe?🤣, with the hottest PT that works with popular athletes. He creates her an entire tailored rehabilitation plan for the next 6-weeks 🥵🥵🥵🥵.
There’s a nice little ✨age•gap✨ in there and the spice is perfect & the tension🥵. FMCs also got some childhood trauma she’s got to unpack.

Author did a wonderful job of describing the characters and what their lives look like. The things that have brought them to where they are now. All of the “Whys?!”. I enjoyed the relationship dynamics and how close the FMC is with her brother. It’s the sweetest thing ever.

You definitely need to check this one out!

🩺🩰 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖🩰🩺
Hello a book with 2 of the greatest passions of my life? I was sold the moment I read about them.
Everyone who has been following me knows how much do I love a book with medicine in it and this was not the exception, you just have to add an injured ballerina and you literally own my soul. The book was so good that once I started I couldn't put in down.
This is the story of Maddie, a ballet dancer who has just graduated from collegue.
Maddie has danced ballet all her life, all this effort has always been to fulfill her greatest dream which is to be part of a professional ballet company.
This dream is interrupted when Maddie suffers an injury to her ankle the day before her audition. She thinks that thanks to this her life is ruined and that the dream she fought so hard for now seems almost unattainable.
What she doesn't know is that life works in mysterious ways and that maybe what she always dreamed of isn't really what life has for her.
This is where her path crosses with James, her physiotherapist, who is in charge of helping her recover over the next few weeks. What neither of them expected was the connection that began to form between them. There are many reasons why they should not get closer, but no matter how much they both deny it and try to avoid it, fate will always put them in each other's lives.
It goes without saying how much I love this book and that I wholeheartedly appreciate having been able to read the ARC. The story of Maddie and James it's the type of story that shows you that when lifes throws you rocks in your path, you only need someone to show you that you aren't alone and that life it's worth living.
Thank you Netgalley and Lisina Coney for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I would first like to thank Netgalley, Lisina Coney, and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book early!


“There goes my heart,”


Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️

Omg I thought I loved The Brightest Light of Sunshine but The Darkest Corner of the Heart had me in a chokehold from page one! When I saw that this book was written about Maddie after everything she went through in book 1, I just knew I had to read this book and I am so glad that I did!! Watching Maddie grow through her trauma and grow from it was so beautifully written, and watching her meet her perfect match along the way just made for the more perfect story! And I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed The Brightest Light of Sunshine, and now wants to reads Maddies story full of touching romance, growth, overcoming childhood traumas as well as how to heal from the scars they leave behind!!

This book takes place 17 years after book 1 ends, and Maddie is officially an independent adult who is going for her once in a lifetime chance of becoming a professional ballerina… until her dreams come crashing around her when she sustains an injury that puts her out of the running for the ballet company she dreamed of working for, and with her dreams lying shattered around her Maddie is left feeling empty… and then she meets her physical therapist, James Simmons, ten years her senior, extraordinarily handsome, tall, and the grumpiest man she’s ever met. And while they’re both initially attracted to each other they’re determined to keep up a professional relationship at least for the 6 weeks Maddie is in PT. And well when PT ends let’s just say professionalism doesn’t seem important anymore when true love may just be on the line for both of them!

And it wasn’t just the story that had me in a chokehold it was the characters that I simply couldn’t get enough of!! Maddie is a beautiful soul, looking to good in the world, and take care of herself, all while trying to heal what she views are her broken pieces while trying not to burden others. Through all that though she is still a women with a can do attitude, who isn’t afraid to ask the hard question and demand what she wants from life. And James is a man who has closed his heart off after a family betrayal left him cold to the world, but after meeting Maddie is looking to begin healing and chasing the things he really want in life. And honestly together their romance and chemistry was just impossible not fall in love with!

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an epic, heartfelt, grumpy/sunshine romance filled with hilarious banter, spice, and just the right amount of drama and angst that will keep you reading into the early morning hours! This is not a book you want to miss!

HAPPY READING 📖

Two people who meet because of an accident . Maddie is a ballarina and suffers an accident and hurts her ankle and needs physical therape for six weeks . The doctor James is a sexy brooding man who makes her weak at her knees . There is a 10 year age gap but they belong together .
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

I am a sucker for forbidden romance and this did not disappoint! The age gap, forbidden (physical therapist & patient), and dual pov made this a perfect read. I loved the mental health rep and slow burn romance.
I haven’t read The Brightest Light of Sunshine, but I will definitely be off to read it next. This happily worked without reading book 1 though.
Thank you for an Arc in return for an honest review, I will definitely be reading more Lisina Coney!

I recently read The Brightest Light of Sunshine and whilst it was only a three star read for me, I was very eager to read Maddie's story. I really enjoyed The Darkest Corner of the Heart! Maddie's journey was emotional and heartwarming. I loved the romance between her and James and I liked the appearances of Grace and Cal from the previous book. I look forward to reading more Lisina Conley books in the future!

MADDIE AND JAMES!!! you guys I really loved this book! I had to read the first one quick to get into the world of these books and they both got my attention so quick. I loved the authors writing, and you know I love an age gap/ forbidden vibe!

This was SO GOOD! So to preface this review, I used to love forbidden romance. It was one of the main tropes I read when I got back into reading. Over time though with most of them being such high angst, I didn't want to read them anymore because they would cause my anxiety to skyrocket. This one though was forbidden with very low angst, which I LOVED.

In this one, we have Maddie the FMC, who is a professional ballet dancer. She has just been given the opportunity to audition for (if I remember correctly) a very prestigious dance company, with her friend Kyle. One night while practicing she falls pretty hard and hurts her ankle. After meeting with doctors, PT, etc, it becomes clear that she won't be able to go back to ballet for a while, and will ultimately miss her audition. With this having been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Maddie is crushed by her injury.

She spends the following 6 weeks in PT with James who is the MMC. This was a veryyy slow burn. So expect there to be no official moves made until legit like 70% in, but with their chemistry, it didn't bother me. James feels a pull toward Maddie almost instantly, but he's the ultimate grump so as a reaction to his feelings he's sort of a dick to Maddie. He is very protective of her even before they develop into friends.

They finish the 6 weeks of her PT and while James feels like shit for having feelings for her because he is legit her medical provider, he physically can't bring himself to walk away. He runs into her at her work and things sort of just spiral after there. We have some family trauma on both sides, mental health issues, etc. While this book dealt with some tougher topics it didn't feel high angst and I enjoyed this read immensely. The story developed at a great pace and I enjoyed the plot. I liked how much of a grump James was and how healing he was for Maddie and vice versa. I liked that Maddie got a hea with her Mom too.

Definitely recommend this one and look forward to reading more by the author!

The Blurb: Maddie Stevens, always feeling like she's not good enough, hits a low when she injures her ankle before a big ballet audition. Enter James Simmons, her grumpy but kinda hot physical therapist, who she's forced to spend time with. Despite the age gap and the whole "forbidden" vibe, sparks fly as they get closer, making it harder for them to stick to the rules and resist the temptation.

My Thoughts: Ran to Netgalley to request this one after seeing some art on the author's tiktok (go look it up, trust me) and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Darkest Corner of the Heart was a super cute and also powerful read. This was my first by Lisina Coney (the characters from book 1, The Brightest Light of Sunshine, are super prominent throughout the book, so I would highly recommend reading that one first! I'm absolutely going to go back and read it asap!) and it definitely won't be my last! I ate up the tension, protective vibes, and connection between the two of these mc's throughout this. There's a huge focus on the age gap here, but I don't think it was necessary. Overall, I enjoyed this read and can't wait to read more from the author!

Read if you love
- age gap (21 & 31)
- physical therapist x ballet dancer
- grumpy x sunshine
- slow burn romance
- panic attacks rep
- dual POV
- he's a grumpy cat dad

Thank you for the ARC!

This was my first book by Lisina Coney and I really liked it!

I’m a sucker for forbidden romance so I obviously had to read this. I loved the forbidden aspect of this and the relationship between James and Maddie.

Maddie has an accident that lands her in James’ office, questioning what she’s going to do with her life as she undergoes physical therapy. But as we get to know her more, we really see how her past still has a huge hold on her and makes her act in ways that make her feel alone.

James is Maddie’s new physical therapist, he’s 10 years her senior, super hot and grumpy and a cat dad to two adorable cats. While he seems perfect, he also has his insecurities and although he’s attracted to Maddie, he doesn’t think he’s right for her at first.

While they try to stay away from each other, they end up not being able to resist and become friends first…until they can’t deny their chemistry any longer. James would do anything for Maddie and I loved that about him.

This was such a fun read while also being a bit heavy on the emotional side. Lisina wrote this so well and I had a great time reading it.

I don’t think this will be my last book from this author!

Maddie and James’ story was so bittersweet, I found myself feeling different emotions while reading and updating Lisina with my live reactions 😂

TDCOTH takes place 17 years after TBLOS and follows Maddie Stevens who is a recent college graduate. While preparing for an important ballet audition Maddie injures herself leading to her missing out on her dream place at a prestigious ballet company. She begins physiotherapy and meets James Simmons who happens to be her doctor. I loved this this wasn’t insta love and the two had a professional relationship. James appears to be a quiet grump at first but honestly he’s the biggest sweetheart ever and super protective of Maddie.

The slow burn aspect worked well with this story because they start off as friends and get to know each other better whilst acknowledging their age difference but, again they keep things professional until Maddie has the all clear from physiotherapy. Maddie and James both had their dreams shattered but overcame the tribulations that came their way and that’s what really brings them together as a couple because they bonded over their strengths rather than their weaknesses.

Loved seeing the Cal & Grace cameos and little Lila as well, I will say for an 11 year old there were times her dialogue made her seem much younger so I nearly forgot how old she was. Some parts did feel a little repetitive and I wish the subplots were developed a little more for extra drama but overall it was a great heartwarming read! 🥰

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT!! I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE GOOD BUT OMG THIS GOOD?!!!

For those who read, you may remember Maddie, Cal’s little sister. “Darkest Corner of the Heart” takes place seventeen years later. However, it can be read as a standalone. Book 1 is such a great story, and I believe readers would better understand the history of Maddie’s relationship with her parents if they had read Book 1.

Much like her sister-in-law, Grace, Maddie is a ballet dancer, but faced with a significant injury, she’s out for recovery, leaving her to re-think her future. She connects with her physical therapist, James. He is a former NFL athlete whose career ended due to an injury and understands what Maddie is going through. Their friendship begins after their PT/client relationship ends, though their age gap is a significant deterrent. Maddie is 21, and James is ten years older. James eventually can’t fight his feelings anymore, and wow—I must say the spice scenes are on point here.

Maddie has a ton of insecurities, and James is incredible with her. He is such a big softie and so supportive of her. I loved “seeing” Grace and Cal again and thoroughly enjoyed Maddie, all grown-up, pursuing her own life.

First thing first, I wanted to thank @netgalley and @pageandvinebooks for the opportunity to read this arc💕

The Darkest Corner of The Heart features Maddie Stevens, a young ballerina who has never felt good enough. Not good enough to keep her parents’ love. Not good enough to be independent and stop being her brother’s problem. Not good enough to build the future she wants.

When she injures her ankle before a ballet audition that could change her career forever, she’s convinced her life is over at twenty-one. What's the point of having dreams when they can go down the drain at any moment?

And because the universe has a cruel sense of humor, her physical therapist turns out to be a tank-shaped grouch who doesn't even seem to like her that much. It's totally unfair that, for six weeks, she's forced to look at that handsome beard and listen to that deep voice that makes her head all dizzy. Top that with the fact that he's ten years her senior, and falling for James Simmons is a recipe for disaster.

But when their forced proximity makes the lines start blurring, the forbidden temptation becomes impossible to resist.

I saw this book all over tiktok and I couldn’t lei it slip away! You all know how much I love forced proximity romances and I had to read this one. I actually really enjoyed it. Mental health is the main part of the book and I loved how the author touched the subject.

Omg James the man you are. Other than the fact that he’s a grumpy cat dad, he was the perfect guy for Maddie. The chemistry between was absolutely insane and I loved every second of their romance. The spice was also very well written!!

Like I said mental health is the main focus pf this book and Lisina did an incredible job. Reading of their insecurities and struggles through life felt so real, and I feel like a lot of people can identify with them. Being an athlete is hard and it is even hard being injured and not being able to do what you live for is, trust me, I know how it feels.

I can’t wait to read The Brightest Light of Sunshine, which is the previous book in this series that follows Cal, Maddie’s big brother, and Grace! They had different appearances in this book and I need to know more about them👀

Trigger warnings: age gap (21 & 31) , alcoholism, panic attacks rep, drugs, profanity, death, and explicit sexual scenes

i haven’t read the previous one, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this one fully. (i’ll be reading the other one eventually, i have no doubt.)

just to start, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. it’s so unique and i’m obsessed with it. as for the actual story, i really liked that too. i sped through it quite quickly. the characters are built to feel very real. it felt as though both of the main character’s storylines were written with care and sensitivity and had been researched completely. it’s a romance and that’s a clear fixture in the story, but as individuals both maddie and james go on their own healing journeys and that’s very important to the story itself.

definitely recommend this to any and all romance enjoyers.

This was so nice and wholesome, I’m not usually one for age gap romance but this swayed me because it wasnt your typical professor/student scenario of some sort.

I also absolutely love when we get a HEA trope and a little fast forward to see how life turned out. This was a fun spicy read with some decent build up of tension!

Ahh! The first book by Lisina Coney hit all the right places in contemporary romance. Emotional heart string pulling moments. Characters you love. Plenty of spice to round it all out. So when she announced that the next one would be about a ballerina and her physical therapist? With that stunning cover? I was in.

And I'm thrilled that I got to read it. This book was thoughtful as it delved into mental health and undoubtedly cute with a great age gap slow burn. Can't wait to see what Lisina writes next!