Campus Player: a college sports romance

Campus Player is the first book in the Campus series by Jennifer Sucevic. Rowan Michaels is the gorgeous, talented quarterback at Western University. He has a reputation as a player on and off the field. His off field conquests were legendary and whispered across campus. Demi Richards has known Rowan since her father, the head coach of the football team, took him under his wing. Rowan eventually became the brother she never wanted or asked for; especially since she is fighting her own attraction. Demi focuses on school and her own soccer team. This semester put them even closer together as he needs tutoring and she can’t say no. Soon, it seems the one guy she has been trying to stay away from is the one she can’t get away from. As they spend time together, Demi begins to see that Rowan is the person she thought he was and he is carrying a secret that could change everything between them. 

I have read a lot of college campus sports romances and, for the most part I have enjoyed them while some have been misses. So, my expectations weren’t high for this story. At the beginning, I liked Demi as a college soccer player who vowed to stay away from the members of her father’s football team and focus on her own studies and future plans. However, as the story went on, I liked her less and less and liked Rowan more and more. I especially gave up when he finally tells her his secret and her mind goes in the opposite direction instead of what he was plainly trying to say. Then after that as they talked about their pasts, I liked them both even less. Overall, it was an okay story but I was bored. It was way too long and drawn out. I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend Campus Player. 

Campus Player is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Agony: a football, best friends and secret love

Agony is the first book in the Entangled Hearts Duet by Kaylee Ryan. Cooper Reeves and Reese Latham have been best friends since childhood. They were inseparable until college. Tired of being in the friend zone, she made a move and it didn’t play out the way she had hoped. After college, Cooper plays professional football and leaves Reese behind with a broken heart. What she doesn’t know is that Cooper is in love with her. Refusing to ruin their great friendship, he didn’t act on his feelings. Even when he knew she felt the same, he pushed her away to preserve their friendship. The longer they are apart, the more he realizes that Reese is more than just his best friend but the love of her life. Now she is engaged and the thought of living without her is agony. 

I love football with a friends to lovers romance and Agony was filled with funny friendship banter, romance scenes and plenty of drama. The story quickly moves through Cooper and Reese’s college years. My favorite character was Cooper and while there were moments when I wanted to reach through the book and tell Cooper to just tell Reese the truth, like many of the other characters urged him to do, I understood his fear. I loved their supporting characters who added humor and a dose of reality when needed, even when it is not heeded. I could not put the book down and eagerly read through the day. It does end on a cliffhanger and I am so eager to read the second book for the continuation of Cooper and Reese’s story. I recommend Agony. 

Agony is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

In the Grasp: a second chance sports romance

In the Grasp is the first book in the LA Wolves series by Cadence Keys. Jack Fuller is at the top of his game with a high priority on his personal life remaining private. He can’t stop thinking about the girl who got away. Now, nine years later, she arrives back in his life and Jack is determined to do it right this time around. Paige O’Malley has worked tirelessly to land her dream job a largest newspaper. Her first assignment: to write the most personal expose on Jack, the man who broke her heart. As she tries to remain professional and land her interview, she learns that the spark between them is still as hot as ever. She is forced to decide what is more important: her dream career or the love of her life. 

I love sports romances, so I looked forward to picking up In the Grasp. From the opening chapter, I loved Jack and Paige as readers meet them as seniors in high school, best friends to lovers when something happens that tears them apart. Fast forward and they are both living their dreams except one. From the moment they saw each other again, the drama, the banter, and the steamy romance were in high gear. There were moments of great emotions from both Jack and Paige. I love the grand gestures from both of them! I could not put this book down! I am looking forward to the rest of the series. If you love sports romance, you will love Jack and Paige and the world of the LA Wolves. I highly recommend In The Grasp. 

In the Grasp is available in paperback and eBook

Roughing the Kicker: a friends to lovers sports romance with a happily ever after

Roughing the Kicker is the first book in the Denver Mountain Lions series by Emily Silver. Tenley Rhodes has been in love with Jackson Fields since the ninth grade. However, he was her best friend and she was the girl next door. Ten years later, he is the star kicker for the Denver Mountain Lions. When an injury places him on the sideline, he calls her for help. She moves in with him in order to help him. With Jackson depending on her for everything, she is determined to keep her feelings a secret. However, with every touch sends butterflies to her stomach and fires through her veins. Little does she know, Jackson is beginning to see her differently, will he reveal it has been her all along? Will they be willing to risk their friendship to find a love they are both looking for? 

I’m a sucker for a good sports romance. Roughing the Kicker is a sweet, steamy friends to lovers sports romance. There are lots of heart, sweet moments, laughter, banter and steamy moments. The interactions between Jackson and Tenley are great. The build up to them confessing their feelings was wonderful and sigh-worthy. I loved both characters and read eagerly to see them get their happily ever after. There is a third act break up; but the grand gesture is cute and heartwarming. I closed the book with lots of smiles. The secondary characters were great and I hope they get their own stories in the series. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to the rest of the series. If you enjoy a friends to lovers sports romance, I recommend Roughing the Kicker. 

Roughing the Kicker is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Dating the Defensive Back: a fake relationship romance

Dating the Defensive Back is the first book in Nash Brothers series by Lisa Suzanne. Grayson Nash has been traded to the Vegas Aces. When he walks into a local Vegas bar, he doesn’t know that his childhood best friend’s little sister was there. Ava Maxwell saw him walk in and when he attempts to pick her up, she realizes that he does not recognize him. She gives him a fake name and they end up having a steamy night together. They exchange numbers and a promise to see each other again. As they begin a flirty text conversation, Ava finds it harder and harder to tell Grayson who she really is. When Grayson does find out, he is determined to keep his distance. That is until her ex comes to town and starts harassing her. Grayson swoops in and pretends to be her new boyfriend. Now they are in the middle of a fake dating relationship for his image. However, it starts to feel very, very real. Can a fake relationship turn into a real forever love? 

I love a good fake relationship romance with a football background. They are usually sweet, fun with football players. However, it wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t fun. It was spicy. The language used was cringey and like no one really uses these terms. Like I’ve only heard them in books and tv shows. For example, I can’t stand the term “V-card” and it is used a lot by Ava! There were other descriptions of certain body parts that were so cringey and just icky. I did not like Ava who was immature and very manipulative. Grayson is just an idiot. They decide to have a fake relationship for images sake and seek the help of a public relations person. These suggestions were eye rolling annoying. It was also way too long. Sixty-three chapters alternating between Ava and Grayson! Each chapter was short; almost too short, before ending and sometimes changing the point of view. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend Dating the Defensive Back. 

 Dating the Defensive Back is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows: an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance

You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows is the first book in the Kingsmen Football Stars series by Piper Rayne. Lee Burrows may be the Kingsmen’s star quarterback with the legendary arm. He may have six-pack abs and kissable lips. But to Shayna Kudrow, Lee Burrows is the man who broke her heart in college. She has spent the years since recovering from his actions and worked hard to become a sport therapist for a professional team. However, her new job is with the San Francisco Kingsmen. Determined to be the cool professional, Shayna won’t give him the time of day. Unfortunately, Lee refuses to take the hint. He is also determined. Determined to apologize for what happened in college and convince her for a second chance because what they had going then is still burning bright. 

You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance love story filled with fun banter, laughs and steamy, sweet romance. After reading the prequel, False Start, last year, I could not wait to dive into the Kingsmen Football series. You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows does not disappoint. I loved Lee’s determination to explain and redeem himself to Shayna. It is evident that the torch still burns bright for him. I also loved Shayna’s resolve to not let their past keep her from her dream job as she fights to acknowledge her feelings for Lee are still there. When the barriers are finally broken, it is romantic, sweet and very touchy. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. If you love romance and football, I highly recommend You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows. I also recommend False Start, although you do not need to read it to enjoy You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows. 

You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

False Start is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Princess and the Player: a steamy strangers to lovers romance

Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills is the second book in the Strangers in Love series. A masquerade ball at an exclusive club where anonymity is a must. Tuck Avery, an aging wide receiver in the NFL, celebrates his 35th birthday with his friends at Decadence, the premier club in New York. Even though he doesn’t want to be there, one particular princess catches his eye. Francesca is there to forget. Forget that that night was supposed to be her wedding day. Forget that her fiancé cheated on her. She just wants to forget. With no names, no faces, they have one amazing night together, with the promise that’s all they will have. But fate has other ideas. Francesca learns that her prince is the wealthy football player that lives in the penthouse of her building. If the tabloids are to be believed, she wants nothing to do with him. Unfortunately, she has one problem: she learns she is pregnant. As their paths keep crossing and their attraction to each is obvious, can the princess and the player have a happily ever after? 

Where do I start? Princess and the Player is a steamy strangers to lovers romance. As I closed the final chapter of this story, I was unsure how I felt. I enjoyed the story but I found myself extremely frustrated at the stubborn bullheadedness of Tuck and Francesca. At one point, Francesca gets upset that Tuck had her investigated DESPITE knowing his past. Any one in his position and wealth would investigate people they are trying to get close to. It sucks; however, I understand it is in order to protect himself, not just financially but psychologically as well. Tuck is a tortured person with a trauma filled past. And yet, I felt as if Francesca was constantly trying to claim her past was far more tragic. While both pasts were traumatic, this isn’t a competition. Plus there are some timeline issues that I’m sure were for dramatic effect but it didn’t work for me. That being said, I truly did enjoy this story and I look forward to reading more in this series. If you enjoy a steamy romance, you will enjoy Princess and the Player. 

Princess and the Player is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Claiming Carter: a steamy forbidden romance

Claiming Carter is the first book in the Waverley Wildcats series by Jennifer Bonds. Austin Reid has it all. A star quarterback with amazing talent, good looks and any woman he wants. The only thing he is missing is a national championship. When the team’s kicker is injured and the home opening game is three weeks away, he needs to find a replacement. He does so in an unorthodox way. He recruits one player from the women’s soccer team. Kennedy Carter is no jersey chaser. In fact, she hates football and football players. She is focused on finishing her degree. But with the possibility of a full-ride scholarship, she can’t refuse. Sparks fly between them from the get go. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the building fire. Can Austin convince Kennedy that he is not a typical football player? 

I love the game of football. I look forward to every season with anticipation. I also love a good football romance story. Let me say that it’s hard to find. Claiming Carter has it all. It is a sweet, steamy romance with fun, witty banter and personal growth. I loved both Austin and Kennedy as individuals and as a couple. I enjoyed a glimpse, even a fictional glimpse, of a football team behind the scenes which most football fans will never see. Even when the story was predictable, it is a romance after all, but it has the great romantic moments and the grand public gesture is so incredibly sweet. Overall, I loved this story. I stayed up well into the night in order to finish it. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you enjoy a sweet, steamy sports romance, I highly recommend Claiming Carter. 

Claiming Carter is available in paperback and eBook

Meet me Halfway: what will you do for love?

Meet Me Halfway by Kim Carmody is Book 2 in the Off Field Series. It is the story of a young woman, Olivia Callahan, an ambitious journalist and Nate Sullivan, the newest recruit for the New York Warriors as a tight end. Olivia is persisted to get the story behind Nate and his rise to the NFL and Nate will do anything to keep it secret. While they go to battle for his privacy and her determination to get the story which will make her career, the sparks fly. As they fall in love, Olivia and Nate both must decide what they will do, and won’t do, in order to be together. Will Nate open up about his past? Will Olivia choose love over career?

Meet Me Halfway started out strong. Olivia is given a chance to jumpstart her career with a new idea for a series of in-depth stories about football players. With Nate’s first round draft pick, the media and the football world is going nuts and all Nate wants to do is hide. However, I could not finish this book. I enjoyed the Prologue which feature Olivia but the opening chapter featuring Nate sealed this book for me. Nate and his friend, Jake, are talking as guys do. Nate’s girlfriend comes up and Nate makes a comment that she “fucks like a porn star,” I had it. I don’t like that language. I understand that men will talk like that but I don’t want to read it. If you are already a fan of Ms. Carmody, you may enjoy this book.

Meet Me Halfway

is available in paperback and eBook

on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!!

Today is Thanksgiving. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving has its origins in English traditions from the Protestant Reformation with aspects of a harvest festival as well as the English Reformation and King Henry VIII. Thanksgiving is a day of food, family and football! Yes, football is a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday as college football games were played on this holiday since 1876 when Yale and Princeton began the tradition of playing each other. The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving since 1936 and the Dallas Cowboys have played on this holiday since 1966. A third game was added in primetime in 2006.

Many cultures around the world have a form of a thanksgiving feast. Celebrations to mark a good harvest, a wedding or a birth of a child. The Wampanoag tribe helped the Puritans and Pilgrims as they arrived in America. The first Thanksgiving was held after a good harvest and a year of health and prosperity. Over the years, the two traditions of a solemn European Puritan thanksgiving would be combined with the Wampanoag celebrations to become a celebration of joyous gratitude. The traditions of Thanksgiving continued as George Washington declared the first Thanksgiving as a national holiday and it was declared every year. Thomas Jefferson would be the only president to refuse to declare a day of thanksgiving, calling it “the most ridiculous idea ever conceived.” Thanksgiving as we know it today was fixed to the fourth Thursday in November on December 26, 1941 by President Roosevelt, changing President Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation of the final Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving.

Today, many people see it as a feast before heading out to go Christmas shopping on Black Friday. They plan their dinner around the best times to head out and stand in line. I refused to shop on Black Friday because it takes away from Thanksgiving. Many of my childhood memories of Thanksgiving were playing flag football at the park, playing on my grandparents’ swing set or gathered around the TV watching the football game. It wasn’t bundling up to wait outside a retail show to save a few hundred dollars. I want my children to have the same memories I did. I want them to look back at the fun times we have on Thanksgiving and not the craziness and insanity of people who will knock you to the ground because you are standing in their way of something they want.

Thanksgiving to me is about time with family and friends and to be thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed on us. This year, I am thankful for:

• The grace, strength and endurance that God has granted me this year. This year has been a tough one for my family and I am grateful for every little blessing. 
• My wonderful husband and daughter who keep me going through dark times. I am thankful that my husband works as hard as he does so I am able to stay home with our daughter. It may not last forever but I am grateful for the time I have. 
• The improving health of my friend. I’m grateful that dreams so long denied are finally coming true. Every day I pray for improvement.
• For family and friends who give and support my family in times of crisis and stress regardless of their own needs and struggles. I hope that one day I can truly repay their kindness. 

Thanksgiving has different meanings to different people. Whatever it may be mean to you, please take this time to think about the little blessings in your life that you may take for granted during year. Be thankful for the job you may hate because it helps put food on the table and a roof over your head. Be thankful for the clunker of a car that still gets you from point A to point B despite its problems. Be thankful every day.

Football is finally here!!!

Ahh, my favorite time of year. School’s back in session. Fall is just around the corner and cooler weather (at least hopefully for me) is on its way. Football season is here!!!! My favorite team is the Kansas City Chiefs. Many people have asked me why and I don’t have a real answer. I picked them because I knew other people who were fans and I like their logo. However, I could have easily picked another team. I chose Kansas City and I will always cheer on Kansas City. The first football game was played on November 6, 1869 when the game resembled rugby. Rule changes in 1880 led to the game that we recognize today. My favorite reasons why I love football: the game itself, friendship among fans and the emotional investment.

First, the game itself. It’s a game filled with strategy like a game of chess. With all the pieces in place, will the play work? Will it catch the opponent off-guard or will they see right through the ploy? I cheering as the team makes a touchdown or another big play. I enjoying jeering at the teams for play mistakes. I also enjoy showing my disapproval for bad calls. All the teams battling for the opportunity to play in the big game: the Super Bowl.

Second, there is an immediate “friendship” among fans. My husband and I have been stopped by complete strangers to discuss our teams simply because we are wearing the same team jerseys. You go to a bar or a restaurant with the game on and the person next to you because your new friend because you are cheering for the same team. On the other hand, complete strangers will tease or taunt simply because you support their team’s rival. We take it all in stride. I say if you pick a team, support them to the end no matter how much you are teased or ridicule by other team’s fans.

Third, the emotional investment of the players helps their fans cheer in support as their team plays the game. You cheer when they cheer as they win the big game or you cry in disappoint with them when you lose. My sister, who is a San Francisco 49ers fan since the days of Joe Montana, once told me that she gets pumped up with the players’ passion for the game. My husband gets very involved in the game, yelling and screaming at the TV as if the players or the refs can hear him. Game day gets pretty intense at our house.

In conclusion, I love football. I love the strategy of the game. I love fans getting together and enjoying the game. I love the high I get when I watch an exciting game. It’s a great release of stress and energy. Its 16 weeks of high intensity games with 32 teams battling it out and leading up to the biggest game of the year! So, are you ready for some football?!?!?