Tag: Sports

Review: The Lineup (Meghan Quinn)

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The Lineup
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: December 5, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Want to know a secret?

It’s about that girl over there.
Don’t look, but she’s the one in the power suit—with the long, black hair and the serious expression, the one I’m about to go on a date with . . .

Yeah, according to her, she “accidentally” donated an obscene amount of money to my charity — The Lineup — to win said date but I found out the truth. Miss. Button Up Blouse has a secret, passionate crush on me.

I didn’t know her name until two days ago, despite the friends we have in common.
Was I oblivious? Probably.
Was I blind to it? Definitely.

But I’m no fool, I see it now. The High Heel Harlot wants more than just a date with Jason Orson, she wants to be able to claim the best butt in baseball as hers.

Here’s another secret . . . she has no idea I know.

I have to give the award “Favorite Baseball Player in a Meghan Quinn Book” to Jason Orson. Yeah, that’s an award I just made up, but he’s my new favorite. Jason had a great personality. He was tough but sensitive and hilarious. I love how he antagonized Dottie to get her to admit she liked him. It was all so elementary school, but there was something so adorable about it.

Dottie was just as great of a character. She had a hard shell and refused to admit she was attracted to Jason. Dottie was downright mean to him at times, and instead of coming off harsh it came off as funny all because of that sparkling personality Jason had. They had some of the most entertaining banter I’ve read in a while.

Not only was The Lineup funny, but it was packed with other emotions as well. I was surprised to find myself tearing up at a couple of parts. I loved how Meghan Quinn threw in some moments that eye opening and touching. The Lineup was a great mix of contemporary romance and romantic comedy.

The only issues I had with The Lineup was that dang prologue. It had me on edge waiting for what was to come. I just wanted to enjoy the dance going on between Jason and Dottie, but that dang prologue was always in the back of my mind. I have to give it credit, though. I wasn’t expecting it to go down the way it did when I actually got to that part.

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About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

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Review: Enemies (Tijan)

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Enemies, an all-new emotional, enemies to lovers romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan, is available now!

Enemies
Author: Tijan
Publication Date: December 2, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Stone Reeves was my neighbor, and I’ve hated him since sixth grade.

Gorgeous and charismatic, he became the town’s football god, while I became the town’s invisible girl.
He went to a Division 1 school for football, while my father was fired by his father.
His team won the National Championship, while my mother died the same day.

He was a first round pick for the NFL …
… while I made the worst decision in my life.

Now I’m in Texas trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
But, Stone is here.
Stone is everywhere.

It doesn’t matter that disaster has struck my life again.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the one trying to console me.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the nation’s newest football obsession.

Because for me, he always has been and always will be my enemy.

** Enemies is a 100k enemies-to-lovers football romance standalone!

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of Enemies. I was honestly worried it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea during the first 20%. Dusty was weird and awkward. I couldn’t make sense of her thoughts and how she was living in Texas. There was all this build up about Stone, but basically no interaction between them. What I came to understand at that 20% mark was that Tijan was setting the scene for the reader. Once Dusty and Stone were in the same place at the same time, it was like an explosion and everything was full steam ahead. Thank goodness. I also found myself appreciating all that build up that was going on when I wasn’t so sure about this book.

If you’re a fan of Tijan’s books, you will love Dusty and Stone’s romance. They reminded me slightly of Sam and Mason or maybe even Alex and Jesse. There’s this whole I hate you, but I’m going to love you vibe. There’s a strong, broken young woman and a dominate, successful athlete. Tijan excels at writing these types of characters. That makes it sound like it’s the same story all over again, but it’s not. Dusty and Stone have their own unique love story. It’s filled with just the right amount of angst, sweetness, frustration, love, anger, hope, tenderness and a pinch of suspense. Tijan packed so many emotions and actions into Enemies and still I could have read more.

I fell in love with Enemies slowly but completely. I ended up loving Dusty and Stone together. I loved their friends. I didn’t want to leave them when this book was over. I know at this point Enemies is a standalone and it was wrapped up well, but I am still hoping it turns into a series. I wouldn’t complain about a book for any of the supporting characters. Colby and Cammie would be my first pick. I’m just saying…

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About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

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Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

YA Mini Reviews: Girl at Heart & One of the Girls

Today, I’m sharing with you two YA contemporary sports romances I read recently. I put them in this mini review together because while they’re written by two different authors, they are part of the same Roosevelt High School world/series.

Girl at Heart
Author: Kelly Oram
Publication Date: November 4, 2019
Publisher: Bluefields
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

As the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys.

When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. She’s tired of being overlooked by boys because she’s not like other girls. Suffering a massive identity crisis, she decides to hang up her cleats and finally learn how to be a girl.

But with only two weeks until the state championships, the Roosevelt High Ravens can’t afford to lose their star catcher. Team captain Jace King makes her a deal: Don’t quit the team, and he’ll help her become the girl she’s so desperate to be. After all, he’s got four sisters, one of whom happens to be a cheerleader. He knows a thing or two about girls. (And if he can win her heart in the process, all the better.)

From the bestselling young adult author of Cinder & Ella, V is for Virgin, and the Avery Shaw Experiment comes a new sweet romance that’s sure to leave you with all the feels! Girl at Heart is a clean and wholesome sports romance that will leave you with warm fuzzies and an itch to watch a baseball game.

My thoughts:

First, can I just love on this cover? The colors are all so pretty together and it’s just so adorable. It fits the book so well. As for what’s inside the book… I loved every minute of Girl at Heart. It’s the story of a girl who is on the high school boys’ baseball team. She’s always been “just one of the guys”, but Charlie wants to be seen as a girl. Girl at Heart is a really sweet story about Charlie finding herself and falling in love. I was surprised by the emotions I felt while reading it (I teared up and had to stop myself from sobbing, guys.) and the way things played out. It was more than I expected it to be. That shouldn’t have been a shock since I’ve read and loved Oram’s books before, but it was. I loved it so much that when I saw there was another book set in this world with characters I recognized, I knew I needed to read that book, too.

One of the Girls
Author: Robin Daniels
Publication Date: June 20, 2019
Publisher: Bluefields
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

FROM ENDZONE TO FRIENDZONE…

Senior Nick Moody is the second string quarterback on Roosevelt High School’s championship football team. He’s crushed on Mia for years, but she doesn’t know he exists. It’s time to come off the bench and into the game. Nick refuses to graduate without getting the girl or the glory.

Mia Ashlock is the remarkably kind cheer captain. She’s a yes girl, and her penchant for people pleasing always leads to bad relationships. After being humiliated in a very public dumping, her teammates decide to break her bad habit with a ban on boyfriends.

When Nick sees a poster, advertising cheer tryouts, he has a crazy idea: quit football and become a cheerleader. It’s perfect! He can get close to Mia and steal the spotlight, using his true and hidden talent—gymnastics. Nick and Mia have instant chemistry, but it does him little good. If Mia’s zero dating rule weren’t bad enough, the team treats him less like boyfriend material and more like one of the girls. Breaching the friendzone will be much harder than he thought.

Content: This book contains kissing along with limited/mild swearing and minimal inuendo/crude humor. No explicit language or references to sex.

My thoughts:

Like I said above, this book is connected to Oram’s by the setting and some characters. It actually came out first, but it doesn’t matter which order you read them in. I had never read a book by Robin Daniels before, but I want to read more of them now. I loved One of the Girls just as much as Girl at Heart. This book was opposite that one as it was a boy joining the cheerleading squad. Nick was joined to use his gymnastics skills and to win cheerleading captain Mia’s heart. It was so sweet and definitely a feel good story.

I really, really hope there are more books to come set at Roosevelt High. Whether they’re from Daniels, Oram, or another author, I would happily read them.

Review: Moonlighter (Sarina Bowen)

Moonlighter
Series: The Company, #1
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name.

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job.

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.

Sigh. I loved Moonlighter. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Eric Bayer and Alex’s romance was sweet in a way I wasn’t expecting — only because I didn’t immediately connect the dots as to who Alex was. I don’t know how I didn’t recognize her character immediately. (She’s from Brooklynaire if you need a reminder like I did.) The story was also funny in the way I’ve come to expect from Sarina Bowen. It even had a romantic suspense vibe that I enjoyed because it wasn’t overdone. I couldn’t get enough of Eric and Alex. I wanted their story to go on forever. Sarina Bowen was smart to start this new The Company series with a couple of Brooklyn Bruisers characters. I’m so excited to see what comes next in the series. I would love a Duff or Max book!

Review: Win Big (Kelly Jamieson)

Win Big
Series: Wynn Hockey, #3
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Publication Date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: Loveswept
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

When your name is Wynn, victory’s the only option…

Everly Wynn: As the only daughter in the Wynn family of hockey heroes, I never shared the ice with my brothers—or the approval they got from my father.
And that was before the scandal that ruined my life at sixteen.
Now that I’ve put all that behind me and built a successful career, the last thing I need is another hockey player in my life.
Especially one like Wyatt Bell.
He’s an arrogant, fast-living party boy. I hate how he gets by on his good looks and charm.
So why can’t I get him out of my mind?

Wyatt Bell: Life is short, and you’ve got to live it to the fullest. I learned that the hard way.
So on the ice, I always play to win, and on the town, fun and flirting are my game.
Because it’s better to laugh your way through the pain than to let them see you’re hurting—but I’ll never stop wishing I could find someone to share the real me with.
Something about Everly Wynn makes me think she could be the one.
But all she sees is a hockey jock hooked on good times.
If she didn’t take herself so seriously, maybe she would take a chance on being happy.

Kelly Jamieson is back with a third book in the Wynn Hockey series, Win Big. Here are things I liked and disliked about it.

What I liked:

  • How Everly and Wyatt’s relationship started off. It had this enemies to lovers vibe.
  • The fake relationship aspect.
  • Everly and Wyatt as a couple.
  • Who Wyatt was on the inside compared to who portrayed himself to be at times.
  • The friendships between the gals.
  • Everly’s backstory.

What I disliked:

  • Everly felt like she had two distinct parts of her personality that didn’t always mesh well.
  • The lawsuit story. It took away from the love story.
  • I wanted it to be a little longer with more time with Everly and Watt as a couple.

Overall, it was a quick and fun to read sports romance.

Review: Blitzed (Alexa Martin)

Blitzed
Series: Playbook, #3
Author: Alexa Martin
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Maxwell has finally met an opponent that he can’t best in this new football romance from the author of Fumbled.

According to Brynn Larson, Maxwell Lewis is more trouble than he’s worth. She doesn’t care if he’s a football god with a rock-hard body that brings most women to their knees. After an encounter that ends poorly, she’s not interested in giving him a second chance. The last thing Brynn expects is for him to turn up at her bar months later, hat in hand. It doesn’t matter if he brings more customers to her business–she’s still not going on a date with him.

Maxwell knows he made a mistake. He’d been waiting to make his move on Brynn since the day he laid eyes on her and he was finally ready to go for it until he screwed up. He wishes he could tell her the truth about what happened that night, but he just can’t. He can’t tell anyone, so he’ll make amends and hope she’ll forgive him.

Brynn’s not like other women, though. Playing for the Mustangs doesn’t impress her and gifts make her scoff. Max will have to bring his A game if he hopes to win her over.

I liked Blitzed, but I didn’t love it. I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. I had some preconceived notions about Brynn from the previous two books and they didn’t quite stack up.

Brynn was fierce, but not as fierce as I expected. When it came to Maxwell, she crumbled. The reasons why didn’t stand out enough to me until close to the end. It could totally be me and I missed the cues.

Maxwell seemed like a big sweetheart. I loved how he treated Brynn and how he didn’t let her attitude push him away. I didn’t feel like I got to know him quite as well as I wanted to, though. The lack of his perspective brought some great mystery to the plot, but it hampered my getting to know Maxwell and his motivations.

As for that mysterious plot…I didn’t love it. It created a rift between Brynn and Maxell for the sake of the having a problem to solve between them, but it just kind of felt thrown in here and there. Maybe there were just too many things going on that overshadowed it. I don’t know.

What I really loved about Blitzed was the Lady Mustangs and their friendships. Those friendships made the book. Well, that and Alexa Martin’s writing style. Even if I didn’t love everything that was going on, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m hoping if there’s a next book in this series that there’s a little less going on and more focus on the relationships.

Review: A Lie for a Lie (Helena Hunting)

A Lie for a Lie
Series: All In, #1
Author: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.

A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

A new hockey romance from Helena Hunting? Yes, please! I didn’t even need to read the blurb to know I wanted to give it a read.

I loved how A Lie for a Lie started out in the present day. It brought me right back into the hockey world that Pucked started off. (Yes, you read that right. All In is a spin-off of the Pucked series.) There were cameos and a bunch of fun stuff.

With the next chapter, I was taken back in time to the start of Lainey and RJ’s romance. This was actually my favorite part of the whole book. It was set in Alaska and had some really great funny stuff. I loved all of Lainey and RJ’s interactions. Lainey was so awkward and RJ’s steadiness balanced that out. It was just so cute and fun.

That fun had to end and the characters had to return to their day-to-day realities. Things switch back to the present and this is where things got interesting for me. I could see where the story was headed and I couldn’t decide whether I liked that or not. There were some great things about it. RJ showed what he was made of and I ended up liking his character even more than I did before — which I loved him so that says a lot. Lainey, though… I’m not sure I liked the slight change in her character. What was once almost humorous about her awkwardness almost became just plain weird. I felt like she lost some of her cuteness.

That being said, I still loved the dynamics between Lainey and RJ. I liked how their relationship evolved. There were some great surprises and laughs in store. I also loved her parents. They couldn’t have been better written. Same with RJ’s sister. Plus, all the regulars from the Pucked series had some fun cameos.

A Lie for a Lie was a cute read and a fun way to start this new hockey series. I’m really interested in finding out what’s next in the series. I think it’s going to be a crazy ride like the Pucked series.

Author Biography
 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
 
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Review: The Play (Elle Kennedy)

The Play
Series: Briar U, #3
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publication Date: October 7, 2019
Publisher: Elle Kennedy, Inc.
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased review.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

A brand-new standalone novel in the New York Times bestselling Briar U series!

What I learned after last year’s distractions cost my hockey team our entire season? No more screwing up. No more screwing, period. As the new team captain, I need a new philosophy: hockey and school now, women later. Which means that I, Hunter Davenport, am officially going celibate…no matter how hard that makes things.

But there’s nothing in the rulebook that says I can’t be friends with a woman. And I won’t lie—my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she’s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.

Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.

And she’s making a play for me.

Avoiding her is impossible. We’re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I’m confident I can resist her. We’d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren’t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.

Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body—and my heart.

I am happy to report to you that The Play, my most highly anticipated release for the fall of 2019, was as fantastic as I had hoped. It was everything I have come to expect from Elle Kennedy and the Briar U series. Hunter’s book was actually even better than I was expecting!

Hunter, Hunter, Hunter…The poor guy had some not so great moments in this series up until this book. Things didn’t go his way, and in order to turn things around he took a vow of self-imposed celibacy. Despite some of his past actions, he was a good guy. Hunter did his best to be a good leader and teammate. His friendship game was on point. I already loved his character, but I respected him more after reading this book. He grew so much.

Demi (like semi) was a great surprise. I immediately loved her character and all her spunk. She was a hot Latina who had everything going for her. Demi was smart, nice, and sassy. I loved her values and attitude. She wasn’t a tomboy, but she had a fun camaraderie with the guys. Plus, she had great taste in TV shows. Demi was the total package, really.

Based on the blurb, you can probably tell this isn’t exactly your typical love story. Demi has that boyfriend, Nico, when the book starts. She and Hunter aren’t immediately falling in love. You might be wondering if this was weird or uncomfortable considering we should want Demi and Hunter together, right? It wasn’t. Elle Kennedy did an amazing job writing this story in a way that doesn’t make you cringe because there is another man in Demi’s life to start with.

As for Demi and Hunter’s relationship, things unfolded as they might in real life. They started out as class partners and developed a cool platonic friendship. The banter between them was FABULOUS. Everything that happened in this story and between them built in a way that made Demi and Hunter’s eventual romantic relationship all the more special. I just really loved them together whether it was as friends or lovers.

I can’t leave the hockey team out of this review. If you’re a fan of this series or Off-Campus, you’re going to love seeing some of your favorite players. You’re also going to love some of the newer Briar hockey teammates. The dynamics between all the teammates were on point and hilarious. I now have a special place in my heart for Pablo.

You know how sometimes you want to start re-reading a book the second you finish it? Well, that’s how I felt about The Play. There’s just something about Elle Kennedy’s writing and this series that makes me not want to let go of it. It happened with the Off-Campus series and now it’s happened with its spin-off series Briar U. I cannot get enough of the Briar setting, the hockey players, the amazing women they fall for, and all of their stories. I know this is the end of Briar U for now, but I hope Elle Kennedy will continue the series or write another spin-off. I think Connor and Matt need stories. I’m also still wishing for a Hollis and Rupi book, too. I would even take a novella about them.

Review: Making a Play (Abbi Glines)

Making a Play
Series: Field Party, #5
Author: Abbi Glines
Narrators: Ali Andre Ali, Caitlin Davies
Publication Date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Ryker Lee is finally enjoying his senior year—he has great friends, hangs out with hot girls, and is on track to get a football scholarship that will set him up for college. Despite this, a small part of him wonders if there’s more to life than parties and meaningless hookups—and if football even means as much to him as it does to his fellow teammates. And when he meets the new girl at school, his world totally changes…

Aurora McClay is new to Lawton. She’s grateful that her twin brother, Hunter, is star of the football team and can help her adjust to her new school, but she’s not grateful at how overprotective he is over every person she meets. Just because she is deaf does not mean people have to treat her differently. When she meets Ryker Lee, the two of them spark an instant and intense chemistry, one that proves to be controversial not only because of Ryker’s reputation as a player, but also because of Aurora and Hunter’s father’s bigoted views about who Aurora can and can’t date.

Aurora and Ryker know in their hearts that they are meant for each other. But can their relationship endure the turmoil of rumors and prejudice?

There’s something about the Field Party series that keeps bringing me back to it despite the fact that each book isn’t as good as the one before it. It’s the small town, Friday Night Lights vibe of it and wanting to know what happens to the characters I love from the previous books. Making a Play is my least favorite book in the series so far. I didn’t completely dislike it, but I had a few issues with it that kept it from being great.

Let’s talk about the things I loved first.

  • The narrators did a great job bringing this book to life. It was a quick listen and I was instantly pulled in.
  • Aurora was deaf and I enjoyed reading about how she lived her life to compensate for not being able to hear. I loved how her confidence grew in this book relating to that.
  • Aurora and Hunter had a great twin relationship. I loved the dynamics of it in their family.
  • I didn’t think I would like Ryker as much as I did. He has definitely grown up some. I loved how he treated Aurora and the things he did for her and their relationship.
  • Nash and Tallulah were adorable.
  • Aurora is white and Ryker is black. Aurora’s dad did not want his daughter dating a black boy. I was impressed that Abbi Glines tacked racism in this book.

All of that was great, but…

  • Most of the stuff happens within a matter of a couple of weeks. Weeks. It just wasn’t believable. I loved how Ryker fell for Aurora, but I wish it had been over months rather than weeks. It was insta-love and not the good kind.
  • Remember how I liked that racism was tackled? Well, it wasn’t done as well as it should have been. Aurora’s dad got over his prejudices a little too quickly in my opinion. Again, if this book had taken place over months rather than weeks maybe changes in his beliefs would have been believable. It just wasn’t.

Even though Making a Play wasn’t my favorite book in this series, I still enjoyed listening to it. It brought me back to a town and group of characters I love. Anyone who has read and loved the previous books in the Field Party series will want to read it. I’m curious whether there will be more books in this series because I would like to read a book about Hunter.

Review: Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology

Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology
Authors: Charleigh Rose, Ella Fox, Emma Scott, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Kate Stewart, Mandi Beck, Kennedy Ryan, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Sara Ney, Teagan Hunter
Publication Date: September 20, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: Each novella is rated below.

Synopsis:

Our love of hot jocks is never-ending.

Muscular football players. Passionate tennis pros. Sexy soccer stars. All sorts of alpha hotties, on the field and off.

Have no fear! The team is back again, and this time…it’s thicker. You’ll get your sports romance fix with brand-new stories from eleven bestselling authors.

Need one last summer fix? Dive into this anthology.

*This anthology contains original, never-before-seen stories from Ella Fox, Mandi Beck, Teagan Hunter, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Sara Ney, Rochelle Paige, Meghan Quinn, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, Emma Scott, and Kate Stewart.
We still aren’t responsible for melted devices.

Since this is an anthology, I’m going to break my review down by each novella I read in it. Here we go!

Arena Lights by Mandi Beck – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I think this might be my first Mandi Beck book and I loved it! Maeve and Benny were so adorable! I am excited that there will be more to come with this couple, but that the novella also ended well enough to wrap up this short story. It didn’t leave me hanging like some other previews.

End Goal by Ella Fox – ★ ★ ★ ★

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of End Goal when I first started it. I wasn’t a big fan of what happened between Addison and Law in the beginning. I did really like when things moved to present day, though. It was a sweet love story. I like that it ended solidly, but also said there might be more to come.

A Slice of Love by Teagan Hunter – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Teagan Hunter hit it out of the park with this novella. It was so adorable. I loved how it felt like it was a complete story even though it was a novella. Frankie and Jonas had such a cool story.

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Dear Ava reminded me of some of Madden-Mills’s older novels. I loved that! It was a little darker, edgier, and angsty. It was a great short read and I loved Ava and Knox. I would have been happy to read a full length novel about them!

The Teaching Hours by Sara Ney – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I never thought I would want a book about Rex, but The Coaching Hours redeemed him a bit in my eyes and I found myself excited about the prospect of him getting a book. This novella hit the spot. It was such a quick, fun story. Hannah and Rex were adorable together. I could have read a whole book about them!

Body Heat by Rochelle Paige – ★ ★ ★ ★

This is my first time reading anything by Rochelle Paige. Body Heat was a fun little novella. It was very insta-love, but that is to be expected with a novella. I liked the characters and how the suspense part of the story worked out.

The Strike Out by Meghan Quinn – ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Meghan Quinn is such a tease! This one-sided enemies to lovers story was just a preview of what’s to come in a future book. I thought it was cute and loved the story. Holt was a little much at times, but it was perfect for his wooing of Harmony. I liked being back in this baseball world so soon after The Dugout. I just wanted an ending!

Guys Like You by Charleigh Rose – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This novella reminded me that I really need to pick up a Charleigh Rose novel. I’ve only read a couple of her novellas, but I adore them. Guys Like You was hilariously sexy and I adored the characters. I would have loved for this to have been a full length novel.

Fast Break by Kennedy Ryan – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

If you have read the HOOPS series, you’re going to love this novella. It’s Banner’s best friend Quinn’s story. Quinn’s an amputee who has created a motivational business. Her love interest is August’s quiet NBA coach. It’s sweet, sexy, and heart-warming. Once again, Kennedy Ryan taught me some things I didn’t know. It ended sooner than I wanted it to, but it was an amazing novella.

Love Game by Emma Scott – ★ ★ ★ ★

I love Emma Scott’s writing and this book was a sweet romance. I also like that she took on tennis since there aren’t many sports romances that feature it. I just wasn’t as into it probably because of the tennis stuff. I am not a big fan of that sport.

Fair Catch by Kate Stewart – ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

I really, really wanted to give this novella 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. The characters were amazing, the story sucked me and had me wanting more… It’s that wanting more thing that has me giving this 4.5 stars. This wasn’t truly a novella. It was more like a preview to The Guy in the Middle. I didn’t realize that prior to reading it, so I felt a little let down when it just ended without an ending.

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About the Authors:

About Charleigh Rose: Charleigh Rose lives in Narnia with her husband and two young children. She’s hopelessly devoted to unconventional love and pizza. When she isn’t reading or mom-ing, she’s writing moody, broody, swoony romance.

Connect w/Charleigh: Facebook page: facebook.com/charleighroseprose Facebook group: Charleigh’s Angels: facebook.com/groups/1120926904664447 Instagram: instagram.com/charleighrose Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/cVUcsH

About Ella Fox: USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Fox has learned a bunch of stuff along the way but the most important of all those things is that anything is possible when you try. In 2012 she took a big leap of faith and published her first book, Broken Hart. Since then she’s written fifteen more full-length books and several novellas– and every one is a reminder that you can live your dream as long as you work for it.

Ella’s favorite things are music, movies, traveling, The Foo Fighters and, of course, reading. This isn’t a surprise considering the fact that her mom is USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Halliday.

Connect w/ Ella Website: http://www.authorellafox.com/ Amazon: https://amzn.to/2oTMJvU BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-fox Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllaFoxAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorellafox Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456709.Ella_Fox Instagram: https://instagram.com/EllaFoxAuthor/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorEllaFox/ Book + Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/ellafox Newsletter Signup: http://subscribe.authorellafox.com/

About Emma Scott: Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy her novels.

RECENT RELEASES A Five-Minute Life (standalone) Bring Down the Stars (Beautiful Hearts #1) Long Live the Beautiful Hearts (Beautiful Hearts #2)

COMING SOON Someday, Someday (M/M standalone)

Connect w/Emma: Super-cute NON SPAMMY newsletter: http://bit.ly/2nTGLf6 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaScottwrites Reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/906742879369651 Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmmaS_writes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmascottwrites Amazon: https://amzn.to/31pkRBx

About Ilsa Madden-Mills: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her contemporary romances ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect w/Ilsa: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilsamaddenmills/ Newsletter: http://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/contact Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9 Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn Join her online bookclub on FB today! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ilsasunicorngirls/

About Kate Stewart: A Texas native, Kate Stewart lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it’s what she loves as a reader. Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.

Contact Kate- Email-authorkatestewart@gmail.com

Connect w/Kate: Website: http://www.katestewartwrites.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkatestewart Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/793483714004942/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorklstewart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkatestewart

About Kennedy Ryan: A RITA® Award Winner and Top 25 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.

She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta families living with Autism, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.

Connect w/Kennedy: FB: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor/ Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NZKKUz IG: https://www.instagram.com/kennedyryan1/ BB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan http://kennedyryanwrites.com Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/681604768593989/

About Mandi Beck: Mandi Beck has been an avid reader all of her life. A deep love for books always had her jotting down little stories on napkins, notebooks, and her hand. As an adult she was further submerged into the book world through book clubs and the epicness of social media. It was then that she graduated to writing her stories on her phone and then finally on a proper computer.

A wife, mother to two rambunctious and somewhat rotten boys, and stepmom to two great girls away at college, she shares her time with her husband in Chicago where she was born and raised. Mandi is a diehard hockey fan and blames the Blackhawks when her deadlines are not met even though her favorite hockey player calls her…mom.

Connect w/Mandi: Website: https://www.authormandibeck.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormandibeck Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authormandibeck Instagram: http://instagram.com/authormandibeck Newsletter Signup: https://www.authormandibeck.com/newsletter

About Meghan Quinn: USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Connect w/Meghan: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7360513.Meghan_Quinn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormeghanquinn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn Website: http://authormeghanquinn.com Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meghan-quinn Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LitE4x

About Rochelle Paige: I absolutely adore reading—always have and always will. When I was growing up, my friends used to tease me when I would trail after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. If I have downtime, odds are you will find me reading or writing.

I am the mother of two wonderful sons who have inspired me to chase my dream of being an author. I want them to learn from me that you can live your dream as long as you are willing to work for it.

When I told my mom that my new year’s resolution was to self-publish a book in 2013, she pretty much told me, “About time!”

Connect w/ Rochelle: Website: http://www.rochellepaige.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rochellepaigeauthor/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RochellesRacyReaders Twitter: https://twitter.com/RochellePaige1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rochellepaigeauthor/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7328358.Rochelle_Paige Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XRRB8E Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rochelle-paige Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/Ly1Tn

About Sara Ney: Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives in the Midwest, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

For a list of cities/venues Sara will be signing at, or to purchase signed books, please visit her website at www.authorsaraney.com

Connect w/Sara: Website: https://authorsaraney.com/ Newsletter Signup: subscribepage.com/saraney Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saraneyauthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraneyauthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraNey Book+Main: bit.ly/BookBitesSaraNey Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/saraneyauthor/ Goodreads: bit.ly/SaraNeyGoodReads BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sara-ney

About Teagan Hunter: I’m a Missouri-raised gal, but currently live in North Carolina with my US Marine husband and 9-year-old dog. I spend my days begging him for a cat, and I survive off coffee, pizza, and sarcasm. When I’m not writing, you can find me binge-watching various TV shows, especially Supernatural and One Tree Hill. I like cold weather, buy more paperbacks than I’ll ever read, and I never say no to brownies.

Writing is my passion, and this is just the beginning of my journey.

Connect w/Teagan: Website: https://www.teaganhunterwrites.com/ Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/teagan-hunter Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeaganHunterReaderGroup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thunterwrites Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teaganhunterwrites/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13263928.Teagan_Hunter