Playing Hard to Get by Monica Murphy

3 Stars

Knox Maguire, offensive tight end on the football team, is the king of our college campus. He’s also the opposite of me in every way.

I'm quiet. He's loud.

I'm shy. He's definitely not.

Everyone loves him. No one knows me.

Fresh out of a breakup, I don't really trust him, and why should I? Knox is the ultimate player. When I become his English tutor, I tell myself we need to keep things between us strictly business. Watching my mother deal with my ex-athlete father long, long ago taught me to stay far away from that type of man.

Yet Knox is impossible to resist. Next thing I know, we're getting hot and heavy in the library―and that was never part of the plan. When Knox admits he can't stop thinking about me, I have a realization.

I can't stop thinking about him either.

Instead of keeping my distance, I pull him in closer. Until somehow, we're spending all of our time together and I find myself falling for Knox. Hard.

Will this actually work between us? Or am I getting played?

Knox and Jo Jo were such opposites that it worked well. Knox’s vow of celibacy is what causes all the drama and makes Jo Jo think he doesn’t want her. There was a lot of humor throughout the book and I enjoyed it.

Book 1 The Players

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Good Guy Gabe by CB Alice

2 Stars

I’m the responsible guy. The polite guy. The guy my teammates on the Wilmington Juggernauts, the NFL’s newest expansion team, rely on to keep things running smoothly.

When I’m sent to a local quilt shop to pick up a donation for an upcoming fundraiser, I realize I'm something else: the guy who's going to marry Joss Paige, the self-proclaimed but wildly successful quiltfluencer.

Joss is a hermit, hiding in her shop and online community, but I won’t let that stop me from taking her to the fundraiser. There, I learn she’s been shunned by Wilmington high society because of crimes committed by her ex-husband.

I don’t care about her past or her ex. I only care about keeping her by my side, no matter what it takes. White lies and gentle manipulations—they’re for our happiness. The greater good and all that.

But then I find out what her ex-husband did, what it did to her, and what my tiny white lie will do to her.

And it turns out I’m not the good guy after all.

The story was there and should have been good. It started nicely and I was digging it until the first time Joss and Gabe hook up. She isn’t on anything asked for a condom and he lied and said he can’t have kids. That was the minute I was done with the story. It is no longer consenting. I have no problem with breeding kink but this wasn’t that. Also the drama with Joss went on so long that I got I bored with the drama.

Book 1 Wilmington Juggernauts

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Varsity Dad Dilemma by Lex Martin

3.5 Stars

That’s what I thought. Until someone drops off a baby with a note pinned to her blanket that says one of those jocks—either Rider or one of his roommates—is the father. The problem? Baby mama doesn’t mention which of these numbskulls is the sperm donor.

I wouldn’t care about their paternity problems—not the slightest bit—except my brother lives there too. Which means that adorable squawking bundle might be my niece, and there’s no way I’m leaving her unattended with those bumbling football players.

They need my help, even if they don’t know it yet. Once we solve this dilemma and figure out who’s the daddy, I’m out.

I’ll just ignore Rider and those soul-searing looks he gives me every time I reach for the baby. He broke my heart three years ago. He won’t get a second chance.

This book had a pacing issue. The beginning quarter and the last quarter made sense and flowed nicely. It was the middle part that slowed the book down. Characters needed to be developed better. Rider was an idiot multiple times, but I did like his grand gesture to win Gabby over.

Book 1 Varsity Dad

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Closing the Distance by Cadence Keys

3 Stars

It was only supposed to be one night...until two pink lines changed everything.

I don't believe in fairy tales, especially not the kind where a broken foster kid gets the sexy NFL star.

But for one perfect night, Tyler Russell makes me feel cherished, precious, worthy of love. When I discover I'm pregnant six weeks later, all my defenses snap into place.

He claims he wants me—not just the baby. That he's been searching for me since I snuck away that morning. But I've been unwanted my entire life, passed from one foster home to another until I learned love wasn't in the cards for me.

Now he's filling my life with gentle touches and whispered promises, making me dream of a future I never thought possible. But when my painful past becomes tabloid fodder, all my insecurities rush back. I have to decide: trust in his love, or protect my heart like I've always done?

Because if he's only here for the baby, losing him might break me for good.

My biggest issue with this book is the brother has zero consequences. Lexi has her trauma from foster care and it’s used against her. The insta love Ty had was hard to believe.

Book 7 LA Wolves

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Jackass in Class by Amy Award

4 Stars

He’s the campus king with a no girlfriends rule.

But he’s about to break it for the most irritating, sassy-mouthed woman he’s ever met.

Flynn Kingman’s senior year plan is simple: class, getting drafted in the first round, and no romantic complications. Until he chases a rogue baby donkey across campus and meets Tempest Navarro—the one woman immune to his charm.

Tempest Navarro is hiding her bestselling romance novels, anxiety, and a baby donkey in her sorority house. Nope, nothing to see here. Especially not for a jock that’s too hot for his own good. Why does he have to be in her Shakespeare class, saying smart things, and driving her insane?

When they’re forced together by a university tutoring program, verbal sparring turns to undeniable attraction. Especially when Tempest’s emotional support donkey, her meddling sisters, and a whole lot of Kingman siblings are all conspiring to push them together at every turn.

This was such a good story. It had serious parts but also so much humor. It is built on the previous 4 books but does hold up as a stand alone. I loved how nice Tempest’s family was with Flynn….Well most of her family.

Book 5 The Cocky Kingmans

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Game Plan for Love by Nicolla Cubba

4 Stars

Declan Monroe is searching for his zing.

For years, the tight end has hunted for a place to belong. His teammates have all found the loves of their lives, and after Declan loses the person closest to him, he’s left wondering if he’ll ever have a family of his own. Dozens of failed first dates and fizzled-out relationships have left him hopeless and alone.

 

Right when he’s ready to give up his search, he finds it—his elusive zing. Only, he didn’t expect to zing with Addie Gardner, the Seattle Mavericks beloved nutritionist. But when he saves her from a horrible first date, she offers him a trash can full of snacks, and the grief clouding his life fades, one thing becomes clear: he’s found his person.

When Declan discovers Addie is a single mom to a five-year-old daughter, Nora, the missing pieces of his heart click into place. Suddenly, he can picture the life he’s dreamed for himself—with them. However, family dynamics are messy and complicated, and when Addie’s estranged parents want back into her life, Declan learns first-hand how the people you love the most possess the greatest power to hurt you. But the zing is never wrong, and if he’s going to convince Addie and Nora to stay forever, he’ll need to lean on his friends to pull off a game plan for love.

I loved Declan so much and the fact he was looking for his forever was just so sweet. And when he finds it he’s all in even though Addie is a single mom. Addie was way more cautious about going into a relationship. The flow of the book was good and I loved the characters and how the world was set up.

Book 4 Seattle Mavericks

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Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

2 Stars

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone and above all…no falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is most definitely not on her to-do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy, right?

Football has been good to Drew—two National Championships and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turn him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she’s shut him down. Completely.

That is…until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives. Anna wants it to remain a hook up, but Drew sees the possibility of something great. Now it’s up to him to persuade her. It’s a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

As the saying goes, All’s fair in love and football… Game on.

The book had a pacing issue which made me hate it. It took forever to get to the plot and the HEA. It just didn’t work for me.

Book 1 Game On

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Falling Stars by Lex Martin

4 Stars

Falling for the guy who broke my heart years ago wasn’t on my to-do list when I snuck into his condo.

Maverick Walker was my best friend, my safe place—the boy I trusted with my whole heart—until one reckless kiss in high school ruined everything. Now, he’s an NFL football player, and I’m a struggling small-town hairstylist, newly single and expecting a baby. With my ex gone and someone vandalizing my business, my life feels like it’s crumbling beneath me.

When my best friend Paige suggests hiding out in Maverick’s swanky condo to regroup while he’s recovering from an injury in New York, it seems like a lifeline.

Except he comes home. Unexpectedly. When I’m half-dressed.

Now I’m stuck in his orbit again, unprepared for the way he still makes my heart race. Maverick is charming, ridiculously hot, and as off-limits as ever. But I have bigger problems than his smoldering smile—like figuring out who’s targeting me and why they won’t stop.

As the threats escalate, so do Maverick’s protective instincts. But with his life in New York and mine in Texas, our worlds couldn’t be further apart. And yet, with danger closing in, his arms are the only safe haven I have left.

But how do I let him protect me without risking my heart again—when loving him feels as out of reach as a falling star?

I really loved Maverick and Baylee’s romance. The friends to lovers is always hard to write well because of having to balance the romance and the friendship. This book balances out nicely. I loved how in Maverick was from the beginning of the book after his accident. He kept getting her things for her kid even though he didn’t have too. Baylee makes a hard decision for them when she breaks up with him cause she doesn’t want him to be forced to pick between her and his love of football so she takes herself out of the equation. You know what he is going to pick but how he tells her was amazing and I loved it. The mystery part of who is doing the vandalism was interesting choice. How they are caught was heart breaking. I did want more on that but it wasn’t vital to the story. Can’t wait for the next book.

Book 2 Wild at Heart

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Fumbled into Love by Nicola Cubba

4 Stars

Deon Adams doesn’t date.

It’s a rule that keeps the quarterback’s heart safe. But, his rules change when a reporter digs up the past Deon has fought hard to leave behind. Now, he has to find a woman to take to a charity auction who will help him sell his lie. It can’t be hard to find a fake girlfriend, right? Realizing he’s in over his head, Deon's teammates help conjure a grand plan: Ask Nathalie Morales to act as his fake girlfriend.

It’s the perfect play. They have the history to weave a convincing lie, but Deon’s play call begins to crumble when Nathalie brings the light back into Deon’s life. How is he supposed to pretend their relationship is fake when his feelings are real? As the charity gala looms closer and with it, the end of their fake relationship, Deon is left with the most important play call of his life: Does he play it safe or risk it all and potentially fumble into love?

I loved this story and will be reading the other books in the series. One of the best things in this book was about the different kinds of love. Deon and Nathalie may have started fake dating but the slow move into friends with benefits into all out love was amazing. I loved that there was no big drama between them just both refusing to admit they love each other. When they finally do it was perfect. The marriage proposal was also the sweetest thing in the world. One of the best reads I had for the month.

Book 3 Seattle Mavericks

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Lemon Cake by Tanja Longoria

3 Stars

Rider

Rider had one sole focus: football. The game demanded his attention, which was why he hadn’t allowed himself to date anyone since he went pro.
Then in walked Gemma. The moment Rider had laid eyes on her he’d known she was special—his kind of special. Suddenly, he had something else commanding his heart.

Gemma

Gemma knew far too well what it meant to be obsessed with the game. She’d played herself—until an accident had taken that away from her. Though Gemma loved to watch Rider, sitting on the sidelines as an amputee had a bittersweet feeling to it.

Will the two find comfort in each other? Or will their insecurities rip them apart?

This was an ok read for me. It was just to insta love for me and I wanted more development of why Rider loved Gemma. He seemed all in just because she played football. Gemma lost a limb and that seemed to be what Rider focused on. It was an interesting story just not my favorite read for the month.

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