Tag Archives: Sports romance

Jock Rule by Sara Ney

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Jock Rule
Author: Sara Ney
Series: Jock Hard #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

Thoughts

Jock Row was a wonderfully sweet and easy read. A nice, quick one to while away a few hours. Which, of course meant I was hoping for the exact same thing when I decided to read Jock Rule. And I wasn’t disappointed. This was a fun, light and incredibly sweet read. A few little hurdles along the way, but almost none – just the kind of romance that I need to read every now and then.

I thought Kip was the most wonderfully, dreamily abrasive man I have read about in a long time. Alright, a lot of it is a shield and something he’s using to try and keep people at arm’s length. But, I love that a lot of it is also just his personality. I also just love how his nickname is Sasquatch and he is considerably large and intimidating. Definitely a character that I want more of. Abrasively honest, but also grudgingly caring, particularly when he starts to realise that he has feelings for Teddy.

Teddy is a nice counterpoint to Kip’s gruffness. She is incredibly sweet, and struggles a little to stand up for herself at moments throughout this story. Having said that, for all that I enjoyed her sweetness, my favourite moment was definitely when she finally stood up for herself with Mariah. For much of this storyline, she is aware that her “best friend” is just not treating her properly. But, when she finally calls her on it and just realises that she honestly doesn’t care enough to engage in the nonsense? Beautiful. Also a little reminiscent of my own growing a few years ago…

Kip’s sister Ronnie has got to be one of my favourite wing women. She is hilarious and witty, sassy to a fault and takes great pleasure in aggravating other people. The way these two relate is such a beautiful, healthy sibling relationship. And realistic, they’re not exactly subtle with each other, and not afraid to aggravate one another in their honesty. I particularly love how she fits into the epilogue. It had me giggling out loud as these wonderful characters rode off into their happily ever after.

This was such a great, but admittedly quick story. Not only is it about Teddy growing up and finding her own feet in a new adult world, but it’s also a very quick falling in love. Although, I did enjoy the fact that this is based on banter and a friendship rather than just being insta-lust and insta-love. I definitely can’t wait to read more of this series when I need a nice, sweet and happy diversion.

<- Jock RowJock Road ->

Image source: Amazon

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Beef Cake by Jiffy Kate

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Beef Cake
Author: Jiffy Kate, SmartyPants Romance
Series: Fighting for Love #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2020

Thoughts

It’s taken me a little while to get to the next book in the Fighting for Love series, mostly because there are just so many amazing books on my shelves and I get very easily distracted. And it was just as good as the first book in this series. Kate is an amazing writer, and as with Stud Muffin, I loved that they have a genuine understanding of the world of MMA and the dedication that it takes to go pro. Plus, Frankie and Gunnar are a wonderful pair of leads that had me struggling to put this book down from the very beginning.

Frankie is an incredibly prickly female lead, absolutely nothing like Tempests firey nature, she’s just… prickly. And somehow the name Frankie just highlighted how damn prickly she is. I loved how well the name suited her from that very first appearance. And then, there’s the mystery of just who her dad is. The little hints that are shown throughout this novel had me constantly guessing. But, when her scars are revealed, I did guess. And correctly. But, even then, Frankie’s journey of discovery and acceptance were fantastic and incredibly emotional.

Then there is Gunnar, he is wonderfully driven. Not just in his MMA career, but also just how he is willing to drive himself to keep working at the relationships in his life. Not just with Frankie, but also the rest of the Erikson brothers. He is so adorably driven, but, he is also constantly checking for Frankie’s consent. Making what is sometimes a bit of a creepy trope into something that was wonderful and actually quite sweet. He also is willing to take that step back to let Frankie process her demons. I love that the couple actually take a little bit of time apart in this story so that Frankie is able to work on herself, rather than relying on somebody else to prop her up.

Getting your head screwed back on straight can be an incredibly difficult thing to do. I mean, admitting how messed up you are and then opening up is ridiculously hard. I loved how Frankie had the guts to face up to that and do the damn work. And, it is hard work. Both Gunnar and Frankie put in a whole lot of hard work throughout this story, not just towards their relationship, but also towards their own health and goals. I absolutely loved this story and will most definitely read it again multiple times.

<- Stud MuffinEye Candy ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Assist by Rebecca Jenshak

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Assist
Author: Rebecca Jenshak
Series: Smart Jocks #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

Thoughts

The Assist is a very cute college romance. It’s an easy read, new adult romance. The fact that it also features a jock and an overly bubbly sorority girl just made it that much cuter. Plus, I love that Blair, whilst being a sorority girl is surrounded by positive female relationships. A lot of the stories I read feature not-so-healthy female relationships, ones that I’m annoyingly familiar with, but want to see less of, lets normalise the female relationships in this story – the ones that are supportive and have your back no matter what.

I love how from the very first moment, Blair is able to completely put her foot in it. She makes assumption after assumption and just… speaks before she thinks things through. Yet, somehow, that blundering assuming thing that she does is really quite endearing and cute. Rather than coming of as judgy and entitled, she comes across as a little bit oblivious and kind of sweet. She also has the loyalty towards Gabby, and I love how the prologue introduces their friendship, while the rest of the story continues it on. It also helps to set up how she’s going to fit into the world in later books…

The Assist highlights the horrors of sexual harassment. It starts out as a challenge to overcome, and difficulty in Blair’s way. But, as a nice dark counterpoint to the niceness of the romance it works really well. Blair’s plight shows just how horrifying sexual harassment and online harassment can truly be. And also the long-term ramifications and impacts which can occur. The abusive ex in Blair’s history is horrible, and I love that whilst he does actually get his poetic justice, there are still many lingering effects on Blair’s life. Sometimes it’s just a little too hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

As a counterpoint to Blair, Wes is kind of an absolute idiot. He is confident in his role in the college and has a brilliant statistical mind. Yet, he also is completely unable to look on the bright side of things. He’s also so oblivious to the ramifications of his actions to Blair that it’s almost painful. However, for all of his self-centred idiotry, he does eventually get his shit together. And I love how he is able to figure out a new future and find a way to move on from his dickishness. Definitely a fun completion to this story and one that I will probably read again in the future.

<- The CatchThe Fadeaway ->

Image source: Kobo

Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Slapshot
Author: Rebecca Jenshak, Heart Eyes Press
Series: Moo U #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

This is my first Rebecca Jenshak novel – and I will most definitely be reading more. I fell in love with both Kaitlin and Lex from the very beginning. They were relatable and interesting, without being too overwhelming with their flaws. It was also one of those wonderful stories in which you can most definitely predict what’s going to happen, without it being a boring story. Honestly, one of my favourite things about reading a contemporary romance.

Kaitlin is a bit of an overindulged and spoilt girl, but I love that she’s actually aware of that fact. Plus, although there is the drama that led to her being at Moo U, she’s actually kind of innocent. Plus, alongside all of her flaws and spoilt ways, she’s wonderfully perky. Not in that, dear god no more kind of way, but the hopefully optimistic about the world around her. Which, of course balances out all of her thorns and trust issues perfectly.

Lex makes the perfect partner to work through Kaitlin’s trust issues. He is cockily confident, but beneath that he’s overwhelmingly kind. He also knows from the very beginning that Kaitlin (and I’m not even sure I’m spelling that right) has a whole lot of walls that he’s going to have to break down. Yet, he’s determined to show her that she is actually worth it. Alright, not necessarily the most realistic aspect of this romance, but it’s such a nice idea that someone is going to look at all of your thorns, and decide that you’re worth it anyway. There’s a reason I’ll be reading Jenshak again, and it’s those little moments of ooooooh that do it.

I most definitely predicted how the last minute hurdle was going to work out – not the exact details, but I knew it would have something to do with Kaitlin’s trust issues and her dad. But, I love how it was all resolved. I also love how Lex works on helping Kaitlin restore her relationship with her father, rather than just his relationship with her. Such an amazing novel, and I can’t wait to read not only more Jenshak stories, but more tales of the Moo U hockey team.

<- BlindsidedHoldout ->

Image source: Amazon

Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Overnight Sensation
Author: Sarina Bowen
Series: Brooklyn Bruisers #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I love that even the name Castro implies a bit of a womaniser / ladies’ man. But, as his story unfolds, and you begin to understand just why he is not really interested in a relationship, it becomes a little less light and funny. Yet, there are still many heart lifting moments throughout this romance, that even with the sad backstory, you’ll still have a smile on your lips throughout the majority of this story.

One of my pet peeves throughout the romance tropes and frustrations is when a character makes decisions for another person. In this case, when Castro just decides for Heidi that she shouldn’t put up with his drama, past, and nonsense. I love that Castro’s friends actually call him on this and remind him that it’s actually not a unilateral decision. There are always two people in a relationship, so they both should have a damn say in how that relationship takes sense.

At the beginning of Brooklynaire, I found Heidi a wee bit too chipper. Probably because that was Bec’s original impression, and it’s written in her point of view. Yet, from the moment she enters the storyline in Overnight Sensation, I was kind of in love. The chipper, bubbly front isn’t everything that she is, although, she is still one of the most optimistic characters I’ve read in a long time.

I love that while Castro is working through his emotions and past, Heidi is going through her own dramas and challenges. And, regardless of what her father and the universe throw at her, she manages to come out on top. She is constantly having some serious obstacles to overcome, and yet she finds a way to not just deal with it, bit to thrive. In fact, I was so damn proud of how much Heidi thrives throughout this tale that I was kind of disappointed attending. I wanted an epic showdown and a reclaiming of independence with her father, instead it was very anticlimactic. But still good enough to read again and again.

<- BountifulSuperfan ->

Image source: Goodreads