Blkosiner's Book Blog

This was a fun and tense contemporary romance. I connected with both characters, and the dual narration gave me access to their thoughts, reasoning, and emotions. Ashtyn is amazingly tough in the physical sense since she is a female football player. She has faced so many challenges to do what she began to get her father's attention but ended up falling in love with. She's proved herself to her teammates and they trust her and protect her, accept her as one of theirs. I love the easy but deep friendship she has with the guys, especially Vic, who never failed to make me smile. Derek is a hot cowboy type, who has a lot of pain underneath the surface. He is harboring a lot of guilt in regards to his mom and football, so he quit. After that he couldn't seem to stop getting in trouble, which leaves him following his stepmom from California to a new town--Chicago. It is hard watching him try to fit in, and still keep who he is. The tension and chemistry between Ashtyn and Derek is palable, and I love every minute of it. They are both holding each other at arm's length though which sometimes I just wanted to smack them and tell them to get on with it. I really appreciated the family aspect of this one. While neither side was perfect, there were members that I liked. I appreciated that Derek's dad was a navy man, and even though his absence was hard, he is doing it for a good cause, and even though Derek has issues you can tell that his dad did his part when he was home. I love little Julian, he is such a sincere and well done The ending did feel a little rushed, but I am eagerly awaiting more from these characters.Bottom Line: Sparks and tension between the main characters kept my attention.