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1032 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2017
My reviews are posted on DirtyBooksObsession
"You're in my heart and in my fingertips and on my fucking lips like a prayer. You're fucking everywhere."The End Zone by L.J. Shen features a smoking hot football player who is secretly in love with his best friend. Gabe Poirier is the quarterback of his college team and a playboy with the ladies. And yet, he has always wanted his best friend Jolie Louise. They have been friends from childhood and been through so much together. Jolie is secretly in love with Gabe but knows he will only break her heart. When Jolie gets some attention from some male admirers, Gabe decides to take matters into his own hands. Declaring that Jolie is his "fake" girlfriend, he decides to use that time to convince Jolie that their relationship is nothing but the real deal! With some good old-fashioned college drama and authentic friends to lovers romance, L.J. Shen offers a perfect blend of passion and romance. I have long been a fan of Ms. Shen's writing as she is such an outstanding storyteller. Her characters are complex and the connections they create are explosive and truly unforgettable.
Title: Team Player
Author: LJ Shen, Adriana Locke, Emma Scott, Charleigh Rose, Rochelle Paige, Kennedy Ryan, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Meghan Quinn, Mandi Beck
and Sara Ney
Genre: Romance, Sports
Publication Date: December 14, 2017
Back in the Game by Meghan Quinn.
I wasn’t in love with her, but in that moment, I knew someday I would be.
”You can draw,” I said. “The cocktail napkin sketch you did of me was very good.” He flashed me a smile. “I had a beautiful subject.” Then he held up his hands defensively. “That’s a compliment, in case you were unfamiliar with the concept.”
”What I want from you can’t be bought.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “It’s the big cock that got you, wasn’t it?”
“Nope, it wasn’t the big cock, that’s just the cherry on top of the cake.”
“Then what was it?”
She presses her lips together, giving my question some serious thought.
“Honestly? It’s the way you treat people. Your daughter, you dress up for her. The guy at the theater, you asked him how his night was going. The boy at the register back there, you’re giving him free tickets. You’re a genuinely sweet, kind, and giving man. It’s a very attractive quality.”
“Thank you.” I look down at my hands. “And that right there.” She pokes my cheek. “The way you blush, it’s hot. You’re this confident, attractive man, but you can blush as red as a tomato in seconds. Some women like a cocky son of a bitch, not me, I like my men sensitive, sweet, and animals in bed. I know the first two are true, waiting to find out about the third.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
By any reasonable measure, this would be considered a rough start, but I’ve never met a woman who could resist my charm, my smile, my good humor. My tanned-naked body.
Ren’s eyes were filled with confusion, and I was done being the source of it. “I couldn’t make you choose,” I confessed with a broken voice. “I loved you too much. But I couldn’t get over it, Ren. I couldn’t make peace with the game. Not even for you. I was terrified of becoming like her, like my mother. I tried so hard to get over it. But I watched it go on for years and years. I watched him use her and discard her like she was nothing. And she loved him just as much as I loved you.”
”What is there to explain? You let me kiss you when you’re pregnant. Now, I’m not the fucking moral police, but that seems a little fucked up to kiss another man when you’re pregnant, even for me. I’m sure your boyfriend super appreciates it.”
…
“And not only did you hide it from me, but then I walk in to find my friend’s hands all over you. Just how many guys have you let have a piece of that pie, Mollie Mabey?”
”Do you think I’m happy about missing doctor appointments? No. But I’m trying not to hold that against you, Mollie, because the truth is, we didn’t know each other. Hell, we still don’t. But I’m not going to act like I’m happy that some other guy is over here playing daddy.”