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Team Player
Hot jocks. We love them all.
Sexy baseball players. Intense footballers. Sweaty MMA fighters, and sizzling hockey hotties. Score!
The good news? Eleven bestselling authors have gathered to give you a set of stories focused on the men we love most—sports heroes. We bet you’ll love this thick … book.
The bad news? The men in these novellas don’t actually exist.
Enjoy this naughty Christmas treat!*
*This anthology does not contain calories, just eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney. We aren’t responsible for melted devices.
Team Player:
Adriana Locke (Cross)
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
Emma Scott (One Good Man)
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)
Sexy baseball players. Intense footballers. Sweaty MMA fighters, and sizzling hockey hotties. Score!
The good news? Eleven bestselling authors have gathered to give you a set of stories focused on the men we love most—sports heroes. We bet you’ll love this thick … book.
The bad news? The men in these novellas don’t actually exist.
Enjoy this naughty Christmas treat!*
*This anthology does not contain calories, just eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney. We aren’t responsible for melted devices.
Team Player:
Adriana Locke (Cross)
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
Emma Scott (One Good Man)
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)
1032 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2017
About the author
Adriana Locke
71 books14.8k followersUSA Today Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best—big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor.
She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.
Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty-five years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.
Learn more at adrianalocke.com.
She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.
Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty-five years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.
Learn more at adrianalocke.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 778 reviews
December 15, 2017
4.5 stars!
I don't think I have been quite this excited to read an anthology since... well... ever! Not only do we get tons of sports romances, but so many of my favorite authors are included in this amazing line-up!
Sweeping the Series by Kate Stewart is one of the novellas I was dying for! I knew there would be some cameos from her 'Balls in Play' series and I couldn't wait! I loved Erica and Ren. Their second chance love story was full of banter, steam, and humor! I laughed out loud several times and I loved Ren and his quirks! Kate's writing is always superb and this is no exception!
Kennedy Ryan’s couple, Avery and Deker from Full Court Press has a bit of a second chance romance as well. The first time these two met 10 years ago, they had a connection, but Deck’s cocky attitude ruined it for them. Now fast forward 10 years and they wind up working together. Avery is not crazy about this idea, but it’s out of her control. I loved both of these characters. Their story was incredible. I love the way Kennedy writes and the emotion she puts in her story. This one brought me to tears and really did bring all the feels!
One Good Man. Sigh. Emma Scott’s hero was truly a good man. Adrian is a professional ‘football’ player in Paris, but he struggles. He struggles with being the man he wants to be, and being the man his family and friends expect him to be. Janey is an American journalist/student sent to do a story on Paris’s biggest football star. These two together- I just loved the push and pull and banter. I also loved the time period of the story. It put an interesting spin on this. I love everything Emma Scott writes, so it’s no wonder I loved this. I only wish it was a full length novel!
I adored all 3 of these novellas and when I get some down time, I'll definitely be reading the 8 I haven't gotten to yet!
I don't think I have been quite this excited to read an anthology since... well... ever! Not only do we get tons of sports romances, but so many of my favorite authors are included in this amazing line-up!
Sweeping the Series by Kate Stewart is one of the novellas I was dying for! I knew there would be some cameos from her 'Balls in Play' series and I couldn't wait! I loved Erica and Ren. Their second chance love story was full of banter, steam, and humor! I laughed out loud several times and I loved Ren and his quirks! Kate's writing is always superb and this is no exception!
Kennedy Ryan’s couple, Avery and Deker from Full Court Press has a bit of a second chance romance as well. The first time these two met 10 years ago, they had a connection, but Deck’s cocky attitude ruined it for them. Now fast forward 10 years and they wind up working together. Avery is not crazy about this idea, but it’s out of her control. I loved both of these characters. Their story was incredible. I love the way Kennedy writes and the emotion she puts in her story. This one brought me to tears and really did bring all the feels!
One Good Man. Sigh. Emma Scott’s hero was truly a good man. Adrian is a professional ‘football’ player in Paris, but he struggles. He struggles with being the man he wants to be, and being the man his family and friends expect him to be. Janey is an American journalist/student sent to do a story on Paris’s biggest football star. These two together- I just loved the push and pull and banter. I also loved the time period of the story. It put an interesting spin on this. I love everything Emma Scott writes, so it’s no wonder I loved this. I only wish it was a full length novel!
I adored all 3 of these novellas and when I get some down time, I'll definitely be reading the 8 I haven't gotten to yet!
December 15, 2017
This anthology contains eleven original sports novellas by the following authors:
The End Zone by LJ Shen
Slapped into Love by Rochelle Paige
Full Court Press by Kennedy Ryan
Out of Formation by Ella Fox
Sweeping the Series by Kate Stewart
Back in the Game by Meghan Quinn
Yard Sale by Charleigh Rose
Sin Bin by Mandi Beck
One Good Man by Emma Scott
Switch Hitter by Sara Ney
Cross by Adriana Locke
Signing up for this I didn't realise it was an anthology so my review will only be based on L.J. Shen's
'The End Zone' even though I haven't read the rest of these short novels I will try and make my way through this because a few of my other favourite authors are also included in this.
Lately I've been on a binge rampaige for ‘Friends to Lovers’ books so to know that this is what ‘The End Zone’ was about I was in my happy place!!
This small novela was Super cute, Super sexy, but big on the feels, my heart turned to mush. I also enjoyed the secondary characters that we got to meet too and just wish we had more.
These two loved each other before they even knew the true meaning of the word, he was the broken ten year old boy that had the world on his shoulders due to his home life and she was the girl that barreled into his life on a hot rainy day to fix him. From then on in they were joined at the hips from fifth grade to college where they were roommates.
The banter between these two was gorgeous, the push and pull, the wanting to move out of the friendzone to something more had both on tender hooks incase it destroyed their unique friendship. But when Sage wanted something so bad to even proposition Jolie to be his fake girlfriend for a few months surely something that felt so right was mean't to be something more permanent?
We all know that L.J. Shen is the Queen of the Quarterbacks, what she brings to the table each and everytime is why she fast became one of my favourite authors, the alpha manwhore quarterbacks with attitude and the strong girls that tame them and bring them to their knees keeps me coming back from more.
December 16, 2017
I signed up to read and review:
The End Zone by L.J. Shen
3 Not For Me Stars
Jolie Louise has a problem, she wants her best friend Gabe Poirier the adonis quarterback. She knows it's a bad idea but it's hard to get away from him with them being roommates.
Jolie met Gabe 10 years ago when his family moved in next door to hers and they became close when Jolie supported Gabe through family problems. This is the quick story of how they went from best friends to lovers.
Hmmm well, I think this one just wasn't for me. I found both main characters very immature and annoying but that's just me.
ღ Reviewed on behalf of the 1-Click Addict Support Group
The End Zone by L.J. Shen
3 Not For Me Stars
Jolie Louise has a problem, she wants her best friend Gabe Poirier the adonis quarterback. She knows it's a bad idea but it's hard to get away from him with them being roommates.
Jolie met Gabe 10 years ago when his family moved in next door to hers and they became close when Jolie supported Gabe through family problems. This is the quick story of how they went from best friends to lovers.
Hmmm well, I think this one just wasn't for me. I found both main characters very immature and annoying but that's just me.
ღ Reviewed on behalf of the 1-Click Addict Support Group
December 20, 2017
*****4.5 STARS*****
{ARC Provided by Social Butterfly PR}
SWEEPING THE SERIES by KATE STEWART
*****FIVE STARS*****
Even as I settled into the role I was expected to play, I didn’t play it well. I tried everything, and no part of me wanted to forget. Loving her was torture. And the realization that I was still so much in love with her, well, that was the cruelest punishment.
I want to give Kate Stewart the biggest hug, and smooch and then a fist bump because this short story was absolute PERFECTION!! I may have to switch teams and choose Ren McAvoy as my new favorite book boyfriend created by Ms. Stewart!! Who knew this character had it in him to be such a charismatic Hero??!! I don’t think I can find the words to truly express just how much I fell in love with this novella!! It was fabulous from beginning to end and it’s got Kate’s signature ”HOTTER THAN H” steam!! What a terrific addition to the ”Balls in Play” series! If you love Second Chance Romances, this one is sure to steal your hearts!
Ren McAvoy and Erica Wild were once madly in love with each other but one day without an explanation or an apology, Erica packed up and left her life with Ren just when he was making it to the big leagues. For the next two years, Ren will be labeled the “bad boy” of MLB, bedding a different woman every night and having his escapades splattered all over the gossip magazines. When management decides they’ve had enough of his antics they hire a new PR agent to get his reputation back in a favorable light. Ren is shocked and maybe even a little excited to meet his new agent who turns out to be the woman who broke his heart, Erica.
There’s a lot of heated arguments, angst, and comedic moments with all the beloved characters from the previous books. It was terrific to get the chance to spend some more time with Rafe, Alice, Andy, and April! They made for a perfect ensemble cast! I loved SWEEPING THE SERIES so much that I wish Kate would write more installments but I believe this will be the end of it.
If you haven’t read ANYTHING BUT MINOR or MAJOR LOVE, make sure you add them to your soon to read TBRs!!
ONE GOOD MAN by EMMA SCOTT
*****FIVE STARS*****
I gasped, utterly unprepared for how the taste of him, the feel of him touching me like this, turned my bones to sand and stole my breath.
I have to admit that when I first started reading Emma Scott’s contribution to the anthology, I was skeptical that I would love a story that takes place in 1970, but I should have known that there is no way this author could ever write anything that I wouldn’t fall in love with! ONE GOOD MAN is another STELLAR addition to the “Team Player” anthology. If you’ve read any of Emma Scott’s works then you’ll know that you can never trust your first impression of her characters. You’ve got to let her take you on a journey and slowly the layers are peeled away and you’re left with some incredible characters. I fell so much in love with Adrian Rousseau, the talented center forward of the Paris Central soccer team. He was a beautiful man with an equally beautiful soul!
Janey Martin was a strong Heroine who had to deal with her fair share of discrimination and sexual harassment being one of the few women majoring in journalism, which was predominantly a core curriculum for men. This novella really strikes a cord given the fact that we are hit with so many new cases of sexual harassment against women and in some instances, men, being reported in the media on a daily basis now.
Janey is an American student who is sent to complete her college education at the Sorbonne in France, after getting entangled in a Vietnam War protest that ended up in her incarceration. She hopes to become a successful news journalist for the Times or Newsweek, but being a woman with striking good looks have not been in her favor. She’s not been taken seriously nor given any gritty assignments that she craves. Her latest assignment for the school paper is to interview Sorbonne’s most popular student who is on the fast track to becoming a professional Soccer player—Adrian Rousseau.
Their first meeting is less than cordial as both Janey and Adrian take turns throwing insults at each other which are based on typical stereotypes. But as the story unfolds they get past their own biases and realize that the people they are on the inside just might be that missing piece of the puzzle to their hearts.
This was one incredibly beautiful story told by the incomparable Emma Scott!!
BACK IN THE GAME by MEGHAN QUINN
*****FIVE STARS*****
Holding my breath, I wait for his next move, and when his pinky reaches out and touches mine, an entire wave of euphoric heat shoots across my body. It’s a pinky touch, just a pinky, but it offers so much promise of what’s to come.
I can never get enough of Meghan Quinn’s stories! She is one of the best romantic comedy writers out there currently. BACK IN THE GAME was another novella in the ”TEAM PLAYER” anthology that was perfect, beginning to end! I laughed out loud so many times while reading this one and fell hard for both Calder and Rachel. Their chemistry was scorching hot and their silly but hilarious banter had me in stitches throughout! And don’t even get me started on the fact that Calder Weis is one of the hottest NHL players! I have a soft spot for Hockey romances! They tend to be my all-time faves!
Calder and Rachel have the silliest/funniest meet cute near the bathroom of a Chinese-Donut takeout restaurant. Calder is a single father of an adorable five-year-old girl who loves to dress him up as a fairy princess whenever it’s father/daughter play time. Calder is able to charm Rachel even while sporting a bedazzled tiara, fairy wings, and a pink feather boa wrapped around his chest. Their first date is far from what a typical night out between two adults would encompass and I found it endearing, hysterical, and even a huge turn on.
Calder is probably going to be my second most favorite hero created by Meghan Quinn, following Racer McKay. He’s not your typical Hockey alpha male. This guy put his personal life on hold to raise his daughter on his own and was afraid to let a woman get too close for fear that she wouldn’t be in it for the long haul and would end up breaking his little girl’s heart. He was shy at times and seemed to have no game with the ladies but it was the lack of cockiness that will melt a reader’s heart! I highly doubt there will be anyone who won’t fall in love with him and with Rachel as well! I loved her spunky attitude and larger than life personality!
A little-added bonus was we meet one of the heroes who will be in THREE BLIND DATES and he’s linked to Racer!! Make sure you read this novella if you pick up this anthology!! It was another BIG HIT for me!
SWITCH HITTER by SARA NEY
*****3.5 STARS*****
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this novella. I’ve never read any of Sara Ney’s books but I’ve seen reviews for her “Douchebag” series plastered all over social media. I didn’t fall madly in love with this story, but I’m still willing to try one of her books in her popular series.
SWITCH HITTER is about identical twin sisters Lucy and Amelia, who switch places one last time when Lucy winds up having dates on the same night with two different guys. The sisters are identical in looks alone. They are complete opposites in everything else. Lucy is the party girl who never forms any meaningful relationships with men and Amelia is more subdued and quiet. She’s the sister with the brains and soulful personality.
Amelia reluctantly agrees to go out with Dante aka “Dash” Amado, who is on the University’s baseball team. Amelia expects him to be the typical dumb jock but is surprised when he proves to be a gentleman with actual intelligence as well.
Dante wasn’t looking forward to the date as Lucy is far from the type of girl he could bring home to meet his family. He has never been attracted to women who are overtly sexual and who come on too strong. His plan was to break it off with her but from the moment this third date started, he noticed a difference in Lucy—little did he know that he was out with her sister instead.
Amelia becomes tortured by her sense of loyalty to her sister and her strong attraction to Dante. Will she be able to let him go when the time comes?
The writing was ok but I never connected to the story or the characters. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Dash and Amelia. The ending was also a bit rushed.
FULL COURT PRESS by KENNEDY RYAN
I initially had planned not to read this one but my curiosity got the best of me. Kennedy Ryan’s books have gotten such rave reviews, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I probably should have stopped reading once I realized it involved an NBA player. I don’t like or follow the sport but I figured I’d put that aside and still give the story a chance. The pace was too slow for me and some of the subject matter was a bit depressing, not something I want to read in a Christmas/Sports anthology. I tried to get through it but finally gave up when I made it to the eighth chapter. I’m sure the author’s fans will enjoy it but this just wasn’t for me.
TEAM PLAYER is currently available and I highly recommend it! If I could have based my ratings on Kate’s, Emma’s and Meghan’s novellas, this would have been a FIVE STAR read all around. Their contributions are enough to warrant my seal of approval!
➜ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2j2Lwzj
➜ Amazon UK: amazon.co.uk/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon CA: amazon.ca/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon AU: amazon.com.au/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon DE: amazon.de/dp/B07891C4C6
{ARC Provided by Social Butterfly PR}
SWEEPING THE SERIES by KATE STEWART
*****FIVE STARS*****
Even as I settled into the role I was expected to play, I didn’t play it well. I tried everything, and no part of me wanted to forget. Loving her was torture. And the realization that I was still so much in love with her, well, that was the cruelest punishment.
I want to give Kate Stewart the biggest hug, and smooch and then a fist bump because this short story was absolute PERFECTION!! I may have to switch teams and choose Ren McAvoy as my new favorite book boyfriend created by Ms. Stewart!! Who knew this character had it in him to be such a charismatic Hero??!! I don’t think I can find the words to truly express just how much I fell in love with this novella!! It was fabulous from beginning to end and it’s got Kate’s signature ”HOTTER THAN H” steam!! What a terrific addition to the ”Balls in Play” series! If you love Second Chance Romances, this one is sure to steal your hearts!
Ren McAvoy and Erica Wild were once madly in love with each other but one day without an explanation or an apology, Erica packed up and left her life with Ren just when he was making it to the big leagues. For the next two years, Ren will be labeled the “bad boy” of MLB, bedding a different woman every night and having his escapades splattered all over the gossip magazines. When management decides they’ve had enough of his antics they hire a new PR agent to get his reputation back in a favorable light. Ren is shocked and maybe even a little excited to meet his new agent who turns out to be the woman who broke his heart, Erica.
There’s a lot of heated arguments, angst, and comedic moments with all the beloved characters from the previous books. It was terrific to get the chance to spend some more time with Rafe, Alice, Andy, and April! They made for a perfect ensemble cast! I loved SWEEPING THE SERIES so much that I wish Kate would write more installments but I believe this will be the end of it.
If you haven’t read ANYTHING BUT MINOR or MAJOR LOVE, make sure you add them to your soon to read TBRs!!
ONE GOOD MAN by EMMA SCOTT
*****FIVE STARS*****
I gasped, utterly unprepared for how the taste of him, the feel of him touching me like this, turned my bones to sand and stole my breath.
I have to admit that when I first started reading Emma Scott’s contribution to the anthology, I was skeptical that I would love a story that takes place in 1970, but I should have known that there is no way this author could ever write anything that I wouldn’t fall in love with! ONE GOOD MAN is another STELLAR addition to the “Team Player” anthology. If you’ve read any of Emma Scott’s works then you’ll know that you can never trust your first impression of her characters. You’ve got to let her take you on a journey and slowly the layers are peeled away and you’re left with some incredible characters. I fell so much in love with Adrian Rousseau, the talented center forward of the Paris Central soccer team. He was a beautiful man with an equally beautiful soul!
Janey Martin was a strong Heroine who had to deal with her fair share of discrimination and sexual harassment being one of the few women majoring in journalism, which was predominantly a core curriculum for men. This novella really strikes a cord given the fact that we are hit with so many new cases of sexual harassment against women and in some instances, men, being reported in the media on a daily basis now.
Janey is an American student who is sent to complete her college education at the Sorbonne in France, after getting entangled in a Vietnam War protest that ended up in her incarceration. She hopes to become a successful news journalist for the Times or Newsweek, but being a woman with striking good looks have not been in her favor. She’s not been taken seriously nor given any gritty assignments that she craves. Her latest assignment for the school paper is to interview Sorbonne’s most popular student who is on the fast track to becoming a professional Soccer player—Adrian Rousseau.
Their first meeting is less than cordial as both Janey and Adrian take turns throwing insults at each other which are based on typical stereotypes. But as the story unfolds they get past their own biases and realize that the people they are on the inside just might be that missing piece of the puzzle to their hearts.
This was one incredibly beautiful story told by the incomparable Emma Scott!!
BACK IN THE GAME by MEGHAN QUINN
*****FIVE STARS*****
Holding my breath, I wait for his next move, and when his pinky reaches out and touches mine, an entire wave of euphoric heat shoots across my body. It’s a pinky touch, just a pinky, but it offers so much promise of what’s to come.
I can never get enough of Meghan Quinn’s stories! She is one of the best romantic comedy writers out there currently. BACK IN THE GAME was another novella in the ”TEAM PLAYER” anthology that was perfect, beginning to end! I laughed out loud so many times while reading this one and fell hard for both Calder and Rachel. Their chemistry was scorching hot and their silly but hilarious banter had me in stitches throughout! And don’t even get me started on the fact that Calder Weis is one of the hottest NHL players! I have a soft spot for Hockey romances! They tend to be my all-time faves!
Calder and Rachel have the silliest/funniest meet cute near the bathroom of a Chinese-Donut takeout restaurant. Calder is a single father of an adorable five-year-old girl who loves to dress him up as a fairy princess whenever it’s father/daughter play time. Calder is able to charm Rachel even while sporting a bedazzled tiara, fairy wings, and a pink feather boa wrapped around his chest. Their first date is far from what a typical night out between two adults would encompass and I found it endearing, hysterical, and even a huge turn on.
Calder is probably going to be my second most favorite hero created by Meghan Quinn, following Racer McKay. He’s not your typical Hockey alpha male. This guy put his personal life on hold to raise his daughter on his own and was afraid to let a woman get too close for fear that she wouldn’t be in it for the long haul and would end up breaking his little girl’s heart. He was shy at times and seemed to have no game with the ladies but it was the lack of cockiness that will melt a reader’s heart! I highly doubt there will be anyone who won’t fall in love with him and with Rachel as well! I loved her spunky attitude and larger than life personality!
A little-added bonus was we meet one of the heroes who will be in THREE BLIND DATES and he’s linked to Racer!! Make sure you read this novella if you pick up this anthology!! It was another BIG HIT for me!
SWITCH HITTER by SARA NEY
*****3.5 STARS*****
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this novella. I’ve never read any of Sara Ney’s books but I’ve seen reviews for her “Douchebag” series plastered all over social media. I didn’t fall madly in love with this story, but I’m still willing to try one of her books in her popular series.
SWITCH HITTER is about identical twin sisters Lucy and Amelia, who switch places one last time when Lucy winds up having dates on the same night with two different guys. The sisters are identical in looks alone. They are complete opposites in everything else. Lucy is the party girl who never forms any meaningful relationships with men and Amelia is more subdued and quiet. She’s the sister with the brains and soulful personality.
Amelia reluctantly agrees to go out with Dante aka “Dash” Amado, who is on the University’s baseball team. Amelia expects him to be the typical dumb jock but is surprised when he proves to be a gentleman with actual intelligence as well.
Dante wasn’t looking forward to the date as Lucy is far from the type of girl he could bring home to meet his family. He has never been attracted to women who are overtly sexual and who come on too strong. His plan was to break it off with her but from the moment this third date started, he noticed a difference in Lucy—little did he know that he was out with her sister instead.
Amelia becomes tortured by her sense of loyalty to her sister and her strong attraction to Dante. Will she be able to let him go when the time comes?
The writing was ok but I never connected to the story or the characters. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Dash and Amelia. The ending was also a bit rushed.
FULL COURT PRESS by KENNEDY RYAN
I initially had planned not to read this one but my curiosity got the best of me. Kennedy Ryan’s books have gotten such rave reviews, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I probably should have stopped reading once I realized it involved an NBA player. I don’t like or follow the sport but I figured I’d put that aside and still give the story a chance. The pace was too slow for me and some of the subject matter was a bit depressing, not something I want to read in a Christmas/Sports anthology. I tried to get through it but finally gave up when I made it to the eighth chapter. I’m sure the author’s fans will enjoy it but this just wasn’t for me.
TEAM PLAYER is currently available and I highly recommend it! If I could have based my ratings on Kate’s, Emma’s and Meghan’s novellas, this would have been a FIVE STAR read all around. Their contributions are enough to warrant my seal of approval!
➜ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2j2Lwzj
➜ Amazon UK: amazon.co.uk/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon CA: amazon.ca/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon AU: amazon.com.au/dp/B07891C4C6
➜ Amazon DE: amazon.de/dp/B07891C4C6
December 23, 2017
It's LIVE! http://bit.ly/2jWjuXi
4.5 "I need this in paperback" stars!!
I read through this entire anthology and LOVED it!! But I’m here to review End Zone by LJ Shen and that’s what I’m gonna do. This author is one of the few that can create a-holes that you can’t help but fall in love with and I am thoroughly in love with Sage. He was the star quarterback, cocky as heck, and a manwhore. Nuff said.
Sage and Jolie have been best friends for 10 years. She saw a broken boy and gave her heart to heal him. Cherishing him from afar and yet so close, she’s accepted that they aren’t destined to be if they want to keep their forever friendship.But Sage has got other plans. He’s finally figured out that the only person he wants is her and there’s nothing she can do to stop him from having her.
I desperately wished that this was a full-length story. Sage and Jolie quickly won my heart. Their love was young, passionate, and their connection was combustible. The little glimpse we got was beautiful and I longed for more.
We’re one entity. Whole and broken. Happy and sad. Lost and so unbelievably found.
There was humor, drama and love. Oh and incredibly hot sex. What more can you ask for?
4.5 "I need this in paperback" stars!!
I read through this entire anthology and LOVED it!! But I’m here to review End Zone by LJ Shen and that’s what I’m gonna do. This author is one of the few that can create a-holes that you can’t help but fall in love with and I am thoroughly in love with Sage. He was the star quarterback, cocky as heck, and a manwhore. Nuff said.
Sage and Jolie have been best friends for 10 years. She saw a broken boy and gave her heart to heal him. Cherishing him from afar and yet so close, she’s accepted that they aren’t destined to be if they want to keep their forever friendship.But Sage has got other plans. He’s finally figured out that the only person he wants is her and there’s nothing she can do to stop him from having her.
I desperately wished that this was a full-length story. Sage and Jolie quickly won my heart. Their love was young, passionate, and their connection was combustible. The little glimpse we got was beautiful and I longed for more.
We’re one entity. Whole and broken. Happy and sad. Lost and so unbelievably found.
There was humor, drama and love. Oh and incredibly hot sex. What more can you ask for?
December 14, 2017
*This anthology contains eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney.
I never ever read anthologies and to be honest, I didn't even know this was one, when I signed up for it. All I knew, was that L.J. Shen wrote "The End Zone", and I just had to read it !!
So of course I started with Gabe and Jolie's story, which was awesome, I am a big fan of "best friends to lovers". Gabe was also a bit of an asshole, so this was right up my alley.
The banter between these two was great, not to mention the sexual tension.
I also loved the secondary characters !!
It was fun, sweet and sexy, and even though I knew this was gonna be short... I wanted more ;)
Now I didn't get more of Gabe and Jolie, but there are plenty other stories, by some great authors in this anthology to keep me entertained ;)
My reviews are posted on DirtyBooksObsession
December 10, 2017
ONE GOOD MAN BY EMMA SCOTT
I was definitely surprised that this novella One Good Man took place in France in the 1970’s but it only made me more intrigued with the story and its direction. The atmosphere and ambiance was depicted in such a way that I felt I was in Paris myself.
Janey and Adrian’s journey towards their true dreams led them towards one another. She wanted to capture and write important stories for newspapers and Adrian wanted to help people, to be a doctor instead of a soccer player. Janey’s first story, the story of a soccer player and his team, wasn’t what she wanted but Adrian turned out to be so much more than a story.
I loved their first meeting at the restaurant La Cloche and also Janey meeting his strong sister Sophie. Adrian had so many layers and I enjoyed how Janey and her lovely personality slowly stripped him of them. They both brought out the best in each other and slowly a beautiful love too.
This novella only made me appreciate Emma Scott more as an author cause I’ll never know what to expect from her and her stories. One Good Man was different and beautiful. Her characters definitely made this story shine. Merci!
5 BadAssDirtyStoryOfMyLifeStars
My review thoughts are based on an ARC of One Good Man by Emma Scott provided by the author.
SWEEPING THE SERIES BY KATE STEWART
No one does romcom like Kate Stewart. I don’t know what it is but she knows exactly what I like and want from a romantic comedy and Sweeping The Series delivers. Ren and Erica has history. 1 year together history which ended badly. Now they’re working together to save Ren’s reputation both on and off the baseball field.
I love their chemistry which is incredible. Right off the bat I feel their attraction which turns into a beautiful love. Their bantering is hot as hell and so is the sex. I love the push and pull which adds humor and sexual tension to the story. There’s so much more to their break up and I enjoyed the little hints here and there. When the reason is revealed it’s done with so much emotion and heart.
The characters from the Ball in Play books make an appearance and boy is it a funny one. The guys Rafe, Andy and Ren are protective of their women. The ladies Alice and April knows how to bring out the laughs. Poor Rafe;) What a way to get a black eye. LOL!
This novella is nothing but a homerun! It’s hilarious and sexy as heck. I’m sitting here with a huge grin on my face thanks to Kate Stewart.
5 BadAssDirtyTinManStars
My review thoughts are based on an ARC of Kate Stewart’s novella Sweeping The Series provided by the author.
I was definitely surprised that this novella One Good Man took place in France in the 1970’s but it only made me more intrigued with the story and its direction. The atmosphere and ambiance was depicted in such a way that I felt I was in Paris myself.
Janey and Adrian’s journey towards their true dreams led them towards one another. She wanted to capture and write important stories for newspapers and Adrian wanted to help people, to be a doctor instead of a soccer player. Janey’s first story, the story of a soccer player and his team, wasn’t what she wanted but Adrian turned out to be so much more than a story.
I loved their first meeting at the restaurant La Cloche and also Janey meeting his strong sister Sophie. Adrian had so many layers and I enjoyed how Janey and her lovely personality slowly stripped him of them. They both brought out the best in each other and slowly a beautiful love too.
This novella only made me appreciate Emma Scott more as an author cause I’ll never know what to expect from her and her stories. One Good Man was different and beautiful. Her characters definitely made this story shine. Merci!
5 BadAssDirtyStoryOfMyLifeStars
My review thoughts are based on an ARC of One Good Man by Emma Scott provided by the author.
SWEEPING THE SERIES BY KATE STEWART
No one does romcom like Kate Stewart. I don’t know what it is but she knows exactly what I like and want from a romantic comedy and Sweeping The Series delivers. Ren and Erica has history. 1 year together history which ended badly. Now they’re working together to save Ren’s reputation both on and off the baseball field.
I love their chemistry which is incredible. Right off the bat I feel their attraction which turns into a beautiful love. Their bantering is hot as hell and so is the sex. I love the push and pull which adds humor and sexual tension to the story. There’s so much more to their break up and I enjoyed the little hints here and there. When the reason is revealed it’s done with so much emotion and heart.
The characters from the Ball in Play books make an appearance and boy is it a funny one. The guys Rafe, Andy and Ren are protective of their women. The ladies Alice and April knows how to bring out the laughs. Poor Rafe;) What a way to get a black eye. LOL!
This novella is nothing but a homerun! It’s hilarious and sexy as heck. I’m sitting here with a huge grin on my face thanks to Kate Stewart.
5 BadAssDirtyTinManStars
My review thoughts are based on an ARC of Kate Stewart’s novella Sweeping The Series provided by the author.
April 6, 2018
★4.5★
Team Player is a Sports Romance Anthology. A smoking hot compilation of sports romance-themed novellas by Adriana Locke, Charleigh Rose, Ella Fox, Emma Scott, Kate Stewart, L.J. Shen, Kennedy Ryan, Mandi Beck, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, and Sara Ney. This anthology offers the perfect treat for contemporary romance fans!
Overall, I highly recommend Team Player to anyone looking for a compilation of smoking hot romance novellas that will leave you swooning and begging for more!
*ARC graciously provided in exchange for an honest review!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Team Player is a Sports Romance Anthology. A smoking hot compilation of sports romance-themed novellas by Adriana Locke, Charleigh Rose, Ella Fox, Emma Scott, Kate Stewart, L.J. Shen, Kennedy Ryan, Mandi Beck, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, and Sara Ney. This anthology offers the perfect treat for contemporary romance fans!
"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.
Overall, I highly recommend Team Player to anyone looking for a compilation of smoking hot romance novellas that will leave you swooning and begging for more!
*ARC graciously provided in exchange for an honest review!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
December 19, 2017
NOW AVAILABLE! Grab it today. 11 novellas. 11 authors. Wow!!
4.5 Stars
Review of The End Zone by LJ Shen.
Favorite Author + Favorite Trope multiplied by novella sized sexiness = WIN WIN WIN!!!
The End Zone is a sexy friends to lovers romance (with a dash of fake relationship yumminess) that’s sure to score with fans of Sports Romance and quick steamy reads. L.J. Shen brings her signature broody asshole hero game in this one. Add to that that Sage is sort of a douchebag and I never stood a chance! What the hell is wrong with me, right? Hi my name is Tijuana and I love alpha-hole douchebags! Admitting the problem is Step 1, right?
Anywhoo. Sage and Jolie are super cute. I love that their story spans years and runs the gamut of milestones and emotions. It’s a real feat to pack so much history in so few pages, but L.J. Shen has done just that.
Here’s what I absolutely loved: The history between these two. But even more than that, the sexual tension. Off the Charts cut it with a spoon sort of tension.
The secondary characters were a hoot! I loved Jolie’s besties and coworker. Boy that chase scene almost made me pee my pants. You need to read the book just for that alone. It was hilarious!
But here’s the main clincher. The beginning and end. You guys, I adored the prologue and epilogue SO MUCH. The structure is different and elicits so many emotions. The reader immediately feels drawn into the situation during the prologue and by the end of the epilogue you’re completely invested. I’m a bit of an epilogue whore anyway and this one was sooooooo cute. Gah! The symmetry and poignancy were brilliant. Well done, LJ. Well done indeed.
Recommended for lovers of Sports Romance, Novellas, Douchebag Alpha-holes, and sweet hardworking heroines.
4.5 Stars
Review of The End Zone by LJ Shen.
Favorite Author + Favorite Trope multiplied by novella sized sexiness = WIN WIN WIN!!!
The End Zone is a sexy friends to lovers romance (with a dash of fake relationship yumminess) that’s sure to score with fans of Sports Romance and quick steamy reads. L.J. Shen brings her signature broody asshole hero game in this one. Add to that that Sage is sort of a douchebag and I never stood a chance! What the hell is wrong with me, right? Hi my name is Tijuana and I love alpha-hole douchebags! Admitting the problem is Step 1, right?
Anywhoo. Sage and Jolie are super cute. I love that their story spans years and runs the gamut of milestones and emotions. It’s a real feat to pack so much history in so few pages, but L.J. Shen has done just that.
Here’s what I absolutely loved: The history between these two. But even more than that, the sexual tension. Off the Charts cut it with a spoon sort of tension.
The secondary characters were a hoot! I loved Jolie’s besties and coworker. Boy that chase scene almost made me pee my pants. You need to read the book just for that alone. It was hilarious!
But here’s the main clincher. The beginning and end. You guys, I adored the prologue and epilogue SO MUCH. The structure is different and elicits so many emotions. The reader immediately feels drawn into the situation during the prologue and by the end of the epilogue you’re completely invested. I’m a bit of an epilogue whore anyway and this one was sooooooo cute. Gah! The symmetry and poignancy were brilliant. Well done, LJ. Well done indeed.
Recommended for lovers of Sports Romance, Novellas, Douchebag Alpha-holes, and sweet hardworking heroines.
December 20, 2017
Well DAYUM! ! Eleven authors, eleven novellas all wrapped up into one smoking hot as hell book! Where are the warning labels when you really need them huh?
Yard Sale-Charleigh Rose
I don’t think there’s anything I really need to say about this book if I’m being honest because my kindle caught on fire!!!!!!!! That’s pretty much self explanatory in my book but if you want a little bit more on this, then fine. It was MOTHERFUCKING HOT! I was literally looking for the fire department to show up because cheese on rice! Everyone got pregnant! EVERY.ONE! These ladies can do no wrong and when you have the hottest snowboarder and the woman who brings him to his knees, you’re in for a sexy treat.
End Zone- L.J Shen
All hail the queen of aholes. How does she do it?! I loved this one because I’m a sucker for friends to lovers romance and this hit all the right spots for me. Sage and Jolie has been through everything together from family drama to breakups and the one thing they can count on is each other. But ten years of a solid friendship is about to be tested when they both realize that wanting more, isn't as easy as it looks. Will their friendship survive or can Sage and Jolie have it all?
Sweeping the Series-Kate Stewart
I love anything that this woman writes and to make this one even better, it was a hate to love romance!! Who doesn’t love that?! The sexual tension, the resentment, the banter, the want, can you feel it? Erica and Ren deserved their second chance at love and I’m happy they got it.
If you love sports romance, then this anthology was written for you and ONLY you.
December 17, 2017
Review @ Vanilla & Spice Books
This collection of novellas has some of my favorite authors and a couple new ones I always wanted to try. So finally I get around doing it!
4.5 STARS
The End Zone
by L.J. Shen
For a very short novella, this story packs a lot of angst. I was pretty surprised at how intense it got. Sage and Jolie have been friends since they were barely teenagers. The night they became the one person they could always rely on held a lot of heartbreak for Sage. Their friendship survived all those years of Jolie being in love with her best friend and Sage being a man-hoe, and he doesn't even have to lift a finger for it. The girls flock him.
Sage is a bit of a jerk and alpha-hole. He corners Jolie with a proposal because all of sudden he realizes that he is in love with her and doesn't want any one else to have her. I didn't quite like that it all of a sudden "occurred" to him that his feelings ran deeper but it's a novella so I give a bit of leeway since those don't really have much room to get into great depth. Anyhoo, he was still kind of sweet, especially when he showed his belly.
Jolie is a very likable heroine - she doesn't let Sage walk all over her and, rightly so, doesn't trust Sage's sudden interest in her. He needs to prove to her that he is serious about his feelings for her. I liked her for holding her own and not giving in, yet still loving Sage and holding on to their friendship.
The End Zone is a super fast fix if you're in need of a sports romance with a possessive alpha-jock and a lovely heroine who can hold her own.
4 STARS
SWEEPING THE SERIES
by Kate Stewart
You know you're reading a story by Kate Stewart when the emotions churn in your gut and won't let up until you're done. With this novella she gives us a another story in the Balls in Play series and while this is relatively short in comparison it never felt too short. You know how some novellas do that because there isn't much room and you actually want to delve deeper into the story? Yeah, Kate Stewart doesn't leave you hanging in this regard. I never felt unsatisfied because the author brushed over some of the aspects.
Ren plays the field. There is no sugar-coating it and while it makes him look totally douch-ey and hurts his and the team's reputation there is a reason. From beginning to end my heart beat for this man who was so hurt in the past and every second of his fury directed towards the woman who was the cause was just. I felt utterly betrayed on his behalf. When he lashed out I wanted to cheer him on and say "More please." He is a very caring soul, and I loved that his deepest wish was having a family.
Erica is a PR specialist and was hired to fix Ren's reputation. She is rather unwilling to take up the job seeing as she left Ren without giving a reason, stealing away from their apartment when he was on training camp. For that alone I hated her. I needed a good enough reason for her to hurt somebody so badly. The author left me hanging for most of the book and I had built up so much dislike for this heroine that I wasn't sure if I wanted for them to be together. Erica's attitude and laying blame on Ren for becoming a man-hoe didn't help much. Thankfully in the end Kate Stewart came through and turned my dislike in grudging acceptance but I have to say that the reason she left wasn't good enough for me. Not communicating, not explaining, taking away the chance for Ren to understand what was going on and not being upfront? Bad move.
I usually love Kate's heroines. Erica not so much. Every other time, I would have rated lower, however, the author got my blood boiling with emotion and angst and by the end I could have sworn I'd read a full-length novel by her, that's as deep she went. I loved that. I loved seeing Ren, Rafe and Andy's friendship. The ladies' drunken night, or rather the aftermath of it was pure hilarity. There are a lot of good things to say about this story and not even my dislike for Erica could ruin that. Again, Ms. Stewart came through. I'm a forever fan.
4 STARS
THE ONE GOOD MAN
by Emma Scott
Emma Scott takes us back into a history-ladden time, the 1970s. The proxy war in Vietnam is still going on and the effects are palpable all over the world. It's an intriguing choice for a sports romance and I applaud the author for this unusual setting.
Janey is a student backslash journalist. After being arrested for an involuntary participation at a protest march against the Vietnam War her father ships her off to Paris where she meets Adrian, soccer player. She doesn't like jocks very much, after all they only chase tail and in the beginning, Adrian seems to confirm her belief.
I have to say that Janey rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. She was abrasive towards Adrian, keeping him at a distance but when she started to see past the front Adrian put up I started to warm up to her - she gave up her reservations and supported Adrian.
Adrian is one of those deep waters. He has so many things going on at the same time and still manages to juggle them all. He had a sweet kindness about him, always friendly, even when Janey got in his face.
This was a solid read from Emma, while it took a while to like Janey, Adrian totally made this story. I think if I had had spent more time with Janey I would have come to love her, eventually. The author shows her affinity for writing about unusual people with intriguing backgrounds again. This is why I love reading her stories.
Final thoughts
I wish I would have had the time to read all the stories, I definitely will finish the anthology at some point. These stories are the perfect length to read in between full-length novels.
This is a huge collection of super-talented authors and if you are looking for fun, sweet and sexy sports romance you can't go wrong with Team Player!
This collection of novellas has some of my favorite authors and a couple new ones I always wanted to try. So finally I get around doing it!
4.5 STARS
The End Zone
by L.J. Shen
For a very short novella, this story packs a lot of angst. I was pretty surprised at how intense it got. Sage and Jolie have been friends since they were barely teenagers. The night they became the one person they could always rely on held a lot of heartbreak for Sage. Their friendship survived all those years of Jolie being in love with her best friend and Sage being a man-hoe, and he doesn't even have to lift a finger for it. The girls flock him.
Sage is a bit of a jerk and alpha-hole. He corners Jolie with a proposal because all of sudden he realizes that he is in love with her and doesn't want any one else to have her. I didn't quite like that it all of a sudden "occurred" to him that his feelings ran deeper but it's a novella so I give a bit of leeway since those don't really have much room to get into great depth. Anyhoo, he was still kind of sweet, especially when he showed his belly.
Jolie is a very likable heroine - she doesn't let Sage walk all over her and, rightly so, doesn't trust Sage's sudden interest in her. He needs to prove to her that he is serious about his feelings for her. I liked her for holding her own and not giving in, yet still loving Sage and holding on to their friendship.
The End Zone is a super fast fix if you're in need of a sports romance with a possessive alpha-jock and a lovely heroine who can hold her own.
4 STARS
SWEEPING THE SERIES
by Kate Stewart
You know you're reading a story by Kate Stewart when the emotions churn in your gut and won't let up until you're done. With this novella she gives us a another story in the Balls in Play series and while this is relatively short in comparison it never felt too short. You know how some novellas do that because there isn't much room and you actually want to delve deeper into the story? Yeah, Kate Stewart doesn't leave you hanging in this regard. I never felt unsatisfied because the author brushed over some of the aspects.
Ren plays the field. There is no sugar-coating it and while it makes him look totally douch-ey and hurts his and the team's reputation there is a reason. From beginning to end my heart beat for this man who was so hurt in the past and every second of his fury directed towards the woman who was the cause was just. I felt utterly betrayed on his behalf. When he lashed out I wanted to cheer him on and say "More please." He is a very caring soul, and I loved that his deepest wish was having a family.
Erica is a PR specialist and was hired to fix Ren's reputation. She is rather unwilling to take up the job seeing as she left Ren without giving a reason, stealing away from their apartment when he was on training camp. For that alone I hated her. I needed a good enough reason for her to hurt somebody so badly. The author left me hanging for most of the book and I had built up so much dislike for this heroine that I wasn't sure if I wanted for them to be together. Erica's attitude and laying blame on Ren for becoming a man-hoe didn't help much. Thankfully in the end Kate Stewart came through and turned my dislike in grudging acceptance but I have to say that the reason she left wasn't good enough for me. Not communicating, not explaining, taking away the chance for Ren to understand what was going on and not being upfront? Bad move.
I usually love Kate's heroines. Erica not so much. Every other time, I would have rated lower, however, the author got my blood boiling with emotion and angst and by the end I could have sworn I'd read a full-length novel by her, that's as deep she went. I loved that. I loved seeing Ren, Rafe and Andy's friendship. The ladies' drunken night, or rather the aftermath of it was pure hilarity. There are a lot of good things to say about this story and not even my dislike for Erica could ruin that. Again, Ms. Stewart came through. I'm a forever fan.
4 STARS
THE ONE GOOD MAN
by Emma Scott
Emma Scott takes us back into a history-ladden time, the 1970s. The proxy war in Vietnam is still going on and the effects are palpable all over the world. It's an intriguing choice for a sports romance and I applaud the author for this unusual setting.
Janey is a student backslash journalist. After being arrested for an involuntary participation at a protest march against the Vietnam War her father ships her off to Paris where she meets Adrian, soccer player. She doesn't like jocks very much, after all they only chase tail and in the beginning, Adrian seems to confirm her belief.
I have to say that Janey rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. She was abrasive towards Adrian, keeping him at a distance but when she started to see past the front Adrian put up I started to warm up to her - she gave up her reservations and supported Adrian.
Adrian is one of those deep waters. He has so many things going on at the same time and still manages to juggle them all. He had a sweet kindness about him, always friendly, even when Janey got in his face.
This was a solid read from Emma, while it took a while to like Janey, Adrian totally made this story. I think if I had had spent more time with Janey I would have come to love her, eventually. The author shows her affinity for writing about unusual people with intriguing backgrounds again. This is why I love reading her stories.
Final thoughts
I wish I would have had the time to read all the stories, I definitely will finish the anthology at some point. These stories are the perfect length to read in between full-length novels.
This is a huge collection of super-talented authors and if you are looking for fun, sweet and sexy sports romance you can't go wrong with Team Player!
December 16, 2017
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
The Christmas spirit continues and the Dream Team aka these eleven authors have brought to us a book filled with 11 original, never-before-seen stories that are packed with a punch!
Team Player consist of:
Adriana Locke (Cross)
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
Emma Scott (One Good Man)
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)
These stories are fast paced and give you everything you wanted in a novella. Don't expect long-overdue type of stories. These are the happily ever after kind of romance with all the sexiness you could dream off... I mean... Sportsmen..Duh! Who doesn't love a sports related romance. Right?
PS: I admit I have a few favourites among them :)
Happy Reading!
For more reviews and giveaways follow my blog at www.jemimajamir.com
December 29, 2017
I LOVE sports romances, and this anthology is STACKED with great authors. I don’t know what more you can ask for. Great authors writing hot sports romance novellas. Win. Win. Win.
I was lucky enough to read an early version of Yard Sale by Charleigh Rose. A hot pro snowboarder and a girl visiting from out of town. Their story is meant to be a ONS, but it turns into so much more. Absolutely loved Cam and Mollie. The author does a great job combining their playful relationship and their lusty attraction. Plus, Charleigh Rose throws some unexpected goodness in there as well with the plot, and some side characters her readers will recognize from other books! All in all a great, fun, and hot read!
*Yard Sale fan edits*
https://instagram.com/p/BcnHT1pAE8Q/
https://instagram.com/p/BcmsX70g_NF/
Loved Full Court Press by Kennedy Ryan! All I will say is that this author has a knack for giving just as much heart and emotion in her stories as she gives heat and passion. Honestly I thought I’d get through a SPORTS ROMANCE NOVELLA, without crying, but Kennedy pulled those tears out of me in the best way. A sort of second chance basketball romance. Just. Read it. Sigh. Such. Amazing. Writing.
*full Court Press fan edit*
https://instagram.com/p/BcogPq3AWnA/
I was lucky enough to read an early version of Yard Sale by Charleigh Rose. A hot pro snowboarder and a girl visiting from out of town. Their story is meant to be a ONS, but it turns into so much more. Absolutely loved Cam and Mollie. The author does a great job combining their playful relationship and their lusty attraction. Plus, Charleigh Rose throws some unexpected goodness in there as well with the plot, and some side characters her readers will recognize from other books! All in all a great, fun, and hot read!
*Yard Sale fan edits*
https://instagram.com/p/BcnHT1pAE8Q/
https://instagram.com/p/BcmsX70g_NF/
Loved Full Court Press by Kennedy Ryan! All I will say is that this author has a knack for giving just as much heart and emotion in her stories as she gives heat and passion. Honestly I thought I’d get through a SPORTS ROMANCE NOVELLA, without crying, but Kennedy pulled those tears out of me in the best way. A sort of second chance basketball romance. Just. Read it. Sigh. Such. Amazing. Writing.
*full Court Press fan edit*
https://instagram.com/p/BcogPq3AWnA/
December 21, 2017
4.5 stars
Full Court Press by Kennedy Ryan
This woman! Why does she always do this to me? I went into this anthology thinking every story was going to be light, fun, sweet and steamy. Well, I should have known better, because Kennedy Ryan doesn't do "light." Her stories showcase something deep, something that makes you think, and above all, something that makes you FEEL. This one was no different! I literally cried...full on tears and sniffling occured, people! Don't say I didn't warn you. Have your tissues ready!
Full Court Press is masterfully written, complex, and exactly the kind of story you would expect from this author. It made me feel so much emotion in such a short amount of time. I didn't just think about the characters in this book when I read it. I thought about all the people in the real world that have gone through something similiar. Kennedy has a way of making me do that, and that's why I think she is one of the most incredible authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
End Zone by L. J. Shen
Full disclosure, L. J. Shen is like a unicorn to me. I love her work, and I'm convinced she has magical powers that allow her to write the most perfect asshole heroes in romance. Therefore, I began reading this novella thinking I was going to find a grade A asshole inside, but that's not what I got at all. I was rather suprised to find out that Sage may be somewhat of an douche to other people sometimes, but he is nothing but sweet to Jolie.
Did I love her sweet hero as much I've loved her heroes from other books? Yes! Yes, I did! Sage is swoonworthy! Definite book boyfriend material! I adored the way he was with Jolie, and I believed in their love 100 percent. With this being a novella, that gets bonus points from me! It can be hard for me to become invested in a couple over so few pages, but that wasn't a problem here at all. I do wish I had more time with these characters, but that's just because I enjoyed them so much! End Zone is beautifully written and captivating! In my opinion, it's worth the price of the whole anthology!
Full Court Press by Kennedy Ryan
This woman! Why does she always do this to me? I went into this anthology thinking every story was going to be light, fun, sweet and steamy. Well, I should have known better, because Kennedy Ryan doesn't do "light." Her stories showcase something deep, something that makes you think, and above all, something that makes you FEEL. This one was no different! I literally cried...full on tears and sniffling occured, people! Don't say I didn't warn you. Have your tissues ready!
Full Court Press is masterfully written, complex, and exactly the kind of story you would expect from this author. It made me feel so much emotion in such a short amount of time. I didn't just think about the characters in this book when I read it. I thought about all the people in the real world that have gone through something similiar. Kennedy has a way of making me do that, and that's why I think she is one of the most incredible authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
End Zone by L. J. Shen
Full disclosure, L. J. Shen is like a unicorn to me. I love her work, and I'm convinced she has magical powers that allow her to write the most perfect asshole heroes in romance. Therefore, I began reading this novella thinking I was going to find a grade A asshole inside, but that's not what I got at all. I was rather suprised to find out that Sage may be somewhat of an douche to other people sometimes, but he is nothing but sweet to Jolie.
Did I love her sweet hero as much I've loved her heroes from other books? Yes! Yes, I did! Sage is swoonworthy! Definite book boyfriend material! I adored the way he was with Jolie, and I believed in their love 100 percent. With this being a novella, that gets bonus points from me! It can be hard for me to become invested in a couple over so few pages, but that wasn't a problem here at all. I do wish I had more time with these characters, but that's just because I enjoyed them so much! End Zone is beautifully written and captivating! In my opinion, it's worth the price of the whole anthology!
December 15, 2017
NOW LIVE!!
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Cross by Adriana Locke
Cross was a short and sweet novella that takes place before Crank and can be read as a complete standalone novella. This second chance romance was very easy to get into and despite only taking place over a short amount of pages it never felt rushed to me. Both characters had me very intrigued and I liked getting to see them get back to their happy ever after. We didn't learn too much of what split them up the first time but being such a short book I was okay with that and not knowing didn't take away from the story at all.
Overall, this novella is a recommend from me.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Cross by Adriana Locke
Cross was a short and sweet novella that takes place before Crank and can be read as a complete standalone novella. This second chance romance was very easy to get into and despite only taking place over a short amount of pages it never felt rushed to me. Both characters had me very intrigued and I liked getting to see them get back to their happy ever after. We didn't learn too much of what split them up the first time but being such a short book I was okay with that and not knowing didn't take away from the story at all.
Overall, this novella is a recommend from me.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
December 15, 2017
If there was ever an anthology that I was desperate to get my grubby little hands on… it was Team Player. So many amazing authors I would have no issue naming as my favs of all time plus I am a huge fan of sports romances… So clearly I was going to love this very talented set of authors and the novellas they created for us to devour. My Christmas just got a whole lot better.
I will review each of the novella’s soon, but for now I am just going to review my favorite…
Back in the Game by Meghan Quinn.
I know I pretty much say it every time I have finished reading a story by Meghan Quinn, but I am a huge fan and love the way she writes; whether it be a full length novel or a hot and steamy novella included in an anthology, I just love her work. I just love her sense of humor and she always has the ability to make me LMAO.
Back in the Game included all the things I love to read: romance, a hot sports athlete, a single dad, humor and a kick ass heroine to boot. It didn’t even really feel like a novella because Meghan wrote with such depth, the plot seemed well thought out and the character development was flawless.
Calder is a single dad who also happens to be a professional hockey player, hence his schedule is hectic and therefore leaves him little time to spend with his daughter Shea. So whatever little Shea wants, Shea gets, even if it means dressing her daddy up in a fairy costume, wings and all, to take her out to eat. I mean it takes a really confident man to go out in public dressed as a fairy, with wings and a tiara, but anything to make his little girl smile.
When Calder accidentally slaps a woman while coming out of the men’s bathroom, instant sparks begin to fly. There is absolutely nothing not to love about this man, I mean if the costume wearing in public isn’t enough, he chooses to raise his daughter as a single dad after her mom took off and left her. Shea is the product of a one night stand and the greatest thing in Calder’s life.
I just fell in love with Rachel instantly; almost as quickly as Calder did, she is very quick witted, friendly, sweet and strong natured. I adored the fact that she had no idea Calder was a professional hockey player and fell in love with him and not who he is.
I loved Back in the Game and all the characters within, especially little Shea. Butter seriously wouldn’t melt in that girl’s mouth. I loved the chemistry and attraction between Calder and Rachel and how they just moulded together, like the missing piece to their jigsaw puzzle.
If you’re anything like me and love your sports romances, then I urge you to check out this anthology that includes so many amazing authors. So many!
January 25, 2018
4.5 'I love all the players' Stars!
Holy moly, this is one hell of a sports romance anthology! I have wanted to read this since it released last December. First, I wanted to read it because of Kate Stewart (duh! you all know how much I love her!), and second also because it has stories by authors I have read before (and enjoyed!) and authors I’ve been wanting to read their work for a while. It was the perfect occasion to start and check if I liked them. And boy, did I love this whole reading journey. Yes, I read the whole anthology and I can say now that it is so worth it!
Team Player is a sports romance anthology and obviously its main focus is sexy players and the women who change their lives forever. I feel like there is a story for everyone in this collection: you’ll find very light and sexy stories, but you will also find emotional and gripping ones too. And I can assure you, every single one of these pieces of writing has something especial to it. Of course, I do have my favorites, but I can state that I really enjoyed the whole experience with this collection.
SIN BIN by Mandi Beck - 3.5 Stars!
It was sexy and cute. Instant lust and pregnancy involved. I had a hard time connecting with the couple at the start but I quite enjoyed it! A bit of a sudden ending.
OUT OF FORMATION by Ella Fox - 4 stars!
A mix of "I've loved you forever" and age-gap couple that I definitely liked! The characters are pretty good and the emotional and sexy story between them drew me in. Good ending too!
YARD SALE by Charleigh Rose - 4.5 stars!
If you have read Charleigh's last (and amazing!) creation called Bad Habit, then you'll remember the characters in this story! Instant connection between the couple, sexy and very cute ending!
SLAPPED INTO LOVE by Rochelle Paige - 4 stars!
Great storyline, second chance vibe to it and I really enjoyed the relationship between the main characters. Also, I am very curious about the other characters and their stories!
BACK IN THE GAME by Meghan Quinn - 4 stars!
Who does not love a hot single dad? This story was super funny and extremely adorable! Loved the relationship between the daddy and his daughter and the story was pretty sexy too!
SWEEPING THE SERIES by Kate Stewart - 5+ stars!
I mean.. I decided to read this anthology just because of this woman so, as you can imagine, this story was one of my absolute favorites! It was everything: a well developed story, with depth, complex and lovable characters (loved catching up with my beloved characters from the Balls in Play series!), fantastic writing (of course!) and lots of chemistry and emotion! Loved, loved, loved the ending!
FULL COURT PRESS by Kennedy Ryan - 5 stars!
This was such a beautiful surprise for me. It was my first taste of Kennedy Ryan's writing and I absolutely loved it! This story was so sad and so emotional, guys. It was profound but also still amazing and sexy. I kind of missed having an epilogue but I want more! I am reading more from this woman from now on!
SWITCH HITTER by Sara Ney - 4 stars!
Here we had a "twin-situation" love story. Also my first by Sara Ney, I have to say I found this story light and adorable! Loved having a Spanish hero and seeing him seducing the heroine. A bit of a rushed ending though!
ONE GOOD MAN by Emma Scott - 5 stars!
Definitely the most emotional and "dramatic" story in the whole anthology. Now I totally get why people love Emma's stories so much! This story gripped me from the start, I loved the couple and seeing them fight for what they wanted. Loved the French theme to it and that ending!
THE END ZONE by L.J. Shen - 5+ stars!
Yes, I rated two stories with my special 6 star rating. L.J. Shen was my other surprise in this collection. I definitely had high expectations because I know many of my friends love her stories and I completely understand why now! My first by this author but surely not the last. A fantastic friends-to-lovers story, with awesome writing and characters. Loved the building of the relationship and all those emotions. Amazing ending!
CROSS by Adriana Locke - 4.5 stars!
An introduction to Adriana's new series and it was wonderful! I loved seeing the "second-chance" theme and reading how this couple reconnected. Fantastic chemistry and a great list of new characters. Really enjoyed this story but I would have loved a longer epilogue!
So, my overall rating for Team Player is 4.5 STARS because it surely is one of the best anthologies I have ever read. The stories had a mix of everything that I love in a good romance and I do have to say that Kate Stewart’s story was my absolute favorite and that I fell in love with three new-to-me authors: Emma Scott, Kennedy Ryan and L.J. Shen! I can’t wait to read more of their creations because I adored the stories they wrote in this collection. Team Player is an must read for sport romance lovers, highly recommend it!
CHECK OUT MY BLOG HERE:
Holy moly, this is one hell of a sports romance anthology! I have wanted to read this since it released last December. First, I wanted to read it because of Kate Stewart (duh! you all know how much I love her!), and second also because it has stories by authors I have read before (and enjoyed!) and authors I’ve been wanting to read their work for a while. It was the perfect occasion to start and check if I liked them. And boy, did I love this whole reading journey. Yes, I read the whole anthology and I can say now that it is so worth it!
Team Player is a sports romance anthology and obviously its main focus is sexy players and the women who change their lives forever. I feel like there is a story for everyone in this collection: you’ll find very light and sexy stories, but you will also find emotional and gripping ones too. And I can assure you, every single one of these pieces of writing has something especial to it. Of course, I do have my favorites, but I can state that I really enjoyed the whole experience with this collection.
SIN BIN by Mandi Beck - 3.5 Stars!
It was sexy and cute. Instant lust and pregnancy involved. I had a hard time connecting with the couple at the start but I quite enjoyed it! A bit of a sudden ending.
OUT OF FORMATION by Ella Fox - 4 stars!
A mix of "I've loved you forever" and age-gap couple that I definitely liked! The characters are pretty good and the emotional and sexy story between them drew me in. Good ending too!
YARD SALE by Charleigh Rose - 4.5 stars!
If you have read Charleigh's last (and amazing!) creation called Bad Habit, then you'll remember the characters in this story! Instant connection between the couple, sexy and very cute ending!
SLAPPED INTO LOVE by Rochelle Paige - 4 stars!
Great storyline, second chance vibe to it and I really enjoyed the relationship between the main characters. Also, I am very curious about the other characters and their stories!
BACK IN THE GAME by Meghan Quinn - 4 stars!
Who does not love a hot single dad? This story was super funny and extremely adorable! Loved the relationship between the daddy and his daughter and the story was pretty sexy too!
SWEEPING THE SERIES by Kate Stewart - 5+ stars!
I mean.. I decided to read this anthology just because of this woman so, as you can imagine, this story was one of my absolute favorites! It was everything: a well developed story, with depth, complex and lovable characters (loved catching up with my beloved characters from the Balls in Play series!), fantastic writing (of course!) and lots of chemistry and emotion! Loved, loved, loved the ending!
FULL COURT PRESS by Kennedy Ryan - 5 stars!
This was such a beautiful surprise for me. It was my first taste of Kennedy Ryan's writing and I absolutely loved it! This story was so sad and so emotional, guys. It was profound but also still amazing and sexy. I kind of missed having an epilogue but I want more! I am reading more from this woman from now on!
SWITCH HITTER by Sara Ney - 4 stars!
Here we had a "twin-situation" love story. Also my first by Sara Ney, I have to say I found this story light and adorable! Loved having a Spanish hero and seeing him seducing the heroine. A bit of a rushed ending though!
ONE GOOD MAN by Emma Scott - 5 stars!
Definitely the most emotional and "dramatic" story in the whole anthology. Now I totally get why people love Emma's stories so much! This story gripped me from the start, I loved the couple and seeing them fight for what they wanted. Loved the French theme to it and that ending!
THE END ZONE by L.J. Shen - 5+ stars!
Yes, I rated two stories with my special 6 star rating. L.J. Shen was my other surprise in this collection. I definitely had high expectations because I know many of my friends love her stories and I completely understand why now! My first by this author but surely not the last. A fantastic friends-to-lovers story, with awesome writing and characters. Loved the building of the relationship and all those emotions. Amazing ending!
CROSS by Adriana Locke - 4.5 stars!
An introduction to Adriana's new series and it was wonderful! I loved seeing the "second-chance" theme and reading how this couple reconnected. Fantastic chemistry and a great list of new characters. Really enjoyed this story but I would have loved a longer epilogue!
So, my overall rating for Team Player is 4.5 STARS because it surely is one of the best anthologies I have ever read. The stories had a mix of everything that I love in a good romance and I do have to say that Kate Stewart’s story was my absolute favorite and that I fell in love with three new-to-me authors: Emma Scott, Kennedy Ryan and L.J. Shen! I can’t wait to read more of their creations because I adored the stories they wrote in this collection. Team Player is an must read for sport romance lovers, highly recommend it!
CHECK OUT MY BLOG HERE:
December 14, 2017
Review for One Good Man by Emma Scott... before reading the other stories ;-)
“Find that story, Janey. Find one that looks like nothing on the outside, but once you crack it open…” She shrugged with a smile. “…Something incredible comes out.”
4,5 emotional stars
I got an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest opinion and I can say that I’m still swooning inside.
If you crave stories:
-with the same “feel” as The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks;
-with love at nearly first sight;
-featuring a swoony and worthy hero;
-with a prickly and strong heroine;
-sad but “Oh so beautiful!”;
-broaching some very serious topic with romance as background;
THIS IS YOUR NEXT FIX!
I love Emma Scott’s stories! They are romantic, emotional, often sad, meaningful and utterly gorgeous!
One Good Man does not fail her reputation.
Adrian Rousseau is the local star football player in Paris and a medical student. He is gorgeous, immensely gifted on the field and harboring a secret that’s weighting heavily on his shoulders. To the outside world he is this playboy football player who’s the next wonder in French football.
That’s how Janey sees him at first.
Janey is studying journalism and has been sent by her dad from California to France as she was too involved in the protests taking place in the USA regarding the Vietnam war.
Janey does not want to interview some football player even up and coming star just to write mush stories. She wants to make a difference. To awaken people to big stories happening in the world like wars, hungers, etc.
“I was going to graduate UCSB in a year with a double-major in journalism and French. My scene was following the Big Story. The biggest stories. And Vietnam was the biggest story of them all.”
I admired Janey as she knows what she wants and goes for it! Her dad is rich but she wants to work, to matter. In a men’s world she has to work twice as hard and show no weakness to earn her place. Her dedication, her ambition is admirable. She is ambitious but she cares! The golden combination in my book.
As a good journalist Janey is perceptive and soon realizes Adrian is a complex man with hidden layers. He has sadness hidden behind his eyes.
Janey made it her mission to discover who the true Adrian was. By the end of the book she had her story.
“I waited for the pride to swell in me for the praise, but it was the story that needed to be told, and that’s all that mattered. And I decided, then and there, those were the only kinds of stories I would ever tell.”
I guarantee that you will fall in love with Adrian! Not for his high cheekbones, cut jaw, blue eyes and bulging muscles, well not only, but for his loyal, protective and worthy personality. He is a true good man! Janey is the spunk of the story. The spark igniting Adrian and awakening his long forgotten dreams.
I loved the instant connection. This recognition of two souls. Eyes meeting for the first time. The thrill racing down the spine. Heartbeat accelerating… Yet God knows Janey fought the attraction! She did not want to be one more notch on Adrian’s belt!
This story is not only a romance. It relies on a grave historical background distilled with small brush strokes.In a relatively short read Emma Scott managed the high feat of showing the aftermath of war. This was paired with the inner conflict of doing what’s expected of you instead of what you really aspire to do. All wrapped up in a lovely romance! If that does not deserve praise I don’t know what will satisfy you!
Added bonus for my French speaking friends (hint, hint "A" it's you I'm speaking of) Emma Scott's French is stellar! And she does know many curse words in French LOL.
Recommend it? Hell YES!
Find me on:
Wordpress: Beware Of The Reader
Facebook: Beware Of The Reader
Facebook besties: Best Reading Blogs Ever
Instagram: @bewareofthereader
Twitter: @BewareOffReader
“Find that story, Janey. Find one that looks like nothing on the outside, but once you crack it open…” She shrugged with a smile. “…Something incredible comes out.”
4,5 emotional stars
I got an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest opinion and I can say that I’m still swooning inside.
If you crave stories:
-with the same “feel” as The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks;
-with love at nearly first sight;
-featuring a swoony and worthy hero;
-with a prickly and strong heroine;
-sad but “Oh so beautiful!”;
-broaching some very serious topic with romance as background;
THIS IS YOUR NEXT FIX!
I love Emma Scott’s stories! They are romantic, emotional, often sad, meaningful and utterly gorgeous!
One Good Man does not fail her reputation.
Adrian Rousseau is the local star football player in Paris and a medical student. He is gorgeous, immensely gifted on the field and harboring a secret that’s weighting heavily on his shoulders. To the outside world he is this playboy football player who’s the next wonder in French football.
That’s how Janey sees him at first.
Janey is studying journalism and has been sent by her dad from California to France as she was too involved in the protests taking place in the USA regarding the Vietnam war.
Janey does not want to interview some football player even up and coming star just to write mush stories. She wants to make a difference. To awaken people to big stories happening in the world like wars, hungers, etc.
“I was going to graduate UCSB in a year with a double-major in journalism and French. My scene was following the Big Story. The biggest stories. And Vietnam was the biggest story of them all.”
I admired Janey as she knows what she wants and goes for it! Her dad is rich but she wants to work, to matter. In a men’s world she has to work twice as hard and show no weakness to earn her place. Her dedication, her ambition is admirable. She is ambitious but she cares! The golden combination in my book.
As a good journalist Janey is perceptive and soon realizes Adrian is a complex man with hidden layers. He has sadness hidden behind his eyes.
Janey made it her mission to discover who the true Adrian was. By the end of the book she had her story.
“I waited for the pride to swell in me for the praise, but it was the story that needed to be told, and that’s all that mattered. And I decided, then and there, those were the only kinds of stories I would ever tell.”
I guarantee that you will fall in love with Adrian! Not for his high cheekbones, cut jaw, blue eyes and bulging muscles, well not only, but for his loyal, protective and worthy personality. He is a true good man! Janey is the spunk of the story. The spark igniting Adrian and awakening his long forgotten dreams.
I loved the instant connection. This recognition of two souls. Eyes meeting for the first time. The thrill racing down the spine. Heartbeat accelerating… Yet God knows Janey fought the attraction! She did not want to be one more notch on Adrian’s belt!
This story is not only a romance. It relies on a grave historical background distilled with small brush strokes.In a relatively short read Emma Scott managed the high feat of showing the aftermath of war. This was paired with the inner conflict of doing what’s expected of you instead of what you really aspire to do. All wrapped up in a lovely romance! If that does not deserve praise I don’t know what will satisfy you!
Added bonus for my French speaking friends (hint, hint "A" it's you I'm speaking of) Emma Scott's French is stellar! And she does know many curse words in French LOL.
Recommend it? Hell YES!
Find me on:
Wordpress: Beware Of The Reader
Facebook: Beware Of The Reader
Facebook besties: Best Reading Blogs Ever
Instagram: @bewareofthereader
Twitter: @BewareOffReader
December 31, 2017
Review of One Good Man by Emma Scott
I read this twice—the second time in one sitting, this morning at my laptop. Both times, it got me. Wow. What a surprise. I did not expect the feels I got from this novella. How the hell Scott put so much into 30,000 words is beyond me. This is not your typical sports romance—it’s so much more that that. 1970’s Paris. The Vietnam War.Soccer. Football. Led Zeppelin. Jefferson Airplane. White Fucking Rabbit. There was so much I loved about this...and only one thing I didn’t. I NEED MORE. These characters, this story, deserve more. I want NEED to follow them through the seventies. Dear Emma, please, PLEASE write this. Remember when Jeannine asked for that Darlene book? 🙏 And give me the soundtrack to match. Please. 😀 <-- This is my begging face. Irresistible, right?
I read this twice—the second time in one sitting, this morning at my laptop. Both times, it got me. Wow. What a surprise. I did not expect the feels I got from this novella. How the hell Scott put so much into 30,000 words is beyond me. This is not your typical sports romance—it’s so much more that that. 1970’s Paris. The Vietnam War.
December 15, 2017
★ It's LIVE!
US: http://amzn.to/2j2Lwzj
UK: amazon.co.uk/dp/B07891C4C6
TEAM PLAYER is a sports romance anthology with 11 never-published-before novellas. My rating and review is based on the gorgeous STANDALONE sports romance by Kennedy Ryan entitled FULL COURT PRESS **
'Full Court Press,' is the love story of Avery and Deck. They once, a long time ago, shared a moment in time, a moment that made me smile, but would that moment ever lead to anything more? This is the starting point for Kennedy Ryan’s sports romance and as the story unfolds readers are treated to a tale of love, loss, second chances, and passion.
Avery is beautiful, fun and feisty. A sports presenter who has clawed her way up to co-hosting her own show. She’s experienced hurt and loss which is showcased eloquently through the narrative. Her story is depicted with just the right amount of evocative detail to allow the reader to understand her state of mind, empathize with her emotions and believe in her actions and feelings. Deck, the sporting hero at the heart of this romance is a basketball playing legend who’s heading for greatness. A character with an easy-going nature and fun personality who I fell effortlessly in love with. A kind and sensitive man who has both beauty and brains, and transitions from player to legend, a legend who I believe will be an important supporting cast member in Kennedy Ryan's next full length standalone. A man who I believe in, have faith in and trust implicitly. A man whom I’ll totally look forward to seeing again.
The couple’s undeniable chemistry and the relationship that evolves between them, allows, 'Full Court Press,' to develop into a story that, although novella in size, is mighty in substance with a rich narrative that gives so much goodness to the reader. Totally engaging, I loved everything about it and can’t wait for the full-length standalone from the world of basketball!
My review thoughts so far are based solely on Kennedy Ryan's novella called FULL COURT PRESS. P.S. I can't wait to read the rest of these sporting stories, there are 11 in total by 11 different authors.
Beta copies of Kennedy Ryan's novella provided for honest feedback and review *
★ Graphic created by me with stock photos I purchased from deposit photos ★
US: http://amzn.to/2j2Lwzj
UK: amazon.co.uk/dp/B07891C4C6
TEAM PLAYER is a sports romance anthology with 11 never-published-before novellas. My rating and review is based on the gorgeous STANDALONE sports romance by Kennedy Ryan entitled FULL COURT PRESS **
'Full Court Press,' is the love story of Avery and Deck. They once, a long time ago, shared a moment in time, a moment that made me smile, but would that moment ever lead to anything more? This is the starting point for Kennedy Ryan’s sports romance and as the story unfolds readers are treated to a tale of love, loss, second chances, and passion.
Avery is beautiful, fun and feisty. A sports presenter who has clawed her way up to co-hosting her own show. She’s experienced hurt and loss which is showcased eloquently through the narrative. Her story is depicted with just the right amount of evocative detail to allow the reader to understand her state of mind, empathize with her emotions and believe in her actions and feelings. Deck, the sporting hero at the heart of this romance is a basketball playing legend who’s heading for greatness. A character with an easy-going nature and fun personality who I fell effortlessly in love with. A kind and sensitive man who has both beauty and brains, and transitions from player to legend, a legend who I believe will be an important supporting cast member in Kennedy Ryan's next full length standalone. A man who I believe in, have faith in and trust implicitly. A man whom I’ll totally look forward to seeing again.
The couple’s undeniable chemistry and the relationship that evolves between them, allows, 'Full Court Press,' to develop into a story that, although novella in size, is mighty in substance with a rich narrative that gives so much goodness to the reader. Totally engaging, I loved everything about it and can’t wait for the full-length standalone from the world of basketball!
My review thoughts so far are based solely on Kennedy Ryan's novella called FULL COURT PRESS. P.S. I can't wait to read the rest of these sporting stories, there are 11 in total by 11 different authors.
Beta copies of Kennedy Ryan's novella provided for honest feedback and review *
★ Graphic created by me with stock photos I purchased from deposit photos ★
December 15, 2017
There are a lot of stories to get through in this antho and I will get round to reading more of the authors, but this review is for
One Good Man
by Emma Scott.
1970: the year which saw the Beatles break up, floppy drives invented, my husband celebrate his first birthday, and students protest against the expansion of the Vietnam war, which is where this story begins when journalism student, Janey is innocently caught up in the protests and sent off to Paris to finish her degree. Where she meets footballer, and med student, Adrian Rousseau.
I wasn’t in love with her, but in that moment, I knew someday I would be.”
Emma has taken a real life event and created a simple love story around it in a period before social media—when you could be in the public eye yet it was easier to maintain your privacy and have your secrets. Which is what made Adrian and Janey’s journey all the more romantic as he has a story to tell and she the means to tell it.
My heart, normally so guarded, was falling for him fast.”
It is a short read so doesn’t quite deliver the emotional punch I know Emma Scott can throw, but it does have endearing characters and a lot of heart. And when you sit back and imagine Adrian and Janey today, in their late sixties surrounded by their grandkids telling their story, then I’d say it’s a story well told.
Copy received courtesy of Social Butterfly PR for an honest and unbiased opinion.
1970: the year which saw the Beatles break up, floppy drives invented, my husband celebrate his first birthday, and students protest against the expansion of the Vietnam war, which is where this story begins when journalism student, Janey is innocently caught up in the protests and sent off to Paris to finish her degree. Where she meets footballer, and med student, Adrian Rousseau.
I wasn’t in love with her, but in that moment, I knew someday I would be.”
Emma has taken a real life event and created a simple love story around it in a period before social media—when you could be in the public eye yet it was easier to maintain your privacy and have your secrets. Which is what made Adrian and Janey’s journey all the more romantic as he has a story to tell and she the means to tell it.
My heart, normally so guarded, was falling for him fast.”
It is a short read so doesn’t quite deliver the emotional punch I know Emma Scott can throw, but it does have endearing characters and a lot of heart. And when you sit back and imagine Adrian and Janey today, in their late sixties surrounded by their grandkids telling their story, then I’d say it’s a story well told.
Copy received courtesy of Social Butterfly PR for an honest and unbiased opinion.
December 26, 2017
My overall rating for this anthology is 4*
I read 9 out of 11 novellas in this anthology. I have enough sport romantic stories for entire 2018 year :) My general opinion was that short story can't develop properly, so I was prepared for quick, sweet read with depth lacking. Well I must say two authors proved me wrong!
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale) 4*
L.J. Shen (The End Zone) 3.5*
Emma Scott (One Good Man) 4.25*
O man, this girl can write! I adore her writing style, her story telling.
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series) 4.75*
Kate Stewart did it again! I just loved Erica and Ren story :) and Kate's talent to write great romantic story with amazing erotic scenes in between.
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press) DNF
This was my second book from this author and second DNF. Story started great, but I just hate dumb heroine. The same reason was to DNF my first book from her. I suppose I just don't have chemistry with her story telling and heroines.
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter) DNF – after 10% I didn't find anything interesting to continue reading.
Adriana Locke (Cross) 4*
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin) 3* - great story until the end – ending was abrupt with heroine's quick contradictory decisions.
Ella Fox (Out of Formation) 3*
I read 9 out of 11 novellas in this anthology. I have enough sport romantic stories for entire 2018 year :) My general opinion was that short story can't develop properly, so I was prepared for quick, sweet read with depth lacking. Well I must say two authors proved me wrong!
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale) 4*
L.J. Shen (The End Zone) 3.5*
Emma Scott (One Good Man) 4.25*
O man, this girl can write! I adore her writing style, her story telling.
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series) 4.75*
Kate Stewart did it again! I just loved Erica and Ren story :) and Kate's talent to write great romantic story with amazing erotic scenes in between.
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press) DNF
This was my second book from this author and second DNF. Story started great, but I just hate dumb heroine. The same reason was to DNF my first book from her. I suppose I just don't have chemistry with her story telling and heroines.
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter) DNF – after 10% I didn't find anything interesting to continue reading.
Adriana Locke (Cross) 4*
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin) 3* - great story until the end – ending was abrupt with heroine's quick contradictory decisions.
Ella Fox (Out of Formation) 3*
December 16, 2017
Team Player was absolutely fantastic. I am a sports romance junkie so basically this anthology was life. Each of the stories delivered a hot romance, spitfire banter and delicious chemistry I could not get enough of. I loved them all!
My two favorites though, mentioned below in specific reviews were The End Zone by L.J. Shen and Switch Hitter by Sara Ney. The reviews are as follows:
The End Zone
I absolutely (from the bottom of my heart) love the way L.J. Shen writes. I swear - I've said this before but I really feel like she has a finger on the pulse of what her readers and fans want. The banter between Sage and Jolie was FIRE and the sexy times, inner thoughts and connection between them - just the AMAZING cherry on top. I loved their story and the feels and never wanted this story to end. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
Switch Hitter
Good Lord did I love this book. Sara Ney nailed it with the Latin lover sexy feels and the outstanding banter between Dante and Amelia. Gahh!! They were just delicious. I absolutely loved as Dante discovered more and more about Amelia and all the misgivings she had over this sexy man. This novel was fantastic and I can honestly say I would totally read a full-size novel about them. Gahhh!! Bring on Jock Row!!! Bravo! ~Ratula, 5 stars!!
My two favorites though, mentioned below in specific reviews were The End Zone by L.J. Shen and Switch Hitter by Sara Ney. The reviews are as follows:
The End Zone
I absolutely (from the bottom of my heart) love the way L.J. Shen writes. I swear - I've said this before but I really feel like she has a finger on the pulse of what her readers and fans want. The banter between Sage and Jolie was FIRE and the sexy times, inner thoughts and connection between them - just the AMAZING cherry on top. I loved their story and the feels and never wanted this story to end. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
Switch Hitter
Good Lord did I love this book. Sara Ney nailed it with the Latin lover sexy feels and the outstanding banter between Dante and Amelia. Gahh!! They were just delicious. I absolutely loved as Dante discovered more and more about Amelia and all the misgivings she had over this sexy man. This novel was fantastic and I can honestly say I would totally read a full-size novel about them. Gahhh!! Bring on Jock Row!!! Bravo! ~Ratula, 5 stars!!
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December 15, 2017It's Live!
Slapped Into Love BY Rochelle Paige 12/11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A safe sports romance is a rare commodity but I knew if anyone could pull It off, it would be Rochelle Paige. I have adored all of her hockey playing heroes and Ryan was no exception.
Having been a player in the past, Ryan was surprised that he not only couldn't get Tamara off of his mind, he had zero desire for any other women- he didn't even try. Once he has her in his sights again, he wasn't letting her get away.
I wasn't instantly head over heels for Tamara. She was kind of a hard ass initially and that's not my usual favorite. However, once I learned she regretted cutting out on Ryan months earlier, and then she softened towards him, I was #teamtamara.
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama
-Safe- both celibate during their separation
- no violence of any nature
- just ok epilogue - I definitely needed more!
Back In the Game by Meghan Quinn
🌟🌟🌟🌟
What happens when sexy, single dad bitch slaps a woman with his fairy wings? Well, true love of course-duh!
Calder was amazing. He is a tough as nails, sexy hockey player who wears fairy wings, tiaras, and has tea parties with his little girl. Ovary popping stuff here. Raising his daughter (the result on a one night stand) alone after her mother left her, he spends as much time as he can with her. He was charming and a gentleman. Definitely wasn't portrayed as a manwhore.
Rachel, could potentially be one of my favorite heroines. She was loving, witty and didn't play games. She had no clue that Calder was a professional hockey player when they met. She truly fell in love with him for the right reasons.
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama whatsoever
- laugh out loud
-some steam
-safe- neither are with others after they meet
- no violence of any nature
- just ok epilogue - it was cute but needed a further look into their future
Switch Hitter by Sara Ney- DNF
I so wanted to like this because I liked Amelia and Dante BUT I couldn't get past he was still dating and has made out with the heroines twin sister... could have been great for me but that's not my bag
Slapped Into Love BY Rochelle Paige 12/11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A safe sports romance is a rare commodity but I knew if anyone could pull It off, it would be Rochelle Paige. I have adored all of her hockey playing heroes and Ryan was no exception.
Having been a player in the past, Ryan was surprised that he not only couldn't get Tamara off of his mind, he had zero desire for any other women- he didn't even try. Once he has her in his sights again, he wasn't letting her get away.
I wasn't instantly head over heels for Tamara. She was kind of a hard ass initially and that's not my usual favorite. However, once I learned she regretted cutting out on Ryan months earlier, and then she softened towards him, I was #teamtamara.
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama
-Safe- both celibate during their separation
- no violence of any nature
- just ok epilogue - I definitely needed more!
Back In the Game by Meghan Quinn
🌟🌟🌟🌟
What happens when sexy, single dad bitch slaps a woman with his fairy wings? Well, true love of course-duh!
Calder was amazing. He is a tough as nails, sexy hockey player who wears fairy wings, tiaras, and has tea parties with his little girl. Ovary popping stuff here. Raising his daughter (the result on a one night stand) alone after her mother left her, he spends as much time as he can with her. He was charming and a gentleman. Definitely wasn't portrayed as a manwhore.
Rachel, could potentially be one of my favorite heroines. She was loving, witty and didn't play games. She had no clue that Calder was a professional hockey player when they met. She truly fell in love with him for the right reasons.
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama whatsoever
- laugh out loud
-some steam
-safe- neither are with others after they meet
- no violence of any nature
- just ok epilogue - it was cute but needed a further look into their future
Switch Hitter by Sara Ney- DNF
I so wanted to like this because I liked Amelia and Dante BUT I couldn't get past he was still dating and has made out with the heroines twin sister... could have been great for me but that's not my bag
June 27, 2018
I have read 2 really good stories so far. Starting a Kate Stewart read next. Liking this anthology a lot.
The following eleven stories are included in "Team Player":
Adriana Locke (Cross)
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
Emma Scott (One Good Man)
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)
6/27/2018.
This was such a great anthology that I borrowed with kindle unlimited and would have happily purchased but unfortunately I realized this too late as it is no longer available for purchase but many of these great stories are as solo releases from the individual authors.
I am rating this release as a 5 star overall because it had some pretty spectacular reads within it even if not all stories were technically 5 stars.
Several of the stories I have reviewed separately under their titles. I would recommend rushing out to get a copy of this but sadly that isn't possible anymore.
The following eleven stories are included in "Team Player":
Adriana Locke (Cross)
Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
Emma Scott (One Good Man)
Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)
6/27/2018.
This was such a great anthology that I borrowed with kindle unlimited and would have happily purchased but unfortunately I realized this too late as it is no longer available for purchase but many of these great stories are as solo releases from the individual authors.
I am rating this release as a 5 star overall because it had some pretty spectacular reads within it even if not all stories were technically 5 stars.
Several of the stories I have reviewed separately under their titles. I would recommend rushing out to get a copy of this but sadly that isn't possible anymore.
December 15, 2017
One Good Man by Emma Scott
No one does emotional romance like Emma Scott and this novella just goes to prove that point.
In the 1970’s it’s not easy for a woman who wants to be a journalist. Janey is experiencing that fact first hand. Instead of the hardcore pieces, she is assigned the fluff stories. Now living in France she is forced to once more interview an athlete instead of covering how the war has affected the country and the world. However, when that one little fluff article hides a deeper story, she holds fast to it in order to learn all that Adrian’s tale has yet to uncover.
Adrian is carrying the world on his shoulders. His family needs him desperately and his team is depending on him to win the championship so they can move up in the league. But his heart desires something else. No one knows that secret until he shares it with Janey.
This was an amazing read! So well written in so few words. Full of emotion and poignancy, my heart clinched when Ms. Scott reveals a twist in the story. Dang, she’s good at plucking your heart strings and forcing the tears. But despite the tissues you may need, there is a wonderful happy ending but in true Emma Scott style still holds a bit of a twist.
At the time of this review I have not had a chance to read the other stories included in this anthology. Written by other exceptional authors, I expect nothing less than more awesomeness.
Dual POV
Safe
No apparent triggers
No one does emotional romance like Emma Scott and this novella just goes to prove that point.
In the 1970’s it’s not easy for a woman who wants to be a journalist. Janey is experiencing that fact first hand. Instead of the hardcore pieces, she is assigned the fluff stories. Now living in France she is forced to once more interview an athlete instead of covering how the war has affected the country and the world. However, when that one little fluff article hides a deeper story, she holds fast to it in order to learn all that Adrian’s tale has yet to uncover.
Adrian is carrying the world on his shoulders. His family needs him desperately and his team is depending on him to win the championship so they can move up in the league. But his heart desires something else. No one knows that secret until he shares it with Janey.
This was an amazing read! So well written in so few words. Full of emotion and poignancy, my heart clinched when Ms. Scott reveals a twist in the story. Dang, she’s good at plucking your heart strings and forcing the tears. But despite the tissues you may need, there is a wonderful happy ending but in true Emma Scott style still holds a bit of a twist.
At the time of this review I have not had a chance to read the other stories included in this anthology. Written by other exceptional authors, I expect nothing less than more awesomeness.
Dual POV
Safe
No apparent triggers
January 5, 2018
4 ★'s
♦ I only read the following novellas: ♦
Yard Sale - Charleigh Rose:
4 ★'s
Camden is a friend of Asher's from Bad Habit and lives in River's Edge where he is a professional snowboarder and a player. He meets Mollie and they have a one night stand.
Fast forward a few months and they both have had big changes occur. It was interesting to see how they handled things but I liked how Camden stepped up to the plate even if he is a bit sex crazed.
It was great getting to know some of the other guys from River's Edge but we really didn't get to know more about Dare who I'm really curious about.
Sweeping the Series - Kate Stewart:
4.5 ★'s
OMGosh...this was so angsty and oh-so-good. My only complaint it that it wasn't longer because Kate Stewart writes angst so well!
Ren is a baseball player and friends with Rafe and Andy from the Balls in Play series. He meets Erica at practice one day and is instantly smitten. She? Not so much.
Fast forward three years and we find out they are no longer together. Slowly, we find out what went on in their relationship...and what didn't.
My heart went out to Ren but he's become mean and uncaring...nothing like the guy Erica met and now the one who's reputation she has to fix. That's right, she's just been hired to be his publicist and there's a lot to overcome and naturally, Ren is not going to make it easy.
Enter the angst...so, sooo good! I just wanted more but also I'm glad that things weren't as bad as they could have been. Some truths finally come out and things are better understood.
It wraps up wonderfully but definitely leaves you wanting more.
Full Court Press - Kennedy Ryan:
4 ★'s
If you've read Kennedy Ryan's Grip series, you know that she can do intense and emotional really well and this one fits right in.
Mack, basketball player, and Avery, sports reporter, meet in the locker room for an interview. He is in lust and she is so not interested...mainly because of any fallback regarding her job.
After a particular incident, she is reassigned and they don't really talk for ten years. And a lot has happened in those ten years.
Mack gets in a position to get closer to Avery and close they get. She's still skittish but he's able to work his magic a bit. There's still some drama but luckily they are both more mature and able to see what they really want.
Kennedy Ryan has a book coming out in March called Long Shot that seems to be in the same world and I'm really looking forward to it!
The End Zone - L.J. Shen:
3.5 ★'s
Sage and Jolie met when they were ten years old and became best friends. Fast forward to college and that's still true although they don't actually run in the same crowds anymore.
He asks her to become his roommate and then his fake girlfriend and they both fight their feelings. Sage is a bit of a horndog and that took away some of the story for me.
But I did like how he worked things out and made everything come full circle.
One Good Man - Emma Scott:
4 ★'s
If you've read Emma Scott, there's a pretty good chance that you LOVE her books and this one is no exception.
Janelle meets Adrian when she is sent to Paris to get away from the Vietnam protests by her father. She's in college wanting to be a serious reporter tackling serious subjects...nothing like college football (soccer). And that's the very assignment she gets and she's not too happy.
And Adrian is everything you would expect a popular and handsome football player to be...at least on the surface. However, Janelle is able to dig deeper and she really likes what she finds.
Soon, they can't stand to be apart and Adrian opens up to her unlike he's done with anyone else.
Through some drama, Adrian's able to see what his focus is. I loved how things worked out and where they ended up. It was perfect.
♦ I only read the following novellas: ♦
Yard Sale - Charleigh Rose:
4 ★'s
Camden is a friend of Asher's from Bad Habit and lives in River's Edge where he is a professional snowboarder and a player. He meets Mollie and they have a one night stand.
Fast forward a few months and they both have had big changes occur. It was interesting to see how they handled things but I liked how Camden stepped up to the plate even if he is a bit sex crazed.
It was great getting to know some of the other guys from River's Edge but we really didn't get to know more about Dare who I'm really curious about.
Sweeping the Series - Kate Stewart:
4.5 ★'s
OMGosh...this was so angsty and oh-so-good. My only complaint it that it wasn't longer because Kate Stewart writes angst so well!
Ren is a baseball player and friends with Rafe and Andy from the Balls in Play series. He meets Erica at practice one day and is instantly smitten. She? Not so much.
Fast forward three years and we find out they are no longer together. Slowly, we find out what went on in their relationship...and what didn't.
My heart went out to Ren but he's become mean and uncaring...nothing like the guy Erica met and now the one who's reputation she has to fix. That's right, she's just been hired to be his publicist and there's a lot to overcome and naturally, Ren is not going to make it easy.
Enter the angst...so, sooo good! I just wanted more but also I'm glad that things weren't as bad as they could have been. Some truths finally come out and things are better understood.
It wraps up wonderfully but definitely leaves you wanting more.
Full Court Press - Kennedy Ryan:
4 ★'s
If you've read Kennedy Ryan's Grip series, you know that she can do intense and emotional really well and this one fits right in.
Mack, basketball player, and Avery, sports reporter, meet in the locker room for an interview. He is in lust and she is so not interested...mainly because of any fallback regarding her job.
After a particular incident, she is reassigned and they don't really talk for ten years. And a lot has happened in those ten years.
Mack gets in a position to get closer to Avery and close they get. She's still skittish but he's able to work his magic a bit. There's still some drama but luckily they are both more mature and able to see what they really want.
Kennedy Ryan has a book coming out in March called Long Shot that seems to be in the same world and I'm really looking forward to it!
The End Zone - L.J. Shen:
3.5 ★'s
Sage and Jolie met when they were ten years old and became best friends. Fast forward to college and that's still true although they don't actually run in the same crowds anymore.
He asks her to become his roommate and then his fake girlfriend and they both fight their feelings. Sage is a bit of a horndog and that took away some of the story for me.
But I did like how he worked things out and made everything come full circle.
One Good Man - Emma Scott:
4 ★'s
If you've read Emma Scott, there's a pretty good chance that you LOVE her books and this one is no exception.
Janelle meets Adrian when she is sent to Paris to get away from the Vietnam protests by her father. She's in college wanting to be a serious reporter tackling serious subjects...nothing like college football (soccer). And that's the very assignment she gets and she's not too happy.
And Adrian is everything you would expect a popular and handsome football player to be...at least on the surface. However, Janelle is able to dig deeper and she really likes what she finds.
Soon, they can't stand to be apart and Adrian opens up to her unlike he's done with anyone else.
Through some drama, Adrian's able to see what his focus is. I loved how things worked out and where they ended up. It was perfect.
December 23, 2017
***Actual rating: 3.6/5 Sporty-Hunk Stars***
*Phew* What a HUMONGOUS book this one is! Team Player: An Anthology consists of 11 novellas written by 11 well-known authors in the New Adult world. I know not everyone has read all the stories in this anthology, I’m proud to tell you that I did finish reading every single one of them (except Adriana Locke’s Cross since it’s not included in the ARC) and I can’t wait to share my opinions!
I’ll write this review by sorting the novellas from top favorites (5/5 stars) to least favorites (1/5 star) so here we go!
[MOST FAVORITE NOVELLAS—5/5 SHINING STARS]
★ONE GOOD MAN by Emma Scott
Honestly, I think One Good Man is the only story that goes so much deeper than all the other novellas in Team Player because Emma brings some serious, profound meanings into a seemingly quick new adult read and I absolutely love this side of a story. Janey is an American journalist, who is assigned to interview a French star football player, Adrian, and at first, she thought he’s going to be one of those “players,” who isn’t used to women NOT throwing themselves at him and blah, blah, blah, but later realizes that Adrian isn’t what she expected at all.
Adrian’s constantly pretending to be someone he’s not because he doesn’t want unnecessary attention to an unspeakable facet in his stardom life, but I can’t be happier that it’s Janey who sees everything through than anyone else.
Janey and Adrian respect each other and they don’t judge like most people in the male-dominated sports field do. Love isn’t about appearance, fame and fortune. It’s established on a solid foundation of mutual trust and faith in each other and this simple concept is perfectly presented in Emma Scott’s One Good Man.
★BACK IN THE GAME by Meghan Quinn
Calder is a twenty-something young, single dad to a lovely 5-year-old daughter as well as a professional ice hockey player. When he’s not in a game, he spends as much time as possible with his little girl and literally has no time for a date or even finding a girlfriend who’s willing to be a pseudo mommy…at least that’s what he’s been telling himself. Who knows his fairy princess wings would bitch slap ahot kindergarten teacher, Rachel, when he dresses up with his daughter while taking her to a diner? I’m obsessed with this story from the very first page and the rest of it only gets better and better! I love, love, love Meghan’s writing style not only because she has the magic power to lure you into reading the entire novella in a go but because she makes these characters so hard not to love. Besides, Calder and Rachel’s romance is too good to be true; it’s slow-building and I just adore the sparks between them.
★SWITCH HITTER by Sara Ney
Oh my, I can’t tell you how much I love this one!!!!! Basically, Amelia is supposed to go on a date with a popular catcher named Dash while disguising as her twin sister, Lucy. By contrast, Lucy is the kind of spoiled, showy, flirtatious girl whereas Amelia a total opposite version of her. The most interesting part of this story is the fact that both Dash and Amelia speak Spanish and they have such an adorable time together! Although Dash’s confused about Lucy’s sudden change in appearance and personality, I can’t think of a better way for the revelation in the end of the novella than how it ends up. I also love to mention that Sara even translates each Spanish sentence to English because I really can’t stand when authors put some random words/phrases in foreign languages without letting readers know what they mean, as if they assume everyone should know. Well, just some personal preference.
[SECOND FAVORITE STORY—4.5/5 BRIGHT STARS]
★FULL COURT PRESS by Kennedy Ryan
This story starts with the famous NBA star, Deck, LOSING the game instead of winning all the glory like other novellas, which is a promising beginning for me. Deck and Avery, a professional journalist and a commentator for sport events, first met years ago but Deck ended up in an epic failure when asking her out.
Years later, both of their personal lives were quite tragic so they found solace in each other’s company. What makes me like this story is that the sizzling romance here isn’t too suffocating like the rest of novellas in this book and the descriptions of sex scenes aren’t too explicit.
[SOMEWHAT IN THE MIDDLE—3.5/5 OKAY STARS]
★THE END ZONE by L.J. Shen
Maybe it’s because I read this story after reading Emma Scott’s One Good Man, I feel a sudden disappointment in the depth of this one. Sage and Jolie’s story isn’t as exciting as the previously mentioned novellas partly due to the fact that Sage, a football player, has way too many summer flings with a truckload of women before settling down with Jolie, his sweet childhood friend and partly due to the fact that Sage feels like having the responsibility to hook up with Jolie simply because she’s his roommate. I just don’t appreciate their instalust that much and there aren’t many football scenes in the story. The novellas mainly focuses on how Sage works his charm on Jolie and makes her change her mind of not hanging out with him as a real girlfriend. The only reason I don’t give this story lower than 3.5/5 stars is because compared to other novellas, the writing style is quite enjoyable to get used to, which makes this story fast-paced.
★SLAPPED INTO LOVE by Rochelle Paige
Ryan is an incredible ice hockey player and Tamara is a champion speed skaters so both of them are equally amazing athletes. To begin with, I actually love this combination of characters in the story. Though I’d appreciate more if Rochelle could give us more information on both protagonists’ background, like why Tamara isn’t a puck bunny to Ryan? What’s so special about her? I mean, yeah, Ryan and Tamara had an one-night stand months ago and they never stayed in touch afterwards until they met again accidentally on the rink. Gladly, there’s a wonderful HEA in the end and though it’s a bit rushed to my liking, happy endings are always a plus. *hands down*
[SLIGHTLY MEH—3/5 OOOOOOKKKKAAY STARS]
★OUT OF FORMATION by Ella Fox
Elena and Colin has a student/coach relationship and there’s a 10-year gap between them. Colin is a 31-year-old National Football League player and Elena is a cheerleader.This story shows how a decent man has such a dirty mind and can’t think of anything other than nasty things he wants to do to a young and beautiful naked girl. As much as I like Elena and Colin’s characteristics, I don’t like the fact that Colin argues with her just because she’s a virgin. It’s such a humiliating accusation for her and it no doubt hurts her deeply. However, Colin is still a decent gentleman on the outside and I honestly appreciate that he’s telling the truth before accepting the job as a football coach because I’m convinced that even after pissing Elena off, he’s still seriously considering having a real relationship with her rather than some tawdry affair.
★SWEEPING THE SERIES by Kate Stewart
I’m sorry to say this, but I think Ren and Erica’s love story is nothing but a cliché repetition I’ve seen in lots of new adult stories. As a baseball popstar, Ren is a typical playboy commonly depicted by a stereotype of athletes. He’s a huge womanizer who doesn’t care how many girls he’s hit on over the time. Similarly, Erica is a public relation who has easy access in the MLB field and she doesn’t mind being another notch in Ren’s belt. In my opinion, love is non-existent in Ren and Erica’s relationship. They simply use sex as a frustrating emotional getaway since they’ve been fighting with each other over trivial matters from the beginning of their relationship.
All the negativity only adds up to their animalistic sex in bed and other places. Moreover, I definitely think this story could have been shorter because some chapters are not necessary for the main plot.
[UMM…TIME FOR A LESS EXCITING ONE—2.5/5 STARS]
★SIN BIN by Mandi Beck
Once again, Jason (30-year-old ice hockey player) and Stella (20-year-old softball player) has a “quickie” in a crowed space called sin bin and guess what? Stella’s pregnant afterwards because apparently, they have no idea what a condom is. The worst part is that Jason’s ASHAMED OF BEING WITH A 20-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO CARRIES HIS BABY because he thinks fame and public image come first. That’s a HUGE NO from me no matter what!!! The more ridiculous plot twist is that Jason and Stella claim that they are IN LOVE WITH each other out of the blue since it seems to be the only way to explain their baby incident and that’s what love is, right? WRRRRROOOOONNNNNGGGGG. Here’s an evolution summarizing the development of Jason and Stella’s relationship: LUST+DESIRE+SEXUAL ACTIVITY→BABY→LOVE. Period.
[UH, OH. THIS CAN’T BE GOOD—1/5 WHAT-DID-I-READ STAR]
★YARD SALE by Charleigh Rose
If you think 2.5/5 stars is the rock bottom on my rating scale for novellas in this book, then you’re about to be disappointed. Let me clarify something, there’s nothing wrong with Charleigh’s writing style. It’s simply because Yard Sale isn’t my cup of tea and I find it problematic in the plot design. First of all, Cam, a professional snowboarder who’s also known as a manwhore, meets a completely stranger named Mollie, who happens to be looking for a fun night just to ease her anger and frustration due to her recent breakup/job loss. Unsurprisingly, they have crazy, wild sex (and there’s nothing I like about the process…) and even though Cam and Mollie have common sense of using condoms, Cam makes a mistake. Hence, enter the BABY! *woohoo how exciting* Clichély, Mollie doesn’t have any chance to tell Cam after she found out her pregnancy since professional players always have tight schedule (what a lame excuse). What infuriates me most is when Cam finds out she’s pregnant, he not only doesn’t listen to her but has some serious anger management problem!
It’s already funny enough that Cam doesn’t believe in Mollie; he’s using some BS excuses against her? What’s worse, the fact that Cam and Mollie are pretty much total strangers to each other since they never chat or have a real talk after hooking up. Once again, they have the sick logic of “love is a result from an unexpected baby.”
Anyways, I don’t like a single thing about this novella and I’m not even sorry about that. It’s just that a young girl gets knocked up by a professional jock isn’t what I have in mind when it comes to sport romance.
★★★[OVERALL OPINION]★★★
An exciting element of reading an anthology like Team Player is that you never know what to expect when you start reading a story. There’s no official synopsis for each story and you’ll have some sort of anticipation before diving in it. I also admire these authors for being able to create a story in merely 30,000 words because I believe every story, every character has so much more to say in their own stories.
All in all, Team Player: An Anthology is still a satisfying read for me thanks to the majority of great stories such as ONE GOOD MAN, SWITCH HITTER, BACK IN THE GAME, FULL COURT PRESS, THE END ZONE and more. I also discover some authors I’ve never heard before throughout the book so I can’t wait to explore more of their books in the future. If you’d like to read some Christmassy stories, I’d love to recommend this book. For those who may not have that much time for such a huge book like this, you could always read my top favorite pick up there! Happy Holidays to all of you and I wish y’all a merry Christmas. :-)
***Thanks to Social Butterfly PR for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.***
*Phew* What a HUMONGOUS book this one is! Team Player: An Anthology consists of 11 novellas written by 11 well-known authors in the New Adult world. I know not everyone has read all the stories in this anthology, I’m proud to tell you that I did finish reading every single one of them (except Adriana Locke’s Cross since it’s not included in the ARC) and I can’t wait to share my opinions!
I’ll write this review by sorting the novellas from top favorites (5/5 stars) to least favorites (1/5 star) so here we go!
[MOST FAVORITE NOVELLAS—5/5 SHINING STARS]
★ONE GOOD MAN by Emma Scott
Honestly, I think One Good Man is the only story that goes so much deeper than all the other novellas in Team Player because Emma brings some serious, profound meanings into a seemingly quick new adult read and I absolutely love this side of a story. Janey is an American journalist, who is assigned to interview a French star football player, Adrian, and at first, she thought he’s going to be one of those “players,” who isn’t used to women NOT throwing themselves at him and blah, blah, blah, but later realizes that Adrian isn’t what she expected at all.
I wasn’t in love with her, but in that moment, I knew someday I would be.
Adrian’s constantly pretending to be someone he’s not because he doesn’t want unnecessary attention to an unspeakable facet in his stardom life, but I can’t be happier that it’s Janey who sees everything through than anyone else.
”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.”
Janey and Adrian respect each other and they don’t judge like most people in the male-dominated sports field do. Love isn’t about appearance, fame and fortune. It’s established on a solid foundation of mutual trust and faith in each other and this simple concept is perfectly presented in Emma Scott’s One Good Man.
”What I want from you can’t be bought.”
★BACK IN THE GAME by Meghan Quinn
Calder is a twenty-something young, single dad to a lovely 5-year-old daughter as well as a professional ice hockey player. When he’s not in a game, he spends as much time as possible with his little girl and literally has no time for a date or even finding a girlfriend who’s willing to be a pseudo mommy…at least that’s what he’s been telling himself. Who knows his fairy princess wings would bitch slap a
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.
★SWITCH HITTER by Sara Ney
Oh my, I can’t tell you how much I love this one!!!!! Basically, Amelia is supposed to go on a date with a popular catcher named Dash while disguising as her twin sister, Lucy. By contrast, Lucy is the kind of spoiled, showy, flirtatious girl whereas Amelia a total opposite version of her. The most interesting part of this story is the fact that both Dash and Amelia speak Spanish and they have such an adorable time together! Although Dash’s confused about Lucy’s sudden change in appearance and personality, I can’t think of a better way for the revelation in the end of the novella than how it ends up. I also love to mention that Sara even translates each Spanish sentence to English because I really can’t stand when authors put some random words/phrases in foreign languages without letting readers know what they mean, as if they assume everyone should know. Well, just some personal preference.
[SECOND FAVORITE STORY—4.5/5 BRIGHT STARS]
★FULL COURT PRESS by Kennedy Ryan
This story starts with the famous NBA star, Deck, LOSING the game instead of winning all the glory like other novellas, which is a promising beginning for me. Deck and Avery, a professional journalist and a commentator for sport events, first met years ago but Deck ended up in an epic failure when asking her out.
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.
Years later, both of their personal lives were quite tragic so they found solace in each other’s company. What makes me like this story is that the sizzling romance here isn’t too suffocating like the rest of novellas in this book and the descriptions of sex scenes aren’t too explicit.
[SOMEWHAT IN THE MIDDLE—3.5/5 OKAY STARS]
★THE END ZONE by L.J. Shen
Maybe it’s because I read this story after reading Emma Scott’s One Good Man, I feel a sudden disappointment in the depth of this one. Sage and Jolie’s story isn’t as exciting as the previously mentioned novellas partly due to the fact that Sage, a football player, has way too many summer flings with a truckload of women before settling down with Jolie, his sweet childhood friend and partly due to the fact that Sage feels like having the responsibility to hook up with Jolie simply because she’s his roommate. I just don’t appreciate their instalust that much and there aren’t many football scenes in the story. The novellas mainly focuses on how Sage works his charm on Jolie and makes her change her mind of not hanging out with him as a real girlfriend. The only reason I don’t give this story lower than 3.5/5 stars is because compared to other novellas, the writing style is quite enjoyable to get used to, which makes this story fast-paced.
★SLAPPED INTO LOVE by Rochelle Paige
Ryan is an incredible ice hockey player and Tamara is a champion speed skaters so both of them are equally amazing athletes. To begin with, I actually love this combination of characters in the story. Though I’d appreciate more if Rochelle could give us more information on both protagonists’ background, like why Tamara isn’t a puck bunny to Ryan? What’s so special about her? I mean, yeah, Ryan and Tamara had an one-night stand months ago and they never stayed in touch afterwards until they met again accidentally on the rink. Gladly, there’s a wonderful HEA in the end and though it’s a bit rushed to my liking, happy endings are always a plus. *hands down*
[SLIGHTLY MEH—3/5 OOOOOOKKKKAAY STARS]
★OUT OF FORMATION by Ella Fox
Elena and Colin has a student/coach relationship and there’s a 10-year gap between them. Colin is a 31-year-old National Football League player and Elena is a cheerleader.
★SWEEPING THE SERIES by Kate Stewart
I’m sorry to say this, but I think Ren and Erica’s love story is nothing but a cliché repetition I’ve seen in lots of new adult stories. As a baseball popstar, Ren is a typical playboy commonly depicted by a stereotype of athletes. He’s a huge womanizer who doesn’t care how many girls he’s hit on over the time. Similarly, Erica is a public relation who has easy access in the MLB field and she doesn’t mind being another notch in Ren’s belt. In my opinion, love is non-existent in Ren and Erica’s relationship. They simply use sex as a frustrating emotional getaway since they’ve been fighting with each other over trivial matters from the beginning of their relationship.
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.”
All the negativity only adds up to their animalistic sex in bed and other places. Moreover, I definitely think this story could have been shorter because some chapters are not necessary for the main plot.
[UMM…TIME FOR A LESS EXCITING ONE—2.5/5 STARS]
★SIN BIN by Mandi Beck
Once again, Jason (30-year-old ice hockey player) and Stella (20-year-old softball player) has a “quickie” in a crowed space called sin bin and guess what? Stella’s pregnant afterwards because apparently, they have no idea what a condom is. The worst part is that Jason’s ASHAMED OF BEING WITH A 20-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO CARRIES HIS BABY because he thinks fame and public image come first. That’s a HUGE NO from me no matter what!!! The more ridiculous plot twist is that Jason and Stella claim that they are IN LOVE WITH each other out of the blue since it seems to be the only way to explain their baby incident and that’s what love is, right? WRRRRROOOOONNNNNGGGGG. Here’s an evolution summarizing the development of Jason and Stella’s relationship: LUST+DESIRE+SEXUAL ACTIVITY→BABY→LOVE. Period.
[UH, OH. THIS CAN’T BE GOOD—1/5 WHAT-DID-I-READ STAR]
★YARD SALE by Charleigh Rose
If you think 2.5/5 stars is the rock bottom on my rating scale for novellas in this book, then you’re about to be disappointed. Let me clarify something, there’s nothing wrong with Charleigh’s writing style. It’s simply because Yard Sale isn’t my cup of tea and I find it problematic in the plot design. First of all, Cam, a professional snowboarder who’s also known as a manwhore, meets a completely stranger named Mollie, who happens to be looking for a fun night just to ease her anger and frustration due to her recent breakup/job loss. Unsurprisingly, they have crazy, wild sex (and there’s nothing I like about the process…) and even though Cam and Mollie have common sense of using condoms, Cam makes a mistake. Hence, enter the BABY! *woohoo how exciting* Clichély, Mollie doesn’t have any chance to tell Cam after she found out her pregnancy since professional players always have tight schedule (what a lame excuse). What infuriates me most is when Cam finds out she’s pregnant, he not only doesn’t listen to her but has some serious anger management problem!
”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?”
It’s already funny enough that Cam doesn’t believe in Mollie; he’s using some BS excuses against her? What’s worse, the fact that Cam and Mollie are pretty much total strangers to each other since they never chat or have a real talk after hooking up. Once again, they have the sick logic of “love is a result from an unexpected baby.”
”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.”
Anyways, I don’t like a single thing about this novella and I’m not even sorry about that. It’s just that a young girl gets knocked up by a professional jock isn’t what I have in mind when it comes to sport romance.
★★★[OVERALL OPINION]★★★
An exciting element of reading an anthology like Team Player is that you never know what to expect when you start reading a story. There’s no official synopsis for each story and you’ll have some sort of anticipation before diving in it. I also admire these authors for being able to create a story in merely 30,000 words because I believe every story, every character has so much more to say in their own stories.
All in all, Team Player: An Anthology is still a satisfying read for me thanks to the majority of great stories such as ONE GOOD MAN, SWITCH HITTER, BACK IN THE GAME, FULL COURT PRESS, THE END ZONE and more. I also discover some authors I’ve never heard before throughout the book so I can’t wait to explore more of their books in the future. If you’d like to read some Christmassy stories, I’d love to recommend this book. For those who may not have that much time for such a huge book like this, you could always read my top favorite pick up there! Happy Holidays to all of you and I wish y’all a merry Christmas. :-)
***Thanks to Social Butterfly PR for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.***
January 7, 2018
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of the book.
I read Charleigh Rose's Yard Sale first and loved it. There are several cameos from characters from Bad Habit, including the male lead in this story - Camden. He's a pro snowboarder who is fully taking advantage of the life afforded to an attractive, affluent athlete - which basically means that he's a man-ho. Mollie is fresh off strep throat, an unusual breakup, and job loss and in need of a palate cleanser. They meet at a bar, sparks fly, and one night stand mode is engaged. Lo and behold, that one glorious night left them both with a lot more than mere sexual satisfaction. I think my favorite part (besides catching up with Briar and Asher, as well as getting glimpses of Cordell, Dare, and Adrian) was Mollie's family (especially her dad) and Camden's surprisingly swift and fierce attachment to Mollie. Yard Sale is just yummy, sexy fun - just like everything else from Charleigh Rose, except without the heavy angst and intensity this time around. 5 out of 5 wine glasses....
LJ Shen's The End Zone is nothing like her Sinners of Saint series, but it's just as delectable. Sage and Jolie have been best friends since they were ten and are now roommates as they finish their senior year of college. He's the star quarterback on the football team and primed for greatness - taking full advantage of the lifestyle afforded to him as an attractive, affluent athlete (do I sense a trend here?). All it takes is a scare, a naked collision, and some jealousy to prompt Sage into proposing they embark on a fake relationship, which swiftly leads to them fully realizing that there may be more than strictly platonic feelings between them. This was practically a sugar coated confection in comparison to LJ Shen's other tomes, and I'm all here for it! 5 out of wine glasses.
I absolutely loved Mandi Beck's Sin Bin! Stella Cruz was such a strong female lead and I loved that Jason had to really win her over. I also really liked his family and Levi and I can't wait to find out more about him in Sweater Weather! 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
Sara Ney's Switch Hitter proved to me that I will love her books even if they don't include Iowa wrestlers. In the tradition of The Learning Hours, we have a female douchebag here (though not who you might initially think, but the mystery is solved rather quickly) and a hunky, gentlemanly, Spanish speaking, hottie of an athlete (though this time, it's a baseball player). Like my beloved Rhett, Dante/Dash is the antithesis of your typical athlete - all the perk, none of the jerk. Thoroughly enjoyed this tale and I fully plan to devour anything that this lady writes. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
Just when I think that the novellas can't get any better, I get to Ella Fox's Out of Formation. The way that she utilized time-jump, dual first person POV was masterful - it provided an air of suspense as you try to determine whether Elena's (a college cheerleader) feelings for Colin (a football player turned coach) are one-sided or not - and I just loved it! The epilogue was lovely and the whole story was the perfect mix of sweet and sexy. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
I read Charleigh Rose's Yard Sale first and loved it. There are several cameos from characters from Bad Habit, including the male lead in this story - Camden. He's a pro snowboarder who is fully taking advantage of the life afforded to an attractive, affluent athlete - which basically means that he's a man-ho. Mollie is fresh off strep throat, an unusual breakup, and job loss and in need of a palate cleanser. They meet at a bar, sparks fly, and one night stand mode is engaged. Lo and behold, that one glorious night left them both with a lot more than mere sexual satisfaction. I think my favorite part (besides catching up with Briar and Asher, as well as getting glimpses of Cordell, Dare, and Adrian) was Mollie's family (especially her dad) and Camden's surprisingly swift and fierce attachment to Mollie. Yard Sale is just yummy, sexy fun - just like everything else from Charleigh Rose, except without the heavy angst and intensity this time around. 5 out of 5 wine glasses....
LJ Shen's The End Zone is nothing like her Sinners of Saint series, but it's just as delectable. Sage and Jolie have been best friends since they were ten and are now roommates as they finish their senior year of college. He's the star quarterback on the football team and primed for greatness - taking full advantage of the lifestyle afforded to him as an attractive, affluent athlete (do I sense a trend here?). All it takes is a scare, a naked collision, and some jealousy to prompt Sage into proposing they embark on a fake relationship, which swiftly leads to them fully realizing that there may be more than strictly platonic feelings between them. This was practically a sugar coated confection in comparison to LJ Shen's other tomes, and I'm all here for it! 5 out of wine glasses.
I absolutely loved Mandi Beck's Sin Bin! Stella Cruz was such a strong female lead and I loved that Jason had to really win her over. I also really liked his family and Levi and I can't wait to find out more about him in Sweater Weather! 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
Sara Ney's Switch Hitter proved to me that I will love her books even if they don't include Iowa wrestlers. In the tradition of The Learning Hours, we have a female douchebag here (though not who you might initially think, but the mystery is solved rather quickly) and a hunky, gentlemanly, Spanish speaking, hottie of an athlete (though this time, it's a baseball player). Like my beloved Rhett, Dante/Dash is the antithesis of your typical athlete - all the perk, none of the jerk. Thoroughly enjoyed this tale and I fully plan to devour anything that this lady writes. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
Just when I think that the novellas can't get any better, I get to Ella Fox's Out of Formation. The way that she utilized time-jump, dual first person POV was masterful - it provided an air of suspense as you try to determine whether Elena's (a college cheerleader) feelings for Colin (a football player turned coach) are one-sided or not - and I just loved it! The epilogue was lovely and the whole story was the perfect mix of sweet and sexy. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
December 11, 2018
3.5 STARS
I have to admit that I'm not much into anthologies. I prefer a lengthy, well layered storyline over a compilation of several small ones. I often find it's difficult to pack much depth into so few words so I typically avoid novellas in general. But I have to admit, there's something to be said about getting a selection of tasty nibbles from time to time over one big meal. The Team Player anthology offers up such a fun opportunity just to taste, to sample delicious little romantic offerings from an array of romance authors. This anthology is packed with sexy and sweet short sports romances that allow the reader to fall in love again and again.
As with most anthologies, Team Player gave me a chance to check out some new-to-me authors while also getting reacquainted with a few authors I've previously enjoyed. LJ Shen's The End Zone, a sexy friends to lovers romance, was adorably sweet with just the right amount of angst. Rochelle Paige, a new-to-me author, delivers a super steamy second chance romance between a hockey star and a speed skater whose one night stand left them unable to forget each other. Ella Fox had me caught right up in her somewhat forbidden romance between a cheerleader and the new college football coach. But my absolute favorite novella of this anthology was Kennedy Ryan's Full Court Press, a romance between a basketball player and a tv show host that was full of sexual tension and decadent attraction but also incredibly angsty, profoundly sad, and beautifully layered with heartfelt emotion. I loved this story, I especially loved Mack Decker, and it left me so eager to read more from Kennedy Ryan, an author I can't believe I've never read before!
I enjoyed many of these little sports romances. A few, I admit, weren't for me so I skipped ahead to the next. And a few I haven't yet read, but I'll pick up when I'm in the mood for something short, sweet and super sexy. I love sports romances and this anthology is jam packed full of tasty little treats from a number of our favorite must-read authors. Team Player is definitely a must for readers who enjoy this trope but also love reading books they can devour in one sitting.
I have to admit that I'm not much into anthologies. I prefer a lengthy, well layered storyline over a compilation of several small ones. I often find it's difficult to pack much depth into so few words so I typically avoid novellas in general. But I have to admit, there's something to be said about getting a selection of tasty nibbles from time to time over one big meal. The Team Player anthology offers up such a fun opportunity just to taste, to sample delicious little romantic offerings from an array of romance authors. This anthology is packed with sexy and sweet short sports romances that allow the reader to fall in love again and again.
As with most anthologies, Team Player gave me a chance to check out some new-to-me authors while also getting reacquainted with a few authors I've previously enjoyed. LJ Shen's The End Zone, a sexy friends to lovers romance, was adorably sweet with just the right amount of angst. Rochelle Paige, a new-to-me author, delivers a super steamy second chance romance between a hockey star and a speed skater whose one night stand left them unable to forget each other. Ella Fox had me caught right up in her somewhat forbidden romance between a cheerleader and the new college football coach. But my absolute favorite novella of this anthology was Kennedy Ryan's Full Court Press, a romance between a basketball player and a tv show host that was full of sexual tension and decadent attraction but also incredibly angsty, profoundly sad, and beautifully layered with heartfelt emotion. I loved this story, I especially loved Mack Decker, and it left me so eager to read more from Kennedy Ryan, an author I can't believe I've never read before!
I enjoyed many of these little sports romances. A few, I admit, weren't for me so I skipped ahead to the next. And a few I haven't yet read, but I'll pick up when I'm in the mood for something short, sweet and super sexy. I love sports romances and this anthology is jam packed full of tasty little treats from a number of our favorite must-read authors. Team Player is definitely a must for readers who enjoy this trope but also love reading books they can devour in one sitting.
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