By Grace Reilly
Beyond the Play Book 1
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Blurb
Tutoring the new star quarterback in exchange for a few fake dates won't lead to anything more... right? James Football is my everything. I live, eat, breathe the sport. But when I transfer to McKee University to escape the distractions that nearly cost me my future in the NFL, I'm faced with another retake and pass the writing class I failed at my last college, or lose any chance I have at making it big. That's where fellow senior Beckett Wood-gorgeous, stubborn, and just my type-comes in. She's the key to my success in this class... but the price of her help is a fake relationship, and I never do things halfway. Bex I don't mess around with athletes, and at first glance, handsome, self-assured James Callahan is no exception. He wants me to help him pass the writing class we're both stuck taking, but I'm too busy to take on yet another responsibility. But when his teammate--my cheating ex--won't leave me alone, I realize I need to convince him I've moved on... and what better way than by pretending to be with James, who wants nothing to do with a real relationship? Yet with every fake kiss, James pulls me deeper into a place that thrills and terrifies me. Why does he make me feel alive like no one else has? And why don't I want it to end? First Down is a spicy new adult sports romance with fake dating, dual POV, and a guaranteed HEA. It is the first in a series of linked, yet standalone, novels in the Beyond the Play series.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Read if you Like:
🏈 Football romance
🏈 Fake dating
🏈 Photographer heroine
🏈 She tutors him
🏈 Family drama
My Thoughts:
I have had this one on my TBR for a while and since it was traditionally published recently I picked it up at the bookstore. It did not disappoint!
This book touched on a lot of topics I wasn't expecting. I loved that Bex had her own arc of figuring out her career. I thought her photography was really well written about and I loved that James encouraged it.
I also really loved how the topic of the importance of a sports career was discussed. There were times when Bex got the message that she was less important because James had a big future. I thought that was problematic and was happy to see it get challenged. I also liked the way in which issues with Bex's ex got handled.
I loved this book and it made me want to read the whole series ASAP! I may be in more sports romance era even though I know very little about sports. I really loved the family aspect of this series and can't wait to see each sibling get their HEA.
🌶️🌶️🌶️ - The first half of this one feels a bit spicier than the second half. There are a handful of open-door scenes and a fair amount of sexual tension but later on, it becomes more about the emotions and logistics so there is less spice.
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