Best mistake I ever made!

So, I was hesitant about this book. It was the sport aspect mostly, since I'm not into football and because of that, worried the book would be dull whenever football scenes occurred.

The second thing to make me hesitate is a 'once bitten twice shy' sort of deal. Far too often books in this genre are thinly veiled erotica curiously trying to mask themselves as anything but. I don't necessarily want to go so far as a clean G-rated romance but neither do I want protags who are little more than walking genitalia.

When I looked at this on the store, I actually meant to scroll down but hit the 'read for free' button. I thought eh, no harm in giving it a cursory glance. There was no cursory glance because I was IN. I went straight to invested in no time flat.

There was no instalove or instalust. And Vanessa, our main protagonist, wasn't some bubble headed nincompoop like so many on the genre. Every one of her actions felt authentic and realistic. Even if I didn't agree, I understood. She wasn't a Mary Sue, but a deeply flawed but strong heroine.

And this wasn't the virgin and bad guy trope that over saturates the market. Neither character was at all conventional.

Adrian is this big strong and silent type who often has his head so far up his own butt that he doesn't notice anything around him. In the beginning he was such a frustrating jerk that I, along with Vanessa, wanted to tear my hair out at his bullheadedness. And there was no personality 180 at the end. Even at the end I wanted to shake him and yell at him to just THINK sometimes.

All the side characters were as well rounded as the main, her relationships with each one as unique and multifaceted as any could be. I would have loved to see Vanessa interact with her other two sisters. I'm curious about them.

And this book was FUNNY. I found myself giggling like a loon at some of the scenes. Like when Adrian asked for his jersey back and Vanessa just said, 'tough s**t, it's mine now.' Or Zac's teasing. Or Vanessa's very genuine concern for the structural integrity of the things forced to support Adrian's weight.

The romance was this deliciously agonizingly slow burn. It also keeps you on your toes. The HEA is inevitable but you're definitely along for the ride.

As for the football thing, it didn't drag the story down. It was present as it was pretty key to Adrian but there were no expositional scenes. It didn't feel tacked on but because Vanessa wasn't that into the sport, it wasn't the main focus.

I was wrong with my initial assumption. This writer earned herself a diehard fan. I already bought another one of her books which wasn't part of Unlimited (Kulti) and will be combing through the rest of her work.

I urge anyone and everyone to ignore their own preconceptions and give this one a shot. You won't regret it.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me - Likewise Book Reviews

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