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Football Romance #1
His Rival
Can our bitter rivalry end in love?
This is an Enemies to lovers, Rivals, One night to forever, Teammates, Football Romance. It is sweet and totally steamy with all the feels and always a Happy Ever After. It is a Standalone Romance in the Football Romance Series.
I am a newly out football star and I got into a heated altercation with an opposition player in our last game. Things got very physical on the field and I will never forget that fight I got into with my rival.
When a new player joins my team, the last person I expects it to be is Ethan Robinson, my rival, who I fought with in the last game.
I am not happy about this and I make my displeasure with the newcomer very clear. I refuse to be amicable with this guy. I absolutely hate him.
So why do I find him so goddamn sexy?
And what will ever come of this if I take things further?
This is an Enemies to lovers, Rivals, One night to forever, Teammates, Football Romance. It is sweet and totally steamy with all the feels and always a Happy Ever After. It is a Standalone Romance in the Football Romance Series.
I am a newly out football star and I got into a heated altercation with an opposition player in our last game. Things got very physical on the field and I will never forget that fight I got into with my rival.
When a new player joins my team, the last person I expects it to be is Ethan Robinson, my rival, who I fought with in the last game.
I am not happy about this and I make my displeasure with the newcomer very clear. I refuse to be amicable with this guy. I absolutely hate him.
So why do I find him so goddamn sexy?
And what will ever come of this if I take things further?
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 30, 2023
Tropes: rivals to lovers
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: sex toys, little orgasm denial
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Triggers/potential icks: none
This book showed up as a rec on Amazon, and since it was about rivals, which is a trope I love, I gave it a shot. It was bad. I probably should have DNF'd it but I hate DNF'ing, I'm not a quitter and I need the closure of knowing how it ends.
Scott and Ethan are in the NFL, professional athletes. Scott is a virgin, you don't find out how old. He just came out as gay to his team, he's been too afraid to do anything with anyone his whole teen years and adulthood, with no explanation really.
Ethan is closeted on another team. He has a rough time with his homophobic teammates after they catch him with a guy, and he takes it out on Scott randomly. Then later he hears about Scott coming out, how there's another gay player on the team, and how accepting they are, so he seeks a switch to the other team.
This was really poorly written. It's not realistic at all. Like, this isn't realistic to the NFL, there is no realistic palpable building of emotion, or backstory to understand why these people are how they are. The amount of rainbow roses is just excessive. And these professional athletes are enjoying cucumber sandwiches, boxes of chocolate, stuffed after splitting a meal at a fancy restaurant and having dessert.
I don't know much about this author other than it's not their first book. It's a novella, so I generally try not to judge them to the same standards because they are short... But ugh. 2 stars is being nice.
The only moment that I highlighted for reasons other than to critique it was this moment of humour: (Adrian has had too much sex in the PT room)
"“Do you think the team will be okay with that?” Adrian chuckles. “As long as you don’t start having sex in the physical therapy room, I think you’ll be okay.” “Why would we start having sex there?” Adrian blushes. “Never mind.""
*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: sex toys, little orgasm denial
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Triggers/potential icks: none
This book showed up as a rec on Amazon, and since it was about rivals, which is a trope I love, I gave it a shot. It was bad. I probably should have DNF'd it but I hate DNF'ing, I'm not a quitter and I need the closure of knowing how it ends.
Scott and Ethan are in the NFL, professional athletes. Scott is a virgin, you don't find out how old. He just came out as gay to his team, he's been too afraid to do anything with anyone his whole teen years and adulthood, with no explanation really.
Ethan is closeted on another team. He has a rough time with his homophobic teammates after they catch him with a guy, and he takes it out on Scott randomly. Then later he hears about Scott coming out, how there's another gay player on the team, and how accepting they are, so he seeks a switch to the other team.
This was really poorly written. It's not realistic at all. Like, this isn't realistic to the NFL, there is no realistic palpable building of emotion, or backstory to understand why these people are how they are. The amount of rainbow roses is just excessive. And these professional athletes are enjoying cucumber sandwiches, boxes of chocolate, stuffed after splitting a meal at a fancy restaurant and having dessert.
I don't know much about this author other than it's not their first book. It's a novella, so I generally try not to judge them to the same standards because they are short... But ugh. 2 stars is being nice.
The only moment that I highlighted for reasons other than to critique it was this moment of humour: (Adrian has had too much sex in the PT room)
"“Do you think the team will be okay with that?” Adrian chuckles. “As long as you don’t start having sex in the physical therapy room, I think you’ll be okay.” “Why would we start having sex there?” Adrian blushes. “Never mind.""
*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2023
DNF at 47%
This is a debut from this author and I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't. This story suffered from a lack of worldbuilding and authenticity. I didn't feel connected to the story or the characters. While there aren't any flagrant spelling/grammar/editing issues, it doesn't feel like a completed book. What I wish it had:
* Distinct characters - everyone "sounds" exactly the same in speech, mannerisms, and personality. There's no physical descriptions of characters beyond "nice ass". Only a few last names. Minimally, I want to feel like I know the MCs beyond the basic "gay football player".
* Sports - What's the name of the team? Where is the team located? With the exception of the quarterback, I have no clue what position any of them play. Who is Larry? Manager? Owner? The description of on-the-field plays is basic to the point of barely being able to tell it's football. Ultimately, the only reason the reader knows it's the NFL is because of the mention of Super Bowl (which the author erroneously spells "Superbowl").
* Maturity - the interactions/conversations are more on par with a YA romance. Not adult men in the NFL.
Things that just didn't ring true/make sense:
* NFL players "pooling their money" to buy a van to share so that they could all go and party after the games. At a local diner. With one of them serving as a designated driver. (minimum salary in the NFL is over $600K. These guys are going to hire car services/uber/taxi/etc. - not buy a van together.)
* Players don't just call up another team, "interview", and start the following week. There are agents, managers, contracts, and approval by the NFL.
CW: (spoilers)
There's a scene where Ethan ambush-kisses Scott in the shower after a game, blows him, and walks off. It bordered on feeling like a sexual assault rather than a sexy interlude. Especially when Ethan blasts Scott's attempts to talk with him after.
This is a debut from this author and I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't. This story suffered from a lack of worldbuilding and authenticity. I didn't feel connected to the story or the characters. While there aren't any flagrant spelling/grammar/editing issues, it doesn't feel like a completed book. What I wish it had:
* Distinct characters - everyone "sounds" exactly the same in speech, mannerisms, and personality. There's no physical descriptions of characters beyond "nice ass". Only a few last names. Minimally, I want to feel like I know the MCs beyond the basic "gay football player".
* Sports - What's the name of the team? Where is the team located? With the exception of the quarterback, I have no clue what position any of them play. Who is Larry? Manager? Owner? The description of on-the-field plays is basic to the point of barely being able to tell it's football. Ultimately, the only reason the reader knows it's the NFL is because of the mention of Super Bowl (which the author erroneously spells "Superbowl").
* Maturity - the interactions/conversations are more on par with a YA romance. Not adult men in the NFL.
Things that just didn't ring true/make sense:
* NFL players "pooling their money" to buy a van to share so that they could all go and party after the games. At a local diner. With one of them serving as a designated driver. (minimum salary in the NFL is over $600K. These guys are going to hire car services/uber/taxi/etc. - not buy a van together.)
* Players don't just call up another team, "interview", and start the following week. There are agents, managers, contracts, and approval by the NFL.
CW: (spoilers)
There's a scene where Ethan ambush-kisses Scott in the shower after a game, blows him, and walks off. It bordered on feeling like a sexual assault rather than a sexy interlude. Especially when Ethan blasts Scott's attempts to talk with him after.
August 16, 2023
The rainbow roses were a nice, cute touch. But I had a hard time imagining these guys in the NFL, and it unfortunately threw me off often.
April 30, 2023
There’s so much I didn’t like. I’ll put a few
-MC1 name was my dads name, yuck.
-manipulation and not in a sexy way
-both mc’s were not enjoyable imo
-wanted to dnf a 109 page book, that’s bad.
I could go on but I won’t.
Steam- 1.4/3
-MC1 name was my dads name, yuck.
-manipulation and not in a sexy way
-both mc’s were not enjoyable imo
-wanted to dnf a 109 page book, that’s bad.
I could go on but I won’t.
Steam- 1.4/3
March 16, 2024
A book not about football
This is one of the worse book about football I've ever read. There was no research done on the workings of football or a football team. As a foot all fan I was insulted.
This book felt like it was done on a whim and uploaded, no checks, no balances. I highly recommend that if you like football books, this is not the one you want to buy.
This is one of the worse book about football I've ever read. There was no research done on the workings of football or a football team. As a foot all fan I was insulted.
This book felt like it was done on a whim and uploaded, no checks, no balances. I highly recommend that if you like football books, this is not the one you want to buy.
May 2, 2023
I didn't like the fact after they broke up, Ethan was so easy to find some "fun" by trying to hooking up with someone. They were kissing but Ethan changed his mind but too bad Scott already saw him kissing another man. I thought when they got back together, Ethan will tell Scott about that little slip but no, Ethan didn't utter any word about it and Scott didn't confront him about it either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
From Enemies to Lovers
This is a quick read but it is a good story. It hooked me from the beginning and held my interest throughout. I'm looking forward to book 2.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
This is a quick read but it is a good story. It hooked me from the beginning and held my interest throughout. I'm looking forward to book 2.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
January 21, 2026
boring. jumpy, surface level story and characters. no real depth.
February 8, 2025
I should have just slept than trying to finish this 🤢😭
Did Not Finish
November 6, 2024DNF’d at 66%. This is just horrible writing. There were so many WTF??? questions running through my head while reading. The whole football team situation was confusing. Like is this NFL? Semi-pro? There’s little to no details regarding this aspect of the book. If they are supposedly all famous, why had the one guy never heard of the other before? And the whole love story was just one big cheese fest. So unrealistic and over the top. I thought this was supposed to be rivals to lovers but there was little to no angst or sexy foreplay. Quite boring 🥱
September 19, 2024
There's not much to say, it was badly written unfortunately
June 9, 2024
Scott & Ethan
There were some really good parts and some really bad parts. Some parts felt like " find/replace she with he." It's really fast since it's basically a novella. No real plot or character development. And you can tell the author knows nothing about football, even with the little about the game that is mentioned.
There were some really good parts and some really bad parts. Some parts felt like " find/replace she with he." It's really fast since it's basically a novella. No real plot or character development. And you can tell the author knows nothing about football, even with the little about the game that is mentioned.
December 16, 2023
I was not a fan. When I read this the connection between the 2 main characters I could not feel that. There was not enough storyline to get there. The manipulation part was not okay. I would recommend this one.
September 12, 2024
DNFd at 19%.
The writing felt very juvenile and inauthentic, the locker room chat felt like kindergarteners, the way he transferred felt very unrealistic.
I just couldn't continue 🤷🏽♀️ My TBR is too long to waste time
The writing felt very juvenile and inauthentic, the locker room chat felt like kindergarteners, the way he transferred felt very unrealistic.
I just couldn't continue 🤷🏽♀️ My TBR is too long to waste time
April 19, 2024
story of Scott and Ethan
This is a rivals to team mates to lovers sports romance novella, featuring NFL footballers Scott and Ethan.
Scott and Ethan start the book on opposing teams but events happen that have Ethan asking for a transfer to Scott’s team.
There is some animosity between them, even though they find each other attractive, until Ethan surprises Scott with some drive by shower shenanigans to try and break down the tension.
Things progress from there - rainbow roses, persistent wooing, edging, first times, break up, lack of communication and finally their HEA.
This was an easy read and the story is pretty fast paced. The reconciliation felt a bit rushed but overall I liked the book. The epilogue was a good wrap up.
This is a rivals to team mates to lovers sports romance novella, featuring NFL footballers Scott and Ethan.
Scott and Ethan start the book on opposing teams but events happen that have Ethan asking for a transfer to Scott’s team.
There is some animosity between them, even though they find each other attractive, until Ethan surprises Scott with some drive by shower shenanigans to try and break down the tension.
Things progress from there - rainbow roses, persistent wooing, edging, first times, break up, lack of communication and finally their HEA.
This was an easy read and the story is pretty fast paced. The reconciliation felt a bit rushed but overall I liked the book. The epilogue was a good wrap up.
January 19, 2026
I struggled to enjoy books by this author but this one wasn’t as atrociously bad as the others.
It was a quick read, low angst, unexpectedly fluffy sweet romance (a bit sappy and OTT), MCs felt underdeveloped though and there were few loose ends (Ethan drunk make out incident was never fully addressed). This novel wasn’t very polished and felt like it was written in rush like a fanfic.
I’m no football expert so I won’t comment on accuracy but sport played a very background role. It was implied they played in professional league but it felt college/high school level to me due to characters juvenile vibe.
Ngl, this story is nothing special but when I’m the mood, it ticked some of my boxes (mild rivals to lovers with spice).
It was a quick read, low angst, unexpectedly fluffy sweet romance (a bit sappy and OTT), MCs felt underdeveloped though and there were few loose ends (Ethan drunk make out incident was never fully addressed). This novel wasn’t very polished and felt like it was written in rush like a fanfic.
I’m no football expert so I won’t comment on accuracy but sport played a very background role. It was implied they played in professional league but it felt college/high school level to me due to characters juvenile vibe.
Ngl, this story is nothing special but when I’m the mood, it ticked some of my boxes (mild rivals to lovers with spice).
May 6, 2023
3 stars, maybe with new editions can be higher.
A nice kinda secure base that need lot more development to work, there is so much happening so fast with little to no build that I feel like I was reading a little more detailed draft. I'm gonna keep and eye on the next works and hopefully if all turns right we can have a revised version with the lenght it deserves. Not much to say about the characters, the "rival" was kind of a dick but the "rainbow roses" part of the plot was the best and further explained part of the story, really sweet so this went up half star.
A nice kinda secure base that need lot more development to work, there is so much happening so fast with little to no build that I feel like I was reading a little more detailed draft. I'm gonna keep and eye on the next works and hopefully if all turns right we can have a revised version with the lenght it deserves. Not much to say about the characters, the "rival" was kind of a dick but the "rainbow roses" part of the plot was the best and further explained part of the story, really sweet so this went up half star.
July 24, 2024
Fast paced
This was read in one go and there was no suspense it went straight to the good stuff, romantic and spicy. Check the trigger warnings and be prepared for some homophobic slurs.
This was read in one go and there was no suspense it went straight to the good stuff, romantic and spicy. Check the trigger warnings and be prepared for some homophobic slurs.
May 10, 2023
3 stars💕 quick and fun :)
Read
June 17, 2024DNF @ 2%
Did Not Finish
November 11, 2024I think I've tried it once in the past and probably stopped for the same reasons so reminder for future me. Not a fan of the writing style.
December 9, 2024
The characters are engaging, but the writing was a bit too stiff for my taste. I read this as part of an anthology of the author's books.
January 16, 2026
This is so bad. SO BAD. AI written bad. It literally makes zero sense. The main characters are so unlikable. Worst football book ever. DNF
May 2, 2023
I'm a little surprised at the ratings for this tale, I enjoyed it, the anger, then connection, the sex, the angst and pain, it had it all, unfortunately homophobia too but that was brief and quickly shot down. All in all an enjoyable story.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews