Touchdown: The Austin Armadillos Complete Series

The Austin Armadillos #1-4

by Kat Baxter

USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Baxter brings you four stories filled with heat, hilarity and happily ever afters…

They are at the top of their game with anything they could want at their fingertips. What these four professional football players don’t have is the love of a good woman. Fall in love right alongside them as they meet the sassy and sweet, curvy women that will light their souls on fire. *This series collection includes all four books.


Sugar and Spice (Sam & Isabel)
A one-night-stand just might lead to forever for a growly professional football player and the sassy, curvy chocolate maker.

Curve Ball (Maddox & Finley)
When this older quarterback and his young nanny must pretend to be in love, sparks fly and real chemistry might result in a happy ending.

I Kissed a Ghoul (Reid & Ainsley)
This superstar football player just traded teams to come home to Texas and claim his best friend’s sister, but first he’ll have to convince her he’s serious.

On His Naughty List (Mateo & Fiona)
When a hot-shot football player accidentally has a steaming one-night-stand with his boss’s younger sister, he might be willing to walk away from everything as long as he gets the girl.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2023

Reviews

[Serena Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡VAMOS Austin Armadillos!




•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers.
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.






Sobre la colección:

Contiene 4 romances Instalove apasionantes, heroinas con curvas y hombres sexys del equipo de fútbol americano Austin Armadillos.




Mi humilde opinión:

Me gustaron todas las historias de la serie pero tengo que decir que soy más fan de los jugadores que de las mujeres por las que ellos caen rápida y perdidamente enamorados.


⭐⭐⭐ Para la historia del Vikingo y Cookie.

Romance instantáneo con brecha de edad con un jugador de fútbol y una niñera. ⭐⭐⭐ Para Mad y Finley

La historia de amor de Reíd y Ainsley fue rápida y dulce. Me gustaron sus momentos de amistad a la distancia, sus disfraces combinados para Halloween, que Reíd amara a Ainsley durante tanto tiempo a la distancia y que estuviera loco y amara su cuerpo real, fue lindo y romántico.⭐⭐⭐

La historia de Mateo y Fiona comienza con una aventura de una noche en Halloween que acaba con un compromiso en Navidad. Él es un jugador de fútbol y ella la hermana del dueño del equipo que no esperaban enamorarse rápida loca y apasionadamente.⭐⭐⭐

[EstelaReadsRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar and Spice
Starring Isasbel “Cookie” and Sam “the Viking”

Tropes: Instant Attraction, Curvy Girl, One Night Stand

Oooooooh hawtness!! Give me a man who knows what to do with beard…. Mmmm’kay?!

I totally love Sam mand Isabel… football player meets chocolatier. When they first meet… his was insta-crush and hers was insta-irritation with a side of hot dang!! Isabel thinks that the soulmate ship has sailed for her… so she’s only after a quick hook up with no strings attached. Sam may be ruff and gruff, but he’s a total romantic at heart and doesn’t do “one and done”. These two’s road to HEA will make you smile, then fan yo’self… coz they be bringing the heat!!

****

CURVE BALL
Starring Maddox “Mad-Dog” Blake and Finley Young.

Trope: Age Gap, Older Hero/Younger Heroine (about 15yrs), Sound of Music-ish, Employer/Employee, Nanny, Athlete, Curvy Girl.

Well, helloooo Maddox and Finley!! What an absolutely adorable story!!

Maddox is a whole lotta yum… mmmm’kay?! He’s deliciously grumpy coz he wants Finley, but he needs her to be the nanny to his wards more. But when he finally tells her he desires her…. whoa daddy!! Maddox will definitely melt your panties off!!

Finley is so sweet and such a wonderful nanny to the children. I love all the parts where she’s interacting with them. She has the hots for Maddox, but is totally abiding by his rules to keep everything professional… until things change and it’s full steam ahead!! Then I was like, you go baby girl!!!

This is a standalone book, BUT there is a scene in the book with characters from VIRGIN COWBOY that you may want to know the backstory to. So you are definitely going to want to read it.

****

I KISSED A GHOUL
Starring Ainsley Montgomery and Reid Holt

Trope: Friends to Lovers, older brother’s best friend.

Awwww man!!! This is good stuff right here!! Ainsley and Reid gave me all the wonderful giddy-feels, y’all!! Short and steamy with a heck of a lotta romance…I loved every second I spent with this book.

As a curvy girl myself and being body conscious… there’s a part in this book that made me ugly cry af. Aaaaaand made me fall a little harder in love with Reid. Omg he totally has my heart with how he reacted. Reid is perfect book boyfriend material… delicious and absolutely swoon-worthy!!

****

ON HIS NAUGHTY LIST
Starring  Fiona “Princess” Carlisle and Mateo Cruz

Trope: Insta-attraction, curvy girl, one night stand, Athlete/Heiress, Boss’s Sister

Could someone please pass me a glass of ice cold water so I can pour it over my head. Holy heck!! Where can I get a Mateo, please?! Dear lawdy, that man’s mouth… what comes out of it and he does with it… Fiona is a very, very, very lucky girl. Ooooooh he was so delicious… I love a man who goes all “this is MY woman” in the bedroom… so freaken hot!!! Mateo is going down (ahem) as one of my all time fave KB men!! Mmmm…mmmm…mmmm!!!

I loved Fiona too!! Huzzah for a short and curvy girl book!! She was a little vulnerable, but a little spit fire as well… must be all that red hair. I applauded her moxy at the end. I loved her dynamics with Mateo.

****

I read all these stories when they came out individually. Love every one of them!! Kat Baxter is such a fantastic author and she never fails to squeeze a lotta “awwwwwww” and ugly cry af tears outta me. All her characters are cheer-worthy…. And so freaken hawt!!

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sugar & Spice:
I wanted to like this one. I liked the idea of Isabel owning her sexuality and not making excuses for wanting what she wants. However, that's where the like of Isabel ends. I didn't like her reasoning for not wanting anything more with Sam. Kind of a lame excuse if you ask me.
Sam was pretty funny, especially when it came to his idea of introducing Isabel to 'men'. I will say I thought his knee jerk reaction to Isabel hugging someone was a bit over the top for me. He knows nothing of the woman, so why would he go straight to the fact she has another man on the side and not a family member?
I'd give this one a 3 out of 5 stars.

Curve Ball:
This marriage of convivence was the kind of story that is right up my alley. Maddox only cares about 2 things. Football and his family. Gaining custody of his niece and nephew he'll do whatever it takes to keep them, even hire a nanny he can't seem to fight his attraction for. But he must, because he refuses to put his chances of keeping the children at risk for a little attraction.
Finley might have planned to work as a nanny between college and grad school, but she never planned to fall for her employer. Joining a dating app was suppose to help her to get over the unwanted attraction...until she finds she's matched with her new boss.
I liked this book. It was short and something to read in between anything heavier or on a quick lunch break.
4 out of 5 stars.

I Kissed a Ghoul:
I won't lie. I was a tad bit disappointed that we only seem to get one 'steamy' scene in this story. I guess I've come to really like the steam with get with Kat Baxter, so to only get the one felt a bit cheating in a way.
Ainsley and Reid have been long-distance friends since he went to play professional football across the country. They make time to eat and watch movies together and talk constantly. All this done, I forgot that this was suppose to be a "BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND ROMANCE" and not a "FRIENDS TO LOVERS" type of story.
Anyway...
This Halloween Reid will finally step up and take what he knows belongs to him. Ainsley may not be 100% sure, but he knows they belong together. He's waited long enough!
Overall I'd give this a 3 out of 5 stars.

On His Naughty List:
This one was not a favorite of mine of the Armadillo collection. My biggest complaint, was this had nothing to do with Christmas, if anything it had more to do with Halloween like the last one than any holiday. I was also a bit confused on Fiona and Mateo never meeting before. I had read the brother, Ezra's story, and I could've sworn Fiona and Mateo dance at the wedding.... hmm.
Anyways, I didn't like Fiona. She just didn't seem to have much of a backbone and didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. The lack of confidence in herself just made it awkward to read.
Overall, I'd give this a 2 out of 5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[꧁ᙏᗣᙃⱿꙆᗣ꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY UNDENIALLY CUTE AND SEXY STORIES! 4.5 ⭐ for all
Four professional football players are looking for love and the woman destined for them.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE WHOLE SERIES! 😉👍

quotations :
[...] 1.Sugar and Spice (Sam and Isabel)
Don't get me wrong, I love sex, but I don't like it and I give up on it as a guy. I'm more of a serial monogamist. Just without a real connection. My life is too complicated to burden it with a demanding relationship.
The world thinks I'm a gamer and that's fine because people will think what they want. But the truth is that I am not and never have been a gamer. That's not how my parents raised me. They have eternal love.
...
yes, it is a different love, but no less intense, no less important and no less destined. I was supposed to love both men. They made me who I am today and I wouldn't change a single moment of it.
Don't lock up love if it knocks. There is no finite amount of money we receive. And loving another person does not discredit the memory of the first person.

[...]2.Curve Ball (Maddox and Finley)
Good God, he's handsome. He's so big and strong, but his appeal goes much deeper than his billboard-worthy body and chiselled good looks. Sometimes he hides behind his rough exterior, but when I think of how tenderly he hugged me in those moments right after Josie called...

[...]3.I Kissed A Ghoul (Reid and Ainsley)
I've wanted her forever. I've been waiting for her forever.
Because that's what you do when you're a kid with a solid blue-collar job who falls in love with the heiress to a hotel fortune. You are waiting. You plan. You work hard and you fucking bide your time.
...
-'There's nothing wrong with showing my kids every day that I'm madly in love with their mother.'= I kiss her, not too dirty, because the kids are watching.
Reina utters an oh and her brother copies her like a parrot.
Then Ainsley pulls back and smiles.
-'I love you honey.'
-'I love you, Peach.' - Then I look at the children. -'Grab your pumpkins! Let's go get some sweets!”

[...]4.On His Naughty List (Mateo and Fiona)
I want what my parents had. They worked hard together to provide for all of us children, and they loved each other the entire time. Even when my dad was sick with cancer, she sat with him and read books to him during every chemo session.
...
-'It's perfect. You are perfect and I love you too, Mateo. So much so that it scares me. What if, after the honeymoon phase, it turns out that we have nothing in common and we hate each other?”
-Then we will find new things to love about ourselves. I'm the type of guy who has everything, and you're the one for me, princess. Will you marry me?'
-'Yes! Yes every day!'

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touchdown Complete . . .

Four professional football players are looking for the love of a woman meant for them. This series collection includes all four books. A review of one of the books is included below to give you an idea of what you will find in this collection.

Titles included are:

🏈 SUGAR AND SPICE (SAM & ISABEL)
(See the review below)

🏈 CURVE BALL (MADDOX & FINLEY)
When this older quarterback and his young nanny must pretend to be in love, sparks fly and real chemistry might result in a happy ending.

🏈 I KISSED A GHOUL (REID & AINSLEY)
This superstar football player just traded teams to come home to Texas and claim his best friend’s sister, but first he’ll have to convince her he’s serious.

🏈 ON HIS NAUGHTY LIST (MATEO & FIONA)
When a hot-shot football player accidentally has a steaming one-night-stand with his boss’s younger sister, he might be willing to walk away from everything as long as he gets the girl.

*** Reviewing “SUGAR AND SPICE (SAM & ISABEL)” ***
Finding Forever . . .

Isabel is a wonderful, outgoing character who has just won a contest and is traveling to New York for a photo shoot and a get-together with the magazine. Being from a small town where there is no such thing as privacy, Isabel plans on having a one-night-stand while she is in New York.

Sam, a huge, sweet NFL player, was raised to believe in romance and the possibility of finding “the One”. Isabel definitely is the one he wants for his own forever. He heard her phone conversation about her plans and wants to make sure that sexy night happens only with him. Can he convince her to give him forever?

This is a fun, sweet story line that will capture your heart. Grab your copy and share their story as the chocolate maker and the football player fall in love.

[BookReadingJenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of stories!

Sugar and Spice - Sugar and Spice is everything nice! Isabel and Sam are a dream. Isabel, a curvy, sassy chocolatier who specializes in chocolates blended with peppers, makes a solo trip to New York for a magazine photo shoot and some business promoting. It’s not long before she meets Sam, a seriously sizable athlete with a sweetly romantic heart. This story is filled with laughter, emotion, steaminess and a life changing dose of wisdom from an elderly lady on a plane. You should just drop everything and go read this one.

Curve Ball - You’re going to love this one. I’m just going to put that out there straight away. It is fun and sweet and funny and tear-jerking. Oh yeah, and sexy. Finley is a smart, sweet and wonderfully, adorably, awkward nanny. Maddox is a huge, handsome football player whose gruff exterior hides his warm, caring personality. These two were made for each other. They just don’t know it yet. Thank goodness for meddling friends. I love that some of Kat Baxter’s characters from her other books make appearances in this story. It adds so much familiarity and connection.

I Kissed a Ghoul - Fun, short, sexy Halloween time story. Forbidden romance with sibling’s friend. Lighthearted. Loved it.

On His Naughty List - Super fun, insta-lust, insta-love, short story with all your favorite characters from some of Kat Baxter’s previous well loved stories. Sometimes a good time at a Halloween party can turn out to be so much more. Mateo and Fiona’s story is a quick steamy read that will keep you turning its pages.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touchdown is a collection of four sweet and steamy stories and I loved them all. Here is my review of one of my favorite stories in this fabulous collection.
On His Naughty List:
Fiona and Mateo meet at a Halloween party and sparks are flying. They spend one steamy night together and then she leaves but Mateo can't get her out of his mind so he starts searching for her. When he finds out who her brother is and that she's off-limits it doesn't stop him from love. This is a great addition to the series and I loved the way the author tied this book to other books of hers in other series. I loved Fiona and Mateo together and how one steamy night turned into forever.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Flavia Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing series!

Sugar and Spice
Sam and Isabel are one-of-a-kind, with a bit of entanglement and insecurity on the part of both of them, and together they find happiness. Fun and spicy but with the sugar...

Curve Ball
Maddox and Finley
The nanny and her boss. The attraction is instantaneous and it doesn't take long for them to be together and start a family. Although they need a little push...

I Kissed a Ghoul
Reid and Ainsley. My particular favourite. These two friends definitely need to face all the lust and desire that draws them together. And she does! I found Reid super sweet...

On His Naughty List
Fiona and Mateo. Once again the insecurities of the protagonist make our hero have a hard time. But it's all worth it when you find your one and only!.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good series.
Sugar and Spice: One and not so done. Love the meet up and how quick Sam was to want to know Cookie better. Now I need chocolate.
Curve Ball: Take one grumpy football star, throw in two adorable kids, a sweet nanny and you have the makings of a wonderful story. Maddox and Finley rocked it.
I Kissed a Ghoul: I absolutely loved this one. Best friends to forever loves. I adored that even though at one time they were miles apart, they made time for each other and did things together. I loved it.
On His Naughty List: From Halloween to Christmas with some of my favorite people. So many cameos to love. Mateo is a dream. Thank goodness he found his Princess.

[Syd Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
This collection is a must read! I loved each for the four MCs. Sugar & Spice, and On His Naughty list were my two favorites in this collection. This collection has a lot of steam, some drama, and HEA that will have you begging to have a football playing of our own! I would highly recommend this collection of books and Kat as fantastic author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving my review. I always appreciate when an author will put together a collection. These stories all tie together with the Austin Armadillos series, but were published in other groups. It's a mixture of different troupes and couples. Overall I liked the different romances and how they fit together. Plenty of humor and heat with a some difficulties and a few heartaches

[Michele McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great addition to The Austin Armadillos series. Sam and Isabel are sweet, romantic, have real insecurities and are about to bring on the heat. Although we soon realize that Isabel needs more than reassurance from this man as she leaves this new relationship without an explanation. Get ready for the swoon worthy Sam to swoop in and do more than convince her that they can be more than a fling!
~~Michele McMullen~~

[Beverly Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series when it’s the standalone books. But it’s made so much better when they are all packaged together for you. And who doesn’t like to save some dollars by buying as a bundle?? For sure, not this girl. That’s just more moolah to spend on more books. 😉
I love all four books but Sam and Isabel (Sugar & Spice) are still my favorite couple!

[Melissa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is just sweet, steamy, and fun, with some drama about 4 football players and the sassy women they fall for.

-Sugar and Spice (Sam & Isabel)

-Curve Ball (Maddox & Finley)

-I Kissed a Ghoul (Reid & Ainsley)

-On His Naughty List (Mateo & Fiona).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! They are quick and fun reads that deliver on storyline and spice. I had read them all previously when they were published, and I loved the reread, and having them together made it feel like one complete story.

[Teresa Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

I do like this author's style. It's great when you need something sweet to fill in the void. All of these stories are short, to the point, without leaving out anything needed to feel the love.

[KDLediting · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

A fantastic boxset from the rom-com genius of Kat Baxter!
Spice that will steam up the room, comedy that will make you laugh out loud, and romance that will make you sigh!