פייר קאץ׳

Red Zone Rivals #1

by Kandi Steiner, רומי לבנה (Translator)

אם לא קשה מספיק להיות הבחורה היחידה בנבחרת הפוטבול של הקולג', עכשיו המאמן החליט לצוות לי את זיק קולינס בתור שותף לחדר – שחקן שחצן והחבר הכי טוב של אחי, שלא ראוי לתואר הזה כבר שנים.

הבעיה היא שהוא מדליק אותי באותה מידה שהוא מעצבן אותי.
אני שונאת אותו ובצדק – ולעולם לא אתן לו לשכוח את הסיבה.
הוא חושב שבגלל שגדלנו יחד, התפקיד שלו הוא להגן עליי, אבל הוא רק מפריע לי, מחליש אותי ומוציא אותי מדעתי.
אני אומרת לו שאני מסתדרת לבד, ואני עושה הכול כדי להעביר את המסר לו ולשאר האומה שצופה בבחורה היחידה בפוטבול מכללות.

לחץ לא משפיע עליי. העובדה שבוחנים כל צעד שלי בשבע עיניים? אני עומדת בזה בקלילות.
אבל לחלוק קירות דקים מאוד עם זיק קולינס? לזה שום דבר לא הכין אותי.
וככל שאנחנו נאלצים להיות יחד, כך אני מתקשה יותר לזהות את הגבול הדק שעובר בין לשנוא אותו... ולרצות אותו.

***

מה מקבלים ממיקס של קולג', פוטבול וקנדי סטיינר?
רומן שהוא כליל השלמות!

פייר קאץ' הוא הספר הראשון בסדרת רד־זון רייוולז, שבה כל סיפור נכתב על זוג אחר ויכול להיקרא כבוד

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Sports, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, College, Football

334 pages, ebook

First published May 16, 2022

About the author

Kandi Steiner is a USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author living in Tennessee. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her love for writing started at the ripe age of 10, and in 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”

She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a hopeless romantic and found herself bursting at the seams with love stories she was eager to tell.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, hiking, yoga, spending quality time with her family (fur babies included) and soaking up the sweetness of life.

CONNECT WITH KANDI:
➜ NEWSLETTER: kandisteiner.com/newsletter
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/kandisteiner
➜ FACEBOOK READER GROUP (Kandiland): facebook.com/groups/kandilandks
➜ INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/kandisteiner
➜ TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@authorkandisteiner
➜ PINTEREST: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner
➜ WEBSITE: www.kandisteiner.com
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:
➜ www.kandisteiner.com/events

Reviews

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 4 out of 5]

brothers best friend + sports romance? yes pls! PLUS SHE IS ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM??? yes pls x2!!!

I LOVED ZEKE AND RILEY 😭 they had me swooning so hard. the plot didn’t interest me all that much, mainly because i feel like not a lot happened? but the way i still had a marvelous time.

the third act conflict tho.. unnecessary.

“give them hell mighty mouse” <3

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

“I think I kind of love it when you hate me.”

Enemies to lovers, college sports romance, brother’s best friend, forced proximity… these are a few of my favorite troupes! Put them all together and you get an epic romance book from Kandi Steiner!

Zeke and Riley have known each other since they were kids. Zeke and Riley’s brother Gavin have always been best friends, and Riley used to be friends with Zeke too. Until high school when an accident Zeke and Gavin were in changed Riley’s feelings about him. She went from liking him to hating him. And playing on the same high school team didn’t bring them closer together.

Zeke, Riley, and Gavin all go to the same college their freshman year and Riley and Zeke get a little closer than Riley wants. Riley is a kicker for their college football team and the only woman on the team. I loved this aspect of the book. I think it’s so awesome that Kandi put a female kicker on the team and I love how it shaped Riley and Zeke’s relationship.

They’re teammates, roommates, but they’re still not friends. At least, not at first. With time, Riley starts to remember all the things she used to love about Zeke. And as their friendship eventually grows, so does the other feelings they’re having. I truly felt for Zeke. He has been through so much, some of it Riley had no clue about, and he was a great man and a great hero.

Riley was so awesome. I loved how badass she was. These two had undeniable chemistry and the best back and forth banter. I had so much fun reading this book, but it also had a fair amount of angst and emotion. Also, shout out to Gavin because he was just amazing. I see Kandi is continuing this series and I hope he eventually gets a book! 


[Millie Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friends to enemies to lovers? A cheeky bit of forced proximity? Some delicious steam? A little dose of “I think I kind of love when you hate me” and “I don’t want casual. I want more.”?

Yes, yes, yes, yes. I’ll take it all!

Ms Kandi Steiner, welcome to the list of authors whose entire repertoire of books I MUST read and absorb into my soul as soon as humanly possible.

[Aviva’s Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️

This book had a lot going for it. There was the unique sports aspect of her being the only female player on her college football team. Her and Zeke had a lot of history and she had a good reason to hate him, plus they were forced to be roommates with each other. — He was dyslexic which added a lot to the story. He was also protective, jealous, possessive and gave off a lot of “you’re mine” vibes… so overall it checked off a lot of good boxes.

But I think a big thing about the book that I didn’t like was her. He was very vulnerable about his learning disorder and she didn’t realize how insensitive she was being with her random comments. It really pulled at my heartstrings how much her words would hurt him… but I really respected him for confronting her about it in a reasonable timeframe… so I let it slide in the moment.

But then… we got to the ending conflict - which first, I have to say was completely unnecessary and was very overdramatized… but what I really hated about it was how she overreacted and used everything that he was vulnerable about and threw it back in his face like a complete bitch just to hurt him extra hard. It broke my heart for him.

There was also that little bit of miscommunication when she assumed he didn’t want anything more than sex between them so she put him in the fuck buddy zone before even giving him a chance to talk and say that he wants more than that.

There was also a lot about the dyslexia aspect of this book that I didn’t love. I’m not educated enough on the topic to say all my thoughts but there was a lot about it that I thought was very interesting… that’s all.

[Kandi Steiner]

Thank you for an amazing release day!
𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝗪 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝!⁣
👉 https://geni.us/FairCatch⁣




★★★★★ "What do you get when you mix college football and Kandi Steiner? You get absolute perfection, that's what." -- Bestselling Author Staci Hart
 

★★★★★ "Fair Catch is the perfect sports romance." -- Author Dee Lagasse

 
★★★★★ "Fair Catch is delightfully novel, a uniquely inspired love story that enchants in its romantic sincerity and captures your heart from start to finish." -- The Romantic Rush Blog, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

 
★★★★★ "Kandi always knocks 'college love' out of the park. In this case, out of the stadium. But more so, Kandi Steiner is QUEEN of Sports Romance. Touchdown!" -- Trish Mint, ARC Recipient
 

★★★★★ "Ever listen to someone talk about a book they are reading, one you have already read, and you get truly deeply jealous that you can't experience reading it for the first time? Insert Fair Catch for me, because yet again Kandi stole me with her dialogue and her imagery, and I desperately wish I could relive it for the first time all over again!" -- Lily Turner, ARC Recipient
⁣⁣
You’ll love Fair Catch if you love…⁣⁣
✅ sports romance (football)⁣⁣
✅ college romance⁣⁣
✅ brother’s best friend
✅ enemies-to-lovers⁣⁣
✅ ROOMMATES 🥵⁣⁣

Here's an exclusive Goodreads sneak peek inside!

I was two seconds away from knocking my fist back and socking Kyle in the nose Helga Pataki style when he was ripped backward by his t-shirt, and Zeke caught him just before his back slammed into the lockers. All he did was glare at him, that shirt still clenched in his fist, but Kyle shut up.

Zeke released him, and Kyle gave me a little wink before skipping off to annoy someone else.

“Ignore him,” Clay said. I knew he was talking about Kyle, but I had my laser beam gaze fixed on Zeke.

“Stop doing that,” I said, trying to keep my voice low and resist the urge to shove him into the lockers.

“Handling your light work?”

“Trying to save me,” I combatted through gritted teeth. “Or protect me or whatever it is you think you’re doing. You’re not my knight in shining armor and I’m not a helpless little princess, okay? I can handle myself. If you just give me the fucking chance to.”

“He was being a disrespectful ass,” Zeke said, his eyes narrowing. “I didn’t realize you were the only one allowed to point that fact out and put him in his place.”

I stepped into him, my chest bumping his rib cage. His eyes slipped to where my modest cleavage was visible, one eyebrow arching at the sight, and that made me narrow my eyes even more.

“Every time you fight a battle for me, you make me look weaker.”

“You act like you’re so special. I’d snuff out Kyle’s annoying buzz for anyone on this team. I’m just being a friend.”

“You’re not my friend.”

The corner of Zeke’s mouth lifted as he looked down his nose at me. “Just your roommate?”




👉 https://geni.us/FairCatch⁣

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh give me a hate to love romance that's also brother's best friend that's also roommates that's also teammates! Seriously, this book had so many tropes and I loved it. Since Riley is a football player, I looooovveeddd how much football we actually got in this book. We had so much of Riley at practice and then at her beginning games. Of course, Zeke was around every corner and Riley could not escape him. They both have a pretty serious past and Riley is determined to never forgive him. But the more they spend time together, the harder it is to ignore each other and the attraction between them. And jealous Zeke? Looove. They start a friends with benefits situation to help Riley clear her head for games, and that's when the book slowed down a bit for me. We got a lot less football and I just wasn't as engaged in the story or the romance. But I did really love how Zeke had dyslexia and talked openly about this learning disability, especially when Riley making fun of his difficulties in school. I really appreciated their open communication. The conflict at the end did bother me because it took away everything they had spent the whole book building towards, and that's one of my least favorite things to happen in a book, but I still really enjoyed this romance! I loved how Riley was a female football player and how she fell for Zeke. And I loved Gavin so much! I really hope he gets his own book!

[bookswithjb]

DNFed :/ couldn’t connect to the story/characters but I’m definitely going to read the others

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ Okay, so I made the mistake of reading Blind Side before Fair Catch but even though I read it in the wrong order this book was still AMAZING. I adored Zeke and Riley so much, like their banter was just *chefs kiss*. I also loved how they both played football together and it was great being able to see how easily jealous Zeke got when the other guys on the team would flirt with her 🤭.

Kandi Steiner really knows how to write an amazing sports romance and I hope one day Holden gets his own book soon! 🫶🏻

“You hold mine. You own mine. For now, forever, regardless of what happens next. And even if you hate me for the rest of your life, I need you to know that I love you.” 💛

[siff ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

☆ 𝟤 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗌

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣.”

➵ I don’t have very much to say about this book. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t that great either. It was a little boring in my opinion, and I didn’t really feel the characters connection. I didn’t really like Riley the fmc, bc I felt like she was a little unfair, and Zeke was a little pathetic in the end in my opinion. But I did however really like Gavin who’s Riley’s brother.

⋘Tropes ➺ sports romance, brothers best friend, childhood friends, roommate romance and friends to enemies to lovers⋙

[alana ☁️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

this book was really good! although i preferred the third one… i read this one after i read Quarterback Sneak, so maybe that’s why it didn’t hit the right spot for me, but it was still pretty good! sport romance, childhood friends to enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, forced proximity, what more could you ask for?

[Luciana (✿◠‿◠) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me decepcionó :(

Al leer primero el otro libro, ya conocía a los personajes y me habían dado ternura, quería saber la historia de ellos. Sin embargo, no me gustó mucho.

Mi problema fue con ella, no me gustaba cómo lo trataba a él. Además, el drama del final fue todo culpa de ella y sus paranoias. Me gustó su actitud al ser la única mujer en un equipo de hombres, solo eso destaco de su personalidad.

Entiendo el conflicto que tenía ella con él por el tema del pasado, pero el problema es que vi incoherente que se desarrollara algo entre ellos antes de tener una charla sincera sobre ese pasado. Si tanto lo odiaba como ella decía, ¿por qué a la primera cae y acepta tener una relación sin compromisos con él?

No sé, tiene momentos bonitos, pero no fueron suficiente para que ame la lectura.

[Jessica Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars.

"I was done for, and I knew it. But I fell willingly to my demise."

I admit that I don't know much about football, but I've heard so many good things about this series, so I told myself to give it a try. And even though there were so many concepts that I didn't understand, and the chapters where they played were just a disaster, because I had no idea what was going on, I still found myself really, really enjoying the book.

First of all, I really loved the writing style. It's very easy to get into the story, and it's easy to connect and feel for the characters.

Zeke and Riley have known each other since they were kids. Riley's brother, Gavin, and Zeke have always been best friends, and Riley was also a part of that friendship. Until high school, when an accident Zeke and Gavin were in changed Riley's feelings for him.

Riley was an inspiring character.
As the only female football player, the amount of shit she had to deal with was absolutely sad, and I have to admit that her way of dealing with it was just perfect. A clearly not childish main female character, and definitely admirable.
The bad feelings towards Zeke are also understandable.

Zeke was a character that was easy to identify with.
On the one hand, he struggled so much in school, and on the other hand, he was just a star on the court.
They are teammates, roommates, but she still hates him and holds a grudge against him.
But over time, Riley begins to remember all the things she loved about Zeke. And as they spend more and more time together, as they begin to understand each other more and more - hearts connect.
These two had incredible chemistry.

I'll also talk about Gavin because he's a sweetheart and I can't help but mention him in the review.
He's a good friend, and a wonderful brother. I envied everyone who knew him. The relationship between him and Riley was just adorable, how they had each other's backs. How he loved his best friend, no matter what.

About the conflict that Steiner tried to force in - I wasn't a big fan. First of all, I saw it coming a mile away, it just felt like she said "I need to make a conflict now, how do I do it? Forcefully". I know there's always something towards the end that gets complicated, but she could have thought of something that couldn't be understandable half a book before..

Anyway, overall it was a really good read.
Good plot building in the first book for the next books in the series.
I recommend.

[Staci Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix college football and Kandi Steiner?

You get absolute perfection, that's what.

This story surprised me in all the best ways. You have a heroine who's had to fight for her place in a men's sport. You have a hero who's struggled with so much, the obstacle between them most of all. And you have the absolute best combination of angst, banter, and humor in a way only Kandi can write it.

WITH SMOKIN HOT SPICE.

I'm telling you guys. This is a book that will tug at your heartstrings and set you on fire, leaving you wanting more, more, more. And luckily for us, more is coming from this football crew you'll love so, so much. The hate, the love, the desire between these two is palpable. Enemies to lovers, roommates, best friend's sister--it's a recipe for YES.

All the yes.

You don't want to miss this one. It's one of my favorite stories by Kandi Steiner, and that's some high praise--I've loved many of her stories, but never have I been so obsessed with a couple as I am Riley and Zeke. Five spicy peppers and six paper stars to this must-read sports romance!

[Alba and Her Secrets..♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 'Mighty Mouse' Stars!

Today I am back with another sports romance and one author I fell in love with after reading the second book in this same series. I am talking about Kandi Steiner and her Red Zone Rivals series. I loved Blind Side so I decided to go back and read Fair Catch so I can then read the rest of the books.

I loved it!!! The chemistry between Zeke and Riley was pure steam, and the back and forth between love and want was so good. It definitely had some pretty emotional and dramatic moments and it make the story even better. I just love this crew of characters and I cannot wait to read the other two installments. So, if you still haven't checked this amazing series go and grab your copy of Fair Catch RIGHT NOW!

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Kandi Steiner book and it didn't disappoint. I love college sports romance and this one had fun twist in that there's a girl on the team. Riley is the kicker for her college's football team.

FAIR CATCH
● Zeke (18) & Riley (18)
● football player / kicker
● college sports romance: football
● childhood friendship
● (twin) brother’s best friend
● forced proximity: roommates
● enemies to lovers
● learning disorder: dyslexia

Audiobook source: Audible
Narrator: Hannah Chiclana & Chris Williams
Length: 8H 43M

[Antonella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never was a huge fan of Kandi Steiner's books and I heard so many readers being obsessed with book two so I wanted to read the series in order.

Sadly, this wasn't a success. I just couldn't connect to the characters or care about the story. Very slow burn with not much enemies to lovers vibe more animosity and blaming from the heroine side.

Now, I am not in hurry to continue with the series.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

*This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.*



“There’s risk in every decision we make,” Clay said. “You just have to decide which risk is worth taking.


My Review
Fair Catch was a story that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Kandi Steiner is a new to me, author, although, I have had many of her books on my wishlist for quite a while. I have really neglected reading new adult romance, and this year one of my reading goals was to read more of this sub-genre the minute I saw that this book was being released this week, I was highly intrigued and I knew that it was one that I needed to have. I was so fascinated with what the author was delivering here and the setup of the romance was so enticing. I was fascinated to see the heroine be a college football player and see how that would work out. As a football fan, I am not sure how I feel about women being football players (its a super rough sport) but I do know there are female college football kickers, and I was curious to see how this was handled. Even though I rolled my eyes at certain mentionings of “patriarchy of the male sport of football” because there are obvious safety reasons and sports just aren’t mixed gendered at least most of the time, its very rare for it to happen. But I was so pleased with how this one turned out and the way that it was written.

Because I am scarred by the fire you started in me. Because you have reduced me to fucking ashes.

The story sets off with a horrific accident that turns our heroine’s twin brother handicapped, who had dreamed of playing football. Riley blamed her brother’s best friend Zeke for the accident and has hated him for the damage done to her brother and her family. But she made a vow to her brother, to take his place, be a female football player and do what it took to make the team. Well, Riley surprised even herself by making the college team and becoming the starting kicker of the team despite the reservations that many had. She is surrounded by mistrust and Riley knows that she will have to prove herself to the team that she can make it, but also will have the team’s back. What really throws her game off is having to roommate with her nemesis and her brother’s best friend, Zeke. Despite his cocky personality, she finds something deeper with Zeke she doesn’t expect. They come to an agreement, to help each other. Zeke may seem like a cocky football player, but there is so much more to him than meets the eye. He is dyslexic and knows the only thing he has going for him is the sport. He knows his classes are going to be a challenge for him, but he also has a woman he can’t get out of his mind or heart and will do whatever it takes to prove himself to her. Despite the reservations, they have about each other, passion and emotion explode between Zeke and Riley. But can they have a relationship with the world watching?

“Because I ache for you,” he breathed against my lips next. “And I’ll end anyone who touches what’s mine.”

Fair Catch was such a beautiful romance and I was cheering this couple all the way through. In the first half of the story we really see the tension that rides their relationship and many unresolved issues. You feel for both of these characters, and see them fight their hearts throughout this story. But despite the fact that Riley hates Zeke, he helps her with the team and fights for her and knows her abilities, and understands what she can bring to the team. I love that he is her strongest supporter despite how she treats him. While I understood Riley’s feelings for Zeke in the beginning, she can be prickly at times, and even though normally that would throw me off, I found myself being highly entertained by the tension that builds within the story. It’s definitely not an easy romance in this one. But I will admit that I was intrigued to see how they would balance it all out. And the way this romance evolves was just perfection, the connection between Zeke and Riley was super wonderful and just fed my romantic feels. There were so many vulnerable poignant moments that build between these two. We see such strength in both of their characters and what they rise above to live their dreams and keep their promises made to those they love. If you are a football fan, I guarantee that this book will work for you in every way.

“You can forgive. Forgive, and understand that we’re human. We’re not perfect. And one day when you make a mistake, you’ll want someone to afford you the same grace.”

Overall I found Fair Catch to be a true win of a romance, it feeds the soul with such deep layered beauty and the challenge in overcoming fears to live your dream and embrace your passions. Its a romance every reader will be able to connect with and will make you swoon! A bowl game-winner of a read!

“Somebody who betters you,” I started. “Somebody who inspires and encourages you in love and in life, who pushes you toward dreams and goals you’d otherwise ignore, who selflessly sacrifices their time to help you become a more courageous, well rounded and happy human being. That’s sacred,” I said, swallowing before I finished. “You hold on to a love like that.”

[Salma · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely loved it!!! this audiobook too was sooo good!!! def new narrators to add to the lits !!!

[The Romantic Rush Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kandi Steiner always delivers the perfect combination of heart-aching angst and heartfelt swoon. Fair Catch is delightfully novel, a uniquely inspired love story that enchants in its romantic sincerity and captures your heart from start to finish. Prepare to fall madly in love with this couple and with Kandi's heart-grabbing, emotive prose! I simply adored this story!


While this story starts out in a serious vein, for the most part, this is a light, fun, and super swoony story. I love how Kandi gives us a female college footballer in Riley, our determined, sassy, and loyal heroine. It was so fun to see that trope flipped on its head and to watch her work through all her conflicting emotions when it comes to her twin brother’s best friend (and her ex-friend), teammate, AND unexpected roommate Zeke. Though Riley struggles with forgiveness and makes some snap judgment in the story, Kandi always humanizes her- this is a young woman figuring out how to navigate unusual situations, with her own head and heart in constant battle. A promise leads to an unexpected life shift, so she has to be tough and at times bury her emotions to fit into the male dominated sport she’s in- and I really related to both her resolve and stoicism, even if it meant she was hard on Zeke at times.

But Zeke certainly can rile her up. And OMG ZEKE- he’s the quintessential Kandi boyfriend. A man of a pure heart, sincere motives, and a confident swagger. He’s imperfect, but he’s authentic, and I loved how tenderly he loves Riley. How generous he was with her, how understanding. He has his own baggage, and has to come to terms with his own self-worth given some mistakes, but he’s an all around beautiful soul. Kandi’s heroes always have a vulnerable side that makes me weak in the knees- and Zeke lets his feelings fly openly, and it made him all the more dreamy. Together they have tons of fire, but a lot of heart- the perfect swoony, sexy chemistry that made me fall head over heels in love with them. Their story has some bumps, but it’s a sweet and tender falling- two friends-enemies-friends finding their way back to each other and into a whole new dimension of their relationship. I adored them.

I love how authentically the sports and football parts of this story are conveyed- Kandi has clearly done her research, and it felt so real and vivid, including just what it would mean to have a female kicker on a division one college football team. And there are some delightfully endearing secondary characters (and few deplorable ones) that make this story all the richer and more captivating. Riley’s brother in particular captured my heart- he seems to have such a tender heart and a gleeful vivacity, despite how unexpectedly his life changed. I can’t wait for more stories in this world- and to get to check in on Riley and Zeke. Kandi stole my heart with this one!

[Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Football, romance, girl boss. Yes, yes, and yes!

[Adiaha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I dock a star because of the third act conflict? Yes, yes I did. Because she knew about the thing!! That’s not something you just ‘huh that totally slipped my mind.’ 😐

I love Gavin. I wonder if he’ll get a book.

I also love how Kandi Steiner doesn’t overdue her melanated characters. You know what I mean? Some authors try sooooo hard to show that they don’t write just ✨pale✨characters that they end up offending those of us who are of color. I’m a firm believer in, if you’re not comfortable writing about it or you simply don’t know enough then don’t. People will have an opinion regardless. But Kandi Steiner is comfortable in her diversity and it shows ❤️🤍💛🤎🖤

Just forreal could not deal with that third-act. I literally had to stop reading it to cool down. Spice was delicious would say it was just the right amount. Riley girl you still got some growing to do because Zeke 😩🙌🏽😮‍💨

[•.~*Izzy*~.• · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ i’ve read a book by this author before (maybe it was a dnf?) but yeah i just didn’t end up liking it much. this one was better, but i just think the writing style isn’t for me. i dont have much to say. it didn’t annoy me or anything, just didn’t really work for me

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

If I'm being honest, I only picked this one up because the second and third books in the series have been ALL over my socials and I really wanted to read them, but I didn't want to read them out of order (regardless of if they can be read as a SA or not). So, I didn't really go into it with any expectations. That said, it did take me quite a long time to get into it. I think by around 20-30% I was getting bored and was considering cutting my losses and putting it down. I'm glad I didn't, because things did pick up and by the end I was enjoying myself.
I didn't always love Riley. I thought occasionally she could be... kind of a bitch for no reason. I often felt sorry for Zeke for the way she treated him. I also think the conflict at the end of the book actually wasn't that big of a deal and didn't warrant her reaction at all, so I found it difficult not to find her a little bit ridiculous.
However, I loved how hard Zeke loved Riley. Even from the very beginning when she treat him worse than dirt, he protected her, had her back and championed her. He helped her, believed in her and accepted her. I think we all need someone like that.
There were a lot of tropes played out in this book: best friends brother, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, sports romance. They all worked well together.
All that said... I'm happy I read this one first as I continue the series.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As if things aren't already tough enough as the only girl on a college football team, Coach had to go and assign Zeke Collins as my roommate. A cocky kick returner and my brother's best friend who should have been ripped of that title years ago, he's as infuriating as he is undeniably sexy. I hate him, and for good reason - reason I won't ever let him forget.”

Fair Catch has so many tropes that I love;
• Enemies to Lovers
• College Football Sports Romance
• Roommates
• Forced Proximity
• Brother’s Best Friend
This combo was really something!

I’ll be honest though I think I preferred Blind Side, this book was quite different from that but I still liked it nonetheless.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy read I’d definitely say this is a good recommendation for that.

I would definitely recommend reading some of Kandi Steiner’s work, and I cannot wait to read the third book in the series, Quarterback Sneak!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This was super cute And she in the football team just wow!!!
Zeke, I've never seen such an emotional intelligent man every time if he did something wrong he immediately admitting it yk what I mean and he's the one who apologies first ughhhh I just need a man with his mind-set.

[Nayema · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many amazing tropes!!

✨sports romance
✨brother’s best friend
✨roommate romance
✨hate to love

and so many others!

i really enjoyed this book and i cannot wait for holden’s book :)))

[Sammie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally read the second book before this one, but I didn’t love this one quiiiiiite as much as Blind Side. However, it did really like it! Zeke and Riley grew up as great friends, while her twin brother Gavin is best friends with Zeke. Something tragic happens when they’re sixteen that Riley blames Zeke for and she hates him for it.

They both end up on the same football team, Riley as the first female kicker, and also in a fluke, end up as roommates in the team dorm. As you can imagine, they’re realize they want each other and are fire…until they implode.

I looooooved Zeke, absolutely loved him. He’s honest, respectful, kind, hardworking, and really fervently loves Riley. Riley I….didn’t love. She was okay, but I felt that she was more hardened and critical and unwavering. Didn’t hate her, but this would have been even sweeter if she wasn’t such a hard ass on Zeke!

[bookss_addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

une bonne introduction à la saga
il me tarde de lire blind side qui est celui qui me tente le plus

[Finucha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️
Good but basic. There’s no plot but it’s still entertaining and tbh brother's best friend does it for me every.single.time. Zeke was the sweetest and such a golden retriever, he had me blushing the whole time. And I liked Riley, though she sometimes pissed me off when mentioned to him how ‘lazy’ he was at college and made him feel bad because of his dyslexia. Other than that all pretty good and I like the couple they make.
The best of all were the football vibes✨🏈. I also loved the friendship between the guys (leo, clay, holden) with Zeke and can't wait for their stories. Oh and Gavin was so sweet and funny, also a very much needed story.

[катя⁷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

whatever🙄....