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Red Zone Rivals #3
Oyun Kurucu
Oyun kurucu Holden Moore istediği her kıza sahip olabilirdi. Ben hariç… Çünkü ben koçun kızıydım.
Delici yeşil gözleri, devasa kol kasları ve karşı konulamaz gamzeleriyle kampüsteki her kızın en büyük hedefiydi. Takım arkadaşlarına göreyse hayatının tek aşkı futboldu. Holden onların lideri, bir numaralı oyun kurucuları ve takımlarının kaptanıydı. Boş oyunlarla vakit harcamayan ve işini fazlasıyla ciddiye alan biriydi.
Peki ya benimle birlikteyken ? Bay Ciddi, hiç de o kadar ciddi değildi. Damarıma basıyordu ve onun seksi bakışlarına hapsolmamı sağlayana kadar beni kızdırmayı seviyordu. Ona yasak bölge olduğumu defalarca kez hatırlatmıştım. Bana sahip olamazdı. Zaten ben de ne onu ne de bir başkasını istiyordum.
Birbirimize yaklaştığımızda etrafımızda şimşekler çakıyor olsa da pes edemezdik. Ben koçun kızıydım. Holden ise Profesyonel Lig’e girmek için bu oyunu babamın kurallarına göre oynamak zorundaydı. Yoksa takımdan atılırdı.
Ve kaybedecek bir şeyleri olan tek kişi o değildi.
Delici yeşil gözleri, devasa kol kasları ve karşı konulamaz gamzeleriyle kampüsteki her kızın en büyük hedefiydi. Takım arkadaşlarına göreyse hayatının tek aşkı futboldu. Holden onların lideri, bir numaralı oyun kurucuları ve takımlarının kaptanıydı. Boş oyunlarla vakit harcamayan ve işini fazlasıyla ciddiye alan biriydi.
Peki ya benimle birlikteyken ? Bay Ciddi, hiç de o kadar ciddi değildi. Damarıma basıyordu ve onun seksi bakışlarına hapsolmamı sağlayana kadar beni kızdırmayı seviyordu. Ona yasak bölge olduğumu defalarca kez hatırlatmıştım. Bana sahip olamazdı. Zaten ben de ne onu ne de bir başkasını istiyordum.
Birbirimize yaklaştığımızda etrafımızda şimşekler çakıyor olsa da pes edemezdik. Ben koçun kızıydım. Holden ise Profesyonel Lig’e girmek için bu oyunu babamın kurallarına göre oynamak zorundaydı. Yoksa takımdan atılırdı.
Ve kaybedecek bir şeyleri olan tek kişi o değildi.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2022
3764 people are currently reading
33471 people want to read
About the author
Kandi Steiner
79 books14.8k followersKandi 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,205 reviews
December 1, 2022
“he’d filled me with life, even
when i hadn’t asked for it.”
this book was SO good!! honestly, the chokehold sports romance books has on me, unreal !
i started this series with blind side and i fell in love with giana and clay, so of course i was so excited to hear we were getting holden’s book 🫶🏼
— i love forbidden and sports romances and steiner has combined both into this story while delivering an angst-filled, steamy, emotionally packed and forbidden romance.
— holden, he is the starting quarterback for NBU. his life revolves around football, and nothing will come between him or distract him with wanting to go pro, until julep comes into his life. she is the new coach’s daughter and she is COMPLETELY off-limits to all the players on the team. holden is reminded all the time she is forbidden and he can’t have her, but does that stop him? of course not, he was a goner right from the start.
— holden is an amazing character. he was charming, a good leader to his team and protective to those who mattered to him.
AND HE GARDENS >>>
— julep, she came to NBU with her father to work alongside him and complete her degree in sports medicine. her only goal is to get through each day and prove to her father she is getting her life back together. she wants to make up for her mistakes in the past, and she’s ready for something new. she has no time for distractions or dating. she’s reserved and does not let others in easily, until she meets holden. he snuck his way into her life, and turned her life around for the better. her walls start to come down even when she tried to keep them up. he understood her, comforted her, took care of her and he truly made her feel alive again.
both holden and julep are very flawed characters who carry their trauma and process their grief differently, but that allows them to connect with each other on a deeper level. they both know what it’s like to live with grief and their similar experiences are what allowed them to finally open up to one another.
— their chemistry was HOT don’t get me wrong, but their emotional bond was even better.
tropes:
forbidden love — coach’s daughter
sports romance
secret relationship
reverse grumpy/sunshine
he falls first 🫶🏼
forced proximity
neighbors to lovers
January 19, 2023
This was my first book by Kandi Steiner and I think I started with the wrong one. I know her book A Love Letter to Whiskey is very popular and I still plan on reading it, I don't personally have a lot of issues with her writing style. She's a good writer, but here are my takes on this sports-romance:
Keep in mind, I don't usually read spots-romance, and maybe with this book I realized I don't love them? Or I just haven't found the right one yet.
The dramatization of characters being extremely worried about college football doesn't touch me in any way. Again, I think it's because I personally couldn't care less about sports.
They spend 80% of the book concerned about winning or losing, playing or not playing and none of these characters have any layers to them. They don't care about anything else. The complexity of these characters was so limited that they did add ONE SINGLE thing they were interested in outside of sports. ONE SINGLE hobby, just to say: oh football is not their whoooooooole life, they also like cooking sometimes.
I know that might sound unfair, because in real life, sports players do have to make practice and games their entire life/personality, because it takes a lot of effort. But again, it was so hard to care about these two.
I couldn't see a single reason why they should be together, they didn't have any chemistry, and they bonded over trauma. I don't think bonding over trauma is the ONLY thing a couple should have in common. It was very hard for me to cheer for them. It was like eating flour and sipping on water.
But I know a lot of people who love sports-romance, and love this book and IT'S OK! I understand, like I said, Kendi is a good writer. This is totally one of those: it's me, not you. If you enjoy characters with heavy/trigger filled trauma backgrounds, who find "love" because they experienced the same loss and make sports the reason for their entire existence, you might love this.
but here is a GLOBAL criticism I am allowed to make:
you ready?
not every dirty talk fits every character, in every book, just because you want people to make tiktoks of how spicy your books are.
Not every male character was meant to say shit like: "good girl". I know it's popular, and I know it's going to help you sell your book, but I don't have to love it.
People nowadays will write a goal oriented character, who takes sports seriously, who has a lot of trauma, is trying to heal daily, but he is SOMEHOW a d@ddy dom in the bedroom.
You can still write a sensual, sexual scene, THAT FITS YOUR CHARACTER, that is congruent with his story and background and give him realistic (and yet, still hot, lines)
But now, with this influx of romance books being written and published at the speed of light (me, the person who has read over 300 books in the last two years) as a reader, I am allowed to say:
Every romance book I pick up gives me the exact same sex scenes, with the exact same lines, and 85% of the time they don't fit the character. They just need to have SOMEONE SAY: "good girl" or the world is going to explode.
So yeah, I am getting tired of the rinse and repeat. I need more authentic romance novels. I need original storylines that haven't been done 300 times before and are not being written just so tiktoks can be made.
I LOVE the sexual freedom romance books have given us, and I think we should read whatever we want, and I will read some Jessa Kane from time to time when I am in the mood for brain-dead smut, but I am not always in the mood for that when it's a 400 page book and I am allowed to complain if the characters are not fluid, make zero sense and definitely feel like a walking/talking "pls tiktok buy my book"
January 7, 2024
➵ 2.25 stars
pov; me trying to keep up with their relationship:
- rtc <3
pov; me on my way to leo and mary's book:
⎯⎯ ୨ pre-read ୧ ⎯⎯
i’m quite literally just read this to get to the next book, where my husband (leo) is the main character. but i’m scared because i hated the first book in this series with burning passion, but the second book was literally delicious, and i know i’ll love the fourth one but this one ? hmm, not so sure. so i need y’all to cross your fingers with me 🤞🏼😭
the dedication is beautiful tho, so to anyone who needs to hear this:
To the ones who have been strangled by the dark hand of grief,
who have found the strength to stand
even with its boot on your chest,
to those who continue to live even when it feels impossible…
this one’s for you
from me to you — if anyone hasn’t already told you today i’ll tell you; you’re absolutely amazing, you’re gorgeous asf, and you can do it. time heals all wounds, or at least make things a little more bearable 💌 (i’m on my period so i’m a little sentimental so bear with me)
pov; me trying to keep up with their relationship:
- rtc <3
pov; me on my way to leo and mary's book:
⎯⎯ ୨ pre-read ୧ ⎯⎯
i’m quite literally just read this to get to the next book, where my husband (leo) is the main character. but i’m scared because i hated the first book in this series with burning passion, but the second book was literally delicious, and i know i’ll love the fourth one but this one ? hmm, not so sure. so i need y’all to cross your fingers with me 🤞🏼😭
the dedication is beautiful tho, so to anyone who needs to hear this:
To the ones who have been strangled by the dark hand of grief,
who have found the strength to stand
even with its boot on your chest,
to those who continue to live even when it feels impossible…
this one’s for you
from me to you — if anyone hasn’t already told you today i’ll tell you; you’re absolutely amazing, you’re gorgeous asf, and you can do it. time heals all wounds, or at least make things a little more bearable 💌 (i’m on my period so i’m a little sentimental so bear with me)
November 16, 2023
4.25 stars
I have been loving this Kandi Steiner series! Sports romance is my favorite and I love that forbidden love troupe. Quarterback Sneak did not disappoint. It was all that angsty goodness with an amazing hero. I loved it.
Holden Moore is QB1 and the leader of his team. He’s starting his final college season with a new coach- Coach Lee. Along with Coach Lee is his daughter, Julep. Julep is working with the team as she’s a sports medicine major and the coach is VERY adamant that no one dates his daughter, flirts with his daughter etc or there will be consequences.
Holden has a big problem though. He can’t keep his eyes off Julep. And then, she moves in across the street from him. Julep is closed off to most people. She has a messy past and she doesn’t like to talk about it. Holden has been through similar things but he doesn’t let it get him down the same way.
I’m always reading books about damaged heroes that need saving but in this case, it was the heroine that really needed the hero. I loved that. This one had some angsty moments, but the end left such a big smile on my face. The epilogue was everything and I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Julep Lee was the coach’s daughter. She was completely off limits. And yet, I knew right then and there that I had to have her.
I have been loving this Kandi Steiner series! Sports romance is my favorite and I love that forbidden love troupe. Quarterback Sneak did not disappoint. It was all that angsty goodness with an amazing hero. I loved it.
Holden Moore is QB1 and the leader of his team. He’s starting his final college season with a new coach- Coach Lee. Along with Coach Lee is his daughter, Julep. Julep is working with the team as she’s a sports medicine major and the coach is VERY adamant that no one dates his daughter, flirts with his daughter etc or there will be consequences.
Holden has a big problem though. He can’t keep his eyes off Julep. And then, she moves in across the street from him. Julep is closed off to most people. She has a messy past and she doesn’t like to talk about it. Holden has been through similar things but he doesn’t let it get him down the same way.
I’m always reading books about damaged heroes that need saving but in this case, it was the heroine that really needed the hero. I loved that. This one had some angsty moments, but the end left such a big smile on my face. The epilogue was everything and I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
November 17, 2022
I can’t tell you the last time I was so into a book that I read every single word from beginning to end without feeling the want to skim for even a second. I thought this book was very well written and I loved everything about it - it felt like Kandi was in her zone and having her moment when she wrote this.
One of my favorite things to read about are damaged characters - and in this story we had two people with very similar family histories, and I loved seeing how they were able to understand and connect with each other because of it. It was interesting to see how at first, it seemed like they were dealing with their situations very differently, but when they really let each other in - they realized how similar they both actually were.
I really felt their chemistry and connection to each other and loved how there were moments where they let their attraction do the talking, but then it was followed up with these intense moments that really showed you that these characters were connecting on a deeper level than just the fact that they were physically into one another.
It was a classic ‘I can’t have you, but I want you’ situation and it stuck pretty well to the basic setup of how those type of stories usually go… but all of the smaller details about these characters and the way the story was built up was what made it feel really unique to me — and when you wrapped it all together, it was just a really solid time.
And on a side note - I’m a huge sucker for the super focused sports player that used to only care about the game, who’s ends up being willing to give up everything for his girl because without her, it means nothing… and this book definitely delivered on that note.
One of my favorite things to read about are damaged characters - and in this story we had two people with very similar family histories, and I loved seeing how they were able to understand and connect with each other because of it. It was interesting to see how at first, it seemed like they were dealing with their situations very differently, but when they really let each other in - they realized how similar they both actually were.
I really felt their chemistry and connection to each other and loved how there were moments where they let their attraction do the talking, but then it was followed up with these intense moments that really showed you that these characters were connecting on a deeper level than just the fact that they were physically into one another.
It was a classic ‘I can’t have you, but I want you’ situation and it stuck pretty well to the basic setup of how those type of stories usually go… but all of the smaller details about these characters and the way the story was built up was what made it feel really unique to me — and when you wrapped it all together, it was just a really solid time.
And on a side note - I’m a huge sucker for the super focused sports player that used to only care about the game, who’s ends up being willing to give up everything for his girl because without her, it means nothing… and this book definitely delivered on that note.
Read
October 20, 2022🏈 ℚ 𝕌 𝔸 ℝ 𝕋 𝔼 ℝ 𝔹 𝔸 ℂ 𝕂 𝕊 ℕ 𝔼 𝔸 𝕂 🏈
NOW LIVE!
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝! 👉 https://amzn.to/3Q2gFQu
He's HERE! Holden Moore is finally here to melt your hearts (and your kindles). 🥵 It feels like we've been waiting FOREVER for this one and I'm so, so excited for you to finally read!
🏈 sports romance
🏈 college/new adult romance
🏈 coach’s daughter & quarterback
🏈 forced proximity
🏈 neighbors to lovers
🏈 reverse grumpy/sunshine
🏈 he 👏 falls 👏 first 👏
Here's a little sneak peek inside...
Zeke threw his arm around Riley, whispering something into her neck that made her blush and made me feel uncomfortable for having witnessed it.
“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Holden said in a low voice, nodding toward where Zeke and Riley were huddled together. “Although I’d take this over the shit show they were their freshman season.”
“Isn’t it weird,” I asked. “Two teammates dating?”
He shrugged, shoveling a huge mound of rice into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he said, “Not really any of my business. As long as they do their job on the field, I don’t care what’s going on off it.”
“So very captain of you.”
Holden winked, and I fought the urge to give him another roll of my eyes.
“What about you?” I asked, waving the end of my fork toward the back corner table. “Which one of the cheerleaders is yours?”
“Oh no,” Leo interjected, standing up enough to clap Holden hard on the shoulder. “Cap doesn’t date.”
“Wilson is his one true love,” Clay added.
I gave them both a look of disbelief. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
“They tell no lies,” Riley said. “QB1 doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.”
“He makes time for the important part of a relationship, though,” Zeke added with a wink.
I caught Holden just in time to see him giving Zeke a warning glare, and Riley smacked Zeke across the chest.
“Ah — so that’s the move, huh? Pull a cheerleader into your bed, make her think she has a chance only to break her heart?”
Holden angled himself toward me, one elbow on the table as he leaned in and invaded my space. His scent overpowered anything else, a combination of his spicy body wash and the musk still hanging on from practice.
“Is this your not-so-subtle way of asking if I have a girlfriend, Julep Lee? Because I can save you the detective work and tell you that I don’t.”
I scoffed. “Like I care.”
“Seems like you might.”
“Seems like they might need to order new helmets to fit your big head.”
Leo coughed to cover his laugh, nudging Riley who was having that silent conversation with Giana across the table again.
Holden ignored all of it, only leaning in even more, his breath warm on my lips. “Some of us are going out tonight to celebrate chart before the real work of the season starts. You should come.”
“Since when are you going out?” Leo asked with a scoff.
“Since now,” Holden answered without looking away from me. I didn’t think it was possible for him to lean in any closer without it being a kiss, but he managed, and I resisted the urge to back down. “That is, if Julep joins us.”
My next inhale came harder than the one before it, burning in a way I was unfamiliar with as those sea green eyes danced.
“You keep forgetting who I am,” I said, hoping my voice was louder to him than it was over the roaring in my ears.
“I know exactly who you are.”
That made me scoff. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“So let’s change that.”
He shot the words back at me so quickly that the table went quiet, everyone pretending to eat when I knew damned well they were all tuned in to what I would say back.
I narrowed my eyes, rolling my lips together before I pressed just a fraction of an inch into the slight space that still existed between us. I opened my mouth, ready to fire back even though I didn’t have anything locked and loaded.
But before I could, a deep voice rumbled through the room.
“Moore.”
It was like a rubber band snapping, how my father’s voice made every player sit at attention. They straightened their backs, aligned their shoulders, and kept their eyes on their food.
Everyone except for Holden, who jumped back from me like I was on fire before standing like a fucking soldier.
“Sir,” he answered.
Dad ambled over to the table slowly, a tray of food in his hands as his eyes surveyed the scene. He looked at the table of players, at Giana, at me, and lastly, at Holden — at where he was in proximity to me.
There was no verbal response, just a head tilt from my father toward the door. He walked out without checking to see if Holden followed — which he did, without so much as a look behind at me or anyone else.
When they were gone, Leo let out a fizz of a laugh that set the rest of the table at ease.
“Poor Cap,” Zeke said, shaking his head. “Can’t catch a break this season.”
Embarrassment heated my neck as eyes slowly drifted to me, and I cleared my throat, forcing the best smile I could before I grabbed my tray and stood.
“I better get back,” was all I quietly offered before I was jetting toward the trash cans to dump my barely-touched lunch.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝! 👉 https://amzn.to/3Q2gFQu
𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 "𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭" 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 👉 https://amzn.to/3RP0xCZ
NOW LIVE!
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝! 👉 https://amzn.to/3Q2gFQu
He's HERE! Holden Moore is finally here to melt your hearts (and your kindles). 🥵 It feels like we've been waiting FOREVER for this one and I'm so, so excited for you to finally read!
🏈 sports romance
🏈 college/new adult romance
🏈 coach’s daughter & quarterback
🏈 forced proximity
🏈 neighbors to lovers
🏈 reverse grumpy/sunshine
🏈 he 👏 falls 👏 first 👏
Here's a little sneak peek inside...
Zeke threw his arm around Riley, whispering something into her neck that made her blush and made me feel uncomfortable for having witnessed it.
“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Holden said in a low voice, nodding toward where Zeke and Riley were huddled together. “Although I’d take this over the shit show they were their freshman season.”
“Isn’t it weird,” I asked. “Two teammates dating?”
He shrugged, shoveling a huge mound of rice into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he said, “Not really any of my business. As long as they do their job on the field, I don’t care what’s going on off it.”
“So very captain of you.”
Holden winked, and I fought the urge to give him another roll of my eyes.
“What about you?” I asked, waving the end of my fork toward the back corner table. “Which one of the cheerleaders is yours?”
“Oh no,” Leo interjected, standing up enough to clap Holden hard on the shoulder. “Cap doesn’t date.”
“Wilson is his one true love,” Clay added.
I gave them both a look of disbelief. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
“They tell no lies,” Riley said. “QB1 doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.”
“He makes time for the important part of a relationship, though,” Zeke added with a wink.
I caught Holden just in time to see him giving Zeke a warning glare, and Riley smacked Zeke across the chest.
“Ah — so that’s the move, huh? Pull a cheerleader into your bed, make her think she has a chance only to break her heart?”
Holden angled himself toward me, one elbow on the table as he leaned in and invaded my space. His scent overpowered anything else, a combination of his spicy body wash and the musk still hanging on from practice.
“Is this your not-so-subtle way of asking if I have a girlfriend, Julep Lee? Because I can save you the detective work and tell you that I don’t.”
I scoffed. “Like I care.”
“Seems like you might.”
“Seems like they might need to order new helmets to fit your big head.”
Leo coughed to cover his laugh, nudging Riley who was having that silent conversation with Giana across the table again.
Holden ignored all of it, only leaning in even more, his breath warm on my lips. “Some of us are going out tonight to celebrate chart before the real work of the season starts. You should come.”
“Since when are you going out?” Leo asked with a scoff.
“Since now,” Holden answered without looking away from me. I didn’t think it was possible for him to lean in any closer without it being a kiss, but he managed, and I resisted the urge to back down. “That is, if Julep joins us.”
My next inhale came harder than the one before it, burning in a way I was unfamiliar with as those sea green eyes danced.
“You keep forgetting who I am,” I said, hoping my voice was louder to him than it was over the roaring in my ears.
“I know exactly who you are.”
That made me scoff. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“So let’s change that.”
He shot the words back at me so quickly that the table went quiet, everyone pretending to eat when I knew damned well they were all tuned in to what I would say back.
I narrowed my eyes, rolling my lips together before I pressed just a fraction of an inch into the slight space that still existed between us. I opened my mouth, ready to fire back even though I didn’t have anything locked and loaded.
But before I could, a deep voice rumbled through the room.
“Moore.”
It was like a rubber band snapping, how my father’s voice made every player sit at attention. They straightened their backs, aligned their shoulders, and kept their eyes on their food.
Everyone except for Holden, who jumped back from me like I was on fire before standing like a fucking soldier.
“Sir,” he answered.
Dad ambled over to the table slowly, a tray of food in his hands as his eyes surveyed the scene. He looked at the table of players, at Giana, at me, and lastly, at Holden — at where he was in proximity to me.
There was no verbal response, just a head tilt from my father toward the door. He walked out without checking to see if Holden followed — which he did, without so much as a look behind at me or anyone else.
When they were gone, Leo let out a fizz of a laugh that set the rest of the table at ease.
“Poor Cap,” Zeke said, shaking his head. “Can’t catch a break this season.”
Embarrassment heated my neck as eyes slowly drifted to me, and I cleared my throat, forcing the best smile I could before I grabbed my tray and stood.
“I better get back,” was all I quietly offered before I was jetting toward the trash cans to dump my barely-touched lunch.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝! 👉 https://amzn.to/3Q2gFQu
𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 "𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭" 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 👉 https://amzn.to/3RP0xCZ
December 12, 2022
4.25 ⭐️ im obsessed w this entire series + friend group. wow.
this story was so much deeper than i thought it would be. it’s way more than a forbidden / coaches daughter romance & i loved that. julep & holden’s connection was so strong and i adored getting to know them individually and together. and their spice was SO UNEXPECTED?????? “beg for it” okay sir? i wasn’t ready for all of that. i’m not complaining though.
i will say, they didn’t stand out to me like clay & giana did. so blind side is definitely still my favorite. but regardless this was amazing.
✨i cannot wait for hail mary. i’m ready for it to be fantastic✨
“he filled me with life, even when i hadn’t asked for it.” <3
this story was so much deeper than i thought it would be. it’s way more than a forbidden / coaches daughter romance & i loved that. julep & holden’s connection was so strong and i adored getting to know them individually and together. and their spice was SO UNEXPECTED?????? “beg for it” okay sir? i wasn’t ready for all of that. i’m not complaining though.
i will say, they didn’t stand out to me like clay & giana did. so blind side is definitely still my favorite. but regardless this was amazing.
✨i cannot wait for hail mary. i’m ready for it to be fantastic✨
“he filled me with life, even when i hadn’t asked for it.” <3
November 3, 2023
3.75 stars
This series is fulfilling my sports college romance cravings. It has been pure entertainment. I started the series expecting nothing but a fun time, and blind side delivered just that. This one tho? It delivered more. I loved the forbidden aspect of the story and the kind of connection those two had. I mean it’s still such an entertaining fun time but with a deeper emotional level. I kinda liked how they both share the same grief but each one of them was dealing with it differently. I also liked how they had the perfect balance of both the crazy chemistry and emotional bond. I even liked how the third act conflict was done and handled which is rare for me.
This series is fulfilling my sports college romance cravings. It has been pure entertainment. I started the series expecting nothing but a fun time, and blind side delivered just that. This one tho? It delivered more. I loved the forbidden aspect of the story and the kind of connection those two had. I mean it’s still such an entertaining fun time but with a deeper emotional level. I kinda liked how they both share the same grief but each one of them was dealing with it differently. I also liked how they had the perfect balance of both the crazy chemistry and emotional bond. I even liked how the third act conflict was done and handled which is rare for me.
February 12, 2023
4.25⭐
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, angsty, college, athlete, sports romance, football, coach's daughter, close proximity, forbidden love, forced proximity, grumpy h/sunshine H, neighbors-to-lovers, secret romance, tortured lead, tragic past, slow burn, drugs
Holden & Julep
What happens when someone tells you that something or someone is off-limits? Duh, it makes you want it all that much more. Holden is the quarterback and Julep is studying sports medicine. When Holden gets injured Julep is assigned to help him get back out on the field. (Great job, Coach, pushing them into forced proximity, so really he should blame himself.)
Each have a sad and emotional past and their similar stories bring them together to form a bond. Your heart breaks for both of them. You can't help but love Holden and how he found solace in gardening. He seemed very mature for his age. Julep found her solace in pole dancing. She, on the other hand, lacked maturity at times. It's slow burn, but you just know that action is a coming with how they interact with each other and there's a good amount of steamage.
I can, a little bit, see Coach's rule for off-limits, but I, also, don't like when parents feel like they can tell their adult children what to do.
This is my first time reading Kandi's work and I hate that I started on book 3, but it seems like I probably didn't miss out on anything from the previous books. I like the 2nd epilogue that sets up the next book in the series.
*Thanks to Kandi Steiner and Valentine PR for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, angsty, college, athlete, sports romance, football, coach's daughter, close proximity, forbidden love, forced proximity, grumpy h/sunshine H, neighbors-to-lovers, secret romance, tortured lead, tragic past, slow burn, drugs
Holden & Julep
What happens when someone tells you that something or someone is off-limits? Duh, it makes you want it all that much more. Holden is the quarterback and Julep is studying sports medicine. When Holden gets injured Julep is assigned to help him get back out on the field. (Great job, Coach, pushing them into forced proximity, so really he should blame himself.)
Each have a sad and emotional past and their similar stories bring them together to form a bond. Your heart breaks for both of them. You can't help but love Holden and how he found solace in gardening. He seemed very mature for his age. Julep found her solace in pole dancing. She, on the other hand, lacked maturity at times. It's slow burn, but you just know that action is a coming with how they interact with each other and there's a good amount of steamage.
I can, a little bit, see Coach's rule for off-limits, but I, also, don't like when parents feel like they can tell their adult children what to do.
This is my first time reading Kandi's work and I hate that I started on book 3, but it seems like I probably didn't miss out on anything from the previous books. I like the 2nd epilogue that sets up the next book in the series.
*Thanks to Kandi Steiner and Valentine PR for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
November 24, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
''He lived for the loves ones he'd lost. I self-destructed for mine''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Mention of su*cide
- Mention of drugs
- Mention of attempted r*pe
- Loss of loved ones
- HEA
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
So, this wasn't my favorite and I hated that I wasn't a big fan. I didn't connect with Julep, and I felt like her father was just holding her back by making all these rules and threats. I know she was in a horrible place, and she needed to be kept in the straight and narrow path to heal but I had hoped once he saw or heard how happy she was with Holden that he would change his tune but nope - he threatened with ruining Holden's career and sending her off to rehab if they were ever together again. Thankfully it took only a month of Holden to stand his ground for the dad to change his tune.
Her mom was awful too - I am glad they patched things up at the end but her attitude towards her daughter (ignoring her, refusing to speak to her and not wanting to see her) might have been another factor to Julep's self-destruction throughout the years? No? You didn't think your words and actions towards her would lead to Julep wanting to find ways to avoid reality by using drugs and alcohol?
Holden was a sweetheart and I really liked him. His past defined him, but it didn't destroy him. He focused on the one thing that made him happy for years > football.
I really liked seeing Clay and Gianna! Blind side was amazing, and I was glad to see the couple again.
We got to see who the next book is about, and I have to say I am intrigued because Mary (Julep's roommate) made it look like at the end that her and Leo (Holden's best friend and roommate) knew each other for a long time, and they have a history but Leo seemed like there wasn't? Idk lol
''He lived for the loves ones he'd lost. I self-destructed for mine''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Mention of su*cide
- Mention of drugs
- Mention of attempted r*pe
- Loss of loved ones
- HEA
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
So, this wasn't my favorite and I hated that I wasn't a big fan. I didn't connect with Julep, and I felt like her father was just holding her back by making all these rules and threats. I know she was in a horrible place, and she needed to be kept in the straight and narrow path to heal but I had hoped once he saw or heard how happy she was with Holden that he would change his tune but nope - he threatened with ruining Holden's career and sending her off to rehab if they were ever together again. Thankfully it took only a month of Holden to stand his ground for the dad to change his tune.
Her mom was awful too - I am glad they patched things up at the end but her attitude towards her daughter (ignoring her, refusing to speak to her and not wanting to see her) might have been another factor to Julep's self-destruction throughout the years? No? You didn't think your words and actions towards her would lead to Julep wanting to find ways to avoid reality by using drugs and alcohol?
Holden was a sweetheart and I really liked him. His past defined him, but it didn't destroy him. He focused on the one thing that made him happy for years > football.
I really liked seeing Clay and Gianna! Blind side was amazing, and I was glad to see the couple again.
We got to see who the next book is about, and I have to say I am intrigued because Mary (Julep's roommate) made it look like at the end that her and Leo (Holden's best friend and roommate) knew each other for a long time, and they have a history but Leo seemed like there wasn't? Idk lol
November 9, 2022
"I see you, everything that you are, and I've never needed anything more in my life."
I'm going to start by saying I don't usually read college romance. There's usually so much unnecessary drama because the characters are young, sometimes foolish, and often a bit too much.
Holden and Julep are wise beyond their years, and mature. It comes from everything they've been through, and it makes this book both relatable and so special to me. It also makes for a very emotional story that had me crying at the end of chapter 28.
I'm officially a Kandi Steiner fan.
"Holden Moore was all stoic leadership for everyone else. But for me, he came undone."
Holden came out of nowhere and swooped me off my feet. QB1, the captain, the reliable guy who is always focused on football, both because it's his dream and it's all he has to hold on to. He's been through so much, he's lost so much, but he wants to enjoy life regardless, because he knows we only get one. And we need to make it count in every way.
"It was her eyes. Warm, endlessly deep brown, framed by thick lashes that swept across her cheeks with every blink. And haunted. Just like mine."
Julep broke my heart. She's such a strong person, and she hides it all so well underneath her mask of cold indifference. She tries not to feel. She's lost so much too, but she can't see life the way she'd like to. There's just too much sorrow, too much pain, and so much guilt. She's going through the motions, and life doesn't seem worth it.
"You love my eyes on you."
Holden's team has a new coach, and he brings his daughter along when he moves to Boston. The first time Holden sees her, he knows she's off limits even before his coach clearly states that for everyone to hear. But it only took a couple of minutes for him to know he wants her, even though he doesn't know how to have her yet.
"What is your problem?"
"You! You, and the way you've scrambled my fucking brain."
Julep is a hard nut to crack. She's distant, but not really. She thinks she's immune to Holden's charms, and to all his flirting, but she's really not. It's going to take a special man to get to her, and Holden has what it takes. Does it take them a while, and is it sometimes heartbreaking to witness their interactions? Yes. Is it worth it? You better believe it!
"Was it the heels you loved most?"
"No. What I loved most was seeing you down on your knees."
It's the tension that does it for me, and there was a lot of it here. Did I mention Julep does pole fitness? The window scene... Damn. It's not that they're not lusting after one another, it's that they can't. Well, they shouldn't, actually. But maybe just once...
The thing is that once could never be enough because they're in too deep without even realizing it.
"You were the last thing I expected this season."
"Sorry to disrupt your plans."
"Feel free to disrupt the rest of my life."
Theirs was both a love story and a growth story for me. They complete each other: Holden brings out the sun to Julep's dark mood. Without even noticing it, they're craving each other every day. Even the smallest touches, the 'just being there', or a text in the morning.
Her dad? Yeah, that's not going to be easy. It all comes down to what matters most in life, and what you're willing to risk losing for your happiness.
"You can hold true to your threats. You can take everything else away from me. But you can't take her."
Holden falls first, and it seems like he falls harder. His monologues, his texts, his protective attitude toward Julep were heartwarming. Their smexy scenes were spot on, and neither of them disappoints: Like all my favorite heroines, Julep is as fierce in bed as she is everywhere else, and Holden gets a kick out of it. You'll get a kick out of both of them.
"Every day. I'll be right by your side reminding you that you matter, that you are needed, that there is a reason to have hope and a reason to live. I'll be here reminding you that for me? You are that reason."
If you think about your life right now, would you say anyone knows you? Values you? Sees you for who you are? If so, do they love you for it? Would they put everything on the line to be with you because you’re worth everything? Because that’s true love right there. Sometimes in the shape of a quarterback tearing down your defenses.
Probably one of my favorite books of 2022.
I'm going to start by saying I don't usually read college romance. There's usually so much unnecessary drama because the characters are young, sometimes foolish, and often a bit too much.
Holden and Julep are wise beyond their years, and mature. It comes from everything they've been through, and it makes this book both relatable and so special to me. It also makes for a very emotional story that had me crying at the end of chapter 28.
I'm officially a Kandi Steiner fan.
"Holden Moore was all stoic leadership for everyone else. But for me, he came undone."
Holden came out of nowhere and swooped me off my feet. QB1, the captain, the reliable guy who is always focused on football, both because it's his dream and it's all he has to hold on to. He's been through so much, he's lost so much, but he wants to enjoy life regardless, because he knows we only get one. And we need to make it count in every way.
"It was her eyes. Warm, endlessly deep brown, framed by thick lashes that swept across her cheeks with every blink. And haunted. Just like mine."
Julep broke my heart. She's such a strong person, and she hides it all so well underneath her mask of cold indifference. She tries not to feel. She's lost so much too, but she can't see life the way she'd like to. There's just too much sorrow, too much pain, and so much guilt. She's going through the motions, and life doesn't seem worth it.
"You love my eyes on you."
Holden's team has a new coach, and he brings his daughter along when he moves to Boston. The first time Holden sees her, he knows she's off limits even before his coach clearly states that for everyone to hear. But it only took a couple of minutes for him to know he wants her, even though he doesn't know how to have her yet.
"What is your problem?"
"You! You, and the way you've scrambled my fucking brain."
Julep is a hard nut to crack. She's distant, but not really. She thinks she's immune to Holden's charms, and to all his flirting, but she's really not. It's going to take a special man to get to her, and Holden has what it takes. Does it take them a while, and is it sometimes heartbreaking to witness their interactions? Yes. Is it worth it? You better believe it!
"Was it the heels you loved most?"
"No. What I loved most was seeing you down on your knees."
It's the tension that does it for me, and there was a lot of it here. Did I mention Julep does pole fitness? The window scene... Damn. It's not that they're not lusting after one another, it's that they can't. Well, they shouldn't, actually. But maybe just once...
The thing is that once could never be enough because they're in too deep without even realizing it.
"You were the last thing I expected this season."
"Sorry to disrupt your plans."
"Feel free to disrupt the rest of my life."
Theirs was both a love story and a growth story for me. They complete each other: Holden brings out the sun to Julep's dark mood. Without even noticing it, they're craving each other every day. Even the smallest touches, the 'just being there', or a text in the morning.
Her dad? Yeah, that's not going to be easy. It all comes down to what matters most in life, and what you're willing to risk losing for your happiness.
"You can hold true to your threats. You can take everything else away from me. But you can't take her."
Holden falls first, and it seems like he falls harder. His monologues, his texts, his protective attitude toward Julep were heartwarming. Their smexy scenes were spot on, and neither of them disappoints: Like all my favorite heroines, Julep is as fierce in bed as she is everywhere else, and Holden gets a kick out of it. You'll get a kick out of both of them.
"Every day. I'll be right by your side reminding you that you matter, that you are needed, that there is a reason to have hope and a reason to live. I'll be here reminding you that for me? You are that reason."
If you think about your life right now, would you say anyone knows you? Values you? Sees you for who you are? If so, do they love you for it? Would they put everything on the line to be with you because you’re worth everything? Because that’s true love right there. Sometimes in the shape of a quarterback tearing down your defenses.
Probably one of my favorite books of 2022.
March 12, 2023
I just want someone to text me to way Holden texts Julep…
“Good morning.
I’m still here.
I hope you breath a little easier today.
Don’t give up on us.
You looked beautiful yesterday.
It will all be okay, Julep. Trust me.”❤️
“Good morning.
I’m still here.
I hope you breath a little easier today.
Don’t give up on us.
You looked beautiful yesterday.
It will all be okay, Julep. Trust me.”❤️
October 9, 2022
4.5✨
”You love me?”
“With every hopelessly optimistic beat of my heart.”
Quarterback Sneak is the perfect angsty and emotional sports romance. Holden, who we met in the two previous books, is EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved Julep. She’s strong, sassy, grumpy, and intelligent.
This book has everything you want in a sports romance. Forbidden love between the QB and coach’s daughter, reverse grumpy sunshine, ANGST, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, and he falls first.
I literally can’t say a negative thing about this book. The tension was perfection. I loved and missed all these characters after reading Blind Side and I’m so happy I was back at NBU.
Thank you so much to Valentine PR and Kandi Steiner for an arc!! This book comes out on 10/19.
”You love me?”
“With every hopelessly optimistic beat of my heart.”
Quarterback Sneak is the perfect angsty and emotional sports romance. Holden, who we met in the two previous books, is EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved Julep. She’s strong, sassy, grumpy, and intelligent.
This book has everything you want in a sports romance. Forbidden love between the QB and coach’s daughter, reverse grumpy sunshine, ANGST, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, and he falls first.
I literally can’t say a negative thing about this book. The tension was perfection. I loved and missed all these characters after reading Blind Side and I’m so happy I was back at NBU.
Thank you so much to Valentine PR and Kandi Steiner for an arc!! This book comes out on 10/19.
November 12, 2022
WHY did this woman keep pole dancing in a thong in front of her living room window with the blinds open? Who does that? 😬😖
WHY did a grown woman let her dad tell her who she could and could not date? Every time they tried to hide their relationship from the dad or worry about her dad I felt like I was reading a high school book.
WHY do authors think every character needs a tragic backstory? I mean a tragic backstory for one character is one thing, this book felt like the tragedy Olympics. At some point it just gets comical.
OK and no college football coach who has a national championship caliber team is going to bench his star quarterback. It just doesn't happen. I don't even watch college football and even I had to laugh at how ridiculous that is.
**Were my expectations too high because I loved the previous book so much? Maybe**
WHY did a grown woman let her dad tell her who she could and could not date? Every time they tried to hide their relationship from the dad or worry about her dad I felt like I was reading a high school book.
WHY do authors think every character needs a tragic backstory? I mean a tragic backstory for one character is one thing, this book felt like the tragedy Olympics. At some point it just gets comical.
OK and no college football coach who has a national championship caliber team is going to bench his star quarterback. It just doesn't happen. I don't even watch college football and even I had to laugh at how ridiculous that is.
**Were my expectations too high because I loved the previous book so much? Maybe**
October 19, 2022
yalllll this book was so dang good. when i read that they were getting a new coach in blind side my first thought was "please let the new coach have a hot off limits daughter" AND LOOK AT THIS. holden had it sooo bad for julep, and when she moved in next door it only made him crazier for her
i looove a sneaking around plot and this one was just so fun. this book is kinda heavy, both characters have experienced hard losses in life and it makes them hesitant to love and commitment. but i also think it made them so mature and they communicated so well. there was no petty drama or miscommunication be they definitely knew what was important in life. UGH Kandi Steiner makes me fall deeper in love every. single. time
i looove a sneaking around plot and this one was just so fun. this book is kinda heavy, both characters have experienced hard losses in life and it makes them hesitant to love and commitment. but i also think it made them so mature and they communicated so well. there was no petty drama or miscommunication be they definitely knew what was important in life. UGH Kandi Steiner makes me fall deeper in love every. single. time
October 20, 2022
Super cute, I loved the ending. The characters were likable and the relationship was written well. My favorite in this series is still Blindside but this is second.
Quick Note though:
I know it’s a “forbidden” romance however a dad repeatedly bringing to attention to his football team that his daughter is off limits when she is a grown ass adult and there in a PROFESSIONAL capacity is ick, just say there is a zero fraternization policy for everyone bc otherwise it undermines her and is disrespectful.
Quick Note though:
I know it’s a “forbidden” romance however a dad repeatedly bringing to attention to his football team that his daughter is off limits when she is a grown ass adult and there in a PROFESSIONAL capacity is ick, just say there is a zero fraternization policy for everyone bc otherwise it undermines her and is disrespectful.
January 17, 2023
4.5 stars
im ruined. a sports romance has never made my cry but this one hurt my heart and sewed it back together
this was insanely good, im addicted to kandi’s writing + these characters. this is hands down my fave coaches daughter romances ive read!
i love a third act breakup and this one was one of my faves!!! “you can take everything else away from me but you cant take her” SCREAMING AND KICKING MY FEET ARE YOU JOKING
tropes:
coaches daughter
forbidden
college sports
emotional (check tws)
im ruined. a sports romance has never made my cry but this one hurt my heart and sewed it back together
this was insanely good, im addicted to kandi’s writing + these characters. this is hands down my fave coaches daughter romances ive read!
i love a third act breakup and this one was one of my faves!!! “you can take everything else away from me but you cant take her” SCREAMING AND KICKING MY FEET ARE YOU JOKING
tropes:
coaches daughter
forbidden
college sports
emotional (check tws)
April 27, 2023
books that have the "i love my sport and that's all i care about, nothing will ever get in my way" CUT TO— "none of this matters without you, i would literally give it all up just to be with you" trope have such a special place in my heart ugh 😩
like the other books in this series, this had a pretty basic premise with the whole forbidden love/secret relationship plotline but oh my god the execution was fantastic, filled with little moments that made it so frickin cute and swoon-worthy. the pacing was also perfect- not too long, but with just enough pining to make it believable. julep and holden were such flawed characters with tragic backstories that came together and shared their grief, ultimately helping each other overcome it and become a better version of themselves. it is so rare, especially in college romances, to see the characters having such a deep connection and just knowing and understanding each other so well. the chemistry was incredible don't get me wrong but their emotional bond?? UNREAL 😭😭
can't wait for mary & leo's book!! their tension was 💥🔥
like the other books in this series, this had a pretty basic premise with the whole forbidden love/secret relationship plotline but oh my god the execution was fantastic, filled with little moments that made it so frickin cute and swoon-worthy. the pacing was also perfect- not too long, but with just enough pining to make it believable. julep and holden were such flawed characters with tragic backstories that came together and shared their grief, ultimately helping each other overcome it and become a better version of themselves. it is so rare, especially in college romances, to see the characters having such a deep connection and just knowing and understanding each other so well. the chemistry was incredible don't get me wrong but their emotional bond?? UNREAL 😭😭
can't wait for mary & leo's book!! their tension was 💥🔥
“he filled me with life, even when i hadn’t asked for it.”
“you can take everything else away from me but you can't take her.”
”you love me?”
“with every hopelessly optimistic beat of my heart.”💓💓💓
December 25, 2022
so, this book was a bit of twist. usually it’s the troubled, closed off H and the hopeful, upbeat h who rescues him. in this story, the H is the upbeat, optimistic one who saves the troubled, lost h. Holden is an absolute sweetheart who saw Julep for who she truly was deep down and still loved every part of her and was a balm to her hurting soul. i loved how hard he fell and fought for Julep but also gave her space when she needed it.
though Holden and Julep were so incredibly flawed, they were so strong. both worked for what they wanted and faced their issues head-on. there were no stupid misunderstandings, just real issues that they worked through. it was honestly refreshing.
Holden and Julep chemistry was unlike any other. i felt connected to them from the very beginning. their banter is delicious, their back and forth is priceless, and when they finally give in… i just have no words! so good! the pool and pole/couch scenes play rent free in my mind🥵🥵
if you like sports romance, a secret dating with coach's daughter, forced proximity, he falls first and HARD, then this is the book you will love! can't wait for the next book in the series Hail Mary!
though Holden and Julep were so incredibly flawed, they were so strong. both worked for what they wanted and faced their issues head-on. there were no stupid misunderstandings, just real issues that they worked through. it was honestly refreshing.
Holden and Julep chemistry was unlike any other. i felt connected to them from the very beginning. their banter is delicious, their back and forth is priceless, and when they finally give in… i just have no words! so good! the pool and pole/couch scenes play rent free in my mind🥵🥵
if you like sports romance, a secret dating with coach's daughter, forced proximity, he falls first and HARD, then this is the book you will love! can't wait for the next book in the series Hail Mary!
March 30, 2024
4.5⭐️
(1st read -Oct 20,2022) Ms kandi came through!!! 😩🤍🤍 fucking loveee them so much🫶
but the cover scares me tho… 😧🫢💀
(2nd read - Mar 30,2024) amazingggggg but the cover still haunts me 😟
(1st read -Oct 20,2022) Ms kandi came through!!! 😩🤍🤍 fucking loveee them so much🫶
but the cover scares me tho… 😧🫢💀
(2nd read - Mar 30,2024) amazingggggg but the cover still haunts me 😟
October 20, 2022
I am absolutely obsessed with the Red Zone Rivals series! Kandi Steiner has perfected the art of combining heartfelt sincerity, emotive poignance, and panty-melting steam. The feels, the swoons, the tender connection and sizzling chemistry- I’m just a goner for these two. I fell madly in love with Holden and Julep- turning the pages and sighing dreamily for hours, brought to tears more than once by the bleeding emotions on the page. Quarterback Sneak is somehow devastating yet hopeful, heartwarming yet heartbreaking all at once. This story is soulful and sweet- and everything I love about Kandi Steiner.
Kandi has such a keen ability to capture meaningful and complicated characters with real emotional baggage with such charm and authenticity. And Holden and Julep certainly have some real heartwrenching baggage. I loved how perfectly designed they were for each other- not only their souls being so perfectly in sync but their past heartbreak and trauma somehow being so bittersweetly aligned. Both characters have such a buried vulnerability to them- a stoic fragility that they camouflage in their own unique ways, with their own visages. Juleps recklessness, Holden’s focus. Both have faced real heartache, but that heartache has manifested in very different ways, but they share one thing in common- they both have been lost in their own pain at one point, and they both feel a bit isolated and alone by it. Until each other- until they find the person that TRULY sees them and understands their good, bad, and ugly. Until in each other they find the person who loves them not in spite of their fractures, but because of them. Their love story is really beautiful- it’s one of healing and self-forgiveness. One where two people find the emotional safety to do something that we sometimes take for granted- to just BE. I adored how these two were able to wake each other up, how deeply they understood one another, how wholly they breathe life into one another and center each other. Not to mention, they are hella sexy together- adventurous and so unique! I was captivated by them- the angst of how they found their way to a hesitant but sexily beneficial friendship, how they were able to pivot that so naturally into something truly deep and transformative. We also get some great cameos and interactions with our former favorites (CLAY AND GIANA ARE LIFE) and get a oh-so intriguing glimpse into the final book in the series- I’m so not ready to leave this world behind. I am adoring every word, and this story really captured my whole heart.
In Quarterback Sneak, Kandi so powerfully gives us a story that makes us smile but also reminds us how radically imperfect we all are. How hard and unexpected life can be. But how there is power in that humanity- that by just doing our best, putting one foot in front of the other is sometimes enough. BEcause WE are enough, and we aren’t ever truly alone- because somewhere we belong, broken pieces and all. And my heart is SO full of that light, and this beautiful and addictively delicious story.
Kandi has such a keen ability to capture meaningful and complicated characters with real emotional baggage with such charm and authenticity. And Holden and Julep certainly have some real heartwrenching baggage. I loved how perfectly designed they were for each other- not only their souls being so perfectly in sync but their past heartbreak and trauma somehow being so bittersweetly aligned. Both characters have such a buried vulnerability to them- a stoic fragility that they camouflage in their own unique ways, with their own visages. Juleps recklessness, Holden’s focus. Both have faced real heartache, but that heartache has manifested in very different ways, but they share one thing in common- they both have been lost in their own pain at one point, and they both feel a bit isolated and alone by it. Until each other- until they find the person that TRULY sees them and understands their good, bad, and ugly. Until in each other they find the person who loves them not in spite of their fractures, but because of them. Their love story is really beautiful- it’s one of healing and self-forgiveness. One where two people find the emotional safety to do something that we sometimes take for granted- to just BE. I adored how these two were able to wake each other up, how deeply they understood one another, how wholly they breathe life into one another and center each other. Not to mention, they are hella sexy together- adventurous and so unique! I was captivated by them- the angst of how they found their way to a hesitant but sexily beneficial friendship, how they were able to pivot that so naturally into something truly deep and transformative. We also get some great cameos and interactions with our former favorites (CLAY AND GIANA ARE LIFE) and get a oh-so intriguing glimpse into the final book in the series- I’m so not ready to leave this world behind. I am adoring every word, and this story really captured my whole heart.
In Quarterback Sneak, Kandi so powerfully gives us a story that makes us smile but also reminds us how radically imperfect we all are. How hard and unexpected life can be. But how there is power in that humanity- that by just doing our best, putting one foot in front of the other is sometimes enough. BEcause WE are enough, and we aren’t ever truly alone- because somewhere we belong, broken pieces and all. And my heart is SO full of that light, and this beautiful and addictively delicious story.
Want to read
January 9, 2023After reading The Blind Side, I need this book like YESTERDAY 😍😍😍
December 10, 2025
★★★★★ - 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book kept me hooked from page one! What a fun sports romance 🥰 I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!
This book kept me hooked from page one! What a fun sports romance 🥰 I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!
November 1, 2024
5/5 stars.
March 13, 2024
2024 re read: "I see you, everything that you are, and I've never needed anything more in my life" 😭
I binged this one today (just like the first time) and I adored it so much 😭
This is my favorite book in the series for a reason: Holden and Julep. Both characters with traumatic / heartbreaking pasts, who found each other when they needed it the most. It's forbidden romance (she is the coach daughter / he is the team quarterback and she is off limits) it is EVERYTHING!!!!!
This one is so EMOTIONAL. I cried the first time that I read it and I was sobbing today AGAIN reading it for the second time. There is something so beautiful about seing both of these characters suffer so much and connect so deeply with each other. Their interactions were so INTENSE!!! My heart 😭 I adore them so so much. I loved seeing them being so open to each other. No miscommunication, just straight up genuine honesty. So sweet and endearing. 🥹
2023 : Explain to me, how I started reading this book at midnight. Now its 4:10am and I literally just finished the damn book. Kandi Steiner puts CRACK in her books. There's no other explanation.
Holden can have my children. Thanks.
PD: I can't choose between this one and Blind Side. I think I loved them both equally. I am scared to read "Hail Mary" now hahaha.
I binged this one today (just like the first time) and I adored it so much 😭
This is my favorite book in the series for a reason: Holden and Julep. Both characters with traumatic / heartbreaking pasts, who found each other when they needed it the most. It's forbidden romance (she is the coach daughter / he is the team quarterback and she is off limits) it is EVERYTHING!!!!!
This one is so EMOTIONAL. I cried the first time that I read it and I was sobbing today AGAIN reading it for the second time. There is something so beautiful about seing both of these characters suffer so much and connect so deeply with each other. Their interactions were so INTENSE!!! My heart 😭 I adore them so so much. I loved seeing them being so open to each other. No miscommunication, just straight up genuine honesty. So sweet and endearing. 🥹
2023 : Explain to me, how I started reading this book at midnight. Now its 4:10am and I literally just finished the damn book. Kandi Steiner puts CRACK in her books. There's no other explanation.
Holden can have my children. Thanks.
PD: I can't choose between this one and Blind Side. I think I loved them both equally. I am scared to read "Hail Mary" now hahaha.
July 23, 2023
Quarterback Sneak is not as good as Blindsided. But not entirely horrible either. Miss Steiner misses some point in her story.
Both Holden and Julep are interesting characters with a lot of emotional baggage. More emotional damage from Julep side.
However, Miss Steiner did not fully integrated the theme of grief of losing loved one into her story very well. Instead the theme griefing is only touched briefly as introduction for both characters. At the end, I do not entirely sold or invested on the chemistry between Julep and Holden.
3 stars
Both Holden and Julep are interesting characters with a lot of emotional baggage. More emotional damage from Julep side.
However, Miss Steiner did not fully integrated the theme of grief of losing loved one into her story very well. Instead the theme griefing is only touched briefly as introduction for both characters. At the end, I do not entirely sold or invested on the chemistry between Julep and Holden.
3 stars
November 26, 2022
I really liked this, and like most Kandi Steiner novels, while I liked Julep, the FMC, I LOVED Holden, the MMC. Not quite as much as my favorite Clay, but this was a sweet story of two people coming together after suffering devastating losses. Holden’s parents and only sister died, and Julep’s sister died right in front of her. That leaves scars, and Julep hasn’t been okay for a long time. Her dad, the new football coach, moved them to Boston to start fresh and fry to pave the way for Julep getting her life in order. So she’s not surprised when he tells the entire football team, including Holden, the starting QB, that she is entirely off limits.
Holden is immediately taken with Julep, and he’s not put off by her standoffish demeanor or her apparent blindness to how attractive he is and how much he wants a chance with her. Julep works hard to keep her demons at bay, and she wants nothing to do with Holden. Or at least, she doesn’t want to give her father a reason to worry and stress more than he already has been for the past few years. But they eventually do get together, because reasons, and find out just how good they are together. And of course they’re outed, and her father gives Holden and Julep ultimatums. Leave each other alone or their futures will look very different than they’d planned.
So yes, this was a cozy romance with lots of feel good parts that made me feel swoony. I adored Holden’s uncles and I liked that our two previous couples are spotlighted a bit as well. LOVED their ending, because those two sure did fight for their HEA. I thought it was touching that they helped each other heal just by caring and treating each other so well. Julep frustrated me a lot but her reasoning made sense. My favorite quote: Marry me,” I repeated, swiping the fresh tears away. “And I will spend the rest of my life loving you. No matter how long that is. Every minute I am here on Earth is yours. And after that, too.”
Holden is immediately taken with Julep, and he’s not put off by her standoffish demeanor or her apparent blindness to how attractive he is and how much he wants a chance with her. Julep works hard to keep her demons at bay, and she wants nothing to do with Holden. Or at least, she doesn’t want to give her father a reason to worry and stress more than he already has been for the past few years. But they eventually do get together, because reasons, and find out just how good they are together. And of course they’re outed, and her father gives Holden and Julep ultimatums. Leave each other alone or their futures will look very different than they’d planned.
So yes, this was a cozy romance with lots of feel good parts that made me feel swoony. I adored Holden’s uncles and I liked that our two previous couples are spotlighted a bit as well. LOVED their ending, because those two sure did fight for their HEA. I thought it was touching that they helped each other heal just by caring and treating each other so well. Julep frustrated me a lot but her reasoning made sense. My favorite quote: Marry me,” I repeated, swiping the fresh tears away. “And I will spend the rest of my life loving you. No matter how long that is. Every minute I am here on Earth is yours. And after that, too.”
April 19, 2023
3.5 stars!
I cannot put my finger on what was missing for me in this book. I know that Julep was supposed to be damaged and in a really dark and horrible place when we first meet her but... I just felt like she fell a little bit flat for me and I didn't fully connect with her. I think that's more a me problem than anything Kandi Steiner did, to be honest, but I don't know.
Once Julep and Holden decided that being together was worth whatever the consequences would be, I got far more into it. That doesn't surprise me, since I'm a romance junkie, and after a certain point, slow burns test my patience and I was getting tired of Julep's father meddling in their shit. I was so relieved when Holden finally stood up to him and that 'Sir, with all due respect, bench me.' line was HOT.
To summarize, although this wasn't my favorite book in the series so far, it was a pretty solid read and I did enjoy it.
I cannot put my finger on what was missing for me in this book. I know that Julep was supposed to be damaged and in a really dark and horrible place when we first meet her but... I just felt like she fell a little bit flat for me and I didn't fully connect with her. I think that's more a me problem than anything Kandi Steiner did, to be honest, but I don't know.
Once Julep and Holden decided that being together was worth whatever the consequences would be, I got far more into it. That doesn't surprise me, since I'm a romance junkie, and after a certain point, slow burns test my patience and I was getting tired of Julep's father meddling in their shit. I was so relieved when Holden finally stood up to him and that 'Sir, with all due respect, bench me.' line was HOT.
To summarize, although this wasn't my favorite book in the series so far, it was a pretty solid read and I did enjoy it.
October 20, 2022
“I love your daughter, Coach Lee,” I said, though my eyes didn’t leave her. “I love her, and I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks about it. My heart used to belong to football, but now it belongs to her. And none of this “ I added, throwing my hands up. “None of it means a damn thing without her.”
this book was nice but clay and gianna remain superior<3
December 15, 2022
4.5⭐️ I am absolutely obsessed with this series, friend group, and Kandi Steiner. She wrote another AMAZING book.
This book was *chefs kiss*! I loved the forbidden romance with the quarterback and coach’s daughter. I adored Holden and Julep together. They were so cute and it was really nice to see him not give up on her no matter what the coach said. I also really appreciated how this book showed how different people process grief.
I can’t wait for Hail Mary, it’ll be a bittersweet goodbye to this series but I know Kandi will have the most perfect send off for this group.
“You can bench me if that’s what you feel you need to do, but I love this girl, and I’m not backing down.” 💛
This book was *chefs kiss*! I loved the forbidden romance with the quarterback and coach’s daughter. I adored Holden and Julep together. They were so cute and it was really nice to see him not give up on her no matter what the coach said. I also really appreciated how this book showed how different people process grief.
I can’t wait for Hail Mary, it’ll be a bittersweet goodbye to this series but I know Kandi will have the most perfect send off for this group.
“You can bench me if that’s what you feel you need to do, but I love this girl, and I’m not backing down.” 💛
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