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Flame After the Fumble
Liza Wilde is looking for an escape. . .
Heading to Springs U is supposed to be the fresh start Liza needs to put herself first and chase her dreams of becoming an artist. After one intense meeting with Springs U’s newest star wide-receiver, Hartley Knox, Liza reconsiders the promise she made to herself, swearing off athletes like her cheating ex.
Hartley Knox is looking for a home. . .
Home has never been in Hartley Knox’s dictionary. He’s been bursting at the seams to escape his absentee father for as long as he can remember. Heading off to Springs U means a new life to make a name for himself, and it didn’t include falling hard and fast for the emotionally unavailable bombshell, Liza Wilde.
When Hartley is dealt career changing news and placed on academic probation, he’s forced to rely on the one girl that plagues his daily thoughts to help him out of the mess he’s created. Liza is adamant about remaining friends, but Hartley has a mastermind plan to create flames after his biggest fumble.
Heading to Springs U is supposed to be the fresh start Liza needs to put herself first and chase her dreams of becoming an artist. After one intense meeting with Springs U’s newest star wide-receiver, Hartley Knox, Liza reconsiders the promise she made to herself, swearing off athletes like her cheating ex.
Hartley Knox is looking for a home. . .
Home has never been in Hartley Knox’s dictionary. He’s been bursting at the seams to escape his absentee father for as long as he can remember. Heading off to Springs U means a new life to make a name for himself, and it didn’t include falling hard and fast for the emotionally unavailable bombshell, Liza Wilde.
When Hartley is dealt career changing news and placed on academic probation, he’s forced to rely on the one girl that plagues his daily thoughts to help him out of the mess he’s created. Liza is adamant about remaining friends, but Hartley has a mastermind plan to create flames after his biggest fumble.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2025
4 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 7, 2025
[arc/buddy read for @thelongdistancereaders on insta] We want to preface that we both admire the hard work that goes into writing a book. The drive and dedication to see a draft from beginning to end is recognized and valued. With that being said, we’ve made the decision to DNF this story, but we will provide honest reviews for what we have read. We are thankful to the authors for the opportunity to have received the ARC copy for both titles, “Flame After the Fumble.”
This is a contemporary sports romance, we felt like it simply had missing pieces. We love a good sports romance, especially tutor girl x jock ones, and we’d love to applaud the author’s ability to write not only this book, but its predecessor all in less than a year. However, we do think that the timeline from when writing began to when the arcs went out may be contributing to why the stories feel incomplete. The main characters are hard to connect with and do not appear to be fleshed out well. There are also certain aspects to the story that fall flat, includes timing, realism of some scenes, and the interchanging of words that don’t mean the same thing. Although, our main concern was the use of language and descriptions used to create an image of what felt like very stereotypical “dumb jocks”. With all of these elements combined, the book just did not feel like it was working as a college sports romance. If a student athlete is playing at a collegiate level, it is unlikely they will risk their scholarship or place on the team by having a poor work ethic and a “party-boy” persona. One of our accounts owners was formerly a tutor at the student athlete support services center when she was in university, so with her first-hand experience with student athletes and their academic responsibilities in order to play and keep their scholarships, let alone be team captain, aspects of Hartley as a person did not feel like they fit. The character being portrayed was rather more written like a frat bro party type. Furthermore, we noticed there was a lack of character building in general. Hartley is first introduced to us as someone who goes through many women and no respect is shown or given in the matter. When Liza’s character is introduced, suddenly Hartley has a change of heart (no pun intended), and becomes very infatuated with her. He has completely ditched his perceived persona, and it gives the reader a bit of whiplash. Suddenly he has had a story’s worth of character growth when taking one look at the main female character? The treatment of female characters overall, even when we are in Liza’s POV and she is referencing her friends, is quite frustrating. We would just like to see the characters have an opportunity to embrace their own quirks and interests, rather than be labeled as one thing and that’s what they’ve been pegged as for the duration of the story.
An important main issue we had with “Flame After the Fumble” was the usage of tribal tattoos within the story. There is a scene between the male lead and his teammate/secondary character. The male lead is white based on what we can physically see in the cover art and allude to with the narrative descriptions of him. His teammate’s cultural background and ethnicity was one we could not decipher, though previous cover art depicting him and the narrative descriptions of him, also portray him to be white. However, in this scene and within the cover art of him, this seemingly white teammate has “tribal spiral” tattoos snaking down his arms. There is nothing in the narration to describe the origins of his tribal, and when the white male character makes claims to also “want one” and beckons his teammate to come with him to get one, there is no discussion on how tribal tattoos are culturally significant and their importance to their respective communities, which should have ended with the teammate telling him that, no, he cannot get tribal tattoos if he has no cultural link to that community. We have reached out to the author to inquire more on the tattoo owner’s ethnicity and cultural background, but at the time of this review, we have not heard back.
This is a contemporary sports romance, we felt like it simply had missing pieces. We love a good sports romance, especially tutor girl x jock ones, and we’d love to applaud the author’s ability to write not only this book, but its predecessor all in less than a year. However, we do think that the timeline from when writing began to when the arcs went out may be contributing to why the stories feel incomplete. The main characters are hard to connect with and do not appear to be fleshed out well. There are also certain aspects to the story that fall flat, includes timing, realism of some scenes, and the interchanging of words that don’t mean the same thing. Although, our main concern was the use of language and descriptions used to create an image of what felt like very stereotypical “dumb jocks”. With all of these elements combined, the book just did not feel like it was working as a college sports romance. If a student athlete is playing at a collegiate level, it is unlikely they will risk their scholarship or place on the team by having a poor work ethic and a “party-boy” persona. One of our accounts owners was formerly a tutor at the student athlete support services center when she was in university, so with her first-hand experience with student athletes and their academic responsibilities in order to play and keep their scholarships, let alone be team captain, aspects of Hartley as a person did not feel like they fit. The character being portrayed was rather more written like a frat bro party type. Furthermore, we noticed there was a lack of character building in general. Hartley is first introduced to us as someone who goes through many women and no respect is shown or given in the matter. When Liza’s character is introduced, suddenly Hartley has a change of heart (no pun intended), and becomes very infatuated with her. He has completely ditched his perceived persona, and it gives the reader a bit of whiplash. Suddenly he has had a story’s worth of character growth when taking one look at the main female character? The treatment of female characters overall, even when we are in Liza’s POV and she is referencing her friends, is quite frustrating. We would just like to see the characters have an opportunity to embrace their own quirks and interests, rather than be labeled as one thing and that’s what they’ve been pegged as for the duration of the story.
An important main issue we had with “Flame After the Fumble” was the usage of tribal tattoos within the story. There is a scene between the male lead and his teammate/secondary character. The male lead is white based on what we can physically see in the cover art and allude to with the narrative descriptions of him. His teammate’s cultural background and ethnicity was one we could not decipher, though previous cover art depicting him and the narrative descriptions of him, also portray him to be white. However, in this scene and within the cover art of him, this seemingly white teammate has “tribal spiral” tattoos snaking down his arms. There is nothing in the narration to describe the origins of his tribal, and when the white male character makes claims to also “want one” and beckons his teammate to come with him to get one, there is no discussion on how tribal tattoos are culturally significant and their importance to their respective communities, which should have ended with the teammate telling him that, no, he cannot get tribal tattoos if he has no cultural link to that community. We have reached out to the author to inquire more on the tattoo owner’s ethnicity and cultural background, but at the time of this review, we have not heard back.
February 6, 2025
ARC Review
4,25 ⭐️
First I want to start by the beautiful cover, it made want to read the book even more, and the characters are exactly how I imagine.
I love sports romance and I enjoyed the first book so much I had some high expectations for this one and honestly it was so so so good.
Tropes:
🏈 friends to lovers
🏈 boy obsessed
🏈 mental health rep
🏈 artist/athlete
🏈college sports romance
🏈no spice
🏈 it’s always been you
🏈 she’s his tutor
🏈 no 3rd act break up
I love Liza and Hartley so much, I was so excited to read about them and I was so happy when I finished the book. I’m in the middle of a reading slump so I was kinda of scared to don’t enjoy the book as much because of that, but this book helped me, I just want to read more and more books now!!!
I love the way Kort writes and the way she creates the characters and I’m so grateful to be part of her influencer’s team, her books are definitely book I won’t stop recommending if someone asks me for good and without spice sports romance. When I start reading her books I just can’t stop and I love when that happens because it means I’m genuinely enjoying the book!
To be honest I can’t choose between the first and the second because I liked them so much I can’t pick one.
Put a reminder, this book comes out February 7th and if you’re a fan of sports romance or just romances you need to read this book!!!
Thank you so much to Kort Combe for sending me this ARC and thank you for writing such an amazing book!
4,25 ⭐️
First I want to start by the beautiful cover, it made want to read the book even more, and the characters are exactly how I imagine.
I love sports romance and I enjoyed the first book so much I had some high expectations for this one and honestly it was so so so good.
Tropes:
🏈 friends to lovers
🏈 boy obsessed
🏈 mental health rep
🏈 artist/athlete
🏈college sports romance
🏈no spice
🏈 it’s always been you
🏈 she’s his tutor
🏈 no 3rd act break up
I love Liza and Hartley so much, I was so excited to read about them and I was so happy when I finished the book. I’m in the middle of a reading slump so I was kinda of scared to don’t enjoy the book as much because of that, but this book helped me, I just want to read more and more books now!!!
I love the way Kort writes and the way she creates the characters and I’m so grateful to be part of her influencer’s team, her books are definitely book I won’t stop recommending if someone asks me for good and without spice sports romance. When I start reading her books I just can’t stop and I love when that happens because it means I’m genuinely enjoying the book!
To be honest I can’t choose between the first and the second because I liked them so much I can’t pick one.
Put a reminder, this book comes out February 7th and if you’re a fan of sports romance or just romances you need to read this book!!!
Thank you so much to Kort Combe for sending me this ARC and thank you for writing such an amazing book!
January 12, 2025
☁️friends to lovers
🏈boy obsessed
☁️mental health rep
🏈artist/athlete
☁️college sports romance
🏈clean/no spice
☁️”it’s always been you” moment
🏈she’s his tutor
☁️he falls first & hard
This story was SO cute and I think just what I needed to mix up all the fantasy I’ve been reading lol. If you’re looking for a cute, heartwarming, all ages (clean, no spice) HEA love story that shows you why you shouldn’t let your past hold you back from becoming a better version of yourself, then you HAVE to pre-order Flame After The Fumble, it comes out February 7th!💛
Thank you so so much to @kortcombebooks for the chance to ARC read for you, it was truly my pleasure.🥰
🏈boy obsessed
☁️mental health rep
🏈artist/athlete
☁️college sports romance
🏈clean/no spice
☁️”it’s always been you” moment
🏈she’s his tutor
☁️he falls first & hard
This story was SO cute and I think just what I needed to mix up all the fantasy I’ve been reading lol. If you’re looking for a cute, heartwarming, all ages (clean, no spice) HEA love story that shows you why you shouldn’t let your past hold you back from becoming a better version of yourself, then you HAVE to pre-order Flame After The Fumble, it comes out February 7th!💛
Thank you so so much to @kortcombebooks for the chance to ARC read for you, it was truly my pleasure.🥰
January 16, 2025
I absolutely loved the continuation of the story of Hartley and Liza! It warmed my heart how the "player" ended up falling for the sweet girl next door and realized she was much more special then the next booty call of the night.
Goldie & Hot Shot forever.
@bsmithbooktalk
Goldie & Hot Shot forever.
@bsmithbooktalk
December 28, 2024
☁️friends to lovers
☁️boy obsessed
☁️mental health rep
☁️artist/athlete
☁️ college sports romance
☁️clean/no spice
☁️it’s always been you
☁️she’s his tutor
☁️no 3rd act breakup
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Liza and Hartley!!!! EEEEEK!!! I loved them in CBTS and when Kort confirmed Liza and Hart were getting their book, I couldn’t contain myself. The chemistry these two had in CBTS was off the charts and I knew their book would be amazing. And guess what? It was better than amazing. 💗
Liza Wilde is looking for an escape. . .
Liza is an art major at Springs U. She is looking to start fresh in a new town away from her cheating ex. She promises herself, that she will no longer date athletes. That is until she meets Hartley Knox.
Hartley Knox is looking for a home. . .
Hartley is the wide receiver for Springs U. He’s wanted to put distance between himself and his absent father, and going to Springs U. was his chance. Football and his little “sister” Violet are everything to Hartley. But then he meets Liza Wilde.
Hartley fell for Liza and boy did he fall hard. There was no other girl for him that wasn’t “Goldie”. Liza fought her feelings for “Hotshot” from the beginning. She just couldn’t get past what her cheating ex did to her, so she kept putting up walls.
Hartley gets placed on academic probation, and his spot on the football team is in jeopardy. Liza becomes his tutor and Hartley takes this opportunity to show Liza that he is the man for her. Liza tutoring Hartley gave her an inside look at the reason he has difficulty in school. Hartley doesn’t let people in, Vi and now Liza.
I just loved these two they are the cutest. It had my favorite trope, friend-to-lovers, and it was done perfectly. I liked seeing his point of view on things. I knew he had a big heart by the way he was with Violet, but this man loves hard and it shows. The little details that make Liza feel seen are beautiful. Liza has just as big a heart. She is a wonderful friend and sister. The way she helps Hartley with his tutoring and how much she pours into their friendship was beautiful to see. I understood why she was hesitant and afraid to give in to Hartley (he never stopped letting her know she would be safe with him and that she was his girl), she had her heart shattered. I did love that Hartley never gave up on “his girl”. He was her best friend until she was ready for more. I loved this story. As much as I love Ryan and Vi, Hart and Goldie have moved up to the #1 spot. Oh, I almost forgot we get 2 epilogues in this book. Epilogues are my jam, I love to look into the near future of the characters I am reading. Plus the sneak peek for the next book. So many goodies in this book. In the end, my face was hurting from so much smiling. This book made me happy. 🌻🌻
☁️boy obsessed
☁️mental health rep
☁️artist/athlete
☁️ college sports romance
☁️clean/no spice
☁️it’s always been you
☁️she’s his tutor
☁️no 3rd act breakup
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Liza and Hartley!!!! EEEEEK!!! I loved them in CBTS and when Kort confirmed Liza and Hart were getting their book, I couldn’t contain myself. The chemistry these two had in CBTS was off the charts and I knew their book would be amazing. And guess what? It was better than amazing. 💗
Liza Wilde is looking for an escape. . .
Liza is an art major at Springs U. She is looking to start fresh in a new town away from her cheating ex. She promises herself, that she will no longer date athletes. That is until she meets Hartley Knox.
Hartley Knox is looking for a home. . .
Hartley is the wide receiver for Springs U. He’s wanted to put distance between himself and his absent father, and going to Springs U. was his chance. Football and his little “sister” Violet are everything to Hartley. But then he meets Liza Wilde.
Hartley fell for Liza and boy did he fall hard. There was no other girl for him that wasn’t “Goldie”. Liza fought her feelings for “Hotshot” from the beginning. She just couldn’t get past what her cheating ex did to her, so she kept putting up walls.
Hartley gets placed on academic probation, and his spot on the football team is in jeopardy. Liza becomes his tutor and Hartley takes this opportunity to show Liza that he is the man for her. Liza tutoring Hartley gave her an inside look at the reason he has difficulty in school. Hartley doesn’t let people in, Vi and now Liza.
I just loved these two they are the cutest. It had my favorite trope, friend-to-lovers, and it was done perfectly. I liked seeing his point of view on things. I knew he had a big heart by the way he was with Violet, but this man loves hard and it shows. The little details that make Liza feel seen are beautiful. Liza has just as big a heart. She is a wonderful friend and sister. The way she helps Hartley with his tutoring and how much she pours into their friendship was beautiful to see. I understood why she was hesitant and afraid to give in to Hartley (he never stopped letting her know she would be safe with him and that she was his girl), she had her heart shattered. I did love that Hartley never gave up on “his girl”. He was her best friend until she was ready for more. I loved this story. As much as I love Ryan and Vi, Hart and Goldie have moved up to the #1 spot. Oh, I almost forgot we get 2 epilogues in this book. Epilogues are my jam, I love to look into the near future of the characters I am reading. Plus the sneak peek for the next book. So many goodies in this book. In the end, my face was hurting from so much smiling. This book made me happy. 🌻🌻
February 21, 2025
When reading Flame After The Fumble,🏈 I fell in love reading the story about our two main characters Liza and Hartley, and seeing their love story blossom🌷!! Well let’s just say their love story was a start kick off of a experience due to Liza trying to fight to fight the feelings away, but the love can only be kicked and pushed so far away 💛
(😂 football reference, my friends/family members who are major sports fans would be proud anywho!) However, before we fully overthrow into the love aspect of the book I would also love to discuss how the author gave two characters two equally fawn over. Liza is such a girls-girls firstly because she genuinely cares for her friends, and wants to see them shine 🌞✨which is admirable and someone and a friend we all need in our life! Now, let's discuss our boy Hartley! Hartley is such a kind, and admirable friend, and amazing spirit to have in your life as well, he loves and cares for Liza 😁but let me tell Liza when through a heart 💔before though ,so at a point Hartley the beautiful golden retriever was friendzoned but their story did still like ahhhhhhh. 🥰 Overall when reading this book, it left me emotional, in a good way because it taught me to not block your blessings, and to never let one situation deter your future moments!😉
Thank you, 😉 so much Kort Combe for this amazing read 📖and this opportunity! This book left me in shambles, as well as important lessons learned! Definitely a 5/5 stars read!
Liza and Hartley's story definitely captured a love story to never let past experiences and emotions deter you from experiencing future happiness and overall success. 🥰 Liza is such a girls girls character that is such a supportive and intelligent charactive who is also guarded. Hartley is such a golden retriever, lover boy who is also so kind, sweet, dynamic and patient. Thank you for these characters ☺️ and so excited for everyone to meet them! Happy Release Day! 🥳
(😂 football reference, my friends/family members who are major sports fans would be proud anywho!) However, before we fully overthrow into the love aspect of the book I would also love to discuss how the author gave two characters two equally fawn over. Liza is such a girls-girls firstly because she genuinely cares for her friends, and wants to see them shine 🌞✨which is admirable and someone and a friend we all need in our life! Now, let's discuss our boy Hartley! Hartley is such a kind, and admirable friend, and amazing spirit to have in your life as well, he loves and cares for Liza 😁but let me tell Liza when through a heart 💔before though ,so at a point Hartley the beautiful golden retriever was friendzoned but their story did still like ahhhhhhh. 🥰 Overall when reading this book, it left me emotional, in a good way because it taught me to not block your blessings, and to never let one situation deter your future moments!😉
Thank you, 😉 so much Kort Combe for this amazing read 📖and this opportunity! This book left me in shambles, as well as important lessons learned! Definitely a 5/5 stars read!
Liza and Hartley's story definitely captured a love story to never let past experiences and emotions deter you from experiencing future happiness and overall success. 🥰 Liza is such a girls girls character that is such a supportive and intelligent charactive who is also guarded. Hartley is such a golden retriever, lover boy who is also so kind, sweet, dynamic and patient. Thank you for these characters ☺️ and so excited for everyone to meet them! Happy Release Day! 🥳
January 25, 2025
This was a cute story, but needs some refinement.
Blurb: Liza is an artsy party girl from NOLA, leaving her past and her cheating ex behind to attend Springs U in Florida. Hartley is a cocky football player with ADHD who makes it his life’s mission to prove he’s the right guy for Liza.
Review: Overall, Liza and Hartley’s story is super sweet! They tease each other, support each other, and show up for one another repeatedly throughout the story.
However, there were a few issues with the timeline and some of the content that made this a frustrating book at times.
•Hartley has ADHD that has never been professionally diagnosed. But he’s now the star wide receiver of the Springs U football team. Shouldn’t he be able to get professional help at the university health center?
•College school years are typically 2 main semesters: fall and spring, plus optional summer sessions. Students usually take different classes in every semester. Yet our characters are in the same “semester” all school year long. It made my brain hurt.
•Liza seemed to have an obsession with “tapping her finger against her chin to ponder an idea”. It came out of no where and at one point it was happening every couple of pages; then it just stopped.
All that said, I loved that Hartley fell first and fast. He never gave up on his feelings for Liza which was super romantic. I loved the tutor girl x jock relationship that they had. I loved the found family that Liza ends the story with.
Thank you so much Kort Combe for the eARC! I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where things go for you as an author.
Blurb: Liza is an artsy party girl from NOLA, leaving her past and her cheating ex behind to attend Springs U in Florida. Hartley is a cocky football player with ADHD who makes it his life’s mission to prove he’s the right guy for Liza.
Review: Overall, Liza and Hartley’s story is super sweet! They tease each other, support each other, and show up for one another repeatedly throughout the story.
However, there were a few issues with the timeline and some of the content that made this a frustrating book at times.
•Hartley has ADHD that has never been professionally diagnosed. But he’s now the star wide receiver of the Springs U football team. Shouldn’t he be able to get professional help at the university health center?
•College school years are typically 2 main semesters: fall and spring, plus optional summer sessions. Students usually take different classes in every semester. Yet our characters are in the same “semester” all school year long. It made my brain hurt.
•Liza seemed to have an obsession with “tapping her finger against her chin to ponder an idea”. It came out of no where and at one point it was happening every couple of pages; then it just stopped.
All that said, I loved that Hartley fell first and fast. He never gave up on his feelings for Liza which was super romantic. I loved the tutor girl x jock relationship that they had. I loved the found family that Liza ends the story with.
Thank you so much Kort Combe for the eARC! I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where things go for you as an author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2025
ARC Book Review
🎨Flame After the Fumble 🏈
Book 2 of the Springs U Series
Written By: @kortcombebooks
Overall: 4/5
Overall plot: 4/5
Character development: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
World building: 4/5
Spice 🌶️: 0/5
Thank you Kort for letting me read this book ahead of the release date!
This is the first time I’m reading Kort’s work and I have to say, I swear this book is so sweet, I’ll have cavities! 🍬
Both Liza Wilde and Hartley Knox leave home to escape and pursue their respective dreams, Liza becoming an artist and Hartley college football at Springs University. They meet at their first night out and the attraction is instant but Liza didn’t want anything resembling her cheating high school ex and Hartley is anything but a quitter, so he settles to be her friend.
Come Sophomore year, Hartley’s football career might be in jeopardy if he doesn’t get his grades up to where it’s supposed to be, so he signs up for an academic tutor and said tutor he’s matched with happens to be Liza.
It was sweet from the beginning when Liza befriends and lifts up her new roommate then becomes best friends. It was also very clear off the bat that Hartley’s super protective but supportive of his non-bio sister/best friend. It was also heartwarming to see both Hartley and Liza build each other and their friends up throughout their respective hardships.
Overall, I’d recommend this book if you like to read about a sweet, athlete x artist, friends to lovers college sports romance.
Tropes:
🏈friends to lovers
🎨boy obsessed
🏈mental health rep
🎨artist/athlete
🏈college sports romance
🎨clean/no spice
🏈it's always been you
🎨she's his tutor
🎨Flame After the Fumble 🏈
Book 2 of the Springs U Series
Written By: @kortcombebooks
Overall: 4/5
Overall plot: 4/5
Character development: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
World building: 4/5
Spice 🌶️: 0/5
Thank you Kort for letting me read this book ahead of the release date!
This is the first time I’m reading Kort’s work and I have to say, I swear this book is so sweet, I’ll have cavities! 🍬
Both Liza Wilde and Hartley Knox leave home to escape and pursue their respective dreams, Liza becoming an artist and Hartley college football at Springs University. They meet at their first night out and the attraction is instant but Liza didn’t want anything resembling her cheating high school ex and Hartley is anything but a quitter, so he settles to be her friend.
Come Sophomore year, Hartley’s football career might be in jeopardy if he doesn’t get his grades up to where it’s supposed to be, so he signs up for an academic tutor and said tutor he’s matched with happens to be Liza.
It was sweet from the beginning when Liza befriends and lifts up her new roommate then becomes best friends. It was also very clear off the bat that Hartley’s super protective but supportive of his non-bio sister/best friend. It was also heartwarming to see both Hartley and Liza build each other and their friends up throughout their respective hardships.
Overall, I’d recommend this book if you like to read about a sweet, athlete x artist, friends to lovers college sports romance.
Tropes:
🏈friends to lovers
🎨boy obsessed
🏈mental health rep
🎨artist/athlete
🏈college sports romance
🎨clean/no spice
🏈it's always been you
🎨she's his tutor
January 9, 2025
ARC Review ✨
First I would like to say a big thank you to @ for letting me be apart of this ARC Team!
Rate: 5/5⭐️
Spice: 0/5🌶️
What to expect when reading Flame After the Fumble;
-Friends x Lovers
-Mental Health Rep
-College
-She is his tutor
-Closed Door
Okay first off everyone deserves a dedicated love sick, golden retriever like Hartley! This man was book boyfriend perfection!!!!!
Okay now to the review lol
I loved the timeline this was written in! How we got to see from the beginning to now how Liza and Harley’s relationship grew! Liza was like hard no and Hartley was definitely like hold my beer! Their chemistry just made me so giddy. If you want a fun, light read that kind of give rom com vibes this is add the to your TBR🤗
I also thought it was cool the timeline intertwined with book one (Calm Before the Score) should you read book one before you read this book? Yes. Do you have to ehhh no but I would recommend it. Also the sneak peek of book three got me sooooo excited!
Fav Quote: “Definitely out of my league. doesn’t mean I won’t keep shooting my shot.”
“It landed you in the arms of a man that won’t ever take a minute of the time you spend with him for granted.”
Make sure you get the book when it releases Feb. 7th🩷
#bookstagram #romance #review
First I would like to say a big thank you to @ for letting me be apart of this ARC Team!
Rate: 5/5⭐️
Spice: 0/5🌶️
What to expect when reading Flame After the Fumble;
-Friends x Lovers
-Mental Health Rep
-College
-She is his tutor
-Closed Door
Okay first off everyone deserves a dedicated love sick, golden retriever like Hartley! This man was book boyfriend perfection!!!!!
Okay now to the review lol
I loved the timeline this was written in! How we got to see from the beginning to now how Liza and Harley’s relationship grew! Liza was like hard no and Hartley was definitely like hold my beer! Their chemistry just made me so giddy. If you want a fun, light read that kind of give rom com vibes this is add the to your TBR🤗
I also thought it was cool the timeline intertwined with book one (Calm Before the Score) should you read book one before you read this book? Yes. Do you have to ehhh no but I would recommend it. Also the sneak peek of book three got me sooooo excited!
Fav Quote: “Definitely out of my league. doesn’t mean I won’t keep shooting my shot.”
“It landed you in the arms of a man that won’t ever take a minute of the time you spend with him for granted.”
Make sure you get the book when it releases Feb. 7th🩷
#bookstagram #romance #review
January 31, 2025
This is my first time reading Kort Combe’s novel and I am in love with Liza and Hartley 😍 their love story is truly a first sight and I’m in love type of romance and I am here for it! Although this is book two, I am definitely going to read book 1 as soon as possible! The great part of this series is that you don’t need to read the books in order but it does help to read the first one to understand the lore behind Violet and Ryan.
Anyways, back to this book, I can relate to Liza so much! As someone who also put her significant other in front of my hopes and dreams in high school and (somewhat spoiler ahead) later finding out that they cheated. And then having to uproot your whole life and figure out what to do next is exactly where Liza and I can compare stories and become great friends 🫶🏽 Hartley, on the other hand, falls in love with her first and that’s it for him 🥹 since day one, he knew that he loved her and would always wait for her until she’s ready. Ugh my heart was swooning 🤭 their love is so adorable, and pure and one of a kind! I am so grateful that I was able to go on this journey with Liza and Hartley and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the gang 🤭😉
Anyways, back to this book, I can relate to Liza so much! As someone who also put her significant other in front of my hopes and dreams in high school and (somewhat spoiler ahead) later finding out that they cheated. And then having to uproot your whole life and figure out what to do next is exactly where Liza and I can compare stories and become great friends 🫶🏽 Hartley, on the other hand, falls in love with her first and that’s it for him 🥹 since day one, he knew that he loved her and would always wait for her until she’s ready. Ugh my heart was swooning 🤭 their love is so adorable, and pure and one of a kind! I am so grateful that I was able to go on this journey with Liza and Hartley and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the gang 🤭😉
December 20, 2024
I absolutely loved Violet & Ryan’s story, but honestly I am absolutely obsessed with Liza & Hartley.
Liza is such a beautiful character. Her light, her spirit, her love and everything about her is so beautiful and I was completely obsessed with her. And Hartley 🥹😍 His loyalty, his dedication, his love and passion, the vulnerability he shows and the way he shows his love are everything.
From strangers with an instant connection, to friend to lovers, their story was done so beautifully and their love was everything. They balanced each other so well and complimented each other to where they supported and lifted each other up. Hartley’s love for her was pure perfection. Liza’s insecurities but also utter trust and devotion was such a beautiful journey.
They stole my heart, had me smiling, giggling and tearing up as they overcame past traumas to heal and grow with each other. Kort really has written such a beautiful and wonderful universe and characters that are so perfect and so easy to fall in love with!
Liza is such a beautiful character. Her light, her spirit, her love and everything about her is so beautiful and I was completely obsessed with her. And Hartley 🥹😍 His loyalty, his dedication, his love and passion, the vulnerability he shows and the way he shows his love are everything.
From strangers with an instant connection, to friend to lovers, their story was done so beautifully and their love was everything. They balanced each other so well and complimented each other to where they supported and lifted each other up. Hartley’s love for her was pure perfection. Liza’s insecurities but also utter trust and devotion was such a beautiful journey.
They stole my heart, had me smiling, giggling and tearing up as they overcame past traumas to heal and grow with each other. Kort really has written such a beautiful and wonderful universe and characters that are so perfect and so easy to fall in love with!
March 4, 2025
Boy do we love a man who’s persistent! And that’s exactly what Hartley Knox is persistent. I really felt for Hartley because of how Liza was about their whole relationship in the beginning. But then again I’m kinda like Liza a bit when it comes to relationships/ abandonment. It’s scary I’ll give you that. But Hartley had my heart and trust from the very beginning. How he is with everyone he loves and cares about 🫠 he deserved to have those defenses knocked down from the very first meeting in my opinion. He wouldn’t dare hurt a fly. I couldn’t help celebrate and cheer him on in his tutoring/ test taking scenes lol. I live for dual jealousy scenes and this book has that. I loved the cute little dates as well. Everything was super cute and enjoyable. I got to say I’m a smut girlie but I’m enjoying this clean contemporary series. I can’t wait for the best one!! Got this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2026
this was such a quick and fun read! i read it over the weekend while watching football and honestly the vibes were amazing! i've been loving sports romance recently and it was fun to read a football romance after reading lots of hockey!
honestly at the beginning of the book i didn't love hartley because he seemed like such a player but his character development was amazing. he was so down bad for liza and i just wanted to tell her to open her eyes because he was nothing like her ex. hartley was so sweet how he was always trying to make everything so special for her, it was so adorable.
hartley and liza definitely had more of a toxic relationship the first half of the book but i love when a couple is able to grow and fight for eachother and that is exactly what they did! i really want to go back and reread ryan and vi's story because there on page chemistry was so good in this book!!
thank you so much @kortcombebooks for the physical book in exchange for an honest review!!
honestly at the beginning of the book i didn't love hartley because he seemed like such a player but his character development was amazing. he was so down bad for liza and i just wanted to tell her to open her eyes because he was nothing like her ex. hartley was so sweet how he was always trying to make everything so special for her, it was so adorable.
hartley and liza definitely had more of a toxic relationship the first half of the book but i love when a couple is able to grow and fight for eachother and that is exactly what they did! i really want to go back and reread ryan and vi's story because there on page chemistry was so good in this book!!
thank you so much @kortcombebooks for the physical book in exchange for an honest review!!
January 23, 2025
Flame After the Fumble follows Hartley and Liza. Hartley plays football for Springs U and Liza is the girl of his dreams. Hartley gets placed on academic probation and needs to pass in order to keep playing football. Liza ends up tutoring him. Soon they end up falling for each other.
I thought this book was really cute. However, this book did read like a YA book to me. I love that this book had mental health rep. I love how this book had a lot of call backs to the first book. This was such a cute sports romance book. This book does not have any spice; it is just a sweet romance book. I like how it had a few series moments to balance out the more lighthearted ones. I would highly suggest this book and the first one.
Thank you so much Kort Combe for the ARC of this book. This comes out on February 7th!
I thought this book was really cute. However, this book did read like a YA book to me. I love that this book had mental health rep. I love how this book had a lot of call backs to the first book. This was such a cute sports romance book. This book does not have any spice; it is just a sweet romance book. I like how it had a few series moments to balance out the more lighthearted ones. I would highly suggest this book and the first one.
Thank you so much Kort Combe for the ARC of this book. This comes out on February 7th!
February 8, 2025
ARC Review: Flame After the Fumble by Kort Combe
Rating 4⭐️ and No spice
This book had decent banter and was cute. I enjoyed the story behind both main characters. I definitely want book 3 because the next two main characters are a must for me. This book had no spice which is rare for me to read but I still enjoyed it all the same.
“Home is where the Hart is.”
—TROPES—
🏈Friends to Lovers 🎨Artist/Athlete 🏈Boy Obsessed
🎨Clean/ No Spice 🏈Mental Health Rep 🎨she’s his tutor
🏈It’s Always Been You 🎨College Sports Romance
LIZA—Artist rising and has been through a lot, her heart wants him but she can’t let go of her past, will he be the same or is she hurting herself and running form what could be true happiness (GOLDIE)
HARTLEY— Rising football star, he knows how to party and yet has a heart of gold, he never dates but when he meets her he has to have her, no other woman has ever compared to her (Hotshot) #13
“I take what I want, and I think you’ve known for a while that I want you to the point of insanity.”
“When you wear my jersey, you’re mine…..If you’re not ready to be mine, don’t tease me like this.”
Rating 4⭐️ and No spice
This book had decent banter and was cute. I enjoyed the story behind both main characters. I definitely want book 3 because the next two main characters are a must for me. This book had no spice which is rare for me to read but I still enjoyed it all the same.
“Home is where the Hart is.”
—TROPES—
🏈Friends to Lovers 🎨Artist/Athlete 🏈Boy Obsessed
🎨Clean/ No Spice 🏈Mental Health Rep 🎨she’s his tutor
🏈It’s Always Been You 🎨College Sports Romance
LIZA—Artist rising and has been through a lot, her heart wants him but she can’t let go of her past, will he be the same or is she hurting herself and running form what could be true happiness (GOLDIE)
HARTLEY— Rising football star, he knows how to party and yet has a heart of gold, he never dates but when he meets her he has to have her, no other woman has ever compared to her (Hotshot) #13
“I take what I want, and I think you’ve known for a while that I want you to the point of insanity.”
“When you wear my jersey, you’re mine…..If you’re not ready to be mine, don’t tease me like this.”
February 3, 2025
What to expect:
- friends to lovers
- college football romance
- it's always been you
- she's his tutor
- he falls first and hard
4.5⭐️ so i rounded up
omg! i loved this book!! it was such a cute and quick read. it was also the perfect book coming off of a fantasy mood/binge.
flame after the fumble is the second book in the players of springs u series and also the first book i have read in said series as well as by the author.
i really loved liza and hartley's friendship as well as their relationship. liza is the definition of a girl's girl and i want to be friends with her so badly. and hartley, my goodness, he is a boy obsessed and i am here for it!!
thank you so much kort combe for gifting me this e-arc! i had so much fun reading this one.
- friends to lovers
- college football romance
- it's always been you
- she's his tutor
- he falls first and hard
4.5⭐️ so i rounded up
omg! i loved this book!! it was such a cute and quick read. it was also the perfect book coming off of a fantasy mood/binge.
flame after the fumble is the second book in the players of springs u series and also the first book i have read in said series as well as by the author.
i really loved liza and hartley's friendship as well as their relationship. liza is the definition of a girl's girl and i want to be friends with her so badly. and hartley, my goodness, he is a boy obsessed and i am here for it!!
thank you so much kort combe for gifting me this e-arc! i had so much fun reading this one.
April 14, 2025
Let me start by saying that I don't typically go for sports romance; it's just not my jam.
With that, this was a cute friends-to-lovers, clean romance; it gave me cozy Hallmark channel vibes. Though I must be honest, there were parts that did not completely connect for me and left me with a feeling of "WHAT!?", I enjoyed following Liza Wilde and Hartley Knox and being a part of their blossoming story.
The message in the story is one that I feel is needed right now: You are not your past self. You can become the person you strive to be as long as you keep your focus on that person and push towards them.
Thank you, Kort Combe, for the chance to read a book that I would not have picked up otherwise.
With that, this was a cute friends-to-lovers, clean romance; it gave me cozy Hallmark channel vibes. Though I must be honest, there were parts that did not completely connect for me and left me with a feeling of "WHAT!?", I enjoyed following Liza Wilde and Hartley Knox and being a part of their blossoming story.
The message in the story is one that I feel is needed right now: You are not your past self. You can become the person you strive to be as long as you keep your focus on that person and push towards them.
Thank you, Kort Combe, for the chance to read a book that I would not have picked up otherwise.
December 10, 2024
Flame After The Fumble by Kort Combe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑🚪
Oh gosh! I had the honor to beta read Springs U Book 2 by @kortcombebooks and wow.
I thought I loved Book 1 but like Liza I realized I didn't know what love was until I read hers & Hartley's story.
Friends to lovers is done exceptionally well in this epic story told through most of the same timeline as the first book.
I am usually an avid beta commenter but I found myself so engulfed that I would have to remind myself to leave comments.
Favorite Quote:
"Home is where the Hart is."
If you haven't read the first, do that, then be ready for this one when the time comes!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑🚪
Oh gosh! I had the honor to beta read Springs U Book 2 by @kortcombebooks and wow.
I thought I loved Book 1 but like Liza I realized I didn't know what love was until I read hers & Hartley's story.
Friends to lovers is done exceptionally well in this epic story told through most of the same timeline as the first book.
I am usually an avid beta commenter but I found myself so engulfed that I would have to remind myself to leave comments.
Favorite Quote:
"Home is where the Hart is."
If you haven't read the first, do that, then be ready for this one when the time comes!
December 24, 2024
Flame After The Fumble (The Players of Springs U Book 2) by Kort Combe
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Best Quote “You’re perfectly screwed up in the best way”
Liza “Goldie” and Hartley “Hotshot” their relationship of friends to lovers was written so beautifully. They were a couple who balanced each other out perfectly and it jumped off the pages in their story. Liza scared to take a chance and Hartley never giving up. Truly working together to overcome their pasts. And the friendships/relationships between all the characters in this series is so heartwarming.
This story brought me back to my first love and some of my best memories.
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Best Quote “You’re perfectly screwed up in the best way”
Liza “Goldie” and Hartley “Hotshot” their relationship of friends to lovers was written so beautifully. They were a couple who balanced each other out perfectly and it jumped off the pages in their story. Liza scared to take a chance and Hartley never giving up. Truly working together to overcome their pasts. And the friendships/relationships between all the characters in this series is so heartwarming.
This story brought me back to my first love and some of my best memories.
December 28, 2024
Liza arrives at college ready for a fresh start after a bad break up. Hartley is ready to prove he deserves to be a starter on the team. These two have instant chemistry but Liza firmly placed Hartley in the friend zone. When his grades drop, she becomes his tutor but will she end up as more?
I did not read book one of the series so I suggest you read that first. There are only closed door scenes so no spice. Liza is a black cat FMC and Hartley is as golden retriever as they come as the MMC. Overall, it was a well-written college romance with some sports talk thrown in.
I did not read book one of the series so I suggest you read that first. There are only closed door scenes so no spice. Liza is a black cat FMC and Hartley is as golden retriever as they come as the MMC. Overall, it was a well-written college romance with some sports talk thrown in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2025
I received this book as an arc and my opinions are my own. 🫶🏼
This story was so cute and heartfelt. I liked the representation of mental health and not letting your past hold you back from being a better version of yourself. I think every girl wants the love that Hartley shows Liza 🥹 I am a sucker for a friend’s to lovers story as well.
One of my fav quotes from the book was “Family isn’t always blood. It’s who we choose to show up for day after day.” I felt like I related to this quote and other readers will as well. Thank you again for allowing me to receive an arc copy of this book 🫶🏼
This story was so cute and heartfelt. I liked the representation of mental health and not letting your past hold you back from being a better version of yourself. I think every girl wants the love that Hartley shows Liza 🥹 I am a sucker for a friend’s to lovers story as well.
One of my fav quotes from the book was “Family isn’t always blood. It’s who we choose to show up for day after day.” I felt like I related to this quote and other readers will as well. Thank you again for allowing me to receive an arc copy of this book 🫶🏼
January 15, 2025
ARC Review!
Thank you so much to Kort, for allowing me to read Flame Before the Fumble early as an ARC reader! ☺️
I was soooo happy to be back in this world with these characters! I loved that this story had a parallel timeline with Calm Before the Score! So much fun to read, I’m kind of obsessed with Hartley 😍 also so wonderful to see their character development and give a glimpse at the future for Liza and Hartley. 🫶🏼 There were moments I was for sure kicking my feet and giggling! ☺️
4.25 stars for me!
Thank you so much to Kort, for allowing me to read Flame Before the Fumble early as an ARC reader! ☺️
I was soooo happy to be back in this world with these characters! I loved that this story had a parallel timeline with Calm Before the Score! So much fun to read, I’m kind of obsessed with Hartley 😍 also so wonderful to see their character development and give a glimpse at the future for Liza and Hartley. 🫶🏼 There were moments I was for sure kicking my feet and giggling! ☺️
4.25 stars for me!
January 31, 2025
I am a HARTLEY girl🙌🏼 And I am a huge fan of friends to lovers and I adored watching them grow from book 1 and now their own story 💕 It was a beautiful story about not letting the past hold you back and allowing yourself a loving future.
So Liza… I am ALSO a goner. Cause of death? Hartley Knox’s charm😍❤️
Fav Quote: “With you, it’s an all consuming love. One that feels like breathing life into my lungs for the first time.”
Tropes:
💕Dual POV
💕Football Player x Artist
💕Closed Door
💕Mental Health Rep
💕She’s his tutor
💕No Third Act Breakup
So Liza… I am ALSO a goner. Cause of death? Hartley Knox’s charm😍❤️
Fav Quote: “With you, it’s an all consuming love. One that feels like breathing life into my lungs for the first time.”
Tropes:
💕Dual POV
💕Football Player x Artist
💕Closed Door
💕Mental Health Rep
💕She’s his tutor
💕No Third Act Breakup
February 9, 2025
This is the second book in a series and I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read the first one but you do get a bigger picture on the timeline of things. Speaking of the timeline it’s what I enjoyed about this book you get a glimpse of the before and basically a behind the scenes on Liza and Hartleys friendship from the time of the first book taking place. Liza is Hartleys tutor and he was a big playboy but changed so much with Liza it was all just so cute and I loved every word of it out of the two books this one had to be my favorite!
December 29, 2024
I’m still thinking about Liza and Hartley!😍
This book will have you screaming at your book one minute and kicking your feet the next.
Watching Liza and Hart come into their relationship was so fun to read. Liza is bold and beautiful but also struggling like a lot of us. And Hartley.. 😮💨 He is everything you want in a hot, golden-retriever athlete.
If you like clean, closed-door but still all the passion and romance, this one’s for you!
This book will have you screaming at your book one minute and kicking your feet the next.
Watching Liza and Hart come into their relationship was so fun to read. Liza is bold and beautiful but also struggling like a lot of us. And Hartley.. 😮💨 He is everything you want in a hot, golden-retriever athlete.
If you like clean, closed-door but still all the passion and romance, this one’s for you!
December 30, 2024
This is the second book of this series. The first book followed Violet and Ryan. I loved the first book and I loved Liza and Hartleys story even more! Liza is such a beautiful character and Hartley is so likeable. It's a very easy read. Love them two together. I really love sports romance and like the fact that there is no spice. Can't wait to read the 3rd in this series. I dont think Emberly and Mason's story will disappoint!
January 3, 2025
I’m definitely a sucker for sappy love stories and this book was it! I read 75% of the book in one go, I just couldn’t put it down. There were so many time I caught my self giggling and smiling at Hartleys cocky comments. I might have teared up more times than I’d like to admit (the epilogue especially 🥰) The chemistry between Liza and Hartley was instant, cute and flirty, they make me happy. I love them. Everyone needs a golden retriever like Hartley 🥰
January 7, 2025
Had the pleasure to read this ARC and it was excellent! A clean, college sports romance! Harley is so patient and is exactly like Liza needs! Liza is coming out of a bad break up and doesn’t want to fall head over heels for before she can find herself again! Harley comes from a home where his mother ran off and his dad was absently present. He needs to be pushed out of his emotional trauma and she needs to learn to trust again! They are a perfect match!
January 14, 2025
ARC review……cute college sports romance. Yes there is zero spice but the spice is implied so use your imagination. It was cute to see the shift for the main characters- Liza “Goldie” and Hartley “Hotshot” to go from friends to lovers and how Hartley never gave up on her. Reminded me of my college days a little bit. Now I’m interested in reading the other Springs U books to delve deeper into other characters’ stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2025
So sweet. Be sure to check out this adorable friends to lovers, college sports romance today! This is a closed door romance that will have you kicking your feet, giggling the whole way through. Great ADHD rep that is written in a thoughtful way. I loved the push and pull between the two main characters and how down hard he was for her. Another great outing by Kort!
Thank you to Kort for this ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
Thank you to Kort for this ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
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