Forward Pass

Game On #1

by Desiree Holt

Get Ready to Play Rough

Shay Beckham grew up idolizing her brother’s best friend, star quarterback Joe Reilly. There was no one in their Texas town who had the moves to match Joe on or off the field. Years later, he’s still a player who has what it takes to drive any hot-blooded woman wild. But Shay isn’t a kid with a bad case of hero-worship anymore. She’s grown-up and independent, with her feet on the ground and a serious head on her shoulders. If she could just say the same for Joe.

It’s been fifteen years, but Joe Reilly hasn’t forgotten the skinny little kid who used to follow him around like a shadow. What he can’t get over is that the skinny shadow has grown into one hell of an incredible woman. One any man in his right mind would kill to get his hands on. And one who seems to be completely immune to him. He knows he and Shay could have something special together. If he could only convince her he’s about more than just the game.

Genres: Sports, Romance, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance, Football, Chick Lit

212 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2015

About the author

A multi-published, award winning, Amazon and USA Today best-selling author, Desiree Holt has produced more than 200 titles and won many awards. She has received an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many others including Author After Dark’s Author of the Year. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail. She lives in Florida with her cats who insist they help her write her books, and is addicted to football.

“Get out the ice water and fan…Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red hot romances.” Lea Franczak, USA Today Happy Ever After blog


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Reviews

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slick's review posted at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

I'm excited about Desiree Holt's new Game On series and Forward Pass is a good start. It's hard not to love a story where a childhood crush becomes a reality especially when that crush is your big brother's best friend. Thrown together by supposed circumstance leaves these two trying to deal with the lust they feel, concern for how her brother and his friend will react and both of them trying to move past their preconceived notions of each other. Funny at times and sexy at others, I enjoyed this story quite a bit.

Shay Beckham can't believe she has to share her brother's house with her childhood/teenage crush, Joe Reilly, but as it becomes clear they both are attracted to each other things change very rapidly. I really liked Joe; well respected on the field his personal life left a lot to be desired while playing college and pro football and he's worked hard to cultivate a better image since an injury sidelined his career. Joe was sweet, kind, and a good person but for me it was too obvious that his "secret" was going to cause him problems down the road and I felt he realized he had fallen "in love" with someone he hadn't seen in years and really didn't know as an adult too fast. I just didn't understand why he refused to share so much of his life with someone he supposedly loved. I liked Shay but I didn't like the fact that she kept harping on Joe about this past especially when she hadn't seen him in so long and apparently hadn't really kept up with what was going on in his life. I understand she'd been hurt, it wasn't surprising that the was trying to guard her heart but for someone she idolized all of her life I would have expected her to give him the benefit of the doubt or at least not brought it up repeatedly.

I enjoyed the time they spent together whether it was hanging out and watching movies, going on dates, meeting with friends or their spectacularly erotic sexy times. I just wished they'd spent more time really talking about their lives, what they were feeling and where they thought it might be going. I appreciate all the effort Joe put in trying to make Shay see the "new" him but I also felt sorry that he had to try so damn hard to win her over. I felt like he was the one that was more invested and working hard to make their relationship work and most of all after a huge set back I was disappointed that after everything he'd done during their time together she found it so easy to cut him out of her life.

Engaging and sexy I enjoyed Forward Pass and look forward to seeing what happens with some of the other characters that were introduced in this book.

Review copy provided for an honest review.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to give this book 2 stars but the more I thought about it the more I decided it's a one star book. First of all let me get this off my chest - The Hero had the all time stupidest reason for keeping secrets. It made absolutely no sense and was such an obvious set-up for conflict. The reader knew exactly what was going to happen and yep it happened exactly that way. But even if I could get past that the heroine was one of my least liked heroines of all time. She kept throwing it in Joe's face that he used to be a womanizer. Okay yes, 5 years ago he was but does she give him a chance - nope she goes on about it all the time even after he tells her he loves her and works really hard to convince her he's committed. Honestly, I have no idea what he saw her because she was selfish, bitter and judgmental. If the hero makes a phone call she assumes it's with another woman for a hook-up. If he goes to a business meeting she assumes he went for a hook-up. Obviously she had no self esteem and couldn't believe in the relationship. Well, there is the fact that they went from hello to I love you in a matter of days. Yes they'd known each other as kids but Joe always looked at her like a kid - his best friend's little sister. Just because she grew up and he fell in "lust" with her doesn't make it love. Then there was the way the book had this miracle "fix" at the end. It was completely unrealistic. Oh and even though the heroine finds out that Joe really didn't do anything wrong and she threw him out and refused to listen to his explanation he needed to prove to her that she could still trust him? Okay rant over - I just really, really disliked her.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars – 3 flames

You know that book that’s so predictable you just want to skip right to the end to validate you’re right? Yep, that’s this book in a nutshell. Although I didn’t skip to the end, I was totally validated.

While in high school, Shay followed her brother and his BFF Joe around like a lost puppy. Of course she developed a lovesick puppy crush, which turned into love, but she was the brother’s baby sister who was annoying, blah blah blah. Ok, fast forward to adulthood…

Joe is still good friends with older brother and decides he needs a place, other than a hotel, to stay in while taking care of some business. Turns out that Shay has been staying with older brother in said house while transitioning back to Texas from New York. Needless to say, the love at first sight was there all over again and he saw her as a woman instead of the annoying little sister.

Do I really need to continue with the story or do you see what’s coming? No? Ok, Joe and Shay decide to “try” to start a relationship. One based on truth….Oh, you see it now? I’ll stop there in case you decide to read it, I won’t spoil it for you.

I will say this though. Sex scenes are hot and that’s the only reason I gave this an extra half star rating. The author could have done so much more with this and I feel like it just fell flat. Sorry, just being honest.

*I was given a copy of this book as a gift from The JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read! Steamy, funny, and charming. I would have liked a little less whining from Shay about Joe's past and a little more info on why Joe changed his ways but overall it was very entertaining. After years of crushing on Joe, Shay now has a chance with him if she can let go of the past and live in the moment but can Joe live up to her expectations?? I would recommend this one.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a huge fan of romances involving heroes falling in love with their best friends little sister. As a little sister who dated her fair share of her brothers friends back in the day, I guess I have a bit of a soft spot for that type of thing. And while Forward Pass definitely worked for me in that regard, I can't say that I loved it as much as I had hoped I would.

So what's it all about? Shay has been in love with her brothers best friend, Joe, her whole life and unfortunately no guy that she has dated has measured up against him. When she finally decides it's time to move on from him, she goes home to find out that he's staying at her brothers house (where she's currently living) for a few weeks while he's back in town. Their meet-cute was absolutely perfect and I thought from that alone that I'd be able to fall in love with these two... So where did it go wrong?

Joe was a bit of a playboy back in his younger years, and even though he's cleaned up his act over the past few years, Shay isn't afraid to point it out entirely too often. I swear, every other word out of her mouth was his harem this and his women that... To say it got a bit redundant would be a huge understatement.

Of course, Joe does everything in his power to make Shay believe he really is a changed man, and in the beginning it was totally sweet, but after a while I almost wanted to tell the poor guy to just give up already. Anyway, they finally move past it but then Joe's "secret" comes out and it causes a whole lot of drama that I found rather unnecessary. Why didn't he just tell her?!?! Ugh!

Don't let my rant make you think that this book wasn't good, because it was, and I did enjoy quite a bit of it. Like, when Joe and Shay were together and learning about the adult version of each other, it was such a sweet, easy read. But the unnecessary drama definitely brought my rating down.

Overall, this was a light and easy read with some smoking hot sexy times thrown in. And while this was my first time reading a book by Desiree Holt, I can honestly say that it won't be my last.

*ARC kindly provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.

FORWARD PASS is a charming story about Joe, a retired professional quarterback. Since retiring Joe spends all his time on charity work and his sports show, but he is still having a difficult time trying to overcome his wild reputation from his younger days. When Joe decides to visit his best friend in Austin, Texas the last thing he expects is to spend time with Shay, his friend’s little sister.  Shay is living with her brother and is surprised when Joe unexpectedly shows up.  Her brother is out of town and she has to entertain Joe, which is not a hardship for her. Shay had a crush on Joe years ago, even though at the time, he never noticed her.  Joe and Shay are thrown together and sparks fly from the moment they see each other again and now, Joe sees Shay in a whole new light.  Shay is nothing like the little girl Joe remembers.  Joe cares about Shay and he never gives up trying to show her how he feels. He knows she is afraid to trust him and he is patient and understanding.

Shay is a successful designer and she has just moved back to Austin from New York.  Even though it’s been years since they have seen each other, when Shay sees Joe again she is still attracted to him.  Shay would like to believe Joe when he tells her how he feels, but she worries he is still a player and he will only break her heart.  Although I thought they fell in love a little too fast, I enjoyed this entertaining story and Joe and Shay have lots of chemistry sparking between them.This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.

[Anne OK · Rating 3 out of 5]

The falling for your best friend’s little sister is one of my favorite tropes and with the addition of the sports theme thrown in, it doubled the draw. I was a bit disappointed in this one though. Not much of spark to it and Shay annoyed the heck out of me. She couldn’t seem to move forward and cease reminding Joe (the former professional quarterback) of his playboy days – and believe me, it got tiresome quickly. Joe does his best to put her mind at ease until a “secret” is revealed that was totally one of those situations where just telling the truth upfront would have eliminated a dramatic overdose. The blame goes to Joe in this instance for lacking enough sense to converse and discuss.

It wasn’t a total loss – but the high points were certainly diluted. I liked the growing relationship when Joe and Shay found it within themselves to act like adults. At times it was almost sweet – and yes, there were the hot and sizzling moments, too.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite prepared for the heat factor in this one. It was much more of an erotic romance than I am used to reading but I ended up really loving it. I love stories where they have known each other all their lives. I love their witty and sarcastic banter back and forth too. The only criticism I would have is that the ending felt a little bit rushed

[Marulett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There was A LOT of avoidable drama in the book, but all in all it was good

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bad read. Shay could be annoying at times. She has liked Joe for a long time but she could be difficult about it. Joe was hiding something and it ended up being something that shouldn't have mattered. So of course it came out and there was drama. Thankfully it all worked out in the though.

[Christina Montminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my first read by Desiree Holt. The drama brought on by secrets could've been devastating beyond thought. Joe & Shay were a very strong couple, with a huge past to get over. Mistakes that needed to be fixed got run over by overwhelming lust turning into love not recognized. These two had a roller coaster ride of emotions from the word go. Definitely recommend.

[Gokce G · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far in my romance reads I have judged by the cover, I was surprised in both good and bad ways, I have been let down by many factors, but this book was by far the top of my disappointment list. The cover is lovely to look at, the plot seemed like it was tailored for my tastes what with childhood crushes and ex sports player renowned playboy. But none of these came to fruition. If you’re a lover of contemporary sports romance like me, and love bits of the action in your read, then let me warn you beforehand, this book had no sports at all regardless of being shelved as sports romance. Sure, the hero was an ex player, and yes, he was involved with some charity work for youth who’re interested in playing, but we got to see none of that. In fact, I wouldn’t be lying if I said most of our time was spent in the house the hero and the heroine shared, let alone involving the sport or any kind of socializing.

I am sorry to say I couldn’t connect with the heroine at all as a woman. There used to be times when I had difficulty understanding where a hero or heroine was coming from, but this was way worse. I couldn’t see Shay as nothing more than a child, or in some cases as much as an adolescent who acted childish, selfish and completely clueless when it comes to relationships of any kind. She wasn’t considerate or understanding, she spent almost all her time worrying over whether Joe was still the womanizer he used to be even after they started sleeping together and throwing words that hinted at love and devotion around. He takes a phone call outside, she thinks it’s another woman for a hook up, he says he has a business meeting, she makes cutting remarks about his playboy past. It was, to put mildly, most annoying. As a woman, I didn’t like the way she was portrayed, she definitely wasn’t relationship material I can tell you. To be honest, and this was a tragedy for me as a reader, she wasn’t worth the effort Joe put in to be with her.

As for Joe, I didn’t feel much about him other than perhaps a bit sorry for trying so hard to prove himself to a woman who seemed like she could never trust him anyway. Trust is one of the most important things in a relationship, and Joe and Shay lacked that in theirs. When they were together they had sex, and when they were apart Shay was worried whether he was cheating on her, and Joe was juggling his charity work with planning grand gestures to make Shay believe he was not a playboy anymore. I don’t know about you, but that’s not an ideal relationship for me. There was no trust, no understanding, no sharing, no binding in this book. So for me, no story.

[Isha Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ AND REVIEW: FORWARD PASS BY DESIREE HOLT  
 
FORWARD PASS BY DESIREE HOLT
 
Release Date:  July 7, 2015
 
SYNOPSIS
 
Get Ready to Play Rough
Shay Beckham grew up idolizing her brother’s best friend, star quarterback Joe Reilly. There was no one in their Texas town who had the moves to match Joe on or off the field. Years later, he’s still a player who has what it takes to drive any hot-blooded woman wild. But Shay isn’t a kid with a bad case of hero-worship anymore. She’s grown-up and independent, with her feet on the ground and a serious head on her shoulders. If she could just say the same for Joe.
It’s been fifteen years, but Joe Reilly hasn’t forgotten the skinny little kid who used to follow him around like a shadow. What he can’t get over is that the skinny shadow has grown into one hell of an incredible woman. One any man in his right mind would kill to get his hands on. And one who seems to be completely immune to him. He knows he and Shay could have something special together. If he could only convince her he’s about more than just the game.
 
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REVIEW:   FORWARD PASS BY DESIREE HOLT
 
Forward Pass (Game On, #1) by Desiree Holt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
 
Forward Pass is a fun twist on first love, second chances and getting even. Desiree
Holt wrote an sweetly adorable story.  At an early age Shay fell for Joe.  He was her ideal guy but he never saw her as anything other than a child.  Now Shay has
moved on with her life and given up on her childhood fantasy.  The only problem? Determined Joe has set his heart on mature, focused, grown-up Shay and likes
what he sees.  Is it too late?    I enjoy reading stories that bring the most unlikely
of couples together at the most unexpected times.  Forward Pass is a romance
that is sweetly written.  Received an ARC of Forward Pass for an honest review. (www.goodreads.com/review/list/2555691...)

[Heather / Obsessed With Myshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars!

I love a good sports romance. This is written in a classic contemporary romance style, meaning you sort of see how things are going, but you love it anyway. I declare this beach-read-awesome.

While Joe isn’t playing anymore, and is a reformed playboy, his wild days continue to plague him. It just goes to show you that it takes longer than five minutes (or five years in Joe’s case) to change your reputation. Shay has been in love with Joe since….uhhhh….forever. He was her brother’s best friend growing up and she spent her days learning about football so that she could impress Joe. However, he never saw her as more than the bratty little sister that followed along.

Until now.

A set of circumstances throw Shay and Joe together and Joe suddenly realizes that Shay is most definitely all grown up. Unfortunately, she’s heard all of the stores of his bed jumping and she’s not looking to be another notch on his bedpost. Joe makes it his mission to convince her otherwise….but of course, it’s not that easy.

This is a sweet romance in which I was happily swept away with Joe’s over the top gestures and dirty talking. There are some wonderfully hot and steamy sex scenes that definitely had me needing a time out to recover.

Shay was super reluctant and very in her head, questioning all the things. That sort of drove me nuts, especially when Joe was practically pouring his heart out to her. I wanted to shake her when she was unwilling to give Joe any sort of a chance, even though he’s more than making an effort. Thankfully, with a lot of ice cream, she comes around. [this book really made me want ice cream].

Joe is sort of an idiot, but an extremely adorable and well meaning idiot. He goes completely all in with Shay, practically immediately, and that scored major points with me. Things move VERY quickly in this story, so be prepared for some quick timelines. That’s sort of par for the course (oops, wrong sport) for this type of novel, so it didn’t really bother me, but it’s worth mentioning.

Pick this one up on the way to the beach & enjoy the day basking in the sun while Joe’s sweet and dirty words roll over you. Overall, I enjoyed the plot, and even though I could see how things were going to play out, I was more than happy to ride along. 3.75 stars.

[I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review]
This review looks prettier on my blog: http://obsessedwithmyshelf.com/2015/0...

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4 finally together stars for Forward Pass. The story is sweet, her brother's best friend that she'd idolized and fantasized about as a child finally turning to be hers. The dynamic is explosive between the two and Shay really didn't stand a chance since she's probably loved him since her teen years. There's a slightly meddling older brother, a great agent, a reformed playboy, and a sweet love that might just have been predestined.

Shay is smart, fiery, funny, and easy to like. Born and bred a Texan, Shay is back in San Antonio living with her brother and telecommuting. She doesn't expect to come home to Joe staying for however long while her brother is in Wyoming. She swears she's past her adolescent crush until Joe is standing right in front of her. Joe didn't expect to see Shay since last he heard she was living in New York City. He was pleasantly surprised to see her and how grown up she is. Lust hits him immediately and he realizes her must have her.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and really did like Joe. He wanted to prove himself and was a good guy. He grew up and wanted to show that to Shay. Shay was great and I have to admit she reacted in a way most would when confronted with less than desirable information. The story moves pretty easy and ends sweetly.

[S.M. Harshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**


Joe used to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game. He had woman hanging on his every word from high school to the NFL. Shay has been in love with Joe since they were kids, but she has seen how much of a player he truly is. When they both end up staying at her brother's alone Joe realizes she's not the brat she used to be and Shay still thinks he's a player. Can Shay see he's changed? Will Joe show her all his secrets?

I have to say the first couple chapters yanked me into this read. I loved the idea of the unrequited love from the older brothers best friend, the tag-a-long little bratty sister. But then the dropped the ball somewhere and I started predicting the story line. No surprises was a straightforward and a little boring. The secrets that were kept would have a normal man bragging from the rooftops to show his worth, Joe not so much.

I have read others by this author and really enjoyed them, this one just feel a little flat for me.

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads~~


Being a huge sports romance fan, seeing the cover reveal for the book, and a definite follower of Ms Holt's writing, I was delighted to be able to read this story.

It engaged me from the beginning and as frustrating as I found the inner musings of the two lead characters, it was amusing to read both their POVs. My desire to bang their heads together a few times was palpable! It worked though; he plot fitted together; the romance was seductive and steamy as well as somewhat cute and hesitant. The twist was almost inevitable, but at the same time was good for its lack of excessive drama.

I liked that it was about a football star post retirement, who stayed in the game, and yet suffers no angst, and gets on with the future (with the odd curveball, obviously). There was plenty of humour - mainly provided by Shay.

I am looking forward to more about this group of players.

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

This book had, by far, the stupidest reason to keep secrets and the stupidest secrets ever kept.

Yes, I'm leading with that -- which breaks my heart.

I wanted to LOVE this book. I mean, look at that cover *fans*

And the premise? Well, unrequited love meets brother's best friend and you start at 5 stars.... my love is yours to lose.

Unfortunately, lose me it did. I wanted to hit my head against the wall reading this book. The hero is keeping secrets about how AWESOME AND NICE he is. Right. Yeah. Great....those are exactly the secrets guys keep. Sure.

And the over the top "fix" was too much. But, by then I'd rolled my eyes too many times to count.

Also...um, the sex? Not a fan of several of the scenes. Found myself skimming through them as fast as my kindle would click.

ON THE UPSIDE:
The writing, pace of the story, etc was all great - I'd read another book by this author in a heartbeat and hope that common sense had a little more free reign in it.

Received from Netgalley for an honest review.

[CL · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - 65%

ARC received from: Netgalley

Rating: 1*

Cover: Yay

Trope: Best friend's little sister

Chemistry Rating: Titanic Iceberg

POV: 3rd Person

Review:I have read a lot of romances, some good, some bad, but never have I read a book in which the Hero is sporting an erection in every.single.scene and the Heroine has to make some jab about the women in the Hero's past in every.single.scene, even after he has practically declared that he loves her. Oh yeah - another thing which turned me off was the unbelievable "insta-love" syndrome.

I tried to hang on in there, I really did but sometimes you just need to give up.

[Limecello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book overall. She's an idiot though, and he's an idiot.
She's an idiot because she can't move on from the past - I get she's trying to protect herself ... but god there are a lot of Classic Misunderstandings here.

And he - ... I ... yeah :X parts of it are mixing with Brannaugh's book because hello such similar heroes what with the ex NFL star now sports commentator.
Anyway - not quite sure why/how he'd expect everyone to know or even think he's changed when he was SO VERY PUBLIC about being a ... shall we say playboy? And hiding all his charity work ... but expecting people to ~know about it and think he's a good guy. [I mean he's basically a public figure and so on point with all that shit - he's never figured that out? The image that sticks?]

He does a ~pretty good job at the grovel and I liked that the brother tried to play Cupid [remotely].
The beginning was a bit too hokey ... but overall I enjoyed this book.

C+/B-

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Forward Pass was an OK read.

The story started out well, it was cute and fun seeing Shay and Joe interact and fight the growing attraction between them.
But then I started to lose interest, I was struggling to connect with the characters which affected my overall enjoyment of this story.
Also the insta-love left me questioning how real their feelings were for each other. I can understand lusting for someone but after not even 24 hrs your madly in love and you've found your forever?

Makes me sad but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you Lyrical Press via Netgalley for the advance copy.

[Catherine Bishop · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho ricevuto copia di questo libro da NetGalley in cambio di una recensione onesta.

Shay Beckam è segretamente innamorata del miglior amico di suo fratello, Joe Reilly, fin da quando era bambina. Joe era per lei un idolo paragonabile solo a Joe Montana.

Ora sono cresciuti. Shay è una disigner di successo e Joe, dopo una brillante carriera nella NFL dalla quale si è dovuto ritirare a causa di un brutto infortunio, si dedica ad un programma televisivo e a diverse iniziative caritatevoli.

Dopo molti anni i due si incontrano di nuovo, nella città dove tutto è iniziato.

Shay è ancora molto attratta da Joe, ma si preoccupa troppo della reputazione di Joe come giocatore sul e fuori dal campo, specialmente con le donne. Non vuole che Joe gli spezzi il cuore.

“Aveva aspettato tutti quegli anni, non aspettandosi che ciò accadesse. Ora aveva bisogno di riportare alla luce un pizzico di fiducia per farlo diventare realtà.”

Joe invece è sorpreso di ritrovare una bellissima donna e non più la piccola peste di un tempo. Si innamora di lei all’istante, forse anche troppo in fretta per i miei gusti, ma non vuole raccontarle delle sue iniziative caritatevoli perché non vuole che Shay pensi che stia usando questa cosa come una scusa solo per ripulire la sua immagina. In realtà lui ci tiene molto a queste iniziative perché si sente un uomo fortunato ad avere avuto la possibilità di aver giocato nella NFL. Questo è il suo modo per ricambiare e dare ad altri la possibilità di poter avere altrettanto successo.

Joe sa che per vincere il cuore di Shay deve dimostrarle di essere un uomo diverso.

“Ogni minuto che passo con te, mi innamoro sempre di più. Amore. Non ho paura di dire questa parola. Se tu solo lasciassi cadere quel muro che ti sei costruita attorno, quello dietro il quale ti nascondi, riusciresti ad ammettere che anche tu provi la stessa cosa. O almeno lo spero.”

La storia è carina con un grande potenziale, peccato che Shay sia un personaggio che pensa troppo e pensa sempre le stesse cose, e questo rendo il libro a tratti un po’ noioso. Quello che trattiene l’interesse sul libro sono le scene erotiche: grazie Joe!!

La storia e i personaggi non mi hanno particolarmente coinvolta emozionalmente. Peccato perché ci sarebbero state tante cose da raccontare invece di sentire le paranoie di Shay.

Nel complesso il libro è scorrevole e l’autrice sa sicuramente come scrivere delle scene d’amore e di sesso.
.
Jewel69 - per RFS

[Barbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books where the main character has a childhood crush on their older sibling's best friend/the best friend has a crush on the younger sibling are often some of my favorites. Forwards Pass checked this box, though it was a bit predictable. Shay has a crush on her brother's best friend, Joe, who shot to fame as a quarterback for a professional football team. Having a reputation as a womanizer, Shay makes it a point to shut down virtually all conversations with Joe by making snide remarks. Joe has been working to clean up his act and simmer down on his wild exploits, but Shay will hear nothing of it. There is clearly an attraction between them, but Shay is a bit much. Overall, I enjoyed it.

3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy for honest review.

[Cass_saag · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book......sucked. It was so painfully predictable. The heroine made me want to bang my head against a wall. There was not a single thing i liked about her. Idk why the hero was into her at all. It was a VERY unbelievable Instalove that just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t feel the chemistry at all between the characters and I’m extra pissed this is classified as a “sports romance”. Don’t be fooled my friends, there are no sports in this book.

[Victoria (nocturnalintimacy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was awful.
The book could have been trimmed in half and accomplished the same thing. Insta-love to the extreme. The sex scenes went beyond steamy and into porn territory. I started to feel bad for the main character because he was constantly in a state of arousal. The poor man walked around with an erection for half the book.

You should definitely pass on this one. See what I did there?

[Sharon Kurtz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty slow because of all the self doubt. going on between the two main characters. As far as Shay goes I did not like her at all. The story line was pretty thin. I have more from this series on Kindle, hopefully they will be better.

[Allison6876 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shay was irrational and neurotic. The "c" word is neither erotic nor sexy and is used far too frequently in this book.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot and sexy read

Desiree does it again. Another wonderful book. Highly recommend. Love football books and this series. Well done. Ma. Holr.
a++++

[Slynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't hear the MFC say one more time that she didn't believe the MMC, or that she couldn't. And he repeatedly kept worrying that she'd run off on him. Repeatedly. The conversations that help build trust were totally lacking. I just couldn't get into this couple or this book.