Love for Keeps

by Maria Hoagland

City home inspector Kendall Nomellini follows rules to a fault. As a single mom of a high school soccer player, she has no choice but to plan her time to the minute—fitting her work, education, and future goals into a tidy, no-surprises schedule. What’s not in her plan? Falling for the worst soccer referee in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Why would she when she knows from experience that the perfect man doesn’t exist?

Between owning a successful business and running a fulfilling charity, former MLS goalkeeper Zeke Hartford’s life is working out just fine. Except time and again, he crosses paths with the spitfire club coach who has no problem telling him exactly where he falls short. And while the beautiful home inspector could easily throw a wrench into his professional life, he’s intrigued enough to win her over.

Can Zeke change her scowls to smiles and her criticism to compliments? It’s a challenge he’s willing to take—on the pitch and off—but is Kendall willing to play his game?

Genres: Sports

250 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2019

About the author

Maria Hoagland writes about hearts, homes, and happily ever afters. Known for her fun and flirty sweet romance and women's fiction, Maria's novels make great book club choices. She's published over a dozen books including two Whitney Award finalists, and has no plans to stop writing any time soon.

When Maria is not working at her computer, she can be found combing used furniture stores or remodeling houses with her husband. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals at high volumes.

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Cute! The witty banter and zingy dialogue really made this one entertaining. Kendall is a spitfire soccer mom/coach and her small size can't quite contain her larger-than-life personality and attitude. So when Zeke gets on her wrong side, the sparks fly.

Only one of my sons was into soccer for a short time, but I can definitely appreciate the sport and the intense emotions that sports bring out, especially for moms. I loved the backgrounds of these characters and how they each carry their persistence and dedication over into their day jobs. And what a tangle of relationships that was!

This story really engaged me and kept me flipping through the pages as much as time would allow for today. Kendall and Zeke both had such large, generous hearts and I loved watching that aspect develop. I also loved the sweet romance so much, but the zings are what drew me in, especially as they started to melt into something more.

Great story, great characters. This one is a keeper!

Content: mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute frienemies sports romance trope story. Main characters are Zeke and Kendall. They start off on the wrong ‘cleat’ at a soccer game Kendall is coaching and Zeke is reffing. They kind of hate each other until they keep meeting up and see a different side to each other that they really like. The side characters are fun—Pete and Hannah and their cute family, including a daughter with brittle bone disease. There is also a home building theme that this author always does a good job with in her stories. There were a few mistakes in the early version I was given, but not enough to detract from the story for me (and I believe these will be fixed in the official version). It’s a quick read that held my attention and had a fulfilling romance and happily-ever-after. I really enjoyed the soccer details since I spent years watching my children play soccer. Those and the building code details seemed well-researched and were woven into the story seamlessly. Overall, a fun, solid, enjoyable read that made me smile. ***I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love for Keeps (Sports Moms and Romance) - PG
Violence: none
Language: nothing offensive
Sex: none

This is definitely a niche book, and I am not part of those that appreciate this niche. I like sports and if I knew more than "goal" and "keeper," I would probably have really adored this soccer-themed book. The romance was fine. The interaction between the heroine and the Ex was unbelievable and not in the h's character and very off-putting.

[Valerie Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Way way way too much inner commentary for my liking

[Nari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kendall is a spitfire in a small 5 ft 1 inch body. She catches Zeke's attention the first time they meet. Kendall and Zeke enjoy verbally sparing with each other which is fun for the reader. Zeke is a gentlemen while also being all man. My favorite part to the book is how Zeke treats those around him. He mentors and encourages Drew, he helps others in need and he respects Kendall's boundaries. This is a sweet romance centered around soccer and home building. I highly recommend this book.

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Romance

This was a super sweet romance with lots of fun! She's a soccer coach and he's a referee, so they meet and disagree, but Zeke is amazing, so she ends up seeing him more and more.

[Lori R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love for Keeps is an inspiring story about divorced Kendall Nomellini and her son Drew. It also is an inspiring story about helping Hazel, a little girl with osteogenesis imperfecta. All of the story centers around Kendall and Drew's love for soccer, playing and coaching. Throw in Zeke Hartford, an ex soccer player who is sexy, caring, and romantic and you have a fun book that will make you smile when you are done reading it. This book is indeed a "keeper or a perfect catch." I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

[Ru4repeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might just be a keeper

I love the verbal sparing between Zeke and Kendall. It was enjoyable and added greatly to the story making the characters more relatable and their romance sweeter. I really like books that educate and entertain this one did both successfully. I was able to learn more about soccer, clouds, and osteogenesis imperfecta.
This author did a wonderful job building the romance, but not going over the top with the passion. On a steaminess level I would rate this a hot PG.
This read is definitely worthy of a repeat!

[Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Romance

This is an amazing and enjoyable romance with charming and sassy characters and some endearing and feel good moments that will touch your heart and soul as they journey towards love.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I did a bit of scan-reading, I should rate this an automatic two stars, but I felt the author really carefully crafted her story. There were house topics and soccer topics that seemed to GO ON (hence the scan-reading) but it was a nice story.