Sack

Eligible Receivers #1

by Sarah Curtis

A quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker walk into a bar…

P. Colton, quarterback for the Portland Phantoms, had one goal. Make it to the Super Bowl and win a ring. Love, marriage, and a family could come later—after he retired. Relationships were a distraction he couldn’t afford. Not if he wanted to win.

But Colt wasn’t expecting Ivy Clark to crash into his life.

His first mistake had been calling her.

His second, hiring her.

Quirky, a little nerdy, gorgeous... She turned his world upside down.

And then she offered him a proposition he couldn’t resist.

His third mistake?

Not realizing what he had until it was too late.


***This is a full-length sports romance with no cliffhanger. It is part of a series, but each book is a stand-alone with different main characters. Due to sex, language, and sensitive subject matter, it is recommended for persons over 18.*** HEA ***

Genres: Sports, Sports Romance, Football, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, New Adult

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2021

About the author

Sarah Curtis is a writer of all things romance. She loves nothing more than a sexy alpha male who falls hard for their heroine, almost always in spite of themselves!


A life-long resident of Southern California, Sarah shares her writing den with her childhood sweetheart and very own alpha male. When she’s not writing or dreaming up plotlines you can find her wrangling her plethora of very spoiled felines—she currently has five, yes you read that correctly, furry companions. Sarah is a reader before anything else, and her TBR mountain is higher than Everest. She’s also addicted to watching cooking competitions, especially involving baking! Of her own admission, she rarely cooks, but she’s up for the occasional birthday cake for her children as long as it involves the opening of a box.


If you like romance in all its forms along with some healthy debates with a side of games and puzzles then head over to her Facebook group, Sarah Curtis's Alpha Overload, for fun chats and to discover your next BBF. https://www.facebook.com/groups/20646...


Or visit Sarah's website and sign up for her newsletter to receive a free copy of Alluring Honeymoon — https://sarahcurtisauthor.wixsite.com...

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sack is book one in the Eligible Receivers Series by Sarah Curtis. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect going into this book except that it was a sports romance. I feel like it’s completely different from anything I’ve read of Sarah’s so far and I loved it. I completely fell in love with these two characters and can’t wait to tell you a little bit about them.

P. Colton is thirty two years old and is the quarterback for the Portland Phantoms. Colt’s life’s ambition is to take his team to the Super Bowl. It’s all he has ever aspired to. All of his focus is on the game leaving no time for personal relationships. He does take great pride in his charity, Colt’s Kids, though, which is how Ivy came into his life!



Ivy Clark is a twenty six year old graphic designer trying to get her own business off the ground. She was taking pictures at The Parting Glass, a bar she was hired to update their social media, when she first saw him. She had no idea who he was. Only that he was gorgeous, and also very angry she was taking his picture.

“The man was one big walking contradiction. It was enough to drive any socially inept girl insane.”



Mistaken for paparazzi, Ivy and Colt’s relationship might have gotten a rough start. But when Colt hires Ivy to update the social media for Colt’s Kids, they get a second chance. Their chemistry is undeniable but Colt can’t let himself be distracted by a relationship. But, Ivy has a solution!

“When his mind was free to roam, she always seemed to be there. It didn’t matter what he told himself or how many times he tried to convince himself he wasn’t interested. Ivy was becoming his obsession.”



These two were so perfect together. Ivy was an introverted, nerdy quirky woman who loved computers, books and Marvel movies. Colt was a broody, alpha, bossy hero that thought his life was all about one thing, football, until someone completely unexpected came along and turned everything upside down for him.



This was sweet, sexy, fun and just wonderful. I just loved the ending. I suspect who the next book might be about but time will tell if I’m correct. But for now, I can’t wait for you to meet these two. I hope you fall in love just as I did.

“I want to live my best life, forever, with you.”
“My Ivy.”

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! This just became my new favorite! I loved everything about this book!





Ivy is definitely one my new top favorite heroines, ever. She’s bright and witty and has these little verbal quirks that had me loving her from pretty much the first page. When things between her and Colt hit a roadblock, I respected the heck out of the fact that she addressed the situation in a mature manner and followed through with it.





I love a strong alpha hero and while Colt definitely had the characteristics, he also made it so he couldn’t enforce all those alpha tendencies he wanted to let fly. I found it to be pretty humorous that he was, as the saying goes, “hoisted in his own petard”.





I hated when this story ended. I wanted, needed, more of both Ivy and Colt. They were just too perfect together. Their chemistry was electric and the process of moving this couple into a relationship was a believable occurrence.





Everything about this story felt effortless as though it were predestined and the author was simply giving it space. This was a fast paced read that kept me engaged from the very beginning and the most perfect epilogue, ever. Fingers crossed we get the stories of some of these secondary characters.

Dual POV
Safe no ow/om drama; h not a virgin; H not a manwhore
Triggers abuse - off page, no details

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this! One of my favorite things in a book is to get some good quality couple time and you get that with Colt and Ivy. Their relationship starts out casual and it builds form there but most of the book is spent with them together and I really love that.

I also liked the fact that while Colt was a famous quarterback, you don't get the usual playboy persona you do in most sports themed romance books. We didn't get any other woman drama and he focused purely on Ivy.

I loved Ivy's quirky personality. She was kind of nerdy but a cool nerdy. She handled so many situations in this the way I always want to see heroines handle them. To me, that's rare to find.

I very much enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to more in the series!

[Treena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good sports romance but I haven’t found any recently (this year anyway) that I really enjoyed. Not until this one!!!

There’s something very fluid and engaging about how Sarah Curtis tells a story. Her characters are always relatable and people you want to be your friends. Ivy and Colt are no exception.

Ivy is a geek after my own heart. I love love love her!!!Colt is the kind of alpha-possessive book boyfriend that I am attracted to.

They both have their own issues but nothing too angsty or melodramatic. Which I’m so thankful for because I love a good low-angst romance.

And without giving anything away, I really liked how you can see their relationship grow and progress. And man, that epilogue! So cute and swoony! 🥰

This was such a great start to a new series! I’m hoping we get Emerson and Oz’s story next. 😊

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. A very good book, totally worth reading. This story is low angst, set in the pro football world, has a smart but quirky heroine, and a possessive alpha hero. I think the heroine's backbone and strong convictions are what set this book above others for me. I LOVED that she had a sense of self-worth and didn't let the hero walk all over her. She was smart, strong, and knew what she wanted. The hero was a little slow on the uptake at times, but ultimately ended up being awesome too.

I can't wait for the next book in this series.

Safety was great, no virgins, he's not a manwhore, only some very minor om/ow drama, no sex scenes with OP, separation w/o other partners.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I think Sarah Curtis plucked this plot straight out of my brain because I've been DYING for a plot like this. You ever think of romance book ideas in your head and think "damn i wish an author would write a book like that so i can read it?"

Just me? Ok, moving on.

So yeah, i enjoyed it. The characters were really a bright light in this book. I always approach sports romance with trepidation because the male lead is written as a chauvinist manwhore 99% of the time. Colt, in this case was the complete opposite. He had a humble, quiet, grumpy demeanor that i adored. His affection for the heroine was so endearing and a pleasure to read. And low and behold...

A HEROINE WITH AGENCY!!!!!! She had a real job, a car, an apartment that didnt have the dreaded 'moth eaten furniture,' and friends that didnt revolve around talking about the heroines coochie. BLESS UP!!!!!!!

So all of these good things and why not 5 stars? I think the ending was a little too neat. I wasnt quite sure if the H was continuing with football or not? And the tragic backstory wasnt revealed until the end so it came out of left field and it felt a tad too forced. But other than that, an excellent romance.

Note to myself on the next two books:
Oz (#2): doesnt seem like a manwhore, friends to lovers with Emerson
Linc (#3): definitely is a chauvinist manwhore. Nanny romance (not his biological child, niece)

Safety:
No cheating, no other people after meeting, no OW drama
Slight OM drama... another guy asks out the h and H gets deliciously jealous and possessive.
Hero not a manwhore
heroine not a virgin
Some separation

[Heather Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5! Sweet, low-angst.

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet enemies to friends to friends with benefits to lovers story! I wonder if Oz and Linc will get stories, too. I hope so! 4 stars

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colton & Ivy’s breathtaking story comes to life in Sack, the first book in Sarah Curtis’s Eligible Receivers series. Colton meets his match when he sees Ivy, but a relationship is not in the cards for him. Yet the NFL quarterback and the nerdy, graphic designer can’t help what they feel.

Ms Curtis takes you on a wonderful, steamy ride with this delicious book. This is not exactly a love at first sight kinda story, it’s more of a denial is not just a river in Egypt. From start to finish, this book had me in its grasp and I didn’t want it to end. Excellent start to a new series!!

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like when the hero made a great romantic apology to the heroine for being such a dumbass for letting her go and to focus on himself and not fight enough for the heroine. Like his apology is so romantic and he have his ways of doing it, like saying it couple of times and even show part of himself to the heroine that he never shown anyone before… and he apologized again. And he even felt and said to himself that he probably will take a long time to forgave himself of what he did to the heroine…

No he did nothing that too bad like no cheating noo. It was only he like push her away and didn’t fight enough for the heroine when he knows this heroine is special and he loves her so much but was too afraid and be a coward about it, thats the problem. I’m glad he did regret it and learn from his mistake.



No virgins but have been clean
It has separation but both are very loyal
No cheating
No drama with ow
Little drama with om but not too much
Many jealous scenes from the hero
The hero is ott possessive protective alpha male
Electricity love in first sight




Their love story is great, their connection is romantic and of course is a safe hot love story….

Engaged. I wish it was a longer epilogue tho…🥲🥲

[MichelleG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colt, the Hero, is a NFL quarterback laser focused on winning a Super Bowl ring this season and the heroine, Ivy, is a quirky, nerdy, no filtered graphic designer. There is instant chemistry, and they start a no strings FWB relationship that he immediately and consistently pushes the boundaries of.

The growth of their relationship seemed natural with the chemistry evolving into genuine friendship and affection. I loved how different the Hero was from the usual athlete Hero. He was genuine, not ego driven and wasn't a raging manhoe. I also enjoyed that the heroine was the right balance of quirky, sweet, smart, vulnerable and sensible. I found her completely relatable (probably because I share the same nerdlike qualities). There are several J/P moments on his part, and no OW drama. There is one moment where he gets wrangled to attend a party while the heroine is out of town at Comic-Con, and his teammate asks him to be a wingman and keep a girl company while he spends some time with the friend. The hero tells him he will give him an hour. I was waiting for this to devolve into some of the standard scenes that usually happen (Hero gets drunk and OW comes on to the H by rubbing on him or sitting on his lap, pics are taken, etc.) It completely tickled me that instead of that, the Hero stays sober, spends the entire hour talking to her about the heroine, and at the end of the hour, gets up and goes home. This was a low angst, feel good read and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I loved this book! I’m a sucker for sports romance and this one was so good.
Colt and Ivy are so great together. Colt is a possessive alpha quarterback and Ivy is a spunky, nerdy graphic artist. Their chemistry was off the charts and I loved how Ivy wasn’t some wallflower. She stood up for herself when needed. And I like that Colt was the jealous type but not a jerk about it, if that makes sense.
I’d love to see a little novella about these two.
Great job as always, Sarah Curtis!

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review *

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sarah Curtis and anxiously wait for her next book! I’m excited for the start of this series. I will admit I struggled with the relationship between Colt and Ivy. They just couldn’t get themselves together fast enough! It’s a heartbreaking and heartwarming journey to their HEA.

[Jenn the Readaholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this isn’t quite what you’d expect. Colt is single, but not because he’s a player on and off the field. Oh, no. He’s too focused on the big Win and knows he can’t give his all to anyone else. But he can’t help wondering if things could be different when he meets Ivy. As for Ivy, she’s strong, willing to bend but not break, and capable of fending for herself, thank you very much. So when these two decide to act on their attraction, complete with some rules, things are bound to get messy. That mess is exactly what they both need though. SO badly.

Ivy had some hard choices to make along the way, and Colt had some serious thinking to do. Are they meant to be, or is it really temporary? Can he have it all, or is football enough? And the biggest question of all: can Ivy and Colt afford NOT to try for forever together?

I loved how they each pretended to themselves here. Ivy pretended that she could be happy with the end, while Colt pretended that he didn’t need and love Ivy more than anything. We also meet some awesome characters along the way, so I have high hopes for the next book in this series.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author could have done the epilogue better.

[Mizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah]

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay nothing extraordinary, the romance is light and easy to follow.The plot and storyline is cliche AF but still tolerable.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colton was so focused, so bland almost nothing before he met eccentric Ivy. How could you not fall in love with Ivy, she was full useless facts, always trying to keep the peace and very independent. These two should not of worked together, but holy did they ever. I guess opposites do attract. I loved how she brought out his fun side and even more his loving side. Great read

[Lynn Poydras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic read from Sarah Curtis that I didn't want to end! I love a book that can make me laugh and cry and this story delivered a lot of both of these reactions. Of course she doesn't disappoint with the sexy time either! How can every book be my new favorite of Sarah's? Keep writing Sarah and I will keep reading.

[Peggy M · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd read: 2022
1st read : 2021

After having read a few emotional stories I was looking for something lighter to read. And after reading a very positive review on Goodreads about this new book ‘Sack’ from the writer Sarah Curtis, I was instantly intrigued about the story. I love reading sport romance books so I decided to take a chance on it and I’m so glad that I did because I really liked it and I will definitely read more books of this (new to me) writer.

P. Colton (‘Colt’) is a man with a mission and that mission is winning the Super Bowl! For years that have been his main focus and this year will be the year that he and his team will win it. The only thing that he needs to do, is keep his focus and work hard. But then one day Colt meets a pink haired woman and from their first look he’s intrigued by her. Their first meeting doesn’t go well but that doesn’t stop him for hiring her for a job. And when Ivy proposes him a friends with benefit relationship, he says ‘yes’, thinking that they can keep their feelings out of it. But somewhere along the way, they both lose their focus and there will come a time that they will have to decide what is most important in life. Football, friendship or love.

This story had the perfect balance between a light sweet read and a light emotional one. The story is told from both POV’s and I adored both main characters very much. Colt had a more serious character and Ivy’s character was a mix of sweet, sunny, innocent, very honest, sometimes a bit awkward at times with a nerdy side. I really loved the interaction between Colt and Ivy. Colt was a strong character but not super alpha, yes he got jealous but he also respected and liked Ivy’s independent side. He encouraged her to follow her dreams and supported her career. That was also the case with Ivy, she also supported Colt but she also told him when she was unhappy with him. But she never went too far in it and I liked that about her. I also liked the fact that Colt may be a famous football player but he wasn’t a playboy. I found that refreshing, just like their honesty with each other. There were sex scenes in the book and they were a bit steamy, another thing that I liked about this story.

The secondary characters were great too, Colt’s teammates, Linc and Oz were great friends and I’m already looking forward to their story in this series. Ivy’s girlfriends were wonderful too.

‘Sack’ was a great sweet story.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This was a good book to read. I liked the characters and their chemistry and storyline and connection. I hope to read more from this author

[Lujain · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Mrs Jayne Rushton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sports romance is not my usual read, but I've read something by this author before so asked if I could review Sack.

I'm so pleased I did. It was such a good read with great characters who really drew you in to their world. The story was clear and I loved the pace of it.

Thanks to Sack, I'll probably look out for more sports romance books. And Sarah, I love you writing.

[A Klue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

You pretty much get what is hinted at in the synopsis, my fellow sports romance book loving friends. This slow burn, leisurely paced romantic read revolves around Colton, a moody, quick to get jealous, determined Super Bowl bound pro football quarterback and Ivy, his quirky, gorgeous, whiz at graphics design, comic con fan love interest.

Ivy quickly grew on Colton in a big way, folks. From her not sure I completely grasp nerdy way of talking and swearing to her Comic Con obsession, she shows Colton life is meant to be lived for the here and now. Goals are great but life is too short not to sometimes cast everything aside for some fun relief.

Rather more slow paced that I expected, I still enjoyed seeing this main couple get their HEA. Colton was a tad too quick to get jealous and presume the worst, while Ivy went back and forth on expecting too little to wanting a touchdown in the commitment end zone.

As usual this author's writing flows and keeps me engaged, whether fast paced or slow burn. Here's to hoping we get Lincoln's HEA next. I highly suspect he is next up as the first round draft pick to win his leading lady love's heart and hand.

Title: Sack, Series: Eligible Receivers (Book 1), Author: Sarah Curtis, Pages: 307, pub date: 5/28/21, stand-alone but part of a series, sassy nerdy at times comic con fan heroine, moody jealous at times pro football hero, slow burn romance, very leisurely paced, gets smexy in second half, get to know each other first, 18+ read, not a manho, romance safe for me.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any form for this review.)

[rj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner! I had it downloaded on my Kindle for the longest but never got around to it b/c I assumed there would be tons of pushing away from H due to the blurb of him wanting to put all his focus on football and not a relationship.

I highly enjoyed my time reading this. It's been a while where I was checking the progress bar to make sure the book wasn't about to end soon!

What I enjoyed:

- Ivy with her "I think we should have sex" - it was refreshing to see a h go after what she wants and not act like a bumbling idiot

- I thoroughly enjoyed Colt and Ivy starting a friends-with-benefit but failing in the best way possible. Colt immediately established the rule of "no one else" and they were sleeping over, spending weekends together, and generally just dating but without the bf/gf label

- No big pushing away from H. I was nervous this would be painful but H was pretty much all in with h just had some hiccups about putting football first b/c of his past (which is explained and lemme tell you it made me teary eyed!)

What I didn't enjoy:

- This is def just personal preference because the struggles were need for our couple but I would've loved the hell outta this book if it was the all cutesy vibes + no real troubles type lol

- Wish there was more getting to know each other deeper scenes

- Need more epilogue!!

Safety:
- Safe, no others after meeting
- H not a manwhore
- h not a virgin
- No cheating
- Separation of 6 weeks / no one else for both
- No real OM/OW drama (H is at a party and his friend makes him babysit a woman while he sleeps with her friend and H spends the entire hour just talking about the h)

[Bel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
Book #1 - standalone


🆗 Sports: football
🆗 Strangers enter into a friends with benefits
⬇️ Too fast paced and time jumps

❗ Briefly mentions children victim of domestic violence and abusive homes


***


P. Colton is the quarterback for the Portland Phantoms.

He knows his career doesn't have many more years so he is eager to finally prove himself and win the Super Bowl.

And for that, his focus must be football and nothing else.

That was easy until he met Ivy Clark, a media consultant and graphic designer.

A misunderstanding put them face to face.

An accident gave him a chance.

A non-profit organization in need of more funds gave him the opportunity.

What started as an attraction grew.
But they were just having fun...
Until feelings get in the way of duty.


***

Notes:

The plot isn't the most innovative, especially when taking "strangers entering a friends with benefits" trope.
A bit predictable.

The writing is not the most captivating.

The story is predictable, superficial with two dimensional characters and quite a few time jumps.
No funny interactions or very few.
Lack of deep interactions.

Nice but not great.


***

As always my respect to the author.
No hate nor hurt intended with this review.

[Kimberly / Love Notes Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This was a safe, easy read with some really cute moments. Sack is Colt and Ivy's story. Ivy is a quirky, nerdy who runs a marketing company. Colt, or P. Colton, is an NFL player. When Ivy is taking pictures for a client to market a new restaurant, Colt thinks she is part of the papparazzi and snaps at her. But, once he finds out the truth, there is an attraction between them that Colt can't ignore, so he hires her to help market the charity he founded. As they spend time together, their attraction grows. Can Colt focus on more than just football to give a real relationship with Ivy a chance?

I enjoyed this story. Colt and Ivy were cute together once they decided to go all-in on their relationship. I did wish they had gotten their acts together a little sooner. Colt was a good guy. Ivy was a little too socially awkward for me to complete fall in love with her character. But I felt they were a good match and I enjoyed their relationship journey. I also liked the side characters and hope they get their own book too. Overall, this was an entertaining read and I look forward to more from Ms. Curtis in the future!

*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I just loved Ivy & Colt! I also love what the P stands for... You'll find out!

Anyway, Colt has one thing on his mind & it's football. He has a goal & nothing will stand in his way! Enter the sassy, smart, beautiful Ivy. She didn't mean to knock his carefully crafted plan askew...

Normally, I'm not a fan of the trope of the way their relationship starts. It's just not a story line I can connect with usually. The way this was written, however, kept my interest & I understood where they each were coming from. Basically, the trope made sense for the characters we were introduced to.

I love the supporting cast, the friendships we get to see, & the hints at the next two books in this series. Looking forward to those stories unfolding!!

😀

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this start to a new series! Sack is this first of Sarah Curtis’ Eligible Receivers series and it was great! Colt and Ivy were a wonderful couple and I really like how the book focused on the building of their relationship. While I enjoy sports romance, I loved how Colt was a not your typical playboy – he was sweetly possessive and focused completely on Ivy. And Ivy’s quirkiness and fact spewing was just adorable! They were a great couple and I really enjoyed them coming together – from their first meeting/misunderstanding, their foray into an exclusive friends-with-benefits relationship and how they grew into so much more. Just an overall enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book in the series!