First Score

Hot Shots #1

by Lyssa Lemire

How to finally lose my v-card without catching feelings? Choose the one guy I could never fall for.

Blaze Walker: Notorious bad boy. Star of the hockey team. He spends more time in bed with sorority girls or passed out on frat house floors than he does in classrooms. Which is why he’s about to get kicked off the team unless he passes every one of his finals.

Me: Girl genius who started college so young that I’ve just turned eighteen my senior year. Which has made dating while in college, well, pretty much impossible.

Hence, the v-card.

Blaze and I both have something the other wants. If I tutor him, I can guarantee he’ll pass all his exams. And he has a personality so repugnant to me that with him I can have a totally un-emotional, no-strings-attached first time. Because there’s no way I could fall for someone like Blaze Walker.

Not even as my eyes begin to linger a little too long on his jagged muscles, and his on my thighs as we sit next to each other at the study table. Not even as the occasional brush of our hands elicits enough sparks to smell the smoke. Not even as our time studying together begins to peel back layers of the sexy-as-sin jock to reveal someone a lot more complicated than his reputation lets on …

Nope, there’s just no way.

Truly, a plan worthy of my genius. Nothing could go wrong.

First Score is a full-length, 80k word standalone sports romance novel featuring lots of drama, lots of heat, lots of sparks, lots of laughs, a lovable cast of characters you won't soon forget, and two total opposites who fall for each other in a way that will make you swoon! Heart-warming happy ever after guaranteed!

Genres: Hockey, Sports Romance, Romance, Sports, College, Hockey Romance, College Romance

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

Reviews

[bookwormriss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe if I were 16 or 17 I would’ve rated this higher.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Ode to my book boyfriends · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and Last Read from this Author

I read this because I really enjoy a good sports romance. The storyline of this book is good, but that’s about it.

There is a ton of potential in Kay and Blaze’s story, however, all the grammatical errors and incorrect words took away from the story. It was a pretty surface level story, not a lot of character development. And I was hoping for some steam too.

A lot of repetitive information and way too many typos. At one point Kay is Key. Blaze’s brother’s wife is spelled differently from one page to the next. Too many errors to make it an enjoyable read.

I wouldn’t recommend this book. I’d grab a Meghan Quinn or Kendall Ryan sports romance, they really are the gold standard.

[Madina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story of opposites attracting each other

This was a cute story about a nerdy girl and essentially a jock - my personal favourite.

Girl needs experience which boy has in leaps in bounds.

Boy needs someone to make him smart - girl is not only a genius but a phenomenal teacher.

Girl meets boy and they strike a deal.

The only thing I would change about this book is perhaps, increase the romance so that it generates more emotion from the reader.

But otherwise; it was a super fun, light read.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written sports romance with strong characters in Kay and Blaze. They are total opposites who somehow fall in love. The author brings drama and humor , a great cast of secondary characters and a sweet romance. I enjoyed reading their story.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Gina Belmonte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay I’m not a harsh critic but this was just bad

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and slightly predictable in the sense of how things went on in the story. Had name spelling errors and such, but that’s just my opinion.
Was debating on continuing the series..but I might as well just give the next book in the series a chance.

[Nicole Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute, if u loved “the deal” by Elle Kennedy you’re gonna love this book, its same vibes and this is the first book of the series (it’s a hockey romance and each book is a person from the friend group)

[vana ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[Tammy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[olivia ྀི · Rating 1 out of 5]

Girl…come on now, what is this? (1.5⭐️)

This was a hate read for sure. It was genuinely so bad from the first page, but weirdly, I couldn’t put it down. I’m a sucker for ridiculousness sometimes what can I say? It was like a car crash, so bad I couldn’t look away.

First, let me start by saying the writing is God awful. I don’t usually comment on writing styles because people can be touchy about it, and I’m not typically picky. But this? This is worse than Wattpad, reads more like YouTube fanfic. Also, the writing is so repetitive, like we get it, you got the confidence from blaze your dad and your professor to confront your mum, you’ve told us 19 times. Same with her being an outsider, you’ve told us 10 times, chill. What happened to show no tell??

The characters spoke so immaturely that I kept forgetting they were in college. Kay being a senior but also 18 made the timeline hard to follow and created this weird childish vibe over the whole story. Sure, she’s a child prodigy, but the whole thing felt disjointed and weird. Her immaturity was understandable, I suppose, but why did everyone around her, also seniors, speak immaturely too? Also, she’s supposed to be a genius, but doesn’t know how to take a shot…girl please be serious.

The pacing was also so strange and clunky. For example, they hate each other because Kay bumped into him and he was an ass about it (fine, cliché but fine). Then she finds out she’s tutoring him and just agrees without hesitation. He warms to her just because she’s smart…?? Why set up all that hatred just to brush it off so easily? It didn’t happen transitionally, it just happened because the story needed to progress. Also, Kay was written to be socially awkward with no friends her whole life but was eager and confident enough to ask an “intimidating hockey player who’s dad owns the school” to take her virginity after helping him pass one test... She couldn’t even say the word virgin to Carmen without getting flustered, yet she was ready to confidently flirt with a stranger to make him jealous despite having little experience even having a platonic person on campus…I’m not buying it.

As for the characters… Blaze (of course that’s his name) gave me the ick multiple times. And not just because he’s an asshole who spoke about women that way, but also his interactions with his friends were cringey and cheesy. He had no substance; his whole character was just him being a dumb man whore who finally grounds himself and suddenly becomes smart enough to get B’s and A’s because of Kay’s tutoring… Let me just ask, where was she when I was studying for A-Levels…?

Speaking of Kay… oh my god, she was insufferable. It’s like the author knew she was coming off as insufferable and tried to rectify it and make her more likeable but it just came off more insufferable. For example, when Kay bumps into Blaze, she criticizes him for treating girls like “fashion accessories” instead of human beings, but then she herself calls them floozies — very hypocritical. We get it, you’re not like other girls, you’re nerdy and awkward. And did you forget she was a virgin? Impossible, it’s mentioned every 5 pages. There’s a way to write the “teaching a virgin how to have sex” trope without it being weird, and this book failed at that. Everyone was so creepy, I felt uncomfy. Also their sex scenes were so bad, weirdly felt like chalk.

Their conflict was so forced and stupid…and so boring. I hate the whole ‘I think he’s cheating on me when he really isn’t’ conflict. Whilst I do like miscommunication, this was stupid, like she literally could have just asked him about it. She was brave enough to ask him to take her v card, but not brave enough to confront him for breaking her heart…? Okay. Also Tristan being the one to push her to resolve this…like why? I wouldn’t believe his ass at all, we don’t even know him lmao.

Giving this a 1⭐️ is a little unfair because I did finish it and in a weird way I don’t regret starting it at the moment. But I know in the long haul, I will regret reading this book because it was a waste of my time due to the characters lacking depth. It is a quick and easy read, and I suppose sometimes bad books are the most fun. Like I said, this is a perfect hate read.

[Hanna Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book number 1 of the Hot Shots series and focuses on Blaze and Kay. This is a classic case of opposites attract and it comes together great! Blaze is a playboy star hockey player who is failing his classes and needs a tutor before he loses his eligibility to play. Kay is a genius who is about to graduate college at 18 while still a virgin. They meet at the Halloween that the hockey team threw and Blaze meets Kay and is immediately completely captivated by her. They have an immediate, intense connection at the party but Kay dips out before anything could happen between them. Since she was wearing a mask at the party, he didn't recognize her when he ran into her the next time and his behavior during the interaction made her quite glad that she left the party early. When they get paired for tutoring, things certainly get interesting from there. The more time they spend together the more they see each other for who they really are and fall for each other and it was so great to see! They have a misunderstanding that almost tears them apart, but thankfully it got resolved relatively quickly and they got their HEA! I absolutely loved this story and was completely hooked pretty quickly. Once I started reading, I honestly couldn't put the book down. This is one that will definitely be a re-read. I can't wait to see what else the series has to offer!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice slow build to love.
Standalone with no Cliffhangers.
Blaze is a hockey hottie looking to finish college and get drafted into the NHL. Finishing school may be a problem if he can't get his grades up. If his grades fall any lower he won't be able to play hockey either. His coach lines up a tutor for him, only its the same girl he had words with just days before.
Kay is a child genius, she started collage at 15 and is now ready to graduate at 18. She has no friends and has had no regular college experience. She decides to go to a Halloween party in disguise and it changes her life. She has found friends and is growing stronger. Is Blaze a good addition to her life or will he just hurt her in the end.
So much emotion, heat, family drama, and love.
I'm hoping that Lyssa writes about more of the boys from The Ice Box.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Editing and more Blondes

I pulled a full star for the clichéd blonde because I'm so tired of having 4 out of 5 romance novels I pick up be about yet another blonde.

My other big issue here is something I let slide on my review of the second book in the series which I read first since it wasn't about a blonde. Editing. They typos and mistakes in the book are high school level and not nearly professional. One chapter literally has the point of view listed as Key. His brother's fiancé is both Katherine and Catherine. There are scenes where physical actions are skipped and I found myself rereading trying to make sense of them. I'm not saying Lemire doesn't have a lot of skill as a writer but a lack of basic copy editing is entirely unprofessional.

It's an interesting story that I enjoyed, but I'd have preferred to read the final draft instead of a published rough.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Kay’s senior year of college, she has taken accelerated classes. She finally turned eighteen, two weeks ago. Kay Renoir was forced by her mother, to start college at fifteen. A bone of, contention between mother, and daughter. It did nothing, to help her make friends. It didn’t help her receive the traditional college experiences either. It made it impossible. Nobody wants to hang out with a socially inexperienced fifteen-year-old.

Going to college means going to parties, getting drunk, and hooking up. Not hanging out with a newly minted eighteen-year-old who has never dated much less anything else. Then, there is tackling the other elephants in the room, before we even start with her social awkwardness. She is being subjected, to the two loud sexual beings next door going at it, before she has even had her cherry stolen. So loud she can't even focus on her physics homework and beloved escape.

She lives off-campus alone, per her mom. Since fifteen she’s been alone. No friends, no family, and only one professor have engaged her in conversation about her educational work. Truthfully, her mother’s main reason for, her living alone is her age at the beginning, and now at eighteen, is her mom’s characteristic, condescending elitism. Her eye catches on a flyer, she brought home about, a Halloween party at, The Ice Box: where the players of the college’s hockey team, the Ridley Hot Shots live. Since, she had never been, to one, ever, she decided to go.

She’s never had any parties, to go to or friends with which, to go to them, during her previous three years here, at Ridley University. Of course, this year is, no different. Just in case she had even bought a cape, black with red trimming. She throws on a pair of black jeans and a form-fitting long-sleeve black t-shirt. She then adds a white mask, and cherry red lipstick is applied, to her lips. She enters the raging party observing it as a scientist might. Not someone there to have fun.

Blaze Walker is in his domain and yet feeling restless. The hockey god of Ridley U. He can have almost anyone he wants. Everything is the same old, same old. All the women leave nothing, to the imagination and he is a one-off type of guy anyway. He’s looking for something different. When his eyes settle on, a girl he does like. She’s different. In a kaleidoscope of colorful, and with so many revealing costumes, she’s for the most part, covered from head to toe. Everything about her from her sexy figure to, her lips, and vast unrevealed mysteries. Now, poor innocent, Kay is in his sights.

What he wants right now is, to dance with her... This was such a sweet endearing story. Yet, at the same time just so, painful how little Kay’s mom allowed her, to grow and how little her mom, knew about her. Blaze seemed, to figure out who she is way later in the story, which seemed odd. A very good story.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so lately I've been in my psychological thriller book era but of course those types of books can take a toll on your mind so I went looking for an easy to read, comfortable cute romance. Luckily I came upon this book and she delivered. It might be slightly obvious from the cover of this book but this is a smut review, not literary (which I've distinguished between in previous reviews of mine).

Okay so I never really go into depth with smut reviews because they're all relatively the same on some level, but I was actually pleasantly refreshed by this book. The book did not have an overwhelming amount of smut (like a lot of this generation's smut books), it had good tension and build-up, and all in all it was just a really cute story. A nerdy inexperienced girl makes a deal with a jock player type, they end up bring friends, and then something more... (kind of reminded me of The Deal by Elle Kennedy). What I also appreciated is that the author did not stress me tf out by not having an overly dramatic ending where the couple inevitable hits an obstacle and is on the verge of breaking up. I mean yes, the book did have an obstacle at the end, but it was resolved within like 10 pages which I personally appreciate because as you know, I read these books to help my mind re-center itself, not for it to get even more stressed.

Anyways, book was a short and easy story that helped me decompress. I recommend!

[AmyHeartsFiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love hockey romance - I mean I love it! I did not love this book, though. It had quite a few spelling and grammar issues which kept pulling me out of the story. I usually don't notice stuff like that - but I did with this book. Also - his whole attraction to her was based on a feeling he got at a party when just looking at her- he didn't feel that at all the 2nd time they met when he could actually see her clearly. He was actually kind of a stereo-typical ass their 2nd meeting, so that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Like - if you feel pulled to someone from across a room and your trying to sell me on this cosmic attraction - then the MMC needs to feel that attraction from there on out. Strangely - I didn't even fully enjoy the banter, and much of the dialog was too cheesy. I really liked the FMC and her growth journey from social outcast to butterfly all due to being brave and stepping outside of her comfort zone. She also came across as genuinely nurturing and I appreciated the way she approached a problem. I do feel there are much better tutor vs athlete reads out there. I ended up skimming much of this book unfortunately.

[Lorraine Kaplan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blaze & Kay

I'm totally in love with both of them!!!

Kay is a legitimate genius and has been in college since she was 14, now in her senior year she realizes she never truly experienced college life and she plans on rectifying that.

Blaze is on the hockey team and is a true player - until the mysterious girl in the mask shows up to the hockey house at the teams Halloween party. But he gets distracted while dancing with her and she disappears.

I love that their romance developed over time and organically. It started out as her tutoring him so he can stay on the team but she proposes a deal which he is reluctant to consider.

I also loved Carmen and her friends taking a true liking to Kay and developing a true friendship with her.

Heartwarming, sexy story with a bit of a bump that was a true misunderstanding.

Could use an editing and proofreading but I still recommend it.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost an ugly duckling story, but not quite. Kay is lacking a lot of social skills as she has been pretty isolated her entire life due to her literal genius. Her life is entirely controlled by her mother, down to her mother deciding her future career. It is so sweet watching her learn to come out of her shell a bit and get comfortable with a couple people. I love watching her grow friendships with Carmen and Blaze. Plus obviously more with Blaze. She grows a support system where before she only had her mother. Blaze does some growing too, but in a very different way. He knows what he wants out of life and has to adjust himself to keep it within his reach. That is where Kay comes in. I hope to read more of this series, because I really liked this book.

I received a free copy of this book.

[jennafer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried so hard to keep going, I really really did. Why does she trust him so much after literally only knowing him for a week? Especially when the first time they met after the Halloween party he was an asshole to her? And then her whole outburst about not having friends literally during their second time having a conversation? Cringeeeee. And why is he growling so much?? I really did try. I was going to keep going and tough it out despite the cringe I was feeling but this sentence was enough for me to close the book and return it to KU:

“I love my name on your lips,” he says. “Almost as much as I love my fingers on your other lips.”


GROSS. If a man said that to me in full seriousness I would honestly leave like what?? “Your other lips” my brother in Christ please think before you growl.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible

Narrators:
- it took me a while to get used to how old the female narrator sounded reading for an 18 year old. Somehow this made Kay’s character seem even more immature at times.
- I liked the male narrator. His inflections flowed well and made the character come alive

Story:
- it was cute but definitely had inconsistencies. It had potential but missed the mark for me, unfortunately. It felt like there were key things missing in the development of the relationship and character background. It also left a few things unanswered that were frustrating to not have a resolution when it was such a big plot point. Finally, the miscommunication trope was present in the “3rd act” and (to me) how it was resolved was just meh. I’m sure it was setting up for the next book in the series with Tristan but it just left a lot to be desired.

[FD · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice entertaining romantic story, accessible, easy writing style, reads nice and fast, Kay and Blaze tutor each other. A young genius, Kay is brushing up on Blazes knowledge so he can continue playing hockey in college. Blaze is a young hockey hero and popular with the ladies. He gives Kay lessons in what he can do well.... They are a sweet couple together. I liked the book until the very end. Everything went well between the two, so an obstacle had to be thrown up quickly, which I found a bit clumsy to be honest. I got the idea that the obstacle was quickly squeezed in and I don;t think it turned out well.
For the rest, a nice story about two young people creating their own future together.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cathy P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Blaze and Kay's story

I really enjoyed this sports romance. It was very well written. It had all the feels. It was fun and steamy and very accurately portrays college life for most. The relationship developed naturally. I liked the conflict resolution and how is handled. It wasn't overly angsty like some books can be. I just really enjoy the book from beginning to end. The provided summary covers the basics.
There is no cliffhanger amd no cheating in this stand alone sports romance. Plenty of steam and some minor language. It is worth getting the extended epiloge. The story is told from both main character's POV. We get the HEA. Definitely recommend. This is a 1st for me for this author, I'll be trying to find more.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Lyssa Lemire book and it was so damn good. This was Pure perfection, loved every second of the book.

This story is about Blaze, the bad boy hockey player and Kay, the good girl young genius.

These two have instant palpable chemistry and desire dripping from their first encounter. This book made me giddy, especially the adventures the two go on and their back and forth banter.

If you loved 'The perfect first by Maya Hughes' then this book is perfect for you.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: College romance, hockey romance, virgin heroine, tutor romance, player hero/nerdy heroine, friends to lovers, friends with benefits, forced proximity, opposite attract

[Vivi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 ⭐

The way this book had a glow up in the middle- I genuinely HATED it at first, but I really wanna get to I think book 5 or 6 in this series so I kept reading and I did start to like it more as the story went on but in the beginning I almost wanted to burn it. The FMC was probably one of the worst in a while, I actually had to double check if this was a real book or something written by a thirteen year old on Wattpad at first. The FMC was the embodiment of Y/N, the spelling of the name for Blaze's brothers fiance literally switched, at first it was Kathrine and then suddenly the K was a C??? It didn't seem very professional to me at all but I didn't hate it at the end though so yeah

[Bee’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this was pretty good till the 90% mark because the ending came out of NOWHERE in the span of like 20 pages is the main conflict (WHICH WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING UGH), resolution and epilogue oh my days WHIPLASHHH. The pacing at the start was also really strange because there were like 10 instances where they could of met/ran into eachother again and it didn’t happen. The first few times built tension but then they KEPT not seeing eachother and it became that horrid “walking away from someone on the sidewalk and turning around when they aren’t looking” meme and killed tension. But this was hot so it okay ❤️

[🥬 ab · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

This was well-written! A shocker nowadays!

A physics prodigy genius meets a hockey player at a Halloween party, who she later tutors. Sparks fly like crazy.

No seriously I loved the writing for 80% of it, the two main characters are engaging and the chemistry is really hot. The progression was believable even if there was some obvious cutting of corners, lol. I do wish it ended stronger, the third act felt like it ran out of steam and had no ideas left. It started off so strongly too, but ah I still had a good ol’ time with this. Well worth it.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tutor/Jock

Kay is a genius prodigy that started college at 15 and now as a senior at 18 is socially awkward and has a hard time relating to her peers. Blaze is a hot shot hockey player that is on verge of ineligibility due to grades. They make a deal, Kay will tutor Blaze academically and he in turn will help her with her sex education. Cute, not overly dramatic, some steamy scenes with HEA… I will say there are editing issues… more than usual typos that are noticeable but underlying story a good read

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

College sports romances are one of my favorite tropes. This was a very good one. Slower burn, but not glacial. Hockey—the best sport around. A tutor/jock relationship that leads to more. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was due to the multiple spelling and grammar mistakes. Needs a good editor to give it a thorough once-over, but didn’t detract enough from the book to be a huge distraction for me. Loved it!

[violi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started out good in all aspects, good plot, good characters, good side character, detail on both parts amd povs… it seemed complete. However from the 50% mark onwards it’s like the author was rushing through the book, and everhthing happening while nothing happened at all. No info on his family life, on her family life, no info on her friends (that’s a wierd storyline on itself), no info on his friends… it was wierd but whatever