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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
READ: Apr 2024
FORMAT: Digital
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.75 / 5⭐
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 3.75 / 5 ⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 3.75 / 5 ⭐
In this book, Garrett gets drafted into the very same football team that his brother had been dropped from after a career-ending injury, leaving him feeling like his own career must start in his brother's shadow. It also means becoming teammates with his brother's best friend, Ramsey, who Garrett has harboured a crush on over the last four years. Ramsey has kept his bisexuality card close to his chest, having never acted on his attraction before, but it isn't long before Houston's little brother provides a very convenient outlet to explore the other half of the population, all while keeping the brash and wild rookie's head in the game instead of a lifestyle of partying hard.
So I've been through dozens of queer sports romances by now, and the one thing I'm looking for when I get to my reviews is: how does this one stand out among all of the rest? And the sad truth for this one is, it basically doesn't. Not only is each story beat something I've seen before somewhere else, there were also a couple parallels in this book that I felt could have been directly nodding to another particularly well-known queer sports romance series, and I'm not sure if it was purposefully done or not.
One thing I will give it, though, is that I really liked both Garrett and Ramsey's characters. I thought they were both well-written and well-rounded, even if I didn't feel like their teammates, families, career, or their world in general amounted to a whole lot. These guys had good banter and great chemistry, and I can't help but adore the way they were each other's greatest advocates for the entire run of the story, pulling and rooting for each other's successes, celebrating when the other uses their talent to full effect. I can't think of one moment in this book where one lashed out or made the other feel hurt, and that's goddamn refreshing.
This book has representation for bisexuals. There is otherwise little else in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: alcohol, underage drinking; past stalking; mentions of drug abuse; emotional abuse; biphobia/homophobia, bullying; medical content (sick children); mention of past infidelity; past parent death; and, sports injuries (hard impacts, collisions) ranging from minor to severe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Rookie Move” was a great mix of sweet, funny and hot! I expected a little more angst after reading the blurb, but the story was more on the lighthearted side which was perfect for me.
The banter was on point and I loved how cocky Garrett was, at times he really reminded me of Darren Edwards from Riley Hart’s Atlanta Lightning series. I adored both Ramsey and Garrett, they were just so sweet together. The pining from Garrett’s side added some layers to the story and I just love when unrequited crushes grow into something bigger and becomes reciprocated. The chemistry between them was great and sizzling which led to some seriously steamy scenes (I mean, I didn’t expect anything else from these two authors).
The story is more slow burn than fast paced and it works well here since there’s some forbidden elements as well as brother’s best friend trope involved. Ramsey also needed to see that Garrett isn’t the carefree frat boy that his brother Houston paints him to be, but actually a decent guy that has his priorities straight.
It was refreshing to read a sport romance story where the characters don’t get outed by accident or against their wishes. I truly appreciated how it wasn’t a thing here and that the authors focused on other events instead.
There’s some really interesting side characters and I badly want Houston’s story! This is definitely a duo that I hope will team up more in the future, and since this seems to be the first book in a series I think there’s some hope!
The banter was on point and I loved how cocky Garrett was, at times he really reminded me of Darren Edwards from Riley Hart’s Atlanta Lightning series. I adored both Ramsey and Garrett, they were just so sweet together. The pining from Garrett’s side added some layers to the story and I just love when unrequited crushes grow into something bigger and becomes reciprocated. The chemistry between them was great and sizzling which led to some seriously steamy scenes (I mean, I didn’t expect anything else from these two authors).
The story is more slow burn than fast paced and it works well here since there’s some forbidden elements as well as brother’s best friend trope involved. Ramsey also needed to see that Garrett isn’t the carefree frat boy that his brother Houston paints him to be, but actually a decent guy that has his priorities straight.
It was refreshing to read a sport romance story where the characters don’t get outed by accident or against their wishes. I truly appreciated how it wasn’t a thing here and that the authors focused on other events instead.
There’s some really interesting side characters and I badly want Houston’s story! This is definitely a duo that I hope will team up more in the future, and since this seems to be the first book in a series I think there’s some hope!
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For the past four years Ramsey and Garrett have seen each other a couple of times a year, mostly during the holidays, in which they tease and banter together. The reason they see each other from time to time is because Ramsey is best friends with Garrett's older brother, Houston, with whom Ramsey is in the same NFL team. These two don't dislike each other at all, but do give one another a whole lot of shit. They've definitely had a lot of chemistry from the very beginning.
At the start of this book, Houston has had a career ending injury, while Garrett has finally finished college and is about to be drafted into the NFL. Shockingly, Garrett is chosen by the same team his brother used to play for and Ramsey still plays for. He isn't exactly thrilled about this, seeing how he doesn't like to be compared to his brother too much. Nonetheless, Houston, protective brother that he is, asks Ramsey to keep an eye out for his baby brother, and Ramsey has no problem accepting, especially since he enjoys spending time with Garrett, even if he thinks Garrett is a bit cocky and reckless.
The more time these two spend together, the more fun they have. They become genuine friends and hang out all the damn time. They banter and have more open conversations. They get to know each other, and Ramsey finds that Garrett is more than just his best-friend's little brother. They grow a deeper bond, and it's not long until the attraction they've both felt for each other since like forever starts to take a forefront in their mind, and they kiss. They decide to go with a friends-with-benefits arrangement, but how long is it before undeniable feelings begin to bubble up? And what then? How could they ever be more when it would be very frowned upon for two teammates to be in a relationship?
I genuinely loved Garrett and Ramsey together. They had a very natural connection; their relationship was quite the slow-burn, and I appreciated how we got to see them grow closer and closer as time went on. I also loved that they never lost their easy banter: their chemistry was amazing and their interactions were always a lot of fun.
They honestly have a very good relationship, and they are pretty much perfect for each other. There is never any drama or angst between them. Both are very easy-going, and don't stress too much about things. They had such a healthy relationship, even if they were friends-with-benefits which doesn't exactly scream 'healthy'. But, well. It was. They were super supportive and respectful of each other, even with all the teasing and messing around. And I loved that; it made me love these two as a couple so much.
But, of course, every pro has its flipside, and I do wish that we had had maybe a little bit of conflict in the relationship somewhere: I would have loved seeing them having to fight for each other, even if it was just for a little bit. Instead, everything was so smooth-sailing between them, even with all the issues that could have come from them being teammates and Ramsey being Garrett's brother's best friend. The fact that this wasn't there, might also be why I loved the first half of this book more than the second.
All in all, this was a very fun and sweet football romance, and I loved the chemistry, banter and connection between this couple. I enjoyed this book a lot, and swooned quite a few times! I'd recommend it to anyone who likes these types of books, because it's a really good one!
At the start of this book, Houston has had a career ending injury, while Garrett has finally finished college and is about to be drafted into the NFL. Shockingly, Garrett is chosen by the same team his brother used to play for and Ramsey still plays for. He isn't exactly thrilled about this, seeing how he doesn't like to be compared to his brother too much. Nonetheless, Houston, protective brother that he is, asks Ramsey to keep an eye out for his baby brother, and Ramsey has no problem accepting, especially since he enjoys spending time with Garrett, even if he thinks Garrett is a bit cocky and reckless.
The more time these two spend together, the more fun they have. They become genuine friends and hang out all the damn time. They banter and have more open conversations. They get to know each other, and Ramsey finds that Garrett is more than just his best-friend's little brother. They grow a deeper bond, and it's not long until the attraction they've both felt for each other since like forever starts to take a forefront in their mind, and they kiss. They decide to go with a friends-with-benefits arrangement, but how long is it before undeniable feelings begin to bubble up? And what then? How could they ever be more when it would be very frowned upon for two teammates to be in a relationship?
I genuinely loved Garrett and Ramsey together. They had a very natural connection; their relationship was quite the slow-burn, and I appreciated how we got to see them grow closer and closer as time went on. I also loved that they never lost their easy banter: their chemistry was amazing and their interactions were always a lot of fun.
They honestly have a very good relationship, and they are pretty much perfect for each other. There is never any drama or angst between them. Both are very easy-going, and don't stress too much about things. They had such a healthy relationship, even if they were friends-with-benefits which doesn't exactly scream 'healthy'. But, well. It was. They were super supportive and respectful of each other, even with all the teasing and messing around. And I loved that; it made me love these two as a couple so much.
But, of course, every pro has its flipside, and I do wish that we had had maybe a little bit of conflict in the relationship somewhere: I would have loved seeing them having to fight for each other, even if it was just for a little bit. Instead, everything was so smooth-sailing between them, even with all the issues that could have come from them being teammates and Ramsey being Garrett's brother's best friend. The fact that this wasn't there, might also be why I loved the first half of this book more than the second.
All in all, this was a very fun and sweet football romance, and I loved the chemistry, banter and connection between this couple. I enjoyed this book a lot, and swooned quite a few times! I'd recommend it to anyone who likes these types of books, because it's a really good one!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated