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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Nice ending .... so little drama in the team about it.
I really enjoyed this one. It was nice that the relationship was pretty adult, there wasn't a lot of angst over some low-hanging "fruit" for plot conflict that would have made it more cliche.
adventurous
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
Solidly enjoyable. I really appreciate that we had 2 chapters of coming out and the reactions to it. That's always my favorite part of a sports romance so it's very pleased to have that. There's not really much to say about this otherwise. It was good, easy to read fast and I liked the Ramsey and Garrett. The brothers best friend/ best friends brother trope and the coming out reactions are definitely why this is rated 3.5 instead of 3 or 2.75 because without those it would have been really boring.
Garret and Ramsey.. football NFL. Best friends brother. First times. Cute and dirty innuendo banter.
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
A very enjoyable first collaboration between Neve Wilder and Riley Hart.
This is in the universe of Riley Hart's series, Atlanta Lightning, as this book mentions the two MC's in football from both books, Anson and Darren.
I think Neve Wilder complimented Riley Hart really well. She made the sex scenes, which a lot of the time I find lacking in Hart books, unfortunately, very enjoyable and sexy in this, and the chemistry was very much there.
I think where the Atlanta Lightning books dragged a bit and were slow at times, this book overall was nicely paced and kept my interest throughout.
In this, we're focusing on Warren Ramsey, the best friend of Houston McRae, who is the older brother of Garrett McRae, who is following in his brother's steps and joining the NFL.
Houston was also in the NFL, only in the past year he sustained a career ending injury to his knee, and was only in the NFL for about 3/4 years.
During his rookie season, Garrett attends an NFL party with him, and there he met Ramsey for the first time, and had a crush instantly.
But Ramsey had a girlfriend at the time, and Garrett thought he was straight.
4 years later, and Garrett is finishing college and about to be drafted. Ramsey is still on the same Denver NFL team without Houston, and he and Garrett have seen each other a few times over the years, but never long enough. Garrett has always had an underlying crush on him, but Ramsey was in the closet for years, going from woman to woman.
Ramsey is bisexual as well, but has never actually been with a man. Garrett came out pretty soon after he met Ramsey in his senior year of high school, so he's be out and proud for awhile, and he goes into the league being out.
And of course Garrett is drafted to the same team that his older brother had been on, and the one Ramsey is still on.
Garrett didn't want that, because he didn't want to constantly be compared to his brother, or feel guilt that he was getting to play on the same team as Houston use to play on. Or be so close to Ramsey all the time, as well. He wanted to make a name for himself all on his own, without the shadow of Houston's legacy hanging over him, and not be tempted by Ramsey all the time.
On Ramsey's part, the more time he's around Garrett, the more his attraction to him is coming out, and it's getting harder and harder to ignore the part of himself that is attracted to guys, specifically Garrett in this case.
Of course they soon start a sexual relationship with each other, under the guise that it's "easy and convenient" and also easy for Ramsey to explore his bisexuality without potentially getting outed as well.
Of course they start to fall for each other and of course they never stop. Well, they do for a short few weeks to try to focus on the game and the playoffs, but other than that, they can't really stay away from each other.
I really enjoyed these two together and their relationship, it was definitely the best part of this book.
I gave a star off for a few niggles I had, such as these two always joking and bantering, never really balancing that out with seriousness. They had a few moments here and there where they were serious, but it wasn't enough.
Just the constant "I'm so hot, I'm the best, you sooo want me, no I don't but actually I secretly do" jokes and teasing got to be a bit much at times. At first it was fine, but they did it constantly and it got a little annoying, and steadily more annoying the longer it went on. Like, be serious for once and upfront about how you feel.
Which, they do near the end...but it's still surrounded by "haha I'm joking, i don't like you that much" jokes and I was just rolling my eyes at that point.
But when they weren't doing the jokes, they were engaging and fun and interesting together, and they had great chemistry. I loved them together.
My other niggle was the kind of...lack of any drama at all? It all felt so anticlimactic. And not even realistic, except with the Houston situation. But even then it's like...they decide to tell him early on, they tell him, it's not that big a deal to him, he takes it well, and then that's that.
They have to deal with one homophobic asshole on the team, but other than that it's smooth sailing. Even when their coach and then the entire team find out about them, there isn't much fanfare except from the one (1) entitled, homophobic prick. But he gets shut down quickly by the coach, so it doesn't even really go anywhere.
In the epilogue we learn that they've been found out by the press already, and it was a big deal, but then after a few weeks it all died down and now it's just like 'whatever' and it was just so...like, whatever. That didn't give a ton of plot to the story.
The only other slightly dramatic portion - aside from the homophobic teammate - was Ramsey's asshole of a father, who eventually also didn't become such a big deal. He was still a shit, but he seemed to be trying the littlest bit at the end, mainly because Ramsey invites him over for dinner - this man who verbally and emotionally abused him all his life, it's just that easy for him to try to make peace with him?
It just felt too easy. There's too much drama, and then there's basically no drama. Find a happy medium, please. At least have let them come out to the world with their relationship and then we get the fallout from that, which would be a big deal and wouldn't just blow over within a few weeks in the real world. It wouldn't just be a footnote in the media after a few weeks.
So those were my main niggles in this book that had me give a star off.
But otherwise this was a fun first installment from this author duo and I can't wait for more. I hope we get Houston's book next, because we didn't get to learn much about him. Like yeah he's Garrett's brother and Ramsey's best friend, and we know he's bisexual as well, but other than that he was just kind of there to be a sounding board to Ramsey and Garrett, so I'm intrigued with him.
Overall, I definitely recommend this. It was a solid, enjoyable start to the series, and to these two collaborating together.
This is in the universe of Riley Hart's series, Atlanta Lightning, as this book mentions the two MC's in football from both books, Anson and Darren.
I think Neve Wilder complimented Riley Hart really well. She made the sex scenes, which a lot of the time I find lacking in Hart books, unfortunately, very enjoyable and sexy in this, and the chemistry was very much there.
I think where the Atlanta Lightning books dragged a bit and were slow at times, this book overall was nicely paced and kept my interest throughout.
In this, we're focusing on Warren Ramsey, the best friend of Houston McRae, who is the older brother of Garrett McRae, who is following in his brother's steps and joining the NFL.
Houston was also in the NFL, only in the past year he sustained a career ending injury to his knee, and was only in the NFL for about 3/4 years.
During his rookie season, Garrett attends an NFL party with him, and there he met Ramsey for the first time, and had a crush instantly.
But Ramsey had a girlfriend at the time, and Garrett thought he was straight.
4 years later, and Garrett is finishing college and about to be drafted. Ramsey is still on the same Denver NFL team without Houston, and he and Garrett have seen each other a few times over the years, but never long enough. Garrett has always had an underlying crush on him, but Ramsey was in the closet for years, going from woman to woman.
Ramsey is bisexual as well, but has never actually been with a man. Garrett came out pretty soon after he met Ramsey in his senior year of high school, so he's be out and proud for awhile, and he goes into the league being out.
And of course Garrett is drafted to the same team that his older brother had been on, and the one Ramsey is still on.
Garrett didn't want that, because he didn't want to constantly be compared to his brother, or feel guilt that he was getting to play on the same team as Houston use to play on. Or be so close to Ramsey all the time, as well. He wanted to make a name for himself all on his own, without the shadow of Houston's legacy hanging over him, and not be tempted by Ramsey all the time.
On Ramsey's part, the more time he's around Garrett, the more his attraction to him is coming out, and it's getting harder and harder to ignore the part of himself that is attracted to guys, specifically Garrett in this case.
Of course they soon start a sexual relationship with each other, under the guise that it's "easy and convenient" and also easy for Ramsey to explore his bisexuality without potentially getting outed as well.
Of course they start to fall for each other and of course they never stop. Well, they do for a short few weeks to try to focus on the game and the playoffs, but other than that, they can't really stay away from each other.
I really enjoyed these two together and their relationship, it was definitely the best part of this book.
I gave a star off for a few niggles I had, such as these two always joking and bantering, never really balancing that out with seriousness. They had a few moments here and there where they were serious, but it wasn't enough.
Just the constant "I'm so hot, I'm the best, you sooo want me, no I don't but actually I secretly do" jokes and teasing got to be a bit much at times. At first it was fine, but they did it constantly and it got a little annoying, and steadily more annoying the longer it went on. Like, be serious for once and upfront about how you feel.
Which, they do near the end...but it's still surrounded by "haha I'm joking, i don't like you that much" jokes and I was just rolling my eyes at that point.
But when they weren't doing the jokes, they were engaging and fun and interesting together, and they had great chemistry. I loved them together.
My other niggle was the kind of...lack of any drama at all? It all felt so anticlimactic. And not even realistic, except with the Houston situation. But even then it's like...they decide to tell him early on, they tell him, it's not that big a deal to him, he takes it well, and then that's that.
They have to deal with one homophobic asshole on the team, but other than that it's smooth sailing. Even when their coach and then the entire team find out about them, there isn't much fanfare except from the one (1) entitled, homophobic prick. But he gets shut down quickly by the coach, so it doesn't even really go anywhere.
In the epilogue we learn that they've been found out by the press already, and it was a big deal, but then after a few weeks it all died down and now it's just like 'whatever' and it was just so...like, whatever. That didn't give a ton of plot to the story.
The only other slightly dramatic portion - aside from the homophobic teammate - was Ramsey's asshole of a father, who eventually also didn't become such a big deal. He was still a shit, but he seemed to be trying the littlest bit at the end, mainly because Ramsey invites him over for dinner - this man who verbally and emotionally abused him all his life, it's just that easy for him to try to make peace with him?
It just felt too easy. There's too much drama, and then there's basically no drama. Find a happy medium, please. At least have let them come out to the world with their relationship and then we get the fallout from that, which would be a big deal and wouldn't just blow over within a few weeks in the real world. It wouldn't just be a footnote in the media after a few weeks.
So those were my main niggles in this book that had me give a star off.
But otherwise this was a fun first installment from this author duo and I can't wait for more. I hope we get Houston's book next, because we didn't get to learn much about him. Like yeah he's Garrett's brother and Ramsey's best friend, and we know he's bisexual as well, but other than that he was just kind of there to be a sounding board to Ramsey and Garrett, so I'm intrigued with him.
Overall, I definitely recommend this. It was a solid, enjoyable start to the series, and to these two collaborating together.
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The pacing wasn’t the best considering the length of the book and there were some cringey exchanges, but in general it was enjoyable. Garrett and Ramsey’s relationship ended up being really sweet. It was fun watching them come together.