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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
funny
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gemma didn’t imagine her life ending up the way that it did from the things that occurred with her husband, there was a lot that Gemma had gone through. Eight months later, as Gemma and Belle (Gemma’s best friend) were leaving a Chicago Bears football game, Belle encouraged Gemma to get back out onto the dating scene and just have some fun. Cut to the ladies hanging out at a bar where they meet the handsome and charming Zach. Somewhere in the time Gemma was at the bar, she found herself agreeing to Zach being her practice date to the next Chicago Bears games, seemed like a good idea at the time, and oh boy did it make for a good start to this story.
I genuinely wasn’t expecting the prologue to reveal all that Gemma went through with her husband and just how much of an impossible situation she found herself in. Gemma was in an impossible situation, but being the good woman that she was, she was there for her husband when he was sick with Cancer. Even with the knowledge that Carlo had been cheating the whole time prior to his Cancer reveal, Gemma truly was a good person.
Anyways, cut to a few months later and with Belle’s crazy yet kind of genius plan for Gemma invite a different guy to take to each Chicago Bears games, it seemed like an easy enough plan right? Except there was the part of actually finding someone to take with her. Enter Zach, the bartender at the bar Belle and Gemma were at, and he happened to hear majority of their conversation and took it upon himself to be Gemma’s date… as a practice round to help her be comfortable for future dates. Except once Zach went with Gemma to that one game… it was game over for Zach because, he wanted to spend more and more time with Gemma.
From the beginning, I liked seeing how Zach was able to get Gemma to relax and have fun especially on their first practice date. For Gemma, she was always about wanting to have control, making lists, and planning things out, whereas Zach was just going with the flow, casual. Zach’s laidback personality was a nice change for Gemma since he helped her see that while her making lists and staying organized was good, she also could let loose and have fun on her own terms still. Zach’s attention towards Gemma was insightful and he could tell that despite not knowing the full story of how Gemma was hurt, he just knew how to approach her and make her feel at ease as opposed to her tending to sometimes feel anxious or nervous.
For Gemma, having control was important to her because, it meant she had the ability to dictate how things went as opposed to the time in her life where she didn’t have control. With the passing of Carlo, his infidelity, and his Illness, it changed a lot of aspects in Gemma’s life, and parts of her changed. Gemma had her mind set that she would never fall in love again nor let anyone hurt her again. So when Gemma met Zach, she was adamant on not letting things progress despite feeling attracted to him and having such an ease with him that she hadn’t ever experienced. I felt bad for Gemma because, it was clear she was still dealing with the aftermath of everything from her husband, but she kept things bottled up, and tried to move past it without fully addressing it. I could understand why Gemma had trust issues and why she didn’t want to have a relationship, but it still hurt me to see her in pain.
Initially I was expecting a lighthearted story with sports at the center of it, but with the level of heartbreak and sadness that both Gemma and Zach went through made my heart ache for them. This story had both some light and sad moments from the betrayal and loss of Gemma’s husband passing and his affair to Zach leaving behind his dream in order to help his family and his little brother. Each circumstance that Gemma and Zach wasn’t exactly the same, but they had similarities in that those events from their lives changed them and their approach when it came to love. I would say Gemma was the one who was more apprehensive to truly give Zach a chance with her lack of trust coming again in the forefront of her mind after discovering the letter Carlo wrote her. I had some inkling there might be some sad parts in this book since I read, “The Right Player” (stand alone book centered on Belle) before this book. While Gemma had to endure and relive some moments of her past, I truly believe that in order for her to truly give Zach a chance, she had to work through her issues and see that Zach wasn’t Carlo. Zach was such a sweet and understanding man that I loved seeing his vulnerability and sensitive side come out throughout the story, and with that he was able to understand Gemma on a level no one other than Belle could ever see.
Overall, I really liked this story and how it was a mixture of lighthearted and some sad bits. I feel like the romance was a variety of fun, passionate, loving, and endearing. Zach was a sweet, charming man with his confident side coming out every now and again. Gemma was the organized, fun loving woman with a sad past, but was able to find in love in the most unlikely place possible. Together Gemma and Zach had such a natural ease together that they were able to build upon their initial practice dates as well as friendship. I loved seeing how Zach was both a masculine man and also proud of embracing his sensitive side as well. The spice was pretty good and omg the chemistry between Zach and Gemma was pretty hot. For football fans this book definitely will pique your interest or even if you’re not, with Kandi Steiner at the helm of writing this story, you’ll immersed into the story and feel like you’re in the stands with Gemma and Zach watching the Chicago Bears battle it out on the field for victory. This book had a little bit of everything and I adored Gemma and Zach, not to mention the humor, romance, and heartfelt moments too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity
Too much of a conservative vibe for my taste
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.
4.25 Stars
Gemma has season passes to the Bears and it seems like the perfect opportunity to break the funk her ex-husband left her in. What man doesn't love football and a girl who can cheer right alongside him? Plus, no strings attached is a pretty sweet deal and Gemma can control the outcome, at least she thinks she can. Zach hears Gemma and her best friend planning this while he serves their drinks and what better guy for the job than himself? He isn't much of a one-night stand guy anymore, but something about Gemma calls to him. What starts as a practice round during a pre-season game grows into a desperate desire to convince Gemma she deserves more than one night and that he's meant to be there for all the games.
"Obviously, we have chemistry. We could have a good time. I'll buy the pizza and beer."
Kandi Steiner is the queen of sweet romance, the kind that knocks you on your feet, makes you believe in fairytales, and somehow is still filled with the smut we love. It's got those over the top scenes we dream of and the angst we know comes with real life. In The Wrong Game Gemma has been taken through the wringer, her life feels like a farce and she's recreating herself, hardened to love and embracing her OCD tendencies. Zach is the opposite, he's a romantic at heart and everything about Gemma gets his heart racing. So, like he's in an eighties movie scene he pulls out all the stops to show her he's worth a chance, no matter the walls she's built up around her. It might be odd to say, but I could easily connect with both. Zach felt like my younger self, open to love and willing to do anything for it, while Gemma connects with the me today, aware of heartbreak and the comfort of controlling the outcome. Of course, Kandi Steiner knows life doesn't work like that and her characters both have to come to that conclusion on their own.
"A practice round... Yeah. This could be fun."
The Wrong Game had be laughing, swooning, and even tearing up a bit. The character interactions at the football games were so funny, while the personal moments they shared at home, in the bar, and out and about had me falling for Zach just as fast as Gemma. Trust, though, is a big topic in this book and learning to trust again when you don't know how to forgive the past is hard. Gemma's OCD is a bit intense, though it's been a part of her always it seems to have grown over the top with everything that happened with her ex-husband. Some of it is expected, some of it is worrisome, and all of it made for the perfect romance, with Zach showing more patience and understanding than one would expect. I love how they work it out, even if it takes some time to get through. I have to admit though, I wanted to know more about Carlo, because I felt Gemma deserved to know the whys and how it plays out in the book isn't my favorite. We get memories of their happiness, we see the devastation in the present, but the background to it still feels fuzzy for me. Thank goodness Zach didn't need as much information as I want though, because he just saw barriers to break down and a woman to love and he went for it.
"I wanted him.
But I was absolutely petrified to fall any further than I already had."
The Wrong Game reads like a warm cozy blanket on a cold day, filled with the cliches we loved, characters you can connect with, and a romance that will make your heart grow two sizes. I really enjoyed this book, in fact, it was unputdownable. Sports Romance lovers, this one's for you!
ARC provided.
4.25 Stars
Gemma has season passes to the Bears and it seems like the perfect opportunity to break the funk her ex-husband left her in. What man doesn't love football and a girl who can cheer right alongside him? Plus, no strings attached is a pretty sweet deal and Gemma can control the outcome, at least she thinks she can. Zach hears Gemma and her best friend planning this while he serves their drinks and what better guy for the job than himself? He isn't much of a one-night stand guy anymore, but something about Gemma calls to him. What starts as a practice round during a pre-season game grows into a desperate desire to convince Gemma she deserves more than one night and that he's meant to be there for all the games.
"Obviously, we have chemistry. We could have a good time. I'll buy the pizza and beer."
Kandi Steiner is the queen of sweet romance, the kind that knocks you on your feet, makes you believe in fairytales, and somehow is still filled with the smut we love. It's got those over the top scenes we dream of and the angst we know comes with real life. In The Wrong Game Gemma has been taken through the wringer, her life feels like a farce and she's recreating herself, hardened to love and embracing her OCD tendencies. Zach is the opposite, he's a romantic at heart and everything about Gemma gets his heart racing. So, like he's in an eighties movie scene he pulls out all the stops to show her he's worth a chance, no matter the walls she's built up around her. It might be odd to say, but I could easily connect with both. Zach felt like my younger self, open to love and willing to do anything for it, while Gemma connects with the me today, aware of heartbreak and the comfort of controlling the outcome. Of course, Kandi Steiner knows life doesn't work like that and her characters both have to come to that conclusion on their own.
"A practice round... Yeah. This could be fun."
The Wrong Game had be laughing, swooning, and even tearing up a bit. The character interactions at the football games were so funny, while the personal moments they shared at home, in the bar, and out and about had me falling for Zach just as fast as Gemma. Trust, though, is a big topic in this book and learning to trust again when you don't know how to forgive the past is hard. Gemma's OCD is a bit intense, though it's been a part of her always it seems to have grown over the top with everything that happened with her ex-husband. Some of it is expected, some of it is worrisome, and all of it made for the perfect romance, with Zach showing more patience and understanding than one would expect. I love how they work it out, even if it takes some time to get through. I have to admit though, I wanted to know more about Carlo, because I felt Gemma deserved to know the whys and how it plays out in the book isn't my favorite. We get memories of their happiness, we see the devastation in the present, but the background to it still feels fuzzy for me. Thank goodness Zach didn't need as much information as I want though, because he just saw barriers to break down and a woman to love and he went for it.
"I wanted him.
But I was absolutely petrified to fall any further than I already had."
The Wrong Game reads like a warm cozy blanket on a cold day, filled with the cliches we loved, characters you can connect with, and a romance that will make your heart grow two sizes. I really enjoyed this book, in fact, it was unputdownable. Sports Romance lovers, this one's for you!
ARC provided.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes