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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
This will be my recommendation forevermore when someone asks for a unique sports romance! Swimming! I loved it! From the rigorous training to the mental toll to body types to the teammate relationships…all of the authenticity portraying this sport was outstanding. And the romance aspect was just as good, engrossing and a perfect complement to the sporty aspect. Incognito artist with a black cat personality, Summer, travels to a small Carolina town where she is trying to find herself. Rory, a professional swimmer on the road the Olympics after an injury, knows she is for him. They stumble into a marriage of convenience which turns into more, after relentless patience and support on his part and learning to open up and trust on her part. Their story heartwarming, spicy and intimate, funny, and just…so good.
Thanks to the author and PenPalPR for the gifted copy.
Thanks to the author and PenPalPR for the gifted copy.
Summer and Rory were so sweet! They had a classic golden retriever x black cat dynamic that absolutely worked for them. This book was really well-balanced in terms of sweet vs. spicy, lighthearted vs. deep, and romance vs. individual character journeys. I would definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a heartwarming sports romance with all the right setup for a found family dynamic in future books.
ARC Provided by PenPal PR.
ARC Provided by PenPal PR.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5⭐️ This is everything I needed right now. I have never read a swimming romance and this was a great introduction. Rory and Summer’s story is super cute. I loved the Golden Retriever MC in Rory and the stubbornness of Summer. Her resistance of him annoys me but when I stopped and reminded myself of the timeline it made more sense. A lot happen really quickly for them but ultimately ends in a great way. I enjoyed that it felt like their story was completed except for a little cliffhanger between Rory and one of his teammates. However, I’m guessing that will be addressed in one of the upcoming books.
Tropes
Tropes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
Looking for a book you can binge in a single day this Summer? “Beyond the Stroke” is absolutely it!
This book is ideal for those of us who enjoy lighthearted relationship of convenience where opposites attract and grumpy/sunshine dynamics lead to surprisingly deep emotional connections.
Summer has a bit of a hard shell and keeps herself and heart protected from others thanks to a messy childhood. I loved her growth throughout the book and found myself loving her more and more.
Rory is the best kind of “let me love you” MMC and I’m here for those kind of fellas. Yeah he fall first but he is respectful of Summer and her need to explore her life circumstances (and her blooming attraction to Rory).
Hawkins has snagged a spot in my “must read” list thanks to this book and her holiday novella “Hostile for the Holidays”.
This book is ideal for those of us who enjoy lighthearted relationship of convenience where opposites attract and grumpy/sunshine dynamics lead to surprisingly deep emotional connections.
Summer has a bit of a hard shell and keeps herself and heart protected from others thanks to a messy childhood. I loved her growth throughout the book and found myself loving her more and more.
Rory is the best kind of “let me love you” MMC and I’m here for those kind of fellas. Yeah he fall first but he is respectful of Summer and her need to explore her life circumstances (and her blooming attraction to Rory).
Hawkins has snagged a spot in my “must read” list thanks to this book and her holiday novella “Hostile for the Holidays”.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
Beyond the Stroke Review
First, I want to say thank you to Pen Pal PR for sending me this ARC! That being said, my thoughts and opinions on the book are my own and are not influenced by the fact I was sent this ARC.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Picking up Beyond the Stroke by Erin Hawkins was a great way to start the summer reading season - it had everything that you could ask for, interesting characters, a marriage of convenience, grumpy x sunshine, and who can forget well written spice that not only made sense with the story, but also moved the character development forward throughout the story.
Summer and Rory both had their battles to face and like in any good romance, they end up facing those battles together. While I wasn’t sure how I felt about Summer and Rory at the start of the book, I came to really love their characters after they spent more time together. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite contemporary (and historical) romance tropes, and to see the health care system in the US put on blast was an added bonus.
Regarding the spice, there were multiple explicit scenes that are relatively descriptive and last for a few pages, but I would not say there were the main focal point of the story, rather a way of showing the characters growing closer together and Summer accepting herself after her trash ex.
If you are looking for a cute romance to start off your summer that has characters with solid chemistry, great banter, and the foreshadowing of another book centering two different characters, I would absolutely check this out!