706 reviews for:

Fumbled

Alexa Martin

3.71 AVERAGE


I really liked what I saw of TK in the first book but this book took me on a ride emotionally and I'm still not sure where I land on that regarding him. My favorite part of the book was Poppy and her son Ace's relationship. So heartwarming and pure! She is truly a fantastic parent. I felt that the ending was a little rushed but had a good sentiment so I'll let it slide.

Absolutely love when a book starts right away and Fumbled did just that when introducing Poppy, single mom working at a gentlemen’s club as a waitress and TK, all-star football athlete who happens to be Poppy’s first love. This one was hilarious and sexy and snarky and basically everything I could want in a romance! Its slight downfall might’ve been that things happened so quickly, towards the end there it kind of struggles a bit, but this one set the next book (I hope there’s another book) so perfectly! These characters were EVERYTHING!!

A solid second book in this series! I listened to the audio and really enjoyed the voice actor!

Ripped Bodice Bingo 2019: either wine & spirits or costume.

I haven't read Intercepted yet, but I have a copy thanks to my fabulous reader buddy / hairdresser and I am now bumping it way up the list. I really enjoyed this!

I liked:

-Smooth, effortless-feeling writing! Great voice.

-Poppy! There is a lot to like about Poppy. I liked Maya too even though I never met her.

- LADY FRIENDS!!

-not dissing strippers and waitresses in the club where she works in the beginning. THANK YOU.

-honestly, all the names. Small but true. Poppy is a great name, and so is Ace. And Sparks is a freaking adorable nickname, it works so well.

-the plot, including the CTE storyline.

-TK! I was very uncertain about whether I'd like him, especially after the weird blowup where he said she was lying (WTAF). But he was a really good hero and a good partner: he listened, he learned, he apologized, he paid attention.

-You know when you're reading a book and you're like, wow, this romance author is an expert in maritime history or eels or whatever? and then it turns out she has a master's degree in that area? And there's that very tangible pleasure of hearing somebody write about an area in which they have obvious, rare expertise and insight? That very much came through with the author's knowledge of being a football spouse.


Didn't like as much:

- I was really thrown by TK's initial angry reaction to learning about Ace, and I don't think he grovelled sufficiently. It would have taken me personally a long time to get over feeling wary.

- There were times when Poppy was like, man, he is so hot I'm totally angry but I can't get over how hot he is. And I just... I don't know what that didn't work for me, I couldn't really believe he was THAT hot that it could distract her from everything else? This might be a "just not how I roll" thing though.

Overall highly recommended, especially for women's fiction readers who are moving over into romance. It's got steamy bits but not a ton -- a little like Jasmine Guillory or Helen Hoang.

4.5 stars!

This series is getting better & better and I’m ready for more!

Would have rated this higher but the bitchy mom storyline and the stalker storyline were incredibly anticlimactic. Leaving them out of fleshing out one over the other in addition to the brain injury stuff would have made more sense.
briamide's profile picture

briamide's review

4.5
emotional funny lighthearted
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book after reading and loving Intercepted by this author. I love me a good second chance romance and this was a sign I needed to read. I have to say that this book has one particular trope that I don’t care for BUT the author was able to execute it in a way that I was able to enjoy. It wasn’t dragged out for the entire book and the reasoning was legit.


I really loved Poppy in this story. She was a strong single mother who did the best she could with the crappy hand she was dealt at such a young age.


T.K. took some time to grow on me after his initial reaction to Poppy’s news. I get that several years have passed and he was blindsided but still....that was no way to conduct yourself. I did love that he was able to redeem himself throughout the book. It was nice seeing him adjust to his new role and he was such a sweetheart.



Martin has created such a cast of characters that I’ve come to adore and wish were in my tribe. It was nice to see characters from the first book as well. I also liked that Martin touched on the seriousness of CTE in football without it coming off as a public service announcement. I look forward to reading “Blitzed” later this year! If you’re a fan of sport romance I highly recommend you reading this book/series.

*NetGalley Review*

tazbrown18's review

4.0
emotional funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

This characters are so relatable and actually made me cry. Seeing the two characters actually struggle with their families, last regrets and make difficult choices made this romance so much more. Loved it!