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amandaventure's review against another edition
3.0
The Play by Play series by Jaci Burton has always been a little hit or miss for me. Sometimes I love the stories and characters and sometimes they fall flat. The Final Score was a combination of both those things. I LOVED Nathan and was so excited to see him all grown up and falling in love. I liked his story arc as well. But at the same time I didn’t like Mia or her story arc. It’s weird. I’m kind of split down the middle on this one. Also after finishing reading, I’m still super confused about some stuff.
The ages of the characters were the biggest thing that confused me and kept pulling me out of the story. Mick retired from football at 37. In book one where he meets Nathan’s mom he’s 30 and Nathan is 14-15. So if those ages are correct, Nathan is only 21 or 22. But the book says he’s already graduated college, was drafted into the NFL, and spent at least a season under Mick’s tutelage. Also Mia is supposed to be the same age and she’s already opening her own sports PR management firm and has enough money to do so? She has enough money to buy a townhouse in San Francisco and rent an office in the Embarcadero and start up a firm and she’s 22? NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY LOGICAL SENSE! San Francisco is incredibly expensive even for middle aged people who’ve had a good career for most of their adult life! How are these kids magically able to afford everything without any apparent financial burdens? Maybe if Mick was 40 and Nathan and Mia were 25-26, I would have been able to plausibly consider their circumstances to be true. However, as it was set up this doesn’t make a lick of practical sense. What effing experience does a 22 year old have to start up her own PR firm and handle multi-million dollar projects without ever having had a job in that industry before? Who in their right mind would sign with someone like that? Where is she getting the money for startup costs? It’s just a spiral of unending questions that don’t have an answer. Pretty much this was me the entire time I was reading this:
But when I chose to ignore the ages and just pretend everyone was about 3-4 years older it made the story more plausible.
So much of the characters’ behavior was mind boggling to me. I just didn’t get it. In fact, Mia’s behavior was so dumb that it made me not really like her very much. I’ll explain
Now, regardless of all the puzzling ages and behavior, I was mainly reading this because Jaci Burton writes great smut. Seriously… it’s top notch! And boy was it ever in The Final Score! There may have been less smut than usual in but it was just as steamy as ever. 10 out of 10, would recommend! Nathan was wonderful and I really loved him. He was just a great guy and his story arc was believable even though it could have gone deeper than it did. Even with all the confusion I was feeling, I did still enjoy Nathan and the smut which are the things I was really reading this for in the first place.
The ages of the characters were the biggest thing that confused me and kept pulling me out of the story. Mick retired from football at 37. In book one where he meets Nathan’s mom he’s 30 and Nathan is 14-15. So if those ages are correct, Nathan is only 21 or 22. But the book says he’s already graduated college, was drafted into the NFL, and spent at least a season under Mick’s tutelage. Also Mia is supposed to be the same age and she’s already opening her own sports PR management firm and has enough money to do so? She has enough money to buy a townhouse in San Francisco and rent an office in the Embarcadero and start up a firm and she’s 22? NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY LOGICAL SENSE! San Francisco is incredibly expensive even for middle aged people who’ve had a good career for most of their adult life! How are these kids magically able to afford everything without any apparent financial burdens? Maybe if Mick was 40 and Nathan and Mia were 25-26, I would have been able to plausibly consider their circumstances to be true. However, as it was set up this doesn’t make a lick of practical sense. What effing experience does a 22 year old have to start up her own PR firm and handle multi-million dollar projects without ever having had a job in that industry before? Who in their right mind would sign with someone like that? Where is she getting the money for startup costs? It’s just a spiral of unending questions that don’t have an answer. Pretty much this was me the entire time I was reading this:
But when I chose to ignore the ages and just pretend everyone was about 3-4 years older it made the story more plausible.
So much of the characters’ behavior was mind boggling to me. I just didn’t get it. In fact, Mia’s behavior was so dumb that it made me not really like her very much. I’ll explain
Spoiler
OK Mia… you have to be the dumbest broad I’ve ever read. It’s like: o no… a photographer took a photo of you with Nathan and a couple of articles were published speculating on a romance. It makes perfect sense for you to dump him on the grounds that you’re protecting his career! There’s no possible way that after a few days the stories would die down on their own and people would lose interest! If this wasn’t already clear; I’m being extremely sarcastic right now. I wish there was a “sarcastic” font.Now, regardless of all the puzzling ages and behavior, I was mainly reading this because Jaci Burton writes great smut. Seriously… it’s top notch! And boy was it ever in The Final Score! There may have been less smut than usual in but it was just as steamy as ever. 10 out of 10, would recommend! Nathan was wonderful and I really loved him. He was just a great guy and his story arc was believable even though it could have gone deeper than it did. Even with all the confusion I was feeling, I did still enjoy Nathan and the smut which are the things I was really reading this for in the first place.
leanner's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoy this series, but this one's not my fave. Friends to Lovers to 'we can't do this'. I just wanted to smack them one. I think there was a typo in the ages of the characters, as dad's age didn't add up. If you like a fluffy sport's romance this one is for you.
thereadingbel's review against another edition
4.0
Nathan Riley was the son of Tara and Mick Riley. He has been drafted by the San Francisco Sabers NFL team and was approaching his first season as the starting quarterback. His father, Mick, had just retired and turned the reins over to Nathan. He was gorgeous, talented, fun loving and every girl’s dream but football was his sole focus.
Mia was the sister to Grant, Tucker Barrett and Flynn (books 9-12), all professional athletes. She grew up around sports and opened her own Sports Management company. She was snarky, feisty, stubborn, independent and beautiful.
Nathan and Mia met in college and became fast friends. They had similar backgrounds and understood the pressure of each other’s lives. Through the years they became best friends. They had chemistry but purposely ignored it, valuing their friendship above all. As their careers were starting, they shifted to a friends with benefits relationship, but not wanting to drift out of the friends realm.
Mia was the sister to Grant, Tucker Barrett and Flynn (books 9-12), all professional athletes. She grew up around sports and opened her own Sports Management company. She was snarky, feisty, stubborn, independent and beautiful.
Nathan and Mia met in college and became fast friends. They had similar backgrounds and understood the pressure of each other’s lives. Through the years they became best friends. They had chemistry but purposely ignored it, valuing their friendship above all. As their careers were starting, they shifted to a friends with benefits relationship, but not wanting to drift out of the friends realm.
stephanywrites's review against another edition
1.0
Well, it’s not very often that I give a 1-star rating, but this one kinda deserves it. I had a lot of issues with this book, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
Issue #1: It’s not realistic to write a novel about a girl who fresh out of college and starts her own sports management company out of the blue where she has no setbacks whatsoever. First of all, you need to earn the role of CEO by working your way through the ranks, starting at the bottom. She did nothing of the sort and yet, she has a large office in San Francisco with dozens of employees, none of whom resent her for being CEO when she’s 10+ years younger than them? Not relatable, not realistic. It’s also not realistic to have zero setbacks when it comes to starting a business, other than her own insecurity.
Issue #2: After being a backup QB during his rookie season, Nathan is now the starting quarterback for an NFL team and yet again, the author has this kid encounter zero setbacks during his first handful of games on the field. His only setback is his own insecurity about taking over for the team his stepfather played for (which in and of itself is a really weird plot twist). I watch football religiously and one thing I know for certain is that anyone’s first time at starting QB doesn’t always go smoothly. There are kinks to figure out and that’s fairly expected. For him to come on the field and immediately be a Tom Brady-level quarterback is so unrealistic that I skimmed my way past the football parts because I just didn’t care.
Issue #3: There was no conflict whatsoever in this novel! Romances need to have conflict. They need to have a push/pull dynamic. And there needs to be something happening beyond the romance. There could have been such an interesting side plot involving Mia and her business, but the author just chose to keep the whole novel at surface level.
Issue #4: Please. Stop. With. The. Sassy. Black. Best. Friends. That is not okay.
Issue #1: It’s not realistic to write a novel about a girl who fresh out of college and starts her own sports management company out of the blue where she has no setbacks whatsoever. First of all, you need to earn the role of CEO by working your way through the ranks, starting at the bottom. She did nothing of the sort and yet, she has a large office in San Francisco with dozens of employees, none of whom resent her for being CEO when she’s 10+ years younger than them? Not relatable, not realistic. It’s also not realistic to have zero setbacks when it comes to starting a business, other than her own insecurity.
Issue #2: After being a backup QB during his rookie season, Nathan is now the starting quarterback for an NFL team and yet again, the author has this kid encounter zero setbacks during his first handful of games on the field. His only setback is his own insecurity about taking over for the team his stepfather played for (which in and of itself is a really weird plot twist). I watch football religiously and one thing I know for certain is that anyone’s first time at starting QB doesn’t always go smoothly. There are kinks to figure out and that’s fairly expected. For him to come on the field and immediately be a Tom Brady-level quarterback is so unrealistic that I skimmed my way past the football parts because I just didn’t care.
Issue #3: There was no conflict whatsoever in this novel! Romances need to have conflict. They need to have a push/pull dynamic. And there needs to be something happening beyond the romance. There could have been such an interesting side plot involving Mia and her business, but the author just chose to keep the whole novel at surface level.
Issue #4: Please. Stop. With. The. Sassy. Black. Best. Friends. That is not okay.
andiabcs's review against another edition
2.0
Such a disappointment. It's hard to put into words what my problem was minus the fact that they had not a lick of chemistry.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
We've met both Mia and Nathan in previous series. He was the son of two previous protagonists while she is the sister of one. Since both those books, these two have become close friends and, one crazy night, lovers.
In this book, Mia is concentrating on starting up her business while Nathan is about to step into his father's shoes as the starting quarterback for the Sabers. Both are busy but still make time for each other... even as they're fighting off sexytime feelings for each other.
And most of the first part of the book is "we should have sex" "no we should just be friends," mostly on the part of a very wishy-washy seeming Mia. And it's her actions at the end of the book that knocked it down an entire star. It was great that Nathan called her on it, but based on her actions in most of this book, it made it hard for me to believe these two were going to get their HEA.
In this book, Mia is concentrating on starting up her business while Nathan is about to step into his father's shoes as the starting quarterback for the Sabers. Both are busy but still make time for each other... even as they're fighting off sexytime feelings for each other.
And most of the first part of the book is "we should have sex" "no we should just be friends," mostly on the part of a very wishy-washy seeming Mia. And it's her actions at the end of the book that knocked it down an entire star. It was great that Nathan called her on it, but based on her actions in most of this book, it made it hard for me to believe these two were going to get their HEA.
kindlelovingmom's review against another edition
4.0
Gah! Here we are at lucky #13, and I'm so thrilled to finally have this story! I've loved Nathan Riley since he was a young teenager back in book 1, and watching him grow up throughout the series has been so fun. But, here we are and he's finally getting his own HEA, with none other than the youngest daughter of one of the other main families, who have been the focus of this series, the Cassidys.
Nathan Riley was raised until age 14 by his single mom, Tara. He never really had a male role model in his life, until his mom started dating famous NFL quarterback Mick Riley. When they fell in love, and got married, and Mick adopted him, he felt like the luckiest kid in the world. He has a great, big family now and he's grown into adulthood knowing how much they all love him. He went to college in Texas, and became a very successful quarterback in his own right. Then, he was drafted last year, by his dad's team in San Francisco, and he got to learn from him up close. Now, Mick has retired, and Nathan will be the starting quarterback for the team. He's stressed, but he's ready and he can't wait for the season to start. He and Mia have been friends since college, and ONLY friends, but for that one drunken night that she made him swear would never happen again. They both value their strong friendship, and they've continued that up till now.
Mia Cassidy is the youngest in her family. She's also the only girl. She's grown up around sports her entire life. Her father was a famous NFL player, and so are 3 of her older brothers. Her 4th brother plays major league baseball. So, with that family dynasty behind her, she's decided to start her own sports management agency. She's got a great business plan, and she's extremely organized. So far, she's been more successful than she could have imagined, but she's also been extremely stressed out. She needs to get laid. Nathan, being a good friend, and also, still being hot for her, offers to take care of her problem. But, is sex worth risking a friendship that means so much to her? What's the worst that could happen?
Nathan and Mia were a perfect match for each other. They're already friends, so they care deeply for each other, and they have trust already ingrained between them. Plus, their chemistry is explosive, and the sex is super steamy. The pace of the book was pretty quick, and I like how the author keeps her stories moving. I love getting to see all the side characters from the past here and there, and it's fun to catch up on their lives. I also love how Nathan and Mia think they're keeping things quiet, but everyone who knows and loves them is so not fooled. This book made me smile, and swoon, and I loved every second of it.
Neither Nathan nor Mia had huge commitment issues, or bad relationships in their past affecting them, and that was so refreshing. They just both had very busy lives, with careers in the fast lane, and didn't really have time for love or relationships. They thought they had found the perfect solution for them both until the FEELINGS started creeping in. Funny how that happens. I really loved both these characters, and felt for them both as they came to their realizations about what their relationship actually had become. The conflict, when it came, was hard to watch, as they always are, and I was so pulling for them to figure it out together. Also, I always wish for an epilogue that I rarely get, but I'm biased, I guess. I am definitely an epilogue lover, and I would've loved to have one here.
I have so enjoyed this entire series, some books more than others, but they've always been sexy and fun. They've really come full circle now with Nathan's story, so I'm looking forward to what new characters will pop up in the next book. I truly enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of steamy sports romance!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Nathan Riley was raised until age 14 by his single mom, Tara. He never really had a male role model in his life, until his mom started dating famous NFL quarterback Mick Riley. When they fell in love, and got married, and Mick adopted him, he felt like the luckiest kid in the world. He has a great, big family now and he's grown into adulthood knowing how much they all love him. He went to college in Texas, and became a very successful quarterback in his own right. Then, he was drafted last year, by his dad's team in San Francisco, and he got to learn from him up close. Now, Mick has retired, and Nathan will be the starting quarterback for the team. He's stressed, but he's ready and he can't wait for the season to start. He and Mia have been friends since college, and ONLY friends, but for that one drunken night that she made him swear would never happen again. They both value their strong friendship, and they've continued that up till now.
Mia Cassidy is the youngest in her family. She's also the only girl. She's grown up around sports her entire life. Her father was a famous NFL player, and so are 3 of her older brothers. Her 4th brother plays major league baseball. So, with that family dynasty behind her, she's decided to start her own sports management agency. She's got a great business plan, and she's extremely organized. So far, she's been more successful than she could have imagined, but she's also been extremely stressed out. She needs to get laid. Nathan, being a good friend, and also, still being hot for her, offers to take care of her problem. But, is sex worth risking a friendship that means so much to her? What's the worst that could happen?
Nathan and Mia were a perfect match for each other. They're already friends, so they care deeply for each other, and they have trust already ingrained between them. Plus, their chemistry is explosive, and the sex is super steamy. The pace of the book was pretty quick, and I like how the author keeps her stories moving. I love getting to see all the side characters from the past here and there, and it's fun to catch up on their lives. I also love how Nathan and Mia think they're keeping things quiet, but everyone who knows and loves them is so not fooled. This book made me smile, and swoon, and I loved every second of it.
Neither Nathan nor Mia had huge commitment issues, or bad relationships in their past affecting them, and that was so refreshing. They just both had very busy lives, with careers in the fast lane, and didn't really have time for love or relationships. They thought they had found the perfect solution for them both until the FEELINGS started creeping in. Funny how that happens. I really loved both these characters, and felt for them both as they came to their realizations about what their relationship actually had become. The conflict, when it came, was hard to watch, as they always are, and I was so pulling for them to figure it out together. Also, I always wish for an epilogue that I rarely get, but I'm biased, I guess. I am definitely an epilogue lover, and I would've loved to have one here.
I have so enjoyed this entire series, some books more than others, but they've always been sexy and fun. They've really come full circle now with Nathan's story, so I'm looking forward to what new characters will pop up in the next book. I truly enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of steamy sports romance!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
ritareadstrash's review against another edition
2.0
Mia was just a crazy petty character. for someone who grew up in a football dynasty, press shouldn't bother her so much. she knows the fickle nature of the media.
mildy_lozza's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this!
The passion between Nathan and Mia was so well written. I was invested from the start. Little disappointed about the ending, it felt very rushed.
Also, what happens after? Is the business a success? Does Nathan become an amazing QB? So many questions...
The passion between Nathan and Mia was so well written. I was invested from the start. Little disappointed about the ending, it felt very rushed.
Also, what happens after? Is the business a success? Does Nathan become an amazing QB? So many questions...