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A review by dinohakari
The Score by Beth Bolden
4.0
I've read all of her football stories and I have to say that, to this day, I still don't understand the sport! But... But I love her books! And although I have my favorites, I love her characters, every single one of them! So as you can guess, I loved this book too.
As the description says, Carter has trouble controlling his temper, and his coping mechanisms are sex or breaking anything he can get his hands on, but mostly...sex. He doesn't discriminate. He likes everyone, everyone attracts him, but lately, he begins to realize that even choosing someone to have sex with is something mechanical, too easy, and that it brings nothing more than a moment of gratification. Added to this, he is finally on a team where he wants to stay. And more importantly, on a team where they want him to stay. He likes his teammates, and his teammates like him. He really doesn't want to lose that, and the only way is to change and learn to deal with his problem. To do this, he seeks out Alec, his new agent, who gives him not only a therapist, but a sober companion to help with that change.
What he didn't expect was the kind of impact that companion was going to have on his life. For the first time, Carter finds himself drawn to someone who is capable (at least at first) of saying no to him. For the first time, he meets someone who puts his well-being above all else, someone who wants to see him succeed, and more importantly than all that, someone who sees beneath all the layers that disguise the vulnerable part that he hides from everyone else. Someone who sees him as a person, and not as someone superficial who just wants to have fun. And to Carter, that means everything.
Ian wants to leave his job behind and become an agent, and he wants Alec to mentor him, so he accepts his job offer to help Carter improve his life. He feels self-assured, confident that he has what it takes to resist the allure Carter seems to have. He has the experience, and the tools necessary to help Carter without falling under his charm. After all, he worked for many big stars and never, even once, failed in his work. But he didn't count on the impact of finally being in front of Carter and feeling that charisma, that charm directly focused on him and only him. And little by little his walls begin to crack until he can't help but fall for the man.
Luckily, he doesn't fall alone. Carter is there, at the same time, ready to do anything to show Ian how different and special Ian is to him, how different from all those people from his past who never even touched him superficially. And despite the fears he feels of not being worthy enough for Ian, he is willing to try anything to build a life with him. And those fears and feelings are mutual.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I think that once they crossed the line and decided to be more than "fake" boyfriends", Moira should have stopped being his therapist, and I'm surprised that neither Alec or Ian saw it as necessary. Or for that matter, Moira herself.
The Score is a story full of funny moments - after all, it's Carter - and some really sexy, hot ones. The sexual tension grows little by little until it is almost unbearable, but also, when it ends up exploding, it is not only sex for them, but you can also feel the emotional bond that unites them, which makes the experience richer and deeper.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.
As the description says, Carter has trouble controlling his temper, and his coping mechanisms are sex or breaking anything he can get his hands on, but mostly...sex. He doesn't discriminate. He likes everyone, everyone attracts him, but lately, he begins to realize that even choosing someone to have sex with is something mechanical, too easy, and that it brings nothing more than a moment of gratification. Added to this, he is finally on a team where he wants to stay. And more importantly, on a team where they want him to stay. He likes his teammates, and his teammates like him. He really doesn't want to lose that, and the only way is to change and learn to deal with his problem. To do this, he seeks out Alec, his new agent, who gives him not only a therapist, but a sober companion to help with that change.
What he didn't expect was the kind of impact that companion was going to have on his life. For the first time, Carter finds himself drawn to someone who is capable (at least at first) of saying no to him. For the first time, he meets someone who puts his well-being above all else, someone who wants to see him succeed, and more importantly than all that, someone who sees beneath all the layers that disguise the vulnerable part that he hides from everyone else. Someone who sees him as a person, and not as someone superficial who just wants to have fun. And to Carter, that means everything.
Ian wants to leave his job behind and become an agent, and he wants Alec to mentor him, so he accepts his job offer to help Carter improve his life. He feels self-assured, confident that he has what it takes to resist the allure Carter seems to have. He has the experience, and the tools necessary to help Carter without falling under his charm. After all, he worked for many big stars and never, even once, failed in his work. But he didn't count on the impact of finally being in front of Carter and feeling that charisma, that charm directly focused on him and only him. And little by little his walls begin to crack until he can't help but fall for the man.
Luckily, he doesn't fall alone. Carter is there, at the same time, ready to do anything to show Ian how different and special Ian is to him, how different from all those people from his past who never even touched him superficially. And despite the fears he feels of not being worthy enough for Ian, he is willing to try anything to build a life with him. And those fears and feelings are mutual.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I think that once they crossed the line and decided to be more than "fake" boyfriends", Moira should have stopped being his therapist, and I'm surprised that neither Alec or Ian saw it as necessary. Or for that matter, Moira herself.
The Score is a story full of funny moments - after all, it's Carter - and some really sexy, hot ones. The sexual tension grows little by little until it is almost unbearable, but also, when it ends up exploding, it is not only sex for them, but you can also feel the emotional bond that unites them, which makes the experience richer and deeper.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.