Fourth and Goal
Jami DavenportContemporary romance
Available from Loose Id
ISBN: 978-1-61118-405-1
May 2011
| Rachel and Derek have known one another forever. One wild weekend destroys a friendship that's completed both of them their entire lives. Without her, Derek's performance as a wide receiver stutters, and his entire NFL career is in jeopardy. Rachel wants to be a talent scout for the NFL, but breaking into a man's world is difficult enough without a points-shaving scandal that took down her father. The scandal costs Rachel her job. She ends up working for Derek, helping him get back in shape so he can be the star he's meant to be. Her ulterior motive--to find out Derek's involvement in the scandal so she can clear her family's name--is exposed just when Derek is finally ready to take a chance on love.
I love football and I love romance novels. Fourth and Goal is what happens when a very talented author takes on both topics. I was simply blown away from page one. Even though I thought I shouldn't, I liked Derek from the beginning. He's the kind of hero you love to love. His mother left him when he was 8, and he's never quite trusted women since then. Even though Rachel has been one of his best friends since they were kids, he can't bring himself to admit he loves her and that she isn't the kind of woman to cut ties and run like his mother. As a man, he's complex--a talented athlete, a genuinely nice guy, and one of the most loving, generous men in creation. Rachel is perfect for him in every way because she sees the vulnerable person inside and she can forgive him for hurting her before. The pacing kept me glued to my eReader and hanging onto the edge of my seat. The erotic scenes are passionate and romantic. Derek isn't a player. He's a one-woman man, and that woman is Rachel. He worships her body and her mind. For most of the novel, he doesn't find out much about the reasons she's there because he's afraid to rock the boat, and those reasons evolve with the complexity of their relationship. The supporting characters rounded out the story and made it completely believable. Jami Davenport is new to me, but I can promise I'll be snapping up all of her stuff from now on. Given the way she set up Tyler and Cass's relationship, that better be the next book! I'm thinking Mitch for the book after that. Maybe he's not an NFL star, but I really liked him. This is a book you don't want to miss.
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Reviewer: Clare |
