I'd rate this 4.5 stars but enjoyed it enough to round it up to 5. Allie barely has a relationship with her father so when he suddenly passes, she's surprised to find herself inheriting the Washington Wolves, his beloved football team. She moves back into her deceased mother's house on Lake Washington and decides to take cupcakes next door after seeing a young girl waving to her from the neighbour's house. Luke answers his door to find Allie on his doorstep and after wrongly assuming she's a football groupie who's trying to hit him up, he's a jerk to her. When he finds out that she's his new boss, he's less than impressed and she thinks he's an arrogant, uncompromising, but painfully attractive jock. For the sake of the team, they try to start again and build a tenuous relationship while working and living beside each other as they try to take the Wolves to the championship.
This was a pretty short, easy read. The dialogue was good, with some witty banter between the two main characters, and the writing was solid for the most part. The plot wasn't groundbreaking and if you've read any hate to love romances before, nothing here will surprise you as it follows a pretty predictable pattern. That being said, you know what you're going to get and there weren't too many surprises.
Luke was a single dad and I really liked what that offered the story line and his character. I find that sometimes authors tend to make children characters obnoxious or really cliche. I'm glad to say that Luke's daughter was neither and she added to the plot rather than detracted from it. Luke himself was also a breath of fresh air. Instead of being the typical football player we see in sports books (you know the one I'm talking about - cocky, a player, etc.), Luke was grumpy, gruff and stayed away from relationships because of his daughter and from being burnt from his ex. We don't know too much about what happened with his daughter's mother, only that she sold a story about their fling to the tabloids and died early on. He doesn't hold many positive memories of her. Luke hates the press and is completely committed to his job, taking his leadership role and position of quarterback seriously. Allie was also a refreshing character. While very attractive (we're told a few times she looks like Barbie), she's quite anxious and unsure of herself. She wants to prove that she can take over from her father, but she's completely out of her comfort zone. She's able to lean on others for help and is determined to do the best she can - no vapid flake here, thank goodness. There's a bit of an age gap between the two - I think it was about 10 years or so.
The romance is a bit of a slow burn. There's tension and each character's inner monologue identifying the attraction they have to the other, but things don't heat up well into the second half of the book. There was a really decent amount of football dispersed throughout the book, which I loved. I know it sounds silly to mention this, but sometimes sports books use the sport as an add on and not a major part of the story. This book had a good amount of detail, both from Luke's expert point of view and Allie's novice one as the story focussed on him as a player and her as the new owner.
There were a few small typos here in there throughout the book. Not a big deal, but they were there. While Allie and Luke were slow at finally getting together, they did fall in love quickly for those readers that like to know those kind of details. I would have liked a little more of Allie getting to know and spending time with Luke's daughter, as I thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity in the plot, but that's just a personal preference and didn't affect me enjoying this book. Also, I loved that there was a sports romance with no other woman drama. Thank you to the author for this!
Overall, this was a predictable, but really enjoyable read for me. I'm keen to continue the series and will be reading this author's work again.
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See full series- Kindle Price:$14.97By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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There are 3 books in this series.
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Popular Highlights in this book
“I want someone who doesn’t sit back and look at how the landscape of their life will change by adding me into it and weigh whether I’m worth the change. I want them to pull me into it with both hands and make it something new without a second thought.”Highlighted by 1,567 Kindle readers- “I want someone who loves me so much that they can’t stand the idea of us hiding in the shadows. I want them to love me so much that all the ugly and harsh that can come with the light doesn’t bother them because we’d be facing it together.” I exhaled a small sob. “I don’t want to beg for that.”Highlighted by 1,416 Kindle readers
- “Men are so unbelievably stupid,” I hissed. This is why God created vibrators.Highlighted by 1,325 Kindle readers
- Luke wanted me. And, oh sweet baby wolves on the fifty-yard line, I wanted him tooHighlighted by 778 Kindle readers
About the author
#TEAMSORENSEN
Karla Sorensen is without a doubt one of my TOP favorite author’s... The Bombshell Effect has me completely and utterly obsessed! “Maybe she’d be my downfall. Maybe this would blow up in our faces. Maybe there’d be a day that I regretted that I ever had this stupid idea.“ I couldn’t put this book down. Luke Pierson and Allie Sutton are my favorite character’s written by Karla! This sports romance is one I will never forget... I loved every moment of Luke and his daughter Faith and how much they were like a team together. Just the best dynamic and the plot is EVERYTHING! The photo shoot, the hotel room, the interview... my heart was ready to burst from my chest! I absolutely love when a book gives you those butterflies and you feel EVERYTHING! This book did exactly that.. all the feels! I highmy recommend this INCREDIBLE standalone sports rom-com #TeamSutton #TeamPierson
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2019
Top reviews from other countries
- readerReviewed in Germany on May 1, 2022
Romance between a dedicated single father, the quaterback of the heroine's team
- LeighAnneReviewed in Australia on March 17, 2025
His had me reaching for the tissues
