First and Forever by Lynn Painter

“Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a great meet cute between two young adults who are trying to find their footing now that they are “grown ups”. Duffy and Conner soon find themselves falling for each other even though their relationship starts out as a PR stunt unknown to her. Even though this is an adult title, the story is very appropriate for high school students who love Lynn Painter's previous books.

Visit Lynn Painter’s website. 

Lights Out by Jenni Fletcher

“He’s a future F1 champion, but she’s making it hard to stay on track…

F1’s resident bad boy Giovanni Bauer isn’t used to losing, but when his non-stop partying leaves his position on the team at risk, he needs to turn his reputation around - fast.

Maisie Evans is a dedicated psychology student, desperate to break into Gio’s competitive world and reignite her dreams of a glittering sports career, but with no clue how to do it.

When Gio and Maisie’s worlds collide, the answer to their problems seems a fake relationship. She gets to travel the world and brush shoulders with sports royalty, and he gets to fix his image by settling down.

But as sparks fly on and off the track, will their ‘relationship’ see them cross the line together, or crash and burn?” - taken from Goodreads.

Maisie Evans is going to college to become a sports psychologist. Her own mountain biking career came to a screeching halt after an accident. Lately her grades have plummeted and she's in danger of having to repeat the term. When she meets F1 racing's resident bad boy Gio Bauer while working at a party, he proposes a solution to each of the problems. Fake date to improve his reputation and provide a research project for Maisie.

As the two continue to carry on their sham, real feelings between the two begin to surface. Can their burgeoning relationship survive Gio’s high speed world?

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Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

 

“From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable as kids. Until Dani moved away. Years later, Dani is back in Minnesota, and excited to reconnect with the nerdy and comforting Alec. But teenage Alec is NOTHING like the boy she remembers. He's the hockey STAR in a town where hockey players are worshipped as gods – and he loves it. 

When one thing leads to another and Dani and Alec find themselves thrown together and playing the role of boyfriend and girlfriend, “complicated” becomes an understatement. In this Minnesota town, hockey may rule, but romance is about to take its place.” - taken from Goodreads.

Alec and Dani were the best of friends for one month every summer in Minnesota when she and her mother came to visit her grandparents until they weren't. Now five years later, Dani and her mother have moved back to town to live with her Grandpa after her parents divorce. Uncomfortable to see one another after a perceived slight by the other, Dani and Alec agree to fake date in order to improve an unjust reputation for Alec that may bring his hockey dreams to a crashing end. As time passes the two begin to realize that what is happening between the two of them may not be fake at all. Can Alec and Danny find their way over their past hurts to find their happily ever after. Dani’s grandpa had to be my favorite character in this book.

Visit Lynn Painter’s website.

It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning

 

“Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do, and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down.

Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who’s both incredibly cute and incredibly off-limits. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done, Caroline “dates” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in despair. Just as Caroline starts to see herself as more than her past athletic successes, she picks up something she didn’t bargain for: a big fat crush on Alex. Turns out life was way easier when it was just layout-fulls and beam burns....” - taken from Goodreads.

I enjoyed this sports themed teen romance. It is a bit heavy on the sports, especially gymnastics but any Olympic fan will have no problem with all of the details. Caroline Kepler's gymnastics career comes to a screeching halt due to a back injury. Devastated to retire at the age of 15, Carolyn is adrift until her brother's best friend Alex offers to give her a crash course in ball sports. To pay him back for his kindness, Caroline offers to fix him up with his longtime crush, her friend Sunny. But it isn't too long before Caroline realizes the true depths of her own feelings for Alex when they sneak up on her unexpectedly. The true question is, does he feel the same about her?

Visit Sarah Henning’s website.

Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli

 

“Adriana Russo is figure skating royalty.

With gold-medalist parents, and her older sister headed to the Olympics, all she wants is to live up to the family name and stand atop the ice dance podium at the Junior World Championships. But fame doesn’t always mean fortune, and their legendary skating rink is struggling under the weight of her dad’s lavish lifestyle. The only thing keeping it afloat is a deal to host the rest of the Junior Worlds team before they leave for France.

That means training on the same ice as her first crush, Freddie, the partner she left when her growth spurt outpaced his. For the past two years, he’s barely acknowledged her existence, and she can’t even blame him for it.

When the family’s finances take another unexpected hit, losing the rink seems inevitable until her partner, Brayden, suggests they let the world believe what many have suspected: that their intense chemistry isn’t contained to the ice. Fans and sponsors alike take the bait, but keeping up the charade is harder than she ever imagined. And training alongside Freddie makes it worse, especially when pretending with Brayden starts to feel very real.

As the biggest competition of her life draws closer and her family’s legacy hangs in the balance, Adriana is caught between her past and present, between the golden future she’s worked so hard for, and the one she gave up long ago.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was the perfect love triangle, square, octagon book. Reminding me of one of my favorite movies, The Cutting Edge, Adriana is put in an awkward situation when her former ice dancing partner comes to train at her family’s rink for the world competition. Both have new partners and are surrounded by the rest of their teammates. Full of the expected ups and downs on and off the ice, Adriana must decide if the risks of following her heart and worth the possible hurt. 

Visit Jennifer Iacopelli’s website.

Stealing Home by Becky Wallace

“Fight for your dreams, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Russell has life perfectly planned. If she keeps up her hard work, one day she’ll take over the family business: owning the Buckley Beavers, a minor league baseball team, and become one of the only female General Managers in the sport.

But when the newest member of the Beavers, child-phenom Sawyer Campbell, shows up, Ryan’s carefully laid plans are thrown a major curveball. Sawyer is far more charming than the arrogant jocks she usually manages, his ambition rivals her own workaholic nature—and he’s completely out of bounds. Fraternizing is against every rule in the Beaver’s handbook.

Then Ryan’s divorced parents butt heads over the future of the Beavers, and her mom plans to sell her shares to a business group known for relocating teams. If this happens, Ryan’s dreams of becoming GM disappear. In a bid to save her future, she partners with Sawyer to use his star power to draw in sponsors who will keep the team in Buckley. But the more time she spends with him, the more impossible it becomes to play by the Beaver’s rules, and she can’t afford a strikeout on the path to her dreams.

Full count with two outs, Ryan’s one pitch away from losing the whole ball game.” - taken from Goodreads.com

When I started this book, I wished I had a free day to have read it all in one sitting. I loved Ryan and Sawyer’s story and couldn't wait to find out the ending. Brought together by their love of baseball, Ryan's determined to hold Sawyer at arm's length. Rule number one is no fraternizing with the players. When both their worlds are turned upside down, Ryan fights to keep her dream alive even if she hurts Sawyer in the process. What I adored about the story is the ending. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next. 

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