Love sports romance? Here’s a brand new series!
Synopsis:
In an exciting new series from Elley Arden, it’s sports romance with a twist, when an independent, tough-talking female football player joins forces with her high-profile, hotter-than-hell friend to save her father’s boxing gym.
Even when she’s playing offense, defense is the name of the game for Cleveland Clash offensive linewoman Tanya Martin. After watching her family and friends struggle with relationships and the strings they leave behind, she has one unflappable goal: “Protect this house. Protect this heart.” The motto takes on new meaning when her father’s beloved gym is threatened with foreclosure and help appears in the form of her high school friend Cam Simmons, who rolls into town after a Super Bowl win and a five-year absence, looking like the one man who could test her resolve.
More comfortable in the spotlight than in the gritty surroundings of his hometown, Cam Simmons dreads the off-season visit that comes with the ulterior motive of convincing his mother to move. But things change when he reconnects with Tanya. The more time he spends with the sexy, sarcastic woman, who is as determined as ever to stay single, the more he can’t resist the challenge. Until, becoming friends with benefits has her running away, and a bachelor auction to save the gym has him in the sites of a woman who could ruin everything.
Review:
I love the idea of a book series set around a women’s football team–awesome!–and think the cover for this one is fantastic. The basic plot contains one of my favorite troupes–friends to lovers. All good things!
I liked Cam’s character a lot–he tried to do the right thing for his family, especially his mom, and even though he initially had major misgivings about the hometown he’d left without a backward glance he stepped up in the end and really did some good. He was more than a little dense at times–not realizing why his former bestie might hold some resentment after she was dropped like a hot potato, for instance, or that their “no strings” agreement to be each other’s first might actually have some implications–but overall he was a nice guy and a decent hero.
Tanya’s heart was definitely in the right place, wanting to save her father’s gym and keep her family together, but she was far too willing to exploit her former best friend to do so. Sure, the business is a part of her legacy, and yeah, the guy had acted insensitively, but that didn’t quite justify her actions here.
They say that all’s well that ends well, though, and the way the hero and heroine finally get together in the end is very cute. All the major problems are nicely wrapped up. Altogether it was a decent read–though it didn’t quite work for me, I’m interested to see how the rest of the series shapes up.
Rating: 3 stars / C+
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
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About Elley:
Elley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like it’s water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.
Charming characters. Emotional stories. Sexy romance.
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Daily #giveaways and 1 Grand Prize up for grabs during the blitz for RUNNING INTERFERENCE, a Cleveland Clash novel by Elley Arden!
Female professional football player Tanya Martin enlists the help of childhood friend and Super Bowl MVP Cam Simmons to help save her father’s financially strapped boxing gym and in the process loses her carefully guarded heart.
To celebrate the release of her new series, Cleveland Clash, with the first novel, RUNNING INTERFERENCE, Elley is doing daily #giveaways on each day of the review blitz! On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, winners will receive a digital copy of one of Elley’s backlist titles. On Tuesday and Thursday, winners will #win a $10 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice). Daily drawings will be held at 4:00pm EST and winners will be announced on Elley’s Facebook page and on Twitter.
And wait, there’s MORE! The grand prize winner, chosen at the end of the blitz, will #win a football prize pack, including a Cleveland Clash water bottle, a signed copy of Heal My Heart—the book that started it all—and more! Winner will be announced on Elley’s Facebook and Twitter at the end of the blitz.
Winners will need to contact Elley with their preferred store for gift card, email address and shipping address, at elley AT elleyarden DOT com.