Downed by Jen Frederick Series: Gridiron #3
Published by Pear Tree LLC on December 1st 2016
Pages: 301
Amazon
He’s the guy no one likes…
Despite winning two national championships, JR “Ace” Anderson was sent packing from his old school after losing the trust of his coach. At Southern U, he has a second chance to prove that his college legacy isn’t endless debauchery and selfishness. But his reputation precedes him, and his teammates offer a chilly welcome in the locker room. The one person who is willing to accept him is the very woman he should stay away from—his new coach’s daughter.
She’s the girl everyone loves…
Bryant Johnson’s only goal in life is to make others happy, even at her own expense. One look at her father’s new star quarterback, and she knows that Ace is her next project. With a reputation for being a “jerk whisperer”, Bryant has spent her last three years at college reforming sorry behavior and turning bad boys into the best boyfriends ever. In Ace, though, she’s met with surly resistance and a sizzling attraction she doesn’t expect. Fixing this wounded warrior will be her biggest challenge yet. Not falling for him will be even harder.
Between her big heart and his damaged one, a battle is ensuing. In this game of love, every defense will crumble.
I’m an unabashed sports romance junkie even though some of them aren’t very original. Jen Frederick has a knack for writing new adult sports romances that manage to avoid being formulaic. Downed is the third book in the enjoyable Gridiron series, and it does not disappoint.
Ace was the college quarterback for the Warriors in Jockblocked. He was an indiscriminate pig who used women and did some shady stuff that I won’t talk about just in case you haven’t read it. Honestly, he was such an ass that I couldn’t imagine him being a sympathetic protagonist in this book.
In Downed, Ace’s conduct has caused him to be kicked off the Warriors team, but now he’s been recruited by Southern University as their starting quarterback. A new school means a fresh start and hopefully reformed behavior, but his reputation precedes him. Despite the two championships he has under his belt, earning the trust of his teammates proves to be challenging.
Bryant is the coach’s daughter and ultimate football supporter. She’s an upbeat people pleaser who is adored by everyone. Bryant makes it her mission to rehabilitate the biggest jerks she can find and turn them into perfect boyfriend material. She sets her sights on grumpy bad boy Ace as her new “project”. Unfortunately for Bryant, Ace is more than he seems at first glance and may be a danger to her plans and her heart. As for Ace, Bryant makes him reevaluate his “no dating/no girlfriends” rule while he nurses his wounded pride.
This is such a cute story, and I can safely say that I’m now #TeamAce. Bryant may be a little too sugary sweet Southern belle for my tastes, but she makes a great contrast to Ace’s gruffness and I loved the way they interact with each other.
Go ahead and add this book to my rapidly going list of why I’m a Jen Frederick fan.
Downed can is a standalone, although I recommend reading the other books in the series at some point purely for enjoyment.
Recommended for fans of:
Sports romance
College stories
Southern manners
Reformed jerks
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
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