The Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy and the Game On series by Kristen Callihan are probably the two most popular series in the college sports romance sub-genre. Jen Frederick makes no secret that their work was the inspiration for Sacked, and in many regards it’s a successful homage.
Sweet Hope is the third book in the Sweet Home series and is perhaps my favorite so far. The book deals with themes of guilt and redemption. Elpi and Ally are a true star-crossed pair. Elpi, the intimidating and tortured artist, is in desperate need of a second chance but feels unworthy of salvation. Ally, a carefree museum curator, feels inexplicably connected to Elpi’s work. I really admired her tenacity and unabashed faithfulness. My heart broke for Elpi, and the weight of his shame and his rejection of happiness were overwhelming at times.
Don’t let the fact that Sweet Fall is a sports romance set on a college campus deceive you. This isn’t a New Adult romantic comedy – at all. It deals with some heavy subject matter, but it still manages to be… well… sweet.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet college sports romance. I’ve got a soft spot for smart, geeky heroines, and British transplant Molly Shakespeare fits the mold perfectly. Romeo Prince is an alpha male/player wrapped in an NFL-bound star quarterback package. Romeo and Shakespeare. Get it? The two are adorable together, and their attraction is magnetic. Although Romeo frequently comes across as too needy and whiney, the characters are likable, and the story tugs at your heartstrings. I really enjoyed Molly and Rome’s friends. In particular, Texas gal Cass is a hoot!
This was my first dip in the LGBT pool if you will, and I think I made good choice. It’s sweet, funny, sexy as hell, and has zero drama—basically everything I look for in a light romance—only with dudes.
Kaleidoscope Hearts reads very much like the type of New Adult novels I try to avoid—a whole lot of drama over nothing.
I’m about to go on a bit of a rant so you have my permission to stop reading my review now. I’ll wait.
Take note: this is how you write a good friends-to-lovers story. While this trope has its appeal, more often than not I can anticipate there will be a healthy dose of the following that will piss me off: immature characters; manufactured drama; lack of communication. Blurred Lines successfully manages to avoid those pitfalls.
I admit I was disappointed by the depressing overtones of Becoming Calder given that I had expected more of a romance, but I was pleased to find the story picks up steam in Finding Eden.
I thought Archer’s Voice was amazing so I was excited to read another book by Mia Sheridan, especially after reading so many glowing reviews of Becoming Calder. I think I set myself up for disappointment because I expected this to be a romance. The story is creepy, dark, tense, and just overall depressing, which is great if you’re reading general fiction or a suspense novel but it’s not what you sign up for in the contemporary romance genre. And while I liked the characters of Calder and Eden, they just didn’t click for me as a couple.
The Game Plan is the third book in the Game On series, and it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I think it’s because I kept comparing it to the previous books that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise. It’s by no means a miss. I really liked the book; I just didn’t love it.
