Courting Kate
Tori Kron
(Panthers Players, #1)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: June 23rd 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Sports

Slapped with court ordered community service for brawling—again, Miller Cassidy, the Indianapolis Panther’s star player, is forced into laboring under stodgy non-profit supervisor, Kate Gallagher. Her saving grace—she happens to be best friends with Stella, the woman he’s been chasing for years.

Despite the masses falling for his charm, Kate doesn’t care for Miller’s notorious reputation or his flippant behavior. But wanting to impress her strict boss, she agrees to a trade that could give them both a shot at success.

Propelled into an unlikely alliance, Miller finds himself taking a defensive stance when he sees beyond Kate’s hard exterior. And Kate is equally thrown off guard when she discovers there’s more to Miller than games.

But is love worth sacrificing friendship? And can Miller let go of the feelings for Stella he’s held onto for years?

In love and basketball, it’s five fouls and you’re out, and every play counts.

Adorably Sweet, Deliciously Fun, and Delightfully Entertaining 

Courting Kate by Tori Kron is an adorably sweet, deliciously fun, and pleasantly entertaining sports romance that played with my emotions a bit, but a sure win in my heart!

I’m used to reading steamy and sexy adult sports romances, but I was surprisingly intrigued and wonderfully engaged with this book. Don’t get me wrong… there are some swoony moments and even a scorching hot kissing scene, but this one definitely leans toward being a clean adult romance novel. That being said, the story certainly does not disappoint and there are some amazing and spine-tingling FEELS. Maybe not as many as I would like, but enough that I was captivated the entire time and finished reading in less than 10 hours.

The storyline is engaging in many ways, but it’s far from perfect and there are quite a few things that bothered me. I also kept thinking that there needs to be something MORE with the character developments, the relationships, the conflict, the romance, and just the overall feel of story. To me, it seems like the story is always just one step away from being a 5 hearts read. The ending is rushed, felt a bit too convenient for a HEA conclusion, and again, I just wanted something more to happen. Nevertheless, those are just minor nuisances and definitely did not ruin the fun for me. I still thought the story as a whole is charming, funny, and entertaining. I really liked the drama, the sweet tender moments, and the romance. I also liked that the plot is fast-paced and I enjoyed every single scene that made smile, swoon, and ache in a lovely way.

The characters, while not as fleshed out as I wanted, felt genuinely realistic and that made them likeable. I adored both Kate and Miller and rooted for them so hard. Stella has a strong personality and she’s usually the type of character that I wouldn’t like, but in the end I did and I appreciated what she did for Kate and Miller. I liked Kate’s other best friend, Rin, and I wished she had more scenes in the book. Kai is just so stinkin’ cute and funny and I just wanted to give that boy a big hug and cuddle. Miller’s sister Reagan and teammates make brief appearances too, but not enough for me to decide if I really liked them. They’re okay and quite interesting, but I wanted a tad bit more interactions with them. Deacon definitely intrigues me so I can’t wait to read his book.

The romance is enjoyable and I knew in the beginning who I wanted Miller to choose. Kate and Miller make such a great couple and they both deserved to be with people who brings out the best versions of themselves. I liked their chemistry, their playful bantering, and just how good they are for each other. I also really loved the way their relationship developed into something romantic overtime and even though it’s quite slow-burn, I thought it’s satisfyingly real and perfectly relatable.

A delightfully fun and clean sports romance, Courting Kate by Tori Kron had me quite smitten that I found myself glued to the pages and unable to stop reading. Even though I wanted more throughout the story, I still had fun reading this book and felt happy with how the story played out until the very end. I definitely cannot wait to read the next book and find out what’s in store for two characters that are hiding their relationship. I definitely sense a forbidden romance there and I’m totally all for that!

I recevied an advance reader copy of this book from the author and publisher via XpressoBookTours in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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June 27th
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June 28th
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Tori Kron has spent ten years educating middle school students in the art of English writing. She is a proud graduate of Purdue University, where she discovered a love for nearby Chicago and the adventures that awaited within. When Tori isn’t in front of the classroom, you can find her working with fellow authors in the Midwest Writers Guild or traveling the world with friends. In between excursions, she happily resides in Evansville, Indiana with her husband and son.

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