Published May 15, 2018 by Loveswept
Genre(s): Romance, Sports Romance Contemporary
This is one bad boy who’s fit to print. A notorious jock tackles life—and love—after football with a type-A journalist in this sexy standalone from the author of Eye Candy.
Barrett: As a former pro football star, I’m used to playing the field. After injuries cut my NFL career short, my second act as a broadcaster ended on live television when a hot mic picked up a little verbal . . . indiscretion. But this latest publicity stunt might just land me back on top—much to the chagrin of Catarina Everhart, the prissy, beautiful journalist who’s been assigned to date a bad boy (i.e., me) and write about it. Catarina swears I’ll never touch her, let alone kiss those full lips of hers. Based on our chemistry, I’m not buying it. . . .
Catarina: Barrett Fox seems to be doing everything in his power to make me hate him. The cocky egomaniac is infamous for his bad behavior, and now, thanks to my boss’s harebrained schemes, he’s apparently my problem. As one fake date leads to another, I start to see a different side of Barrett. He’s close with his family. He does volunteer work. And, okay, he kisses like a dream. Am I really dating Barrett Fox? Or is he playing me? Because suddenly I’m risking my reputation—and my heart.
AMAZON – BARNES AND NOBLE – KOBO – GOOGLE PLAY
2.75 – 3 Adorable and Fun Read
Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon was a lighthearted and fun read. I didn’t quite fall in love with it like I expected, but it had some tender moments and charmingly adorable scenes that made me smile.
The premise sounded really intriguing and the first few chapters were fun, but sadly, it started to drag and I just wasn’t feeling the story. The writing was decent and the pacing was good. I don’t think I was necessarily bored with the plot or the characters… I just didn’t find that oomph. Maybe I’ve been reading too many of the same type of stories or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. Whatever it was, this book just didn’t stand out. That being said, I still thought the storyline was entertaining and I liked the alternating point of views. Barrett and Catarina’s chemistry wasn’t sizzling, but they had their moments. I liked their dates and thought their bantering was amusing. I just wish that the push and pull, the angst, and the FEELS were a little bit more intense.
I didn’t particularly dislike Catarina or Barrett, but I also didn’t really like them either. I just struggled with their personalities and was really unsure how I felt towards them. I kind of didn’t really care about whether or not they would end up together and honestly, I wasn’t rooting for them that hard. BUT, things changed and some swoony moments here and there sort of redeemed their story for me… at least a little bit.
Overall, this didn’t quite hit the spot for me, but it was an easy, light and somewhat enjoyable enemies to lovers story. The romance was sweet and had a few adorable moments that I loved. I thought the book wrapped up nicely and once I finished, I was quite satisfied with the ending.
If you’re looking for a quick and decent love story on a lazy afternoon, then you might just like this one. And just because it didn’t completely work for me, doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it, so give it a go and let me know what you think.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? What did you think? What are some of your favorite enemies to lovers stories? Let me know in the comments below.
As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Have a fantastic day everyone!!!
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
Sincerely Karen Jo 