BLOCK SHOT
by KENNEDY RYAN
JARED
If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat...
The heart everyone assumes is frozen over.
Her anger is...arousing.
Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, gets me...well, you know.
If I had a dollar for every time she's put me in my place, I'd be an even richer man.
I'm a successful sports agent because I assume "no" means you'll think about it.
I'm sure what you meant to say is "Coming right up.”
They say even rich men don't always get what they want, but those men don't know how to play the game. The trick is to keep them guessing.
Take Banner. She assumes she's winning, but this game?
She doesn't even know how to play.
BANNER
If I had a dollar for every time Jared Foster broke my heart, I’d have exactly one dollar.
One night. One epic fail. One dollar...and I'm out.
I've moved on.
I’ve found success in a field ruled by men.
Anything they can do, I have done better.
They can keep the field while I call the shots, blocking them when I have to.
And Jared has the nerve to think he gets a second chance?
Boy, please. Go sit down. Have several seats.
I'll just be over here ignoring the man carved from my fantasies with a lust-tipped chisel.
Oh, I didn't say the struggle wasn't real.
But I've got that one dollar, and Jared won't have me.
"She's a storm I can't find the eye of."
Much anticipated, highly recommended, Kennedy Ryan does not disappoint with yet another book in her HOOPS series. With diverse characters, real subjects, and true emotion, she will take you on a journey that will make you feel and yearn for that first true love, the one that got away that you never forgot. The kind that breaks your heart repeatedly and yet, you let them because you're powerless against them.
In one simple word: WOAH. I thought I knew what Kennedy is capable of....but yet, she hands me this? I mean, emotional? Yes! Intense? Obviously. Heartbreaking? Gut-wrenching? Tumultuous? Check. Check. Check. Not only was it signature Kennedy writing with a thought provoking storyline, but it was a story that brought me to my knees because I cannot imagine being in this predicament. I couldn't imagine the heart that Banner has and yet I've met her in Kennedy. A positivity and a strength that not many possess. Her conviction in herself was beautiful, even though she needed reminding sometimes. And Jared? I loved his determination and his strength - his tenacity, with a bold no fucks given attitude. Ruthless? Suited for the world he thrived in. He never ever let anyone stand in the way of what he knew was his. Distance, time, or other people be damned. No one's opinion mattered but his own, and that tenacity made him that much sexier.
Her characters aren't just words on a page. No, they're people...they're YOU and ME, insecurities and all. I love the depth and the realism she gives to them. She makes them relatable, and I am pretty sure that's what makes me fall for her stories every single time. She gives a voice to a very real insecurity that resides in many of us, and it was very easy to feel the pain, the torture that comes along with it. I'm so impressed that every one of her stories is the same, only different. What? I know, crazy, right? The same as in they are epic, emotional journeys and they always have a deep, underlying message, but different because you have never read a story executed this well with this storyline. Ever. Her originality shines bright in not only her characters, but also in the way she brings to life a love that was meant to be and impossible to fight. It was sensual, it was intense, it was determined. It was necessary...
"If this bed is our battlefield, we are two white flags surrendering to the demands of the other."
There is a passage in here that perfectly describes what I look for in a man with a self-described aversion to relationships. When 'that girl' come around, your whole world shifts and it's different. Colors are brighter, sound is crisper, days are sunnier....that sort of thing. Her words, they sweep you away. They move you, with you, wrap you up in them. I wish I could explain them without sounding like I'm a mental case, but there is a reason she is a favorite of mine, and the kind of author I make room for no.matter.what. Like, she is couch discussion worthy. Once again, Kennedy has pushed boundaries and moved mountains. I love when she tackles social issues because she does it with class. She does it with ease. She does it with understanding.
This is the type of author I hold up other books to, ones I compare all others to. I love the way she emotes. I love her flow. I love the ease of conversation between her characters and the storyline continuity. That's what I like....actually, that's what I love in an author. I'm not even going to pretend that she's not one of my favorite authors, or deny that she can write any story and I'm going to love it. Sure, call me biased, but I've read every one of her books and have loved them all. It never ceases to amaze me with how well she can evoke feelings in a storyline that isn't always a favorite trope for some, but this second chance romance is my favorite kind of all.
I was antsy and fidgety as I read this one and I didn't want to finish because then I knew it would be over....and I would be left with a want, a need for more. Potentially sad. Definitely hungover. A love like this is a once in a lifetime love and being able to read it in this capacity always makes me smile. I wanted what Jared did. I worried for what Banner's heart could endure. I desire/crave/love an alpha like this that can literally bring me to the edge of my seat while reading it. Jared, he's going to be on my mind for a long time. Banner's heart will stay with me for a long time. I love how she embodied these characters and I want you to know that not only is this cover shelf-worthy, but it was completely fitting. That was Jared 100%. I will admit that I loved every single facet of this book except for that one 'condition'....yet, as it played out, I could see where it was going and why. Calculating men, I will say that much.
Her books inspire my reviews, but I can only wish I had 1/100th of her word sense. It amazes me the way she strings them together to create such beautiful and intense love stories. Her perfectly placed words are what my reviewer dreams are made of. I enjoy these kinds of gut-wrenching stories that makes me wish against proper, hope against morals....crave the forbidden. I love the emotional battle I get by trying to understand both sides of this passionate war that is being fought, and this time she made me see more than I bargained for. I love her for it. I will blindly follow her. just to get a taste of more of her words.
"There's a savagery in our kisses born of desire long denied."
~BEE
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~MEET KENNEDY RYAN~
~MEET KENNEDY RYAN~
I'm a wife, a mom, a writer, an advocate for families living with autism. That's me in a nutshell. Crack the nut, and you'll find a Southern girl gone Southern California who loves pizza and Diet Coke, and wishes she got to watch a lot more television. You can usually catch me up too late, on social media too much, or FINALLY putting a dent in my ever-growing To Be Read list!
~CONNECT WITH KENNEDY~
If i hadn’t already read it, this review would have me one-clicking today
ReplyDeleteAwww....thank you SO much, Zilpha!! <3
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