I've read many sports-related romance books this year, and this is one of them that has stuck with me, and I can still remember almost everything that happened in it. I loved it was a small-town romance and that the main characters were actually older. I loved seeing Millie try her freaking hardest to avoid Ford and his daughter, but Joey had other plans. I loved seeing their relationship build because she treated her as her own daughter from the very beginning, and I loved the relationship they ended up having because Sienna wasn't the most motherly towards her. I loved actually getting some baby momma drama because I feel like in so many single-parent books I've read, the other parent's dead, so we don't get that drama element. I loved how this one was written; it had so many layers. I really want to read more by Perry.

Wow I loved this book so much! I’m not a huge football fan and I don’t always love the single dad trope so I wasn’t sure going in but I saw it getting so much love and it was on KU so I gave it a shot and I’m so glad I did! 

I looooved Ford and Millie! You could feel their connection instantly and I was rooting for the, from page 1. I loved watching Ford fight for Millie, and I thought his relationship with his daughter was cute and real. Joey can paint my nails any day! 

The pace of the book wasn’t dragged out and the plot kept me invested despite note liking football! The one thing I’d change about this book is I don’t like people saying “love you” instead of “I love you” when it’s a romance but that’s me being a bit picky.

Overall a wonderful sports romance set in college but not as students!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌶️🌶️.5/5

🏈 First person dual POV

🏈 Second chance romance; college best friends reunite 10 years later

🏈 Workplace romance / forced proximity / forbidden

🏈 College Athletic Director / College football coach 

🏈 He falls HARD

🏈 Single dad

🏈 Well established secondary characters; Autumn, Joey, Toren (Book 2)

🏈 MC Growth; toxic past relationship, self worth, risking a relationship, trust, job priorities, past grief.

🏈 Epilogue

🚩 FYI: FMC’s verbally aggressive ex partner believes he is owed a relationship with her & won’t take no for an answer. This character disappears without explicit repercussions for their actions. 

Available on Kindle Unlimited

⚠️ Toxic relationship (past), infidelity (past relationship, not MC), pregnancy (past), grief, death of a parent (past), sexism/misogyny (ex partner).

Despite being sports romance girlie this book fell flat for me. I just couldn’t find myself getting invested in Ford and Millie’s relationship or the story. About halfway through I contemplated DNFing because I was so indifferent. I don’t regret reading the whole book because it’s not a bad romance, it just didn’t have me swooning along with the characters. Based on the synopsis I thought it would’ve been more dramatic and emotional. I think this book would’ve benefitted from discussing the characters past more to help build up that connection. It lacked the depth I prefer in second chance romances. That being said this book is a solid football romance. 

After 10 years away, Ford returns to Montana, after a messy divorce, with his 9 year old daughter to coach the Wildcats football team. When he arrives he is surprised to find out that Millie, his best friends from university and the woman he was secretly in love with, also works for the team. The haven't seen each other or spoken to one another in 10 years after Ford made a decision that broke both of their hearts. 

I'm conflicted with this one. This is was not my favorite Devney Perry book. It was a cute read, but I also have some major issues with the characters. 

Mille has worked so hard to get where she is in her career, her job was everything to her. Overall, I felt like Millie was pretty spineless. She never stood up for herself and was even willing to leave her job instead of fighting for herself. When she is worried or scared, she retreats, she doesn't even talk to Ford about her concerns, she just runs away. 

The there is Ford. Ford was a dick in university. What he did to Millie was unforgivable. He was her best friend and instead of communicating with her, he ghosted her. I feel bad for him and the difficult situation he was in, but he was incredibly immature and treated Millie with so much disrespect.  Fast forward to the present, Millie expressed her boundaries, in fact she told him no repeatedly, but he continued to persue her. Boundaries need to be respected. 

Communication is definitely something both of these characters are lacking. 

I found that Millie and Ford's relationship was very surface level. Much of the book focused on their physical attraction and not enough was developed outside of that. I wish we had seen more of their emotional connection.

I did like the relationship between Millie and Joey. I also loved that Ford put Joey first no matter what. Yes, she was a bit of a brat, but she was also a 9 year old with a neglectful mother. All things considered, she was doing pretty well. 

Tropes: small town, sports romance, single parent, second chance, friends to lovers