Bret left Arizona, wanting to leave the fear she was carrying with her behind. She is the new roommate of three of her brother’s teammates and wants a new, fresh start. Crew Riggsby is one of those roommates and also met Bret briefly, forming an online friendship. The last thing he expected was to see Bret again, alone as a roommate. Bret’s brother has warned the entire team off dating his sister, but Crew finds himself drawn to her. They cannot deny their chemistry and are soon sneaking kisses everywhere. Bret is finally starting to feel safe, but her past and what she was running from catch up to her. All is revealed and no one will be left unscathed. 

 

I felt for Bret. She has been through a lot and was struggling with her mental health so much. I appreciated the panic attack/anxiety representation though, feeling they accurately depicted experiencing this type of anxiety. Bret wanted to move on from the past but grew to trust some people to help her through the struggles she had. I loved how much Crew was all in for Bret from the start. He fell fast and hard and spent some much time having Bret in any way she would let him. I liked that she was able to confide in Crew and he helped her through moments of panic. Crew is a fierce protector who loves his family and friends. He would do anything to help them, and proved this time and again with Bret and his other friends. 

 

Overall, I felt that the story was written well and kept me interested and turning the pages. I loved the found family in this book. Many characters have connected throughout college and are there, offering support and love to one another. I especially liked the relationship with Bret and her three roommates. This was book 3 in an interconnected standalone series, but it was easily read without the previous books. Buxton’s writing is so good I will return to read the other books in this series. Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

read if you like: teammates sister/coach’s daughter, roommate, forced proximity, forbidden romance, secret relationship, found family, college football