New Release & Review: Downed by Jen Frederick

DOWNED
Series: Gridiron #3
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Jen Frederick
Release Date: December 1, 2016

He’s the guy no one likes…

Despite winning two national championships, JR “Ace” Anderson was sent packing from his old school after losing the trust of his coach. At Southern U, he has a second chance to prove that his college legacy isn’t endless debauchery and selfishness. But his reputation precedes him, and his teammates offer a chilly welcome in the locker room. The one person who is willing to accept him is the very woman he should stay away from—his new coach’s daughter.

She’s the girl everyone loves…

Bryant Johnson’s only goal in life is to make others happy, even at her own expense. One look at her father’s new star quarterback, and she knows that Ace is her next project. With a reputation for being a “jerk whisperer”, Bryant has spent her last three years at college reforming sorry behavior and turning bad boys into the best boyfriends ever. In Ace, though, she’s met with surly resistance and a sizzling attraction she doesn’t expect. Fixing this wounded warrior will be her biggest challenge yet. Not falling for him will be even harder.

Between her big heart and his damaged one, a battle is ensuing. In this game of love, every defense will crumble.

AMAZON 

He likes to take control—on and off the field. He plays hard, loves hard. I should’ve been prepared for him, but I wasn’t.

Well spank my butt and call me Larry, I did NOT expect to like this as much as I did. Now, now, don’t go getting all hissy on me, let me ‘splain. See, the thing is, for as much as I loved Ace in Sacked and was salivating for his story, I was torn between wanting to sack him in the nuts and whacking him with a blunt object until he sees reason in Jockblocked. He single-handedly ruined the book for me. The man was a damn drama queen is what I’m telling you here. I didn’t think anything was going to redeem him after that mess in my eyes, but I was definitely willing to give it a go. Turns out, all Ace needed was a sugary sweet souther girl, who’s as pushy as she is nice.

I chalk it up to unfinished business. She’s an itch I need to scratch. I get in bed with her, screw her, repeat my no-relationships speech, and then we’re done. Over. Finito.

Ace lost everything after his ego and actions led him to almost see his budding football career go up in flames. Now he’s at a new school, hoping for a fresh page and a new start. But some things are hard to escape and it’s not long before he finds himself in a similar predicament, but with a different girl.

There are two things I’m good at: sex and football, and right now I need to concentrate on the latter.

Everyone loves Bryant Johnson, and it’s not hard to see why. She’s sweet as sugar, never cusses, ready to help anyone at the drop of hat, is a phenomenal cook and an even better friend, and the football coach’s daughter. But it’s not all shiny perfection that it seems. Bryant’s actions are all centered around a very painful loss. Everything she does now is all in an exercise to fix the future, so her loss isn’t experienced by some other woman. But nothing quite prepared her for the full impact of JR “Ace” Anderson

You going to come for me when I tell you to? You going to be there with me—really be there, when I’m fucking you so hard and so deep that you won’t be able to walk the next day?” A strangled noise escapes her mouth. “Y-yes.”

So confession time; I don’t usually like the sugary sweet heroines. But something about Bryant just grabbed me. Perhaps it was because there was always that little crack to the shiny foundation that everyone sees on the outside that humanized her. She was almost too perfect at times, but it also worked for her. She was the perfect balm that Ace’s ragged edges needed.

I hadn’t come looking for it, that’s for damn sure. But I don’t regret it. All of the acts of my past—both good and bad—led me to her.

Did Ace redeem himself in this book? More than. THIS is the man that I was hoping was under all that false ego and bluster. You really got to see the heart of him here, and suddenly all of his past actions begin to make sense.

Downed was a delicious combination of sweet and spicy, sexy and romantic. It was one of those perfect college sport romances that made me remember why I enjoy NA in the first place. It had just the right amount of angst and just the right amount of steam to keep me reading well into the night. Dare I say, it was my favorite in the series

Football is a game, but Bryant’s my future. And I’ll keep fighting for her for as long as it takes. Good thing I know how to win.

THE GRIDIRON SERIES

SACKED: BUY | READ MY REVIEW

JOCKBLOCKED: BUY | READ MY REVIEW