INTERCEPTED
Series: Playbook #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alexa Martin
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own…
Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.
Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team’s wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee’s return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.
Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin’s relationship to survive the season.
Intercepted was an enjoyable sexy romp from start to finish! One of the most enjoyable aspect about this book was the author’s voice. This is Alexa Martin’s first book, and I can’t wait to read more from her because I absolutely enjoyed her voice in this book. It’s snarky but it also has a lot of heart.
When we first met Marlee in the book, her identity is pretty much tied to her status as the girlfriend to an NFL player. She has some dreams of her own, but she had to put them to the side in order to accommodate her boyfriend’s whims and desires. It wasn’t until she broke up with Chris after finding out he’s been cheating on her, that we finally get to see Marlee live her life according to her own rules. Her breakup with Chris also opened up the possibility of a romance with the new team quarterback, Gavin Pope.
Gavin Pope was a revelation! I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing and perfect this character is for Marlee. Sports romances tend to have playboy heroes until the heroine with his lifestyle being part of the conflict. But Gavin was not like that at all, which was refreshing. He is not without flaws but it was fantastic to read about a hero that’s actually a good and solid guy.
But the star in this book was Marlee. I think readers will love being in Marlee’s head. Her snarky commentary about her life was refreshing. Alexa Martin’s stylistic choice of having Marlee mentally hashtagging significant moments in the book worked really well. It’s fun and it’s so Marlee. However, I feel like this choice would date the book. And as much as it feel fresh and new now, I don’t think it will age well. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
This book feels like an inside track into the lives of the women behind the scenes. I’m not a huge fan of reality television that follows the same broad ideas as this book, but it worked for me here. Maybe because the scope is smaller, and Marlee is such a sympathetic character that you immediately root for her. My only complaint about this one was the antagonists. They weren’t very developed or interesting for that matter.
Despite those issues, this was such a joy to read, one that I would highly recommend for readers who love sports romance.
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