Sacked (Gridiron, #1)

by Jen Frederick

[stacey_is_sassy]

At the core, he’s a romantic.

***4.5 Stars***

Well, I can tell you that Gridiron involves an offensive and a defensive team.

YaY!!

And the crowd goes wild!

Stacey understood ONE thing from reading Sacked.

I love a good romance and add a romantic, sexy and extremely alpha hero and I’m a puddle of goo and very happy. Knox was an AWESOME hero. This man/boy (he’s 21…still a baby in my old eyes) has ticked all my boxes and left me very impressed. Knox is determined, driven and dedicated to succeed in his chosen path. I admire a man that doesn’t let his other brain make his decisions. The biggest heart flutter moment for me though, was when he instantly decided that the beautiful, bright and busty Eliot was his perfect match. Yes, a good old case of insta-lust. I wonder if she would have run for the hills if she’d known what he was thinking the first time they met?

Elliot (poor bugger…that name, her parents were WACKO) has one person in her life that has always been there for her. Ellie’s brother Jack has been her rock, her best friend and the one person she will risk EVERYTHING for. Ellie’s story touched my heart. As a parent myself, I struggled with how her parents shoved such a huge burden on her young, twelve-year-old shoulders. Practically her whole life has been dedicated to making Jack’s life easier…without him knowing it. Imagine her horror when her first chance at happiness is at risk because of a deception that started when she was in middle school.

Knox has been solely focused on his football but when Eliot crashes into his world he realises that there is more to life than football. Yes, he’s still dedicated, but now he realises his happiness is complete with football AND Ellie in his life.

Ellie has dedicated so much of her time to Jack because of her love for him but you can tell that there is also a degree of 'begging for approval' from her parents. Every child wants to be loved and accepted but in Ellie's case it was an unattainable goal. When Knox becomes an important part of her life she realises that she needs to make some changes and one of them is facing Jack with the truth of her duplicity.

Knox and Ellie are a perfect match…eventually. We have some dramas that need to be addressed before they can find their happy ever after. I was sucked into their love story from the very first word. Knox is my kind of man. His devotion is never questionable and his love for Ellie shone through with his kind and thoughtful gestures. I loved that, because of her understanding of football and knowledge of the obligations tied to being an elite athlete, Ellie is perfect for Knox. She has her own life, understands that he can’t be with her 24/7 and accommodates his sore muscles by “taking the lead”, “controlling the play” and “riding the bronco” when needed. ;-)

I really enjoyed Sacked. I have come to realise that New Adult (genre) set in a College environment doesn’t seem to send me as bonkers. Maybe it’s the talent of the authors that makes College romance more appealing??? I kind of have a feeling it has more to do with the fact that these young peoples can mix their hi-jinx and shenanigans with dedication to education and sports/music/drama/activites. Unfortunately, when the characters lack direction and purpose the book seems to lack direction and purpose to me too. Sacked gets it right.

Sacked ticked all my boxes by making me smile, squirm, snort and smirk. This was an awesome start to my Gridiron marathon and I’m happy to say that Jockblocked is locked and loaded.



I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -