Fair Catch by Kandi Steiner is the first book I am reading for the author. As a lover of sports and college romance, I couldn't resist this little gem. I am glad I took the chance. In Fair Catch, book one in The Red Zone Rivals, Steiner delivered a beautiful and heartfelt romance.
The story began by making the reader aware of a motor vehicle accident that robbed the Riley’s twin brother of fulfilling his dream of playing football. She blames his best friend Zeke for stealing her brother’s dream and has hated him since. Being the supportive twin, she vowed to her brother to take his place and work on making the team. A task which she accomplished to the delight of her brother and his best friend. Being a part of the team was a challenge because of the unwelcoming spirit swirling in the midst. Nevertheless, she is determined to prove she earned her spot on the team fair and square and that she deserves to be there. Then she learns she would be roommates with Zeke, her brother’s best friend, the friend she hated and blamed for her brother’s broken dreams.Zeke’s love of football is the one thing keeping him sane. He struggles academically because of a learning disability. As a result, he believes football was his only saving grace. He stills carry around the guilt for what happened to his best friend. To make the situation more complicated, he was in love with the woman who blamed him for the incident.
The heroine, being the lone female on a college football team, influenced my decision to pick up Fair Catch. I enjoy stories where females can hold their own in a male dominated sport, and I wanted to see how well the author would handle it. Now I know nothing about football. (Where I am from soccer is our thing). However, after reading Fair Catch, I am itching to learn more about the sport.
It was an absolute delight getting to know the hero, Zeke. He exuded confidence, but hidden beneath that confidence was a level of vulnerability, which makes you want to reach out and hug him. I felt for him, especially with how Riley treated him. Through all the animosity she throws his way, he remained her number one supporter. I admired Riley’s abilities as a ballplayer, her loyalty to her twin and her determination to succeed. However, in relation to Zeke, I wasn’t her number one fan. That girl had a chip on her shoulder that was higher than Mount Everest. The amount of hatred she carried around made her toxic. Funny enough, the person who was affected the most didn’t Harbor any ill- feelings, but she refused to let it go.I enjoyed how the romance developed. However, given Riley’s disposition, I expected the other shoe to drop, and it certainly fell. Using his past mistakes to hurt him was a below the belt move. It’s true when they say there is a thin line between love and hate. In Zeke and Riley’s case, it was very thin indeed and, thankfully, love prevailed.Overall, Fair Catch held me captive, and it delivered as expected. Fans of sports romance featuring enemies to lovers, close proximity and brother’s best friend trope will find Fair Catch entertaining.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading