There was something about that first score,
and not just on the football field.
The First Score
— an all-new steamy and emotional new adult romance —
by Amie Knight
Published: May 28, 2020
I loved all of life's firsts, which was why I’d been saving mine for one girl,
my older sister’s best friend — Hazel Jones.
She was tough and sarcastic with walls around her heart as tall as a football stadium,
but I knew she was the one for me.
Desperate times called for desperate measures
and I’d have done anything to make her mine.
Like create a fake online persona.
Lie about my age.
Pretend I wasn’t some naive virgin.
And catfish the hell out of the love of my life.
~ BOOK REVIEW for The First Score ~
****(4) out of 5 Stars
Let me start by saying that Ollie is my new book boyfriend! LOL! Just don't tell my husband! Honestly, my hubby is amazingly patient with and nice to me, but Oliver really takes the cake. He is so sweet to Hazel in every instance that we see them interacting, even when she doesn't necessarily deserve it. And he is always there for her, always comes to her rescue. I can't believe it takes her so long to see the light.
Of course, she does have her reasons, and they are valid ones... but still! Hazel endured a very tough childhood, the extent of which we don't know about until well into the book. It is only thru small glimpses at a time into the past that we learn about them at all. Even Ollie doesn't know the whole of it. Yet the way that she continually threw up barriers to their relationship and tried to shut him out really irked me. Especially when she was doing the whole hot/cold thing for awhile there. There was a lot of unnecessary angst and drama that could have been entirely avoided had she even half tried to handle things like an adult.
I did really appreciate that there was no cheating in this story! In fact, other than brief hints of other possible people of interest for each of them, there are no other men or other women involved at all. Which I think is great. Too many of this type of story lead to one or the other of the couple turning to someone else in times of turmoil. I really hate cheating, even if it's just on the idea of a relationship rather than an actual one. LOL!
Of course, there were other characters in the story! Most specifically, Ollie's sister and Hazel's best friend Scarlet. It felt like we really got a bum wrap on her story here. She was flirting with a guy that she liked... and the next thing we know she's engaged to and pregnant by him. That seemed to come about very quickly! After some searching around in the author's catalog, however, although they are not grouped in a series, I did find a companion book, The Red Zone, that apparently tells the love story of Lukas and Scarlet. Which made me feel a lot better about that situation. (And now I'll have to read that book as well! LOL!)
Some of the writing devices that the author employed annoyed me. For example, the flashbacks to the past actually flowed well and slowly revealed key parts of the story. But use of the same technique in the present timeframe, such as for the night before, just seemed awkward and out of place. In that same vein, Ollie's narration of the past seemed intended to be from his point-of-view at those times, but at one point he was speaking as a five-year-old boy with the voice of a twenty-three-year-old man. It was just a little odd and off-putting to me.
Overall though, I did really enjoy this book! I loved most of the different revelations that were made by various characters throughout the book. As well as how shocked the recipients were to learn of them. Those parts were a lot of fun.
Also, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. And this tale definitely has a very good one! Just not before some long, hard-fought battles to get there!
I received a free eBook copy of this title from Social Butterfly PR,
and have willingly provided an honest review.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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Excerpt:
“Thanks so much for taking her home, Hazel.” Ollie nudged me to get my attention and I turned to look at him, not having much choice in the matter now. I couldn’t be rude. It was a mistake. The green of his eyes was deeper today, less brown. I knew it was the jersey. It was always that way. A bead of sweat slid down the side of his face and he ran a hand through his hair like he always did. I knew it was a habit of his, just like I knew so many other things about him.
“You owe me.” I tried lightening the mood like I had with Scarlett. I nudged his shoulder but only came into contact with a pad.
Dragging his bottom lip into his mouth, he raked his teeth over the fullness and his eyes heated. He leaned his face close to mine. “You name it and it’s yours, brat.”
My face flamed and my mouth watered. Lord, he was a terrible flirt and by terrible I meant amazing. I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and stepped back.
“Cut it out, Olls. Quit giving her a hard time. She came all this way so your ass would have a way home tonight.” Scarlett attempted to save me.
He eyed me. “Oh, I haven’t even started giving her a hard time yet,” he said before walking backward down the stadium steps, hot eyes still on me. I was thanking whatever gods were listening that he was walking backward. Please, God. Spare me that ass. I couldn’t handle it after his damn lip trick.
“You’re shameless, Oliver Knox,” Scarlett called down to him.
She wasn’t wrong. Oliver flirted with all the women. I never could tell if he had a preference for a certain kind of girl. If it walked and had tits and a vagina, he flirted.
“Bye, ladies,” Oliver said loudly and jangled Scarlett’s keys over his head before doing the most awful thing in the world to me—he spun around and gave me his ass. And God, was it a marvelous ass. Immediately my eyes ate it up. Was there anything better than a hot ass in some football pants? It was round and firm and high and I bet I could have bounced fifty quarters off of it. But I didn’t have any change. Damn. That was just my luck.
I was being mesmerized by the twin all white globes when they stopped just barely and my eyes diverted up to see Oliver looking over his shoulder and smiling. Damn him. He gave me a slow wink before continuing down the steps at a trot.
The tease. The bastard. He knew how good-looking he was. It didn’t matter a bit that he was my best friend’s brother or that he was a year and a half younger than me. Oliver Winston Knox was fine on a regular day, but in a football uniform he was the stuff dreams were made of. My dreams to be exact.
“You owe me.” I tried lightening the mood like I had with Scarlett. I nudged his shoulder but only came into contact with a pad.
Dragging his bottom lip into his mouth, he raked his teeth over the fullness and his eyes heated. He leaned his face close to mine. “You name it and it’s yours, brat.”
My face flamed and my mouth watered. Lord, he was a terrible flirt and by terrible I meant amazing. I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and stepped back.
“Cut it out, Olls. Quit giving her a hard time. She came all this way so your ass would have a way home tonight.” Scarlett attempted to save me.
He eyed me. “Oh, I haven’t even started giving her a hard time yet,” he said before walking backward down the stadium steps, hot eyes still on me. I was thanking whatever gods were listening that he was walking backward. Please, God. Spare me that ass. I couldn’t handle it after his damn lip trick.
“You’re shameless, Oliver Knox,” Scarlett called down to him.
She wasn’t wrong. Oliver flirted with all the women. I never could tell if he had a preference for a certain kind of girl. If it walked and had tits and a vagina, he flirted.
“Bye, ladies,” Oliver said loudly and jangled Scarlett’s keys over his head before doing the most awful thing in the world to me—he spun around and gave me his ass. And God, was it a marvelous ass. Immediately my eyes ate it up. Was there anything better than a hot ass in some football pants? It was round and firm and high and I bet I could have bounced fifty quarters off of it. But I didn’t have any change. Damn. That was just my luck.
I was being mesmerized by the twin all white globes when they stopped just barely and my eyes diverted up to see Oliver looking over his shoulder and smiling. Damn him. He gave me a slow wink before continuing down the steps at a trot.
The tease. The bastard. He knew how good-looking he was. It didn’t matter a bit that he was my best friend’s brother or that he was a year and a half younger than me. Oliver Winston Knox was fine on a regular day, but in a football uniform he was the stuff dreams were made of. My dreams to be exact.
About the Author
Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma's books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn't reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to '90s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can't imagine living anywhere other than the South.
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