REVIEW - For Finlay - J. Nathan

Blurb:

Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream.

Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other.

Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything.

*New Adult Sports Romance

Our Review:

This is what a sports romance should be!

For Finlay is such a wonderful sports romance. Honestly it is one of the best I have ever read. I totally have a book hangover after reading this book. Most of the time I can jump right into another book after finishing one. I had to take the rest of the day off from reading after this book! The only book I wanted to read was the next in the series, which is not even out yet! There was so much to love about this book, while I could not really find anything to dislike.

For Finlay has such a wonderful plot. While the bones of the plot are similar, the meat is what makes this story unique. Finlay is not just some smart girl on campus avoiding the star quarterback. She actually has her own little story to her and why her clock ticks the way it does. Then you have the start quarterback who has his own back story. If there was only one complaint I have, it would be that I would’ve liked to hear more about his backstory and how some certain aspects of his life played out.

The characters are written in a way that you fall in love with them. I could truly feel my heart breaking while reading this book. Finlay is such a wonderful character. She is strong even though she doesn’t even know that she is. She had a lot of developing to do in this book, which is written just perfectly in my opinion. Then we have Caden. He is his own special character. Being the star quarterback at Alabama is a tough role to write, but the author did well. Caden develops through the book as well. Not as much as Finlay, but he still have some maturing to do. I loved both of these characters as well as the minor characters. I hope to see at least 2 more books from this author in this series in order to feel like the series has been complete.

Now I always talk about the heat in a book. This book certainly has heat and it is written in a way that feels organic to the story. This book shows that chemistry between two characters is what truly makes up the heat in a relationship. I love that some of these characters steamiest scenes were not even sex scenes. I think it is important for authors to remember that while readers love to read sex scenes, they also want to feel invested in the characters. It is like the difference between cheap sex and sex with someone you love. Cheap sex you might get off, but afterwards there is nothing really there, while sex with someone you love leaves you in a glow. With this book, I can feel the glow.

This author has a wonderful writing style. I loved the dual point of views in the book. I also loved the villain. Well I loved to hate her at least. This story takes on some serious topics. It addresses grief over losing a loved one and how one misperception can taint ones view of another in a negative way. One kudos I would love to give this author is her accuracy of the football. I know the football is just kind of background stuff, but this author made it an intricate part of the story, which is important to readers like me who chose sports romance because we actually like sports. This author wrote about Alabama football in a way that was relatable and the facts in the book were actual facts and not just made up. Another realistic part of the book is the actual relationship itself. It was hard for me to condone the beginning of this relationship at first, but when I thought about it, I remembered these are just two kids still. They still need to mature so yes there were some hiccups in their relationship which made it feel even more real for the reader.

In conclusion, this is a must read book. I absolutely loved every aspect of this book. This book is not only for those who have a love of football (it really does put you right in the action) but also for those who just love a magnificently written romance novel.  I would 100% recommend this book to my friends and am not so patiently awaiting the next novel in this series!

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Heat: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Favorite quote:

“I’m glad I didn’t meet you until this year,” he said

“Why’s that?”

“I wouldn’t have been ready for you.”- Caden and Finlay, For Finlay