Review: Lumberjacks fan
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2012
Forward Passes is the 2nd book in the Lumberjacks series by Jami Davenport.  I LOVE sports themed books for many reasons, mostly of the perverted nature, but I especially love the ones focused on football.  It's not only my favorite sport to watch, it's also my favorite one to read.Our Hero of the story, Tyler was first introduced to us in the first book because not only is he the quarterback on the Lumberjacks team, he's also the cousin to the hero in that book.  He's a bit of a smart-ass with a serious attitude but there was something about him that I connected with and even though he's an ass, I liked him, I mean, really liked him.  So much so, I pestered Ms. Davenport for months wanting to know when his book would be available.  He's one of those characters you know is has a long way to go but you want to be along for that journey because you see his potential.  Professionally, Tyler is on top of the world or at least he should be.  He's just won his second Super Bowl in two years but he's lost the love and passion for the game and life in general that he's always had.  Something tragic happens in the first book and this contributes to part of those feelings.Once Tyler meets Lavender, things start to change for him.  She was a challenge, she wasn't like any of the girls he usually dated but there was something about her that got his attention.  She's a sassy, spit-fire, tiny redhead who keeps him on his toes.  They have a mutual dislike of each other and go at each other on a regular basis, so why can't he stay away?  She has sworn off dating jocks, particularly hot football players.  She hates everything he stands for, but it's hard to resists his charms.  Their daily sparring had them sexually strung tight it was only a matter of time.  She decides to give in to their raw crackling chemistry and tries to keep it about recreational sex only.  What happens is she awakens his passion for life and he proves not all jocks are dumb and deserve a bad rep.  They are the perfect match in bed, neither one of them likes vanilla sex and they both like it fast, hard, and rough.  Lavender is one lucky girl in that Tyler's talents go way beyond the football field.Tyler and Lavender both have their issues and it's easy to fall into their story and feel everything they are feeling.  Something I've learned from Ms. Davenport is she knows how to write with emotion and steam, but she's also skilled at including humor in her stories.  The football players, the Brotherhood, and the voyeuristic kitty cat are just a few of the characters who bring out the laughs.Speaking of emotion, there are a couple of subplots in this story worth mentioning.  One is the elderly and how most people overlook them, forget about them, and hardly notice them.  They are considered the forgotten generations.  Two is parental alienation.  This is a very real and dangerous problem in many divorced families where one of the parents does everything in their power to turn the children against the other parent, either by telling them lies about the parent, such as they don't want to have anything to do with them, they don't care about them, also trying to keep said parent away from the kids even if they have joint custody of them.  It's a type of brainwashing that happens too often.  The children are often left hurt and abandoned, which is something they carry with them into adulthood.Ms. Davenport's love of the game and knowledge of the sport shines through with her fictional sports team and this is another great addition to an already favorite series of mine.  Don't worry you non-sports fans, you'll enjoy this one too because there are plenty of other topics besides the football to keep you engaged in this hot and steamy love story.  I have a special place in my heart for Tyler and he will forever be one of my top book boyfriends.  I can't get enough of him and I hope we see more of him in future books.