Review: Adorably heartwarming
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2013
As a girl who also loves sports, including football (American), the concept of this book was rather interesting to me. SO many people associate sports with men that they often fail to realize that there are woman who not only like them, but love them.Now, I will be the first one to admit that I know absolutely nothing about soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it "Football," but I enjoyed having it as the backdrop of the story.Famous, high profile, sexy soccer player and a woman who is determined to make it in a man's world of sports reporting. A book that shows the downside of fame, the upside of hard work and the loneliness of both. Assumptions are made, secrets are kept and lines are crossed, all while a journey into the unknown is embarked on by two people who really should be staying away from each other.Attraction is evident, feelings are growing and love is inevitable. The key to making this work is to tread carefully, keep winning games and ensure that nothing is leaked out for the world to see. Not an easy task, especially when two people are keeping secrets, sneaking around and on the receiving end of threats.I admired Nicky's resilience and her ethics. While she was more inclined to be able to get the inside scoop in the ins and outs of the team and specific players, she never once used Lewis' affections to her advantage and always kept it professional and honest. Have to admire a person who is not willing to compromise who she is as a person to gain leverage in a profession where her fellow reporters are against her and use inside and first hand knowledge to play dirty. While some would do that, she was always on the high road.I also had a soft spot for Lewis. His personality was quiet, brooding and surly, but you knew that there was much more to him than that. His concern for Nicky before and even after they hooked up was touching, especially when he spoke of making sure she was okay with how he was and how he treated her. It was like he was waiting for her to be turned off by him and he seemed legitimately concerned about her changing her mind about him.Watching them explore each others likes and dislikes was fun for me. Perhaps it was the exotic nature of the backdrop of all those foreign lands, or maybe it was the lack of familiarity of the UK foundation...or it could have been the fact that I was actually getting excited to see if they continued to win the games and make it to the finals. After all, there truly was a lot on the line. It all added up to a pretty sweet read for me.I am not sure if this is part of a series or a standalone, but if there is more to come, I just might find myself learning more about soccer.