Review: Sex, love, and football with fun characters - what more could a reader ask for?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2013
I'm definitely not a sports person, especially when it comes to football. Sure, I do love a fit man in tight shorts, but I think that's not the point of the game. With that being said, I liked the fact that Skin in the Game made me really appreciate the art of football and helped me understand a little bit about why people are so passionate about it. Here we've got two characters who love this game completely, one being a quarterback and the other writing the plays, so it great being in their heads and seeing the game through their eyes. Not only was the story line that revolve around football interesting, the characters were highly entertaining and the romance was sweet and the sexy scenes were downright sexy.Angie is the odd woman out, so to speak, being a female who helps to coach a high school football team. She grew up watching football games with her father and learned the ins and out of the game from him, so she is pretty skilled at strategizing and writing out plays for her team. Being a geeky, unpopular teen, she definitely has some issues with self-esteem and falling in love, but I liked that Barbosa didn't make her out to be annoying. She had her doubts about Cade and having a relationship with him, but she was also fiercely passionate about her job and I really liked that aspect of her personality. She has to deal with a lot of crap from her co-assistant coach, who I seriously hated, and was constantly under the microscope with the parents of the school, being that she's from a small town, but I liked how she handled things and always managed to take things in stride.Cade is such a sweetheart and a really nice guy. As he's trying to get his career back after his shoulder injury, he agrees to help coach his old high school football team along with Angie. Cade was very supportive of Angie right from the start, whether she realized it or not, and he could easily see how awesome she was at coaching her team. I loved their dialogue and the way Cade basically swept her off her feet. I liked that he was never arrogant or self-centered, but really tried to understand Angie and focused on being with her. There wasn't much to his character, he basically has to choose between playing for the Vikings or the Jets, while trying to figure out where his relationship with Angie is going. I felt like this was more about Angie than anything else, which was fine and all.Skin in the Game has all the elements of a great romance novel - fun characters, witty dialogue, a plot line outside of the romance that had substance, and very juicy sexy times. I loved the awkward, funny moments and I also loved the sweet, intimate moments that this story was full of. I am definitely hoping for more books centered around this world from Jackie as there were a few secondary characters I would love to know more about. It's a very fast, fun, and light read. Another excellent Brazen title that all readers can enjoy.