Review: Really loved their relationship--no insta-love
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
First things first, tell me you do not want to lick that cover. Okay, now tell me like you mean it. Mmm-Hmm. Thought so.Spencer Bailey is as delicious a character as that cover portrays. For. Real.Spencer never takes lovers when he's in season--he got burned bad by a groupie-turned-complainant when he was 19, and he's still a bit shell-shocked. A man doesn't "get over" an accusation of statutory rape all that easily.While on his season break, Spencer's looking for a discreet partner--preferably a woman who doesn't know him as an athlete. His plans get derailed when his grandfather, and only living relative, suffers a heart attack during a walk. Thankfully, a beautiful (single) woman--Caitlyn--happened by and began CPR. Caitlyn's used to rescue work; she works for an international aide organization and makes a living teaching women how to build proper latrines in refugee camps.Both Spencer and his grandfather are smitten with Caitlyn. And, Spencer loves that she's neither local, nor a rugby fan. This American is a refreshing breath, except for her little quirks--like biting him the first time he kisses her. Oh, and head butting him the second.It seems Caitlyn's not such a suave would-be lover. She's got her reasons; mainly an unpunched V-card. Usually I get frustrated when I read a story about a late-20's gal with no sexual experience, but Caitlyn's backstory is so good I actually cheer it on. Especially seeing how this changes Spencer--for the better. Who says a 30ish prime athlete can't be celibate?Uh, nobody V! This is a romance!Fear not, friends. We got a scorcher of a romance, here. It simply takes a bit more time to fully develop. And, when it does the developments are extreme. In a very god, and very bad way. Caitlyn tries to protect her heart from the devastating Englishman, but becoming a part of his world means embracing a part of her history she's tried hard to forget: violence.See, Caitlyn wasn't always a bystander to domestic abuse. And there's a five fingered reason why Big 'Ol Spencer gives her the shakes for the first part of the book. I absolutely adored Spencer's compassion, and his restraint. Still, seeing the brutality of rugby sends Caitlyn to the loo--and it's not the only major discovery she makes at the rugby stadium. There's something so completely endearing in this fledgling relationship. Spencer's ready to this to a whole new level--and gets the perfect excuse to do so, only to have his own past blow up in his face.Ugh. I just wanted to cry when they left the registrar's office without that marriage license!Good thing? Caitlyn comes to terms with the horror of her past, and it's the breakthrough she needed. We get a super satisfying HEA...I loved the Brit lingo. I loved the slowly developed romance. I cringed in agony with Spencer each time Caitlyn pulled back, or left. And, I cherished the stand-up guy he was throughout. In real life there's a sex scandal a week with athletes; while most are well-deserved, it true that some are not. I enjoyed the perspective of a falsely-accused man dealing with the aftermath YEARS after his accuser recanted. Plus, the circumspect way Spencer lived his life following that incident really showed his determination to be a better man--definitely a trait to admire.Caitlyn was a real treat for a late-20's ingenue. A complete character with real issues, and she dealt with them heroically. Loved her.