Review: Fantastic Romance Debut!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
I'm not sure what it is lately, but I seem to be picking some pretty damn awesome books to request from NetGalley, especially since the books I've been having the best luck with are shorter than 200 pages and that typically doesn't fit well with me.The Striker's Chance is author Rebecca Crowley's romantic debut and I have to say she made sure it was a fantastic one in my opinion. I haven't always had the best of luck with the sports romance sub-genre but this is the epitome of how they should be written in my opinion.The book centers around South African born soccer player Kepler and his PR manager Holly. First off I liked both characters right off the bat. Usually I either really like the heroine or the hero from the get go so it's rare for me to like both main characters from the start, but Kepler and Holly were just so likable.Kepler, is feeling out of place, old, useless and is trying to get back into shape and the swing of things when tiny Holly comes into his life and changes everything. They were one of those couples that just fit together so well I could envision them as a real couple, their chemistry was apparent right from the get go but it so wasn't a case of insta-love with these two. Their relationship was slow to build which I found surprising but the fact that the author was able to write a story spanning several weeks/months in such a short story was excellent and I wish I saw more authors take their time writing romances this way. Kepler was so sweet and a little brooding but it fit with him and his circumstances, he was smart too and he wasn't domineering and all alpha male which I loved seeing. Holly was funny, a little nave, had some trust and control issues but those are some of the things I really liked about her because she was so normal.I also really enjoyed the character's dialogue, both of them were funny and I loved how accurately the author was able to depict the awkwardness of certain situations that arose in the book, it seemed like a real love story that happened to two real people. Both had great personalities and I liked how they fit together as a whole. While the book was sweet at times when it counted things did get heated and I liked the way the author handled those situations.Overall, I thought The Striker's Chance was funny, witty, realistic, charming and had a great pace and a really good storyline where soccer was actually a main element in the book and not something that is only mentioned once throughout. It had me smiling the whole time I read it and I'm really looking forward to reading more by Rebecca Crowley.I would recommend this one to fans of contemporary romances with a sports theme and those who are looking for a shorter but well written story with two great characters with perfect chemistry.*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.