Review: "Love is nothing in tennis. But in life, it's everything."
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 29, 2011
4-1/2 StarsChristina St. James is ready for a normal life. She's done with her pro tennis career. She's done with her emotionally abusive relationship with a star hockey player. She's just done. Chris takes a job as a High School math teacher and tennis coach in a small town near her best friend. She clashes immediately (and with small casualties) with the head varsity football coach, Brett Wallace, at the first department meeting. Brett retired from the NFL and was subsequently divorced by his status-conscious wife. He is very wary of women who seem to only want a piece of his money and prestige...until he meets Chris who really just wants him to leave. No really. He just doesn't seem to understand that when she trips him or throws coffee in his face or brushes him off she really ISN'T trying to be coy, she doesn't want anything to do with another pro-athlete. Unfortunately for Chris, we sometimes can't dictate who we fall in love with.This story came along at just the right time. I was in the mood for a fun contemporary romance, and THE GAME OF LOVE delivered. I loved the progression of Chris' and Brett's relationship. Both have had previous relationships that soured and have learned from their mistakes. They both know what they are looking for and warning signs that it's time to pull the plug. Chris really makes Brett work to get a date with her--not in a bad way. But they both keep testing the other and pushing back. As Brett's mother says: "You two have been circling each other like cats in heat for months."I enjoyed the subtly used to showcase the changes in feelings and attitudes. It's always in the small things that show how one cares for another. They really grew to know each other.In the product description, it says "she agrees to a purely physical, no-strings-attached affair." This part worried me as I have found I haven't always been fond of stories that use this ruse: sex buddies who fall in love and are too afraid to say so. Usually, it just showcases lots of sex with no real development of a real relationship. Fortunately, when you read this story you will see that this really didn't come into play here.THE GAME OF LOVE was a great read. I found myself laughing out loud so many times, not from snarky comments or one-liners but from genuine funny moments. Other times I was anxious over outcomes. Sometimes I would do a face plant over some of Brett's rather stupid moments. But most of all, I was happy to read about their HEA.