Making the Play by T.J. Kline (Hidden Falls #1)
Contemporary Romance
September 27, 2016
Avon Impulse
Reviewed by Helyce
Goodreads blurb: T.J. Kline launches a brand new series with the charming story of a NFL player who finds love when he least expects it…
Grant McQuaid has dedicated his entire life to his football career. Now an injury threatens his place on the team and he’s forced to return home to rehabilitate. But when he meets his “biggest fan,” a precocious, blue-eyed, hearing impaired boy named James—and his beautiful mother, Bethany—Grant begins to question whether football is the future he still wants.
Bethany Mills has been doing just fine since her husband walked out on them… and she definitely doesn’t need another man to disappoint her—or her son. But when James runs into his hero at the park, Bethany admits there is a void in her son’s life that she just can’t fill. Her attraction to the handsome football star is undeniable, but a man in the limelight is the last thing she wants for herself, or James.
Grant doesn’t want to subject Bethany to the chaos of dating a professional athlete. But the more time he spends with her and James, the harder it is to resist making a play for her heart…
Kline is a new to me author and I’m so glad I tried this book. The blurb had my interest because our heroine has a child and I think it’s challenging for an author to write a believable romance when there are children involved.
I liked Bethany. She has a strength about her that can only be earned when you’ve had to deal with difficult things. Her husband left her when James was an infant, newly diagnosed as hearing impaired. She was forced to move back in with her parents; but their support allowed her to finish college. Once she could provide for herself and her son, she moved away from everything safe and comfortable to strike on her own. She moves to Hidden Falls and is working as a teacher. Her focus is her son James, and she’s okay with that, until she meets Grant McQuaid.
I really liked Grant’s character too. A football player through and through, Grant is just taking life one day at a time. The injury to his neck is healing and he’s determined to get back to where he was before his injury and back to his team. His life is football. He doesn’t want to do anything else. He’s worried that it all might be over, though, and he doesn’t know what he’ll do without football.
I love how Grant meets James and his mom. They nearly collide in the park while Grant is working out with his brother. James recognizes him immediately and of course is starstruck from the get go. Grant is really good with James, kneeling down and getting to his level to talk to him. He even knows a little sign language from his volunteer work. Grant certainly notices Bethany, but initially, his focus is on James. I think this was an important point and I liked how the author included James in every scene with Grant and Bethany.
Bethany is very leery when it comes to Grant wanting to spend time with James. I get that. She wants to protect her son. But it’s so obvious to the reader that she has it bad for Grant. Basically ignored for 6 years, her inner sex kitten makes herself known in a big way after meeting Grant. But Bethany continues to push her down. Eventually she gives in, but still struggles with her decisions.
There is an insta-love quality to Grant and Bethany’s romance, but I didn’t mind. Grant’s situation with his team and his injury made everything about time, so things would tend to move at a fast pace. The conflicts introduced were more annoying than anything, but there has to be conflict, right? While a little bit predictable, I did like that this part of the story was not drawn out. Grant deals with a difficult decision, but in the end realizes it’s what he wanted all along.
Secondary characters in the form of Grant’s many brothers and sister round out an interesting bunch. I look forward to getting to know them. This was the type of story that hits all my happy buttons–small town, big family, community spirit. I can’t wait to see who is up next.
Grade: B
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