REVIEW: The Game of Love by Jeanette Murray

Author: Jeanette Murray

Pages: ebook

Genre: Contemporary Romance - Sports

Publisher: Carina Press

The Game of Love was kindly porvided to me by Netgalley for Carina Press

AMAZON: The Game of Love 

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Chris St. James is ready for normal. After walking away from her pro tennis career and a toxic relationship with a star hockey player, she's starting a new life as a teacher and tennis coach in a small town. Now all she needs is an average guy to share it with.

Brett Wallace is no average guy. Forced to retire from the NFL after an injury—and suddenly single after being dumped by his status-conscious wife—he's returned to his hometown to coach the varsity football team. Wary of women interested only in his celebrity, Brett finds Chris's indifference to his former career refreshing.

The last thing Chris needs is to get involved with another pro athlete, but she can't deny the sparks that fly between them. So she agrees to a purely physical, no-strings-attached affair. But the rules of the game change when she falls for him...

85,000 words

REVIEW: 3 out of 5 stars

The Game of Love  was kindly provided to me by Carina Press  via NetGalley.

The Game of Love, centers around 28 year old former pro tennis player Christina St James, and 34 year old former pro-footballer Brett 'The Wall' Wallace - both now sports coaches at Northeastern High.

Chris is beginning a new life in a small town, teaching Maths and coaching the girls tennis team whilst trying to avoid her past, her  domineering parents and emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend, star hockey player Dax.

Brett was forced to retire from the NFL after enduring too many concussions, also emotionally drained from a bitter divorce from a status conscious wife all he wants is to teach football and live a normal existence. When Chris and Brett butt heads over sports funding they are at loggerheads but are also inexplicably although reluctantly drawn to one another.

There were a number of run-ins and misunderstandings from the very start of the book, Chris’s sarcasm and treatment of Brett at times was infuriating, she pegged all men in the same way as her ex; she had some serious trust issues but seemed to take everything out on him; he at times did put his foot in his mouth but he also didn’t understand the reasoning behind her reactions.

I did eventually warm to Chris and enjoyed the relationship they began to share. To me they were very similar; they both had common goals in their coaching jobs as well as baggage caused through past relationships; as they spent more and more time together you could see their relationship and trust begin to grow. You don’t get all the details from the beginning on why Chris is the way she is but once you do you can understand why she was so hesitant to enter a relationship with another sports star.

If there was more communication rather than confrontations between the H/H, I think I would have rated this book higher. I thought Brett was wonderful but it took too long for Chris to grow on me and her hidden secrets, even that of her success and the eventual problems it caused could have been easily solved earlier on.

I loved Brett's family! Close-knit, supportive, fun and realistic. The friendship Chris and Brett also shared with their mutual best-friends Jared and Katie was also nice, they were always there when it was needed and helped to push their relationship along.

Overall, The Game of Love was a very well-written, easy to read romance with a sweet HEA and I look forward to reading more from this author.