Review: Jockblocked (Girdiron #2) by Jen Frederick

Jockblocked

Author: Jen Frederick

Series: Gridiron #2

Pages: 496

Publisher: Createspace

Release date: 11^th February 2016

Synopsis (Goodreads) – College junior Lucy Washington abides by one rule—avoid risk at all costs. She’s cautious in every aspect of her life, from her health, to her mock trial team, to the boring guys she dates. When a brash, gorgeous jock walks into the campus coffeeshop and turns his flirt on, Lucy is stunned by the force of attraction. For the first time ever, she’s willing to step out of her comfort zone, but can she really trust the guy who’s determined to sweep her off her feet?

He’s always played around…

Entering his last year of college eligibility, linebacker Matthew "Matty" Iverson has the team captaincy in his sights. And it’s his for the taking, if he can convince his quarterback Ace Anderson to give up the starting position. Luckily, Matty already has an edge—the hottie he’s lusting over just happens to be Ace’s childhood best friend. Getting Lucy on his side and in his bed? Hell yeah. Matty is more than confident he can have both, but when he falls hard for Lucy, it’s time for a new game plan: convince the woman of his dreams that she’s not sleeping with the enemy.

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Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I am such a huge Jen Frederick fan so I was super excited to read the latest instalment in her Gridiron series, Jockblocked which is Lucy Washington and Matthew Iverson’s story.

Lucy is a college junior, working in the local brew house and a sociology student; she avoids risk at all costs and is extremely cautious when it comes to everything in her life from her health to dating, she has a tendency to dissect every decision that she makes. I found myself really liking Lucy; she was a sweetheart and really logical.

Matthew ‘Matty’ Iverson is in his last year of college and a line-backer, he has the team captaincy in his sights and will do anything to obtain it including getting close to Lucy who happens to be the quarterbacks best friend. Matty was charming and I enjoyed learning more about him, he has a bit of a man-whore reputation which always irks me but he was always amazing with Lucy.

I enjoyed how Jockblocked progressed, nothing was rushed and everything happened at a realistic pace, including the slow to burn romance between Lucy and Matty; they were chalk and cheese but I loved their interactions and witty banter, I also adored the way he looked out for her. Of course there was a bit of miscommunication but I felt it was dealt with well.

What let this book down for me was Ace, Lucy’s quarterback best friend and the drama that surrounded him, it seems his relationship with the coaches daughter has well and truly come back to bite him on the butt! I really liked him in Sacked but he came across as a real douche in this book, his antics created too many problems.

Other than this, I loved the book. I can’t fault Jen Frederick’s writing, her main characters are wonderful and the romance had me swooning. I am clueless when it comes to Gridiron, I have no idea about this sport but I have loved reading about the time and the effort that goes into it for these players, its pure dedication and Jen explained it all well.

Jockblocked is another great instalment in the Gridiron series; I am looking forward to reading the next book Downed which has an anticipated November release date.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT  

I grab her foot and pull it into my lap. “Let’s do a risk/reward test.”

“Let’s not.” But her foot doesn’t move.

I massage her foot beneath the sock, pressing hard against the ball and then digging into the arch. She releases a tiny moan and her head falls back in a dick-hardening sexy motion. Fuuuuck. If this is how I feel from just touching this girl’s hand and foot, what would it be like to be between her legs, to suck on her tits, to feel her pussy pulse around my dick? Light-headed and incredibly aroused, I almost fall off the chair.

I gotta focus here. If I’m ever going to get past the foot and hand, I need to convince her that the reward with me would be off-the-charts amazing.

Clearing my throat, I keep rubbing her foot. “Having your foot in my lap, that’s a risk right? But you’re enjoying the rubdown. That’s a risk worth the reward.”

“Keep rubbing and stop talking,” she orders. Her eyes are closed.

Okay, but I’m not touching some other guy’s sock, particularly the guy whose bed she’s sleeping in. I don’t know if I fully buy into her “just friends” explanation for Ace. He has her picture in his locker. She’s wearing his socks. For all that, he’s at the Gas Station dry humping a Kappa and Lucy’s home alone. I pull off the sock and toss it aside and stare at her toes.

“Your nail polish is blue.” Since when did I think toes were sexy?

She wriggles them. “Yes, on both feet. You’re very observant. Haven’t you ever seen a girl’s toes before?”

“I’m sure I have.” I just don’t remember them. I have this strange feeling I’ll remember hers, though.

I run a light caress over the anklebone, down the spine of the Achilles tendon, and around the edge of her instep.

Her breathing hitches, so quiet and so soft, I might have imagined it.

“What’re you doing?” Her words are a husky whisper and my body responds accordingly.

My balls tighten and my dick’s so hard I’m worried it’ll snap in half, but I can’t reach into my jeans to readjust or I’ll scare her away.

“We’re testing your risk assessment.” And driving myself crazy.

“You should stop.”

“I can’t.” I move my hand up her ankle to cup the slender calf. “Feel good? Worth the risk?”

“I’m not sure.”

That’s an invitation if I ever heard one.

Is it possible to come from just rubbing a girl’s leg? I might test out that theory.

“And now?” My fingers find the tender hollow behind her knee. Her pulse beats rapidly against my palm. She’s as turned on as I am and I haven’t even gotten to the good parts.

“It feels riskier,” she croaks.

Yeah, because pretty soon my hand is going to be on your thigh and I don’t know how I’m going to stop there.

Her fingers are turning white as she grips the sides of her chair. Is she holding herself back? Or keeping herself there?

Fuck, I want to kiss her so bad. I want to kiss her lips but I’d settle for her toes or her knee or‑shit, if all she’ll allow is for me to touch the tips of her fingers, I’d be okay with that. I need a taste of her. I’m dying for a taste of her.

Review: Revealed to Him by Jen Frederick

Revealed to Him

Author: Jen Frederick

Series: Kerr Chronicles

Pages: 272

Publisher/Source: Jen Frederick / Netgalley

Release date: 3^rd November 2015

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Handsome and tough Jake Tanner, a veteran and the owner of a successful security firm, never lets his past hold him back. Despite his prosthetic hand and foot, women swoon over him—and with him between the sheets. Yet Jake feels bored and restless…until he’s hired to protect a beautiful writer whose life is in terrible danger.

Self-imprisoned by the fear of the anonymous stalkers who threaten her life, video-game writer Natalie Beck now only dreams of the world outside her pink-bedecked apartment. Trusting people again is off-limits. But the more time Jake spends with her, the more his professional commitment evolves from simple duty to scorching desire. While deeply sensual sparks ignite between the two, the danger outside circles closer. Will Jake’s intense devotion be enough to save Natalie? Or will she turn away from the one man willing to do anything to save her?

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I am a huge Jen Frederick fan so when I noticed Revealed to Him on Netgalley it was an instant request. It is also the first book I have read in the Kerr Chronicles series so I am not too sure how much I have missed by not reading books 1 and 2.

Veteran Jake Tanner owns and runs a security company, he is successful and driven and despite having had his hand and foot amputated; he doesn’t let anything hold him back.

When Jake is hired to protect writer Natalie Beck who has had her life threatened he would do anything to keep her safe; Natalie doesn’t trust easily and has very few friends; she stays inside due to severe anxiety and panic attacks so letting Jake get too close isn’t on the cards despite her dreaming of a life of normalcy.

I liked both Jake and Natalie; Jake was strong and extremely protective of Natalie but at times he did come across as quite forceful which annoyed me on occasion because of the way Natalie was, I liked his openness when it came to his prosthetics; Natalie was a sweetheart and I can’t imagine what her daily struggles would be like, I felt Jen Frederick wrote her mental illness in a way that was sympathetic and believable, you could really grasp her daily struggles.

I have loved everything I have read to date by Jen Frederick, she is an amazing writer and her characters are true to life and lovable but for some reason I didn’t fall in love with love Jake and Natalie and this storyline as I have her other characters/series despite their touching stories and maybe it’s because I couldn’t connect with their situation; I’m unsure.

I would like to know more about Kaga and Jake’s sister (I can’t remember her name); their story would be great as would Oliver’s. I was able to guess the bad person early on in the story but I was surprised by their reasoning.

Jen Frederick’s writing is flawless and despite not completely loving this title, I can’t wait to read more of her books.

Thanks to Jen Frederick via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Revealed to Him.

Review: Sacked (Gridiron #1) by Jen Frederick

Sacked

Author: Jen Frederick

Series: Gridiron

Pages: 300

Publisher: Pear Tree LLC

Release date: 6^th September 2015

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

What he wants he gets... 

Knox Masters is a quarterback's worst nightmare. Warrior. Champion. And...virgin. Knox knows what he wants--and he gets it. All American Football player? Check. NFL pros scouting him? Check. Now, he's set his sight on two things. The national title. And Ellie Campbell. Sure, she's the sister of his fellow teammate, but that's not going to stop him. Especially not when he’s convinced Ellie is the one. 

...but he's never met her before. 

But Ellie isn't as sure. She's trying to start a new life and she's not interested in a relationship...with anyone. Beside it's not just her cardinal rule of never dating her brother's teammates that keeps her away, but Ellie has a dark secret that would jeopardize everything Knox is pursuing. 

Knox has no intention of losing. Ellie has no intention of giving in.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

This one ticked all the boxes for me, amazing characters, a sweet romance, beautifully written and an engaging storyline, I even learnt a thing or two about a sport I had no idea about.

I was sooo eager to read this book since Jen Frederick released the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to meet Ellie and Knox and they certainly made quite the impression, I loved every moment that they were together and my only small gripe was the ending which I can’t comment on to avoid spoilers.

Knox Masters is a football player, top of his game and looking for the national title; when he meets Ellie Campbell he knows what he wants and he pursues her despite her being his teammates sister.

Ellie is adamant she won’t repeat a mistake that she made in high school by dating another football player but Knox was relentless, it was a little insta-love but thankfully it didn’t bother me. Ellie also has a lot of pressure on her and is keeping a very big secret. I really felt for the predicament she was in and I was quite surprised by how it all unfolded; I despised her mother for this. Ellie would make a great best friend; she was a sweetheart, confident and sassy.

All of the characters were well developed, Knox was confident and determined without being arrogant; he was the perfect package as were his teammates, I’d love to see Ellie’s brother Jack have his own book; I adored the relationship these siblings shared.

As with all of Jen Fredericks books, she writes the most amazing romances, they don’t come without drama but they are still pretty perfect and Knox and Ellie were no exception; I adored their interactions, the banter and their intense chemistry certainly made things entertaining. I couldn’t get enough of them. Knox was also a virgin, the tables were turned in this NA but he certainly wasn’t without experience, we got some pretty steamy smexy steams – perfectly written.

I enjoyed learning a little more about football, I am hopeless when it comes to sports but I was absorbed in the games, the friendship between the players and of course the politics. I also enjoyed Knox’s relationship with his identical twin and his parents; very different to what Ellie was going through with hers.

Jen Frederick is a fabulous writer, I have loved all of her books immensely; Sacked is a fantastic addition to the new adult genre, I can’t wait to see who’s up next in the Gridiron series. 

Guest post - Jen Fredericks (Woodlands Series)

Jen Frederick

I am so pleased to be able to welcome Jen Frederick to the blog today; Jen is the author of the amazing Woodlands series which is one of my fave New Adult series.

Today, Jen is sharing with us her Woodlands journey.

Books in order: (can be read as standalone)

Undeclared (2013) - Amazon

For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

Unspoken (2013) - Amazon

Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary. 

I've been called all these at Central College. One drunken night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab partner is so irresistible to me?

He's everything I shouldn't want. A former Marine involved in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the women. His fists aren't the danger to me, though, it's his charm. He's sliding his way into my heart and I'm afraid that he's going to be the one to break me.

Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot tempered. 

I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I'll begin to remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I've got fighting and I've got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her. 

She's everything I didn't realize I wanted and the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she's been hurt too much in the past and I don't want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away, but I just can't.

Unraveled (2014) - Amazon

Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.

Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?

Unrequited (January 2015)

I fell in love with New Adult sometime in the summer of 2012. I didn't even know it wasn't until I was missing in my life until I began reading about young college students falling in love and I find their place in the world. As I was reading the stories I realized I had of my own to tell.

The time in your life following graduation from high school is a shocking period. You are expected to know everything but know nothing. You are expected to be responsible for managing loans, rent checks, utility bills, nights out with your friends with very little prior experience. You are expected to make lifelong decisions about your future in the space of less time than it takes bake a cake for that magical 18th birthday.

Is it no wonder that it is a period of time in which individuals are fraught with anxiety and high emotion? I think not.

I remember the lazy days of college very well where I was convinced that I belonged with no one and fit in no place. Yet it was during those years of searching both outside myself and inside, that I learned who I wanted to be even if it took years after to become that person.

When I sat down to tell the story of the five young men who live in the posh development called The Woodlands, I wanted to capture that time in all of our lives where we are both uncertain but tremendously brave; where we are both longing for love but afraid of it too; where we are open minded to change and open hearted to others; where we form lifelong passions and goals that shape our futures forever. 

In fiction, we authors are allowed to create our own stories. Individuals magically learned their life lessons and perform that magical act of growing up within the space of 90,000 words or less. They are transformed by the people that they encounter and the experiences they endure.

While their life is microwaved, or heated up in a short amount of time as opposed to the crockpot slow cooking of our real lives, there is something both tragic and hopeful about reading the loves and lives of these newly minted adults.

About Jen Frederick:

Website : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads

Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog.  She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jen@jenfrederick.com.

Buy links: AMZN : BN : Kobo : Apple : Smashwords