Book Review: "Intercepted" by Alexa Martin
“Intercepted” by Alexa Martin
Synopsis: Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There's just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.
Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team's wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee's return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.
Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin's relationship to survive the season.
Rating: 4
Review: Y’all know I love a well-written romance with a spunky lead (I said it), and “Intercepted” definitely fits the bill there. What you may not know is that I am not only a long-time football fan, but that I studied sports law and spent 2 years working for the New Orleans Saints while at Tulane Law. So, when you combine a clever love story with pro football, I am totally in.
Marlee is the long-time girlfriend of one of the receivers on a pro team in Denver (notably not the Broncos), and her boyfriend is both a dick and cheating on her. On top of that, she’s having to deal with bitchy women that comprise the Mustang WAGs — you know the type, those that only feel good about themselves by putting others down. Of course, her relationship implodes and she immediately swears off all men.
Enter: a very hot complication — the team’s new QB, Gavin. He’s one of those men that is almost too perfect (his flaws are even that he cares too much), but honestly, I love that for Marlee right now. And for me; we can all use a little bit of fairy tale romance, especially right now. The big rub (pun totally intended) is that Marlee has sworn off athletes, and so we get to see some world-class wooing.
Honestly, Marlee is one of the most well-rounded characters I can remember reading in a romance novel recently. As the self-appointed SFOL expert on romances, I have to say that I’m really loving this trend of having the main character of the book be real women — with flaws and peculiarities — it makes me feel so connected to them. Marlee does a lot of growing up in this book, and while it does end happily, I loved the realistic path that Gavin and Marlee took. This book is told in Marlee’s voice, and it does take a minute to adjust to her patterns of speech. I found all of the #thoughts a little jarring during the first chapter, but I came to love it by the end — she’s got a lot of sass, and it’s reflected tonally in the way that the book was written.
Speaking of romance, this book is pretty steamy — let’s just say that Gavin and Marlee have an active sex life. I know people like to know that going in, and while I didn’t find anything too particularly graphic, I did find myself a little flushed at moments. It is all in service of the story, and it kind of made me want to find a pro athlete to date? Jk. Kind of.
After I finished the book, I realized that Alexa Martin herself was an NFL wife, and that made this even more enjoyable for me. Her character descriptions of the WAGs was fabulous, and honestly, now I want the tea as to who those monsters are based on — after 8 years in the NFL, you know she has all the insider information.
Oh, and Marlee definitely comes out on top of those bitches in this book. I told you — happy endings all around. (again, double entendre totally intended)
TL;DR: A quick and quirky romance, featuring a bit of sass, a lot of love, and a sports story — all in all a touchdown.
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