Fair Catch

1.5 HEARTS--Told in dual first person POV, Fair Catch is a new adult romance (I use that term in the loosest of terms) between 22 year old yoga instructor, parkour enthusiast, genius techie and millionaire 5' 6" Tobias "Toby" Bennett and 25 year old Superbowl winning, best NFL wide receiver in the league, 6' 6" alpha male Sullivan "Van" Archer.That's a lot of hats these main characters wear. Usually when I read a story that give their MC holds many titles, it's used as the depth and characterist [...]

DNF 80%-Choppy writing-Contrived drama-Predictable villain This is not for me. Sorry.

4 stars – Fair Catch is my second exposure to author Leigh Carman, and it’s another dramatic storyline built around a professional athlete. In spite of the fact that the plot was largely predictable once the elements were set up and that the characters were much the same as their counterparts in other M/M novels using the same trope, the storytelling and the intensity of the connection between the main characters is what kept me hooked and ultimately led to my enjoyment of the story.Tobias B [...]

When Van meets Toby and shares a hot club encounter, they never expected to see each other again. But when Van gets assigned to a yoga class by his trainer due to a healing injury, he is surprised to see his hook-up is the instructor. Thus begins the angsty back and forth between these two men who could not be more different.Sullivan Archer is is living a double life. "Van" is gay and just wants to be in a real relationship, but "Sullivan" is a closeted football player who is worried that coming [...]

This book was a big miss for me! This book featured a yoga instructor, Tobias Bennett and an injured football player Sullivan Archer as they first met as an anonymous hookup, and then later as a part of injury therapy. Toby was out and Sullivan wasn't, so there was the secrecy thing as they sought to protect Van's successful football career. I had to put this one down several times because it didn't engage me at all. I really hate the non-communication thing between grown people. Seriously, peop [...]

2.5 - 3 Stars I loved the blurb and was really looking forward to this book, but it was kind of disappointing. I thought the relationship was a bit immature and annoying. Van and Toby were both stubborn and too quick to throw in the towel. The story needed more relationship time to make the love feel more believable. I love sex in books, but in this book it got in the way. Times where conversations should have been had to solve issues, the characters wound up falling into bed instead of communic [...]

I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads. There were some really sweet moments in this story about Van, an American football star and Toby, his yoga teacher. While much of the storyline is familiar to any readers of m/m sports romance (closeted star/secret relationship/threat of exposure), Toby’s personal experiences with an ex-boyfriend add a layer of suspense to the story. I like Van. He wears his star status lightly and reacts with kindness in difficult situations [...]

After enjoying the intense feelings and passion in ‘Match Point’, I was looking forward to another pairing of two men too stubborn to recognize they are made for each other. This time one is quiet and withdrawn and shying away from future relationships based on a bad experience with a domineering man. The other part of the future couple is a professional football player who is as loud and brash as he is deeply in the closet. Talk about opposites! While quite different than the first book in [...]

I have to say, I loved the matchup of Toby and Van. From their very first meeting they just felt so right, I was hooked on the two of them from the start. And while there's the predictable angst from the pairing of a closeted guy with someone who's out along with an obvious bad guy in Toby's ex, I still really enjoyed seeing how Toby quickly became a part of Van's heart.Angst point #1. Any time you have gay characters in an uber-masculine setting--like professional football--it opens up the gate [...]

The Blogger GirlsI love football, I love football players, and I really love to read about them in MM novels. This is the second book in the Players of LA series, and I was unsure if the author could back it up considering how much I liked the first book. In this case, I would say Ms. Carman is 2 – 0 and I am a lucky girl.Tobey is a heartbreaker in this one, and Van, well he is a little bit too, just in a different way. This book covers a multitude of topics, from abusive ex’s, closeted cele [...]

I really wanted to like this book. I really enjoyed Match Point so I had high hopes for this one. I honestly had to go back and make sure I was thinking of the right author on this one. Just too much of the same drama, over the top situations and unrealistic reactions to those situations. I am sometimes ok with all of that but something about this book didn't work for me. I will read others though, hopefully this is just a fluke.

~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~This is the second in a series, but I read it as a standalone, and enjoyed it a lot. As a big sports romance fan, I was very happy to find a new author to read. It is not often that a side character really deserves first mention, but really Leo does! He was the unexpected voice of reason and champion of the closeted Van when things got tough. And his sartorial style and self confidence was very endearing too. The story i [...]

DNFI tried, but I couldn't. There was something about the MCs that irritated the hell out of me, and I decided to give up at 20%.

Full review at: optimummblog.wordpress/20Fair Catch, is book two of the Players of LA series, but it’s basically a standalone as there is no correlation to the previous book. This book follows the characters Tobias (Toby) Bennett and Sullivan (Van) Archer. Toby is a slightly shy and nervous 22-year-old yoga teacher who has only been in one serious relationship and has never had a one-night stand or hookup, even though his best friend Leo is always trying to encourage him to get out and meet so [...]

I was really looking forward to reading this book, especially since book one, Match Point, was a top pick for me in 2016. Unfortunately, Fair Catch didn't work for me. Maybe I was expecting the same intensity as the first book, the same passion, and chemistry, setting the bar by previous works and I shouldn't have done that. Van is a closeted football player who has a small fling with Toby one night at a bar, no names exchanged—just spit and spunk—and they go their separate ways. When Van ge [...]

Original review on Molly LollyFours stars!This was a really good story. I liked the storyline and the characters. Plus Ms. Carman’s writing kept me interested in the story from start to finish. I enjoyed watching Toby and Van get to know each other and fall in love. Some of the emotions and reactions were over the top and made me roll my eyes a few times. Plus I got tired of the Alpha chest pounding, “you’re mine”, “protect what’s mine” type of behavior pretty quickly. However the [...]

Professional football player Sullivan "Van" Archer is outgoing, sensational, and definitely straight. Or at least that's what he needs everyone to think in order to keep his position. The truth is that there are some thick walls around his closet that he hopes will never come down. After Van suffers and injury that results in a recommendation to take yoga classes, Van finds himself in the class of Tobias Bennett--one of Van's one-night stands that he hoped he wouldn't cross paths with ever again [...]

A Joyfully Jay review. 3.25 starsWhen we first meet Toby, he is working on getting his life back together after leaving his abusive ex. He has a good friend in his neighbor, Leo, and it’s Leo who gets Toby to go out one night. Van and Toby meet when Van expresses interest in Toby for a discreet hookup. The author chose to keep this first meeting, with the exception of the introductions, off page so when the men are fondly reminiscing about each other in the early parts of the book, it was more [...]

Who doesn’t love a hot sexy football romance? In Fair Catch, we meet Toby while he’s at the bar for the first time in forever, humoring his friend until he gets spooked and makes his way to the restroom for a break. Almost immediately, he runs right back out and is asked to enter the back office of the club owner and comes face to face with the man of his dreams. From there, Toby and Van’s love story unfolds – well, their first encounter at least, until several coincidental meetings, alm [...]

I didn't like this one as much as the first but still enjoyed it quite a bit. Like others had said, it did feel a bit disjointed and the time lapses threw me a bit. Still, I loved Toby and Van. They were both at fault for their craptastic beginning to the relationship and I really wish we got more depth in that area. It seemed like they were both so gaga for each other right away but I think that's where one of the time lapses happened. Maybe? I don't know but they seemed so totally into each ot [...]

What happens when a one night stand, shows up on your work wanting more than just that one night?This book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I loved the relationship between Van and Tobias, but there were moments where I wanted to smack both of them upside the head. But, I can see both of their point of views for being standoffish when committing to one another. Tobias had it rough, really only having one relationship and look how that turned out. Van being a professional footballer, coming [...]

Leigh Carman knows how to deliver swoony men!!! I just devoured this book! I am a big fan of sports romances so I loved how this story revolved around football.I loved how the story started out as a random, one night hook up but ended up leading to more, much more. I really enjoyed the story. I thought the characters had a solid start to their story. There was a lot of flirting and angst happening back and forth that kept me interested. In the middle it sort of tapered off but then,OMG the endin [...]

A must readThis book is real, sexy, and sweet. Van and Toby's journey is worth the read with a feel good ending.

What happens when you have a one night stand that just keeps popping back up into your life? Toby is a quiet, proud to be gay but also a little shy. He keeps to himself because he's had an abusive relationship that he's not really over yet. He goes out with his bff Leo for his birthday and try's a one night stand. He's never been one for casual sex but there's a first time for everything. Never in a million years did he expect Van. And he never thought he would see him again until Van shows up a [...]

What started out as one encounter of mutual bliss, turned out to be so much more.Two lonely hearts. One afraid to risk it all on love, and one afraid to risk it all for his career.The circumstances that keep bringing Toby and Van together almost scream "They're soul-mates!" Of course, these two hottie men need to figure things out for themselves. I kept asking myself if they would before it was too late.You can really feel the hurt, confusion and rage that come pouring out of the pages while the [...]

There were parts of this story that I really liked. I loved the Parkour, the Yoga, and for awhile I was thinking that Archer would be learning a new “sport” or vice versa and our MCs would have some interesting conversations and activities surrounding that. But… those things were almost just teasers, and they really didn’t have much to do with the main story.The main story was about being in the closet and being victimized by an awful ex.I really felt that Toby was way too trusting and a [...]