The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart is LIVE! This is a standalone contemporary romance packed with all the feels!
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Blurb
It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.
I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.
I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.
Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.
But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.
The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.
It’s time to set the record straight.
For my son, I‘ll find the strength.
In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.
I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.
*The Guy on the Left is a stand alone novel in the Underdog Series. This is Troy’s story.
Review
5 stars for the awesomeness that is Troy Jenner
Oh wow, I loved this book! A second-chance book in more way than one as a single father fights for his family, and the one that got away. Told with emotion, humour, angst and a whole lot of heart, this book had me absolutely captivated and I freaking loved it!
The Guy on the Right was the first book in this series, and it was a funny and romantic read that I loved! It also dropped a massive bomb when it was revealed that Theo’s roommate, Troy – star football player and all-round party boy – was a father. Dun dun duuuuuuun! It was a fabulous twist, and I have been SO excited to get my hands on this book which, in my opinion, was even better than the first.
Troy and Clarissa met in a bar and shared one life-changing night together. Life-changing in more ways than one, because not only was their connection (and the sex) truly unforgettable, but it also resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. When Clarissa goes to share the news with Troy, she’s dreaming of all that they could be together as a family, only to learn that he lied to her when they met and he’s an 18 year old high school student. Clarissa has just gotten her first teaching job, which puts her in a seriously difficult position so, heartbroken and terrified for her future, she pushes Troy away with a demand to stay out of her life for good.
Six years later, and Troy is now a College senior with plans for a career in the NFL. He’s never actually met his son, but he has watched him in secret, and has contributed whenever he can, staying as close as he can without interfering. When he discovers that Clarissa has moved, and he sees an ad for a room to rent right next door, it seems like fate, which is how he ends up boarding with Theo, and how he comes to finally meet the little boy he has loved from afar for so long.
I love, love, love this setup. And I very quickly learned that the image I had of Troy from what we see of him in the first book is so incredibly wrong. He’s so much more than I expected, and I absolutely adored him. He’s so sweet and so desperate to be a part of little Dante’s life, and the relationship that they forge as Dante gets to know Troy as his friendly neighbour is absolutely beautiful!
The smile on my son’s face and the awe in his eyes when he runs into the living room makes it worth it. He’s worth every sacrifice I could ever make.
His relationship with Clarissa is a lot more complicated. Neither of them have been able to forget their night together, and though they obviously have a lot of baggage to wade through, there is still an attraction between them and Troy makes it clear that he wants Clarissa in his life just as much as he wants Dante. But she’s still so very hurt, and the have some pretty significant issues to deal with.
“Troy, I can’t go down this road with you.”
“Why not?” He whispers hoarsely. “You could forgive me. We could start over. We could have something real this time.”The truth becomes crystal-clear as I drink her in. She’s the only woman I want.
And if I want any chance with her, I have a lot more to prove.
It’s a long and angsty road, and OMG, my heart hurt watching these two figure out their feelings. There are ups and downs, tears and anger, and they both show their vulnerability as they work through their past and what they want from their future, and the feels are brutally intense!
I love you. It’s that simple and that complicated.”
It’s not always easy to read, and for me that was mostly because of Clarissa. She was left shattered by Troy’s deception, which I completely understand, and she’s wary of introducing Troy into Dante’s life, which I also understand, but she handled the situation so badly. I could rant on and on about how cruel she was to shut Troy out, and her continued bad decisions once he pushes himself back into her life, but I came to realise that it’s all a part of the journey, and this is Clarissa’s story as much as it is Troy’s, and she has a lot of learning and growing up to do. I think I dealt with it so well because Troy was just such a superstar through the whole thing. He doesn’t hold a grudge, his goal is his son, and on winning the trust of the woman he loves, and he fights hard for both of them. He has his own emotional journey to go through and my feels were all over the place right alongside both of them.
I stare at the man who spent months capturing my son’s heart and wholly taking mine in the process.
I loved the way this book played out. It’s well paced and is far from predictable – you never know what’s coming for these two. The romance builds beautifully, and it’s sweet and sexy with fantastic chemistry and intensity. The family themes are also beautifully written, and little Dante is a complete scene stealer. Funny, quirky and super smart, his relationship with Troy will melt you.
It’s a beautifully heartfelt read, and well worth all of the angst and drama because seeing these two find their HEA was truly very special. And Troy pretty much owned me through all of it.
“You and Dante, you redefined my dreams. My everything is yours.”
The book fits nicely alongside The Guy on the Right, with the stories playing out right alongside each other. This book has a completely different feel though, with so much more emotion and angst than the first, and while you can read this one as a standalone, beware spoilers for the first book. And through it all, we get to see the third roommate of the bunch, Lance, with hints of his story, and I’m so excited for his book.
I loved this one. Yeah, it’s messy and complicated, and it hurt, but there are some absolutely gorgeous moments throughout, and more than a few laughs, and it’s such a beautiful story.
5 stars for all the feels.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Underdogs
The Guy on the Right (#1) (Theo)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
The Guy on the Left (#2) (Troy)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
The Guy in the Middle (#3) (Lance)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
About the Author
A Texas native, Kate Stewart lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it’s what she loves as a reader. Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.
Contact Kate- Email-authorkatestewart@gmail.com
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