The Final Play isn’t always the end.
Sometimes, it’s the beginning of something far more beautiful.
The Final Play by Amie Knight is live!
Amazon | Paperback
Blurb
As a professional linebacker, I lived and breathed football.
The only thing I loved as much as the game was my twin brother, Max, who kept me almost as busy cleaning up his messes.
The most recent of which landed him behind bars.
So, it shouldn’t have surprised me when a beautiful woman showed up on my doorstep, claiming to be pregnant with Max’s baby.
Glory was unexpected, infuriating, and flat-out crazy most of the time.
But no matter how hard I tried to deny it, that tiny spitfire slammed into my boring life with the strength of a Category 5 hurricane, blowing through my defenses until she’d carved her name in my heart—permanently.
I feared we would never work. She was a single mom, my brother’s ex, and one more chance for me to fail yet another person I loved.
But if football was my church, then Glory was my heaven.
Review
4 stars
This is a such a sweet read. It’s a part of the Summerville Sports Romance series, but can easily stand alone, and is a pregnant/single parent sports romance that is emotional yet fun, and gorgeously romantic, and I loved it.
Mason Stark is the best friend of Lukas from #1 in the series, The Red Zone. He’s 37 years old, a professional football player, and he lives and breathes his beloved game. The book begins with an emotionally brutal prologue that introduces us to a young Mason and his twin brother Max, and shows us the defining moment of their childhood that sets the stage for the story to come. Because as much as Mason has his life together, Max does not, and Mason has spent years cleaning up his brother’s messes, never giving up on him or the hope that he can pull himself together, but now his brother has been sent to prison, and Mason is struggling with that.
Glory Tolson tracks Mason down out of desperation. She’s pregnant and alone, and she’s searching for Max – the father of her baby after they spent a weekend together 7 months ago. She hasn’t seen him since their time together, but he deserves to know he has a son on the way, and her search leads her to Mason’s doorstep.
It’s a messy situation, but once Mason wraps his head around it all, he offers Glory a place a stay, wanting to be close to the only family that he has left. It’s not easy to get Glory on board with that plan, and takes some convincing form Mason, but with few other options or supports, Glory eventually agrees, setting the stage for the fun to come.
Glory is a fantastic character. She’s smart and brave, and all sass and independence. She doesn’t take advantage of Mason, and she doesn’t actively push him away, balancing his presence in her life perfectly, and allowing him to be a part of her pregnancy. And Mason is just gorgeous. He’s naturally a helper, and he has the biggest heart. Watching him welcome Glory into his life is so sweet, and seeing how excited and emotional he is about the upcoming birth of his nephew is adorable!
But beneath their near-familial ties, there is attraction. Their distant connection to each other is enough for both of them keep their distance, but it doesn’t stop their feelings from growing, and as they laugh, joke, and talk together, they become close friends… with a sizzling undercurrent of attraction.
I had a feeling that Mason Stark was my person. And I couldn’t even have him.
The intensity of their feelings for each other create this wonderful sense of anticipation. We all know what’s going to happen, waiting for it had me madly flipping pages on my kindle just waiting for the spark that will change everything. And when it comes, holy hot damn!
He didn’t coax my mouth open. He wasn’t gentle. And I’d never in a million years expect him to be. He took what he wanted from me like it was his anyway.
And even though I was too scared to admit yet, it was.
Sweet and gorgeous Mason is a wicked dirty talker, and though there’s not a lot of sexy time, what is there is hot as hell. Mason holds nothing back in sharing his feelings with Glory, and though she is more hesitant, I loved watching them together. They are honest and functional, and things between them develop so naturally, and their love story had me swooning.
There is a bit of drama, but it’s resolved well, and there are scenes that left my eyes shining with happy tears, and an epilogue which finishes everything off beautifully.
This is such a great read. Sweet, fun, and gorgeously romantic, I loved it.
4 stars.
An Advanced Review Audio Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Summerville Sports Romance series
The Red Zone (#1) (Lukas & Scarlett)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The First Score (#2) (Oliver & Hazel)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The Final Play (#3) (Mason & Glory)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
About Amie Knight
Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma’s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn’t reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to ’90s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can’t imagine living anywhere other than the South.
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