This bad boy needs an image makeover.
Can the quirky librarian get the job done?
He’s a Keeper, an all-new opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine romance full of heat and heart from bestselling author Stacy Travis is out now!
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Blurb
Drunk-texting a grumpy soccer star?
Best worst decision of my life.
Especially when the player is the sinfully handsome, foul-mouthed Holden Sanders… my new library assistant.
The benched bad boy needed an image makeover, I needed to save my job, and his star status was just what the library ordered to raise awareness for our fundraising campaign. The press can’t get enough of Mr. Growly reading to kids.
It’s win-win and completely platonic.
Until I need a shoulder to cry on after drowning my heartbreak in too many margaritas. I only typed that invitation to his brawny biceps and perfect pectorals for fun–I never meant to hit send. Holden isn’t the kind of guy to care about tears and feelings, least of all mine. He’s made it clear good girls aren’t his type.
But he shows up–with his strapping shoulder, a box of tissues and a supersized bag of Doritos.
That’s when I realize there’s more to him than meets the eye.
One soulful, smoldering mistake of a kiss has me craving more, and the heat between us quickly builds to a blaze neither of us can control.
But I’m not the only one guarding secrets, and Holden’s might push us to the breaking point.
Even if I’m surrounded by books, I know better than to believe in storybook endings.
And yet, I want to believe… Because I know he’s a keeper.
He’s a Keeper is a standalone sports romance in the San Francisco Strikers series with a HEA.
Review
4.5 stars!
The start of a new series from Stacy Travis, this is a fun, sexy, sweet and emotional sports romance that completely captured my heart.
Note – this book is a spin-off from the Berkeley Hills series and there’s a great cameo from Charlie (hero from No Match for Her), but this series absolutely stands alone.
Holden is the goal keeper for the San Francisco Strikers soccer team. Two years ago, he was brutally dumped by his pop star girlfriend in front a worldwide audience, and after suffering a near-career-ending meltdown, he has pulled himself together, closed himself off and dedicated himself completely to the game.
Molly is a hard-working, lonely librarian who struggles to get by and has pretty much no life. Though she loves her job, she needs something to prove her worth to the library where she works, and she strikes gold when injured Holden shows up with his niece to reading time, and she manages to rope him in to help. She initially has no clue who he is, but she completely dismisses his grumpy reluctance, knowing that his good looks and easy manner will draw people in – she’s right. It’s a boost for Molly’s career, and when the press finds out it starts to turn around Holden’s bad boy reputation, so it’s a win-win situation for both of them.
And then one night, drunken Molly texts Holden when she runs into trouble, and he rides in to rescue her. What a hero! He may be a grump, but he has a heart of gold and he cares for her like nobody ever has. They open up to each other for the first time and see a whole new side to each other, and they very quickly learn that there’s more to each other than they ever knew. Their physical attraction deepens to a more emotional one, and suddenly everything has changed.
A part of me wants her to break through my walls and set me free, though I don’t know why.
Why her?
The answer seems obvious.
Because. Her.
I love these two together! They’re so honest, they don’t hide, they don’t play games, they just fall together, embracing it as it happens and diving in to explore everything that they feel for each other, and I freaking loved it!
“The day we met, I told myself not to fall for you. Then I ignored all of it and fucking dove off the cliff.”
“You took me with you.”
It’s sweet, fun, sexy and emotional, they have such a beautiful connection, and we get to see so many gorgeous moments between them that had me swooning and falling in love right alongside them.
“I love you … I’m fucking crazy about you. I’d be lying if I pretended I’m not.”
But life doesn’t always bring easy HEA’s, and Holden and Molly have some obstacles to overcome while they figure out their life together, and how to make it all work. There is a bit of a drama and angst, but it’s minimal, it makes sense to the story, and I was funny invested in these two as they found their way forward.
“Wherever I go, whatever path life takes me on, I want to go there with you.”
I love these characters. Molly is smart and sensible, she’s hard a hard life and she’s scared, but I love how she bravely gives herself over to Holden and accepts all of the love that he wants to give her. And Holden… swoon! His broody demeanour is completely understandable and makes him even more irresistible when you see his gooey golden heart underneath it all. He loves openly and honestly, and he’s just the man that Molly needs, and I adore them together so much.
“I thought my heart was dead … You’re my proof of life.”
It’s a swoony, sweet, sexy and heartfelt journey for these two and I loved watching them come together and find their much-deserved HEA.
4.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
San Francisco Strikers
He’s a Keeper (#1) (Holden & Molly)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Excerpt
“Mare, I had no idea what I was in for when you stormed out of the library that day, looking to kill me for skirting my parental responsibilities.”
She squints, then her expression turns wry. “I’d never kill a person.” She tilts her head from side to side, considering. “Well, unless you burned a book.”
Nodding, I kiss her softly. “I respect that. And I want you to know you can trust me. I know people have left you behind in your past, but I hope you believe me when I tell you I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you.” As I say the words, I believe they’re true. If I move to England, I hope she loves me enough to come with me. Even if she hasn’t said the words.
I don’t know what I’m expecting. Maybe relief or acknowledgment that she’s not going anywhere either. I want to believe she feels the same way.
I don’t expect her forehead to crease and her eyes to glisten with tears, which swell until they can no longer be contained and roll down her cheeks before she buries her face in my shoulder.
Turning us to the side, I wrap her in my arms, as the flow of tears turns to quiet sobs. I smooth her hair and give her the outlet she needs, even though I feel guilty for making her cry.
With a sniff, she leans her head away and meets my gaze. Her wet eyes glisten above pink cheeks. I wipe a remaining tear away with the pad of my thumb and rub her back gently.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“You didn’t,” she whispers, wiping her eyes. A moment later she laughs at the lie. “It was stuck inside me. You just let it out.” She exhales, tucking the emotions away.
“You okay?” I want to tread carefully until I know where she is in her head.
Nodding, she reaches for my cheek and cups the side of my face. “Thank you for saying that. I’d never ask that of you, but thank you. I love you. So much.”
I’ve been waiting to hear those words. For a moment, I’m convinced that everything between us can stay this easy. We’re both cautious, but we can cross each new line together. It feels powerful to be able to do that with her.
“I know you’d never ask. That’s why I said it. I wanted you to know.”
“I’m not going anywhere either.”
I’m struck by a foreign but welcome feeling, a realization that I can’t go backward now. I can’t be okay without her in my world. I need to tell her about the Premier League, but it can wait another day. She likes to live in the present.
She loves me.
Everything between us is still so fragile and new and good. I don’t want anything to change us.
One more day won’t hurt.
About Stacy Travis
It’s a rough world out there, and we all sometimes need a good, romantic beach read, even if we can’t make it to the beach. I’ve spent many lazy days walking the streets of Paris and other gorgeous European cities, and if I’m doing it right, I’m bringing you a dash of romance and a vacay fantasy.
I can’t sit still, so when I’m not hiking, biking or running, I’m playing a very average game of tennis. Background music for writing undoubtedly features some U2, Lizzo, Billy Joel, Pink, Taylor Swift, and Led Zeppelin. Not necessarily in that order. And if I could only eat one food group, it would be cheese. Or wine. Or bread. Are those food groups? Whatever.
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Website: https://stacytravis.com