New Release: The Rivalry by Nikki Sloane + Review

She won't be able to resist this TIGHT END. 

 The Rivalry by Nikki Sloane IS AVAILABLE NOW!!

"Nikki Sloane delivers a fun, steamy read with The Rivalry! Get ready to swoon for Jay Harris, the hottest tight end in college sports..." - NYT Bestselling Author, Elle Kennedy

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About the book:

This tight end is at the top of his game.

He’s good with his hands, even better with his sexy mouth, and the best at making me forget my own name. His—ahem—stats are perfect. But I can’t fall for him. He might be everything I want, all rolled into a glorious package of gridiron god, but there’s one teeny-tiny problem. The vile, loathsome team I’ve spent my entire life hating—my beloved school’s arch-rival? This guy is their star player.

MY REVIEW:

4 stars

****

 This book was sexy and fun! This is Kayla and Jay's story. Kayla bleeds red and white. She is a die hard Ohio State fan. Her father was a football coach there and her mother a football fanatic as well. Kayla has continued the legacy and is the head cheerleader at the university. She happens to meet a really great guy, Jay, at her friend's wedding. Sparks fly between them... until she discovers that she is consorting with the enemy. Jay plays football for Michigan, Ohio State's bitterly hated rival. Kayla is determined to stay away from Jay, but he doesn't see the rivalry as that big of a deal. He pursues her and that's where the fun begins! 

I felt like the idea for this book was pretty genius. Think Romeo and Juliet meet college football. If you've never experienced a true rivalry like the one in this book firsthand, you might not understand. You might wonder what the big deal is or if people really act this way. They do! I know it sounds far fetched, but this is a real thing! Nikki Sloane nails it perfectly the rivalry hatred, the bleed-their-school-colors feeling. Football is religion to people like Kayla and her family. Kayla's father was a coach for Ohio State and her mother gave birth to her in the stands during the rivalry game because she didn't want to miss it! That's loyalty and dedication. I hope that readers who don't know much about college football will still "get it" and enjoy the book for what it is- a sexy, enemies-to-lovers romance. 

This book feels totally different than Ms. Sloane's Blindfold series. I would not have guessed it was written by her if I did not already know. The writing was still very good, but this book is definitely more of a NA college book. It is not as dirty or angsty. The relationship in this book has more of a young love feeling. There is an innocence and sweetness in Jay and Kayla. They still have lots of sexy times. But their thoughts are more college age thoughts. Like Kayla really caring about what others thought about her or worrying about disappointing her parents. It definitely brought me back to how I felt in college, still learning who I was and how to stand up for what I believed in. I did feel at times both Jay and Kayla were a little immature, but it felt right for their ages. I really liked both of them. Jay was very sweet and not a man whore at all. He liked Kayla right away and just felt lucky she was even interested in him. He was willing to take whatever he could get from her, while Kayla was definitely reluctant to get involved at all. I understood why Kayla acted the way she did, but I did want to see a little more growth from her. She hung in there until almost the very end, putting the rivalry before her relationship with Jay. I wanted a little more happy times with them together at the end after they were all in, to feel secure in their HEA. But I'm a greedy reader. I always want more. 

Overall, this was a really fun, sexy romp into the world of college football. It felt very real and true to life, from the practices, the pressure to perform on the field and in the classroom, the family drama, the stress and dealing with teammates and coaches. I really liked watching Kayla and Jay's relationship develop in the midst of all that. Their relationship was truly tested by their schools' epic rivalry, but love conquered all in the end. Nikki Sloane is one of my favorite authors and she didn't disappoint at all. I look forward to more from her in the future!

**********

About the Author: 

Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there. Now she lives in Kentucky and manages a team of graphic artists. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, is married with two sons, writes dirty books, and couldn’t be any happier. 

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 Website: http://www.nikkisloane.com/ 
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