{Review} Winning The Player by Leesa Bow

Title: Winning The Player

Author: Leesa Bow

Published: 14th April 2014

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC provided via Netgalley for fair & honest review

Rating: 4/5

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BLURB:

When injury destroyed her dream of playing college basketball, Aubree Taylor fled overseas. Now she's finally home again and ready to move on with her life. Until she runs into Hunter Stone on her first night out, the only guy who's ever meant anything to her – and the last person she wants to see.

Since she ran out on him two years ago, Hunter hasn't been able to get Aubree off his mind. The sexy football star has had girls all over him for years, but Aubree is the only one to have ever seen behind the cocky persona he puts on for the crowd.

Despite her attempts to keep her distance, Aubree is unable to resist the strong attraction between them and it isn't long before they fall into a passionate relationship. She has never been afraid of a challenge, but Hunter's arrogance and inablity to trust are testing her to her limits. Aubree must decide whether to follow her heart and lower her guard…or risk losing the best thing that's ever happened to her.

Fun, Sexy And Overall Very Entertaining!

First of all I'd like to point out that although this story is about an AFL player (Australian Football League), no knowledge of the game is required. I should know since, I must admit I've never watched a match in it's entirety. In my defence I am from NSW, the heartland of NRL (National Rugby League - GO DRAGONS!!!). So for me to say I enjoyed a book about an AFL player - well that's saying something!

REVIEW:

The story:

For the past two years Aubree has been travelling overseas, trying to come to terms with the fact that her once hopeful dreams of becoming a professional basketballer were crushed with a divesting knee injury. Now back in Adelaide, she's starting to find her feet again with the help of her best friend Maddy. One thing she hadn't been looking forward to was running into Maddy's cousin and famous football player, Hunter. He's even sexier than she remembers and just as self assured as ever.

After running out on him two years ago, Aubree wants nothing more than to avoid his intense stares. He sees too much and makes her feel things she's never felt before. But how long can Aubree ignore the powerful attraction between them?

The characters:

Aubree was a very relatable character, she's struggling with the massive change in her future and is feeling so lost and confused as to what she wants to do with her life. I think most people can relate to that feeling, and seeing Aubree going through the stages of getting her life back on track was really rewarding.

It took me a while to warm to Hunter. He's a player, that's no secret, and he's had more than his fair share of women. But it took a while to actually see past all that Alpha-Male-Sports-Guy stuff to the real man underneath. That was the Hunter that I liked and wanted to see more of - but I guess that's a very personal thing, as I'm not really a bad boy type of girl.

The romance:

There was lots of sexual tension between these two, especially since Aubree tried to deny her attraction to Hunter. What I really enjoyed about the romance, was that Aubree wasn't willing to settle for being another notch on Hunter's belt. I liked that she made him work for her trust and didn't just hand over her heart. Hunter has most certainly played the field and I think it was important to see him prove that Aubree was more than just one of his sports groupies.

The writing:

I really enjoyed the youthful and very natural writing in this story. The use of the Twitter updates, was really creative and such a natural way of venting the characters feelings. They'd tweet inspirational quotes with double meanings about the things gong on in their lives. Sharing their thoughts on social media is something that a lot of readers will relate to.

FINAL WORD:

I'm always excited to read a book by an Aussie author, and I loved that it was actually set in Australia, and had that Aussie atmosphere throughout! Fun, sexy and overall very entertaining!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium / some sex scenes

Violence: very mild

Language: medium / several f words etc

Drugs & alcohol: medium / several scenes in bars