{"id":22382,"date":"2018-09-17T08:12:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T12:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=22382"},"modified":"2022-10-11T17:00:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T17:00:40","slug":"review-intercepted-by-alexa-martin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/17\/review-intercepted-by-alexa-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Intercepted by Alexa Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own…<\/strong><\/span>

Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.\u00a0<\/span>

Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team’s wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee’s return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.\u00a0<\/span>

Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin’s relationship to survive the season.<\/span><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 11, 2018
Series:<\/strong>\u00a0The Playbook
<\/em>Book: <\/strong>1
Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Sensual
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group\u00a0
Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley
Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$7.99<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Gavin Pope<\/strong> \u2013 a sexy, football god stuffed into too-tight pants on Sundays for us women to ogle. He\u2019s my new book boyfriend, hope y\u2019all don\u2019t mind. I\u2019ll share him with you via the book, but at the end of the day I\u2019ll claim him. He\u2019s the romance hero I didn\u2019t know I was looking for. Seriously.<\/p>

Marlee Harper<\/strong> doesn\u2019t know she\u2019s looking for him either, but she does know from a previous one-night adventure that he\u2019s as sinful in bed as his looks are. Marlee also refuses to date football players anymore. Except, can she really turn away from a guy who defends her, stands up for her, treats her like she\u2019s the most important person in the world… I could go on.<\/p>

So, what did I really like about the story? The characters are amazing. Martin does this excellent job of crafting protagonists I wanted to root for and antagonists worth Best Villain Academy Awards. Marlee, friends Nicole and Brynn, hero Gavin (delicious) are giving glowing testimonials in Marlee\u2019s eyes (yep, this is a first person POV), and through their actions on behalf of the heroine.\u00a0 Also, Gavin\u2019s agent, Donnie, a true New Yorker with a potty mouth the size of Texas is an inspiration. He deploys the \u2018F\u2019 word with constant efficiency and it\u2019s endearing as it is annoying. The villains and their shenanigans take things to a whole new level.<\/p>

Second, the hero is so precious. He\u2019s got honor, integrity, kindness, and is gentleman above all things. This guy knows the importance of doing dishes for a woman who cooked his dinner *swoon*. Yes, the guy GETS IT. Every time he comes on the page, opens his mouth, I had to re-read the dialogue. It was like a fantasy walked out. Gavin Pope embodied to me what a football player without the toxic masculinity we are always seeing blasted in the headlines. He\u2019s what I want in a head quarterback.<\/p>

Especially, after the set down he gives to the wife of the previous lead quarter back for coming down on Marlee after her ex verbally and physically harasses her.<\/p>

\u201cAre you happy, Marlee? We\u2019re going to lose sponsors and money because you couldn\u2019t just stay at home and your own business.\u201d She stops and moves her narrowed eyes toward Gavin. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so disappointed in you, Gavin. I don\u2019t expect much from her, but you should know better. I can\u2019t believe Coach Jacobs replaced Kevin with someone who would fight a teammate. Kevin would never behave the way you have tonight.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Gavin says. Courtney\u2019s eye widen with surprise \u2013 her forehead still doesn\u2019t move \u2013 and it\u2019s clear to anyone around us, she approached us looking for another fight. \u201cKevin would never stick up for a woman who\u2019s being harassed. Which is the reason I was brought in. Your husband lacks the integrity and leadership it takes to have a winning team.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

I found myself smitten right there. Gavin displays qualities I can only hope to instill in my own son. One\u2019s I long to inspire my daughter to search for.<\/p>

Finally, I loved the story line. This book had a little bit of a chick lit feel to it in that the heroine had some growing to do for herself. She\u2019d gone through a lot with her ex and with living a life for another person. I loved to see Marlee forcing herself to find her again and to learn who she was. It doesn\u2019t dominate the story, but those elements were something I could relate to.<\/p>

Overall, this book hit all my marks. From the crazy hashtags to powerful dialogue and scenes that are so sticky. I can\u2019t wait for the second book and though this isn\u2019t quite the same old romance I truly believe many will love it the same way I do.<\/p>

This is for readers who enjoyed The Hating Game<\/strong>.<\/p>

~ Landra<\/em><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0B&N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \t <\/div>\n\t \n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. 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But there's a new player on the horizon, and he's in a league of his own...<\/strong><br \/><br \/>Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There's just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team's wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee's return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin's relationship to survive the season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/5-charttopper-hearts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"80\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 11, 2018<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Playbook<br \/><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Sensual<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group\u00a0<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$7.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Gavin Pope<\/strong> \u2013 a sexy, football god stuffed into too-tight pants on Sundays for us women to ogle. He\u2019s my new book boyfriend, hope y\u2019all don\u2019t mind. I\u2019ll share him with you via the book, but at the end of the day I\u2019ll claim him. He\u2019s the romance hero I didn\u2019t know I was looking for. Seriously.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Marlee Harper<\/strong> doesn\u2019t know she\u2019s looking for him either, but she does know from a previous one-night adventure that he\u2019s as sinful in bed as his looks are. Marlee also refuses to date football players anymore. Except, can she really turn away from a guy who defends her, stands up for her, treats her like she\u2019s the most important person in the world... I could go on.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, what did I really like about the story? The characters are amazing. Martin does this excellent job of crafting protagonists I wanted to root for and antagonists worth Best Villain Academy Awards. Marlee, friends Nicole and Brynn, hero Gavin (delicious) are giving glowing testimonials in Marlee\u2019s eyes (yep, this is a first person POV), and through their actions on behalf of the heroine.\u00a0 Also, Gavin\u2019s agent, Donnie, a true New Yorker with a potty mouth the size of Texas is an inspiration. He deploys the \u2018F\u2019 word with constant efficiency and it\u2019s endearing as it is annoying. The villains and their shenanigans take things to a whole new level.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Second, the hero is so precious. He\u2019s got honor, integrity, kindness, and is gentleman above all things. This guy knows the importance of doing dishes for a woman who cooked his dinner *swoon*. Yes, the guy GETS IT. Every time he comes on the page, opens his mouth, I had to re-read the dialogue. It was like a fantasy walked out. Gavin Pope embodied to me what a football player without the toxic masculinity we are always seeing blasted in the headlines. He\u2019s what I want in a head quarterback.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Especially, after the set down he gives to the wife of the previous lead quarter back for coming down on Marlee after her ex verbally and physically harasses her.<\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>\u201cAre you happy, Marlee? We\u2019re going to lose sponsors and money because you couldn\u2019t just stay at home and your own business.\u201d She stops and moves her narrowed eyes toward Gavin. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so disappointed in you, Gavin. I don\u2019t expect much from her, but you should know better. I can\u2019t believe Coach Jacobs replaced Kevin with someone who would fight a teammate. Kevin would never behave the way you have tonight.\u201d<\/em><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Gavin says. Courtney\u2019s eye widen with surprise \u2013 her forehead still doesn\u2019t move \u2013 and it\u2019s clear to anyone around us, she approached us looking for another fight. \u201cKevin would never stick up for a woman who\u2019s being harassed. Which is the reason I was brought in. Your husband lacks the integrity and leadership it takes to have a winning team.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I found myself smitten right there. Gavin displays qualities I can only hope to instill in my own son. One\u2019s I long to inspire my daughter to search for.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Finally, I loved the story line. This book had a little bit of a chick lit feel to it in that the heroine had some growing to do for herself. She\u2019d gone through a lot with her ex and with living a life for another person. I loved to see Marlee forcing herself to find her again and to learn who she was. It doesn\u2019t dominate the story, but those elements were something I could relate to.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, this book hit all my marks. From the crazy hashtags to powerful dialogue and scenes that are so sticky. I can\u2019t wait for the second book and though this isn\u2019t quite the same old romance I truly believe many will love it the same way I do.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is for readers who enjoyed <strong>The Hating Game<\/strong>.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2xhcmv1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/intercepted\/id1323591603?mt=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/intercepted-alexa-martin\/1127621679?ean=9780451491961#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/intercepted-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Alexa_Martin_Intercepted?id=l3JCDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}