4 Stars
Jackson's Trust... I wasn't exactly sure what to expect because the blurb for this book alluded to a few secrets that wouldn't be revealed until probably more than half way through the book... and these secrets were a bit surprising to say the least. So going into this novel I was really open to where the author would take the characters because not only were there secrets within the novel, but also because the plot line was pretty unique.
So this novel followed the interactions of two people who are introduced through their work (Which in itself is a little scandalous). Leila Hart is a woman who wants to be the one to interview all the football players and be the new sideline-reporter "it" person. Now this chick doesn't just look pretty on the sidelines, she actually knows her stuff and proves this fact repeatedly when faced with adversary from some of the men at her work. I really like this aspect of Leila's character because she is presented as smart and confident, adjectives that don't usually describe female characters in sports-related novels.
Jackson on the other hand, is a know-it-all sports analysts who doesn't really do the whole "relationship" thing. I really love the first interaction between Jackson and Leila because their personalities really showed through and this interaction really set the precedent for all interactions afterward, a relationship filled with lightness and friendliness that eventually develops into a romance which causes them both some heartache. Both Jackson and Leila have a secret that they keep from others and its these secrets which sets out to destroys their relationship and their trust in each other. The revelation of these secrets was really well done and was very smoothly built into the plot line.
Violet Duke did a really good job of creating characters that a reader can connect with and almost root for. Leila is a strong female character that other female readers will definitely like and find things in common with while Jackson is a male character that women everywhere will fall in lust with as he presents the perfect mixture of strength and charm. I really loved the dynamic between the two and how they very easily played off each other and created conversations filled with hilarity that were fun to read and actually made me laugh out loud a couple times.
Another great part of this book was the adversaries. There were a couple of different factors that caused some hardships for both Jackson and Leila which tested their trust in each other. One of these factors was Leila's previous boyfriend and another was Jackson's brother. I don't want to delve too much into these adversaries so as not to accidently give away any spoilers but I will say that these adversaries definitely test the two's relationship and gave quite a few upstarts within the novel.
Overall, I really liked this book because not only characters were great, but the plot line was really steady and there was definitely a complexitiy to it that isn't within every novel. I can't wait for the second novel within this series: Bennett's Chance (Fourth Down #2) which releases September 27th 2016!!
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blurb
New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke kicks off her fun and sexy new Fourth Down series with a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.
It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is . . . complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer . . . until now.
Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.
