Meet Noah Geren in this Brother’s Best Friend Romance
Dating my brother’s best friend? Yeah, that’s forbidden… idea of him go.
And it almost worked
Until that late summer night.
Shannon Smith.
My best friend’s sister.
The secret star of my late-night fantasies.
Hotter than sin.
Unattainable
There’s a code among best friends and teammates—no dating their sisters.
Too bad I didn’t listen.
One weak moment changed everything.
And nothing at all.
I’m not good for her.
They call me the sensible one,
But the more Shannon and I are forced to be together,
Staying away makes less sense,
And the reasons become hard to remember.
But I need to stay strong.
For reasons she’ll never understand.
Book Two in the Cessna U Wildcats series, Behind the Count, is a best friend’s sister, stand-alone romance. If you like sexy, hot baseball players, click to add Noah Geren.
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I love best friends sister stories.
In book one we meet Shannon and Noah. You could tell from book one their story was going to be amazing. It was!
Shannon has been in love with Noah for forever and he with her.
How on earth are they going to have a relationship without Shannon’s brother finding out? He is as protective as they come!
I absolutely loved their story and was thrilled when I wouldn’t have to wait long because it was book two!!!!
The push and pull of what they should or shouldn’t do was scattered throughout the book.
I’m looking forward to more stories.
Wow!!! Let me start by saying that this series always leaves me mind blown! This book was definitely no exception!! Such a great story about two childhood friends growing up and their relationship eventually blossoming into love! Such a great ending and great book overall!
“Behind the Count: Cessna U Wildcats” by Kimberly Readnour is the second book in the Cessna U series and tells Noah and Shannon’s story. Noah is a college baseball player hoping to be drafted into the major leagues and he’s in love with Shannon, his best friend, Braxton’s sister. Braxton, has no idea but he has a hard and fast rule about teammates not dating his sister. That, coupled with the possibility that he may develop a serious disease is messing with Noah’s head. He doesn’t ever want to become a burden to Shannon and he doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Braxton. Shannon is a design major competing for a prestigious project and has loved Noah since she was a young girl. No matter what her brother’s rule is, she wants to be with him. She also has a heart condition that brings out her family’s overprotectiveness and she struggles for her family to treat her like a normal person.
I was kept on pins and needles the entire time. Will they resolve their fears? Will a health issue stand in their way? Will Noah be drafted by a MLB team? Will they wind up together?
I hate giving not so great reviews on an arc. But I just have to. This book is just about everything I hate about friends to lovers books. We knew in book one that these two were going to be a pairing. I was all about that during that book. But their story fell so flat for me.
Timelines didn’t add up either at times and that’s a pet peeve of mine. I’m happy to know I was correct about another character so there was that and truth be told I only stayed with the book to see if my suspicions from book 1 were correct. It was but I finished the book anyway, looking for clues about THAT couple, which I’m sure will get their own book but I can’t say I’ll read it sadly.
ARC provided by author for honest review. Sorry, but this wasn’t my jam.
**3.5 Stars
I love sports romances, and throw in a brothers best friend trope (which is my absolute favorite) I immediately wanted to read this book! And while I did enjoy it, I wasn’t fully as immersed in these characters as I have been in the past with this author.
Shannon and Noah have both secretly wanted each other for years, but Shannon has never voiced her feelings in fear of jeopardizing their friendship, and the friendship he has with her brother Braxton, but a girl can only take so much longing before she finally gives into temptation. I did love how Shannon put herself out there — even if her naive ways did grate on my nerves a bit — but she was truly a genuine character who knew what she wanted and just wanted to be seen as the adult that she was. Not as Braxton’s sister, not the girl who has always been protected and shielded by her family, but just her. I really respected her for that.
My issue truly lied with Noah. His constant back and forth, playing with her emotions just to go got and cold got old real fast. He wouldn’t let her in, but then after all territorial as soon as someone else showed interest. Plus his inability to stand up to Braxton bothered me. (But I did love the shade that Shannon constantly threw his way because of it. He definitely deserved it.) And of course when he thought he was doing the selfless thing based on what he thought his future would be, he did it in the worst, painful way.
Noah’s backstory was emotional, but because of my hang-ups with his character, I just didn’t truly connect to him in the way that I was meant to.
I did enjoy seeing Shannon grow as the story continued, and I am glad that they finally got their HEA!
Overall, this was a very cute story. I am definitely invested in some particular side characters who I hope her their own stories, so I will definitely be reading from this author again!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
This book pulled me in and kept me entranced till the end. The feelings of love, hate, and pain coming out in waves making you want to cry while you read. This was such a beautiful book! I loved the characters wholesomeness!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is a home run in all ways! It’s witty, dramatic, and tear-jerking! It made me laugh, and it also made me want to cry. It is a 5-star book in the sports romance category! This is the second book in the Cessna U Wildcats series. You don’t have to read the first book to understand the second book, but the first book gives some good context to characters, and it helps you understand what has been building up between Noah and Shannon. I loved this story, the characters, and the relationships that have continued to blossom throughout this series. I cannot wait for the next book!
Shannon and Noah have been close since grade school. Since Noah is Braxton’s best friend and Braxton being Shannon’s brother the three have been through a lot together. Shannon has always had feelings for Noah but never acted on them. Till one night during a storm he acts on them and makes things awkward between them. They both hold some secrets from each other but still try to fight the attraction to each other at bay. Which isn’t easy for either of them. Shannon gets close to Noah and they start a relationship but can’t fully come out since the rule Braxton has is no dating sister’s of the team and when your friend is the one to mess that up you don’t know what to do. Great book. Can’t wait for more.
This second book of the Cessna U Wildcats series is wonderful! Author Kimberly Readnour is amazing with the baseball trope, and the “extras” she throws into the College-aged romance series is FANTASTIC! She blended the brother’s best friend into Behind the Count which makes it a triple play in my book!
Noah Green is Cessna University’s starting catcher…and has been fellow teammate Braxton Smith’s best friend since they were in little league. He’s gone through a lot in his short life, and his inner demons and fears might ruin the best thing that has ever come into his life…Shannon Smith, Braxton’s younger sister. Of course, with what should be an unwritten rule, but is instead a well-mentioned code among teammates…sisters of players are off limits.
The author has written a well-flowing, slow burning romance, full of incredible characters, perfect blend of regrets, drama, heartache and heat. I love the banter between all of the teammates…and there is a lot…and it is perfection! I really, really enjoyed this baseball friends-to-lovers romance, plus, the epilogue was heartwarmingly lovely! 4.5 stars…rounding up to 5!