She’s in hiding. He’s focused on football. When giving in to desire is risky, will they choose to play for love?Nurse Kara Boggs lost everything because she stood up for what’s right. After turning state’s evidence against her mobster father, she’s forced to go underground with an assumed name. But taking a job for a handsome celebrity quarterback could shine a very dangerous public spotlight.… dangerous public spotlight.
After leading his team to a Super Bowl win, Brody Mullen should be on top of the world. But he’s shocked when his quiet seaside homecoming reveals his mother in a cast, and her housekeeper dying from a brain tumor. Frantic to get the best care for the women he adores, he hires a gorgeous nurse… despite her strange request to stay publicly invisible.
As Kara’s attraction to the charming jock grows, she becomes trapped by her own high-stakes secrets and the constant threat of exposure. And Brody’s famously strict “no women” rule means falling hard for the beautiful woman could ruin his career.
Will they be sidelined by their own rules, or will they complete a pass to passion?
Traded: Brody and Kara is the touching first book in the Cliffside Bay small-town romance series. If you like courageous heroines, steadfast heroes, and heartfelt stories of friendship and family, you’ll adore Tess Thompson’s emotional saga.
Buy Traded: Brody and Kara to win love’s game today!
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Despite the fact that this story did not have any violence nor action adventure, it is nevertheless suspenseful and keeps the reader on their toes. Having to go deep into the Witness Protection Program, Kara lives in fear of being discovered and the people she comes to love, being targeted because of her past. Meeting Brody, a man she had thought to be spoilt and arrogant, she is pleasantly surprised to find that he is a regular guy who cares for his family and friends, whilst guarding his privacy fiercely. When she finds herself on his doorstep for an interview as a nurse, she is shocked, and almost turns tail because she knows that where Brody goes, there will be cameras. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters of small-town Cliffside Bay, with their own secrets and quirks of personality. However, Brody himself is an interesting character, in that he well knows how to stay away from women who would be detrimental to his sports career, he doesn’t have a clue how to go about courting the one woman he should leave alone. This book is really well written as it draws the reader into the lives of the small community, making one feel a part of their community. There is wit and secondary plots that keep the story interesting, right up to the very last page. I received a copy of this book for free as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Traded is a sweet story of second chances and loving at great risk to yourself. This is a sweet book, not a lot of heat, but it doesn’t need it. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to lend this one to my mom. 😉
As with most of Tess Thompson’s stories, there are multiple story lines, and a whole host of well developed characters. The secondary love story is sweet and unexpected, yet doesn’t feel forced. I like that the characters aren’t perfect, they have flaws, and plenty of them.
I did have to mentally recast Brody, as he reminds me of a certain quarterback I despise. Brody and Kara manage to overcome the odds, and I suspect that their story will continue to develop in the series. I’m looking forward to finding out how his fame and her secret can possibly co-exist.
Rating 3.5
I was excited to read this as I love sports romance, however, this was not sports romance. Although the story revolves around Brody, who is a professional football player, it is more about Brody and Kara, the small town of Cliffside Bay and the five best friends and their families. Even though I started out disappointed, I quickly discovered I was really enjoying this book.
This is a new to me author and I liked her smooth writing style. It was well written and there is a lot going on with multiple stories in progress, but it was so well done, that I was totally engaged. It is also told in dual POV, which I appreciate because I am in the characters heads. It started a little slow with the laying of the foundation of Kara’s entry in the Witness Protection Program, but quickly rolled in to a smooth rhythm.
I loved Kara! She was an amazing, smart and nurturing woman with a very tragic past. My heart hurt for her. She was so kind, and people just connected with her. She had a way about her that draws you in and makes you feel comfortable and that’s what hooked Brody. She was not only beautiful on the outside, she was beautiful on the inside!
Brody was a great guy but at times he was selfish, and I loved how Kara called him on it. He could be harsh and quickly regretted his mistakes when he would lash out. He has strong women in his life, his mother and the housekeeper/nanny that helped raise him. It has been two years since Brody lost his beloved father and it has taken a toll on the family. Kara is hired to help take care of Brody’s mom after she fell and broke her leg and Flora the ailing housekeeper that is recovering from pneumonia and is suffering from a brain tumor that is going to require surgery. Kara becomes attached to her wards, even though that is not her way. She can’t help falling for the women that remind her of the mother that she lost.
Brody and Kara want to be together, but he is her employer, and this is only a temporary arrangement. Their attraction is strong, and feelings are getting involved. Their relationship is slow burn. It took a while for them to get together. There are no explicit scenes, this is a sweet love story. I usually like more heat in my romance, but it was a good story with engaging characters, so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.
The secondary characters have significant roles in this book as it sets up all the players. They are genuinely good people with stories to tell and I can’t wait to read them. I truly enjoyed each and every one of them. Okay so why the lower rating, I felt that with all the build up that the ending was rushed, and I felt like I needed more. A chapter or epilogue to wrap it up in a neat little bow. Alas I didn’t get it. I really liked it and I will continue with the series because I am invested in all the characters.
I really enjoyed taking a day off and read Traded by Tess Thompson. I loved everything that became of this story. When I read the blurb, I was sure this was a normal Sports Romance that I love. No way was that the case here. Yes the hero of the story is a football player. Yes it starts off with the sports, but wow it is so much more than the game!
Traded is a story that I did not expect. You will get the romance and chemistry. It is mild when it comes to the Heat level, but I enjoyed it all the same. You get the same experience on a different level. Brody and Kara were a match made. Kara has a HUGE secret that she can never let get out. She fears it will ruin Brody before they start anything. He becomes everything that she needs. The family connection is amazing along with friendship between the dogs.
This story has so much going on, but it intertwines within itself. You get second chance, lost loves, and new love. I could not put this book down! I am excited to start this series and have love for this little Bayside town that I am now fond off!
This was a sweet contemporary romance with a slow burn. I was intrigued when I read the blurb and am glad that I gave this book a chance. Kara’s life has done a complete 360 and she has to start over. Brody has just won the super bowl but has also found out that someone he loves isn’t doing so well. He doesn’t like new people entering his circle but has no choice but to let someone new in. These two have an instant attraction (probably insta-love but neither of them are willing to admit it), however they try to fight it at all costs. This story had a unique secondary story and a ton of lovable secondary characters. I love down and dirty books but sometimes a sweet contemporary story is just what a person needs. OH and don’t forget about Minnie. She just sounds so adorable. I love how she won over Brody’s heart. *I voluntarily read an advanced copy for an honest review.*
Incredibly sweet, filled with love from family and friends and a slow burn that keeps you on the edge for more Traded: Brody & Kara is simultaneously emotional & angsty yet sweet. I enjoyed the full family of characters from Brody & Kara themselves, to Brody’s Mom and Flora. At times it’s was like getting three stories in one with the addition of Brody’s family.
While I overall enjoyed the story, I have to say the romance fell flat. We see more of Brody’s mother & housekeeper than we do of Brody. I had more of a connection to them than I did him. The romance between Kara and Brody is he slowest of slow burns and while sweet, we really only get a minimal time of them as a couple before the ending which really left me feeling not much.
After making a life altering decision to stand up for what she believes is right, Kara finds herself on the run and in witness protection needing to make a new start and a new life for herself while staying completely under the radar. She finds herself in the very quiet coastal town of Cliffside Bay, California. In desperate need of a job, Kara interviews to be a live in nurse. Now, her biggest issue will be not falling for her handsome employer!
Brody Mullen is the star quarterback in the league after just winning the Super Bowl. He’s excited to have a few quiet months at home in Cliffside Bay until he finds out that his mother has a broken leg and is suffering from depression and the housekeeper who is more a part of the family than an employee has a brain tumor. He needs live in help to handle all that’s being thrown at his family, but he doesn’t trust easy since he’s been burned in the past. Kara seems to be the perfect, if unexpected solution. If only he can get past his fear that she is hiding something from him about her past.
Traded was my first time reading Tess Thompson and I really enjoyed it! I fell in love with the sleepy little town of Cliffside Bay who stays quiet and hidden and takes care of their own. It’s the perfect spot for a public figure to relax and enjoy some downtime and for someone needing to stay under the radar. Kara is an amazingly strong female lead. She’s made some tough choices in the name of doing what’s right and has to suffer the consequences. She’s truly trying to make the best of it and falling in love with an extremely well known sports star was never in her plans. Brody doesn’t intend on falling either . . . his last relationship was nothing more than a gold digger willing to ruin his reputation to get her money. He wants to trust Kara so badly and just can’t because he can tell she has secrets and he’s terrified about how they will affect him and his family. I love the way they dance around their attraction for one another because they both know it can’t go anywhere with the baggage they both bring to the table. I also love Brody’s optimism that he can find a way to make it work!
While Tess and Brody are the main story, there are two fantastic sub-plots – One with Brody’s mom Janet who wants to start dating again after the death of Brody’s father. The other is Flora’s story of a young love and baby she was forced to give up before finding work with the Mullens family. The author did an amazing job of weaving all three stories together to create a wonderful story that truly comes full circle for all involved. I’m also excited to see this series continue as each of Brody’s friends we were introduced to in this book finds their soulmate. 4 stars!