“An author to watch out for.” –RT Book ReviewsHe was the high school hottie. She was the teacher’s pet. But in private, none of that mattered… At the tender age of six, Penelope Watkins fell for her best friend’s brother, Evan Donovan, future hunk. By the time they were teenagers, they were having heart-to-hearts…and hot and heavy top secret make-out sessions. All that changed when Evan’s … that changed when Evan’s father suddenly died. Abruptly, Penelope lost him to grief–and to his true love: football. But now an injury had ended Evan’s NFL career. The notorious bad boy was in a depression no one could penetrate, except maybe the one woman who still knew him best–and still wanted him most…
Penelope is the last person Evan wants to witness the wreck he’s become. So when she shows up at his door he’s less than welcoming–even though the sight of her brings back the same old rush of desire. As a teenager, the emotions overwhelmed him. Now, when he wanted to be overwhelmed, Penelope wasn’t playing. She was telling the golden boy it was time to man up. It may have taken a concussion for Evan to realize it, but that’s exactly what he wants to do–starting with her…
Praise for Jennifer Dawson
“Witty repartee, memorable secondary characters, and powerful attraction skillfully handled will have readers eager for the next in the series.” –Publishers Weekly on Take a Chance on Me
more
Penelope Watkins secretly lost her heart to her best friends brother when they were teenagers, he was the handsome jock with a promising future in the big leagues, and she was an innocent Catholic school girl who thought she didn’t have a chance with him. He had the girls falling at his feet, and she was quite certain she was not even on his radar, but he took her completely by surprise when he made his move and they began a little secret affair. Things seemed to be going quite smoothly between them, and she thought they might have a start at a promising future, then he walked away, and left her broken-hearted and alone. In the years since their break-up she has had a front row seat to his stellar NFL career and the steady stream of women who have spent time in his bed, and it was been excruciating to watch. She has tried to move on and leave her memories of him behind, but no matter how hard she tries he is always there lingering in the back of her mind. After suffering a career ending injury he starts to spiral down hill, and his family can’t stand to see him suffering, so she decides he needs a little tough love to get him back on track…
After a injury permanently ends NFL bad boy Evan Donovan’s time on the field he becomes depressed and begins to spiral down hill into an alcohol induced oblivion, and tries to bury his misery in nameless & faceless women. His family is really worried about him and they have tried everything they can think of to pull him out of his depression, but nothing seems to be working. He knows he needs to let go of his football dreams and move on, but he just can’t bring himself to close that chapter of his life, he needs to find something to believe in again, and get his life back on track but the motivation just isn’t there. That is until he gets a special visit from someone who knows just what to say to help him find his way back…
It has been a while since I have read a story that completely captured my attention, and consumed me the way this one did, I was barely a paragraph into this one and I immediately felt myself being pulled into Evan and Penelope’s world and completely entranced by every written word. These two well constructed characters were definitely a match made in literary heaven, the chemistry they shared could be felt from their first encounter, and continued to burn intently until the very end. As much as I tried to dislike Evan for breaking Penelope’s heart he found a way to sneak in and totally redeem himself, between his take charge alpha demeanor and smooth one liners I was a goner!! I highly recommend you give this read a try, it is one of those stories that will invade your thoughts, steal the breath from your lungs, move you to tears, and linger with you long after the last page has been turned!