From New York Times bestselling author Shanora Williams comes a brand new standalone forbidden sports romance about an ambitious college track student and a tough, brooding track coach who is about to meet his match…When I met Amber Lakes, I had no idea that she’d become a shining star in my dark, miserable life.Her smile was never supposed to warm my heart, and the sight of her tears was never … sight of her tears was never supposed to make me want to hunt down the person who’d caused them.
We were never supposed to touch, or kiss, or do so many dirty things on campus that I knew could jeopardize my career…
None of it was supposed to happen because she’s the student – my athlete – and I’m her college track coach.
I could lose everything by being with her, but I’ve fallen too damn hard, and despite how big the risks are, it’s too late to turn back now.
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Coach Torres Wish I had a coach like him at my college. Amber Lakes is a high school graduate who has a full track scholarship to BU. She was trained by her dad who was tough, but she loved it. She was now heading to a school that wouldn’t be so easy on her. With all the bullying she finds a few good friends to let into her circle. Soon Amber and Torres find similarities in their lives, which brings them closer together. I refuse to ruin this book for you, so I will say no more. This is a must read, just like the rest of Shanora’s books. They are AMAZING reads, but don’t take my word for it, check it out yourself! And I’m sure you can’t guess the ending
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
When I met Amber Lakes, I had no idea that she would become a shining star in my dark, miserable life. Her smile was never supposed to warm my heart, and the sight of her tears were never supposed to make me want to hunt down the person who’d caused them. We were never supposed to touch, or kiss, or do many dirty things on campus that I knew could jeopardize my career. None of it was supposed to happen because she’s my student-my athlete-and I’m her college track coach. I could lose everything by being with her, but I’ve fallen too darn hard, and despite how big the risks are, it’s to late to turn back now.
This is the story of Amber and Joaquin.. Both of these characters have suffered from tragedies in their lives. Amber has run track since she was just a little girl and was determined to be the fastest and best at it. Her father was a track coach and he took her with him everyday and just set her loose and let her run. This lead to the love of running and she still wanted to keep her dads memory alive of her being a great track star. She is off to college and that is where she meet Coach Torres who never smiles and is really hard on the athletes. Life has not been easy for him either. And while that is bad enough this story focuses on the inequality and racism of people of color. There is a huge age difference between thee characters and then the forbidden aspect of him being her college coach in track and how they should never be together. But sometimes things are just meant to be and will be no matter how much you fight it or how wrong you think it is. It is a beautiful story so I wouldn’t let the age cap and forbidden thing have anything to do with me not picking this book up and reading it. If you do you are missing one amazing story. This too was my first book by Shanora Williams but it won’t be my last. I loved how she built her characters, gave them hearts, big ones and showed the realness of what it is like to be of color in this day and age.
Amber has always been dedicated to being the fastest runner in her state. Alongside her dad coaching her and encouraging her, she was well on her way. Then her father passed when she was a teen and she sort of lost that dream. But she picked herself up and now she’s on the college track team, ready to take her dream to the next level. Then she meets her new coach. Her new sex on a stick coach. Her new broody coach. He’s demanding and pushes all his athletes to new heights, taking them beyond their comfort zones. And he has high expectations, even higher than normal, though, for Amber because he sees her potential and wants to nurture it. He also wants her…in forbidden, naughty ways…
Whew, Shanora, the Queen of Forbidden Love has taken on a new subject this time with a coach and his younger athlete, and she absolutely nailed it! Joaquin and Amber are a fabulous couple. Yes their story is forbidden love and all that, but it’s got a sweet edge not always found, even in Shanora’s own writing, and it rounded out their story in ways I loved. So if age gap, forbidden love, sports romances, are at all in your lane, I highly advise you download your own copy of Coach Me. It’s sweet, it’s beyond delicious, and Torres and Amber are a fascinating couple.
Coach Me by Shanora Williams is a great taboo, age gap forbidden romance. The angst and sexy combined had me hooked and finishing this book super quick! Truthfully, it took me a moment to get into the story, as I’ve struggled with reading while we are facing the global problem that is Covid-19, however that quickly changed. There was a lot of drama and OW/OM interference as Amber and Joaquin navigate the very real problems inherent in a student/coach age gap relationship. Also, Williams doesn’t hold back in exploring the ugly side of human nature by introducing racial equality issues to compound the complications presented between the pair. The emotions written into every scene will leave you equally heartbroken and heated. Coach Me is as sexy as I anticipated when I signed up to blog another Shanora Williams book. She’s the writer that I count on for taboo tales with angst that bleeds off the pages and for the sexy to nearly ignite my kindle. Both of those factors were displayed beautifully in Coach Me. I loved the manor in which Williams blurred the lines between Joaquin and Amber, and how much the pair fought their attractions to one another initially until it simply couldn’t be ignored any longer. The soul deep connection they shared made their relationship so much more than the cliché student/coach relationship and brought realism into the story. You can stop reading reviews and head straight to the kindle store to one-click this one!! FIVE-STARS
Quotes:
Falling in love is like being diagnosed with an incurable disease. It’s inevitable and unexpected.
Coach Torres is walking sex on a stick and I am one hundred percent intrigued by him.
Fuck the risks. Fuck the age difference. Fuck it all. Amber Lakes is all mine and I’ll be damned if I let her slip away from me.
I loved this book! Joaquin and Amber’s story was so swoony and angsty and emotional and HOT! The plot was fast-paced and I couldn’t quit reading. I had to finish in one sitting. The characters’ struggles were gut-wrenching. I felt everything they did. This is a romance, but it is so much more. It is a raw, honest look at huge, heart-breaking issues in our society. It grabbed my mind as well as my heart. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone!
Coach Me is a forbidden age gap romance. I really liked it. It was a little angsty, emotional but hot read. Joaquin Torres and Amber Lakes had a sizzling and beautiful connection. I loved them together. I could not get enough of those two!
The vibe with this book was different but I loved it. Coach Me was definitely an entertaining, page turner and well written story. When I think about the characters I smile. Joaquin and Amber are 2 characters you will fall in love with. This book was about a forbidden romance but also touch base on racism. I definitely recommend reading this book!! And I received an ARC for my honest opinion. I love this book!!
Amber – college freshman, track star, the only black woman on her college team. Was trained by her dad until he died when she was 13. She’s good, but some people have issues with her being there. Racial issues. She is drawn to one of her coaches.
Joaquin – one of the coaches of her track team, grumpy, driven, and comes down hard in practice. He hates the racism he sees, and does his part to put an end to it. His father was killed when he was 20. He finds himself drawn to Amber because they have similar pasts.
What happens when a student athlete falls for a coach? This very well written story tells us just that, and the journey to find out how it ends is one worth the trip!
I really liked this story… I loved these characters and their similarities. They just fit! I’m not a believer that age matters, because life, and the things that happen to us, cause us to grow and mature differently. Shanora Williams captured this, and all of the nuances of this in this book!! It is excellent! I couldn’t stop reading!
“Coach Me” by Shanora Williams was smart, sexy, informative, and inspiring. An age-gap story of fighting for love, for fighting for justice and fighting for truth. This story had emotions that invested me in loving both Coach Joaquin Torres and Amber Lakes. I loved their blossoming road to friendship and mutual respect. Their path blossomed to something more that was powerful and their relationship bloomed. 4 stars for a love that’s amazingly just.
Shanora Williams has delivered an amazing story that brings all the taboo, steam, and the romance we all love, but also with a backstory that will have you devoted to the success of these characters in all of their circumstances.
Amber and Joaquin’s love story is so special.
I went into this book expecting to love it, because I always love a great forbidden romance, but I never expected it to leave such a mark on my heart. Both Amber and Joaquin’s journey to understanding, and pushing through their traumatic past’s provided us with emotions so relatable, you couldn’t help but feel like you lived through their situation as well.
&The moments of joy and happiness were the same. You could feel it all, and it really was so refreshing to be able to connect with these characters in such a real and relatable way.
Coach Me is about a track athlete named Amber Lakes. She decides to attend Bennett University when offered a full ride scholarship for her talent in track. She is a strong runner, and has the potential to bring BU some really important wins. Growing up with her father as a track coach, she learns from him, and put her all into making it to the top in the track world.
Joaquin Torres is an ass, & he knows it. He is also extremely handsome, and the girls all can’t help but notice. Torres becomes Amber’s everyday coach, and together Amber continues to prove herself worthy of her position at BU.
But, Amber Lakes is the only real POC on her track team, and sadly, it is something that she is reminded of everyday by the majority of the other team members.
Torres and Amber find themselves catching feelings they are really unsure about, because how can a coach and his athlete be together? They can’t. &They both know that.
I really loved the strength that Shanora provided Amber with. She was a beautiful character inside and out, and if she were a real person, I would want her as a friend. She really is one of my favorite female characters that I have read before. &Torres is just as amazing. He has a rough exterior, but underneath he is exactly what Amber needs!
This book truly deserves all 5 of those stars, and it should absolutely be read. It has that forbidden touch, but there is just so much more to it, and it is SO worth the read! I cannot recommend it more!
Wow! Shanora nailed it again! I fell in love with this story. It touched my heart.
This was not an easy read. Shanora digs deeper. She doesn’t hold back. It’s why I love everything she writes.
As the story developed, I no longer saw Amber and Joaquin’s relationship as forbidden because it was so much more.
Racism. We hear about it but never truly know unless it happens to you or witness it. This will open your eyes to the truth of what happens daily in our society.
A must-read emotional story with a beautiful ending. Absolutely loved it!
Forbidden Romance | Student/Coach
Coach Me is a standalone, student/coach, forbidden romance from Shanora Williams. If you haven’t read her books before you should know that she writes some steamy forbidden romances. Those books are the exact reason I started reading her novels and honestly, I haven’t been able to get enough of them since then. When I found out she was writing a forbidden romance between a college athlete and her coach I jumped at the chance to read it and I am really glad I did. I don’t read enough books like this and it was unique in comparison to the books I’ve been reading lately. While I did enjoy this one as a whole though, it’s not a favorite of mine when it comes to her books. I think one of the main reasons is that I never felt the angst or forbidden passion between Torres and Amber. Perhaps this is because there weren’t many clandestine meetings? It all just happened very quickly and that made for an un-angsty read for such a forbidden subject. Don’t get me wrong, Shanora can write the heck out of a forbidden romance, I just didn’t FEEL it between these two.
One of the things I absolutely LOVED about this book is that the characters are multicultural. You don’t see this enough in romance novels to be honest and it’s a breath of fresh air when you do. There were some moments that were uncomfortable because racial biases were a part of this story (I hate stereotyping and racist remarks), but they certainly bring major issues to light. I think many readers will connect with Amber because she’s so raw and real and deals with her haters appropriately.
All in all, this is another solid read from the author and I think many readers are going to really love it. While it’s not my personal favorite it might be yours so make sure to check it out when it releases.
I liked the story and the characters, I liked that it was different than what I’m used to reading.
Shanora brings the HEAT in this sexy age gap romance.
Torres was broody, moody and down right sexy. He had a charm about him I found sexy and even his rudenss was sexy. Maybe I’m weird.
Amber was tough and stood by her roots I loved that she didnt take any crap form anyone.
Shanora wrote about a topic that is still even to this day out there and I loved that she took us to that aspect of it. The depth and soul in these characters made for a captivating read.
Torres and Amber had passion, depth, angst and drama all in one delcious read.
This story pushed boundries and drama and I loved that it took you on those rides.
A book that deals with race, love, drama and loss. Every page keeps you intruiged and gasping for more.
I couldn’t love this book more if I tried.
I love a good age gap romance story and Shanora hits those out of the park.
Torres will have you gasp, smile and bite your lip with his mouth, but don’t worry Amber will have you smiling just as big this girl is tough and she keeps Torres on his toes.
This story is precious and sweet but also eye-opening and incredibly intriguing.
‘Coach Me’ by Shanora Williams is a brand new standalone, an age gap, forbidden romance that will give you all the feels but also make you experience anger like never before.
This book is extremely interesting because it gives you valuable insight into how hard life is for some people, and what they have to face and go against every single day.
The characters in this book are incredibly precious, they will snatch your heart right out of your chest from the very beginning, they will make you fall in love with every flaw they have and everything that makes them, them.
I cannot stress enough how good this book is, how unapologetic and unique it is, how much it will touch you, and plant a seed inside your brain that will never stop growing.
This book is not only real and raw but also steamy and funny, it is a perfect mix of all the craziest of emotions you might feel, so creating a beautiful story that you’ll want to devour in one sitting.
Amber is an incredibly talented woman and athlete, she is empathic and funny, she is smart and a true prodigy on the track field. Her life has not been easy but she won’t let anything bring her down or even stop her from achieving her dreams and making her parents proud.
She is dedicated, stubborn, and determined, a force to be reckoned with, and no matter how bad things get for her, she refuses to bow down or give up.
Amber is going to have to go through a tough period of her life, choosing her dream college only for it to become a nightmare of racist people that will make her life hell. But through it all, Amber is strong, brave, and resilient, she never stops walking with her head held up high and always working to better her future.
She is mature and refuses to stop and give attention to the very people that are trying to drive her away, she is incredibly courageous and even when she decides to give her feelings for her coach a chance, she stays true to herself and is ready to face the consequences.
Coach Joaquin Torres is a gentleman, a soft and caring man that hides behind the cold and stern facade and always acts as if nothing can get to him.
He is an incredible coach for his athletes and is willing to put 110% into his job in order to give them what they deserve. He is always pushing each and every single one of his athletes to be better and do better, both on and off the track, no matter how difficult the situations may be.
Being Mexican on a campus like that of BU University puts him in the same pool as Amber, that of the minority one, where they have to keep proving they are worth being there while also not letting the hateful words get to them.
But nonetheless, Coach Torres goes above and beyond for his job and will do everything to protect his athletes.
Joaquin is sweet, caring and overall precious if you ask me. Life has made him the hard man he is now, but with a little bit of coaxing and a personality like Amber’s, he’ll soon show his real and true self.
Their relationship is forbidden and unconventional, a student/ teacher romance that shouldn’t be happening in the first place, but is almost inevitable and can’t be ignored.
Their age difference doesn’t really weigh on them because they connect from the very beginning as if their souls recognized one another and knew that there was an unbreakable connection between them.
This is a beautiful story of love, pain and hate, one that will break your heart more times than I can count, but that will also overfill you with love and joy.
It will open your eyes and almost get you to hate humanity, but the more you read, the more you love these characters and understand what they had to go through in order to become what they are today.
This is a story that will feel like it can’t have a good ending, but after every fight, every kiss, every scream, and every tear, the only thing that’s missing is happiness. And trust me, true and raw happiness is what you’ll get.
This was a great read. The author handled serious real world problems in a very honest way. It was an emotional story and I believe more stories like this need to be told.
The connection and chemistry between the characters was fantastic and I loved the banter between them. It was a definite page turner.
And Shanora has slayed a forbidden romance that will make you all hot and steamy. The emotion, decisions, and just following your heart sucked me in from the beginning. The chemistry was not evident in the beginning. So it becomes more and more as the story continues. She definitely knows how to take a taboo romance and make it suck Your ability to function in real life. I got nothing else done today!! Nothing!!
Taboo/forbidden romances are probably favorite troupe. And this book definitely hit the steamy Areas too. I loved how the characters, along with secondary characters, had compassion and understanding for things that happen. She also touches on some tougher topics that are done so well and make you want to hurt some girls in response. Seriously!!
Amber goes to college after training her whole life for track. She tragically has to deal with something really hard at a young age. When she gets to school, in walks Joaquin. Holy hotness!! Their story is a slow burn. One that starts slow and builds into an inferno. There are always consequences to our decisions and they take them like a champ. Their story is one with some twists and turns, but some sweet and steam mixed in.
A great story about realizing you can overcome tragedy and find that person that helps ease the pain. Second chances we worth it!!
Shanora Williams unapologetically went there! Exposing some of the truths black and brown people deal with living in the world today while telling a beautiful love story. I appreciated this book so much and how Torres and Amber’s relationship grew through it all. I love age gaps and these two were burning up the pages from the very start. It was steamy and consuming. Highly recommend giving this book a read. Also……have you seen the cover? Whew!!!!!!
Wow!! this book!!
Coach Me is the newest novel from Shanora Williams that features taboo relationships. Amber is a freshman at Bennet University, an ivy league school in North Carolina, with a full ride scholarship for track. As the only female black track runner on her team, she faces issues with diversity right away with other teammates and with one of the assistant coaches. That part is really heartbreaking since it’s so hard for me to understand why there are people out there that think they are better than others.
One of the other assistant coaches, Coach Torres, not only fights for her but challenges her to be a better runner. His back story is VERY tragic…i cried a bit reading that part!!
Their romance starts slow with both of them refusing for anything to go further… until they can’t fight their feelings anymore. Since he’s her coach, they have to be very secretive about their relationship. But secrets are hard to stay secret… especially when they are taboo.
I friggin loved this book. As always, Shanora did a wonderful job bringing the story alive. The characters felt very real and I thought the ending perfect. I definitely recommend this book!!
I recieved an ARC for my honest review.
My first read by Shanora Williams and I have to say it was mesmerizing and kept me entertained for hours. This story contains so much, a taboo relationship between a coach and a student. Just in case that is not enough for you it also has prejudice, hatred, racism, and bigotry. So much inequity!
Amber Lakes is a young African American girl who’s father trained the best of the best in track and field. He was a track coach for a private league and she trained with him every Saturday. Amber’s goals were to become the fastest female track runner in her state and marry the fastest man alive. She was accepted to Bennett University (BU) on a full track scholarship.
Joaquin Torres is an assistant track coach at BU. Coach Torres is walking sex on a stick and intriguing to females everywhere. Once Coach Torres meets Lakes he is impressed with her skills and commitment to her team. Shanora describes it best in one sentence “Falling in love is like being diagnosed with an incurable disease. It’s inevitable and unexpected.”