All you’ll ever be is a pretty face. Star running back Bruce “Bruiser” Mackey has heard those words his entire life, especially after his twin brother’s tragic accident. He might use his surfer-boy good looks to land lucrative endorsements for his secret charity, but he hates books being judged by their covers. Which is why it’s wrong that his friend Mackenzie Hernandez is intent on giving … is intent on giving herself a makeover.
Sure, Mac and her father have been reeling financially since her brother disappeared three years ago, and Steelheads management gives an annual scholarship that might get her life back on track, but he can’t imagine anyone smarter, sexier, or more beautiful than Mac already is. He can’t keep his hands off her—and the more they spend time together, the less he wants to. She’s perfect as is.
One way or another, he’ll make sure the team’s tomboy groundskeeper gets a full ride. And between the two of them, they can learn to accept what’s behind them and look downfield to a future full of win.
Previously published as Backfield in Motion in 2013. This version has been updated, rewritten, and re-edited.
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Another great offering from Jami! This book has your typical jock and normal girl love story but adds a plot twist with the mystery of Mac’s brothers disappearance. Mac is one of the grounds keepers for the Steelheads facility and Bruiser is one of the more high profile players. He keeps the high profile because he has his own demons that the needs to deal with in regards to his twin’s death. Mac has her demons in regards to her brother, her father and the fact that she wants to complete her horticulture degree. One day The Pack decides to give her a makeover for a team function and Bruiser sees her in a different way!
This is such an awesome book and what we come to expect of Jami. I was offered an ARC for an honest review!
Jami Davenport has scored a touchdown with this revamp of a Seattle Steelheads original. Two strong characters, both with flaws which make them more relatable, star in this book. Their chemistry is off the charts, and Ms. Davenport does a stellar job of entwining their lives and entertaining her readers!
Football and Drama
Mac works as a groundskeeper for the Seattleheads and might just have a crush on Bruce aka Bruiser. When her boss approaches her to attend an event, she manages to wrangle a date with her crush Bruiser has a nonchalant approach to life after being burnt more than once in his past….but Mac makes him want to throw his rulebook out the window While both Mac and Bruiser deal with their past demons, a young boy desperate for help becomes the centre of both their worlds – can they figure out a way to be together as a family before they realise how much the aren’t LIVING their lives?
I read this story years ago when it was published under a different name, but it’s just as good as I remembered and made me fall in love with these characters all over againA definite must read series and author. I received an advanced copy and I voluntarily leave my honest review
I read the original years ago, and I really enjoyed the update. Bruiser and Mac are an unlikely match that just works. He plays the game both on the field and off. She learns to play his game and finds her own strengths. I adore these two. Solid world building and the few changes just added to the story even more.
This is a re-release with additional content and editing. I read it when it released the first time, but I really only remembered highlights of the story.
There are many details to the storyline and lots of emotion. While it is a sports romance, the sport (football) is mostly in the background.
Enjoyable read with lots of feels.
Going back to her “Originals”, Draw Play is the story of Bruiser and Mac. Bruiser is the Football Golden Boy and Mac is the Tomboy who works for the teams ground crew. A friends to Lovers story at least on the surface. Underneath they are both 2 people who are living their lives for others. To find their HEA, they must both go over the rocky road and learn to live for and love themselves before they can truly love anyone else. Not a quick road to their forever but the story of Mac and Bruiser is truly heartfelt and sometimes so hard you just want to yell at the book! Truly a great story by Ms. Davenport and can’t wait to read the stories of Bruiser’s teammates down the road when the rest of the Originals are re-released.
Draw Play is an updated, rewritten, newly edited novel by Jami Davenport. It has been previously been published as Down by Contact in 2013. It is part of The Seattle Steelheads series. This book can be read as a stand alone.
Draw Play is the story of Bruce (Bruiser) and Mackenzie (Mac). Bruiser is the playboy football playing male model. Mac is the tomboy groundskeeper for the Steelheads organization.
Bruiser and Mac know each other and are friends. Sort of. Bruiser is the pretty boy of the team. He typically dates super models and actresses. Mac is one of the guys. The girl who kicks back at the bar with them talking football and kicking butt in pool games.
Prior to the season starting Mac had a little run in with Bruiser while he was in the middle of an underwear ad shoot. One that had him holding the underwear, not wearing it. Mac has been trying to get THAT image out of her mind for weeks. Then, in a course of events, Mac finds herself needing to attend a Steelheads’ formal function. With a date. One by one the guys admit they are already booked, until they get to Bruiser. Then we are off to the races.
Bruiser has always thought that Mac was pretty in her casual and direct way. When he shows up at her house to pick her up for the event, he’s floored. Mac has gone though a head to toe makeover from some of the WAGs that she is friends with. The object was to get Mac looking more along the lines of the woman who is in charge of awarding the scholarship Mac needs, but an unintended side effect is that she’s now on Bruiser’s radar as more than just “that cute girl”.
The formal event leads to some interactions with Veronica, the daughter of the team owner. Veronica isn’t a fluffy welcoming sort. It also doesn’t help that Mac walks in with Veronica’s favorite player. As the swipes and snide comments fly, Bruiser becomes more protective of Mac.
The main plot of the story really begins to roll from here. Bruiser is attracted to Mac, but doesn’t do relationships. They decide to try a once or twice thing as both of them are hiding deep secrets that drive their current personalities.
Mac is dealing with the fall out of her older brother’s disappearance three years ago. Her father is determined to find his son and he drags Mac into every little clue, conspiracy, and road trip to track down any little scrap of information. Mac is working with a double load of parent guilt about wanting her own life that doesn’t circle around finding her brother.
Bruiser is hiding quite a lot under his play boy, pretty boy, football player persona. He secretly funds a charity which helps children who have been severely burned. He’s also lost a sibling in a childhood event that leaves lasting results on Bruiser.
The plot stays strong as Mac and Bruiser figure out what they really want and need from each other, how to help close the gaps and soothe the pain of their paths, and help the new people in their lives.
I’ve read other Jami Davenport series, however this is the first of the Steelhead books that I’ve read. I’m curious to read the remaining rereleases and catch up with the rest of the team.
Good story and characters, it was a quick and easy read.
I really enjoyed this book. I love all things Jami Davenport, especially her Sockeye Series, but this re-do of her past books is great! This story was a bit on the serious side for me, considering the circumstances both main characters past lives. It did help in the angst factor, and did make them relatable, well as relatable as a pro football player can be! In the end, I was happy that I read this book and am looking forward to more of her original Steelheads!
Bruiser Mackey is a Star Player for the Seattle Steelheads, a Ladies man to everyone who knows him but is it who he really is.
Mac Hernandez works for the Steelheads, she has had a crush on Bruiser for a long time but she knows he would never see her in any other way then one of the guys until he does see her for more than that.
Bruiser & Mac have a chemistry but life gets in the way, secrets by him and a life changing event for her, but they both can’t seem to help the pull to the other and knowing that they are right for each other helps them see that maybe they would be better together than not.
There story is heartbreaking at times but I think the heartwarming moments shine just as bright and if they can figure it all out they will have a HEA they both truly deserve.
3.5 Stars
Draw Play is a emotional, entincing, and enjoyable sports romance story. The characters Bruiser and Mac, both have secrets that affect them daily, but they keep them to themselves. But for some strange reason they both feel this pull towards one another. Their back and forth banter made me laugh. I liked that both old and new characters were in this story. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
I really love my visits to Seattle is and Jami Davenport’s sports romances and this time we are with The Seattle Steelheads NFL team and we are getting star running back Bryce “ Bruiser” Mackey and Mackenzie Hernandez’s story, it’s a friends to lovers romance that captivated me from the first page to the last line, I needed to know this couple, I needed the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly…..
Bruiser is a man who’s easy to love underneath the football star is a kind caring man who pays secret visits to the local children’s hospital, he will do whatever he can to support his friends and his secret charity but this is a man who believes he can help others but he isn’t worthy of love……
Mac is a friend who hasn’t had it easy since her brother disappeared, she is an intern at the team and is relaying on the sponsorship the team has to offer at the end of the year, problem is there is only one place and 2 people wanting it. Mac is the teams tomboy who also helps out and mix’s with the players, she has never seen the beauty beneath the baggy clothes but Bruiser has, so when he offers to help her get her life back on track it’s hard for him to stay in the friendship zone……
I loved how this friendship grew into love, I laughed, I cried and I swooned as I got engrossed in this romance. This book ticked all my boxes and I highly recommend it to all romance lovers as well as all sports romance lovers because it has something for everyone.
Bruce AKA Bruiser Mackey is a running back for the Seattle Steelheads and is good at what he does. On the surface he’s a charmer, a pretty boy that does a lot of underwear ads and anything else he can for money. Is there more to him than than what you see?
Then we have Mackenzie (Mac as she’s known by) Hernandez who works for the Steelheads organization as a groundskeeper while also working on a degree in Horticulture. She has crushed on Bruiser for several years but she’s just seen as one of the “guys”, a tomboy. She is also trying to win a scholarship from the Steelheads Organization so she can finish her degree and needs to go to a charity event so of course she asks her buddy Bruiser to take her. Several of the teams wives/girlfriends come to her rescue and help her get ready for the event. Bruiser doesn’t recognize her at first and is shocked, she’s beautiful. They fall into a friends with benefits relationship and Mac ends up falling for Bruiser. He doesn’t believe in marriage or even relationships. Why can’t we just stay the way we are?
Both Bruiser and Mac have had tragic events happen in their lives. Both need to work through their pasts so they can move on. Can Bruiser open up and tell Mac about his past and can Mac put their relationship first? Can they help each other through this or will family come first and tear them apart? Secrets!
Can they learn to trust?
Oh so many questions to be answered.
I enjoyed seeing how his teammates supported them and can’t wait to read the others stories. I enjoyed this book.
I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.that
I loved it!
I absolutely loved this book and its story around a family who have a lost a son and brother, and their struggle to find out what happened to him. I think all of us would hold out hope, even when the odds look bad, and Author Jami Davenport has written a book with more range of emotions than you can shake a stick at.
Our couple have both suffered loss. And although their experiences were vastly different, they both had lingering issues that still impacted their lives. They could understand and support each other but only to a point, and I believe that Ms Davenport wrote their views perfectly. I can’t even imagine how I would feel in either of their places in losing a sibling, or even how I would deal with it as a person.
Mac was a woman after my own heart. I’ve been called a bloke in a dress, so I completely identified with her. Even though she was one of the guys, she began to think it would be nice to be appreciated as a woman – by the right guy.
And Bruiser Mackay is that right guy, but he has an image for a reason, and Ms Davenport did an amazing job with his character. Not just a pretty face indeed, this pretty boy hockey player had turbulent depths to his personality!
I love Jami Davenport’s written language; the colloquialisms. It feels almost like I’m having a discussion with an old friend as I familiarised myself with known players and the world that I love to revisit, and re-read. Highly recommended read for those who love their hot hockey players! 4.5 Stars
At first look Mac and Bruiser don’t have much in common. When in fact they have many things in common. They are both part of the Seattle Steelheads organization. He was a running back on the team and she is a groundskeeper. She’s had a crush on him forever but thought she didn’t have a chance with him. She was just one of the guys. Slowly his eyes open and he sees her as more than a friend. He’ll have to work to convince her his feelings are real. I loved Mac and Bruiser! Draw Play is a great addition to the Seattle Steelheads The Originals series!
I’ve loved this novel, it was heartwarming, emotional and touching.
I missed football romance so much and I’m glad this author revamped this series for her old and new fans like me.
Draw Play is Bruiser and Mac’s story. The handsome cocky player the first and the tomboy gardner the latter. They are friends with a lot of chemistry and an even bigger personal baggage.
I was really invested in these characters lives and more than once I wished they could solve and overcome their troubles in order to get a real chance at a loving and happy relationship.
I rarely read the blurb so I found about the missing sibling when I started the book and it pulled at my heartstrings. I’ve been watching a tv show about missing people for years now, I see often those families’ despair and Jami Davenport depicted very well that feeling of anguish that leads people to never give up searching for their dear ones often risking to go insane.
I highly recommend this book and this Originals series.
This was refreshing in that you not only see the insecurities Mac has but also Bruce. He may be arrogant and a hot shot but on the inside, he also has demons. Their friendship, chemistry, and passion was undeniable and I loved reading their journey together.
I always look forward to Jami Davenport’s hockey and football releases–she’s one of my go-to authors for a great sports romance.
Draw Play, book four in the Seattle Steelheads series, was another great read. I loved the story line between Mac, the groundskeeper for the Steelheads, and Bruiser, the pretty boy player. I have to admit, at first, Bruiser was not one of my favorites. As I got to know him better, I learned that he is genuinely a good guy, but on the surface, he’s a bit arrogant and thinks he’s ‘all that.’ Mac is a really sweet young woman who’s had the hots for Bruiser for quite some time. The two of them have a lot of insecurities and it’s what connects them, even though they both don’t want to admit anything.
Bruiser definitely won me over as the book progressed and Jami actually surprised me when he and Mac finally gave things a go. Turns out, they were more compatible than what either of them thought. Draw Play had moments where the story seemed to lull, but I knew Jami wouldn’t disappoint. You don’t have to love sports to appreciate these stories, but the author sure does a great job with the characters that make up the team.
Mac (Mackenzie) and Bruiser (or Bruce) are the two main characters with a lot of baggage to overcome. Mac works on keeping the grounds perfect for the Steelheads, Seattle’s professional football team. Mac is a “one of the boys” as she’s always hanging out with the guys. But she has a part of her life that’s holding her back. Her brother Will disappeared 3 years ago and her father, Craig is determined to find out what happened to him. He believes that Will’s wife, Sonja, who lives next door to Mac had something to do with his death. Unfortunately, Craig is obsessed with finding out what happened and therefore Mac spends all her time trying to help him.
Bruiser, is the resident “pretty boy” of the football team and spends his time playing or modeling for photo shoots. He has a deep dark past that he doesn’t want anyone to know about and yet, he has an incredible charitable side because of it.
The struggle is real as these two try and overcome their family histories and make a go of it together. The pain is very real. But even with their pasts, I loved it!
Bruce ” Bruiser” Mackey is a blond, blue eyed, good looking hunk of a pro football player. In his off time, he models and does endorsements. On the surface, a good looking guy with no depth. Mackenzie Hernandez is the team gardener. A compact brunette, Mac is friends with Bruiser but unbeknownst to him, she has a pretty serious crush on him even as he represents a lot of what she dislikes in a man.
When he starts “dating” her to help her chances of getting a team scholarship, they both discover some truths about each other. Bruiser is actually a caring guy who does a lot of charitable work with burn victims for very personal reasons. Mac has a missing brother and her father can’t let go of searching for him.
I love a good plain girl gets the hunk book and add in that he’s a professional athlete and this read gets that much better. These two have chemistry from the get go even if sometimes it’s bad chemistry based on misconceptions. But when they start to see each other in another light-whoosh! Burn up the pages! The addition of a kid needing a family and making these two see the romance possibilities was a perfect plot and helped make this a very enjoyable read.
I’m glad Ms. Davenport is able to republish her updated original Steelheads books. I have read all of her hockey and later football books and really liked them. Keep them coming!