★ A Top 30 Amazon Bestseller & RITA® Winner ★.A FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA… .Think you know what it’s like being a baller’s girl? You don’t. My fairy tale is upside down. A happily never after. I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud. I was a fool, and his love – fool’s gold. Now there’s a new player in the game, August West. One of the NBA’s brightest … the game, August West.
One of the NBA’s brightest stars.
Fine. Forbidden.
He wants me. I want him.
But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won’t let me go
*Contains domestic/sexual abuse not involving the hero. Read reviews for guidance.
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I wish I could rate this book higher than five stars! This is one of the best books I have ever read and I read a lot. I loved the story, the characters, and the writing! I can’t wait to read her other books!
Great book. Enjoyed every minute of it.
Such a well written book. Very thoughtful in the telling of abuse.
This well written book was very hard to read because it was so intense. There was so much violence and sadness that I do not think I will be keeping it on my Kindle.
Truly enjoyed every page of this book. Twists and turns, engaging characters. Great read from start to finish! Have started following the author for more great reads.
Long Shot took a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, but overall I was very pleased with the book! A couple of the scenes were a bit graphic for my tastes, but I think they were very realistic. Would definitely read more of Kennedy Ryan!
Very realistic about how a preditory personality can work himself into your life.
This book contains a lot of universal truths and was a gripping read. Shows domestic abuse from another angle, written with insight and compassion. Recommended.
Loved that there was a male character that never gave up on the woman he loved .
This book tackles a very serious subject within a love story. Tears and smiles accompany Iris and August on their journey to HEA.
Started slow, ending was a bit rushed.
Shines a bright light on abuse within a great story
I loved I loved this book SO much!
This was a good read. Iris and August had a connection from the very beginning but a lot would happen and it would be a long time before they would be able to actually be together. I enjoyed Iris and I hated what Caleb put her through but he definitely got what he deserved in the end. I had never expected him to get that bad and even have people in his life that accepted his behavior. Caleb’s dad definitely should have forced him to get help. I loved August from the very beginning and he had a lot of patience and determination when it came to Iris. I loved him with Sarai. I definitely look forward to reading the next book in this series. I hope Lotus (Lo) gets her own book because I loved her character. However, beware that this book does include mental and physical abuse.
Kennedy explored some sore spots of abuse in this first installment of the Hoops series. My first experience of reading this author has been very emotional and intense, yet I am profoundly in awe of her work! This is also the first sports romance That I’ve read that was not a romcom yet kept me enthralled throughout the whole book. Huge props on executing such a well written love story that will live with me forever!
It took me a long while to read this book because life happens. I took a break from reading for a couple of months. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love this book, because I do. I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner.
Iris and August their story is a though story to read, but it’s also beautiful in it’s own way. As expected love wins in the end, but to get there they have to go through a war zone. I don’t want to spoil the story for you so I won’t go into detail what obstacles they have to overcome before they can be together. I just want to warn you that it’s a tough road.
My favourite character in this book is August. I love how he holds on, even though things look unlikely. Even though there are a million reasons to give up. He still has hope. And that is exactly what Iris needs. Someone to fight for her and to put her needs first.
I am currently reading and thoroughly enjoying!
This book was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to read that I could only take it in small doses but the fact that it doesn’t follow the usual formula of boy meets girl, light-hearted casual conflict, and happily ever after is highly commendable. I don’t imagine it’s easy tackling subject matters such as rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence but Kennedy Ryan does a stellar job of shedding light on women of the same experiences and giving their voices justice. Probably the best thing about this book was that there was just something so profound about how the story progressed that by the end, you realize just how much has happened throughout the whole thing — whether it be gut-wrenchingly painful or ecstatically beautiful — and that all of it amounted to something so much greater than what you initially expected. Solid 4-star read.
Wow! This book…there are hardly words to describe the emotional roller coaster I went though reading about Iris and August. This is the power of romance and it’s capacity to overcome even the worst of circumstances. I’ve found a new favorite author and series.
I haven’t read or listened to any of Kennedy Ryan’s books before but I had always heard good things about them so this book was on my TBR shelf for a while, I recently got the push I needed to venture into this book but I wish I was more prepared. The author has a disclaimer at the end of the book synopsis “*Some aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers”, but in my opinion it isn’t enough with the book as graphic as this one is you need to be more specific about what is inside to better prepare readers. I am a survivor of domestic violence and while my ex was not as bad as Iris’ it was still VERY HARD to deal with.
Sean Crisden and Jo Raylan, did a wonderful job with the narration of this book. I don’t know how they pulled it off but they had me so engrossed I couldn’t stop listening even though my stomach was revolting at times. And for that I give them five stars.
Long Shot is the first book in the series and yes I did add the rest of the series to my TBR shelf but I will make sure that I am in the mood for a darker read before I venture into them just in case there are any surprises. This story although is classified as a contemporary romance for me felt dark for 75% of the book. Iris and August met at the beginning and had a few interactions throughout the years but they didn’t get together until the last 25% of the book and believe me there was absolutely NO ROMANCE between Iris and her boyfriend turned husband.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would, but, I would warn you to be in the mood for a read that will make you cringe at times because of all the abuse that Iris had suffered at the hands of her boyfriend/husband…some of it was truly disturbing.