★ 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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This was my first Kennedy Ryan’s book and won’t be the last. This is the first book in the Hoops Series. This forbidden love story, is set in the world of the NBA. This story wasn’t what I had expected, it was so much more. The story is well written, realistic and breathtaking. The storyline is filled with angst, drama and suspense. I loved Iris and August. The other characters were also interesting. I can’t wait for the next book in the Series! The narration was absolutely stunning, emotional and breathtaking. I really enjoyed my listening and I totally recommend this audiobook.
Kennedy Ryan is a master of giving you a story that will consume you and is filled with emotions. This story captured my heart and had me in emotional overload.
Iris, my goodness, this woman is a survivor and a fighter. My heart bled for her and Sarai. And August, what a truly remarkable man. His patience, and hope, and love know no bounds. His and Iris’ connection bleeds through the pages. There were parts that were hard to read, parts that made me cry, parts that made me hope, and parts that filled my heart with joy. This story sheds beauty and love when you feel as though there is no hope. It’s honest, sincere, and absolutely breathtaking.
Long Shot (Hoops #1) by Kennedy Ryan is a realistic, contemporary, sports romance that takes place in the NBA world. Told in dual POV, it’s the first book in a series of interconnected standalones. This is not a light, fluffy story, so if that’s the type of romance you’re looking for, then look elsewhere. But if you love romances that are honest and raw with hard-won happy endings, where the journey to reach them may be painful or heartbreaking, then this outstanding book is for you.
I absolutely loved Iris and August’s story. I was captivated right from the very beginning as I rooted for Iris to break free from her abusive relationship so that she and August could be together. Of course, in domestic abuse situations, that’s much easier said than done. The road to freedom is a lengthy one that continues long after leaving the abusive environment. This extremely sensitive subject matter was tackled with a fearless, brutal honesty that was not only gritty, graphic, and gut-wrenching but also beautifully healing and inspiring.
“You are pure. You are enough. You are strong. He can’t hurt you. Strong enough to fight back. Strong enough to win. Strength. Dignity. Courage. All these things belong to you. Take them back.”
As gripping as the plot was, the extraordinary writing is what made this story irresistibly compelling. Raw, emotional, poetic, dark, passionate, and hopeful. I highly recommend this phenomenal book!
NO SPOILERS!
I honestly don’t know where to start. Long Shot wasn’t like any story I’ve ever read before. My emotions are all over the place right now, and it’s hard to put all of them into the right words to convey my thoughts and feelings. I apologize if the following review sounds like a rant in any way.
Long Shot was extremely emotional and tumultuous, but definitely eye-opening. I honestly didn’t know what I was in for when I started this book. There were several aspects throughout that came as a complete shock and I certainly wasn’t expecting, even though there was a subtle warning at the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, they weren’t always pleasant. It’s a shame to know that situations and circumstances that are disturbing, horrifying, disgusting, and appalling like some in this story happen every day, and most of the time no one ever knows about it. This book made me think and feel a lot, and I experienced the entire spectrum of emotions while reading it. I was angry, frustrated, annoyed, and murderous at times, and it took me almost halfway through to finally warm up to the story and get to a better place with my feelings and emotions. I was going to rate Long Shot four stars because of some of the incidents that occurred, but Kennedy Ryan did her magic and definitely made up for all of the negative parts towards the end.
August and Iris were some of my favorite fictional characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about, and even though several parts were difficult to read and get through, I absolutely loved them with all of my heart. I loved their personalities, red-hot chemistry, and deep connection they had together, and all of their banter and interactions with each other. I truly loved them with my heart and soul, and even though it was very hard to go on this journey with them at times, all of it was completely worth it it the end. August and Iris were extremely good and kindhearted people, but one specific character (who I refuse to name) was absolutely NOT. He was the one that made me so angry that I felt murderous towards him, and it usually takes a lot to get me to that point. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that I loathed and despised him with my entire being, and I was very happy with the conclusion where he was concerned.
It might seem like I didn’t love Long Shot from some of the above paragraphs, but that’s not true at all. Yes, there were plenty of scenes that I hated and was not expecting whatsoever, but none of them had anything to do with August and Iris. They weren’t at fault for anything. It was the other character that ruined parts of this book for me. With all of that being said, August and Iris were amazing in every way, and I absolutely loved them. Their story will stay with me forever, and I will definitely be re-reading the good parts over and over again for a long time to come. I truly wish August West was real because I would definitely claim him as MINE. He was nothing short of perfect, and I was insanely jealous of Iris’s connection/relationship with him. There were plenty of up and down moments throughout that caused my emotions to go haywire, and at times it was painful to read, but the message and awareness behind the story was extremely important, especially for all women and others in any of kind situation like the ones in this story. I’ll warn you, it will be difficult to get through at times, but I implore you to give Long Shot a chance. I promise you’ll fall in love with August and Iris’s story as much as I did, and all of it will be worth it in the end.
Long Shot was an intensely sexy, passionate, emotional, and thought-provoking standalone sports romance, and I would highly recommend it! Kennedy Ryan did a phenomenal job with this book, and I was absolutely ecstatic with the outcome to August and Iris’s story. This was my first full-length novel from Ms. Ryan and it won’t be the last. I can’t wait to read the Grip series and the next standalone HOOPS novel!
This was my first read from the author and after hearing everyone raving about this book, I was dying to read it. I already know now after finishing this book that it won’t be my last read from this author. It was just brilliant! I have to admit the beginning was a bit slow for me and I didn’t know where it was going but man, this story is just so raw and utterly heartwrenching that you can’t help but feel all the emotions that are going through you! And trust me when I say you will need some tissues when reading, I certainly did! This story isn’t your typical love triangle and when reading you will know what I mean when I say that what goes on in the book happens more than you know.
Iris has a relationship with a basketball player and when one night she sits in a bar to watch a game, she meets August. There’s an instant chemistry between them and they seem to hit it off right away but Iris knows that it just needs to be friendship although she can’t help but feel differently about him. When she finally graduates from college, she’s applying for a new job but something will end up taking her life in another direction. A choice she’ll make will be one she ends up regretting but she tries to find a way to make it right again…
Even though August knows Iris has a boyfriend, he can’t help the way he feels about her but something holds them back to take it further and a decision Iris will make ends up tearing them apart. But nothing is what it seems and when Iris comes back into his life, he’s prepared to fight for her…
But the past will keep on coming back and Iris will have to deal with the choices she’s made. Will she finally get the happy ending she deserves?…
It’s been 2 days since I finish this story and still I can feel all the emotions deep in my bones. I can see all the powerful scenes of this story in my head as clear as watching it unfold before my eyes. I can’t stop thinking about Iris and August journey. There’s no story or book you can compare to LONG SHOT. To think of this story as a simple SPORT ROMANCE would be undermining Kennedy’s words. Nothing she writes is simple. This are lessons and eye openers. Intense, meaningful and powerful writing. This story is REALITY so beware of the strong content in it. The topic here will be hard to digest. It will be a VERY HARD READ but so so so worth it. Don’t wanna scare you away because this is a MUST READ, NEED TO READ kinda book.
Kennedy has a sublime ability to bring the characters in her stories to life. It gets to the point of making you feel all of their emotions as yours. The pain, sadness, happiness and love are so strong that it get buried inside your soul. It will stay in your hearts for years to come. In her books there’s ALWAYS a lesson, she always has something profound to say. She is a writer that is willing to bring hard topics and actual issues to her stories. They might not be easy or pretty ones but they are the reality many man and woman live through right now. I’m so honor to get to read her stories before so many and to know she’s a writer willing to make statements with her words.
We have more than two lives interconnected and affected in this book but I’m not gonna get into details about them all. I’m gonna tell you a bit about our beautiful couple.
Iris DuPree is an independent, bright, beautiful, head strong woman. We meet her while studding in college to make something of herself and escape the possibility of ever becoming her mother. August West it’s a devastatingly handsome, humble, strong, caring and sweet rising NBA player. God August made me fall in love with him as hard and fast as Iris. He’s just perfect. His words to her and the way he treats her is beyond magnificent. He is TOP BOOK BOYFRIEND material. They meet by chance and their connection is a powerful one from the very first words.
Their insta attraction can’t be denied but they can’t pursue it. Iris has a boyfriend and would never betray him. After that night Iris life will take a devastating and heartbreaking turn that will sure bring you to your knees. Years will pass and no matter how bad things get in her life; the memory of that night, that amazing conversation with August will help her get through and reminded her to fight.
How I wish to keep telling and talking about this book. There’s so much I want to get out of my chest but I can’t do it. I need for you all to have the same experience and feelings it had on me. This is a story that you will have me talking for years to come and I’m sure I’ll get teary eyes just remembering.
This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. At times a bit hard to read but I was happy with the ending. Happy that Iris was free and got her HEA. Every woman needs an August in their life.
WHY WHY WHY did I wait so long to read this book?! This story is nothing short of AMAZING! It is easily in my top books for 2018! I just dont even know what to say that can even do this book justice. I can say with all honesty that this story will stick with me for awhile. My very first Kennedy Ryan book and it was a slam dunk. Emotional, raw, gritty, real, soul searching and heartbreaking are just some of the words that come to me when I think of this story.
A relationship between August and Iris is forbidden and impossible. Timing was never on their side. From that first meeting in a hotel bar I felt the instant chemistry between these 2 characters. They were meant to be together even though their circumstances prevented that. Iris is one of the strongest women I’ve ever read about. She is thrown obstacle after obstacle to live her life the way she always wanted. Trapped with no other choices Iris does the best she can with the hand life has dealt her, until she shes had enough.
“If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you’d hold in my life. You’d be center. I’d play you at the five.”
When August spoke those words to Iris my heart swooned and it brought a tear to my eye. I’ve don’t think I have ever felt so much love, compassion, patience, and calmness come from a character before. August is literally the definition of patience. The way he is with Iris, there just aren’t enough words to describe it.
The message that this book gives is so powerful and written so well, it will be a long time before I’m over this story. If I could give a book more than FIVE STARS this one would be on my list!
5 out of 5 stars
I am not one who reads this kind of novel on a regular basis. The things that Iris went through nearly broke me. This is not an easy read. It’s not light and fun (all the time, at leastl). August will make you wish he was real and taking care of you.
There wasn’t a moment in this book where I wanted to put it down. There wasn’t a moment when I thought it wouldn’t kill me to keep reading – though that never really happened. Iris and August have a turbulent path to each other, but the journey was worth the read.
I think that Kennedy Ryan deserves gold medals for giving us such a heart-felt, amazing story with characters that captured my heart and will undoubtedly capture the hearts of others who read their story! Without giving away the plot, let me just say that thought it was more than difficult to read in places, this book will definitely be in my top 10 for the year!! It was wonderfully told and an experience I won’t soon forget!
*** I voluntarily read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ***
5 Stars! What can I even say about this book? First, I was sucked in and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The entire time- through the wonderful beginning, the hard to read moments, the absolutely heart wrenching scenes, the beautiful scenes – it didn’t matter. I needed every second. So, for that reason alone I would give it 5 stars. I absolutely loved August right from the beginning. I loved Iris too. *warning* This book has a lot of on page domestic violence (not by the H of course) so that may be not be for all readers, but it’s handled in a truthful and believable way. The author really attempts to show how and why women get stuck or into these situations and it’s not easy to get out. Lo and MiMi were great side characters. A truly emotional, at times heartbreaking, and also wonderful love story.
I was not going to write a review for: LONG SHOT: A Hoops Novel, because there are already over 500 reviews posted for this book already. But since I had such a difficult time not to keep thinking about this book, I decided to write my thoughts down and ended up writing a review.
This is not always an easy book to read as there is domestic violence. But there also is some life lessons. Sometimes when you reach a crossroad in life you need to decide which of the roads to follow. This is where Iris chose the road with her head. Thinking staying with Caleb was doing the right and honorable thing. Cheating would not be right, even if it was just one kiss to say Good-bye. Had Iris been thinking with her heart and followed it and given August that one Goodbye Kiss, she probably would not have been able to follow any other road but his. Time (And reading the book!) will tell if she chose the road to her HEA or made the biggest mistake of her life.
I am struggling with what to write about Long Shot, because it is just one of those books everyone should read. Kennedy Ryan wrote a book that made me feel so many things. It is very gritty and real. It touches on a subject that may make people uncomfortable, but don’t let that deter you from reading this book. It is gut-wrenching, but ultimately this book is a story about survival and finding the strength to pick up the pieces of your life after being put through hell. It is a story about learning to trust when your trust has been broken.
I didn’t think Kennedy could write a character that would top Grip, but boy did she prove me wrong! August is EVERYTHING! The love he had for Iris and Sarai is beyond words. The connection Iris and August had from the moment they met was palpable. If only circumstances would have been different. The road these two traveled to find their way to one another was long and windy, but the journey was worth it!
I honestly had to stop reading a few times to gather myself, because the story line made me feel so raw. The anger I felt and the grief were overwhelming. But the thing is, Kennedy Ryan has a way to patch up the hurt I felt for Iris with a beautiful story.
“If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you’d hold in my life. You’d be center. I’d play you at the five.”
“I want you to know there’s someone who will follow you.”
I believe with every Kennedy book, you should go in completely blind… so, I’m not not gonna be here talking about plot and spoil it for you.
Just know that Kennedy will not let you down. The power she has to tell a story and to make you feel every little moment is still there. I believe it is something she’ll never lose. She has that wonderful and magnificent gift. And we all love it.
Be prepared to cry, to hurt, to be pissed and want to hurt, strangle or even murder a character. Because believe me, at a certain point you’ll want to.
This book was angst through and through and overall, it was extremely hard to read. If you’re sensitive, be aware that this book is REAL. It portraits an issue that is very common in our world and a lot of women have suffered and suffer through every day. It’ll hit you, hard.
It really hit me even more when I read that Kennedy interviewed a lot of domestic violence victims and that some of the events in the book were stuff that these women had been through.
These characters suffer so much throughout the whole book. They’re story is so real and raw that you’ll probably need to take a breather from time to time. After some chapters you just need to sit there for a while and mull over it or decompress because they’ll get to you for sure. They’ll make you think and ponder on the issue and just wonder and realize how hard it must be to survive something like what Iris goes through; and how strong the women that do, are.
August was the perfect man. He’s definitely one of my favorite new book boyfriends. He just had such a good soul and he was so sweet and perfect with Iris. I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. It was impossible not to. He was pretty freaking special. They both were.
These two had been written in the stars all along and it was just beautiful to read about their whole journey. How long it took for them to be together, what they both had to go through alone, and how they still made it in the end, happy and together. How after everything and all that time wishing and longing for one another, they found their way to each other; just as they deserved.
It really is all about timing, about waiting for their right moment to make the shot. And these two had to wait a while but in the end their shot was perfect, and so so worth it.
Love August and Iris so much. True definition of love and survival. Love that this author took a very real issue and brought it to light and yet fixed our hearts with such a brave and amazing couple. Kennedy Ryan will be one of my new go to authors.
I know when I pick up a Kennedy Ryan book that it’s going to be impeccably written and I’m going to feel all the feels and let me just say that Long Shot is no exception at all. This book is fantastic and I felt frustration, anger, fear, hope, elation, relief and so much more as I made my way through this story. It was powerful, it was beautiful, it was moving and it ultimately was honest.
Long Shot is a tough read at times. It deals with a journey that most of us would rather not think about, but it is all too common in our world today. It makes you think about situations that you may encounter and even though you think it would be an “easy” situation to get out of, there is so much more than you could ever know and in some cases the decisions aren’t made because they want to make them that way, but because it’s a matter of survival.
The chemistry between Iris and August was apparent from the first second they met. While their road to happiness was anything but easy, it goes to show that when someone is meant to be in your life, time, distance and circumstance may delay the outcome, but inevitably you’ll end up where you are supposed to be.
This is a powerful story and one that I’m glad that Kennedy decided to tell. It certainly made me think and it made me cheer harder for this couple and any other couple that might be experiencing these events in real life. This is one of those books I can’t recommend highly enough – just take the shot – you won’t regret it!
This will will wreck you and put you back together again.
There were times I wanted to throw my Kindle. There were times I had to put it down and walk away. There were times I couldn’t read fast enough. Add in a family that wanted things. Stupid things, like food, conversation, help with homework. UGH! *just kidding, I put the book down to help. But I let it be known that I wasn’t happy about said help*
This is one journey you need to take.
I had to finish this while on vacation in VEGAS. I sent my Mr. out with 4 kids to the strip so I could stay in the hotel room. August West is the book boyfriend I chose to hang with instead of the guys in Thunder From down Under. READ THE BOOK!
UNBELIEVABLE
Have you ever loved a book so much you wanted to throw it across the room? Have you ever despised a character with so much passion that you could feel the hatred in your veins? Ohhhhh just read this book to get what I mean. And this has nothing to do with the H/h. August and Iris are beautifully perfect. If you have read any of Kennedy Ryan’s books you KNOW she writes beautiful heroes. I fell in love with August immediately, and I never wavered. This book was so amazingly well-written that I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in 4 hours. It’s that dang awesome.
There is a lot of drama and suspense and undying love in this book. I cannot express to you the amount of beautiful things that happen, AND I CANNOT EVEN GIVE ANY HINTS!! You would all hate me if I gave anything away, I promise you would. I knew it was an angsty read, just from the blurb and some of the comments from people, but I promise you it is so so so worth it. I voluntarily reviewed this book from the author. It is the best book I’ve read this year. I promise!!
If I could give this book 100 Stars, I would. If you’ve never read a book by Kennedy Ryan, this is one heck of a way to start. She writes her books with such reverence. They are not just about sexy times and chemistry. Her books sometimes speak to social issues, political issues, and a slew of other things. I’m so glad that I discovered her a couple years ago, because she is truly an author that I’ve grown so proud of. And I don’t even know her on a personal level. But I’m proud to call myself a fan of her work; she’s an author that I will always 1-click. Iris and August share the most beautiful connection. Sometimes you read about instalove and it doesn’t quite fit. It might seem too rushed or not quite believable. But you don’t get that with these two. It’s there, and it’s written so beautifully, and it just makes you want to believe. And I don’t want to give too much away about the story, but you need to read it. It’s a very hard read. Very, very hard. It’ll make you stronger. It’ll open your eyes a bit. At least I hope it does.
Kennedy Ryan knows how to write a book that always makes me so immersed in the story that I never come up for air and this one is no different. I loved this story line I am always a huge sports fan book reader and this just made me happy to read. Thank you for another amazing read. SCOOORRREE.
Beutiful and powerfull story!
Everytime. Every book. Every words Ms. Kennedy write, she just know where to punch.
I cried my angry, broken heart and finally happy tear for August and Iris. Their journey just so beutiful in the dark and finally found their light together. I don’t think my words here would be enough to tell you how beutiful and powerfull Ms. Kennedy words are, but i’m just gonna try and say this book is not just a fiction. Every feelings the author sew in this book is just…they are embedded in my soul and my heart. I will never forget August and Iris. Congrats and thankyou Kennedy Ryan for this beutiful and powerfull story of love and survival.