He’s the beast, and she’s the beauty of his past.After twelve years in the league, all Zach Murphy wants is a Championship ring. His focus has been on hard hits–not smooth manners; about breaking quarterbacks–not making small talk at cocktail parties. After dumping a tray of drinks on the team owner’s daughter and accidentally feeling up the governor’s wife, his tenure with his team looks … team looks perilously short.
Kelsie Carrington-Richmond knows what it’s like to fall from grace. A onetime beauty pageant star and former high-school mean girl, she’s now destitute and one step from living out of her car. With few real job skills, she focuses on starting her new business, Charm School for Real Men. She’s thrilled to land her first clients, the Seattle Steelheads, who have hired her to polish their roughest player.
Except…it’s Zach. The same guy whose broken heart she left in her wake when she was still a mean girl. He’s just the beast she remembers—but she’s nothing like the beauty queen she once was.
Can they get beyond their pasts? Or will they both find themselves offsides?
Previously published as Down by Contact in 2013. This version has been updated, re-written, and re-edited.
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4 1/2 stars. Zach & Kelsie have a past that would make most people cringe at the thought of seeing each other again. But they are put on a team together that is out of their control, and if they want to help their careers they have to figure out a way to not go offsides. They need to work past their past if there is any hope for a future for them.They have sizzling hot chemistry so this of course leads to very steamy scenes! I loved the concept of this story so much and Jami delivers. Once again I was rooting for this couple to find their HEA so hard! This beast was surely tamed by this beauty! But I think more than anything, they helped each other and made an amazing team! I loved it!
Love all of Jami’s books. She always has a good read.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very different and an eye opener.
Growing up you usually get along with most people (other kids) but there are those who are adversaries.
It is difficult to make the best of the hand you’re dealt but if you can persist the rewards are innumerable. You must be willing to step into the fray and take a risk!
awful
Offsides; The Originals is book 3 in the Seattle Steelheads it I believe you could still read and enjoy this as a stand-alone. Jami Davenport is one of my favourite authors and her sports romance’s are alway interesting and well written and this book is a great addition to this series.
Zach and Kelsie met in high school but they came from different sides of the track and she broke his heart and destroyed him emotionally. Move forward a few years and they both have very different life’s, Zack is now a successful football player and Kelsie needs him to kick star her new image consultant business but will the past be to painful for this couple to move forward with the future.
I loved this book, I loved the plot, the writing, the characters and if you are looking for a great sports romance look no further than Offsides. Great read and great addition to the series
I love all of Jami Davenport’s book. She does not just write your typical sports romance books, she gets into the nitty gritty of the sport and the characters. This book is just that, an enemies to lovers romance that takes you on the roller coaster you expect. The ups and downs, fights and sexy times are great. Love this story!
Zach and Kelsie have a past…she was a spoiled rich girl and he was the jock from the wrong side of the tracks. High school was not kind to either of them no matter the circumstance. Advance 12 years and the circumstances have changed, Zach has more money than he knows what to do with and Kelsie is almost down to her last dollar and virtually homeless.
She is trying to build a business as an image consultant and Zach is her first client…both of their careers are on the line. Zach is totally resistant to the politics of the team and has a deep love/hate relationship with Kelsie…eventhough she apologized for what she did in high school, but she didn’t know the whole story.
Let the fireworks ensue!
I was offered an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Zach Murphy was new to the Seattle Steelheads football team and it wasn’t going well. All he had in his mind was winning the Super Bowl after 12 years and getting that ring finally. The Steelheads were a different team though, they expected their players to get along, be more involved in the community and be at all black tie affairs. It was not what he was used to at all growing up being considered white trash. So when he was at a team event and saw the high school girl that not only broke his heart but embarrassed him completely, his reaction may not have been the best one. Plus it may have gotten him into a situation he was least expecting and definitely did not want to be in.
Kelsie Carrington-Richmond, her name was the first clue that she didn’t grow up in poor society. She was the girl whose parents mapped out her life from attending child beauty pageants, dating and then marrying the boy they chose and then ran away and left her in the poor house when it all came crashing down. She moved to Seattle for a new job and a new life but when the job worked out to being for a boss that wanted benefits she decided living in her car and being a waitress was way better. She never imagined it would mean she would be serving at a party with the man she embarrassed and deeply regretted in high school, was a guest at.
Image Consulting for Real Men was Kelsie’s company and the team hired her to clean up the image Zach was portraying and help him set up his ramshackle house perfectly for the fundraising event he was now required to do to stay on the Steelheads
There is no questioning the spark that these two have for each other, but the question is can they get rid of all their ghosts and make this relationship happen? Because if they do then as a couple they can be a force to be reckoned with on and off the field.
This is a rewrite of an older book called Down By Contact and the team then was Seattle Lumberjacks. While it was good then both the plot and the team’s new name make it so much better now and definitely one to add to your shelf as it is a classic by Jami Davenport. She never disappoints with her writing romance and I can’t wait for the next one to come out.
3.5 Stars
I love Jami Davenport’s books and she’s an auto author for me, but this book took me a bit to get into. Zach and Kelsie have a past and not a good one. Zach is a charcter that has to redeem himself because he rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning. Kelsie has to show she’s grown fro her nasty high school days. Kelsie’s life is nowhere near what she expected and life has kicked one too many times. Zach’s past an emotional one and there is one part that brought tears to my eyes. This book does pack the emotion for sure. Zach does prove to me the guy he’s been hiding underneath and that makes up for his jerkiness in the beginning. This was a slow one for me to begin with, but once I got into the book I gobbled it up.
This was a great book once I finally got into it. It took me a while to click with the book.
Zach is closed off and only looking to get the ring before he retires. He has an attitude and a chip on his shoulder.
Kelsie jas had a sting of bad luck. When she runs into Zach again after so long…it does not end well.
These two want nothing to do with each other but are forced to work together. When Zach finds out her secrets will his heart thaw? Will Kelsie be able to help Zach find what he needs?
This was a good book. Look forward to more.
People grow up and change from high school to adulthood but not all things change….
Possible SPOILERS
Kelsie has hit an all time low in here life..she has nothing, her ex is in prison, she’s living in her car and doing what she can for jobs which is where she sees Zach again since high school but since they had a rough time high school..the hurt and pain is still there.
The powers that be have decided that Zach has to work with Kelsie to improve his image and if he doesn’t completely improve himself the consequences will be severe!
Kelsie and Zach have a very rocky time navigating each other but maybe with time and communication things will be better….
I loved Zach and Kelsie’s story!
It was an emotional roller coaster ride that I’m glad I was on! Kelsie did a horrible thing to Zach in high school that had a terrible impact on his life! Fate put them back together for a second chance. They have to work together for the sake of their careers. They need to get over their past for their future. Offsides has a wonderful storyline and great characters with amazing chemistry! If you like sports romance you’ll like this one!
Offsides was a great read.I’ve enjoyed this enemies to lovers story and I cared a lot for these characters.
Zach and Kelsie have history.They met at school, he was considered trailer trash while she was a beauty pageant.One eventful night she broke his heart and destroyed his soul.
Now they meet again after years and their lives are so different.Zach is a football player,just traded for the Seattle team,going after his first ring.Kelsie just moved to Seattle after an ill-conceived wedding,without money to start her new career as an image consultant for men.And her first client is Zach who still has a grudge with her and the rich,conceited people who wants to change him in order to make him align with the team image.
Will they to work together to save their careers?Or Zach still isn’tready to let his grief go?
I’ll never get tired of recommending this author if you like a good sports romance.
Well written book. Loved the second chance lovers theme, with the premise that people can change. Highly recommend this book!
Sport Star Romance at it’s best.
If anything was going to entice me to watch American Football and think of hot and sweaty sexy sport stars, then Jami Davenport’s Seattle Steelheads books series are just the thing to do it. To me they carry enough of a game description to fulfil my vivid imagination of on-field game action, and so much swoony chemistry between two adversarial characters to satisfy my romantic heart.
Since High School, fortunes have reversed for Zach Murphy, now Middle Line-backer for the Steelheads, from the poor and violent household that he grew up in, to a 12 year career in the NFL, and likewise for the rich mean girl, Kelsie Carrington-Richmond, who is now close to homeless. There is so much in their past that they have to overcome, but it soon becomes apparent that their values are more aligned that they ever realised, especially since Kelsie has the courage to own her mistakes. Now it is up to Zach to step up and put the past behind him.
Kelsie was a very redeemable character, especially as we found out more about her family background. Life was not all glitter and gold, and she showed her strength in the tasks that she undertook and didn’t give up on. I really admired her. When Kelsie’s new career put her back in the forefront of Zach’s life to teach him the required social etiquette, she gave her absolute best, and took all of his initial animosity on the chin because she knew how badly her actions had affected him back in high school. Oh to have more people own their actions like she did.
The chemistry was heavy, romantic and oh, so deep. Zach was a brilliant character in that he was happy in his own skin. But, he had to realise that being a team player wasn’t just about synchronised moves in the field, it also included presenting the right look and behaviour in the social sphere as well. There was everything to love about this story, from the witty repartee between characters, to the heat and romance, which is why I read these books. 4.5 Stars.
Have you ever read a book that slowly but surely grew on you?!? I was convinced that this story was not my jam by the time I read chapter 3…but then something happened and don’t ask me what but these two made me change my mind and I didn’t even see it before but suddenly I couldn’t read fast enough to see what happens next.
This second chance at repairing the wrongs from the past was slow paced and timing of the story was perfect. We get to see how they evolve as a couple. I could relate to both MC’s with trust issues and was rooting so hard for them to see past mistrust and find the happiness they both deserved.
Dispute the bump “in the road” at the beginning I found this story to be very much enjoyable
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
This was a very enjoyable read. Kelsie and Zach are such complex characters and they share a painful, complicated history. I thought that this book and its story line that is made up of so many layers and deep emotions was very gripping. These two had plenty that they had to get through and move past. Your own heart will go on a roller coaster ride as their relationship evolves.
I loved Zach and Kelsie’s story. Most of us are not the person we were when we were kids. Everyone Has that point in life where they wish they acted differently and that is where these two are coming from. Kelsie’s insecurities as a teen led her to say and do things to Zach that had outcomes she never dreamed of or was aware happened. As they meet again as adults, Zach holds major resentment towards Kelsie that she has a hard time understanding the severity of. Offsides is the story of how these two find their way toward forgiveness and understanding and a forever lasting love. I don’t think there is anyone out there who couldn’t sympathize with either or both of their positions and learn from their story. Brava again Ms. Davenport!
5 star Review Offisdes : The Originals (Seattle Steelheads #3) by Jami Davenport
I love Jami Davenport’s style of writing; her books are always interesting and she has never failed to deliver for me. This is an enemies to lovers story that drew me in and kept me riveted throughout. Zach Murphy and Kelsie Carrington-Richmond knew each other in high school; he was the poor kid and she was a “mean girl”. Fast forward 12 years and now they could not be more different.
Zach is focused on winning a Super Bowl ring and just when it is within reach, he falls short. Kelsie is on the run from an abusive ex and is struggling to make ends meet. When she is hired by the Seattle Steelheads as an image consultant she leaps at the chance, that is until she realizes that the man she has to assist is Zach, the man whose heart she broke.
When they meet again, it is with resentment and regret. Can they overcome their tumultuous past and focus on the job at hand, or is the past destined to destroy their present and possibly their future?
This was at times an emotional roller coaster of a read, particularly as the details of Zach’s past unfolded. Can Zach and Kelsie learn to trust themselves and one another? Offsides is a second chance at love story about digging deep, facing your past and moving forward. It was well written and a story you can really dig your teeth into.