Emmeline doesn’t date soccer players.
This rookie’s determined to change her mind.
There’s no other way Emmeline would rather spend her Saturday nights than watching the Storm play. But being a fan is where her love stops. To her, professional athletes are just a bunch of self-absorbed meatheads who don’t know a thing about the real world. She wouldn’t date one for a million bucks.
… thing about the real world. She wouldn’t date one for a million bucks.
Between a professional soccer career and a part-time job, Grant is feeling the hustle of being a rookie. Nothing can stop him from reaching his dreams—except an unfortunate injury that puts him on the bench for weeks. It’s not all bad though. There’s a cute girl on the sidelines to keep him company. An amazing, uninterested, off-limits girl that he can’t stop thinking about.
Can Grant convince Emmeline to give him a chance?
Or will he stay out of play and miss his shot?
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Out of Play is the second book in a clean sports romance series. This series centers around soccer arena players and the women they fall in love with.
I easily read this book in one day and didn’t want to put it down. I did feel that this story was a little rushed but I’m not sure if it’s because I read it so fast or because things just seemed to happen quickly.
Emmeline is Finn’s little sister that you may have met in the first book. I don’t really remember Grant in the first book but you get to read about him now. I did wish to hear a little more about his family back in Kansas City.
I really liked the chemistry between Grant and Em and thought they were cute together. I wish Finn hadn’t been so overprotective of his sister but I was glad to see some character development between them at the end.
I thought Grant was a cool guy and that he was able to hold his own with the new team. I felt bad that he didn’t get to enjoy the beginning of the season like he thought but it could have been much worse.
I’m interested to see who the third book is about since this one had a little surprise towards the end.
A good sports romance about Emmeline, sister of Finn captain of the Storm soccer team, who doesn’t date athletes and Grant, the rookie on the Storm team. Their eyes catch each other during a game are in a trance. It may not be love at first sight, but something is going on. Grant is determined to meet this beautiful girl and then he finds out she’s off-limits per Finn. Will they get together despite Emmeline’s brother’s wishes?
I really enjoyed this story; the chemistry is great between Em and Grant and the characters are well-developed. I highly recommend this book and the series.
Heart-warming, G-rated, New Adult, soccer romance
Emmeline (Em) O’Brien is a 23-year-old Florida native and a dedicated third-grade teacher. Her older brother, Finn, is her only family. They are extremely close, and Finn is very protective of her. For the past three years he has been the goalie of a fictional, professional soccer team, the Storm, in a fictional town in Florida, and he is currently its captain. Em lives and works in the same town as her brother and frequently comes to his home games.
At one such Storm game, Em notices a handsome team member she has never seen before, and he clearly has noticed her as well. She is certainly very visible, sitting right next to the field in the VIP section. Her friend Miriam, who is the team’s community outreach coordinator (and heroine of Penalty Box, Book 1 of this series), informs Em that the dynamic young athlete who has caught her eye is Grant Vaughn. He is 22 years old, just graduated from university, hales from Kansas City, and is in his rookie year as a midfielder with the Storm.
Grant is intensely interested in finding out who the beautiful redhead in the VIP seating during at the game might be. So it is a wonderful surprise when he spots her at the team get-together at a local bar right after the game. Unfortunately, in spite of her clearly returning his interest, she bluntly informs him that she doesn’t date athletes. Shortly after that disappointing news, one of his team members warns away from her as well. He tells Grant that she is Em O’Brien, their captain’s little sister, and that Finn has strictly forbidden any member of the team to have anything to do with Em—a rule he enforces with his fists.
But fate, in the form of matchmaking Miriam, offers Grant an unexpected opportunity to have a second chance with Em. As one of his PR responsibilities for the team, Miriam assigns him a public outreach project of reading stories to elementary children. Em and Grant are both taken completely by surprise when it turns out that the classroom Miriam has selected for this project is Em’s third-grade.
I was about 25% into this New Adult (NA) romance when it suddenly occurred to me that, unlike ever other NA romance I had previously encountered, this one has no foul language, no heavy drinking, and no sex! And this pattern continues all the way to the end, with no more than a few kisses in the HEA. In short, it is a G-rated romance. What a lovely change in the midst of an almost universally crude, drunken, sexually graphic subgenre of romance!
Em and Grant are both likeable, sympathetic protagonists. Em is a sweet, young woman who has been badly hurt in the past by heartbreak and betrayal in a teenage romance. In addition, a college romance that lasted two years also ended in her getting dumped, and a final attempt at romance some months ago was a date from hell with a narcissistic soccer player from her brother’s team. As a result, she has painfully concluded that the only man in the world she can trust is her beloved brother.
Grant is a terrific, honorable hero. It was an additional delightful difference in this NA novel to encounter an elite-athlete hero who is the opposite of the typical promiscuous, Alpha, “Bad Boy” hero. Grant is, in fact, a Beta male who obviously has admirable potential as a future family-man. He is very close to his parents and older sister, frequently babysits for his two, preschool-age nieces, who both adore him, and is a huge hit with the kids in Em’s class. Grant is also absolutely not a womanizer. In fact, he almost never dates or wants to, due to focusing on his career and completing his college degree—up until the day he encounters Em.
Overall, this is a fun, low-angst romance with enjoyable soccer scenes that give fascinating, authentic glimpses into Grant’s career as a professional athlete, and offers equally intriguing scenes of Em’s career as a teacher.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Kayla Tirrell did it again with her second book in the Love of the Arena series. I thought Silas was going to be hard to beat, but he can move on over for Grant! Out of Play was the perfect combination of romance, humor, sports and drama. I never as much about this sport as I did before starting this series.
Grant is the rookie of the Storm and he’s making way to start his career. He seems like a hardworking and sweet guy, who has a backup plan for if it doesn’t go the way he wants it to. I thought this was really responsible. Grant jokes around, but he’s happy where he is.
Emmeline is a character I loved from the start. She’s a teacher and loves her job with all of her heart. Sometimes she even gets a bit too involved, but she just wants her students to be happy! Growing up family wasn’t always either, but her brother has always been there for her. Even after every heartbreak. After a few not so fun experiences, Emmeline decides athletes just aren’t for her. But can she resist the rookie?
Dating the friend’s/teammate’s sister are always fun romances to read. It’s supposed to be off limits, but isn’t that all the fun? I loved that both of these characters noticed each other, but both weren’t looking for a relationship. Something kept pulling them to each other and all the flirting was so much fun! Out of Play had me laughing out loud and really rooting for these two to be together. I think this book also shows us family means the best, even if they don’t always show it in the right way. Her brother definitely learned his lesson.
On top of a sweet romance, I loved the cast of side character. Of course, we see Miriam and Silas. Also, Emmeline’s best friend and the other athletes were so much fun. I need them to all get their own stories! All in all, this was such a fast and fun romance! A perfect summer read!
I’m loving all the sports romances that are out right now. I’ve read football, baseball, hockey, but not soccer…until this series. And I love it so much!
Emmeline has sworn off athletes, but can’t keep her eyes off rookie, Grant. Em’s older brother, Finn, is ultra protective, but I love their relationship and the way he watches out for his younger sister. She’s a teacher and capable of standing on her own two feet, but I love that family dynamic.
Kayla Tirrell writes this story as a romantic sports comedy, which makes it sweet, heartwarming, funny, and oh so romantic. As this couple connects, first through the eyes and then through social media, the reader is swept away and given a front row seat to this soccer romance, which managed to have a few surprises. I loved, loved, loved these characters, the flirting, and watching true love unfold. I’ll definitely be back for more love in the arena!
Content: mild romance
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
My full review can be found here: bit.ly/2Zy2gTO
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So, if you read my review for Penalty Box (the first book of Kayla’s “Love in the Arena” series) you KNOW how much I loved that book. How I fell in love with the main characters. How I fangirled about Silas…a LOT.
Example: ” !!! … . … . … . … . … . , ‘; !”
Wow, I mean, how could ANYTHING top that?! Well, Kayla wrote Out of Play.
Grant was just: AMAZING. He was the perfect combination of sweet, cocky, anddddd he had a great sense of humor. They both did! I loved seeing Grant and Emmeline flirt with each other, their teasing was just so natural and ADORABLE.
Like I mentioned in my review of Penalty Box, it was just SO FUN to get lost in this fictional soccer arena world because it felt REAL. Kayla did such a great job of making sure that allll the details were there.
And the FEELS. Oh my gosh, the feels were definitely there as well. The fact that both Grant and Emmeline liked each other, but felt like they couldn’t be together created so much angst…I could hardly stand it!
As far as content goes: Clean! There wasn’t any “actual” language (everyone does have different preferences and viewpoints on what counts as profanity though.) Past (failed) relationships were discussed, and there was also some very mild innuendo/suggestive comments, but nothing too extreme. I personally had no problems with it.
Also, Finn was VERY protective of his sister (just like Emmeline was with him), and even though he didn’t always handle his feelings the best way, he did make things right. Which was good, because I lovedddd Finn and hated to see him in the “bad guy” role.
If you couldn’t tell by everything I’ve said…I absolutely LOVED this book. It was cute, angsty, sweet, and had some definite sizzle to it. I’m not even a huge sports fan, but I know now that I would loveeeee to have a soccer player boyfriend like Grant.
For all of you who love a good slow burn romance, and/or one of those “off limits, friend’s/teammate’s sister” romances, this book needs to be on your TBR!!
~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~