Reese Noble chased this dream for a decade.Now it was here.The NFL.A pro career.All eyes on the league’s new kicker.Millions of people expecting her to fail.But Reese wasn’t a novelty and the spot she landed on the New Orleans Steamers was one she planned to keep.With her teammates giving her hell and the world doubting her every move, Reese will have to fight harder than anyone else to make her … move, Reese will have to fight harder than anyone else to make her dream a reality.
Even if that means following the lead of Quarterback Ryder Glenn —the only man who brought her to the edge of ecstasy and the depths of heartbreak. The same man who broke her heart ten years before.
In this city, there is a thin line between sin and sainthood and only the strongest can walk it.
The Sinners and Saints series is a spin off from the Thin Love series and in the same universe.
SAINTS AND SINNERS READING ORDER
Last Love of Luka Hale
Roughing the Kicker
Offsides (September 2019)
more
Before I begin my review, I’d like to tell you how excited I am that this is book 1 in the “Saints and Sinners Series”. Yay!!! There are so many characters in this book that I want to know more about. But before I move ahead, let me review this one.
ROUGHING THE KICKER is a quick read that focuses on a traditional topic with a “twist”. Reese is the first female place kicker in the NFL. She plays for the New Orleans Steamers, (who lost to New England – yay Boston) a team that is lead by Quarter Back Ryder Glenn who happens to be her childhood “crush”.
There is so much I enjoyed about this story. The way it flowed made it easy to read, the characters are all developed well and quickly and I loved the fact that in the dual POV, we actually get to be inside her head. There is a lot going on in this book. A lot of characters are introduced and I’m hopeful that my favorites are also the author’s favorites and get to have their stories told.
I absolutely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys sports romance, romance, hot men, hot women, etc. A definite 5 star read for me.
This is the first book in an exciting new series from this extremely talented author, and going by this introduction, it is going to be a phenomenal series! Reese has followed her dream and is the first female placekicker in the NFL. Ryder is the quarterback and the captain of the team, and these two have a history. No spoilers; this is a definite must read, you will not be disappointed! This story is intense, emotional, steamy, and filled with angst, mistrust, guilt, and this all lead to a captivating pager turner and a wonderful second chance romance story. This author has upped the ante with this novel, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this awesome series. I highly recommend this authors’ work for all readers!
I really enjoyed Reese and Ryder’s story. A story of two people who seem in every way to be meant for each other until a traumatic event tears them apart. Reese is a strong heroine, a good role model and a character that it is easy to like and root for.
Ryder, it took some time for me to warm up to. I sort of wanted someone to “placekick” him and knock some sense into him! He held a grudge for a VERY long time for something that was no one’s fault at all!!
Roughing The Kicker is a sports romance, a second chance love story, and it is a story that really brings attention to how women in sports especially male dominated sports like football, are looked upon and treated.
The story feels very much like a ‘first in series’ and I could see other storylines seeming to develop for me to look forward to.
-4 Stars!-
You would think that because I’ve read so many of Eden Butler’s books that I would be used to the angsty scenes and emotional upheavals that drive her storylines, but each and every time I enter one of Butler’s stories, I find myself overwhelmed by the characters’ struggles…by their inability to let go of the past and focus on the present…by the positive and negative feelings that push not only the characters but the plot as well as these two people’s lives collide in a less than ideal situation for both of them.
Reese Noble may be breaking barriers in the professional sports’ world, but it doesn’t come without criticism and backlash. Every aspect of her life is under scrutiny as the only female player in the National Football League, and with so many people watching her and waiting for her to fail, there’s an extreme amount of pressure that she has to deal with, but what makes things even worse for Reese is the fact that her team’s quarterback, Ryder Glenn, despises her and makes both her professional and personal life hell due to their shared past and the fact that he hasn’t found a way to forgive her for what happened between them a decade ago. But Reese is a fighter…she’s a competitor and regardless of the uphill battle she encounters, she refuses to give up…she refuses to cower and that’s what makes Reese an extraordinary heroine because most women, given the history with the playmaker of their team and the fact that a lot of people want to see them fail would fall prey to the pressure, but that’s not something that Reese will ever do.
Ryder Glenn is a grade A asshole for quite a bit of the story; he’s stubborn and vengeful, and he blames Reese for what happened to their relationship. Ryder doesn’t make things easy for Reese, but that’s partly because Ryder’s never dealt with what happened and is unwilling to gain a new perspective, holding on to what he feels occurred and where the blame should sit, which means that until he faces the past, accepts the full truth, and chooses to move forward without it as an albatross around his neck, they will never find a common ground and Ryder will miss out on a second chance with the only woman he’s ever wanted by his side.
Roughing the Kicker is the perfect title for what Reese endures because it’s not just the other teams’ players she must contend with and prove herself to…it’s the entire league and all those who watch professional football, but she gets ‘roughed up’ even more by her own teammates and it’s not the physical licks she takes, it’s more the emotional mind games that are played against her that make her question her value…her skill…her position as a professional football kicker, but even more as a female athlete who has busted her ass to get where she is.
The one aspect of Butler’s writing that amazes me each and every time I read her stories is the fact that she takes risks…she ventures away from the norm and listens to what her characters want and does everything in her power to tell their tale as they want it told, regardless of how difficult that may be and that speaks to the type of storyteller that Butler is and how the craft and process of writing and being true to herself and her words is of utmost importance.
I’ve never finished one of Butler’s books without being emotionally drained by what her characters go through, which absolutely proves the power of her words and her ability to capture her readers’ attention and keep it until the very last page.
4.5 Poison Apples
Wow! This book has it all. I could FEEL the angst, despair, sexual tension, and nerves from the beginning to the end. I felt like I was on the field with Reese, with her at the hospital and in the gym that Sunday morning. I usually find myself falling in love with the sexy hero, but I fell in love with Reese this time. Ryder is still super sexy and amazing, but Reese totally owned me throughout the entire book.
One of the best things about an Eden Butler book is that slow burn. You know how you want the story to go, and you know the characters want the story to go the same way, but they take their time getting to their ending. This is how this book plays out.
I loved how empowering this story is – there aren’t many stories that I’ve read where the woman is breaking into a world that has been dominated by men for so long. And seeing the good, and the bad of how she’s treated is so real.
I cannot wait for more of this series – I can see so many of the players having amazing and fun stories!
Reese has realized her dream of being an NFL kicker and now has to deal with her ex Ryder and their past issues. She also has to deal with being the only woman on the NFL team. This book is full of angst and is a great second chance romance.
Reese and Ry have a past that is now getting in the way of each of their futures.
Reese has worked hard on and off the field she is now the first female kicker in NFL. She is used to ridicule and taunts but now here she stands in front of the only man that she has ever loved and lost playing for the same team. This is going to get complicated .
Ry has felt loss, lost his love and held a grudge for longer than he should have….now here Reese is right before him and she is stronger, talented and more beautiful than he could have ever imagined !
This is powerful sexy intense romance about more than just second chances !
Great Read !!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
I always enjoy a good second chance romance and Eden Butler delivers with Roughing the Kicker. This story is full of angst and tough decisions as Reese Noble and Ryder Glenn find themselves face to face once more as teammates for the New Orleans Steamers. Reese is the first female kicker and with Ryder as her quarterback, things get very complicated, very quickly. 10 years have passed since they had their last conversation and it was evident for everyone to see that there is still something very powerful between them despite their constant denials. And that chemistry poured out of this book with every turn of the page.
Even that first unexpected meeting in the locker room gave both Reese and Ryder pause, those long-buried feelings coming to the surface fighting with the deep-seeded love that was once so beautiful. I hoped they could find some semblance of decency around each other but boy are these two very stubborn individuals. I loved Reese’s sassy Latin attitude and the fact that she is a kicker in the NFL only made her that much more endearing. This girl works hard and yet despite her being with men much bigger, much more powerful than she, man she held her own! There were no flies on her. On the contrary, she fought for every opportunity she had been given and no one, no chauvinistic player or former love of her life would stand in her way.
That secret both of Reese and Ryder carried with them for these 10 years took a bit to be revealed. A particularly poignant scene on a quiet Sunday morning broke open this story and we along with Ryder finally understand the pain Reese has endured when Ryder thought she didn’t even care. I liked the way that scene was written since it gave both characters the chance to show their mutual grief and had Ryder eating a bit of crow at his discovery of how much agony Reese has carried for so long.
I’m glad he finally got his head out of his behind and realized others were also hurting but them coming together and being much more friendly both on and off the playing field almost felt a bit too easy. I guess maybe with all the vitriol and bad feelings thrown at each other for a good part of this book, being able to sweep the past 10 years under the rug that fast, seemed too easy.
But overall it’s a really nice story of redemption and perseverance and finding the love of your life in the most surprising of ways. The secondary characters, in particular Coach Noble, Kenya Wilson, Cat and Gia were perfect additions to this story, giving both Reese and Ryder the words they needed when it mattered most. And with a teaser of what is to come with respect to Gia and an ill-fated love affair, I was happy that a mention of a certain Hawaiian family I’ve grown to love may have more for us in store in the future.
I enjoy Eden Butler’s work and Roughing the Kicker is a great beginning to the Saints and Sinners series. A good read for by the pool or at the beach, I give Roughing the Kicker a solid 4 stars!
I discovered Eden Butler for the first time last year, after one of my bookish besties talked about how much she loved her Seeking Serenity series. I’ve been working my way through her backlist — and anticipating new reads — ever since. When I heard she was writing a book about a female NFL player, I didn’t need to know any more. Roughing the Kicker was basically Kim catnip and I couldn’t get my hands on it quickly enough. It was a fantastic book and kicked off the Saints and Sinners series in a great way. (Ha! See what I did there?)
Heroines are so important to me when I read and I’m a total sucker for unconventional ones. A female NFL player is right up my football-lovin’, feminist alley. Reese was fantastic. She was strong and sassy, determined and relatable. I was fascinated by her story and so badly wanted to see her succeed in the NFL. Goodness knows she was putting up with enough crap to play the sport she loved — and was incredibly talented at. A huge amount of the crap she was dealing with came from her QB teammate — and former boyfriend — Ryder. If I’m being totally honest, I had a bit of a tough go with Ryder in the beginning, but it wasn’t long before I was singing his praises.
Second chance romance is my jam and Reese and Ryder’s story fit the bill. It had the perfect combination of angst, chemistry and banter. There were even a few feels thrown in along the way, too. Roughing the Kicker was a solid book — one that I was unable to put down once I started it. I just had to know what happened between these two in the past and, maybe more importantly, where they would go in the future. I was totally invested in these characters, especially when it came to their romance. And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was also really interested in the football aspect of the story. It is my favorite sport, after all, and I’m chomping at the bit for the season to start again…
I’m excited to see what’s next in the Saints and Sinners series! (Oh, and I have every intention of making time to go back and read the Thin Line series as this is a spinoff from it.)
FAVORITE QUOTES
“What the hell happened to you? You used to be a man of honor. Solid. Real. Now… this… If you can’t be that man off the field, then you damn well better do it on it. Earn your overpaid, inflated salary, cabrón.”
But Reese Noble was like lightning. Beautiful. Wild. So fucking dangerous. He had always been drawn to her. He could have never stopped himself from having that first touch, then the first kiss, then the first taste.
“People don’t stop being important to you when they’re not around anymore. If they matter, you find ways to keep them important.”
The plot concept and storyline of Roughing The Kicker is very original and I fell in love with it immediately. I really really like the idea of a female kicker in the NFL. It’s very encouraging and inspiring.
I am a big fan of second chance romances especially when they are well written. Ms. Butler was on point with Ryder and Reese’s story. They met in college when Ryder was the quarterback for the football team and Reese was the kicker. Unfortunately, they suffered a great loss that led to the demise of their relationship. After years of separation, the duo is reunited again as they are now playing on the same team. The sexual tension is very high and will definitely have you on the edge of your seat. Even though they spent years apart, their connection was still so powerful and intense.
Reese was my hero and I was in awe of her character. Everything about her was courageous, strong and envious. Initially I disliked Ryder. He acted like a jerk, he was thoughtless, he was opposed to Reese being on the team and was so angry at her about events from the past. However, Ms. Butler does a great job with his character development and making him a likable character.
Roughing The Kicker is a slow-burn romance and I do wish their relationship would have progressed a lot sooner. Everything else flowed quite nicely and I can’t wait to read future books in this series.
Roughing The Kicker was a great read! Reese is the first female kicker in the NFL and now on the same team as her ex Ryder. I loved Reese, she was awesome! Ryder was a jerk at times but I did love him. There was alot of angst and emotions. I thought Reese and Ryder had amazing chemistry and hot sexual tension! I also loved most of the teammates and friends! I am hoping their will be books for them!
Eden Butler is such an intense writer, she truly makes you emotional with the stories and characters she creates.
Roughing the Kicker was a great read, Reese and Ryder’s story was full of soo much angst and emotions that you could not put the book down, like I literally read this book through the night…Forget sleeping because I needed to know how it ends!
Reese is the first female placekicker in the NFL, who happens to be in the same team as her EX, the quarterback and captain of the New Orleans Steamers. She has a lot to prove and a path to pave for all women who are trying to break barriers in a male dominated sport. I love that this was the story, something that highlights that women can do it all and are more than just your stereotypical Susie homemakers.
Ryder is the golden boy, who now has to deal with the one person he has grown to hate for the last 10yrs. At one point they were soo in love and then something tragic happens that tears them apart. It turns out that you can’t bury your past or forgot your one true love.
This story takes you on a journey and pulls at all your emotions, learning about Reese and Ryder, reading their past, reading their banter, reading the hot heavy chemistry that they have will have you anxious and frustrated about how it will end.
There were some things I could have done with out, the overuse of Pendejo, though I enjoyed reading books with Spanish in it sometimes it just didn’t work with the dynamic of the emotions that were trying to be conveyed through the conversation.
I liked that it connected Eden’s former book Thin Love to this series, so I can not wait to read about Gia and Pukui and Cat and Wilson. Looking forward to more of the Saints and Sinner series, with the way that Eden Butler writes I know I will not be disappointed just emotional drained and needing a shot at the end.
Reviewed by: Glori I.
Roughing the Kicker is book #1 in the Saints and Sinners series, which, is a spin-off of the Thin Love series. It can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. Eden Butler has a talent of taking your heart and ripping it out of your chest for a while and then she puts it all back together. Although sometimes it may take a book or two…
Roughing the Kicker has it all. Drama, angst, sports and breaking barriers. Reese Nobel is the newly signed, first ever female place kicker for the NFL. She is smart, beautiful and talented. Being drafted to the Steamers has brought her face to face with her first love, quarterback Ryder Glenn. Things didn’t end on a good note 10 years ago…
“You used to be a man of honor. Solid. Real. Now…this…”
“If you can’t be that man off the field, then you better dam well do it on. Earn your overpaid, inflated salary, carbron.”
Reese and Ryder experience many emotions all while trying to interact day in and day out. Their past is like a heavy weight wrapped around them. The regrets, the emotions, the ‘feels’. Reese is a constant reminder of good and bad times. Realizations are made. Will the risk be worth it?
“People don’t stop being important to you when they’re not around anymore. If they matter, you find ways to keep them important.”
The story is well written. The only issue I had was the introduction of so many new characters. It was a lot to take in. But as this is book #1 in the series I expected as much. They also have a story to be told. I think that we will have Gia’s story next. She is the Steamer’s General Manager. If that is the case then I need to stock up on my tissues now!
4 stars
#EdenButler #angst #romance #RyderandReese #SportsRomance #love #emotional
Roughing The Kicker is the first book in this new series by Eden Butler and will have you craving every book coming for the Saints and Sinners series. This first book is a second chance romance and one that will have your heart in your throat on more than one occasion. Reece and Ryder’s story is one of loss, heartbreak and misplaced anger. As these two are thrown back together as team mates, pasts will have to be faced, pain will need to be confronted and acceptance that sometimes when you are scared, you run from the one thing you should have hung onto. A story that will have you captivated and on the edge of your seat. As they run the plays of life it will take combined team work to bring them to the goal of happiness. A huge five star read that will have you falling in love with not only the story but the characters.
Eden has done it again! This is seriously a kick a** book (see what I did there lol). First off, a woman in the NFL is awesome in and of itself. But when that woman is Reese Noble, watch out. Aside from her amazing ability, she has got sass for miles, a temper that could rival any, and a heart of gold. When she smiles huge and lays a smack down on Ryder, it’s epic (when you read it, you’ll know what I’m talking about). And speaking of Ryder, yum yum yum. An amazing quarterback, a bit of a lost soul, but when he comes back, oh boy watch out. In case you couldn’t tell, I very much loved this!! Jump on it quick!!!
I was looking for a change of pace from all of the romantic comedies I’ve been reading lately, and “Roughing the Kicker” definitely fit the bill. It is a very angsty story, but well written and engaging. I particularly liked the idea of a story featuring the first contracted female pro NFL player, and the added complication of a second chance romance with one of her fellow players was just too much for me to resist.
There was quite a bit of history between main characters Reese and Ryder, so they had a lot to work through before they were even able to interact professionally, much less contemplate rekindling their former romantic connection. As a result, the story featured a very intense, emotional, slow burn relationship development that I enjoyed. In addition, Ryder and Reese were both very likeable, sympathetic characters, and it was easy for me to wish them both the best, both individually and together.
Finally, this book featured a number of intriguing secondary characters, which offer a lot of possibilities for future books in the series. I look forward to reading the next book when it is released.
He wondered if touching her had ever felt that good before. He couldn’t quite remember it. Most of all, he wondered where his logic had gone and what kind of storm kissing her had just unleashed.
This was a really interesting perspective, seeing as women currently don’t have a place in the NFL. It was unique to have a woman’s voice in a male dominated sport’s story. I loved how tough she was and how she truly wanted to earn her spot because she loved being that person for so many women.
And, WOWZA can Ryder hold a grudge! Now, the circumstances being what they were, it was completely understandable for him to be angry and even to be angry for a while, but for the strength of their relationship in the past, I was disappointed that he couldn’t let Reese ever tell her side of the story, especially when it was so evident she was in pain, too.
Second chance stories aren’t always my favorite, but I did enjoy seeing these characters find their way back to one another. I loved that the road wasn’t smooth and that there was quite a bit they needed to deal with, but that the struggles they faced were real. There were some sections that I would’ve like to see more, but overall a good read.
A girl playing in the NFL is not exactly something that happens everyday … Eden Butler did such a great a job of turning this interesting concept into a perfect romance story. Reese and Ryder scream passion with every single page all while Reese is trying to make a name for herself in a man’s field. 4 stars for this wonderfully written sports romance!
Reese Noble is the first female kicker in the NFL and she’s earned her right to be there. There’s only one problem. The man she fell in love with ten years ago, who then left her under some fairly serious circumstances is the quarterback of the team.
Reese has to contend with her teammates acceptance, fan support, and all the extra work that goes into being good enough for the NFL. It’s not an easy situation for her to be playing on the same team as her ex. And Ryder really isn’t all that happy to see Reese. There’s a lot these two need to work out just to be civil to each other.
The beginning of this enemies-back-to-lovers book really doesn’t sugar coat just how much animosity there is between Reese and Ryder. I liked that about it, but it did make for some tough reading. They really don’t like each other very much at the start and rightly so. Ten years is a long time to hold a grudge against someone you love, and Ryder takes his time getting to the resolution point.
I adored the amount of football action in this and the interactions between the players, coaches and manager. It felt authentic to me. And I loved that it took almost most of the book for Ryder and Reese to reconnect in a loving manner. But my favorite scene was one between Ryder and Reese’s father, their coach from their college days. It’s what I’ve come to love from Eden Butler — a great heart-to-heart that puts it all in perspective.
Overall, I really liked this and I’m looking forward to more in the series. And a big thumbs up for the cameo appearances and mentions from the Thin Love series.