Lincoln Reeves may be a pro golfer and revered swing coach, but when I meet him, he is just one more person telling me I’m not good enough.So, I do what any girl in my position would do. I tell him to get lost and take his arrogant, annoying smirk with him. I never expect to see him again. I certainly don’t expect to run into him that same night after one too many tequila shots.Turns out that … out that he’s kind of a big deal. Okay, fine, a really big deal. In fact, he might be the one person who can take my game to the next level.
Convincing him to help will be difficult.
Not throwing my club at his handsome face when he makes me work harder than I thought humanly possible will be excruciating.
But not falling for him will be the hardest thing of all.
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A hot-headed college golfer falls for her swing coach in this fun and sexy sports romance.
Lincoln Reeves may be a pro golfer and revered swing coach, but when I meet him, he is just one more person telling me I’m not good enough.
So, I do what any girl in my position would do. I tell him to get lost and take his arrogant, annoying smirk with him. I never expect to see him again. I certainly don’t expect to run into him that same night after one too many tequila shots.
Turns out that he’s kind of a big deal. Okay, fine, a really big deal. In fact, he might be the one person who can take my game to the next level.
Convincing him to help will be difficult.
Not throwing my club at his handsome face when he makes me work harder than I thought humanly possible will be excruciating.
But not falling for him will be the hardest thing of all.
Taking place in my favorite book world Valley U, Kiera is a driven and hardworking golf player & college student. The love and passion she had for the sport was evident. She’s better than she gives herself credit, but one bad tournament has left her reeling and feeling like no matter the work she puts in her coach has already written her off.
Lincoln is a business owner and ex gold pro. He drinkers upon Kiera one day as it drawn to her and her incredible swing. He knows she’s got the talent to make it pro, she just needs a coach to be on her side.
Their connection was instant, even though Kiera was weary of him. As they can’t keep away from each toe he they work a deal to help Kiera work on her skills. The lines become blurred between love and business.
Sweet Spot was a light, low angst slow burn. I enjoyed every aspect of the book, though it was light on the romance. Rebecca incorporation of the sport and some sexy moments was just right. I loved the passion between the characters on and off the green!
5/5 Stars
4.5 this was adorable stars. I really liked this one because of how relatable it was, how real. Kiera is a girl that is completely focused on her golf game and Lincoln is the swing coach that comes in and wants to help her live up to the potential he sees in her. The instant they see each other, they know that something is there, but neither of them have time for anything other than what they are focused on.
Lincoln is divorced. He spends his time growing his business and realizes he is too selfish for a relationship. Kiera wants to better her golf game so she doesn’t have to watch the other girls on her team get chosen for tournaments and while she sits back and watches. She hires Lincoln to help her and they try to keep things platonic, knowing they really don’t have time for more, but things soon start to heat up. Even more than that, they begin to care for each other in a way that they haven’t cared for anyone before. I think that is the part that I loved the most about this book. Lincoln sees so much in Kiera and it isn’t just an instant attraction to the young girl he is coaching. It is a emotional connection that is formed first so you know this is deeper rooted than just being in it because they can’t stay away from each other’s bodies.
Lincoln is worried he would do the same thing to Kiera that he did to his first wife, he realizes he is selfish and I love to see the growth of character here. It is a great summer read.
I’ve yet to read a Rebecca Jenshak book I didn’t enjoy. Sweet Spot is the cutest, most heart happy read. With a very swoony hero and a fun, determined heroine, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Keira and Lincoln’s story.
It’s ridiculous how much I loved these two. Lincoln and Keira are wonderful together. Their banter was super adorable and the chemistry between them was undeniable. Sweet Spot was more slow burning than I expected.. but liked. It allowed for the relationship between Lincoln and Keira to develop organically from coach/client into a very strong love.
I have to say. I absolutely looove how Rebecca Jenshak writes sports. It’s clear she knows what she’s writing about. She made me care for a sport I don’t normally follow. I can’t wait to get more jock stories from her.
I read Sweet Spot after reading back to back emotionally charged books. I can’t tell you how much I needed this fun, low angst, entertaining sport romance. It was the perfect reset button. I highly recommend.
Rebecca Jenshak took us back to Valley U!!!!
I was a little leery of this one, only because golf is NOT my sport. I’ve tried. Multiple times. My divets, shanks, and wicked slice are the stuff of legends.
Lucky for all of us – this book isn’t about me and none of these problems existed for our main characters. They had other things on their minds.
Rebecca first introduced us to Valley U in The Hot Jocks series. We actually meet Lincoln as a side character in Nathan’s story. Rebecca even brings Heath in and out of the story line a bit. Ahhhh. The Payne boys. Maybe someday
Sweet Spot focuses on the golf teams at Valley U. Specifically the women’s team. We have a hot shot junior year golfer who unwinds by coming up with insane trick shots to amuse her teammates, an overbearing coach complete with an attitude problem and favorites, all paired with a retired pro golfer turned swing coach/guru.
Lincoln is our swing coach, and was briefly mentioned in The Fake. He is the owner of Reeves Sports, an online enterprise that offers all sorts of coaching on any and all sports. Linc is back at Valley to run a swing clinic for the guys golf team when he meets surly Kiera of the trick shots.
Linc gets a look at her swing and sparks fly. He can clearly see that with some coaching and training Kiera is going to go pro.
The plot of the story revolves around Linc and Kiera’s coach/student relationship which slowly bleeds into cautious friendship before barreling into love.
As with her prior sports based books, Rebecca illustrates an excellent understanding of not only the sport itself, but the lifestyle, coaching, sacrifices, physical and mental strains that striving to be the best of the best entail. Golf is a country club sport and can be a hard world to live in. Rebecca did a wonderful job of giving Kiera supportive teammates, and letting her see the fun side of golfer Linc when she crashes a private putting lesson.
Adding to the strain of the sport, coaching, training, and new business stress…Lincoln is coming out of a divorce which left him convinced that he could either have a career or a relationship.
Kiera struggles with self doubt, confidence issues and a few small other personality quirks driven by distracted parenting and horrible coaching.
Between the two of them, Kiera and Lincoln just mesh. Kiera is able to slow Lincoln down a bit and he’s able to take her out of her head.
Okay..maybe Lincoln’s Gram did a little matchmaking too. Gram learns her lesson quickly though.
Overall this was another fun, witty, and well written book. I hope there is more to come from Valley U. I very much recommend this book as a light hearted coach/student or age gap or sports romance. It’s truly a triple threat book. The plot and dialogue are well paced and you fly through it.
And, just asking….do we ever find out what happens to the men’s basketball coach who was dating in Joel’s story?
Asking for a friend.
I wasn’t sure what to expect reading a book about a girl on her college golf team and a grumpy swing coach but holy smokes I was blown away. Going back to Valley U we meet Kiera who is on the golf team and Lincoln who we met in The Fake. Lincoln is so grumpy and somehow Kiera breaks down his barriers even barriers he didn’t realize she’d demolished. Kiera is such a confident and feisty junior in college and on the golf team. Her golf coach doesn’t want to help her so enter Lincoln who as owner of Reeves Sports ends up with Kiera as a client to up her golf game. As it turns out the swing coach and the golfer click more than as coach and client. This book can be read as a stand-alone but there are some people from Valley U mentioned or making appearances in this book.
I love a good sports romance story and Sweet Spot is one that I will read again and again. Kiera lives and breathes for golf. This is her passion, but unfortunately she has a coach that won’t help her. He does only when its convenient for him. Lincoln owns his own sports coaching company and doesn’t have time for a relationship that he feels he’s just going to mess up like his marriage. But when he noticed Kiera swing her golf club he was mesmerized. These two give you a slow burn with witty banter and I was hooked with their push and pull. I was rooting for them and I love a good HEA!! I can’t wait to read another story by Rebecca Jenshak!
First off, the cover for this book is gorgeous. I love that this sports book is about a non typical sport in a romance. I also loved that Keira was kind of a little hothead, just like me. I like reading about strong women, and with guidance from Lincoln, she worked hard to go after her goals and dreams with no apologies. I love the confidence Lincoln had in Keira, enough to push her to the limits. The connection between the two was a slow burn, but meaningful. It may have been a little taboo, but I loved that even if the chemistry was instant, the story took it’s time to build.
This story is set in the amazing Smart Jocks World. This was my first golf romance! I loved Lincoln and Keira’s sweet romance. Keira is a lovely college student, and golfer. She is selfless, and feisty. I love her determination. Lincoln is a sexy golf coach. He is supportive, and caring. The secondary characters are great! Lincoln’s grandmother is an amazing character. The ending is beautiful. Erin Mallon and Jacob Morgan did a great job with the narration. I enjoyed it. If you like golf, you will love this golf romance! (review updated with the audiobook version)
Love a good sports romance and this was no exception. Since I am not a follower of golf, some of the references were a little foreign to me but that didn’t take away from the story for me. Keira is on the college golf team and Lincoln is a former golfer turned skills coach and she was hoping that he could help her improve her game. Loved their chemistry and attraction. Great story with great characters and I can’t wait to read more.
I read an early review copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Overall Grade:
“Golf is a lot like love, I think. If it isn’t making you a little nuts, is it even real? Passion — good or bad, is how you can gauge what’s really important to people.”
I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to tell you all of the reasons why you should read Rebecca Jenshak’s Sweet Spot. There are many, and it’s made it a bit of a chore to put this review together because I love to go deeper in my reviews to the heart of the book and how all of its writing parts make for a splendid read. I think for this review I’d like to focus on feelings because it’s the feelings that explain why this book is so good. But let me backtrack and give you a little overview.
One of Rebecca Jenshak’s PAs reached out to me about a year ago wondering if I’d like to read one of Jenshak’s books. I was a newer blogger/reviewer so I jumped at the chance. Plus the book was a sports romance centered around basketball, college basketball to be specific. That book landed me in the “sweet spot” of Jenshak’s books. I fell in love with Wes, the hero of The Assist. From there, I became an adorer of Jenshak, reading Electric Blue Love, The Fadeaway, The Tipoff, and The Fake. Honestly, each new book showcased Jenshak’s ability to create a story that pulls you into her books. And each new book felt like a more improved version of Jenshak herself. Yes, I loved Wes’s book, but the more Jenshak has written, the more her books have developed. That, right there, is the reason that writing is so powerful.
When Jenshak announced the Sweet Spot, I, of course, knew I was going to read this book. I love her brand of romance, but this one intrigued me because, while still set in the Valley U universe, the sport is golf. I’m not sure because I’m still building my knowledge of romance, but I haven’t read too many golf romances. Even more, the heroine is the college golfer, and the hero, Lincoln, is quite a bit older. It would be unfair to say that Lincoln is only a swing coach. We’ve actually been introduced to him previously in the Smart Jocks novels, something I didn’t realize before going into the book. That is where my excitement began. Jenshak shows us quite easily that she’s invested in her book universe. While we aren’t on the court this time, we are still connected to her other books. And I love that.
The second point of excitement lies in her heroine, Keira. Keira personifies feminine strength. It is through her words where we are challenged about Title IX issues with women’s sports. It is in her actions where we see a passion for her game come to life, and we recognize the injustices against her, made by her coach. Keira is the impetus for Lincoln’s personal growth, and Jenshak gives her a steadfastness of character even in the face of pain. Honestly, it would be easy to say that this story is “made” with Jenshak’s handsome hero, but the grit of this story lies with Jenshak’s characterization of Keira. She is unlike Jenshak’s other heroines which is a lovely surprise.
Now, when I made the comment above about Lincoln, it is not meant to disparage his character development. Not at all. Lincoln’s journey is the message of the Sweet Spot. You see, Lincoln is living a life of existence; he’s not living an abundant life. He is a successful business owner who is hiding form relationships due to his past. To borrow from Jenshak’s title, while he believes his life exists in the “sweet spot” because his business is growing and exponentially successful; it is far from it. When Lincoln meets Keira and begins to help her with her golf game, Lincoln comes to life again. He moves closer to the sweet spot of living. Yet, as every successful romance has, there are always complications, and those complications exist with Lincoln. Jenshak uses his characterization to complicate his burgeoning relationship with Keira. Without Lincoln, there is no big pay-off/happy ending. His evolution entwines with Keira’s strength of character creating the “sweet spot” of this book.
And lastly, one of my favorite parts of Jenshak’s writing is her pacing. I flew through this book. Lately, I’ve been reading romances where I felt trapped in the story because the writer’s pacing is sluggish. It is only through diligence and perseverance that I escape to the better parts of the story. Not with Jenshak. She builds each moment in such a cohesive and enterprising way that she eases you through her story. Her romance isn’t an easy one; instead, her pacing drives you forward. Before I knew it, I had begun and finished her book in one big bite.
Additionally, Lincoln’s grandmother is a TREASURE in this story. When the story felt heavy, Jenshak inserts Gram to provide some levity. When Lincoln is being too hard on himself, Gram is there to dispense wisdom. When Keira is a little broken, Jenshak inserts Gram to help Keira know herself. I love it when grandparents make their way into a book. Jenshak’s incorporation of her into the Sweet Spot offers the right balance between humor and wisdom.
Sweet Spot is a compilation of the best parts of romance: an insightful, strong heroine, a hero who needs a strong heroine to remind him how to live an abundant life, a couple of ancillary characters who lighten the story, and a message, which makes that connection to the reader. This book is a reminder that a life lived without passion is meaningless. Instead, we need to be on fire for something and let our passions light the passions in others.
Keira loves golf, she had tried earning her spot back on the school team after a disappointing tournament last fall, without success. She doesn’t know what else to do to get back into her coach’s good graces. Enter Lincoln.
Lincoln loves working for himself, but hates not having someone to pass off the undesirable jobs to. He thought the job at Valley University would be that kind of job, until he met Keira. Who knew crappy would be so amazing.
Keira and Lincoln navigate the world of Valley U, where we get to catch up with some familiar faces along the way. A great return to something familiar but brand new to enjoy. This was a great read, though maybe a little light on the deep dive storyline for me. I’m a fan of the author though so it won’t be my last visit to Valley.
I voluntarily read an advance copy without expectations for review, all opinions expressed are my own.
ARC Review
Who would’ve thought that I’d enjoy reading a golf romance as much as I did this?!
‘Sweet Spot’ by Rebecca Jenshak is a brand new standalone, sports romance that will shock you as much as it will make you love it.
Set in the Valley U world, you will not only be back into the amazing universe that this author created but also get glimpses into what’s going on at the White House, around campus, and even into the life of previous characters we all know and love!
This book is a beautiful representation of passion, hard work, and love.
An incredible journey that will entertain you, intrigue you, and make you fall in love with its quirky and unique characters to the point you won’t want to finish it.
This story has stolen my heart and brought me so much joy with only a few chapters. I loved every second of this read! It’s light, it’s fun, it’s entertaining, it’s hilarious and its characters are off-the-charts unique!
Lincoln is a workaholic from head to toe, his passion is golf, so working in the field as a golf coach for his own company only adds to make his life incredible.
He is caring, stoic, and talented, he goes above and beyond for his clients in order to push them and get them where they want to be.
He is a loving and funny man, he is passionate and interesting, he is a family man, especially when it comes to his incredible Gram.
Lincoln is a little bit intense sometimes but it just adds to his personality, he is generous and determined, honestly the dream boyfriend.
Keira is a feisty little thing, she was born with fire in her veins and refuses to take no for an answer or to be the second-best. She refuses to let anyone dictate her future, instead, taking it in her own hands and paving her own path.
She is passionate and hard-working, her whole life revolves around golf and she is willing to put in the extra work in order to achieve her dreams.
She is sarcastic and caring, an amazing friend and daughter, she is outgoing and carefree when needed, but she is also determined and focused on her future.
Keira is very insistent and will do everything in her power to become the best version of herself, even if it means putting up with a grumpy but hot coach, working hours on end to become an excellent golfer and slowly build her abilities and bring her confidence up.
Their relationship is easy going but passionate, Keira and Lincoln hit it off from their very first encounter and their friendship just starts growing and evolving from then.
They are hilarious together but also a great working team, they push each other to be better, they believe in each other, they trust each other and want to see the other succeed both on and off the course.
This book is incredibly interesting and easy to understand, even for someone like me who has never had anything to do with golf.
This story is sweet and captivating, pulling you in from the first chapter with hilarious encounters, off-the-charts banter, incredible passion, and hard work, amazing and quirky characters (we love you Gram!) that will steal your heart and brighten your day with their crazy antics and beautiful personalities.
If you are looking for a light read that will transport you to a brighter place, funny characters, and a whole load of golf that could make the book boring, but in this case only adds to it and makes it enticing and fascinating, then this is the book for you!
Golf has never been so hot! Lincoln and Keira’s story was some of the most fun I’ve read in a long time! Their chemistry was hot, their understanding and respect for each other was inspirational and their love of the game shined through in all of their encounters and decisions. They just “got” each other on a level no one else could. I think that’s what made their relationship work so well.
The slow burn of this story was perfection! You’d get little nuggets of heat between the characters but they kept it professional for the majority of their relationship. But when those walls came down, it was fire!!! The sexual tension between them was undeniable and I love the way the author took things slow for these two.
Even though I don’t know thing one about the game of golf, the author kept it light and easy to read. The story didn’t get too far into the details of the game to the point that you couldn’t follow what was happening. You could tell a lot of time and research went into this book to get everything right from the terminology to the art of the sport. I appreciated the author’s attention to detail with this book.
One of my favorite parts of this story was Lincoln’s Gram and her constant interference in his love life. The blind dates she kept setting him up on were hilarious. Poor women didn’t know what they were in for. He took it all in stride and was so sweet and respectful. It gave me quite a chuckle.
I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I truly loved both of the main characters as individuals and then as a couple. They were just so fun and compassionate. The ending was sweet and left me with a smile on my face.
This was all around such a great book! The story was perfect and just a fun and easy read. There was chemistry and sexiness and feelings.
Lincoln was someone who was very career oriented and professional. It was hard for him to get away from that, but when he did he was so fun! Kiera was perfect. She was genuinely a great person, not selfish at all!
And Gram, she was my favorite character!!
Highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to see more of these characters.
Rebecca Jenshak writes athletes that make you swoon. She has penned a hole in one with Lincoln and Kiera’s book. This sweet romance had little angst and was an enjoyable read. This takes place in the Valley U World but can be read as a standalone. It was a bonus to see Zeke Sweets! Lol If you are looking for a light, sports romance read I recommend you read this book!
Rebecca is a master of writing sports romance, and Sweet Spot isn’t any different! This slow-burn romance between a female golfer and her coach will make you laugh, and your heart ache while you keep rooting for the slightly jaded duo.
Rebecca Jenshak does sports romance right. Every. Time. Sweet spot is the first golf romance I’ve read. I wasn’t sure how it would be at first, but like everything else, this author did an amazing job!!
Kiera is on the women’s golf team at Valley U and she’s good. Really good. She works harder than anyone on the team, but she’s looked over by her ass of a coach time and time again.
Lincoln, a former pro golfer, owns a sports consultant business and Kiera’s swing (among other things) catches his eye.
This book gave me all the feels. Kiera’s friends were great and I just loved Lincoln’s grandmother!
You will smile all throughout this story – especially when these two get their HEA.
So here’s the thing with this book, you have to really love golf to read this book. I mean I’m all for sports romance but one can only handle so much golf in a book. It isn’t over done but the first half of this book is all about golf and how to improve Kiera enough to put back on the starting line again. Lincoln is a beautiful man. He is all about giving back to others and helping improve athletes find their groove again. Kiera is all about golf. She’s been playing it for so long but due to some issues and her jerkface coach, she isn’t able to play tournaments. She needs help but thanks to her coach she can’t get it. Enter Lincoln. He helps her get her swing back. Lincoln is very sweet. Him and Kiera have a connection but don’t act on it. This is definitely a slow burn kinda romance book. I liked most of the characters in this book. It was sweet how much they are cared and rallied around them when it was needed.
Let me start by saying I’m not a golf fan- gasp! I know, crazy, but I’ve loved other books by this author and thought, if anyone could make such a boring sport interesting, she could. Well, let me tell you, she definitely did! I actually wanted to go out and start playing, and I’ve never had that urge (and I come from a family and extended family that takes golf vacations). I loved Lincoln- he didn’t take anything personally, all he wanted was to see potential soar. And during that, he fell in love. Being a workaholic, who blamed himself entirely for his first marriage ending, he didn’t feel he’d ever be enough for someone as incredible as Keira. Thank goodness Keira was a workaholic as well, but also stubborn and knew that they could meet each other halfway. Their story is beautiful. They each have things they need to work on, and they do, together and wow- they are so amazing as a couple. They fit, like two peas. I cannot wait for more books from this author- she continues to surprise me with sweet, heartwarming, incredible stories and couples.