From the bestselling author of The Guy on the Right comes a heartwarming, steamy, second-chance romance. The Guy in the Middle is BOOK THREE of The Underdogs Series, but can be read as a stand alone.I was born to play and bred to win.My priorities were instilled in me early on—family and football. Those ideals led me to TGU and a coach whose ironclad principles mirrored my own.With one last … my own.
With one last college season to play, my goal was singular—get drafted. By realizing my NFL dream, I could save my family, our ranch, and the only home I’d ever known.
Two birds, one ball.
Playing hard was my only option, but there’s always a wild card.
For all of my planning and hard work, I never anticipated falling for the coach’s daughter. Harper was a fair catch, but who knew loving her could be the one play to throw my career before it started or that the weight of our secret would change the game.
Series Order
The Guy on the Right
The Guy on the Left
The Guy in the Middle
more
Oh wow. What a book! Totally loved this book, once you start you aren’t going to put it down. This second chance romance has a nice balance of angst, emotional love story. I don’t know how Kate does it, but this is a wonderful end to the under dog series.
Two kindred spirits. A fighter with a hardened heart. A dancer with a bruised soul. Together they can conquer the world!
Stewart swept me away as she wrote about fighting for your dreams, for love, and for what is right in a world that can be so cruel at times.
I quickly became obsessed with this story!!! As Lance saw Harper and the woman she was within, he let her shine. Harper saw the fighter in Lance and helped him to become the man he was capable of being, letting him rise to his fullest potential.
As sweet and sassy as this story was, it was also filled with a roller-coaster of emotions along the way, making for one epic read!
It was pure icing on the cake, as a huge fan of all three titles in (The Underdogs Series) to see characters from all three books woven in subtly along the way.
Stewart definitely ended this series with a knockout punch and one that stole my heart. This is quite possibly her best work to date!
As Always, Happy Reading!
“5/5 Beaming Brains!” – Lit-Up My Mind
5 LANCE AND HARPER STARS!! Lance and Harper have engraved themselves on my heart. These two will give you all the feels and falling in love with them. Lance is everything I thought he would be and more. Kate Stewart has delivered another 5 star read. You must read this book and all the series….it is amazing.
If you read Team Player 2 anthology you probably have read the first part of this story. After reading the short in Team Player 2, I couldn’t wait to read this one. Lance was kind of a mystery guy. He holds things back and not everyone gets to see the real him. Harper is a great character. She strong and driven. Harper and Lance have great chemistry together. I was totally engrossed in Lance and Harper’s story. Their story has funny parts but also has heart string pulling parts.
I loved the previous books in the series.
But this one?
From book 1, I always wanted Lance’s story.
This love story was so beautiful, angsty, funny and oh so emotional!
It’s my absolute favorite in the whole series and let me tell you: Kate Stewart wrote one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking scenes I’ve read, a beautifully broken Lance. Damn this man has his temper, his walls, but when the floodgates open…
And Harper, I didn’t expect a heroine like her.
So many layers, her humor, her strength but also her insecurities and fears…
This was a long journey, with a lot of heartbreak, but it was worth all the tears and angst.
And the Epilogue? Just perfect, for any fan of the series.
I can’t recommend this book enough . It was so much more than I hoped and expected… One of my favorite books this year!
***ARC kindly provided by the author and WordSmith Publicity in exchange for an honest review***
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What a way to end this epic series! The Guy in the Middle gives us the conclusion to Lance and Harper’s story that began in the Team Player anthology, but also gives us the ending to The Underdog Series. Honestly , I hate to see this magnificent series come to a conclusion but with all great things they must come to an end.
Lance and Harper’s story is emotional and will definitely pull at your heart. They both are determined to obtain their life goals and that means separation and both suffer heartbreak without each other! As their lives move on, one thing is certain…time does not heal their broken hearts. Their emotional ride to a HEA is one you don’t want to miss!!!
The three books in The Underdog Series can all be read as stand-alone’s, but highly recommend reading them all!!! You won’t be disappointed!
I have really enjoyed every couple in this series and Lance and Harper might be my favorite! This book starts out like the others, a funny and carefree college romance but it takes a turn and becomes very deep and emotional. Life is not meant to be easy, and for Lance it is extra hard. Harper tries her best at helping but sometimes time apart is needed to mature and get a better hold on life’s challenges. If you have read the other two books you will love the cameo appearances they make through the book as well as the sweet and sentimental epilogue.
*´`*•. 5.5 STAR REVIEW•TOP READ LIST .•*´`*
Oh, my poor heart! It took a beating, and it’s still a little bruised, after reading The Guy in the Middle, a poignant Second Chance Romance. This beautifully written emotional love story had me tearing up more than once; both main characters are determined to be successful, desperate to achieve their dreams. This is Lance’s story, the third and final book in the Underdogs series, told in dual POV. I had been anxiously anticipating this story, so excited but a little worried it would not live up to my unrealistic expectations. Not to worry, it exceeded them! I’ve been torn between choosing which of the previous two books was my favorite, but now I’m positive, TGITM is it, my absolute favorite storyline! It’s going on my #TopRead2020 list.
“I’m all in. He’s not just my first, he’s my only.”
Harper Elliot promised her father, a football coach, she’d get her degree before moving to NYC to pursue her dream of dancing. It’s her passion, Harper knows she’s plain looking but she’s counting on her talent alone to find a job on Broadway. Meanwhile, she just needs to finish this school year at Texas Grand University, practicing dance every chance she gets.
“She always told me her dreams would come before any man, I should have believed her. I just never thought she’d discard me for them so easily.”
Lance Prescott is hoping to be drafted into the NFL after graduating from TGU. His family’s future depends on it, they’re in dire straits, on the verge of losing the family ranch, and Lance is spread thin as it is…between studying, football, working at the ranch on the weekends, he’s done. He has no time for friends or relationships; the few girls he sleeps with know not to expect anything more. He blows off steam by boxing at a friend’s gym, something he’s done since he was younger, it keeps him sane.
“I want to believe that he’s capable of committing to me, of looking at me the same way for a thousand days to come, and a thousand days after. But I meant what I said. I won’t ever put my dreams on hold for any man, no matter how magnificent said man is.”
Harper and Lance meet at the gym a mutual friend lets them use. After a rocky start, they begin to watch each other spar and dance, in awe of the other’s talent. They quickly become involved, unable to avoid the chemistry that attracts them, and they fall in love, confiding their secrets and dreams that no one else knows.
“I’m a man standing in the wake of lost love, bitterness in my heart, and singed beyond anything I can control.”
But it blows up in their face, due to an incident that forces them apart, and Harper makes a decision she’ll come to regret. That decision deeply affects Lance, too. He’s forced to rethink his dream, after being overlooked by the draft. Thankfully when one door closes, another one opens.
“You know you gave me…you gave me a love story, a real love story, even if it doesn’t have the ending I was hoping for.” “It doesn’t have to end.” “It does.”
Years later, Lance decides to take a risk and see Harper. He never got over her; maybe she feels the same way. There’s only one way to find out. What Lance never knew was how much Harper’s appearance affected her, feeling insecure by his side, she couldn’t understand how such a handsome man could choose her.
“She may be able to live without me, but I’m convinced her asking the same of me is too much to ask of my heart, which has been slowly suffocating without her. I have to believe that life is a series of truths and that some are absolute while others get too muddled amongst youth, aspiration, and ambition.”
Not going to lie, this second part of their story had me in tears more than once, it was painful and heartbreaking, but worth every tear I leaked! I was so anxious to see how this story would end, and it did not disappoint. So beautiful and perfect, I think I cried even more. And the epilogue…sigh! A perfect ending, to a perfect series.
“I cling to him knowing that from this moment forward, all my steps will always lead back to him. This isn’t commitment. This is forever.”
2.5 stars
Having previously read the shorter version of this story in Team Player 2, I had hopes that the extended version of The Guy in the Middle would leave me feeling satisfied by all of the angst and miscommunication. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I felt that the additional two parts of the novel just amplified the feeling of frustration I had when I read the first part months ago.
I really wanted to like this novel more than I did, but the lack of communication between the heroine and the hero, as well as the creation of a tokenized gay Latinx character (complete with an offensive accent) just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The character of Rene was done such a disservice, and I always cringe when white women rely on racial stereotypes to try to “diversify” their plot lines. (And it’s this element of the novel that bumped it down to the two-star range for me.)
There were moments that sucked me in, and I definitely wanted to read it until the end, just to see if it would redeem itself. It pains me to say it, but this novel just didn’t work for me. But I think that fans of the series will be pleased with how Stewart wraps it up in this novel.
I so badly don’t want this series to end, but after that tease of Lance’s and Harper’s story in the Team Player Two anthology, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this couple!
And I was NOT disappointed!
Lance is a good man weighed down with the burdens of his world. And though he’s a great guy, he often comes off as grumpy and aloof because of them. But once he takes out his frustrations on the heavy bag, you finally see glimpses of the amazing man underneath the angry exterior. He’s charming, funny, loving, loyal, attentive, sexy – the kind of forever guy you grab hold of and never let go. But his demons always linger below the surface, so there will be times you don’t like him much. But don’t give up on him too soon.
Harper draws out equal amounts of adoration and frustration in me. She’s amazingly strong, independent, and stubborn. I love her strength and her giving heart. But her inability to put Lance first really struck a negative cord with me. And as with all good Kate Stewart books, there’s always a reason, so be patient with Harper. She’s a good woman doing the wrong things for all the right reasons (at least in her mind, they’re the right reasons). Trust me, you’ll love her in the end.
Watching these two grow throughout this story is sometimes torturous. Their love may be unwavering but it’s messy and far from perfect. Emotions run high, truths stay hidden, and passion in one form or another lights up every page. Lance and Harper are explosive, sexy, infuriating, and mesmerizing. Prepare yourself for an epic ride with these two, and don’t forget about our other two favorite Texas Grand couples. This is a fantastic conclusion to an amazing series and you won’t want to miss it. This book and the whole Underdogs series gets all the stars from me!
OMG Y’all! What a perfect ending to the Underdog Series. I couldn’t hardly stand the wait holding out for the conclusion to Lance and Harper’s story that began in the Team Player Anthology last fall. Well, let me tell You my friends…It was worth.the.wait!! Every pain staking day. Their story is like no other I’ve read. It was full of so many life lessons they learned. Their journey made me laugh, brought me to tears and had me swooning.
This story spans years for these two characters. We first meet Harper and Lance in college. Lance is the gorgeous, broody football player that is also a boxer to release his stress and anger. Harper is a gifted dancer. She is a beautiful woman one the inside but to most she’s not what you would call classically beautiful by outward appearance. However, Lance looks at her as if she is the most beautiful woman in the entire world. Because to him she is. From day one they encountered obstacle after obstacle if they wanted to be together, each one at different times unselfishly sacrificing to protect the other.
This book was everything. Kate Stewart took us on the most incredible emotional journey. It wrecked me y’all and I wouldn’t chance a thing. And that epilogue. OH MY GOSH!! That EPILOGUE!! It wrapped up all the couples we fell in love with in the Underdogs Series in a perfect little package and tied it with a little bow. It was Ah-May-Zing!
-Lance and Harpers’ story is nothing short of epic. Although at every turn there were obstacles they were inevitable from the start. We got updates from all of our favorite Underdogs. Just perfect!
-OMG! Lance and Harper are hotter than biscuits and gravy! If only the whole world looked at her like Lance did. Hot Dang!
Cliffhanger Warning-BEST HAPPY ENDING EVER!!
I’m going to be honest I read most of this book thinking it would be a solid 4 Star read, I didn’t think I liked it as much as the previous two books in the series, it’s so different from the others, but by the end I had tears on my cheeks, and all the frustration I felt for these characters just melted away and I realized this book is just as great as the others if not better.
I have wanted Lance’s story since the first time he was introduced in The Guy on the Right. He was so mysterious, and reclusive I wanted to know his deal!!
We got a little glimpse of Lance and Harper in TGOTL, just enough to have me dying to know their full story. These two were so damn frustrating their chemistry was undeniable and their banter, and fighting had me on such a wild ride of emotions, one minute I’d be swooning the next I’d be ready to chuck the book across the room.
I loved that even though these two kept fighting each other, each thinking they knew what was best for the other, they still couldn’t stay away from each other. I absolutely loved watching these two figure it all out!
This story is full of angst, heartache, and just the right amount of drama to keep you turning pages. This was the perfect addition to this amazing series.
Can someone die one chapter in? I think I strained my diaphragm and choked on my own saliva when I tried hard not to laugh the first part of the book. Me and Ms Stewart’s sense of humour just clicked when we first met. It was love at first sight. And The Guy in the Middle proved furthermore that she could still, indeed, crack an inappropriate joke and make people look at me silly while reading in public.
Do you remember my review for Four Psychos by Kristy Cunning and what I said about the heroine? I HAD MY SUSPICIONS ABOUT HER BEING HIT BY COCONUTS. That’s how funny she was. Harper got a silly streak, too. She was my hero with a quirk I loved. I felt for her strong and admired her for not letting the bad things determine her character. Oh, and Lance? Drop your panties now. You won’t need them. That guy was a sexy alpha bear, an asshole from now and then, the cloud to Harper’s silver lining. They fit perfectly.
The beginning seemed insta-lovish but also didn’t at the same time. *Ugh, you’re not making sense, Mary.* One of the things that I loved about the couple was that they didn’t rip the clothes off one another as soon as they clashed. You could watch them fall in love and…
Maths is hard. Relationships are hard.
… and love birds fight. Everyone has skeletons in their closets. The author did a great job at creating a backstory for her characters that I could relate to. And here comes…
I wanted to cry. I DID shed a few tears. Why are people so cruel? I wanted to stay mad at the main protagonists (sometimes they did say stuff and made mistakes that could be easily prevented) but I couldn’t. You knew where they were coming from, so you didn’t hold the anger in for long.
The Guy in the Middle was a fun story. But it managed to give me several punches in the heart, too. The characters were complex and their connection believable. They never gave up on the same time, they showed me that they were fighters and worked hard for their dreams. Just damn you, Kate for making me lose my mind and PMSing long before my period.
P. S. We have a winner for the best epilogue that tight the series flawlessly. I know Kate said it was the end for the crew, but I’m keeping my hopes up. Trevor, Dante and the others need their own book! Just throwing it out there…
P. S. S. Big props for oh, almighty Kate, for making the h ‘ugly’ and not another magazine beauty. Thank you for bringing so much reality into the story.
We met Lance in The Guy on the Right and overall, I wasn’t all that impressed with him in that story but I was SOOO wrong! He and Harper won me over in the novella Fair Catch and the full book is just everything. Kate Stewart’s writing gives you the feels your looking for and while I really loved Troy’s story, Harper and Lance are making it a tougher decision as far as top favorite for the series.
A football player/fighter and a dancer who definitely don’t start off on the right foot turn out to be each other’s everything. It’s full of love and heartbreak. Plenty of dramatic angst but the perfect kind and amount, not the over the top other/catty girls kind of drama. Perfect all the way around! I definitely recommend this book!!
4.5 Stars for The Guy in the Middle which is book 3 in The Underdogs series of stand-alones.
Lance and Harpers story is definitely deeper than previous books in this series, it covers issues a lot of us go through in life and it proves that with the right person by your side you can overcome any hurdle and any obstacles put in your way.
Lance and Harper meet in college, he is a football player who keeps himself to himself you might call him a loner but his goal has always been his family and his football career until he met a dancer and his world is turned upside down. Harper is just as determined with her goals so this couple clashed on so many things but the one thing they didn’t clash on was chemistry and that was scorching hot…….
This story will touch you on so many levels, it’s about first loves, trust, heartbreak and second chances. It’s a beautifully written romance and it’s the perfect book to end the series on with just the right mix of passion, emotion and angst.
Holy Moly! Just when I think my last Underdog boyfriend could never be topped, Kate Stewart delivered this 6 foot broody beast. I can barely contain my feelings, much less put them into words, on how much I loved Lance and Harper’s story.
I have been chomping at the bit ever since I read the first round of their journey and I was not disappointed. Not in any of the longing, the devastation, or the heartbreaking moments I endured throughout this entire beautiful journey.
“It’s love, the kind that changes people, pure and simple…”
Lance and Harper definitely had work to do to regain the feelings they shared. Some to forget, a lot to forgive. All the things that make a relationship work. And that’s what they did, worked for their love story (I suppose it’s a good thing they both have high endurance). I got to watch these characters grow into themselves as well as each other and ate up every bit of the way.
Until the very last words I was enthralled! Pulled into all the emotions Kate Stewart managed to capture. I am so sad to see this world come to a close, yet elated to see where they all ended up. And can I just say this had one of my most favorite epilogues EVER?! #followyourdreams #liveyourrealestlife
The Guy in the Middle was an incredible read. It was funny, angsty and a read that was emotional and intense.
I loved Harper’s and Lance’s story. I loved how they first connected and I loved the chemistry between them. We see them in every single shade between them.
There was a lot of intensity in the story, especially when it comes to Lance. Not gonna spoil it, but it will definitely tug on your heartstrings.
The connection between Harper and Lance was intense in every single way. There was not a moment when you couldn’t feel anything between them. It was constant sparks.
This book was a great way to end a spectacular series. I do hope that I get to see them in the future, but these characters and not just Harper and Lance will hold a special place in my heart.
Lance and Harper’s story!
Many ups and downs but a lot of the story they needed to work things out with themselves to be better for each other.
This series has been so much fun to read and I truly loved the characters and all their quirky ways!
Kate Stewart really packed all the love into this one and the epilogue was the best!
So much Love for this series!
A definite re-read
Harper dream is to dance no distractions and a Lance needs to be drafted to the NFL no distractions. Lance has anger issues and likes to work out with a punching bag at his friends father’s gym and there he meets Harper. They fall in love but there is so much against them. Great characters and storyline Highly recommended. Love this book it has a perfect ending. Never give up.
I loved this series from the beginning but nothing could be prepared me for this one! It’s definitely moved up to my new favorite. Lance and Harper are here to rock your world. My head is still spinning. This author has yet again proved just how absolutely amazing she is! This book will grab your heart and won’t let go!