Ian “Tag” Taggart is innocent.
The day Tag’s world comes crashing down around him, he’s sitting in a fast food drive-thru, waiting on an order of fries. Golden boy of the MLB and shortstop for the Washington Rampage, Tag quickly finds himself losing grip on his superstar life with the use of two awful words. Tag’s willing to do anything to prove his innocence, and in a last-ditch effort to … his innocence, and in a last-ditch effort to revamp his image, his agent forces him out of the spotlight and into the mountains of Colorado.
The quiet town of Maple Lake is everything Seattle isn’t.
And Lexi Barnes is everything he wasn’t expecting to find.
It’s game on this off-season.
The Off-Season can be read as a complete standalone romance. It is book one of the Washington Rampage series.
Loved this book! Sports romance without the typical over inflated ego. This book is a slow burn and captures the love of two individuals and the hardships your past can cause! Love the way the story is written and how it kept you hooked beginning to o end?
I want to start this review by saying I love Ian. The sweet mouth on that man – que the swoon:
»But know this, Lexi. Nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing. Not baseball, not money, not fame. The moment you walked into my life, I was a goner. You’re it for me. « I love his decision to stand behind their relationship no matter what.
As for Lexi; I’m sorry to say but I didn’t like her at the beginning. She was a hard character to get attached to or connected with. But somehow seeing her trough Ian’s eyes she grew on me. By the end of the story I was rooting so hard for her to finally see that he is IT for her and nothing can stand in their way if she wishes it so. And the side characters were hilarious. After finishing this I’m super excited to start book 2! <3
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
Amazing book about redemption and second chances at life. I absolutely loved this book.
Just in time for baseball season! This is the story of Ian “Tag” Taggart, short stop for the Washington Rampage. He is falsely accused of assaulting a woman. As his innocence is proven he decides to lay low out of the spotlight at his team mates, Brandon or “B”, lake property. He is definitely not looking to meet a woman. But he can’t ignore the beautiful woman in the property next to him who just moved in and is repairing the house herself. Lexi Barnes is running from a mistake. She doesn’t want to let Ian into her life. She doesn’t feel she deserves him. The more she pushes him away the more he pushes back for her to let him into her life. Until they can’t fight it anymore. That’s when all the secrets come out. And they have to see if they are strong enough to survive it.
I loved this story so much. From the first moment we meet Ian we know he is innocent and the victim of a gold digger. Instantly I fell for his good boy charm and I just wanted a happy ending for him. I am sucker for a baseball stud too. When we first meet Lexi there is no question whether she has secrets but we don’t find out those secrets until Ian does. And it keeps the reader hanging on. Once it is revealed I found myself forgiving her and wanting her to have a happy ending as well. These are two characters with amazing hearts. But they don’t always make the best decisions.
I highly recommend this book to fans of sports romance. There isn’t much baseball in this book since it is during “the off season.” But the world of sports and what it’s like for athletes is definitely there. This was a first read for me from this author and I can’t wait to read more. Actually the second book in this series that deals with Ian’s teammate and best friend Brandon is due in a few months. I can’t wait for that. And after readers read this story they will be excited like me for more.
THIS ONE TOUCHES ALL THE BASES! FOUR CHEERING STARS!
To be honest, I almost gave up on this book at the end of Chapter 1, because nothing turns me off faster than dialogue riddled with the f-word. However, I started Chapter 2 a few days later and was pulled in by Lexi and the mysterious tragedy that made her flee from Chicago to a run-down old lake house in a small Colorado town. What was she hiding from, anyway?
(Warning: some spoilers ahead!)
Enter Ian (“Tag”) Taggart, a star professional baseball player who’s running from the scandal of false rape charges by spending the off-season in a teammate’s house next door to Lexi’s, hoping to recoup his skill and reputation. He offers to help Lexi fix up her old house, and her initial wariness soon starts to thaw. She has no idea who he is (no one in the entire town recognizes this nationally famous guy!) as they work on the house and gradually fall in love. But when a reporter catches them together and exposes Lexi’s terrible secret to the whole country, everything falls apart.
The engrossing plot kept me turning the pages, hoping Lexi would let go of her fear and embrace the love of this beautiful man. His heartbreaking letter to her near the end . . . my gosh! How could any woman read that and not run straight into his arms? I was in tears over his pain.
This well-written story is a nice blend of sweet and steamy, and the professional proofreading is another plus–I found no typos or grammatical errors. If the unnecessary f-words were removed, this book would easily rate five perfect stars, but the overuse pulls it down to four stars overall.
The book begins with Ian dealing with the aftermath of being falsely accused of a sexual assault and Lexi who is running from something from her past. I really enjoyed the story, we get a good look at the kind of crap that Ian has been through during the 6 months of being accused.
I really loved Ian’s character that he was so stubborn that he wouldn’t let Lexi hide behind her walls she had built up and that he was so persistent even at times when she was ignoring him. I loved his personality, also the fact that everyone he met seemed to have loved him. I liked how he was willing to help Lexi out even if she refused. I loved him. I loved the lengths he was going to try to prove that he wasn’t going anywhere for Lexi.
From the beginning of this book, I was trying to figure out what Lexi was hiding and what made her feel so terrible, that she felt like she couldn’t live. Man, when I found out, I was a mess, I’m not going to say because it’ll spoil it. But it all kind of made sense and her being so closed off made sense. I loved her personality and that she tried to do the right thing when it came to Ian. She believed she didn’t deserve to be happy and it was sometimes so hard to read those chapters because it’s like everyone deserves to be happy. Honestly, Lexi was such a heartbreaking character but when she began to open up she was such a nice and funny person.
I loved how their relationship built, the actual getting together was so slow paced but it worked considering how closed off she was. I loved it, once they got together it was full throttle ahead. I loved their relationship, how he basically brought her into the light. It was wonderful.
This book made me sob, by the end of this book I was full on crying the ending broke my heart and then fixed it. But I cried, I was so heartbroken as Lexi broke up with Ian and they were both feeling the effects it was so horrible and I felt every ounce of pain. Even more so when Lexi’s past comes to forgive her, I was bawling like a little baby. I didn’t expect to be so emotional reading this but I was and it was a nice surprise. The writing was absolutely amazing to be able to make me cry is a big achievement and it was just so beautiful. The way how both Ian and Lexi healed each other with their pasts it was beautiful.
I loved this book. I loved the author’s writing. It was fabulous.
I really enjoyed this heart-jerking story of two people running from their past. I especially loved the way Ian chose to show Lexi the real him instead of the persona he had created to further his baseball career. The secondary characters were well written and I look forward to the next book in the series to see where that relationship goes. Finally, although it took me a bit to get into this book, I was fully involved by the end: laughing, crying, and cheering for Ian and Lexi.
I loved this story from almost the first page , i felt so sorry for both Lexi & Ian for different reasons , hes been falsely accused rape & goes from being a much loved sports superstar to almost nothing , only his closest friends believe hes innocent ,Lexi is also running from her past & what a past , it will when they both end up as neighbours sparks fly but it takes a lot of work from Ian to gain Lexi’s trust & for her to let her guard down but when she does its looks like its going to be happy ever after but its never that simple . At times this book moved me to tears it was that emotional , a fantastic book on subjects that aren’t easy to read about , well done Megan Green
4 out of 5 stars
Tag is running from the press. Lexi is running from the past. They ran to the same small mountain town and right into each other! This story was fun to read because the characters were such real people. I felt like I was reading about friends. I felt like I was right there in Maple Lake – and Tag & Lexi weren’t the only characters who I was drawn to. Charlie felt like everyone’s favorite Uncle. Margie was the nosy neighbor who really cared. Liv is the best friend who’s hiding something, too. And Brandon is just the goofball who brings them all together!
This story flowed well and I enjoyed the back and forth for once. Sometimes I get tired of the characters wanting each other and being too afraid to act on it, but with the circumstances in this book, it actually worked for the story! I thought the timing of everything was done well and just wish there was more time of them together at the end. It’s always so hard when the characters finally find their place and then the story is over.
Baseball isn’t my sport of choice, but these guys won me over anyway. The author really took me on the adventure right along with the characters and I can’t wait to read more!
*** I voluntarily read this book in exchange for an honest review ***
I received The Off-Season by Megan Green in my May Romance Reveal Book box! Since unboxing this beauty I have been dying to read this book! Everything about this book intrigued me from the breathtaking cover to the intriguing blurb. I knew this was going to be a book I would have trouble putting down.
The Off-Season by Megan Green is a baseball romance set in Off Season, meaning there isn’t much game time in this novel. Given that little fact, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical because I love Baseball and I crave the game time moments like an addict. With that being said, I loved the twist of this book. I loved the off season period and getting to see Ian ‘Tag’ Taggart in his everyday element.
The Off Season isn’t all fun and games though, this novel touches on a serious subject revolving around Tag and a rape accusation. After the charges are dismissed, Tag’s manager thinks it would be wise if he was out of the public eye for a while, so Tag’s best friend and teammate offers up his cabin situated in a recluse area. Tag is about to discover that the cabin next door is no longer vacant.
Lexi needs to get away, which results in her buying a fixer-upper Cabin. She wants the peace and craves the solidarity that only this recluse area holds. That is what she thinks, until Ian moves in next door.
Overall, I loved Lexi and Tag. I loved seeing Tag tear through the walls Lexi has built up blocking everyone out. I also loved seeing Lexi slowly let go of her past mistakes and try to move on. I cannot wait to continue on with this series! I’m looking forward to reading Brandon’s story!
I have never read Megan before and now I’m not sure why!! This book did take me a little longer to read however, I think it was because I had accidentally read book two before this one so, I knew some of what happened with Lexi Barnes and Ian “Tag” Taggart. Other than that I did really like this book.
Lexi has just moved to a small town in the middle of nowhere to overcome her demons. She was once a very easy going, loving and full of life girl until that all changed with one choice. Will she be able to overcome these demons to get back to the girl she was or will she continue to punish herself for it?
Tag is the shortstop of the Washington Rampage and is also trying to overcome a blow to his career since he was accused of something he didn’t do. When it is suggested that he take himself out of the spotlight during the off-season he decides the best place to do that is at is best friend Brandon’s “B” lake house in the middle of nowhere.
What will happen when two people that are running from the past come together? Will they be able to overcome their struggles or will their struggles be to much for them to have a life together?
The story line of this book was very well written and many of the aspects where also things that could truly happen to anyone. Which in turn made the struggles that the characters went through very real to everyone.
I’ve enjoyed this story.
Lexi and Tag meet in Maple Lake where they chose to hide.The first couldn’t forget that her bad choices had destroyed some other lives and the second needed a bit of peace,away from the spotlight, after the false rape charges against him dropped.
I liked how their relationship grow steadly chapter after chapter and that they tell their secrets when they feel comfortable to do it.
This was my first from Megan Green and I can’t already wait to read the seond book in the series.
I seem to be on a sport romance kick lately, but that is okay. It is one of my favorite romance genre, I mean who does not love an athlete, right? In the Washington Rampage series by Megan Green, we get the story of baseball players. In the first book of the series, The Off-Season, we get Ian “Tag” Taggart’s story.
Tag is riding high as the golden boy of baseball. But his world literally comes crashing down on him when he is accused of sexual assault. Tag knows he is innocent and is willing to do what it takes to provide it. So at the suggestion of his agent, he takes a breaks from the spotlight.
Lexi Barnes wants nothing to do with her new neighbor, but somehow she seems to keep forgetting that. Lexi carries her own baggage and just wants to be left alone with her new home. She is looking for a fresh start and the man next door is not supposed to be a part of that!
Both Lexi and Tag are each is licking their separate wounds and never expected the other to drop into their lives. But sometimes life throws you curveballs! I loved how sweet and patient Tag was. Lexi had suffered so much and Tag seemed to be the man for her. It was a slow process, but I loved watching these two fall. Their journey was not perfect, but it was perfect for them. The Off-Season by Megan Green was a slow burn romance with all the feels.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
This was a really cute story. Both of the main characters, Lexi and Ian/Tag has their own issues that they were battling but I think the author did justice for both of those things. I don’t really want to go into detail about those things because the impact is that much better when you just read one. The banter (while sometimes not much of it was happening) was fun. It had multiple different tones to it and it kept me engaged with the characters. I’m looking forward to reading the next book with Liv and Brandon. 4 stars #2OCCJD
The first book of the Washington Rampage, The Off-Season features Tag and Lexi, both hiding out from their pasts. They find solace in lake houses neighboring each other. They slowly develop a friendship, each a bit wary, and worn out from life.
While I enjoyed The Off-Season, I found it to be slowly paced, which was distracting. The characters kept me intrigued, as they unwrapped each other’s layers and discovering one another’s secrets and guilts. It felt a bit repetitive at times. I would recommend to the reader looking for a story featuring damaged characters and craving a slow burn.