They say the red zone is the hardest place to score.But for me, those last twenty yards were my sweet spot.They didn’t call me Lukas “Last Minute Lucy” Callihan for nothing.I was at the top of my game…until life sacked me harder than any linebacker ever could.Losing my mom was devastating and left me as the sole person responsible for my little sister.Taking care of Ella and juggling my career … Ella and juggling my career was like playing the hardest game of my life.
My only saving grace was Scarlett Knox, Ella’s sexy, red-headed, no-nonsense teacher.
She loved Ella. She hated me.
She thought I sucked at this parenting thing, and she wasn’t wrong.
But whenever she was around I got the same earth-shattering, heart-stopping feeling I did when I was only twenty yards from the goal line.
She made me feel like I was back in the red zone, a place I’d never fumbled.
Until now.
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Omg!!! No I want more!!! I didn’t want it to end. I wanted so much more of Lukas and Scarlett. I loved the banter they had and I loved their chemistry that could burn you through the kindle it was so hot!!! And I loved how you saw how they first met in high school and then again later in life. The mixture of the back and forth of time tables and the povs was just so perfect. And add Ella and Mason to the mix and it just was the icing on the cake. And let’s not forget the most important thing of all about this amazing book!!!! Is that it brought to light some awareness to special needs children and how they might be just a little bit more special but they are just as we are and all every one needs is love and acceptance and that’s all any of us deserve. Like I said the only thing wrong with this book is I never wanted it to end!!! I highly recommend this book!!! By Tina
4.5 Give-me-DIBS Stars!
This one sucked me in and as soon as Ella appeared, I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the fact that Scarlett was a special needs teacher who really loved and cared for ALL her students. The way the Author captured the difficulties that come with caring for a child with down syndrome felt authentic. Lukas struggles with loss and his amazing love for his little sister squeezed my heart. I enjoy a sports romance, but this was so much more ~ a second chance, a new beginning….
For the record, I freakin’ loved Mason in this book!!!
This Book is Everything!!
Every Single Character… I ‘m calling Dibs
I have never read a book before that showed as much love between a brother and sister. My heart ached for this little family that was broken but still solid and making it work.
Lukas Callihan, Mister Quarterback just had his world shook, he has become the guardian of his thirteen-year-old sister, he has to move back home and be traded to a different football team. Lukas feels like he is failing at everything but dang he is trying. When Ella has a hairy emergency he calls on Ms. Lettie her teacher for help.
Scarlett is a teacher that loves her kids and always put them first. There are only crickets in the romance department. She can’t let go of her 1st love from high school who ended the relationship before it began. She was crushed and angry that he never reached out to her in the ten years since it happened. Ella one of her favorite students just had a crushing tragedy hit her so Ms. Lettie will go the extra mile to help her out, even if it means seeing the one that got away, Mister Quarterback.
There is no way enough adjectives to describe my love for this book, My mind was blown, I was laughing and wiping tears the entire read. Lukas and Ella are one in a million. Best Read this Year.
This was an excellent read. I love the chemistry between Luk and Scarlett. I want to know what’s up with Ollie and Hazel. Can Mason also get a book because that man is just too yummy to pass up.
Scarlett and Lukas were friends in high school when Scarlett was a freshman and Luk was a senior. She was his French tutor but they soon became close friends. Shortly before leaving town, Luk kissed Scarlett and then never talked to her again, breaking her heart.
Now ten years later, Luk is on a successful NFL team on their way to the Superbowl when he gets word his mother suddenly died. He moves back home to Alabama, guardian of his little sister Ella. Little does he know that Ella’s beloved teacher Ms Lettie is his Scarlett.
I loved this book so much! Luk is all about his family. He has adored his sister since she was born. But becoming her sole caretaker is another thing. He struggles with so much – his loss, being what Ella needs, his new team. And Scarlett is still the one who can help him. But she is afraid of letting him in again.
This book was so well written. The story is captivating and I felt like I was right there with the characters, experiencing things as they did. Luk and Scarlett are so perfect for each other, and I love how they created their own family.
THE RED ZONE is a sweet but sad second-chance romance. I’ve read all of Amie Knight’s books and this one doesn’t disappoint. Wonderful characters trying to do the best they can, with the cards life has dealt them. “I’m Calling Dibs” on this book.
Lukas Callihan was living his dream life. He was quarterback for a football team that was destined to make it to the super bowl. But life as he knew it was about to change drastically, with one phone call. His aunt called to tell him that his beloved mother had unexpectedly passed away. He must come home to take care of his cherished sister Ella, who has Down Syndrome. Years ago his father had passed away from a car accident with a drunk driver. Now with his mother’s passing, he would be the only one left to take care of his special needs sister. Without any hesitation, he returned to his hometown: Summerville, Alabama. He was traded to a sub-par team, so he could live in his mother’s house, to take care of Ella. She was the shining light in all his grim days since his mother passed. And he vowed to never give her up. Ella was his everything.
Scarlett Knox was a special education teacher in a private school for children with special needs. She loved her job and her favorite student was Ella Callihan. Ten years before she had been a freshman in high school, and a French tutor for the high school senior quarterback Lukas Callahan. She had a mad crush on him, and he had given Scarlett her first kiss. It was special and everything a girl’s first kiss should be. But it also was a kiss good-bye. She had not heard from him in ten years, but now he was back. He also was Ella’s guardian. And she was so nervous about seeing Lukas once again.
This is a very sweet story, but full of lots of heartache. But the characters are all so wonderful. I also learned that family isn’t always the one God gave you. It can also be the one you chose. You are not really failing, if you are doing the very best you can. This story is wonderfully written and I highly recommend you read the book.
Holy cow!!! Amie Knight has out done herself with The Red Zone!!!
I was immediately sucked in in the lives of Luk and Scarlett. I loved the flashback scenes when they were getting to know each other. I really loved that looks Ellie had something to do with Scarlett as an adult. Speaking of Ellie I adored her I loved every single one of her scenes. The bathroom scene had me laughing out loud.
And I love that Scarlett was independent and not fawning over Luk. The chemistry between Luke and Scarlett was smoking hot, and just leapt off the pages. But what I love most was the getting to know each other seen them fall in love absolutely loved it.
I don’t think I’ve ever cried and laughed as much while reading a book. Sometimes it was both I laughed till I cried. Some of the scenes were hard to get through but oh my goodness it is so unbelievably well-written that it’s freaking amazing. I think this is one of Amy’s best books ever. I absolutely loved, loved it. I cannot wait for Hazel and Oliver story and hopefully Mason!
I received a review copy of the book The Red Zone before release for an honest review.
This is my first time reading this author so I did not know what to expect. But what a wonderful surprise it was. Lukkas is a football player in the NFL and he has a little sister who is a teenager. He gets a call that his mother has died and he goes home to take care of her. He gives up his NFL dream and ends up playing football on a much lesser team than he was originally on.
His sister Ella was pretty darned cool but she has Down Syndrome, she is very high functioning though and she has Ms Lettie who is her teacher. Lettie is a genius. She actually knew Lukkas in high school and tutored him in French when she was 14 and he was 18. They became very close until Lukkas kissed her and then ghosted her. They have not seen each other in the ten years since.
Lukkas has no idea who Ellas teacher is but they have some really fun evil text messages until he discovers who she is and that is when this story gets so fun as she tries to duck him and he totally chases her.
This was a fun and wonderful story with lots of heart. It is well written and I really loved every second of this 2nd chance at love story. The only issue I had a hard time with was that Lukkas kissed a 14 year old when he was 18. But aside from that I totally loved this story and every single character.
Loved it!!
Gah this book!!
As with all Amie Knight books, I devoured this in one sitting and fell in love so hard.
What a beautiful character little Ella was!! She was the star of this book for me. Although Lukas and Scarlett were brilliant.
Also, am I the only one hoping Mason gets a book??
Ohmigosh. This book was absolute perfection!! I loved this history between Scarlett & Luk….like I love it so much! I like that they both had to work through some things, but that deep-seated attraction has been there the whole time! Plus I loved Ella! And I hope we get to see what happens with Ollie!!
I devoured this amazing book on my 6 hour flight today and let me just say one thing………dibs on Lukas! This is a beautiful second chance love story 10 years in the making. I love the flashback chapters and feel like they enhanced this story so much!
I continuously fell in love with Lukas a little more with each chapter. I mean I was on a continuous swoon for this man! He is everything a book boyfriend should be and more! Lukas moves back to his hometown to be the sole guardian to his sister Ella who has Downs Syndrome, after the death of his mom. His football career means nothing to him compared to the love he has for his sister so he requests a trade to a team that is not even close to the caliber of the team he was on. But Ella is what matters most to him. Little did he know a blast from his past, one he has never been able to forget, is Ella’s special needs teacher at school. The last person Scarlett (Red) ever expected to see again was Lukas. She tutored him back in high school and thought they had a real and true friendship but hasn’t heard from him in 10 years.
What happens once they meet again is pure magic! Every single thing about this story and the way it all plays out is perfect! I ran the gamut of emotions! Amie Knight really shines with this incredible story that has all the sweet, funny, charming, heartwarming, heartbreaking, loving, and sexy stuff a romance should have. Absolutely Fantastic!
The Red Zone by Amie Knight made me feel so giddy and content with all the powerful emotions. It is more than a perfect contemporary sports romance. It is about second chance, it is about rising from ashes and it is about finding happiness with true love after darkness.
Lukas has everything wrong going in his life. He had a successfull career in football and a loving caring family with his mother and sister Ella. With his mother’s sudden death he is back to his home town in Alabama to take care of his sister with special needs. He is in pain and his broken heart is drowning with guilt and helplessness. And then he meets Scarlet. Again. The fierce adorable redhead woman he once loved but had to leave for her own good years back. Problem? She is Elle’s special educator and years old unrequited feelings are buzzing between them like electric charge.
The story is told in dual POV and Amie has nailed it. I expected some heartbreaking angsty yet sweet emotions from her writing and she didn’t disappoint me at all. She is so good at this starcrossed lovers genre. The sizzling chemistry, the aching familiarity, the soul deep bond and the sense of overwhelming longing is overflowing the pages. I love this man. How can I not? He is at the same time arrogant, sexy and soft. His love for Elle and his family is an amazing thing to read about. And Scarlet has own me over completely. She is giving, compassionate and sweet with a golden heart. Their relationship restarted on a hesitant footing and slowly progressed to more serious territory. I loved how they became each other’s strengths and supports. The story line has some interesting twists those kept me engaged. The story is full of intense emotional moments those made me swoon and sigh.
The Red Zone by Amie Knight was sexy, heartwarming and sensational. It was emotional, passionate and sensual. A sports romance filled with surprisingly deep romance!
Received ARC for Honest Review
Worth so much more than five stars*******I loved this book from beginning to end. I loved the instant connection these two had. Luk is one amazing brother who had so much love for his baby sister. The love he had for sweet Ella ran deeper than his love for football. Scarlett is the one person whom NEVER treated Luk differently because of his status. The banter these two shared as teenagers and adults is comical. The part that touched me the most is when Scar meets sweet Ella, this scene had me in my feels. I can’t WAIT for Mason, Ollie, and Hazels story.
So much about this book!! So many feels!!! Let’s start by saying I’m a bama girl and live for football season so this book dealing with football is even better
Lukas Callihan and Scarlett meet when she is a freshman in high school and tutors Luk when he’s a senior. They develop a friendship but then he leaves for college in South Carolina.
In this book there is a bit of back and forth but like any book you need it to have the back story.
10 years later Luk comes home to take care of his sister that has down syndrome. He has to balance family, football, life, highs, and lows.
What happens when Scarlett and Lukas are in the same town again ? Will feelings evolve? Will they become friends again? Will they become more?
Be sure to read this book.
Skittles and Ella are my favorite part of the book. Ella is adorable and she is sure to win you over with her personality. Lukas & Scarlett meet in high school when Scarlet tutors Lukas in French the language of love they say. Both go there separate ways until Lukas returns home after many years. Lukas just may make it to the red zone and win back his Red lady. I enjoyed this second chance romance for the most part. I hope we get oliver ‘s book .
The Red Zone is a story that is more than I ever imagined, filled with so many endearing moments, it pulled at all of my emotions. Amie Knight is a true master.
Lukas “Last Minute Lucy” Callihan is at the top of his football career when he receives word that his mother suddenly passes away. Given that she was already raising his special needs sister alone, this news was not only devastating to Lukas, but also meant he had to reprioritize his life. Moving back home so he could take over raising Ella was an adjustment, he wasn’t exactly ready to become a parent to a teenage girl, but he loved his sister and would do anything for her, even play football for a mediocre team. Just when he felt like the world was crashing all around him, he discovered Ella’s teacher was none other than Scarlett Knox, the one girl he actually would have dated back in high school. The only girl who had gotten under his skin. The one and only “Red”.
Scarlett Knox had always been a little awkward, perhaps it was because she was a late bloomer, excelled at school, or a combination of everything. Whatever it was, she never expected to become friends with the star quarterback back in high school. She didn’t understand it herself, but she absorbed every minute he spent with her back then. It was short and so very long ago that when Luk came back into town ten years later not only had she finally blossomed, but she figured he’d all but forgotten about their short time together. She was currently Ella’s teacher and since Lukas was now her guardian there were rules and she didn’t care how sexy Luk still was, Scarlett had a job to do and there could be no distractions.
When Lukas needs help with Ella because let’s face it he knows next to nothing about raising a teenage girl, he turns to the one person he not only knows, but also the one person he can trust, Scarlett. She not only knows Ella better than anyone, but she also knows him. Together they can brave most anything, if she’d only let him in.
Sure Lukas left a decade ago and never looked back, but can Scarlett trust him again? She loves Ella as much as she loves all her students, but she really shouldn’t get involved beyond the classroom, it’s a sticky situation. Can she help a man who is clearly floundering not only in the grief of losing his mother, but also in raising his sister, while still guarding her heart?
The Red Zone was not only a story that covered the importance of family, but also dealing with your emotions in the most trying of times. In today’s world, especially with social media, everyone has to be fantastic all the time, but we all have hard days, difficult days, trying days, etc…
Lukas, Ella, Scarlett, even some of the football team show us that it’s okay not to be okay all the time. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to not have all the answers right when you think you should. It is just okay to feel just okay.
There is a pivotal moment right towards the end of the book and I was on the edge of my seat, looking at how much of the book was left and I was screaming inside wondering how everything was going to turn out alright…I won’t give away what that moment was or even how Amie in her magically gift made me bawl my eyes out and basically waved her magic wand to make it all happen. All I will say is at that moment you realize that everyone, yes, everyone has moments of doubt, frustration, insecurity, panic, etc…and even the smallest person or most insignificant thing can make a huge impact in someone’s life. Just remember you never know what someone else is going through, so always be kind to one another.
Pick up The Red Zone on May 30th, you will not be disappointed.
I have so many emotions swirling right now that I don’t know where to begin. This story is raw, emotional and very relatable in so many ways. I love a sports romance and Amie took it to a whole new level. From the characters to the storyline I was emotionally invested from the first page until the very end. Warning…you will have a major hangover after reading this amazing story. I’m calling dibs on Lukas!!!
I really liked this book. I loved how the characters had a past history, although not as sweethearts in the normal sense. Scarlett and Lukas were brought together during his senior year. Scarlett was a freshman and tasked with tutoring Lukas in French. He was the big man on campus, the quarterback who was destined for the NFL.
Scarlett fell hard for him, but kept her crush well hidden. Then Lukas kissed her, just once, but she thought it meant something. But, Lukas left and never returned.
Now, ten years later, he’s back to care for his younger sister after his mom’s sudden death. He’s struggling, not only with the aftermath of bereavement, but with raising his special needs sibling. Add in a team he feels doesn’t want him and a teacher giving him he!! and he’s ready to break.
When he discovers that the troublesome teacher in none other than his Red, he goes all out to win back her affection.
Scarlett isn’t impressed with Lukas at first, after all he ghosted her for ten years, and now he wants to be friends!!
But, the chemistry they shared, even unknowingly back then, flares to life and Scarlett is soon in freefall. This was a fairly slow-burning story, with plenty of feels and some great characters. I like how they got to know each other again before they got hot under the covers. Lukas was the sweetest quarterback and big brother ever. So, I’m calling dibs on him.
I’m Calling Dibs!
An emotional, heart-warming second chance romance with all the feels. Grab the kleenex and get ready to shed a few tears. This one hits you right in the heart!
Lukas is back in his home town after ten years. Following the sudden loss of his mother, he moved back home to care for his sister with special needs. It wasn’t a sacrifice, because loving Ella had always been nothing but pure joy. But parenting…well that was a whole other story.
Scarlett was Ella’s special education teacher. She was dedicated to her job and loved all the kids she taught. She never planned on Lukas shaking things up.
Lukas was the boy who she crushed on in high school. Now he’s back and the boy she loved became the man she can’t resist.
A story of loss and learning to move forward and embrace life. Bad things happen, things that shape who you are. It’s up to you to make the best of it and live the way you deserve.
This slow burn romance had sweet, poignant moments, along with the hot and sexy! Lukas was fun, flirty and irresistible but also incredibly sweet. The soft spot for his sister just made you fall in love with him over and over. Ella was just awesome. You can’t help but love her. And Scarlett she was just everything they both needed.