Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover.
The first time NFL quarterback Heath Harris meets Sam Crawford, it’s just them, a luxury yacht and a few days of fun in the sun. Sam turns out to be nothing like Heath expects. He’s kind and funny and irreverent—and also unbelievably, shockingly sexy. For three short, glorious, life-changing days, there are no rules.
The second time they meet, Sam has just … rules.
The second time they meet, Sam has just been traded to Heath’s team, and instead of lovers, they’re now rivals. Heath has spent the last five years working desperately to be the best quarterback the Riptide could ever need, but when injuries threaten to derail his career, Sam is right there, standing on the sideline. Ready to take over, and ready to ruin everything Heath has given his life for.
Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover.
As their orbits collide, sparks fly, and Heath struggles to find the right label and the right box to shove Sam into, hoping to keep him contained. But Sam—and Heath’s feelings—refuse to cooperate.
Sam might not be just one of those things, he might be all of them, and so much more.
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Going from a vacation fling to being team mates for the same football team is a curveball. Sam and Heath has some growing pains but they come full circle and find out that if they work together nothing is out of reach.
I did receive an Arc for a review.
I think fans of football will appreciate the attention to team dynamics and the structure of play– while those who know nothing about sportsball (me, that’s me) won’t be bogged down in the detail: this is clearly a sports romance, but it’s an accessible one, and the real heart of the story lies in the complicated, gloriously messy ties between the two quarterbacks, Heath and Sam. I liked Sam a lot, and found him super relatable: he leads with his heart and is kind, generous, funny, and forgiving, up to a point. Watching the damage Heath did to his trust, confidence, and sense of self was hard sometimes, and the fact that Heath didn’t *mean* to do it– that Sam was just collateral damage to Heath’s own damage– didn’t always make it better. That said, I liked Heath too: the author does a great job of showing how Heath’s life experiences have shaped him, and his obsessive desire for control, emotional antipathy, and tendency to lash out all make sense given his deep seated need to protect himself. Watching him build for himself a more stable sense of identity, and then try to fix his mistakes with Sam, was really rewarding. Overall, I loved the emotional rollercoaster that was this story, and especially the HEA.
So this book had more of a serious vibe to it than I was expecting. It’s a first time gay, closeted, supposed to be rival sports romance. But Heath has a lot of issues to overcome. And sometimes I felt like Sam put up with way too much from him. It does get better, Heath does eventually put in the work to better himself, and he’s super lucky Sam was still around. It was a good read, and I look forward to the next book.
This is such a fantastic read! Sam and Heath are such amazing characters that you can’t help fall in love with! Beth really brings out all the feels with this one! Beautifully written with such depth and intensity! Even if you’re not a football fan you just might be after reading this! Absolutely loved it and highly recommend! Received arc and am voluntarily leaving an honest review
This is an enjoyable story with interesting characters. Honestly, this took me quite awhile to get into the story and I almost gave up on it – I stuck with it and am glad I did. I think there was a bit of repetitiveness that had it been eliminated would have tightened up the story and made it easier to get into. Overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading what happens next.
Heath and Sam meet on a fishing trip and are both in the closet. They have serious chemistry and heat! Heath and Sam suddenly find themselves both in contention for the same position on the same team. They have to find a way to work thru their own issues to be together. I loved the sweet, romantic gestures, the push and pull and their communication and honesty with each other. The secondary characters help to make the story. The story was really well written, highly recommend. I’m voluntarily leaving a review form an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.
A holiday fling was all they had between them, knowing they couldn’t have more as they were rivals.
When things change and Sam ends up being a permanent fixture in Heaths daily life, the tension and attraction between them is something that can no longer be ignored.
As they are forced to find a way to work together, a slow enemies to lovers relationship forms which eventually leads to more the longer they are in each other’s company,
This book was a tad on the long side as the author took a lot of time to delve into the characters lives as to enhance their growth. Both Heath and Sam have their own insecurities that they will need to overcome in order to move forward together and the author touches on a range of emotions and topics as we see these characters work for their HEA.
An equal balance between football scenes, steamy encounters, engaging main characters and wonderful supporting characters makes for an enjoyable read overall. 3.5 stars for me.
This was a solid 3.5-4 star book for me!
Heath is a self-contained, self-made man, the first string QB for the LA Riptide. He’s meticulous, driven, determined and absolutely hates not being the best. His list of people close to him can be counted on 2 fingers and he’s fine with that. Maybe.
Sam is the second-string QB for a team in Miami. He’s the golden boy who’s had a pretty cushy life and he’s finding life in the NFL a lot harder to succeed in than he anticipated. Despite knowing of each other, Heath and Sam meet in a completely random way, have 3 days of intense connection and then go back to their lives until Sam forces himself back into Heath’s orbit.
This book took me a while to get into- I was about 35% into the book until I was invested. Heath, while being a completely sympathetic character, was super hard to warm up to. But I wanted to- I was rooting for him so much – that I stuck with the book and I’m so glad I did. Sam and Heath’s relationship was full of stops and starts and was a little too insta-love for me but the payoff was there. I will happily read the next book in the series!
Together
“I’ve never loved anyone but you and I can’t imagine ever loving anybody else.” Gah, I can’t imagine loving a football romance as much as I loved this one. Sam and Heath are amazing. I love their intensity, their passion, and their heat. Above all though, I adore their sweet and romantic gestures and their honesty. Even when I wanted to shake them because they’re both so completely and undeniably stubborn, I still couldn’t help but tumble into love with them. They are pure love and I want more.
I love all of Beth Bolden’s book but I have a weakness for a good m/m sports romance and The Rivalry is definitely one of my favorites. I loved Heath and Sam’s meet cute on fishing trip and just how hot their chemistry was from the beginning. Seeing the dynamic between steadfast Heath and spontaneous Sam is so fun and shows just how well they complement the other. Watching both Sam and Health grow in their relationship with each other and as people was so fulfilling. I love that we got to see Colin and Nick again and loved how they were there for Health when he really needed someone to just be there for him. The side characters in this story are amazing and I hope we see more of them in the future in their own books. Highly recommend this author and any of her books!
I’m not a big football fan but this story made me want to be. The difficulty of loving and working with someone and not having the freedom to just be yourself hits home no matter if you are straight, gay, young or old. We all need to find our people. Beautifully written, fantastic characters and an awesome story line.
Audiobook Review
Narrator: Darcy Stark
Overall: 4 stars
Narrator: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars
The first mistake these fellas made was not communicating, but fear can make it hard to do. Fear, old hangups, and not communicating were big hurdles for Sam and Heath. Dealing with the fallout of coming out is a bigger one.
I loved the chemistry between Sam and Heath. Even when they weren’t communicating completely, they still saw through each other’s masks they put on.
I enjoyed this mish-mash of tropes that were in this story. It worked, in my opinion. It worked really well. I have read/listened to other series by the author, and this one is as enjoyable as the others. It’s easy to get attached to the main characters, and sucked into their story.
Darcy Stock did a good job with the book. True, there wasn’t a lot of differentiation between the character’s voices, but I never found it problematic. I was able to follow along just fine. He did a good job with putting emotions into his narration, and was pleasant to listen to.
4.5 stars.. A good start to the book and soon starts for a enemies to lovers themed book. This has a fair amount of narrated story at the beginning that I didn’t connect with the characters. Heath definitely gets your emotions going as I wanted to kick him for being horrible to Sam.. Brans interrogations into Heaths love life was great seeing him squirm lol.. This is a big book with lots of pages I thought I’d loose the interest but it kept me reading. Heath has past issues with his father that he hadn’t dealt with, he just needed some encouragement to get there. The gay v card gets taken, and hidden closets are full here in this. By the ending of the story Id really liked Heath and Sam together and the finish is a good one.
Heath had a fishing trip for 3 days without his friend who’d bailed. A Quarterback for the Riptide team.
Sam was a Miami Paranahs quarterback also on a fishing trip. Things get heated in more ways then one.
Two NFL quarterbacks meet during the offseason on a weekend fishing charter. They enjoy a steamy weekend then they go their separate ways back to their teams. However there are two complications. First, each of them can’t get the other out of their mind and second, one gets traded to the other one’s team and now they are competing for the starting job.
The MCs here are Heath, the more veteran quarterback, well established in his career but with so much baggage he’d need his own carousel at the airport and Sam, the young, cocky backup who has never taken anything seriously because it’s all come so easy up to now. Sounds like many sports romances we’ve all read and loved, yes? Not so fast. The sports action is well written and there is quite a bit of it thankfully (a pet peeve of mine in so many sports related stories that have very little sport!) BUT, this book is way angstier than you’d think so if angst is not your thing you might want to think twice before reading. If angst is your thing you’re going to love it. If, like me, you have differing angst tolerance levels it might be a tough read.
Heath really got on my last nerve several times. There’s just so much introspection and self-loathing and lack of self-awareness or awareness of those around him. This is attributed to his childhood and background but we don’t get a lot of information on that until much later in the book and even then it is bare bones. I had a lot of questions about some of his decisions relative to his father (no spoilers) but it added to my annoyance level. Sam on the other hand I found likeable and sweet and patient and charming.
Then all of a sudden the world was upside down. (no spoilers) Now I’m so feeling empathy for Heath and want to smack Sam upside the head. Well done in terms of turning tables Beth Bolden.
I would have loved some more character development and for it to be better paced. I also wish the story arc moved faster. I felt at several times we became bogged down in Heath’s moroseness. I kept picturing Eeyore for some reason!
However, the ending is fantastic. The crisis moment, the reckonings and the very end. Loved all of it. So while I’m deducting a star for the points mentioned above this is definitely a string recommend.
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review *
YES! Okay, now that I have that out of the way, I will tell you that The Rivalry by Beth Bolden is creative, original, emotional, and has a depth that I find lacking in some sports romances, not that I don’t love them, I do, but this one is different.
Heath and Sam are supposed to be rivals on the same team, but there is more to them than that. There are emotions, feelings, a prior meeting, and so much more. Heath has had a hard life, and while Sam seems like he’s on top of the world, he isn’t perfect. Far from it.
I absolutely loved this story and everything about it. Great characters who are exceptionally well-developed, a plot that pulls you in, amazing dialogue and situations. I couldn’t put it down, and I highly recommend you pick up this 5 star read for yourself!
Two closeted football players meet on a fishing trip. From there the secret they both hid ended up being shared with each other. Moments had and memories created, they both were aware that what they were sharing was only for the moment and never again. That is until they are both suddenly playing for the same team. Heath is less than thrilled that Sam is now suddenly his backup… or more to the point his replacement. Now Sam is there, in Heath’s face, a reminder of what they shared and the feelings they each have. But will Heath risk his almost over career for Sam? Is Sam willing to risk his up and coming future for Heath?
I am so on the fence with this story. IMO this was such a slow read, I actually struggled for the first half of the book but I kept going and it picked up… a bit. Loads of football, and this being a football story that’s not a bad thing, but it was almost too much football; I didn’t feel Heath and Sam’s chemistry at all. Too much push and pull for my taste. This did have a bit of drama, loads of football, and some ok naughty moments… not amazing, just great. I give this 3.5 stars.
The Rivalry by Beth Bolden is an enjoyable MM sports romance. The story line is entertaining. Our two quarterbacks go from “enemies” (personally I didn’t believe the whole enemy angle) to chummy to teammates to friends to lovers. Even though I’m not sure they were that great of friends most of the time. Anyway their relationship was all kinds of complicated. I adored Sam’s character he was sweet and optimistic. He and the supporting cast really held the book together for me. However, our other leading player Heath was rough. He undeniably had a heap full of inner issues to work through, but they didn’t make up for the complete jerk he was half the time to Sam. On the bright side, the intimate scenes between them were fantastic, especially when Heath wasn’t ruining things with his words. This is my first Beth Bolden book but I will definitely be reading more from her in the morning.
In an enemies-to-lovers sports trope, Beth weaves a story of two quarterbacks who are fighting for the top position as well as their feelings for one another. Heath—with his abusive childhood coloring how he sees and reacts to the world—and Sam, younger, inexperienced, but believing he can take life by the balls and pushing the more uptight Heath to color outside the lines. Lots of angst, passion, and unexpected discoveries had me placing this as one of my top favorites of Beth Bolden’s books. Highly recommend you give it a try, especially if you enjoyed The Rainbow Clause.
I received a review copy from GRR, but the opinions are all my own.
Heath is a superstar quarterback, he’s focused and determined, but really he has a lot of issues that from his upbringing. He spends most of his life doing everything he can to be the best and staying in control of his life. He hasn’t been really attracted to anyone before until he meets Sam, a rival quarterback from a different team.
Sam knows he’s gay but he stays in the closet, mostly because of what it would mean to be gay in the NFL. He meets Heath just after bad breakup and they have a short fling, which being with a man is new for Heath.
Everything changes when Sam is traded to Heath’s team as the new backup quarterback. Heath seems to be harsh and unfeeling, but its further from the truth, he had a rough childhood and is just protecting himself from hurt by pushing everyone away. Sam is the exact opposite of Heath because his childhood was normal and had a supportive family. He understands his sexuality even if being a football player in the NFL implies that he must be secretive about his love life. He wants to play football and he wants Heath too.
This was a wonderful story! Heath and Sam were great characters and were beautiful for each other. I highly recommend this book!
I ended up loving this book, despite a bit of a slow start and a dislike of one of the characters in the beginning. Heath is self-absorbed and rude, especially towards Sam, and I really struggled to get past his behaviour. But… the tension between Heath and Sam is incredible! Add in the fact that they’re rivals of sorts, and it just cranked it up even more. And slowly, we started to see the characters unravel and reveal more of themselves. Heath even won me over, and I think this was possible because the author had handled both his and Sam’s characters with the complexity of real life. Heath and Sam also take charge of their own issues as individuals, thus allowing for them to come together beautifully in the end. A fantastic read!