Former quarterback Lance Quaid just inherited the most losing team in the NFL. He’s got only a few weeks until draft day to turn things around, and after firing more than half his staff, he can’t do it alone. Thankfully, his HR manager is more than capable, if only she’d stop focusing on “due diligence” and stop looking so sexy while she’s yelling at him. Charlotte James has made a life out of … life out of following the rules. But nothing could have prepared her for Lance Quaid–he’s a human resources nightmare. The man is brash, has no filter, and, as her new boss, is constantly relying on her to cover his ass. Which is admittedly quite nice.
When Lance begs her to join him on a trip down the coast for his brother’s wedding so they can finalize details–on a strictly business basis–she agrees…after they fill out the necessary forms, of course. Away from the office, though, sparks start flying as the team starts coming together. But both of them know anything more than the weekend would be a colossally bad idea–after all, the extra paperwork would be a nightmare.
Each book in the Heart in the Game series is STANDALONE:
* The Wedding Deal
* The Mistletoe Trap
more
I thought this was a pretty good read! Fake relationships turned real are one of my favorite types of stories! The writing flowed well for the most part, although I did have to put it down and come back to it about half way through. I thought Lance was a good guy, but he did have his hang ups about trusting anyone. Charlotte’s hang ups about following the rules got tedious after awhile. Every time anything came up, there were forms and sections of the handbook mentioned. It would have been okay mentioned a few times, not every chapter. I thought that Lance and Charlotte were good together when they could both let go of their pasts. The ending was super sweet, and loved that it fit in so well with the story. I would definitely read more books from this author.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
When I saw this cover I knew I had to have it! Love everything Cindi Madsen, and this one is no exception 😀
Witty and heartfelt with Cindi Madsen’s trademark humor! PERFECT read to finish up the weekend!
I absolutely loved this book, and I don’t even like football. That being said, please give this book a try even if you normally not a sports fan.
I have been a Cindi Madsen fan for a while and she is one of my go to authors. I honestly think she can write a book about golf or the weather and it be super fun and cute to read.
I loved that all her books have some kind of pop culture reference and are fun and funny. You always get laugh out loud moments, but also heartwarming and honest issues in one book. I also like that she has some very relatable characters no matter what the book or theme.
This is no different in this case….
When we very first meet Lance, you get the idea that he is another typical asshole alpha male, but as soon we get his POV for the first time it is clear that that is not the thing, He is funny and loving, and above all a loyal family dude. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he is drool worthy. But of course he has his asshole moments too, so don’t worry . Overall I really, really liked Lance.
Charlotte, she seemed a bit stiff and all her rule following was a bit much …… at first. But then we get to see the real Charlotte and I loved her. We learn more about her and loved discovering along with Lance why she is the way she is.
Overall I really loved this book and didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to see who will be next and hopefully we will see more of Charlotte and Lance in future books, because they are beyond adorable.
If you are a fan of contemporary romance, this is a must read book. Also check out any of her other books and I promise you will fall in love with them.
I rate this book full 5
I do love a great Cindi Madsen book and this one definitely fits the bill. It has all the humor, banter, and sass I’ve come to expect from her as well as some amazing characters and a story that just made me smile.
Lance and Charlotte are a fun couple. He says and does whatever pops in his brain. She follows all the rules frequently making up new rules as she goes. When Lance convinces Charlotte to accompany him home for his brothers wedding she requires him to sign a wedding contract to be sure things stay strictly business. Will Lance make her end up wanting to break her own rules?
This is a fantastic read and I book I recommend to everyone.
A Funny, Sweet, and HOT romantic adventure
Sexy retired quarterback Lance has taken over his grandfather’s team The Mustangs and all it’s employees. He wants to make changes .Hi dream is to see this long time losing team become winners again. He’s loud, jumps without looking and a bit of a playboy.. He starts by firing old boys club and doesn’t follow the rules and uses non PC language when he does it. Charlotte is one of the long time employees and head of HR. She is a rule follower, paper pusher and dismayed by her new boss’s lack of decorum and the possible legal outcome from his methods. While she maneuverers, all the right forms filled, and apologies sent, Lance works to rebuild a broken team., when he mentions a possible addition, and Charlotte lists his playing stats from memory, Lance can’t believe his luck. Charlotte is a super fan with a knack for numbers, and an eye for hidden talent. Together this unlike duo will try to rebuild the worst team in the league and it’s not going to be easy between these two opposites.
What a fun read ! It was hard to like both these characters in the beginning. They each were so stubborn, and wouldn’t listen to each other. This was not an insta lust/love read, this relationship took time and it got dirty before things started changing. The characters were fantastic, each breaking the normal types found in so many books. Charlotte was a statistical genius, not a gold digging women, or even someone searching for Mr. Right, what an awesome female characters trait. Ms. Madsen is not afraid to break stereotypes. Lance while presented as a typical jock was anything but when his character was fully drawn out. This was a fun, sweet, dirty, lol, romance wrapped around a sports team family.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a honest review
What a fun story! It’s been a little while since I’ve read a Madsen story and I forgot how fun they are. This one is full of bad past experiences, football, paperwork, and process forms. You can easily relate to the main characters and understand how their experiences have shaped them. I absolutely love Lance’s family! Especially his mother. The story happens over a couple of weeks’ time, is full of fun and laughter. There are a few steamy scenes, too. I’m still in the midst of my holiday-themed reading binge but since the next book on my list was Mistletoe Trap, which is the second book in this series, I had to read The Wedding Deal first. That’s just how I roll. I’m glad I did!
I’m a huge fan of Cindi Madsen’s books, so I had snagged this one on its release day. My TBR is daunting on the best of days, so it just sat there for over a year. The second book in this series was coming soon, so I figured it was about darn time to dive in!
NICUnurse’s Rating: Just…siiiiigh. I loved it. And at every turn, I questioned myself as to how I could have just let this awesome book sit on my kindle TBR list for over a freaking year before I finally picked it up and read it. I loved this story for all of the reasons that I usually love her books: strong characters (especially our heroine), snarky humor, and a great storyline that isn’t your typical one for the trope she’s writing in. Their trip to the beach was so fun to read, but the part I loved the most, I think, was how Lance’s family welcomed Charlotte in like she was one of their own and wouldn’t allow her to be all work and no play. If you like sports romances that aren’t your typical player (on and off the field) turns into a one-woman man, you’re going to love this book just like I did.
I give The Wedding Deal by Cindi Madsen 5 out of 5 stars!
What a great love story! Light-hearted, humorous, and a heroine with just enough sass to knock a smokin’ hot former quarterback now NFL team owner to his knees. Did I mention he’s her boss? After Lance fires more than half of the Mustangs staff, Charlotte scrambles to help him rebuild the team before the new season begins. Lance soon realizes just how valuable she is with her insight of players coaches, stats of every player in the league, and exactly who would be the perfect fit for the team. While on a week long trip to his brother’s weddding, Charlotte and Lance discover how attracted they are to one another but is Charlotte willing to cross that line with her boss? Will her hormones really give her a choice? I loved reading Charlotte and Lance’s story and look forward to the next in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
2.5 stars
It has taken me a while to get my review up. That’s because it has taken just as long to get through this book.
I’m kinda disappointed. This is my first read by this author, and I have heard great things about her work. I will give her one more try in the future.
This is a different take on a sports romance, as Lance Quaid is a former football player. Football is basically the family business, and he has inherited the ownership of the San Antonio Mustangs from his last grandfather.
He comes in wanting to clean up and get rid of the dead weight that’s been bringing the team down for years. So naturally, her fires 98% of the staff except for the head of HR – Charlotte James.
The beautiful, smart and rule-following Charlotte never hesitates to put Lance in his place which makes for some pretty funny moments throughout this book.
They had a good push and pull, but I always felt like there was just that extra something that was missing in this duo.
I think a major problem with this novel was how it dragged on. This book didn’t need to be so long. It didn’t exactly add substance, just extra pages of the same things repeated over and over.
It was an okay read for me, it had lots of potential. The epilogue was sweet.
This the second book I have read by Cindy Madsen and it is hard to believe I loved this one even more than the last one! I love mixing sports and romance and this one did not disappoint! Great story,great character development. My only disappointment was the sex scenes were a bit too detailed for me. I wish she had left a bit of the details out. But it did not keep me from loving the book. Now we need a sequel-I want to know how the team does and the next step for Charlotte and Lance!!
Football, romance, and Cindi Madsen add up to a winning combination!
I love Cindi’s writing style and so I was excited when I saw she was writing a sports romance based around a football team. I knew I would like it, but The Wedding Deal is one of my favorite books this year.
Charlotte is smart, talented, and knows her football. She is Director of HR for the Mustangs and Lance is her new boss.
After his grandfather passed away, Lance took over the team and is ready to make some big changes to improve on their losing record from the previous season.
The chemistry between them is perfect and I loved their banter. The pop culture references and jokes Charlotte makes are hilarious, and even funnier when Lance doesn’t understand them. My favorite thing about them though is that they are good people with big hearts who support each other and want the team to do well.
The story takes place over the week of Lance’s brother’s wedding and the pacing of the plot was perfect. It didn’t feel like their working relationship to friendship to more was rushed or forced.
I really hope there is more Mustangs football books to come!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.
The Wedding Deal is a fabulous read. If you love romcom’s, sport and office romance then this one is for you. Charlotte is adorable. I love her by the books way. She is just amazing when it comes down to her knowledge of football. I love how she keeps her Lance in check as they work together. Lance may be an ex quarterback but he is trying everything he can to rebuild his family team. Lance is a little broken and not to quick to trust. He is doing everything he can to get his team back to the top. You can just feel the chemistry between Lance and Charlotte grow as they make their business/Lance’s brother wedding week trip. I love Lance’s family and the giggle moments that follow. Charlotte and Lance fit together so well. You will have some swoon worthy moments, giggle moments and possibly a little pass the tissue moment too. I can’t wait for more books to come. This is a need to one click book. You will just love Lance and Charlotte so much.
Business becomes a personal pleasure for two unpredictable hearts. The Wedding Deal turns mayhem on the football field into a fiery attraction everywhere else. Cindi Madsen lightens the mood and scores points along the way. Lance and Charlotte are about to lock horns on and off the field. Can two control freaks allow themselves to relax long enough to fall in love? Madsen is the queen of witty romance. I love her.
I’m on the fence so I’m going to say 3.5 stars.
This one took me a bit to get through. There’s really not a ton of drama and it was cute how Charlotte was all rules/control freak and football stats were her jam. Lance is just not all about the rules and he was cleaning house with his team. There was some parts that I was really moving along, then other parts that were a wee bit draggy that I found myself putting it down or I started to skim. With the parts that I did enjoy, Charlotte and Lance were a cute couple.
When Lance Quaid received a life ending injury to his knee, he knew his quarterback days were over. Around the same time, his grandfather passed away and left him the NFL team he owned, the San Antonio Mustangs. He doesn’t have any experience in running a football team, but he sure knows what works for a team to win. Plus, the Mustangs were winless last season. On his first day meeting with the coaches and staff, he fires half of them. Yes he knows he lost his cool, but these men haven’t done anything to help the Mustangs win. Then, his HR manager storms in yelling at him for what he had just done, telling him there is a process to follow before he makes any rash decisions. Charlotte James is a sexy and extremely smart woman and he comes to realize, he’s one lucky SOB to have her on his side and working for him. He’s never met anyone that knows stats like she does, heck she knows more than he does.
Charlotte all of a sudden is at a loss for words when Lance suggests she come with him for a week to North Carolina for his brother’s wedding. Since they have so much to do to get ready for the draft, they could work when he’s not doing wedding stuff. Working closely with Charlotte is becoming harder than Lance thought. She’s sexy and funny and all he can think about is kissing her and taking her to his bed. However, he knows that Charlotte has all these rules and he doesn’t know how to convince her to break them.
Will this week work in his favor or will Charlotte turn him down.
GREAT BOOK! I loved it.
I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an okay read for me. I had a difficult time liking Charlotte, all she talked about was going by the book, quoting the sections of the employee manual, just got to boring and repetitive. I liked Lance and his family though. Cocky yes, but just liked his character way more than Charlotte. loved the dynamics when the employee manual wasn’t front and center, and being a football fan also, loved that she was able to pull stats out so quickly. Things got better once they started heating up, but overall, just okay.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book
You pretty much get exactly what this book’s synopsis spells out for you, my fellow romance book loving friends. At a very leisurely pace, this main couple single handedly attempted to end The Mustangs runaway losing streak by rebuilding it from the ground up. Having inherited this NFL team from his grandfather, Lance was looking for a way to get his mojo back after a career ending injury. What he wasn’t expecting was to find love in the form of his sassy HR manager, who is all about doing things by the book, the HR policy book, that is. Now that part tests his patience to no end, and I couldn’t really blame him there. What really tempts his mind, body, and soul is the fact she is a sexy, walking talking book of football facts/stats and seems to have a sixth sense about selecting the best players. I couldn’t help but find that aspect about her pretty dang cool.
Charlotte has not had a charmed life. She’s struggled to get where she is and isn’t about to let one man ruin everything. With a little guidance, she’s thinking he may actually hold the key to helping this struggling team finally win again. After a rocky start, these two perfect for each other, future lovebirds dance around one other until they stop fighting their attraction and open themselves up to being in a relationship. Quite a bit of time is spent on sneaking stolen glances when they think the other one is not noticing and inner monologues on how much they like what they see. Though the pace of the book is slow, the span of time this happens is relatively fast. Meaning, a lot of it occurs over one week’s time.
A knucklehead move rightfully has one of them declaring endgame and groveling ensues, which happens to be one of my favorite ways to wrap up a romantic read. Color me crazy, but though I found this storyline somewhat predictable, I also found it sweet and entertaining, as well. The author added enough of a past personal backdrop to explain why one of them too easily jumped to a hurtful, wrong conclusion. Still didn’t make it right, but it lead to making up, folks.
Cindi Madsen continues to be an author on this avid romantic at heart’s radar. I tend to always fall especially hard for her back and forth bickering banter between the main couple as they fall for one another.
Title: The Wedding Deal, Series: Heart in the Game (Book 1), Author: Cindi Madsen, Pages: 400, stand-alone, office romance, NFL former player/team owner, team HR rep. Heroine, slow paced, relationship angst, knucklehead moment, has to grovel at the end, steamy scenes, no OW/OM drama, no love triangle, no cheating, big knucklehead moment.
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)
4.5 Stars!
As a Human Resources professional, this book grabbed me right from the beginning. The Wedding Deal by Cindi Madsen is a sports and office romance rolled into one. It is a fun read with bits of emotional turmoil splashed throughout.
Charlotte James is the HR Director for the professional football team that is in last place. She is also a whiz with facts and statistics. Charlotte always follows the rules and expects those around her to do the same. She loves football and her job. When her boss and owner of the team passes away suddenly, his grandson inherits the losing franchise. Lance Quaid is a former superstar quarterback with a personality to match. He has a huge job to do and minding his ps and qs is not one of them. Charlotte is constantly on his case because she knows that his unprofessional behavior will undoubtedly cause the team some legal trouble.
Building a new team is a tough job, and Lance has his work cut out for him. Somehow he and Charlotte find a working stride, and she becomes his greatest advisor. Lance even has her come with him for the week-long festivities of his brother’s wedding, so that they never drop the recruiting ball. Over that week, they secure the positions that they need and become much more than colleagues.
I really enjoyed this book. Although facts and figures are not my thing, employee relations is, so it was easy for me to identify with Charlotte’s character. I also worked with people like Lance and I understand how difficult it is to move from the playing field into the corporate office. I loved the push and pull between the main characters and how they challenged each other with their unique method of communication. Overall, I recommend this is sexy, well-written romance.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
4.5 “office rules be damn” Stars
If you’re in the mood for a fun, steamy hot, engaging romance you can’t go wrong with The Wedding Deal.
The set up for the story is quite simple, Lance, a former quarterback, just inherited his grandfather’s tanking football team and he knows the only way to turn it around is to start from scratch… which is how he finds himself basically with no staff weeks before the draft. Luckily for him, Charlotte, the HR manager, is not only awesome with forms and rule-enforcing but is a wiz with football players’ stats and a devoted fan.
If Lance has a prayer of getting the team back on track, he needs to dedicate every waking moment, and then some, to building back his staff and coming up with a strategy. When he is forced to lose a whole week of that time going to his brother’s wedding, he decides to beg Charlotte to be his plus one so they can keep working whenever he’s not attending some mandatory wedding activity. Only, the more time he and Charlotte spend together, the more their attraction grows and soon becomes so strong neither of them can fight it.
Lance and Charlotte’s relationship had a bit of rough start when he seems to be set out to break every rule in the office handbook. Their underlying attraction and crazy chemistry was the one thing that made sparks fly whenever they interacted, and I really enjoyed all the bickering and banter.
Charlotte at first comes off as a bit closed off and strict-bordering-on-obnoxious-rule-follower, but once we begin to learn her backstory it is more than understandable. She was funny, sweet and gave as good as she got. I loved how she started to loosen up once she and Lance’s relationship unfolded. I also loved how she made him work for it when he was a ginormous git.
Lance was a pretty great hero. He was clear on what he wanted and went all out to achieve it, be that rebuild a crappy team or win the woman of his dreams. He had some issues to overcome regarding various subjects, and even when he manages to be the most massive dingus, his all-in type of groveling was epic. He was not only sexy and hot as hell, he was also caring, charming and a really great guy… if only with a little disregard for not-swearing-at-the-office policies.
In a nutshell, I had lots of fun reading The Wedding Deal. It was entertaining and light, it had feels and sexiness and I just loved pretty much every one of the characters. I’m really hoping for some of them to get their own stories *cough*coachBryant*cough* in the future.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*