A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy.Starting over was her only option.Forty-years old and still reeling from a public and painful divorce, Thalia Blackwood is looking for a fresh start, somewhere far away from her upside down life. When she’s offered a new job as the sports therapist for a football … sports therapist for a football (soccer) team, she jumps at the chance. This is just what she needs to leave the heartbreak and shame of Manchester behind, trading it in for the warmth and hopeful vibrancy of Madrid.
He was her only desire.
Alejo Albarado is rising up the ranks in his career. As the charming forward for the Real Madrid team, Alejo’s life revolves around women, parties, and being a tabloid darling, that is until the new sports therapist joins the team.
Their passion could not be ignored.
What starts out as a strictly professional relationship between Thalia and the young Spanish player, slowly evolves into something more. Much more.
Their relationship was forbidden.
But their combustible chemistry and simmering sexual tension can only go so far–should Thalia give into Alejo’s advances, she’s at risk of not only losing her job, but succumbing to a much younger man will drag her through the spotlight again.
Alejo might be worth that risk.
Unless he breaks her heart in the process.
The Younger Man is a full-length standalone romance. Characters from Love, in English make a cameo in this book, however The Younger Man is intended to be read as a STANDALONE. This book is approximately 500 pages long.
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A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy. The Younger Man is a standalone age-gap sports romance with a forbidden twist.
5 Everything Stars!
Ever since The Younger Man was announced it’s been at the top of my most anticipated reads list. From when I opened this book up to the moment that I reached the end I couldn’t get enough of this story! I absolutely loved it!
Thalia and Alejo’s journey was everything that I wanted it to be and so much more! I related to them, I felt for them, and oh how I adored them! There was so much more to these two than meets the eye and I was so glad I got to dig deeper throughout their story.
With The Younger Man, Karina Halle hit me straight in the heart and feels! Her writing gets to me in such a beautiful way and I ended up hugging my kindle once I finished reading. I cannot wait to read what she comes up with next!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Social Butterfly PR / the author*
I really enjoyed this steamy, sexy, and very emotional love story. And with futbol in it, even more!
This book had me at Real Madrid. We are a “football” family, so the setting of a pro club spoke to me. We were also recently in Valencia, so I found myself remembering places that seemed similar to those described in the book. I loved that Talia was an “older” heroine who had been through life’s trials and was trying to find her place. Her perspective resonated with me and I could totally relate. Unfortunately, I don’t have a hot, young footballer to help me out, but it was fun to watch the dance between Thalia and Alejo. I definitely recommend this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book.
This amazing story took my breath away The build up where we get to know Thalia and Alejo is steady progressivt and then it all takes off. It’s angsty, romantic, heartbreaking and swoonworthy. This book will take you on a journey you didn’t know you needed. But you need this book
From the second I picked up this book, I couldn’t stop reading it. That beginning just hooked me in and I couldn’t put this book down. This book is like one of the stories you read that you read so slowly cause you don’t want the book to end, but then you also want to see what’s going to happen
The characters in this book, oh man will absolutely have you falling in love with them. Alejo Albarado when the story started my heart just bled for him, but as you read you will fall more in love and just be in awe of the person he is. He was passionate, sexy, hardworking and so much more.
Thalia, man she was hardworking, intense and planned for everything. And that’s why I loved these two together. Their chemistry was off the charts, but they also complimented one another. The one was impulsive and went with his emotions and the other one was a planner and took her time and never rushed anything.
You will definitely be rooting for these two characters. You want them to have their happily ever after cause they overcame so much and definitely deserved everything. This is definitely a book and author that I will recommend to anyone
Truth be told, I started this book because I needed a break from my other current read. I wanted a hot story with an easy to follow plot and characters with some sort of chemistry.
Thankfully Alejo and Thalia fit the bill.
This book was beautifully written; the flow easy to follow and captivating the entire time. (I mean, I binged it in 24 hours, hello?!)
I loved the muses Karina used (painted a VERY good picture ), the age gap, the passion, and the determination our star couple brought to the story. Really enjoyed this one!!
First up on my Christmas non-ARC reading was this beauty. I LOVE age gap/forbidden romance and this one just called to me, especially since it was an older woman/younger man.
Thalia, at 40, has recently been divorced and has just accepted a job at Real Madrid as a sports therapist, ready to start again in a new country looking for a fresh start. On the first day of her new job she meets Alejo.
Alejo had suffered loss as a young child and made sure to keep his football dreams alive and is now playing at one of the biggest clubs in the world. He suffers an injury which forces Thalia and him together and sparks starts to fly, but so does the angst, aaagh!
I was so frustrated with Thalia’s character and her indecisions with her feelings towards Alejo. With her past heartbreak it took her a while to acknowledge those real feelings and when she did, she ran! Again, the angst was killing me!
Alejo you will fall in love with so easily. Due to his past he’s had to grow up quicker. He’s passionate, isn’t afraid of his feelings and letting them show. He doesn’t play games and is always honest. He’s sexy, confident and has all the right moves .
These two together though are everything, the passion, the heat, the steam, you can’t help fall in love along with them. I loved the atmosphere that Halle created in Real Madrid and could easily picture myself in that setting. I loved the new year scene, I’ve been in Spain many times at New Year and have never managed the grape challenge!
If you love an age gap/forbidden romance with a lot of angst this is a book for you.
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Overall Ratings;u2063
First Sex Scene – 35%
POV – Duel
Hero –
Heroine –
Story –
Angst –
Steam –
Chemistry –
This full length and them some novel is sensual, lush, steamy as hell. An emotional roller coaster that will get you in the feels and touch your heart.
Beautiful, super sexy and unabashedly romantic story! Adored it!
“He has some kind of power over me that’s going to be my downfall.”
Thalia Blackwood is just coming out the other side of a painful divorce and finding her feet again with a new job at Real Madrid. She is a unique woman in a male-dominated world and she’s worked hard to get where she is. However, meeting the gorgeous, and much younger, Alejo Albarado, puts her career in jeopardy. They work together and any relationship between is strictly forbidden.
“She’s off-limits. The forbidden fruit. And I’m terrible at pretending I don’t want a taste.”
Alejo doesn’t care about the age difference. Thalia is stunning and smart. He’s persistent in his pursuit of her. He knows she feels the undeniable attraction between them. He’s fully invested in her and wants her to be just as invested in him. In them. In their relationship. Unfortunately, public opinion, their careers, and the forbidden aspect of their relationship are factors that can’t be ignored.
“He kissed me and my world started over. A blank slate. Erasing the past. Creating a future.”
This novel really lives up to the hype! I thought it was beautifully written. Alejo is dreamy as hell! He might be young and cocky, but he’s also incredibly mature. I loved his confidence which was tempered by a bit of vulnerability. I loved his romantic poeticism and the way he expressed himself. I loved his optimism and belief that they could overcome anything.
“This isn’t over between us. It’s just the beginning. I’ve had a taste of you. I’m not going to want anything else.”
Thalia has been through a lot – she’s been hurt and humiliated. Alejo is a beautiful balm to her self-esteem, her confidence and her libido. Oh my god! When he finally breaks down her walls, they were so hot and tender together. The chemistry between them was absolutely scorchio!!
This was such a passionate love story that was incredibly hard to put down. It was well-written, full of sizzling tension, flaming hot intimacy, and pure heart-melting tenderness.
This was a fascinating journey since the beginning. This story is purely raw, heartbreaking beautiful and captivating. You won’t find a dull moment in this book because Alejo and Thalia’s story will definitely leave a bruise (in the best possible way) in your heart so deep that it would be impossible for you to forget them.
I don’t think I’ve loved anything in my life the way that I love her.
Alejo could look young with his 23 years old, but he learned in the hard way to grow up fast after the loss of his father. Through the sport, he finds the place he belongs to and a way to support his family. He has an old soul in the body of young man.
I think it was perfectly executed the relationship between Alejo y Thalia. You see how they become so close after his injury and how deep his feelings are toward Thalia. It’s not her beauty that makes his knees weak, even with her 40 years old, it’s her soul that calls him.
I don’t have words to express how happy I am with the character development in this book. It’s something to cherish for.
“You’re the home I never had and the life that’s happening for me”
Being older doesn’t mean having everything figure out. Sometimes we still are looking for a place to belong to. Thalia needed to face more challenges in her life to finally understand that love is something you can fight for and it’s a risk worth taking.
Loving Alejo was easy for her, but keep that love was one of the most difficult things this character had to face. We see her grow and evolves from her mistakes and that’s one of the things I loved the most about her. Her determination to prove herself how far she can go no matter the genre or the age was marvelous.
This love was so strong, so unique and so powerful that I never stopped feeling it. You can’t seem to stop reading every angsty moment between these two, because you know they deserve a HEA. After all, real love can conquer everything.
I will definitely recommend this book. This is a powerful forbidden romance.
When I read I am always looking for a book that gives me feelings. They may be negative or positive, but they are feelings. In this case, with this book all positive. And then for me, there is something about the older man/younger woman troupe that pulls me in and holds me there. Perhaps because my preference was the older man.
Alejo and Thaila were that couple. The one that seemed so unlikely, but so likely at the same time. The sincerity and passion that Alejo displayed in professing his feelings to Thalia made him not the typical “kid”. Thalia was wary, and unsure at times, but as we know love always rises to the top.
Karina really explored this subject in a book that was penned so eloquently. She took her time and told a story of love, passion, uncertainty, and angst. Job well done!
NO SPOILERS!
The Forbidden Man has hands down been one of my FAVORITE romances from the undeniably talented, Karina Halle, to date!
The storyline and characters were beyond fantastic, and I was addicted from beginning to end. I loved Alejo, I loved Thalia, and I loved their sweet, sexy, romantic, forbidden, and swoon-worthy love story with all my heart. Karina is an incredibly talented storyteller, and she always takes the reader on an unforgettable journey. The Forbidden Man was no exception. She blew me away with Alejo and Thalia and their amazing, MUST READ story, and I absolutely can’t wait to read more from her. My fingers are crossed that a certain side character (ahem, Luciano) gets his own story soon!
Alejo and Thalia’s sexy, forbidden, swoon-worthy, and romantic love story in The Forbidden Man has been one of Karina Halle’s BEST books to date, and it is NOT TO BE MISSED!
A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy. The Younger Man is a standalone age-gap sports romance with a forbidden twist.
A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy. The Younger Man is a standalone age-gap sports romance with a forbidden twist.
I was delighted to review a book that features a soccer player. My husband is a huge fanatic of the sport, so there’s always a soccer game being watched in my house. I did feel a little treasonous since hubby roots for the Barça team and this book features the rival, Real Madrid, but it was truly enjoyable reading about the sport in a book.
Thalia was working as a physical therapist in the Manchester United soccer (European football) team. She was married to the head coach and divorced under acrimonious conditions since her husband cheated on her. She resigned because she couldn’t stand working in the same place as him, so she accepted an offer to work for the Real Madrid team. She transferred to Madrid, got a nice flat and had a driver take her everywhere. She’s excellent in her work, so she made strides immediately but I have to say that I didn’t see her really setting down roots. I always saw her as a tentative person, not very centered, except when she was working with her patients.
Alejo comes from a violent childhood and there’s a very dramatic event in his childhood that has marked him. It gave him a strong drive which is what made him one of the best soccer player in La Liga. He also has a reputation as a manwhore, even though he’s a family man and devoted to his mother and brother. When he meets Thalia, he feels a strong attraction to this beautiful and competent woman. However, my impression was that his attitude was sleazy at first, like this is a conquest to bang and leave.
Thalia was ensnared by Alejo’s beauty but he was too young, too impulsive, too playful. He was twenty-four to her thirty-nine and she got stuck on the difference of age. When Alejo harms his knee in a game and the team doctor wants to operate, Thalia comes to Alejo’s defense and prevents the operation, promising to rehabilitate him to full capacity. It is during this time that they really connect and fall in love, but their love is doomed because of the team organization strictures.
“I know I look good for my age, I know I can pass for younger, I know that forty is the new thirty. But after a few years, I will age and I refuse to up the Botox to catch up. I want to age as gracefully as possible but what does that mean to Alejo? What will that look like in his eyes?”
This was a lovely forbidden love story and I loved both characters. I also loved Matteo and Vera, who appear in a previous duet. I loved the references to the game, the inside views of the sport. What I didn’t love about this story was the pace, which seems sluggish most of the time. The lack of a clear forward action, the tentativeness of Thalia’s actions, the extravagant passion without a lot of maturity of Alejo and the lack of solutions, the lack of troubleshooting between the couple, and a series of extraneous unnecessary scenes caused me to lose focus and interest most of the time. Their love just seemed impossible during most of the story. At some point in the book, the plot got more complicated and more riveting and the reading went more smoothly. I liked that all the players got introspective moments and situations got clearance and/or closure. It felt like this couple just had to knock around for a little while before they could get their act together. And then they were a beautiful couple! Hala Madrid!
A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy. The Younger Man is a standalone age-gap sports romance with a forbidden twist.
What a book !!! I can’t get enough The Younger Man by Karina Halle, and well… excuse me for a moment because I need to calm down.
It wasn’t my first book from this atuthor, but meetig Alejo and Thalia was like jumping for another level of everything… The Younger Man is beautifull and heartwarming… and breathtaking… and so emotional . Reaching for The Younger Man I knew that I will read a good book, because Mrs. Halle always is giving me amazing stories , BUT I wasn’t prepared enough for this kind of intense ride. The Younger Man is defineteley paige turner and one of the best books I’ve ever read . Once, when You will got the chance to read, You will understand why.
I was melting inside all the time– literally… Gahhh I stiill feel some thing like after-shock waves…Mrs.Halle couldn’t write more perfect story line for Alejo and Thalia. They burned my face to the ashes so many times – chemisrty between Ajelo and Thalia was over the charts!!!!
Thalia is a woman who has lot of baggage on Her back. It was so hard to read about Her experiences from the past. I just wanted to hold her tight and never let go.Alejo is younger that Thalia obviously, what makes them forbidden fruirs for each other … HOWEVER passion and their feelings showed, that nothing else is matter when true feelings called love appears on our way. I was captivated by watching how their relatioship evolued into beautufull and very mature LOVE story. Alejo, in my eyes is a very unexpected Younger Man, who rocekd not only Thalia’s world … He conquered also Marta’s world too. And I can tell You Guys… The Younger Man is definetely MUST HAVE.
Amazing reviews for this one! The Younger Man by Karina Halle has been called lush and steamy. It’s a standalone age-gap sports romance…and it has a forbidden twist. My favorite kind!
I’m reading this right now! I love Karina’s world-building!
A reckless and irresistible soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy. The Younger Man is a standalone age-gap sports romance with a forbidden twist.