Limecello’s review of Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force
Contemporary romance released by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Sep 08

I love football. I really enjoy reconciliation stories. It stands to reason that I would like Line of Scrimmage, and I did. I have to admit that it was the price, and sports hero that attracted me to the book first. I bought an electronic copy, and it was well worth my money. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Marie Force, especially if she writes another story with a sports hero.

The focus on this story, at least for me, was the romance between the characters, and how that was developing. Susannah is already engaged at the beginning of the book… while still married to Ryan. This actually didn’t bother me as much as I would have thought because she’d been separated from her husband and would have been divorced but for some fancy footwork by the judge. While that part did seem to be something of a deus ex machina…somehow it works here. That being said, on to the characterizations.

I found Susannah to be a likable character, albeit a little clueless. But that didn’t matter so much, because Ryan really stole the show. The fact that Susie could hold her own against him even a little bit really made my estimation of her increase. Also, the two of them simply had a perfect relationship. He was mad for her, but she kept him in check… and also, Susie absolutely loved Ryan too. While she wasn’t perfect, and at times rather confused and somewhat selfish… I think it was that Susie had a difficult time being honest with herself.

Ryan is a character that should be something of a villain or scummy, but he simply isn’t. He had the opportunity to do a lot of wrong, but didn’t. However, he definitely wasn’t perfect either, and made a lot of mistakes. Mostly before the book began, however, so it’s easier to forgive him of those faults. That, and he absolutely knows he did wrong, and is desperate to make amends. It’s always nice to see a nice, powerful guy who is on top of the world brought to his knees for love. And that’s exactly what happens here.

There’s one line where Ryan asks Susannah, “Do you like knowing you can have me any time you want me?” I love that at this point, Ryan gets it. While it seems like all the “power” is with Susannah throughout the book, near the end she has to scramble a bit, and I think it’s important to keep in mind that her husband is the superstar quarterback of the NFL. That has to be unimaginably difficult, and… well good thing it’s fiction. 🙂 This story definitely worked for me.

I definitely recommend this book if you like sweet contemporaries, with a kick of heat, as well as sports heroes. (I’m quite fond of both.) I’ve got Ms. Force’s second book Love at First Flight in my reading pile. I hope that Ms. Force’s voice carries through, as the premise is entirely different.

Grade: B

In the Hail Mary play of a lifetime, a sexy NFL quarterback has just ten days to convince his wife to give him a second chance before their divorce is final—and he has to act fast because she’s already engaged to her high school boyfriend. Line of Scrimmage is a story of reunion, redemption, rejuvenation, and renewal. Readers will laugh and cry and hope—that at the end of the day, these two lovers, who clearly belong together, will somehow find their way back to one another.

Read an excerpt here.