Tabs’ review of Fumbled by Alexa Martin
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 23 Apr 19
Alexa Martin follows up her debut novel with a football romance involving reunited childhood sweethearts. Despite class differences, Poppy and TK were a solid team in high school, until he started his freshman year of college and left her to deal with an accidental teen pregnancy on her own. At least, that’s what Poppy always thought happened. A decade later, they cross paths at her place of work and their relationship, as complicated as it is, is rekindled.
Yes, folks, this is a secret baby romance! This tends to be a trope that people either outright love or hate, and it’s one that I feel has been on the decline in recent years. I dislike the usual iterations of the trope, but I’m always on the lookout for an execution that works for me. I need a reason beyond “I didn’t want to tell you” and, from that perspective, this execution works pretty well. The secret baby aspect is not the main conflict between the main leads and is mostly dealt with without a lot of drama after some initial rockiness and some sorely needed “come to Jesus” moments.
While Poppy and TK make a good pair, my favorite thing about this book is easily Poppy. I just love her. She’s made mistakes and can be messy, but she’s straightforward and honest. I also love her glittered-up best friend, her emerging girl gang, and the friendships she makes with other wives and girlfriends during training camp. She knows what she needs and isn’t afraid to draw the line and not accept less. She’s a force to be reckoned with and I appreciate that in a heroine.
I am not the biggest reader of football romances, but I’m definitely sure I’ve never read one before where the heroine is firmly on the side of “Hell no, football sucks. CTE is hella dangerous.” In fact, I’m pretty positive that I’ve never come across CTE in a football romance at all before. Concussions are a major hazard for football players and it’s nice to see that not swept under the rug. Whether the portrayal of CTE side effects in this story is realistic, I can’t say.
I enjoyed Alexa Martin’s voice in her debut novel last year, but that book wasn’t without issues. This follow-up was a more successful book for me overall. I enjoyed the heroine and her friendships, the easy rapport between the leads, and the dose of realism. I’m definitely interested in reading whatever Martin writes next.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she’s built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it’s all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.
T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he’s moved on.
When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they’ve suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they’ll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.
No excerpt available.
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