FIGHTING FOR YOU

Sparks fly when a star soccer player meets his team’s sponsorship manager in this fifth installment of a series.

As a top player for the LA Lords soccer team, Jace Connor is accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle and plenty of attention from the media and adoring female fans. Love is the last thing on his mind until he meets Brooke Derringer, the team’s new sponsorship business development manager. Brooke needs a fresh start after weathering the breakup of a long-term relationship and leaving her job at a fashion magazine. She is excited about the position but nervous because the LA Lords’ coach is her father, Stephen. She wants to prove that she was hired for her business experience and not because of family connections. Jace is immediately attracted to Brooke, but she is wary of getting involved with him because she does not want to mix her personal and professional lives as she did at the magazine. While working with Jace on endorsement opportunities, Brooke discovers another side of him, one devoted to his family and community. Jace is determined to win Brooke’s heart, and their impromptu dinners and workout sessions at the gym blossom into a passionate romance. Jace and Brooke want a future together. But when Jace’s dispute with a jealous teammate spirals into a public relations nightmare, the couple must decide whether their love is worth fighting for. This installment of Hagen’s (Only With You, 2019, etc.) Connor Family series is a briskly paced and satisfying contemporary romance that builds on the author’s talent for creating endearing characters and heartfelt and deeply passionate love stories. Hagen sticks with the engaging narrative style found throughout the series. The lively and fast-moving chapters alternate between Jace’s and Brooke’s first-person perspectives. This technique allows the author to fully develop the characters and their motivations, particularly Brooke’s initial desire to establish personal and professional boundaries between her and Jace. Their romance develops at a gradual pace as they navigate the dynamics of a workplace relationship. While Jace and Brooke’s bond is the primary focus of the novel, a well-developed subplot involving the athlete’s teammate Levi provides the tension that leads to a crisis for the nascent couple. Fans of the series should also enjoy return appearances from members of the Connor family.

A sizzling, sexy romance and a rewarding continuation of a family series.