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College students Nate and Olivia are a perfect match on the courts—and in the sheets. Everywhere else, they’re polar opposites and sworn enemies. But as the chemistry builds, a figure from Olivia’s past unexpectedly pops back into her life and the couple realizes they have more in common than they thought. Are these star-crossed lovers doomed to repeat their parents’ mistakes, or can they build a life together once the final set is played?
This book is a standalone, steamy, new adult/college, sports romance, 77k words. Tropes include enemies to lovers, he falls first, and billionaire.
Read an Excerpt
God, she was enchanting. Even up close, even in this dim lighting, even after playing tennis… Olivia was pure perfection. Olivia licked her lips casually, drawing my eyes to her mouth. I needed to know if her lips were as soft as they looked, couldn’t help but wonder if she tasted as good as she smelled. But I didn’t dare try.
So instead, I just stared.
Olivia stared back at me with the same intensity. I hoped maybe she would make the first move and breach the six inches between us. Instead, she spoke.
“I’d love to know what you’re thinking right now.”
My heart beat faster. “I’m trying to guess if you’d slap me if I kissed you right now.”
Her perfect lips curved upwards into a grin she tried to hide. “What did you decide?”
I considered my next words, then spoke slowly. “I decided that you’ve had plenty of time to turn away.” I leaned forward, placed my hand on her cheek, and when she still didn’t move, I pressed my mouth to hers.
Before I could even panic that I’d done the wrong thing, she kissed me back. Her lips were velvety smooth against my own, and they parted willingly, welcoming my tongue into her warm mouth. She tasted sweet, like oranges and cinnamon.
Her hand brushed against my bicep, startling me at first, then egging me on as she pressed her fingers against me, practically squeezing the muscle. I reached to place my other hand around her arm, missing and inadvertently grazing the side of her breast before landing on her arm. Still, she didn’t slap me.
The kiss went on and on. Olivia sure didn’t kiss like the innocent girl she claimed to be, but I wasn’t about to complain, either. Her lips fit perfectly against mine, and I was positive that the rest of our bodies would fit just as well.
All of a sudden, all the court lights flashed on, flooding us in full light. We broke apart in an instant, leaving only our fingers entangled. We both gazed down, as though neither of us had realized we were holding hands, and then we each winced from the light.
Review: Two college students on the tennis team. She was on scholarship and he was the rich, preppy schoolboy. Each having their own assumptions about the other, Nate and Olivia are very standoffish with a hard chip on the shoulder (particularly Olivia.) I enjoyed the snarky and witty exchange between them.
The two obviously had this fiery spark between them. They annoyed each other, but they also had a crush on each other. So, we had this love-hate thing going.
Poor Olivia was really struggling with everything.
“Between the relentless thoughts about Nate, the drama from my mom’s miserable dating life, and my stress about finances, alcohol sounded really good.”
Perhaps a little stress-relief would do the trick, thus, eliciting a no-strings arrangement. For being considered “steamy,” the sex scenes were pretty mild and tame. The narrative was easy to get into. It was fun watching Nate and Olivia dance around this thing between them with sarcasm, wit, and sex. The whole time they screw and confide in each other in secret, and they get closer even when apart. The reader easily connects with the characters—together and separately. As you get more into it, it becomes a Romeo-and-Juliet thing—two people from different worlds that want to tear them apart.
Story was a delightful combination of flirt, argue, and ignore. A good read!
Rating:
4 stars
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ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing and sharing Love All. I had so much fun with this story! I'll check back later and answer any reader questions from the comments :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! Thank you for sharing your review of Love All, this sounds like a must read for me
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