Intercepted is a sharp, hilarious look inside the Mean Girls-world of NFL wives and girlfriends. But it’s even more than that. It’s a romance. It’s a reminder that valuing yourself and owning your independence is more important than getting the guy. It’s a fast read that I tore through on a recent plane ride. I was cracking up the whole time, I’m sure the guy next to me wondered what I was reading.

I totally identified with Marlee and loved her friendship with her bestie Naomi. These two have each other’s backs in a scenario where it would be easier to just go along and get along with Queen Bee Courtney. Marlee does have this one quirk, punctuating her stories with hashtags. I thought it might get annoying, but most of them actually land, and lead to laugh-out-loud moments. #BetterCallBeckyWiththeRedHair

My one nit with the story is how the primary romance comes together. With Gavin Pope, Alexa Martin has created a hugely talented, hot, in-demand (and single!) QB1 who’s not a total egomaniac. He somehow remembers Marlee 4 years after a one night stand. Am I crazy or biased (or both) to find that scenario hard to believe? Still, the relationship gives Marlee a little pleasure (why shouldn’t she have that?) and it’s the impetus to learn something more about herself. All in all, Intercepted is a solid debut — fun, sexy and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Add it to your TBR.

Marlee is the girlfriend of NFL wide receiver, Chris Alexander, and has been for years. They’ve been together since high school and have had a rocky road but they’re fine. That is until Marlee opens his computer (he took hers accidentally) to check her email and find emails to Chris from his girlfriend. The girlfriend that he’s been flying back and forth to see him from wherever. This was not the first time that Chris has cheated and Marlee’s finally done with the man. She packs her bags and leaves. Unfortunately as she’s trying to leave Chris comes home and of course tries to make things out like it’s all Marlee’s fault. WTF? Ass. He happens to be with Gavin Pope, the teams new quarterback, and the man she had a one-night stand with four years earlier when she and Chris were broken up.

Gavin slept with Marlee four years ago and never forgot her. He’s thrilled that she’s in Denver so he’s more than happy to take her away from the ass that is her now-ex-boyfriend. When Marlee gets her own place Gavin starts to come around and they start to get close. Marlee never forgot the night they spent together but she was upset with Gavin for lying to her. He had told her he was an investment banker. Had she known he played ball professionally she would have never gone home with him. Of course she would have missed out on the best night of her life.

Marlee starts to fall for Gavin quickly but there’s a lot of push back from a lot of people. She gets it from the Lady Mustangs – the wives of the team – and they constantly give her shit. Then there’s Gavin’s friend and PR person who spreads rumors and more. Marlee tries to keep her head and sense of humor about her but it’s damned hard when she starts getting shit from the fans as well. Can the love and relationship Marlee and Gavin have survive all the negativity and his football contract?

This book made me laugh. Seriously. I really liked the humor in this book as it was crazy and out of control. Marlee was her own woman and not afraid to speak her mind. She liked to rib people to get a rise out of them and she almost always managed to do it. She was pretty independent, however, and came down on Gavin a couple of times when he tried to take over. I get where she was coming from, and one time he did go too far, but I thought she could have toned it down a bit.

Gavin was awesome. He was kind, giving, loving, generous, loved his family. I mean, this guy could do no wrong…if you ignore when he lied to Marlee and then again when he omitted information. Despite that I really liked the guy and he was hot too, so there was that. Lol.

Overall the book was great. I enjoyed reading it – even when Marlee was hashtagging her own life which was weird, but funny. It looks like this might be Martin's first published novel. If this is how good they'll all be then I'll be a big fan.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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This is a great debut novel from Alexa Martin with a smart, funny heroine. I enjoyed following Marlee's growth.

Wonderfully detailed look at life in the NFL. Particularly for the wives and girlfriends. Interesting and funny as well as scary. This book delivers a lot more than the standard romance and I really enjoyed it.

A typical contemporary romance. I was charmed by the heroine, and pleased to have a biracial lead, but wasn't thrilled with the irritating hashtags and foolish decisions early in the book.

Forever the girlfriend, never the wife, Marlee Harper finally dumps her NFL boyfriend of ten years after finding incontrovertible evidence of his cheating.

Determined to reclaim her identity and life and NEVER ever date a professional athlete again, Marlee packs her bags and runs smack into Gavin Pope, famous quarterback. And the man Marlee had an unforgettable one-night stand with during her last "break" with her boyfriend. Shit.

Gavin's had a torch for Marlee since that night but Marlee really wants to figure out who she is, minus the world of NFL wives and girlfriends, but Gavin is irresistable.

Against her better instincts, Marlee's back and better than ever, until an unexpected wrench means Marlee will again have to choose between herself and her love.

A lovely first novel from new author Alexa Martin. I immensely enjoyed Marlee, but found Gavin to be a bit one note. The book is entirely in Marlee's perspective which made Gavin even less interesting to me. I also didn't like the constant threat of bodily harm to Marlee from various other characters. While Marlee did have some good female friends, I was also disheartened by the portrayal of many of the others as stereotypes. The bitchy rich wife. The sneaky "friend that is a girl" who carries a torch for the hero and will do anything to have him. Slut shaming.

But, all in all an enjoyable read. Solid, and looking forward to watching this author mature.

A surprisingly delightful romantic comedy from a first-time author. Developed characters...check. Humor...check. Love...check. Great dialogue...check. Character you love, characters you love to hate...check, check!

This book = touchdown!

I adored this sexy and sweet football romance! INTERCEPTED really takes readers into the background of what happens to the significant others of famous football players, of which the author was one herself. I thought that this was a refreshing football romance that isn’t usually explored in romance books. Marlee is such an empathetic heroine that you can’t help but root for, and Gavin is the absolute sweetest! My favorite part of this book is that although it’s a romance, it’s also a self-discovery journey for Marlee as well.

So the blurb gives away a good part of the beginning of the book. Told from the first person POV of Marlee, INTERCEPTED follows her life after catching her long-time football player boyfriend cheating on her. Right after that relationship tanks, she has an old one-night stand, Gavin, hitting her up! Gavin recently got traded into her ex-boyfriend’s team and now that she’s single, what’s a player gotta do but go after the girl he wants?

“‘I know you don’t need me to fight your battles for you. Now that I know you need to, I’ll step back. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not Chris and I never will be.’”

I thought Gavin was so adorable and supportive! Although he displays an alpha personality, he’s super soft towards his loved ones, friends and family alike. I also really appreciated the humor of his agent, Donny, lol. Gavin was sweet, but I think Marlee and her journey really took the cake for this book. In the beginning, we see her acting along with the wives of the other football players. She’s easily discriminated against, if not because she’s biracial, then because she’s just a girlfriend, and not a wife. Throughout the story though, Marlee finds her footing and creates an environment where people appreciates her because of her own talents and skills - not for the athlete boyfriend that she’s dating.

Marlee recent got her Master’s in marketing and is currently looking for a stable job. I loved seeing her personal growth and successes, as well as her going above the other catty women around her. She’s mouthy and sometimes rash, but ultimately caring and independent. I also adored her best friend, Naomi, who was so supportive and clever. My biggest enjoyment in this book was seeing Marlee stand up for herself and find the confidence in both her personal and work life to become a woman she was proud of - a woman who didn’t need a man to control her life.

“So angry mob and pitchforks be damned. The outside world is no longer so much as a memory in my head. Because Gavin Pope loves me and I love him right back.”

INTERCEPTED was both sweet and spicy! There’s a great deal of lovely romance, but also conflict between Marlee and superficial women, and Marlee’s own personal growth. Social media, marketing, and the sports life were welcome additions to add to this book, creating a realistic depth to the main conflicts. Marlee was an amazing protagonist, and her characterization was just plain lovely. I loved seeing her friendships, romantic relationship, and familial relationships. There was a beautiful balance to all three of them, creating an extremely enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend this for contemporary fans - especially if you’re a fan of sports romance! Also the important message that sometimes, self love is the best love.

Content Warning: sexy times

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the review copy!

Other than a one night stand while they were on a break, Marlee Harper has been with her NFL receiver boyfriend since high school. Unfortunately for her (but fortunately for us readers) that one night stand ended up being Gavin Pope, the newest QB for her boyfriend's team and my new book boyfriend. When Marlee's relationship falls apart she has to start all over and a new man isn't in her plans. Good think Gavin Pope is used to getting what he wants.

Author Alexa Martin used her life experience as the wife of a formal NFL player to inform her debut novel and I am grateful. The dynamics between the wives and girlfriends of the NFL players was fascinating. The pressure of the media and fans was terrifying. But her way of describing how Gavin looks in his football pants could only be the result of a woman with experience and taste.

You're going to like this one.