**ARC received for an honest review**

I loved [book:Intercepted|37585029]. It was one of my surprise favorites of 2018. Fresh and funny with adorable characters and a funky tempo. It resonated with me.

I came into Fumbled having just read [book:A Fashionable Indulgence|23834716]. One of the things I adore about Historical Romance is how the author frequently takes time to build the relationship. And while Julius and Harry were getting frisky a little quicker than I was into it did not compare to the whiplash speed at which Poppy and TK moved. I get that they had history. But I am not the same person from 10 years ago. Nor do I want to kiss a dude I dated 10 years ago. There wouldn't be any chemistry left. I was agog at how quickly these two were in relationship mode.

Add that to the silly drama thrown in and I just couldn't get my feet under me. Poppy was okay. She didn't feel as nuanced as Marlee. And TK had a lot going on. I get that him being all over the place was part of the story - but there are repercussions when a subject that weighty is given short shrift.

It was a quick read. And I never skimmed. With more relationship-building on the front end and no silly gimmicks midway through this could be an enjoyable book.

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Unfortunately, this book didn't work as well for me as I would have hoped. I loved that the heroine was so concerned (rightly so!) about the health dangers of American football and so had her son playing soccer instead, but honestly that's about the highlight for me. There are some strange continuity errors and odd time jumps, the hero is and says truly horrible things to the heroine without a believable grovel later on, and the stalker subplot seemed abrupt and oddly timed. Fans of Intercepted will likely enjoy Fumbled, but it's a pass for me.

Alexa Martin's Playbook series is sexy and fun and Fumbled was even better than the first installment. Poppy was a single mother and just trying to make ends meet when she ran into an old flame. Fumbled packed more of an emotional punch because Poppy and TK had to find their rhythm after a decade a part and work out their family dynamic. This book kept me up past my bedtime and couldn't stop happy sighing over Poppy and TK's interactions. In the end, I thought that Fumbled was missing some of the drama that I had come to expect. Fumbled was snapshots into Poppy and TK's life without ever having a real climax, but I still enjoyed being privvy to those snapshots. The ending opened for future novels and I can't wait to see the other characters Martin will explore in this series.

Fumbled is the second of the Playbook series. There is so much to love about it! It is a second chance contemporary sports romance. There are some clichés but it was overall very enjoyable and swoony!

The women of Fumbled are awesome! Poppy Patterson is a super single parent. She is amazing and so lovable! Sadie is her best friend and she loves to be dramatic! The two of them are hilarious together!

"Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal"

Poppy has been doing her thing and raising her son the best way she knows how. Poppy crosses paths with her high school sweetheart TK Moore and things get interesting…

"TK Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL."

A chance encounter brings Poppy & TK together. They have a lot of unfinished business that is mixed up with some drama, secrets, lies and confusion. I found TK to be charming and sweet. There was one particular scene (no spoilers but chapter 9) that was amazing! Don’t get me wrong- he definitely had a few “jerk” moments but the sweet side won out.

The story could have gone in many directions and I was surprised at the route chosen. It was not an easy road. Although the topic chosen can be very heavy, it was not done as a doom-and-gloom. It was informative.

Fumbled has all the things we love about sports romance: hot players, crazy WAGS (wives & girlfriends) all mixed up with a hearty dose of drama. Alexa Martin is a new-to-me author. I did not read her first book, Intercepted, but I will be! I am not sure who it involves so I am also not sure if I missed anything by reading Fumbled first.

I like Alexa Martin’s writing style which is clean and straightforward. My only “complaint” is that the ending is a bit open ended. It is HEA but I would have loved a bit more. I think that there may be another book coming so I am happy to see where things go in the future! There are also so many secondary characters I would love to read about! Sadie and Brynn are two who I know have great stories to tell!

4 swoony stars!

#AuthorAlexaMartin #Intercepted #Fumbled #ContemporaryRomance #YA #HotAndSteamy #SportsRomance #FootballRomance #IWantTheNexBook

Alexa Martin continues to ground solid romances with real world concerns. The coverage of CTE alongside the glitz and glamour of professional football seen through the eyes of an underemployed single mom never overwhelmed the story, but did add a weightiness that let the lighter moments shine brighter. The stalker subplot was a little clunky, but added urgency. I look forward to more from this author!

I received this copy in exchange for my honest review. This was such a cute, funny book. It kept me entertained throughout and the friend group she had was amazing. The romance was wonderful. The little boy was adorable. It all came together perfectly! A nice, fun,refreshing new read

I love Alexa Martin's writing style , I read this ,like her other novel,in less than a day,it was such a quick read for me!


I loved Poppy,our main character, so so much ,I tought she was truly amazing but however I didn't like her choice in the last few pages,I mean I was kinda disappointed in her because I tought she deserved better but oh well.


I didn't like particularly the love interest, TK. At the beginning I tought he was cute and smooth but then 20% in it and I changed my mind thinking he was an asshole,then I tought he was just okay,but I really didn't like the things he said so mh not my fave.




Also can we talk about how pretty this cover is ,I'm literally obsessed with it !!

between a 3 and a 4 but bumping up to 4. didn't love this one as much as intercepted.

i was SO excited for this one. i really enjoyed Intercepted and I listen to a podcast that had Alexa Martin as a guest and she just seems super awesome and I want to be her friend. So I fully expected to love this one, I added it to my list as soon as it was on goodreads without even reading the synopsis.

so. second chance romances aren't always my jam. they aren't bad, and some authors do them really well, but the reason i don't love them is because sometimes, we don't get enough build up or background, we are just told they are in love and that is so not satisfying. that happens in this one, unfortunately. they see each other for the first time in 10 years and kiss that night, and while i don't mind a kiss or se in the first few chapters, i felt absolutely no connection or chemistry whatsoever. it was just words on a page. so i was like okay, let's get back to the story so i can feel the things. and it does get better, but i still never got that connection i was wanting - yeah we are told they love each other and all that, i just wish there was a bit more build up up, a bit more tension so we could fall in love too.

that really bummed me out, but not enough to detract from the rest of the book. realistic, realistic and likable characters, witty banter, fast paced, not a hashtag in sight - i really did enjoy this book. i just wish there was a teensy bit more build up in their relationship. it just meant i didn't care as much when things went down.

speaking of the conflict, i thought that was a bit weak - not the TK thing, the other thing. but whatever. I did like how the TK thing went down, i liked how strong Poppy was. Ace was adorable of course.

so overall, just a wee bit bummed in how the romance started, but other than that, this was enjoyable and well written and i will 100% read anything else alexa martin publishes.

one more thing - i know you're not supposed to quote ARCs but i will only do it here on netgalley and not on goodreads/amazon - 'I don’t want to be one of those women who judge other women based on their clothes.' .... as she's judging women based on their clothes. yes those women are bitches anyway but we only know that from Intercepted.

Great follow up the Intercepted! Fumbled features a single mom doing what she needs to do to get whats best for her and her son. I really enjoy having more contemporary romance featuring woman of color. Great read if you are into romance, urban fiction, or enjoy some of the reality shows on TV. My only critique is all the the eye rolling in the book, felt like a little too much.

Solid follow-up to Intercepted. Going in, I didn't realize it was a second chance romance with a single mom and a surprise kid. It's not usually a trope that's my cup of tea. But once again, Alexa Martin has created a vividly written heroine in Poppy Patterson. She's surrounded by a solid crew of supportive women with big personalities.

Some readers may have the same beef with TK Moore that they had with Gavin Pope, it's true he's not as 3-dimensional as Poppy. But these two have chemistry that crackles on the page, almost from the word go.

The single mom, second chance angle will appeal to many readers, but the real reason to come to this football romance is that Martin takes on CTE directly. BRAVO!

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. Wow, I really want to be best friends with Alexa Martin! Her writing style is so sharp and funny-it's rare to actually laugh out loud while reading and not just "lol" but this one had me laughing and feeling so much for the characters. Her writing has energy to it, and I thought this book was even better than her first. The characters had real problems, but were able to grow as the plot developed and not just keep getting in their own way the whole book.

This was a great romantic chick lit read! I was a little worried because I had t read the first book in the series (but it’s totally on my TBR list now), but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I immediately liked the main character Poppy. She was strong and independent, but still had her flaws and I like that she acknowledged that and was just trying to do her best for her son. I spent the first 50% of the book anticipating something drastic or bad to come, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The book dealt with some real, tough issues both in the sports world and otherwise, and you could tell the author knew her information when writing about it. I did feel like a lot of drama was packed into the last quarter or so of the book - at times it felt a little rushed, but I also think that was because I didn’t want the book to end! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

As a sports fan and a romance lover I love reading sports romance books. I adored Intercepted and couldn't wait to read Fumbled. I am so happy to report that it did not disappoint.

I need a Poppy in my life. She doesn't take any shit, is super fun and a good mom. I wouldn't mind a TK in my life either....

TK frustrated me at times, especially with his not believing Poppy at first, but I get it. It's a tough pill to swallow. I thought he was good for Poppy, bring her out a little more. Poppy's son Ace was also amazing. Martin did a great job of writing a believable kid that didn't overtake or annoy the storyline.

Martin has extensive football knowledge and it shows. As a sports fan sometimes I read sports romance and roll my eyes because things don't work that way, but in both Fumbled and Intercepted I didn't have those moments. There is a through theme of CTE throughout the book, which I thought was handled well. It's a tough and scary topic and Martin brought it in to the book in a thoughtful way (which doubles as making her point about football and CTE as well).

I think it took me all book to feel like I nailed down what the characters look like. I'm not sure why (and it's not a judgement, just a comment) but Martin doesn't give a ton of character description. It did not change my enjoyment of the book, I just really like to picture the characters in my head as I'm reading.

If you are looking for authentic sports romance, Alexa Martin is your girl! Her stories are filled with believable and lovable characters. You won't want to put them down. While this is the second in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Fumbled is a great sequel. I love Poppy’s journey. She’s such a strong, independent woman who is resilient. I loved how she and TK fall into each other’s lives. Such a fun story with great personality, Would recommend to friends.

I'm a little torn about this one. I really liked the overall story, but there were some parts that left me scratching my head. I felt like it was both a sports romance and a dramatic romance with all the elements this book had. I was sitting with my friend and she saw the roller coaster of emotions that I went through within twenty minutes. I didn't really like how Poppy handled a situation towards the end, but it was a really entertaining read, a book that will definitely have you conflicted and enthralled at the same time.

I really liked the sports aspect of it and loved how it went into detail about every play of the games. I also really enjoyed Polly's friendship with the Lady Mustangs and they were hilarious. It made me want to read the first book, Intercepted, because they talked a lot about Marlee and left me intrigued. TK was a lovable character and surprised me a lot. I was expecting to do one thing, and he did almost the opposite. Ace was also an awesome kid and added a lot of dimension to the story. I appreciated the ending and how TK handled everything and how he came to realize what is really important to him.

This is a great, fun story, quick read with passion and humor. I enjoyed the glimpse inside the world of NFL wives that wasn't from the tv reality point of view.

I loved Alexa Martin's first novel so was ecstatic to get the ARC of Fumbled. I enjoyed it, but felt like the characters moved to quickly and the story was somewhat forced. Still a great recommend for contemporary romance with diverse characters.

After reading Intercepted, I was excited to learn that this would be a series. I'll admit - I'm not a football fan, but I still enjoyed book 1 and was looking forward to the series. Book 2 (Fumbled) did not disappoint! Without giving too much away - the part of me that doesn't love football was so happy with the storyline in book 2. I'm so glad they tackled the issues of head injuries in football. It made this "lighter" read a bit deeper. I loved Poppy and that she's a single mom. I loved the brief glimpses we have into the characters from book 1, but this can DEFINITELY be read as a standalone. I'm already guessing at who will be our characters for book 3! For me, this was a much better read than book 1 and I'm so happy with the series! I'm not a huge fan of the suspense part of the storylines, but it is minimal enough that I can deal!

When I saw that Alexa had written another book, I was super excited! I loved Intercepted, I figured this would be just as good. I was not disappointed at all. It's like she went through all of my interests and ticked everyone off. Romance? Check. Football? Check. Hot guys? Double check! In all honesty, it read really well. It's fun and the relationships are endearing right away. You immeaditately love Poppy (amazing name choice), and you're rooting for her little family from the get go. TK..is well, read for yourself, you will not be disappointed! I was really impressed with the way she touched on the concussion issues that plague the league was a nice change from the usual romance fluff we're spoon fed. I can appreciate her point of view, having lived that herself. All in all, it's a fun read and I would definitely reccomend it!