Different sports romance this time. Lacrosse. First lacrosse romance book, so I can tick that off the sport list. I got to like 20% of the book, and was like, “okay, I get it. Let’s wrap this up, please.” Because it just wasn’t progressing, and nothing was really being added to the storyline. But, there were just constant gaps in the world-building, storyline(which wasn’t barely there), and characterisation.
2

DNF

Okay I forgot this was an author who I didn’t particularly enjoy when I requested it. 😭 Her writing just does not vibe with me, which I hate since I love sports romances. Especially ones where the characters aren’t white. And when the female is an athlete, too.

Pros: This book really shines a light on women's lacrosse and some of the challenges athletes face in the sport. It had a lot of educational value for me in understanding the sport and some of the hype around it. It also feels like a fresh niche in the sports romance genre (so, much, hockey!) which may resonate well with readers.

Not so pros: The enemies-to-lovers trope being rooted in actually having a connection in the past but refusing to get over it falls a little flat for me. I don't know if that is just my personal opinion but I get so frustrated when people can't just move on! The whole book is a push and pull based on some back story and not what is happening now. COMMUNICATION PEOPLE.

Regardless, I think this might be a hit, especially if you are a lacrosse lover!

Firstly, a huge thanks to Netgalley, but Esha and her team for allowing me the chance to read this arc! I don’t think I have been more excited for a sports romance book in awhile. It’s about time someone starting exploring other sports (and it’s one I play!!!!). I absolutely adored this book soooo much, and overall I would say the accuracy of the sport aspect rings true. I loved how strong May was as a person, and how Colt had his own imperfections. I related to Colt sooo much, and saw him to be similar to me. Right off the bat he faces a significant injury, one of which I have related to in the past. Him overcoming that injury felt so raw and real, and I could relate to him so much for that. I reallyyyyy want a physical copy of this book, and I think it’s one that will join my rotation of sports romance book recs! Esha is easily one of my top romance authors and I hope she considers writing more in this little sports universe she just started!

Rating: 2.5, rounded up to 3
With lacrosse being a somewhat obscure sport in certain geographic areas, I found myself needing more context to fully connect with the story. I also think the setting would’ve been more effective in a region where lacrosse is more culturally ingrained. Oklahoma and southern universities just don’t resonate with the sport in the same way the East Coast does.
While this was perfectly fine and cute, it ultimately fell flat for me. The fake dating trope can be fun when done well, but here it didn’t feel believable. The details of the situation were borderline outrageous—I don’t think there’s a head coach alive who would encourage an athlete to date someone on the coaching staff. There was also a bit too much miscommunication for my taste. A few simple conversations could’ve resolved a lot of the tension.
This is a YA book, and I think it was just a little too YA for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced copy

DNF

I really wanted to like this book. A sports romance that's not white? Yes, please. One that has a south asian main character? Love it even more. The problem was, when I started reading, there was nothing in the book to show the MC was white except a short conversation between the coach and the male MC that said it was harder for May because she was only one of two non-white people on the team. But we get her POV and nowhere has this been mentioned before. Up till that point, this was not a thing at all, so where did that suddenly come from? I would have loved to read that, but it just didn't exist. Same with the lack of interest in women'a sport. It wasn't mentioned until the male MC started drawing a crowd at their games and suddenly it became a thing, and now May and Colt have to fake date to keep the crowds coming in for something that wasn't a problem before? Of course I know it was a problem, but it was never mentioned. The story just wasn't well developed and by the time we get to these two points in the story, there was nothing making me care. Then there was the fact the two POVs read the same to me. I couldn't see a distinction of voice, and I would not know whose POV I was reading unless I checked the name. The personalities of the two characters just fell flat, probably due to the aforementioned lack of development.

I got to about 25% of the way into the book when I realised I was skim reading to try and read it faster just to get it over with, and I still had another 5+ hours to read according to my kindle. At this point I realised it was just not worth my time.

I like a good romance, but I need something extra on top of the romance to keep me interested. There was a lot of elements this book could have played on (racism and misogyny being the two main ones) but the author barely touched these. Maybe they're developed further into the story, but for me that's just too late. If you want a simple sports romance maybe try this out, but don't expect to be blown away.

The immediate thing that drew me to the book was the fact it is a book where it focuses on women’s sports. In the sport romance genre, majority of the books focus on the man playing the sport, so it was definitely refreshing and awesome to see one from a women’s perspective. Our Protagonist had a very good character growth, at the beginning I found her stubbornness slightly annoying but it was clear throughout the book that she was growing. My only slight complaint was it took me a while to figure out how old the characters were, this was then cleared up later on. Overall this book is great for sport romance fans who love strong female protagonists

I was as invested in the championship and tornado subplots as i was the romance... and i was very invested in the romance! Enjoyed learning more about lacrosse, and this alternate world where a smaller sport is up there in the Big Leagues was fun.

✨2.75 - 3 stars✨

I enjoyed the emphasis on women’s sports and the conversations around lack of media attention and funding compared to men’s sports. I also enjoyed the exploration of May’s heritage as a POC character increases the stakes. Also the fact that the sport in question was lacrosse was a nice change from the usual sports that romance books focus on.

However, there was severe lack of character development with either of our main characters which I didn’t enjoy! As a result, I felt that I couldn’t connect to either of them leaving me feeling massively disconnected from the book.

Therefore, I could potentially see why people would enjoy this book (especially if you have enjoyed this author’s books in the past) but this just wasn’t for me sadly!

I received an ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

If you want a sports romance where women's sports takes centre stage, this book is perfect.

Manmayi (May) is a rising star in the women's lacrosse world, a long time rodeo rider and a solid foundation at her family's ranch. Back in high school she was close to CJ (Colt) but he left their hometown to play in the big leagues. Now he is back, injured, and getting in her way whilst she tries to make up for a bad previous season.

I loved the representation of a Mexican South Asian athlete and the cowgirl scenes. The chemistry built throughout the book and by the end, I was really rooting for them to get together. I do think the spark was missing at the start of the book, and some questions raised were not fully answered for me.

All in all, a very solid addition to any sports romance collection and a warm book, but not my favourite by Esha Patel.

𐙚 Sports Romance
𐙚 Second Chance
𐙚 Fake Dating

Cutesy sports romance packed with relatable characters, tension, and banter. Great if looking for something easy and engaging. Overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks for the egalley!

This was a good story with enough of the will they won't they to keep you hooked in whilst also rooting for the team to win!

4.5 stars⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy of this book! I loved this book!!! I loved the plot of this book, the characters were amazing too! I loved the fake dating aspect of this book and this was a perfect Rom-com book!

First and foremost thank you for trusting me with this ARC read.

I will say lacrosse holds a special place in my heart. Having played a little bit and my high school best friends playing mens lacrosse it was great to see some spotlight on the sport. We truly need more lacrosse in the sports romance world , and I hope this is the start of that.

Colt & May were very relatable which I loved. It becomes such an easy read when you realize that there are many similarities between myself and the characters. I loved the dynamic between the two of them. The friends to enemies to lovers all over again is just a great trope and a little bit of spice wouldn't be terrible!

Jordan is the pinnacle of a best friend. She is such a great side character in Colt & May's story. JJ is too!

I hope we get to see Colt & May in New Haven in the MLL together! Can't wait to see this book on the shelfs!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this early! I really enjoyed the banter between the two of them and thought it was a sweet read.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC copy

So nice to see another sport highlighted in a romance. I loved the banter between May and Colt. I’d love to read more of their story!!

Cross My Heart by Esha Patel has my heart ❤️
It's a nice sports Romance that I have devoured and enjoyed a break from all the hockey and American football romances I've read lately. They do fake relationship right in the story. Amazing read. Couldn't put it down

Cross My Heart wasn't what I was expecting going in but in one of the best ways possible. Colt is deeply in love with May from the very start and we get to see her process their past and decide on their future. However, this books is also about more than just their relationship, it's about Lacrosse, women's sports, and making an active choice to follow your heart.

This books is very low spice compared to your average New Adult/Adult Romance. There is 1 scene of sexual content towards the end that is short, focused mainly on emotions, and can be skipped. This feels like a really good bridge between YA and Adult Romance. I also didn't feel like I was missing any chemistry in May and Colt's relationship without the spice. Everything felt very appropriate for the way their connection developed.

Cross My Heart is a Lacrosse Romance, not a romance with a lacrosse player. There is a lot of time spent discussing the sport and it is very central to the plot. If you like your sports romance to be light on the actual sport, this may not be for you.

The thing keeping me from giving Cross My Heart 5 stars is that it was hard to follow at times, particularly regarding the history between Colt and May. I never quite figured out the gaps in their ages (it often felt like 1 year but logically might have been 3 or 4 years). Because of some of these difficulties, it took me until about 60% of the way through the book to really be sold.

Overall, Cross My Heart feels like a true Sports Romance. A story about the love between the main character and their love of the game of Lacrosse. It was heartwarming but not overly emotional for me. I do recommend giving it a try when it releases on May 25th, if you are interested.

Really enjoyed this book! Some bits felt slightly drawn out BUT it didn't take away from the overall story for me. I loved the development of the characters and found myself wanting more books with some of the teammates as Main Characters (Rod for example!) Overall a great book and it's refreshing to see a sport that is so often overlooked

Loved this book, the lax story of lifelong crushes, and the diverse characters. It’s definitely more tame than the author’s F1 books and felt more like YA. They didn’t hook up until 70% in of the book and half was closed door. I still thought it was great and would give it 5 stars, but I found some areas that need addressing:

Was Colts injury in August or October? A subheading of how many months later would be helpful when he returns to OKC. At several points in the book he says back in August or back in October when referring to his injury. Or if he’s referencing different events please clarify.

Can May’s major be clarified when she first says she loves what she’s studying? I had no idea what instrumentation was and we don’t find out it’s a class that’s a part of her meteorology studies.

I think May was extremely hard on Colt for taking the opportunity for a better life on the East coast and another character needs to tell her that. It was also odd how she confided in Colt’s mom about the “old Colt.” When she ultimately chooses to follow her dreams in the end, can we find out what happens to the farm? Like have a convo with her parents saying it’s okay for her to pursue a career in lax?

At one point, May says she’s “ready to throw fists” when she sees Colt after a bad morning (Loc 827). I think this line should be removed because it so casually implies intimate partner violence, which is already overlooked as an issue facing teens and college students.

I think the book also kind of condones drinking before driving after the tornado and hookup scene where Colt had been drinking beer in both instances.

I read the ebook on my kindle and the formatting did not translate well. I wasn’t sure if the chapter titles were supposed to be puns with their names on one line or separate. For example: Y’all Had Your Moments May. I think having each chapter start on a new page with a little doodle under the name of a heart with lacrosse sticks would be cute.

May references her quincenera as being in middle school but it’s at age 15, so it’s high school (Loc 2841)

Here are all of the needed grammar/spelling corrections I found:

me, I have two n ow. (Loc 53)

my gaze st r a y. (Loc 299)

chanting.They're (Loc 661)

loved M a y. (Loc 1227)

right, thought. (Loc 1742, should be though)

hard.Well. (Loc 1822)

repeat 17 7 Mrs Bradley's (Loc 1831)

home in on (Loc 2001, should be hone)

'Man.What a prick.' (Loc 2146)

field.There (Loc 2162)

phone.Fuck.It's (Loc 2404)

with M a y. (Loc 2669)

regroup.Shit.They're (Loc 2946)

longer, hellish d a y. (Loc 3049)