This is a fun slow burn with lots of tension and HEAT! The flirty/sexy banter was definitely the highlight for me and I could feel the chemistry between the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me a copy of this book, this one is a re-release and definitely deserves some attention amongst our sports-romance readers. This book is a fun time with a serving of spice, the banter is on point and we check all the boxes with found family, grumpy x sunshine and my favorite, a photographer!

A great continuation of Kristen Callihan's footballer series, that keeps with the series' signature slow burn HIGH heat tension. Seriously, does anyone know how to torturously stretch out the moment when they finally give into the tension like Kristen? Despite the insta-lust, this one plays out as a he-falls-first, friends-to-lovers tale, and it's one of my favorites to revisit in the series.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 3/5

Tropes:
- Grumpy x sunshine (she's the grumpy one)
- Sports romance (American football)
- Friends to lovers
- He falls first
- Slow burn to spice
- Tattooed black cat FMC
- NFL quarterback MMC

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy. #hiveinfluencer

I've never read this author before but this book was sooooo good! The pacing was on point, the flow flowed. Perfect! Thanks for the ARC, I appreciate it!

We knew they’d end up together. That wasn’t the surprise. The surprise was how badly I needed it to happen.

It didn’t play cute. It didn’t waste time. The feelings were there from the start — not teased, not hidden — just unspoken and impossible to miss. You could feel it every time they looked at each other and pretended it was nothing.

It had heat, yeah, but it also had weight. You could tell it mattered. The way they listened. The way they held back. The way they didn’t say what they wanted — until they finally did, and it hit exactly right.

No games. No perfect lines. Just two people figuring out what they already were.

And when it landed, it landed hard.

It always gets me when a male main character assumes that the person he is meeting is also a male because of their name. Then, surprise, it's a woman! Laughter ensues, and Callihan nails this story! It was full of flirty behaviors and sexy banter. I adored it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This looks like a re-release and I’m here for it! Kristen Callihan is a new-to-me author and I really enjoyed her writing style. I’m not typically a sports romance girl, but this one was fun!

Tropes include: <i>Grumpy/Sunshine, Black Cat/Golden Retriever, Sports Romance, Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Playboy MMC, He Falls First</i>

Chester “Chess” and Finnegan “Finn” meet when Chess takes on a professional football calendar shoot - oh and they’re naked. What a meet-cute lol Chess and Finn may start off on the wrong foot, but neither of them can deny their chemistry.

After the shoot, fate keeps throwing these two together. Finn wants to act on their chemistry, but Chess throws up a barrier immediately and they settle on trying to be friends. Emphasis on the trying.

I loved the pacing in the beginning, even toward the end. It felt a little slow at times - around 80% when the third act starts playing out. I’d probably also be complaining if it was too fast too, so do with that what you will. Just missing a little balance there.

Chess and Finn as characters were well developed and their relationship flowed naturally. Even the secondary characters, despite my not reading any of the other books, also felt whole. I appreciated that, as often times you’re just thrown into the thick of it and the past characters’ stories are assumed to be known.

My only real qualm was that Chess clearly had some parental-induced trauma that affected her view on relationships. It’s hinted at and briefly described, but the opportunity to show her healing from that was either missed or completely went over my head. I was waiting for that thread to be woven in, but it never did and that was disappointing.

I enjoyed this story and I can see football fans <i>really</i> enjoying it. It’s a good summer read and a fun romance with some ✨pretty good✨ spice. I’d be interested in checking out the others in the series!


The Basics:
Professional Football Player 🏈 // Photographer 📸
1st Person Dual POV
Standalone, but #4 in the “Game On” series
HEA 🖤 + epilogues
CW: pregnancy loss/infertility
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍

So swoony. So hot. Dreamy pro athlete MMC. legit amazing spice that will have you fanning yourself. Everything I want in my romance reads.

The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan is the 4th book in the Game On series. This book takes place at the same time as book 3 in the series and showcases Chess and Finn's love story. Finn is a professional football player who is determined to stay out of a relationship. Chess is hired to photograph the team, naked of course, for a calendar. I LOVED this book and the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers storyline of these characters. The development of the characters, their back story, and relationship development was fantastic! This has been my favorite book in the series and I can't wait to read more from Kristen.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars!
This was such a cute read. Loved the humor and the tall girl rep. I loved Finn so much and I could feel his chemistry with Chess coming off the page.

📖 ARC Review 📖

The Hot Shot - the fourth installment of the Game On series.

Finn Mannus, a charismatic football player. Chess Copper, a petulant photographer. They meet at a charity calendar shoot. They begin to build a slow-burn friendship that becomes something much deeper. They go from strangers to roommates and friends, to lovers. Their relationship is filled with a lot of banter and emotional/sexual tension.

Overall, the book was a sweet romance with playful energy, but it I felt like the character depth could have been improved as well as the pacing of the book.

Tropes:
📸 Friends to Lovers
🏈 Opposites Attract
📸 Forced Proximity
🏈He Falls First
📸 Slow Burn
🏈 MMC Sports
📸 FMC Photography

The Hot Shot is another amazing football romance from Kristen Callihan. This time, a star quarterback isn’t quite sure what to do with his attraction to a photographer who also happens to be the only woman that doesn’t immediately fall at his feet.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finn and his teammates agreed to a photo shoot for a charity calendar, only to discover they are posing in the buff. And he’s instantly attracted to Chess, the smart and stunning photographer. For her part, Chess doesn’t want to give the cocky QB the time of day, but she can’t deny their connection. The two strike up a friendship, but for the first time Finn wants more with someone. Can he convince commitment shy Chess to give them a chance?

This series is one of my comfort reads, and I had a blast revisiting Finn and Chess. Both main characters are a little older and more mature than in earlier books, which was a joy to read. They both have to figure out how to roll with it when their friends and lives change as they grow up a bit. It feels realistic, especially for Chess, who manages change after change while trying to still feel comfortable in her own skin.

In addition to their sizzling chemistry, I love Chess’s grump to Finn’s sunshine attitude. And, the best part of almost any sports romance is the found family/brotherhood of Finn and his football teammates.

I had a great time reading The Hot Shot. This series gets better and better as the characters mature and deal with fame as well as their own sense of self. Not only do Chess and Finn have fantastic chemistry, but their conflicts feel real and their HEA well earned.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Hot Shot is one of those romances that just works—it’s funny, sexy, emotional, and the slow burn? Absolutely delicious. Chess and Finn might be one of my favorite book couples now. She’s this sarcastic, independent photographer who’s a little prickly at first (in the best way), and he’s a star quarterback who’s charming on the outside but surprisingly vulnerable underneath. Their dynamic is everything.

What I really appreciated was how their relationship grew. It didn’t feel rushed or too perfect. They actually became friends first, and you could feel that shift when things started getting more intense. The chemistry was always there, but it felt real.

Also, Finn? Total book boyfriend material. He’s not just hot, he’s thoughtful and kind, and the way he shows up for Chess? Swoon. And Chess is just such a solid, no-nonsense character who doesn’t lose herself in the romance, which I loved.

Overall, this one hit all the right notes for me. If you’re into sports romance, slow burns, found family vibes, and characters who actually talk about things, definitely pick this one up.

The series keeps getting better with each book. The characters were very fun and communicative with each other. The banter was filled with chemistry and was very flirty. The meet cute was blush worthy.
Actually football plays were detailed but I know zero about football, they were exciting.

I was obsessed with this series when I first read it and am so excited to see it being traditionally published with bonus epilogues. I loved Finn and Chess and their friends-to-lovers romance. Love everything in this series!

Finn is so swoony. As always, the pop culture references and movie quotes are cute, and the side characters are charming.

Recommended for sports romance lovers.