Review: First and Forever by Lynn Painter
Thank you Berkley Publishing for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
After reading and loving my first Lynn Painter novel in December, I was looking forward to reading another of hers! I love football and rarely find football romance novels I love so I knew this would be one I needed to pick up. I loved the characters and big family, the commitment to being a fan of a cold weather team, and the pacing of the book. It was a little cheesy at points and while the characters are in the early-mid 20’s, did feel a little young for my current tastes.
Synopsis:
“Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.
When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. This secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.
Oozing with chemistry that feels like fireworks and banter that makes you swoon, Lynn Painter delivers her signature blend of heart and humor in this love story that you won’t soon forget.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Characters—As someone from a big family, I love nothing more that a meddling family. I also enjoyed Duffy and Connor’s banter so much! It made it a fast paced read which I desperately needed after being in a slump.
The Football Random—I am a huge football fan (Go Bills!) and I could relate a lot to the Coyote fans in the book!
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Parts of the writing felt a little repetitive and made it a slog to get through to the end.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Content Warnings:
loss of a parent, sick parent