Sports romance has always been popular but with the coupling of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, it feels like they're everywhere. That's why I was excited to pick up First Down by Grace Reilly.
The other reason I picked it up is that the publisher, Avon kindly sent me a copy so I knew I wanted to cover it so why not write up a review? For those who don't know, First Down is the start of Grace Reilly's Beyond the Play series.
Each book is labeled as "spicy adult sports romances"; honestly, there is no better way to describe them. These books are focused on sports, spice, and some adult topics that usually aren't the concerns of regular college students. Of course, we're just talking in popular culture as far as that sentiment goes.
Whether you're looking for a new sports romance series to binge or have always been curious about Grace Reilly and her writing, you're in for a treat with First Down.
First Down is an excellent sports romance series starter.
Set at the fictional McKee University, the story follows our main character, Bex who is just trying to deal with life. She has an abusive and terrible ex-boyfriend, a mother who is struggling, and a job lined up at her mother's diner after she graduates. She goes to a party to take things off her mind.
While her ex is bothering her, she kisses the first guy she sees which is James. James is the newest transfer and hotshot quarterback for the school's football team. With Bex's ex being on the team, it's always so tension-filled. The kiss only makes things even more intense as it's clear the kiss had a lingering effect on both of them which they don't want to admit.
Things get even better when James needs Bex to tutor him and she says she'll do it in exchange for him agreeing to fake date her. As you might guess, their feelings aren't nearly as fake as they had hoped and it ends up being a romance between the two of them. Trust me, Grace Reilly makes sure to show us just how much these two are into each other.
First Down is my first read of Grace Reilly's, but it most certainly won't be my last. There is something to be said about her character work as I really felt like I knew Bex and James. I could picture them in my head so vividly. They felt like real people and in large part, that was due to the problems and annoyances they had to deal with.
Bex was coming to terms with taking over the diner while James was pushing her to think bigger which did cause some tension between them. Additionally, James was getting his second chance to have an NFL career. Coupled with that, he had his father's legacy to contend with as his father was a former NFL player, making for a unique dynamic.
Aside from how great the characters were, Grace Reilly didn't shy away from the spicy scenes and showed us just how much these two enjoyed being together. Sometimes, it can be a bit much but these were a nice change of pace. Aside from that, there was so much going on that that the steamy scenes felt like a nice breather every once in a while.
Considering that I was in a reading slump for most of July, I'm happy I was able to finish First Down and am excited to read more from Grace Reilly. Thankfully there are 4 books total in the Beyond the Play series with Wicked Serve set for release on August 13th. Who knows? Maybe I'll review and rank them for the release of Wicked Serve.
First Down by Grace Reilly is out in paperback, audiobook and ebook where books are sold.