Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Match Point by Leigh Carman


Two stubborn men.

One is a rude jerk. The other, the life of the party.

It was hate at first sight.

Pro beach volleyball players Finn Callahan and Dexter Savage have been rivals since college. While Finn always comes out on top on the court, Dexter’s carefree and fun-loving personality earns him scores of adoring men and women. And as much as Finn fights to deny it, there’s another reason for the tension he feels when Dex is around. Hate wasn’t the only thing he felt when he first laid eyes on his opponent.

When they’re forced to team up, the two men must bury their differences—on and off the court—if either of them is going to succeed professionally.

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Book 1
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Dreamspinner Press



Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica☆☆☆☆
Leigh Carman is a new-to-me author, and I found the writing style to be instantly engaging, with a steady pace that kept me interested, without any unnecessary description of filler – all scenes added to the overall enjoyment of the story.

Dexter and Finn have been volleyball rivals since college, a hate-hate relationship both on and off the sand. When they both lose their respective volleyball partners, one a true partner in every sense of the word, they’re partnered together in a dream team promising enough to guarantee a spot in the Olympics.

Both men are gay, neither are out of the closet, and neither realize the other is feeling them, making them ornery.

Overall, Match Point was a quick read, with a ton of push-pull, love-hate romance. Dexter and Finn have intense chemistry, which leads to delicious tension. There is no insta-love/lust, with a slow burn buildup that was accomplished well in so few pages.

The main reason I can’t hand out 5 stars is simply with character development – a major thread of the storyline was slightly written away. However, it is broached, but simply not to the standard for maximum emotional impact.

Recommended to MM romance fans, especially with the sport subgenre. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future – I’ll be on the lookout for their next new release.


Shannan☆☆☆☆
Finn Callahan and Dex Savage are both pro beach volleyball players. They have been rivals since college. Finn and Tristan are the better team and win constantly over Dex. Dex and Blake have the better personality, earning more sponsorships even though their team isn't always in first. Whenever these two are in range of the other, the insults always start flying.

Finn and Tris are more than teammates but no one on the circuit is aware of their relationship, not even Finn's family. When tragedy strikes, Finn spirals into a depression so deep he doesn't think he'll ever get out.

Blake knew he was taking a risk on the water, but he never expected it to ruin his career. Now Dex is left without a teammate. Dex realizes without a teammate he has no championships, no sponsors, no money, and that cannot happen. Dex knows the only option is to get Finn to team up with him.

On the sand, Dex and Finn do not make the perfect team. There is so much between them, neither knows how to act any different toward each other. When sponsors take notice and drop them for not getting along they need to reevaluate. Will they ever work together as a team? Or will they fight what they have?

I really enjoyed Match Point. I devoured it in a few hours. My only complaint is that the timeline is very jumpy. From chapter to chapter, if felt like paragraph to paragraph you were jumping ahead in time. For me that lost some connection to the characters. Overall, it was an emotional story that you get invested in.



Leigh Carman was born and raised in New England with all of its fall foliage and winter snow. She escaped to the South, where she currently lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two kids, and French Bulldog, Shelby.

She loves the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything chocolate (but not white chocolate—everyone knows it’s not real chocolate so it doesn’t count), and has left explicit instructions in her will to have her ashes snuck into Fenway Park and sprinkled all over while her family enjoys beer, hot dogs, and a wicked good time.

Leigh also writes M/F dark romance under the name Heather C. Leigh. She also loves exploring the underbelly of fame and the crushing weight of those under the microscope 24/7.

Connect with Leigh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads


https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Match Point (Sports of the Seasons #1) by Leigh Carman to read and review.

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