Line of Scrimmage

July 28, 2008
Force's debut contemporary reads like an overly long category romance. Ryan Sanderson, three-time Super Bowl–winning quarterback for the Denver Mavericks, interrupts his almost-ex-wife, Susannah, while she's dining with her new fiancé, Henry, and his parents. Ryan threatens to slow the divorce proceedings, delaying Susannah and Henry's wedding, unless she allows him to woo her until their marriage legally dissolves in 10 days. Susannah capitulates, and after they finally communicate with one another about the stillbirth that destroyed their marriage, their passion reignites. When Henry reappears on the scene, however, the story falters. Henry, who has loved Susannah for years, always tried to get between her and Ryan, and she seems to have meekly tolerated it. Susannah's passivity and poor judgment reflect poorly on her, and Henry has few positive qualities. Ryan, on the other hand, is a good guy desperate to fix past mistakes, a terrific change of pace from the typical reluctant hero.

September 15, 2008
Susannah Sanderson is all set for her upcoming wedding, until her soon-to-be-ex-husband, football superstar Ryan Sanderson, shows up. Ignoring her protests, Ryan informs her that since their divorce isnt final for10 more days, he still owns half of the house, and he intends to live there. Susannah has a hard time maintaining her boycott of the handsome, hunky athlete, especially when hes in such close proximity. To further complicate things, its all too easy to compare him with Henry Merrill, her nerdy new fianc', who comes complete with his domineering mother. Ryan has taken some hard hits on the playing field, but nothing prepared him for the breakup of his marriage. Now hes throwing Super Bowl level energy into a reconciliation, and this is one game hes determined to win. With its humor and endearing characters, Forcescharming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyondsports fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)