**Spoilers Ahead, Read On With Caution**
Something a little short and sweet, or as sweet as LJ can write one of her alpha males that is! THE END ZONE is a short story that was originally published in a Sports Romance anthology called TEAM PLAYER. It also contains an except from VICIOUS in the back that I can’t believe I’d not known about – oh my god it was good, and leads you right into PRETTY RECKLESS.
“The only thing I have to offer is my package.”
THE END ZONE gives us a glimpse into the lives of Sage Poiror, star quarterback, and his best friend Jolie Louis. They’ve been best friends since they were kids, and that’s exactly how its always been, never anything more until one day Sage comes to Jolie with the request of her being his fake girlfriend til graduation. This is where the story really begins, and really, it’s only about twenty pages in. This is like all the best LJ books on crack, super high speed.
“The girl got a kiss on the lips from the boy who no longer howled at the moon and cried on a tree. On the forehead. Like friends do. Then he kissed her on the lips, like lovers do. Then he kissed the inside of her wrists, like soulmates do.”
I enjoyed the book, and it really did carry a great plot considering it’s so short, and a lot of ground was covered. There wasn’t a moment where t felt like I was reading filler fluff to keep the story going, and it showed some great character growth for such a small story as well. Sage was less alpha, more douche to start with, but once he realises he’s been in love with Jolie, it’s like an internal switch is completely flipped. The story has twists I didn’t expect for a novella, and some beautiful hart warming moments between the two. It’s absolutely worth the read, especially if you have an hour to kill and need something enticing to read. With THE END ZONE you’re really thrust into the thick of it from the word go. You get to read it from both their perspectives, and also get a couple little epilogues at the end to really tie it up nicely.
BECAUSE BOOKS 