Can't Wait for First and Forever

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

First adn Forever

By: Lynn Painter

Expected Publication: May 12, 2026 by Berkley

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. 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 their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring 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.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Catching Jordan - Review

Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks, # 1)

By: Miranda Kenneally

Published: Published December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

252 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports

Source: Borrowed from library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

I read Breathe, Annie, Breathe earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. At the time I requested it, I didn’t realize that it was part of a series. Granted, each of the books in this series can be read as standalones. That was certainly true of Breathe, Annie, Breathe. But reading that book made me realize that I definitely want to read the other books in this series as well. One day I was browsing the e-library for potential audiobooks that might be available immediately, but instead what I found was Catching Jordan, and I jumped on it.

The description above gives a good bit of information even though it’s pretty brief. But here's the deal. Jordan is the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. She loves football. Her father happens to be an NFL quarterback, and her brother is a college quarterback as well. It is her dream to play college level football for the University of Alabama. Being on the football team does have her surrounded by jocks all day, but she loves those jocks. They’re her family. Her brothers. Her best friends. The guys closest to her are her best friend, Sam Henry, and two other players, JJ and Carter. She’s always been just one of the guys even though she’s really not.

When Ty Green shows up at practice one day, Jordan is thrown all off her game. For one, he’s hot. He’s not the first guy that she’s ever found really attractive, but he is the first guy that’s given her butterflies. But then come to find out, Ty is also a quarterback—an extremely good quarterback. He had to move from Texas to Tennessee after his father died and his mother was paralyzed in a car accident. He, his sister, and his mother move in with his paternal grandfather. So Ty’s got a lot on his shoulders. He’s not really trying to take Jordan’s position, but he really just loves the game and wants to play whenever he can.

It’s obvious that Ty is interested in Jordan almost as immediately as Jordan is interested in Ty. Ty pursues Jordan, and even though it’s what Jordan wants, she’s pretty much freaked out. She’s never dated anyone before. She’s never kissed anyone. Never made out. Definitely never made it as far as all of her male friends have.

And there’s plenty to distract Jordan from Ty as well. Her father doesn’t support her decision to play football. He’s worried that she’s going to get seriously injured. That’s a feeling that I can understand, but he was totally hypocritically in his application of his concerns when it comes to Jordan and her brother Mike. I know they’re not the same. But that was something that Jordan has to battle. Plus she’s trying to secure a scholarship from her dream school which isn’t really being upfront with her. Personally, I don’t follow college football, but if I did, I’d be an Auburn University fan myself (the arch-rival for the University of Alabama). However, it was still pretty cool for the state to be mentioned so frequently throughout this book. And then there’s something going on with her best friend, Sam Henry. Something’s been up with him since his girlfriend, Carrie, broke up with him. Personally, I really enjoyed the direction that this took the story.

I don’t want to say too much or give anything away, but I really, really enjoyed this one. There were many dynamics at play within Catching Jordan, but I was never confused or overwhelmed with truly how much was going on. It was all executed just right. There is the fact that Jordan is a girl and plays a predominantly male sport. Then Jordan is crushing on the one person who could take her dream away from her. Her father doesn’t support her and their relationship has really struggled as a result. Jordan’s relationship with her mother and brother were great though. Jordan is confronted with her femininity due to her recent romantic life as well as realizing that sometime you just need to talk things out with a friend who’s also a girl. There is a love triangle if those bother you, but in my opinion, it was a triangle done right. Jordan has to figure out how she feels. What’s hormonal and what’s real. She has to figure out what’s superficial and what will last. Jordan has to face the possibility of not getting what she’s dreamed of, but potentially getting something even better.

Personally, I will say that while this book isn’t descriptive during these scenes, Jordan does lose her v-card. This was handled so casually that if anything bothered me, this did. It wasn’t a big deal to her that she went through with something so big with no commitment from the guy and with little thought to how important that moment is/was. And even after the event was over, I feel like there wasn’t enough regret that almost any girl would feel in her situation.

Side note: I did love the way that Jordan writes in a journal. She doesn’t feel like she can talk to her mom or her guy friends about her feelings and she doesn’t have any girl friends that she trusts enough. So she seeks to put her thoughts to paper. If nothing else, to get them out of her head. That’s totally how I ended up journaling through my teenage years as well.

Favorite quotes:

-I love the way his curls flop around
and hang across his forehead.
I love how he never just lets me win.
I have to earn it.
I love how he touches me just because.
I love his loyalty. …

-When unrequited love is the most expensive thing on the menu, sometimes you settle for the daily special.

All in all, I really enjoyed Catching Jordan. It was different from what I was expecting, but it was also exactly what I needed for the mood I’ve been in lately. Catching Jordan gets 4 Stars. Have you read Catching Jordan? What did you think? Let me know!

All Lined Up - Review

All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1)

By: Cora Carmack

Published: May 13th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

I loved the concept of Dallas’s dad being the coach of her high school football team and then transferring to coach her college team as well. I grew up in a small town and it was not rare for a teacher at my high school to also have children as students as well. It was always an interesting dynamic to watch. And then Dallas thinks she’s gotten away from it all only to find out that her father has moved to coach at her college too. Talk about depressing. Of course along with that are all the dynamics that involve dating the coaches daughter. Some guys look at Dallas as their “in” with the coach while others steer clear of her out of fear of the coach.

On top of her dad being the head coach, Dallas’s ex-boyfriend, Levi, is also the quarterback for her college team. This means that all that baggage of her past has essentially tagged along with her. Dallas pretty much decides that she’s not dating football players anymore. Yet she meets Carson at a party. Carson doesn’t know Dallas and Dallas doesn’t know Carson, but they hit it off. And their chemistry is off the charts.

I recently did a post about repetitive themes in books. One of the things I complained about was the one-night stand being the first interaction between the main characters. I get so tired of relationships built off that. Dallas and Carson had a similar experience, but yet completely different. They make out, and like I said, the chemistry is off the charts. But their relationship is slow building. Even though they crossed some physical boundaries the night they met, these two pursue a friendship that’s not quite a friendship before progressing forward. And THIS I love. If this theme repeats itself in all the books that would be okay with me, because there’s substance.

I do plan to jump into the next book, which is about one side character that we meet in All Lined Up. BUT I expect there to be some frustrations because this character does seem the type to experience exactly what I was talking about above. I’m withholding complete judgment because maybe his relationship will be built off substance rather than their first encounter, but that’s yet to be determined yet.

Favorite quotes:

-“We’re honest with each other, no matter how hard or awkward it is to say whatever needs to be said. We”—he uses a hand to gesture between us—“are a safe space. You can say anything to me, and I promise I’ll hear you out. I’ll listen. No matter what it is.”

-“You’re it for me. So run if you’d like, but I’ll follow. You can try to hold me at arm’s length, but I’ll never stop trying to pull you close. Be scared if you must, but you’re not going to lose me.”

-…it’s the hard days that end up being the most important in the end.

All Lined Up was my first Cora Carmack experience, and I really enjoyed it. It was more than I expected it to be. I love the slow build of the friendship that turned into more. And I really enjoyed the side dynamics between all the facets of the story. All Lined Up gets 4 Stars. Have you read All Lined Up? What did you think? Let me know!