Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Strong Side
SERIES: Eastshore Tigers #1
AUTHOR: Alison Hendricks
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 171 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2016
BLURB:
Their chemistry on the field is undeniable. But can they ever be more than friends?
Jason Hawkins is about to throw the biggest Hail Mary pass of his career. If he can’t turn NFL recruiters’ heads this year, he’ll lose his shot at the one thing he’s ever been good at. But every quarterback needs a man he can count on down-field. For Jason, that man just might be the Tigers’ new receiver, Derek Griffin.
Four years ago, Derek nearly lost everything after being outed by his teammates. Now he finally has a chance to get it all back as a walk-on for Eastshore College… if he can resist his immediate attraction to the gorgeous and very straight star quarterback.
An instant connection during practice leads to an easy friendship that only grows stronger off the field. Derek is convinced friendship is all it’ll ever be, but a very confusing moment of impulse leaves both of them fumbling for answers about their relationship.
As curiosity gives way to passion and passion gives way to something deeper, Jason and Derek will have to tackle their own personal demons to bring home the win and earn their happy ending.
Strong Side is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger.
REVIEW:
It is books like this one that make me happy I signed up for the Kindle Unlimited option on Amazon. Otherwise, I might never have heard of this author, or indeed of many of the great writers who are self-publishing their books on Amazon with little or no fanfare. This one only came out a week ago but already was showing as a #1 Best Seller on Amazon so it intrigued me enough to hit my one click.
I’m glad I did. This was an entertaining sports themed book, one of the parts of the m/m genre that I really enjoy, and it was well written, well edited and very believable. There might have been a couple odd words here and there that should have been edited out, but overall it was a very well-produced self-published novel.
Derek Griffin has come back to football after several years away from the game due to a disastrous occurrence after he was outed to his high school football team. He is a really good player, and is catching the eye of the coach and the team with his abilities. When he freezes up on the field for no discernable reason though, it brings question to his abilities.
Jason Hawkins is the team’s quarterback. He sees something in Derek and thinks it is something that will be great for the team, so he volunteers to do one on one training with him to help him get ready for the starting team.
Derek is gay, and Jason is straight. What will happen when the lines start to blur? A fun read. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good college sports romance.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: