Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Under Pressure
SERIES: Love and Football #1
AUTHOR: Lauren Ashley
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2019
LENGTH: 132 pages
BLURB:
Rookie quarterback, Drew Carmichael, is under pressure like never before.
When Drew abruptly and unexpectedly comes out of the closet, his life is upended. The media is hounding him. Fans and haters are scrutinizing him nonstop. Worst of all, team management is wary of him, unsure if he’s worth all the hassle.
He’ll do anything to stay on his home state’s NFL team, including pretending to be in a serious and committed relationship. The only problem is his fake boyfriend is Scott Hunter-the irresistible country music star and his secret teenage crush.
Scott Hunter is used to being under pressure. He’s dealt with it his whole life, handling it all with grace and an unwavering smile on his face.
When his manager presents him with the long-awaited opportunity to come out of the closet, he jumps on it, no questions asked. Pretending to be Drew Carmichael’s boyfriend should be easy. Simple. Fun.
He never expected or wanted to start caring about the golden boy of football. That’s definitely not part of the plan. Neither is fooling around with him on a football field…
Touchdown.
REVIEW:
Drew is a newly recruited NFL footballer who, at a charity auction, outs himself. Team management does, what they consider damage control, by suggesting he enters a fake relationship with Scott, a Texan country singer who has also been looking for an opportunity to come out of the closet.
The story is told in the first person with chapters named from a specific pov – namely Drew and Scott. It is a practice that I have found happening more and more. There are readers who love this style of writing, but I get confused with who is talking, especially when the tones of the major protagonists are similar.
Drew and Scott are likeable characters who come from differing backgrounds. One has an incredibly supportive environment, the other, most decidedly not. It is family and the men’s relationship that is the principal focus through this first book. Neither football nor singing enter the story until about halfway and then only briefly. From hints through the arc, I got the impression that these elements may come out in sequels.
After their ‘relationship’ went public, I loved the name mashup the fans gave Scott and Drew – Screw.
Although entertaining, there are pockets of information dumps. They mainly occur when introducing the broader character base. Nevertheless, the cast is varied, and there wasn’t one that didn’t measure up to their billing.
The story is fast-paced with no frills or fancies. For my taste, the language base could have used a little variation, mainly to separate the characters better. There was also a preference for certain words – some were character-based, others, author bias.
As for the chemistry between Drew and Scott, there is an immediate attraction – despite Scott insisting that he doesn’t do love. For two men thrown together for a common purpose, they fit seamlessly. Both experience new feelings, and it is as if they were meant to be, which I found sweet.
Overall, I found Under Pressure to be an enjoyable little story on a tried and tested theme – albeit my emotions didn’t get a workout. The story was akin to drinking a pleasurable cup of tea, It established the relationship between Drew and Scott and set up the groundwork for the next in the series. It was possible to read it as a standalone, with one storyline finishing. I hope that more depth and drama with their respective careers will appear in future instalments.
RATING: 
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