Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Rivalry
AUTHOR: Beth Bolden
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 458 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2020
BLURB:
The first time NFL quarterback Heath Harris meets Sam Crawford, it’s just them, a luxury yacht and a few days of fun in the sun. Sam turns out to be nothing like Heath expects. He’s kind and funny and irreverent—and also unbelievably, shockingly sexy. For three short, glorious, life-changing days, there are no rules.
The second time they meet, Sam has just been traded to Heath’s team, and instead of lovers, now they’re rivals. Heath has spent the last five years working desperately to be the best quarterback the Riptide could ever need, but when injuries threaten to derail his career, Sam is right there, standing on the sideline. Ready to take over, and ready to ruin everything Heath has given his life for.
Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover.
As their orbits collide, sparks fly, and Heath struggles to find the right label and the right box to shove Sam into, hoping to keep him contained. But Sam—and Heath’s feelings—refuse to cooperate.
Sam might not be just one of those things, he might be all of them, and so much more.
REVIEW:
Health’s life is football. Literally he has one friend. No family to speak of – except his asshole pain in the ass drunk of a father. He just wants to play his game and win the SuperBowl. Then in comes Sam Crawford. Golden boy. Heisman winnter. USC quarterback. Has a good family, a devoted sister, friends, etc. And now he’s Heath’s backup. But before that, he was his vacation fling. This will not go well.
Aside from two closeted players on the same team playing the same position, there are a lot of other obstacles in their way. Mainly around Heath’s inability to feel his feelings. He’s never been able to cut himself any slack or lose focus from football. Sam throws him off completely. But Sam loves Heath. And Heath doesn’t know what to do. Thankfully he get some help from some friends, a therapist and Sam. These guys really have to work for their happy ending!
I really really liked this book! I think I liked it even better than The Rainbow Clause, the author’s other book about a closeted football player. I had so much love for Heath. He’s had a really shitty life and he’s clung to the one thing that was his and gave him an escape from the bad stuff. But when he meets Sam, he realizes he does want something more. That maybe he’s not broken. Sam is a bit younger and he’s not had all the struggles that Heath has had. He’s definitely got his own issues, but he really loves Heath. I loved getting to see Colin and Nick again (the MCs of The Rainbow Clause) after they are settled. I really like Sam’s family too and Bran and Frankie, Heath’s best friend and his wife. There were a lot of hurdles for these guys – many of which they set up for themselves. I was rooting for them all the way! Highly recommended especially for Sport Romance/Enemies to Lovers/Closeted Athlete story fans.
RATING: 
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