Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Forward Entry
SERIES: Sydney Swallows (Book 1)
AUTHOR: Aurora Crane
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 282 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2023
BLURB:
Be an experiment for the straight, fiery, redheaded captain of his rival football team? Noah can do that. Make sure he doesn’t fall in love with him? Not a problem.
Noah Walker is a key forward for the Sydney Swallows in the Australian Football League. Bryce Monaghan is captain for the rival Sydney team.
The lines between them couldn’t be clearer: Bryce is straight, Noah is not. And nothing is more important to Noah than his team. Noah doesn’t mind walking Bryce through his bi-curiosity, but he won’t let their arrangement complicate his life or his chance at the premiership flag.
The chemistry between them is sudden and unexpected and quickly gains a life of its own. The mutual understanding that they start with doesn’t survive long, burned up between their sheets.
As the season heats up, the lines that have been so clear for them, on and off the field, begin to blur.
But it’s still just a temporary fling.
Right?
How could it be anything else?
Forward Entry is an Australian Football League gay-sports romance. It is low angst and high steam with a bi-awakening, and features frenemies-to-lovers that can’t keep their hands off each other.
REVIEW:
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this newest book by one of my go-to/one-click authors and it definitely didn’t disappoint!
Bryce is 23. He’s a captain for one of the most elite footy teams in Australia. He knows who he is and what he likes. At least he thought he did…until a chance viewing, at his best friends place, of his bff’s grumpy teammate in the shower rubbing himself off intrigues him. No, that can’t be right. He’s straight and always has been. And it’s that! Or is it? Because he just got hard witnessing Noah and now he can’t stop thinking about it. And now he doesn’t know what to think. So he does what he does when he realizes something. And that is to tackle this straight on like he has done everything in his life. But is Noah up for the job?
One of the hugest hurdles to overcome for me with this book was understanding what exactly AFL (Australian football league) otherwise known as Footy was. I am American born and raised. I have watched American football since the 60’s. I had no idea this Footy sport even existed. And, although the author did a great job giving you the inside scoop of the sport, with vivid description of what was happening during the game, along with a thorough AFL glossary, I finally resorted to my age old tool…I googled it. And oh my goodness gracious no wonder why I wasn’t able to visualize it because I sincerely have never witnessed like this sport. I can guarantee that my boys would never been allowed to participate in this scary game and they played American football through high school! The sheer level of terror I experienced watching those videos was frightening. No visible protective gear in sight and the different moves, especially Specky, was horrifying. I just don’t see this becoming a sport I frequent.
That being said, I loved this book and fell madly in love with both Noah and Bryce. Noah for his willingness to help Bryce with his sudden bisexual curiosity and his continual gentle touch during his awakening. He was patient and never pushed Bryce. Except that time when he was a grumpy total idiot! I couldn’t imagine a better partner to explore these new found urges and curiosity with for Bryce than Noah. And Bryce, for his bravery and courage to seek out what he needed to discover, if what he experienced was a one-time thing or the door opening to a whole new identity he never imagined. And he did it with eagerness and steadfastness to come to his own truths of who he was and what he wanted/needed. And he needed Noah. But what was even better was that Noah discovered what he needed was Bryce in return.
One of my most favorite scenes was when Forest took Bryce to the sex shop! First-timers/innocents experiencing that store and it’s sexual goodies was hilarious. And Noah swooping in to be with his man was awesome. Then suddenly that scene moved straight from hilarious to super hot sexy in a blink of an eye. But what stood out was their friends wanting to help Bryce when he had no idea how to move forward and had courageously asked for help while it was highly embarrassing for him. But he did it for the sake of him and Noah’s blooming relationship. That’s how this book was for me. Putting yourself out there because the other was so worth it. And Noah finally succumbing to Coop’s strange ritual of writing inside his brand new sock, in permanent marker no less, was so surprising. But what he wrote touched me deeply 💕
I simply loved this story and these men. I highly doubt this book will ever make me a Footy convert but I know I can’t wait for the next book in this series. Scary sport or not, Aurora Crane is a talented and gifted author that makes you fall for her men no matter the circumstances they are in. A must-read for me!
RATING: 
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