Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Go Deep
SERIES: Red Zone (Book 1)
AUTHOR: Brooklyn Cate
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 272 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 29, 2024
BLURB:
Never kiss your client…especially the NFL superstar you’ve been secretly obsessing about.
Vince
Being gay is a secret I’ve kept for as long as I can remember and since my dad’s running for President on a campaign platform to ban gay marriage, it’s not a secret I can’t afford to let out.
Until NFL superstar Gabe Kelly strolls into my corner office. With a body made for sin and throwing perfect spirals, he is my biggest temptation. I’m supposed to be managing his finances, not obsessing about him naked…or that stupid, reckless, fire hot kiss we shared.
But when you live in the limelight, someone is always waiting to expose your skeletons. So when a video of us together shows up online, I have to make a choice.
Live my life according to everyone else’s rules…
Or give up everything for the man I want.
Gabe
Vince Castro is tall, dark, and forbidden desire wrapped in BOSS Black. He also happens to be my new financial advisor and the guy I’ve fantasized about since the day I walked into his office. But with my private life being dragged through the mud since coming out last season, the last thing I need is a hot little fling to distract me.
Still, everything about him tempts me to break all of my rules.
The one problem? He’s straight.
I keep telling myself that his penetrating stares and semi-innocent touches mean nothing until I invite him up to my apartment…and find out his truth.
Go Deep is book one of the Red Zone Series. It’s a contemporary slow burn, angsty MM sports romance that has high heat, forbidden love, and a stalker to keep things really interesting.
REVIEW:
A brand new series by a first time author.
Vince is so deep in the closet and repressed that even his repressed thoughts are repressed. His father, the Senator from the great (very Red) state of Ohio who is now campaigning for President, is running on a very anti-LGBTQ+ platform. Vince has already disappointed him with his NFL career ending major injury. And even though he’s a very successful and highly sought after financial advisor, he feels he is a constant disappointment to his widower father. With his father’s new health scare he knows he can’t ever be the person he is inside. The fact that he is still a “gay virgin” at 33 solidifies that he must always be what Dad and his cronies need him to be. But he is drawing a hard line on political “stomping” on an anti-LGBTQ+ platform at rally’s. And Bob, his Dad’s biggest backer and his business partner, is now pushing he drop his newest client, NFL Superstar Quarterback Gabe Kelly! The same Gabe Kelly that recently announced that he is gay. And the same Gabe Kelly that seems to see right through him to the real Vince Castro, no matter how hard he attempts to hide his darkest secret. Can an Out-and-Proud football star and his buried-so-deep-in the-closet love interest make a go of it in Ohio with the ultra-conservatives breathing down their necks?
This book is non-stop angst with a capital A! The first 50% is non stop “is he or isn’t he gay” and “can he see through my cement fortress I have surrounded myself with to see who I really am”. I literally wanted to slam these two along side the head and then shove them in a room with no windows until they were both honest with each other. I think I fell more for Gabe because Vince frustrated the hell out of me with his off/on/off behavior. Gabe deserved much better than the BS that Vince through at him. But the heart wants what the heart wants and Gabe’s wanted Vince. He saw what the future could hold for them and wanted to embrace it. And I get that Vince’s dad was medically fragile and this wasn’t the greatest time to drop “ oh, by the way, I’m gay and have been all my life but hide it from you” speech. Thankfully he had his twin sister in his corner and started trying to talk some sense in him before he blew his chance at true love and happiness.
Although super angsty books are definitely not my jam I am thankful I stuck with this one. The last third of the book made it worthwhile. It’s where they finally grew some balls and started communicating. And I get Gabe’s frustration. He put himself on the line when he came out and wasn’t going to be some hidden dirty little secret. That’s not who he was and it wasn’t good for Vince either.
I’m still not sure why Gabe’s ex was such a key player. I get that he became mentally deranged at being dropped. But you would think the team/ organization would have stepped in when he became more brazen. But I guess Gabe didn’t feel comfortable enough to share that with those who need to know. Plus it just seemed to make Gabe question himself, who he was and added even more angst!
I will say that I am truly surprised that this is a debut book by a brand new author. It is very well written and, if you didn’t know it, would never thought to be by someone not yet well seasoned and accomplished author. I am looking forward to the next book. I hope though 🤞that it’s not quite so angsty. I need some universe laid in a book however I also need to get to the meat and potatoes of their relationship and my HEA sooner vs later in the book.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: