Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Home Game

SERIES:  Fixer Brothers Construction Company

AUTHOR:  Raleigh Ruebins

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  238 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 19, 2024

BLURB:

He’s pro football’s hottest wide receiver…
But for me he’s pure, red-hot trouble.

Storm Rosling is cocky. Charming. A bad boy football player who can’t keep his name out of headlines and scandals.

In my life, he’s one big red flag.

I’m working with Fixer Brothers Construction to take their home renovation TV show to the stratosphere. I’m all business, and I’m damn good at it. But Storm Rosling is a marketing nightmare – and the new star of the Fixer Brothers’ show.

Every moment of his home renovation will be caught on film for the TV show, and from day one, Storm knows how to get under my skin. He hates my fancy suits and expensive cars. I hate that he could ruin my career with one spicy social media post.

…But I’m craving him, too. Millions of football fans watch him every week, and now I’m addicted, too, in real life and on the screen.

Storm said he was straight. But a challenge turns into a dare and the next thing I know, he’s on top of me. The fire between us burns hotter than ever, and I won’t deny pure attraction.

He wants me.

I want him, too—even if I hate every way he provokes me.

Don’t they say to keep your enemies close?

REVIEW:

Note:  This is book 7 in this series.  It contains spoilers for the earlier books/couples.  It can be read as a standalone, but I think is much more enjoyable as part of this series order.

Emmett Waycott has a plan.  If he can land the Racks Home Store partnership deal with the Fixer Brother Construction Company and their reality TV show, he will make partner at his marketing firm and hopefully oust the bigoted homophobe who has taken the reins of the firm since the sudden death of Emmett’s dad.  Emmett’s is still reeling from that loss and then the desertion of his boyfriend who only saw him as a bank account anyway 🙁  This is his shot and things are looking good.

When he finds out that the next potential client for Fixer Brothers is Storm Rosling, newly signed Wide Receiver of the Denver Ferals, well he’s less than enthusiastic.  Storm is a bit of a loose cannon/bad boy and has had some unflattering press over the years – getting into fights and posting stuff on social media that isn’t maybe the best thought out 😉  Even worse though is that he is Emmett’s new next door neighbor.  And his little fluffball dog keeps digging under a poorly maintained fence and ending up in Storm’s back yard.  Luckily Emmett’s husky likes the little fluffball and they play around until Emmett returns her.

Storm might have money now, but that is NOT how he grew up.  He’s always had a bit of a chip on his shoulder being raised by a single mom in a trailer park and being mistreated while in High School.  Of course when he made it big, those same a$$holes came out of the woodwork acting like they’d been friends all along.  Nuh-uh.  Storm wants no part of that.  Seeing Emmett’s thousand collar suits and his Porsche and Ferrari, he’s convinced that Emmett will look down on him too.  So he does his best to poke at Emmett from the get-go.  If only the guy wasn’t so gorgeous.  Wait.  Where did that come from??

Soon Emmett and Storm are pushing each other’s buttons.  Storm loves to tease Emmett and bait him.  He knows Emmett finds him attractive.  What he doesn’t count on is reciprocating that attraction.  Both men make assumptions about each other and you know what that leads to 😉  And when Emmett walks away and then is injured, Storm comes to his rescue – unbidden.  One thing leads to another and well, it seems Storm might not be so straight after all.

Both men have stuff they need to work out.  They both have self-esteem issues due to past situations and upbringing.  They have to figure out how this will affect both of their jobs.  Storm isn’t worried for himself, but he is worried about Emmett and the attention something like this “outing” could bring.  Are either of them really willing to take a chance on making this real?

I just loved this one!  I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers.  I particularly enjoyed the opposites attract here as well and the teasing nature of Emmett and Storm’s relationship.  They have both been hurt, but they hide their feeling and deal with them completely differently.  It takes a while for them to show each other their true selves behind the public masks they wear.  It’s adorable how much Storm wants to protect Emmett.  He gets it that while Emmett looks like he has everything from the outside, he’s lonely and missing a lot after the losses he’s suffered.  Storm is used to people wanting something from him after his football fame/money, but he realizes that after misjudging him, Emmett is NOT all about the money.  He was trying to set things right and taking a beating doing it.  They both are standup guys and are there for each other when it really matters.  With no judgement.

It’s great to see the rest of the couples from the previous books here in cameos too.  Kace is of course Storm’s teammate, so they have a natural rapport.  The rest of the guys and their SOs are along for the ride as well with some fun celebrations/announcements too 😀  I sure hope that Emmett’s bestie Landry gets his HEA soon 😉  Hint hint!  This whole series is just lovely.  The small town Colorado vibe is terrific and the characters are fun and believable.  Highly recommended.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon