Reviewed by: Sue Eaton
TITLE: The Fullback
SERIES: Lincoln Knights #5
AUTHOR: Charlie Novak
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 324 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2026
BLURB:
Wanted: The Chance To Find Love Without My Heart Getting Totally Rucked
When I end up in bed with my best friend, Hunter, and our teammate’s younger brother, Aiden, it’s only meant to be one night of casual fun… but my heart has other ideas.
I’ve had feelings for Hunter for years, but I’ve never allowed myself to admit them. Not even to myself. Then there’s Aiden, whose stunning confidence is making both of us fall for him. He’s sexy, funny, assertive, and utterly irresistible, and Hunter and I are drawn to him in a way we’ve never been to anyone.
The pair of us have never considered dating each other, let alone a relationship with someone else, and I’m terrified that telling Hunter how I feel will only lead to me getting hurt.
I have to take the risk though, because I can’t bear to lose Hunter or Aiden. If not, I’ll always wonder what if…
REVIEW:
A sweet, sassy, slow‑burn poly romance where cluelessness is practically a fourth main character
Charlie Novak has a gift for writing characters who are emotionally intelligent in every area except their own love lives, and The Fullback might be the crown jewel of that dynamic. Hunter and Bailey are both walking bundles of yearning, nerves, and catastrophic communication skills. They orbit each other with the intensity of a binary star system yet somehow manage to miss every single signal the other is sending. It’s almost impressive.
The heart of the book lies in the delicious tension between Bailey and Hunter who clearly adore each other but cannot, for the life of them, articulate a single feeling. Hunter is all protective warmth and quiet pining. Bailey is sunshine wrapped in self‑doubt, convinced he’s reading everything wrong. Together, they create a perfect storm of “Oh my god, please just TALK,” which is half the fun. Their mutual cluelessness isn’t frustrating it’s endearing, funny, and painfully relatable.
Enter Aidan the catalyst they didn’t know they needed. Aidan strolls into the story like the world’s most charming emotional support fullback. He sees the mess these two are making of their feelings and, instead of running, he leans in with patience, humour, and a gentle nudge (or several). He doesn’t “fix” them he connects them.
He becomes the bridge, the grounding force, the one who helps them translate their affection into actual words. Aidan’s presence turns their tangled longing into something intentional, mutual, and beautifully vulnerable.
Aidan’s identity as a trans man adds a beautifully nuanced layer to the story, especially in how it shapes his hesitancy around commitment. He’s spent so long convincing himself that he doesn’t need love, that partners are optional extras rather than something he’s allowed to want, that stepping into anything deeper feels like walking into a spotlight he never asked for. His instinct is to stay on the sidelines steady, supportive, self‑contained, because wanting more feels risky. But watching Hunter and Bailey stumble through their own feeling’s cracks something open in him. Their affection isn’t conditional, their desire isn’t fragile, and slowly Aidan realises he isn’t an outsider to be grateful for scraps; he’s someone worthy of being chosen. That shift from “I don’t need love” to “I deserve this too” is one of the most tender arcs in the book.
The burst water main in Aidan’s bakery is the kind of catastrophic slapstick moment that Charlie Novak excels at messy, inconvenient and exactly what the characters need to stop pretending everything is fine. Aidan’s first instinct is to bolt, because of course it is, running away is his favourite coping mechanism, especially when life gets too close to the parts of himself, he’d rather keep tucked out of sight. But the disaster forces all three men into the same emotional pressure cooker, stripping away their excuses and leaving them with nothing but honesty, vulnerability, and a very soggy kitchen. Instead of letting the chaos push them apart, it becomes the moment they finally choose to step toward each other with intention. The water main might break, but it’s the start of something solid an unspoken agreement that they’re done dancing around what they feel and ready to build something real together.
Novak doesn’t handwave the complexities of forming a triad. The obstacles feel real and thoughtfully handled: fear of jealousy; worry about imbalance; uncertainty about how to “fit” together; the risk of ruining existing friendships.
Each man carries his own insecurities, and the book gives them space to voice them all eventually. The emotional work is shared, not dumped on one character, which makes the relationship feel genuinely collaborative.
What makes this story, so satisfying is that the solution isn’t magic it’s communication, trust, and a willingness to be brave together. They talk (finally). They listen. They choose each other, not as a consolation prize, but as a deliberate, joyful decision. The result is a relationship that feels tender, balanced, and full of spark.
The Lincoln Knights rugby team and their long‑suffering, endlessly devoted partners are the beating heart of the series, and The Fullback leans into that dynamic with gusto. They’re the kind of found family who will rally around their boys without hesitation, offering support that’s fierce, unconditional, and often disguised under layers of banter. They take the mick out of Hunter, Bailey, and Aidan at every opportunity, because that’s how they show love: teasing first, emotional sincerity second, and usually only after someone threatens bodily harm. But beneath the jokes is a genuine warmth. The Knights don’t just tolerate the developing triad they embrace it, steadying the ground beneath the three men even when they can’t quite find their footing themselves. It’s camaraderie with a cheeky grin, and it makes the whole story feel like home.
The Fullback is sweet without being saccharine, sassy without losing emotional depth, and sexy without sacrificing heart. It’s a story about three men who learn to stop tripping over their own feelings long enough to build something extraordinary.
RATING: 
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