Review: Blitzed by Alexa Martin

BLITZED
Alexa Martin
Publication date: December 3, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Series: Playbook #3
Format: eARC
Source: Berkley and Netgalley
3.25 Stars

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Brynn Larson owes a lot to reality television and professional athletes. Her bar hit new heights of success after becoming a local haunt for the Denver Mustangs players and their WAGs. But although she’s grateful, that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. And that’s exactly what she would be to ever consider dating a professional athlete. Even if it’s Maxwell Lewis, whose shy smile makes her wonder what going on behind those beautiful brown eyes.

Maxwell knew from the moment he met Brynn that she was going to change his life. It was only a matter of time. But when he finally makes a move, fate conspires against him and everything goes wrong. Now he has to show her that their potential is real. Too bad for him, Brynn isn’t fooled by his glamorous NFL life, and when ghosts from both their pasts make a sudden reappearance, she must decide who she can trust. But when the person she’s most afraid of is herself, navigating life’s tackles is harder than anticipated.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Having loved both Intercepted and Fumbled, I had been eagerly awaiting Alexa Martin’s next entry in the Playbook series. Brynn was a secondary character that featured prominently in the earlier books, so I was excited to get her story. Unfortunately, I found myself wishing Brynn would return to the background and that another character would be front and center.

Brynn is the owner of HERS, a woman-centric bar whose success has skyrocketed with the regular patronage of professional athletes and as the setting of a reality show featuring their wives and girlfriends. Max is a professional football player and, while he may be a beast on the field, outside of the game he is quiet, reserved and humble. And very much smitten with Brynn. What ensues is the stumbling beginnings of a relationship between Brynn and Max, despite baggage from the past – both his and hers.

Right off the bat I felt confused by Brynn’s character. I really enjoyed her in the previous two books; strong and capable, and acting as both friend and mentor to the main characters. But in Blitzed, those qualities I admired were nowhere to be found. This Brynn was insecure, immature, flighty and petty. (At one point she actually thought, "If only I had the emotional maturity of an actual adult woman." My feelings exactly, Brynn!) I couldn’t believe this woman had the wherewithal to be a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman. The complete change in who she appeared to be in the earlier books left me feeling like I didn’t want to know this Brynn at all. But what really sunk this ship for me was Brynn’s decision to trust a virtual stranger over someone she knew and trusted. Never mind that what this person said was totally contrary to what she knew. No matter that she had already been warned that this person was up to no good and should be avoided. It made no sense. It made me angry at Brynn for acting so capriciously and it made me angry with the author for using such an illogical plot device to create conflict and unnecessary drama. By the time that happened (at the 90% mark), I was ready to chuck the book at the wall in disgust and frustration.

The saving grace in Blitzed was Max. When we meet him in the opening scene, he has a surprising outburst but it’s quickly obvious that it was completely out of character. Because Max is  kind and respectful. He is an elite athlete, successful and affluent, but handles it with humility and maturity. When it came to Brynn, he didn’t play games and he treated her with such respect and care. The fact that he got unfair accusations in return (without ever being given the benefit of doubt) made me ragey on his behalf because everything he had presented to Brynn previously screamed that he was a stand-up kind of guy.

While Blitzed was something of a letdown for me, I am still such a fan of the series as a whole. Intercepted and Fumbled were among my favorite reads of 2019 and I'm excited to see what's next from Alexa Martin. 

Disclosure: I received a a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.