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.


30 comments

  1. It is a bummer when a character makes choices that as a reader you feel are so completely ridiculous and unreasonable. Especially when you liked the character before. I don't like last minute drama written in that doesn't feel organic or necessary. At least Max helped the story somewhat. Fab review, Tanya. :)

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    1. So agree, Rachel. The last minute drama felt thrown in just for the sake of drama and conflict and didn't feel organic at all. But at least I had Max. :)

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  2. I've heard many reviews like this about this one! You are definitely not alone in your opinions.
    I've been curious about this series but I think when I read them I'll skip this one...

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    1. Good plan, Nicci. The first two books were so, so good. Just skip this one. :)

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  3. It's too bad that Brynn didn't turn out to be the girl you thought she was in previous books. Max sounds like a good guy! I haven't read any of this series but it sounds like one I would enjoy. Great review!

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    1. I definitely recommend the two previous books, Jenea. Intercepted and Fumbled were both so good!

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  4. It does bother me when I fall in love with a side character, but everything I loved is gone when they get their own book.

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    1. Yes! That was just the case here and it left me so bummed out.

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  5. I was definitely frustrated with Brynn and I was not a huge fan of THAT part of the story, but overall, I enjoyed the book. The friendship taking center stage made me really happy.

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    1. The friendships were great. It was fun to see the Lady Mustangs band together. :)

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  6. Aww I'm sorry this one wasn't great for you! I hate when I love a series and then read a book that just isn't as good as the rest. I hope your next read is 5 stars!

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    1. Same here, Tracy. It's disappointing when a book in a series takes a turn and doesn't live up to the others.

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  7. It sounds like the characters just didn't follow a believable path in this one.

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    1. Sadly, Brynn was portrayed completely different than how she'd been in the previous books.

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  8. hmm I was debating on this, but I still want to read the other ones too.

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    1. I definitely recommend the previous two books, Deanna. Intercepted and Fumbled were wonderful!

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  9. I felt the same way about this book. It really was a letdown because of how beloved a character Brynn is. Great review, though!

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    1. Exactly, Deanna! I had been so excited from Brynn's story... and then she ended up being a shadow of who she had been portrayed to be previously.

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  10. Well I could never enjoy a book if the character was like you described it either Tanya! Sorry this one was not a hit for you too as the other two were.

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    1. I'm all about the characters so when a main character isn't someone I like... it's not a good sign!

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  11. That's a bummer that this book wasn't as good a read as the other two for you. Max does sound like a great character though.

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    1. Max was a sweetheart... and I wanted him to find someone better than Brynn. LOL

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  12. Oh no, sorry to hear this was let down by a character having a total personality transplant from previous books. I liked Brynn and I get that when secondary characters get there own book you get to see more in depth to their personality and learn their quirks so it sucks Brynn ended up not being the same as what we'd caught glimpses of previously.

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    1. Exactly. What I'd seen of Brynn in the two previous books had me excited to get to know her even more. She was such a strong character and such a support to Marlee and Poppy. I don't know what happened to that Brynn, but I sure didn't see signs of her in Blitzed. :(

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  13. That's a bummer! Usually characters are annoying and then come into their own for their story.

    I still need to read Intercepted.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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  14. I feel your pain. I've been 'currently reading' this book since before it was released, and it's just a huge disappointment so far.

    Great review.

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  15. aww, I'm sorry you didn't love this one. I've been really wanting to start this series. I believe I requested an arc for book one and was denied. Boo lol!! But these things happen. Thank you for your honest review.

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    1. Denied for an ARC... how dare they! LOL Even though this one left me kind of ragey, I still really recommend the previous two books!

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