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
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.
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.
