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Fumbled
By: Alexa Martin
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Pub Date: 4/23/19

This is book two in the Playbook series. Poppy is a single mom who works at a stripper bar to make ends meet for her and her son. The father dropped her of course and her parents kicked her out. When her past comes crawling back when TK Moore drops back into her life. After he stopped answering texts or calls, she was completely heartbroken but can he fix his mistakes?

Fun and flirty! I had a good time with this one.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

did not realize this was the 2nd in a series, so did not read this one since I had not read the first one. Oops!

I adore everything Alexa Martin writes. Her dialogue sparkles, her characters feel like friends, and she tackles social issues with power, grace, and humor.

Poppy and T.K. dated in high school, but when she left to forge a new life for herself, he eventually moved on. Or so he thought. When Poppy and T.K. find each other again, years later and miles from home, their circumstances have changed. She's made a life as a single mom, and he's finally making it in the NFL. Can they put aside their differences and make a go of it together? Alexa Martin has another charming hit on her hands with Fumbled.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
A sassy and sexy contemporary sports romance! I thoroughly enjoyed FUMBLED by Alexa Martin. Poppy was a determined and independent heroine who did whatever it took to keep her son happy. TK Moore was perfectly swoon-worthy, just the right amount of cocky, and completely devoted to getting Poppy back in his life. I loved the inside look at football wife/girlfriend life, which felt authentically gossipy and hilarious! Considering Alexa Martin is a former football wife herself, it was refreshing to see Poppy find her "tribe" of women, even when there were catty comments coming from other characters. The perspective is completely from Poppy, and at times I wished I knew a little bit more from TK's POV, but I still found myself relating and rooting for them both. There's a very real and serious plot line about CTE, the brain disorder that the actual NFL is currently grappling with right now. Poppy and TK have to deal with this, and it was among their most emotional conversations. Overall, I loved FUMBLED and can't wait for the next Playbook novel!

Absolutely love this title and the series around it. The characters are strong and well developed and there is a perfect blend of romance and comedy. Highly reccomend it!

This was so fun, I read it in two sittings. I instantly loved Poppy and she quickly showed herself to be a strong, badass women who wasn't going to take any crap from anyone or let others intimidate her or make her feel inferior. After her first encounter (or re-encounter) with TK I knew I would soon be swooning over him and I was right. Yes he had me mad sometimes, but overall he was amazing and supportive and I totally fell for him. Ace was the most adorable, sweet kid and seeing all three of them together had my heart growing. There were definitely some ups and downs in Poppy and TK's new relationship and I really felt for Poppy's concerns as she tried to protect not only her son, but her heart. The ending was wonderful and shocking and I could not be happier. I also appreciate how the danger of football/sports and CTE was demonstrated throughout this story because it is something that is so often glossed over in American culture and I love how fiercely Poppy was going to protect her son AND how TK respected her wishes. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

Alexa Martin does it again! Love her characters and how they revolve around football but have their lives outside of it. Alexa has become an auto-buy for me.

Wow - could there be any more 4-letter curse words int his book? Maybe we could have just title it with a four-letter word. Anyways - aside from that - it was a cute fluffy romance read. nothing special.

Fumbled is the second novel by Alexa Martin. I read her first novel intercepted and it was so good. So starting this novel I was really excited to read Fumbled. The main character Poppy Patterson is a single mom, who works at a nightclub and is enjoying her life. Until she runs into TK Moore, a wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs who is so famous, handsome and her first love. When they cross paths it turns their life’s upside down with emotions and passion. This was a good contemporary romance. The characters are enjoyable and the writing is good. I would recommend it to a newly found romance reader because it’s a perfect read for someone who wants to get into romance.

Special thanks to Berkley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I really loved Intercepted, so I was pumped for Book 2 from Alexa. This book is a second chance romance I can get behind! I love the football elements that are so time appropriate - hello, it's dangerous! Alexa writes authentic characters that I can really root for!

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/28/717578389/whatever-your-feelings-on-football-fumbled-scores-big

Above is a link to the review that appeared on NPRBOOKS.ORG. Below is an excerpt from the review I wrote.


Blending an emotional journey with an intoxicating romance, Alexa Martin's Fumbled — the second novel in her Playbook series — scores touchdown after touchdown in a sports romance set against a backfield of tropes (and only a few clichés).

Poppy Patterson is a waitress at the Emerald Cabaret, a Denver nightclub with a steakhouse on the first floor and aerial acts on the upper levels. But most importantly, she's a single mom with an adorable nine-year-old son named Ace who loves sports, his friends, and his mother. Fiercely independent, Poppy is hardworking, temperamental and stubborn, and she hates taming her "gravity-defying" curls to conform to her job's dress code — which she calls "low-key racist." Poppy also doesn't get along with most of her workmates or the club's grabby VIP clientele. But the job is a sacrifice she willingly makes for her son; she's committed to raising him as an honorable young man, unlike his superstar football-playing dad.

My favourite kind of romance is romance with a decently fleshed out side plot. And I loved the discussion surrounding head injuries in the football world, and the implications it can have. I also liked the family dynamic.

Who can resist a second chance romance? Certainly not me. Poppy gets the shock of her life when she unexpectedly sees TK, her very former high school boyfriend, at her place of work. She's successfully maintained a low key existence with just herself and her son and then suddenly her past crashes into her. TK can't believe that the girl he was in love with in high school and who disappeared without a notice is now standing in front of him. It's almost surreal. The crazy thing is that they've been living in the same city for a few years now and have never run into each other. It's amazing that Poppy has managed not to freak out about that since TK is one of the most popular athletes in Denver. Now that TK knows that she's okay, he's not willing to lose her again and slowly begins to insinuate himself into her life.

This is going to be so awkward for Poppy when she finally confesses to him the real reason why she left without a word years ago. Psst...he's her baby daddy. It's not a huge secret in the story. Poppy is completely aware that she owes TK the truth so it's a matter of when and ... you can imagine how that goes. Shock. Disbelief. TK feels betrayed at first but then comes around. The rest of the story is about him and Poppy getting reacquainted with each other, getting to know his son, and settling into some kind of a routine as an instant family of three. There's a lot of baggage to unpack between them from what pushed Poppy to leave, to boundaries for TK as a sudden dad, to her unease over the risks of TK's livelihood. The last one becoming more critical as she and her son get closer to him.

Poppy was utterly enjoyable. Despite all her struggles, she has a sunny disposition though she does let the sarcasm drip quite often. She's carved out a comfortable and content life that suits her just fine. She's also resilient and it shows. TK might be a giant on the football field but off of it he's more subdued. He doesn't have an ego or an overtly macho thing going on. He's obviously still in love with Poppy and wants to convince her to give them another chance. I simply liked the two of them together. Admittedly, their reunion does have a few hiccups but it's still seems smooth overall, perhaps a little too smoothly for anyone skeptical. But Poppy is most certainly not about drama so the progression of their relationship made sense to me. I question the angelicness of the kid. Maybe it's an odd thing to remark on and don't get me wrong, sweet, angelic kids exist but it cracks me up that whether it's on tv or in books, single parents almost always seem to have amazing non-back talking, rule-following kids. Yes, I'm a mom of three and that's where I get skeptical. LOL.

The first book in the Playbook series, Intercepted was loads of fun and Fumbled is just as enjoyable and satisfying. I appreciate the interracial romance though that's not even addressed as a "thing" in the story. And talk about things working out in the end -- if ever a heroine deserved to have everything, it's our girl Poppy here.

~ Bel

I enjoyed this one. The characters were interesting, but after reading the first one in the series I expected there to be more romance. This book focuses more on what it takes to build trust within a family.

Enjoyed this next one in the series! Can't wait for Blitzed to come out this winter!! Alexa Martin writes romcom gold!

I included Fumbled in my list of Top Romances for 2019 and added the information below in the comments.

I was really pleased to include Fumbled on this list. I felt Ms. Martin so perfectly captured the stresses of being a single mom, the complicated feelings of family toward our significant other and what happens when those feelings are decidedly negative, My son and husband are both huge football fans and reading about the issues of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in this story really helped me see how important this issue is in relation to the game. Ms. Martin’s first book just missed DIK status for me but this one is definitely A material. I’m already looking forward to her next book!

Fumbled will also appear in my Top Ten romances list in December/January of 2019
Initial Email Thread for Blog Post:
2019 So far blog post
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Caroline
Wed, Sep 11, 9:43 AM (4 days ago)
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I was making a short blog post about what we've read and DIK'd in 2019 to encourage people to think about what to read by the end of the year. I thought maybe some of you would be willing to share your top romance read published in 2019 so far (an upcoming book would be fine toot. Then readers can join in and share their opinions.

Would you let me know if you have a book? No need to write anything up, just tell me what it is.


Maggie Boyd <maggieboyd66@gmail.com>
Wed, Sep 11, 7:56 PM (4 days ago)
to Caroline, aarfamily

My Best Books of 2019:

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill Abbi Waxman

Fumbled by Alexa Martin - which is the perfect book for right now because it's football season.

More than Words Can Say - Karen Witemeyer

The Spice King - Elizabeth Camden

This was an entertaining book who made me love a strong-willed character who wouldn't back down from TK her high school lover who she learns is a hotshot football star. Since Poppy left TK's step after finding out a secret and nine years later, she meets TK face to face. Even nine years later, her feelings for him haven't changed. I loved how protective and fiercely loyal to Poppy was of her family and friends. The spotlight of Poppy finding good female friendships as well as being able to see peeks into the football world. I loved ALL the side characters because they attributed to the story, not a distraction from the story. I can't wait to read the next book.

4.5 stars.

I'm not a huge fan of the hidden pregnancy/child trope so I came into this book with some trepidation. But the moment, I started reading all those worries were laid to rest because Alexa Martin handled the trope magnificently.

This is so far my favourite book of hers and I can't wait to read more!