Home Field Advantage is a good fit for readers looking for a heartfelt romance between two individuals trying to overcome their past mistakes while navigating the complexities of love and career in the world of professional sports.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE - Liz Lincoln

#3 in the Milwaukee Dragons sports romance series

PREDICTABLE, IN A GOOD WAY - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Natalie is a reporter for the Dragons, and Quinn has just become a new team member. Their shared history ended badly, so it's become difficult to learn to work together. But as they spend more time together, they start to remember how good they were as a couple.

Writing - 4 stars - This time Lincoln has created appealing characters that you want to spend time with. The plot makes sense, and the sexual tension built slowly but inexorably, and in a way that made sense and kept my interest.

Characters - 4 stars - Both main characters are good. Natalie is an aspiring writer, and she stands by the article she wrote about Quinn that damaged his career. She has ethics and wants to succeed on her own merits. She seems comfortable in the man's world that she inhabits (as one of the few women sports journalists for the Milwaukee football team). Quinn has worked hard to overcome the obstacles that ousted him from football a couple of years ago. He struggles, but he works hard and only wants to look forward. But, of course, everyone wants to rehash his previous mistakes. His attraction for Natalie hasn't gone away (and vice versa), and it was enjoyable to watch them interact. It was interesting that when Marcus and Bree are mentioned briefly as being at a party, Bree is just as obnoxious as she was in the entire previous book. Her personality hasn't changed, and I found her just as annoying this time. At least she's consistent.

Title - 4 stars - A sports reference that refers to the fact that Natalie is on her home turf, and Quinn has now infringed on it. But it could also mean that Quinn's home turf is football, and Natalie has a job that enters his realm..

Cover - 4 stars - Naked male abs are pretty typical for this genre, but these are particularly attractive. They certainly draw the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - An overall enjoyable sports romance, following the typical and pleasant format for this genre. There's some strife, some previous conflict, yet both characters are still attracted to each other. The problems between them made sense, and Lincoln didn't overdo them. Both, of course, are gun-shy after their previous relationship broke down, but both had reasons for their previous actions. Despite their sensible thoughts, both continue to feel a strong attraction for each other and are having a hard time resisting. I was definitely rooting for success in their relationship.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

Natalie and Quinn had a unique storyline for their second-chance romance, and I really loved it. Serious issues were dealt with in a thoughtful way that enhanced the romance. A great book!

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Natalie and Quinn will steal your heart and have your emotions flying high when you read Home Field Advantage by Liz Lincoln. This is a wonderful second chance romance with great characters and a story that will pull out all of the emotions, leaving you with a romance hangover.

Will Natalie and Quinn finally find love? Second chances, football and secrets lend itself to a great book.

Through shadowing Quinn Natalie will discover that her heart hasn't stopped loving him. Can they finally talk about the past and work towards a future?

Natalie Griffith and Quinn Lowery were a couple in college until she broke it off. Shortly after she writes an article on him. Since then she has wondered what if and he hates her for betraying his trust. Fast forward to today when Quinn is the comeback story on the Dragons after sitting out of the NFL for a few years to handle his addiction and recovery. Natalie is covering the Dragons as a sports reporter. Their first meetings are awkward, but they soon fall back into friends and then lovers again. There is a lot of back and forth in this book as both of them deal with their parts in the break up. There is a lot of distrust. The end of the book wrapped up a bit quickly and there is no epilogue, though I am sure there will be a few mentions in future books if the series continues. While I liked this story, I left wanting more. Quinn's addiction and relationship with his family could have been better covered. Natalie's dreams of being a sports journalist and her own family issues were also given a short shrift.

I loved the first in this series and this one is just as fantastic. I love a good sports romance especially a second chance romance set in the sports world. I love that the series highlights the good and bad of the sports industry. This is a really good romance that has a sense of reality as the characters come together and begin to work through the issues between them. Really can't wait for more!

Second chance romances are my jam and this book has been sitting on my kindle for a while just waiting for me to read. These two definitely have some history and it’s a bit heartbreaking, I devoured every single page to finally get down to the bottom of what happened.

As eager as I was to learn both sides of their story, I truly enjoyed taking a look into their past and seeing how amazing they were together. It wasn’t long, but you could definitely tell how strong their connection was. So why did it have to end…

I’m very much a believer of things happening for a reason, as heartbreaking as it was to visit their past, the time away was definitely something they needed. Quinn was at a point in his life where he needed to make some serious life changes or he’d lose everything. But now that he’s finally on his way towards getting through his addiction and just living a better life. He deserves to have all the happiness in the world.

As much as I did enjoy this one, we were definitely going in circles with these two. They really just needed to clear the air.

I think my favorite moments were the ones where they were doing something they both love and that’s working on old cars. It was another side to their relationship that I just absolutely loved. It simply two friends, hanging out and enjoying what they love to do.

Even though I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, I’m looking forward to the next book.

I love football I do nothing on sundays during football season so this is a football romance everything I love in life so this was good to me I loved the characters and the banter they have!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Three years ago, Natalie Griffith got the opportunity to work for her journalist idol by writing an expose piece on her ex-boyfriend's alcoholism. Natalie did her best to show the human side of her ex, Quinn Lowry, but he nevertheless lost his job as an NFL wide receiver. Now, the Milwaukee Dragons have hired Quinn and are giving him a second chance. Unfortunately for Natalie, the Dragons are the team she covers, which means she will be seeing Quinn a lot more often now, and she still *likes* what she sees.

Quinn Lowry has taken two years out of the league to sober up and put the necessary supports in place to keep it that way. He has no chance of blowing his second chance in the league, but the last thing he expects or wants to see if Natalie Griffith in the locker room after his first practice back. She was the love of his life in college until she left in the middle of the night and broke up with him without explanation. He isn't going to let her be the thing that keeps him from succeeding this time – but maybe they can have one night of closure just to put things finally in the past?

I generally stay away from romance books where there is a man's half-naked body as the cover art, but as a football fan and a fan of second chance love stories, I was intrigued by the plot of this book. Unfortunately, I should have let the cover be my warning, as the plot was really lacking in this book. There were a few plot points that were just repeated ad nauseum. They are supposedly dealt with, and then in the next chapter, it's like you're back at square one. Also, I wish I had a dollar for every time the word lickable showed up in this book. It was just too much for me.

Before I even talk about the story I have to praise Liz Lincoln's football knowledge! I actually want to jump up and down, stomp my feet, give her a standing ovation and possibly start a wave. I'm a big football fan so sometimes I have to let a few small things slide by in some sports romances. However, if things are completely wrong it's enough for me to slam the book shut and delete it. You can tell who knows the game, who knows enough to center a book around a player, and who knows nothing or has had someone write a few key words for them. I was SO happy reading Liz's writing. She even has small details down that she probably, as a football fan, doesn't even really think about because it's just common place but it just adds to it all and is so enjoyable for me, a big football fan, to read. It's nice not to have to sacrifice that to read a book. Okay, enough, back to my regularly scheduled review....

I really, really, really enjoyed this story! It's about past regrets, present regrets, self-healing as well as self awareness and forgiveness. It's second chance romance at its best!! A perfect blend of heat and heart. I loved all the characters and am so in love with Quinn & Natalie! Liz Lincoln's writing is superb and, as I've already gushed about, her football writing is the best I've read. I will definitely be 1-clicking her other books!
5++++ starry touchdowns with 2-point conversions!

I am not usually bit on the football romances but this one had me hooked. I loved the two main characters and their sexy banter. It was a fun read and I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley.

I was really hoping this would be a good book, but it didn't really live up to my expectations. Most of the reasons they weren't together boiled down to a lack of communication. And that lack of communication also made the book drag on and on.

I did like that we had a truly flawed hero. A recovering drug addict being redeemed is not something I've read often in a romance, so I liked that it was being a bit more real and reminding us that people can change and deserve another chance.

This is the 3rd book in the series and can easily be read as a stand alone. Being a Wisconsin girl, I love the setting for the Dragons and all the familiar feels that the author weaves in to the story. This one starts at training camp at Carthage College for goodness sake---wonderful college right here on Lake Michigan!

But on to the story. Quinn Natalie have a history. In college they seemed to be destined for forever. Quinn had some substance issues and Natalie--for right or wrong--ghosts him. They meet again 10 years later as Natalie is assigned to report on the Dragon's team throughout the season.

It takes a fair chunk of the book to get themselves sorted. There is attraction early on but so much anger and hurt. The author takes on the tough subject of recovering alcoholic. there are some glimpses in to Quinn's battle but for the most part, it is something he tries to handle in his head or with his therapist. In this day and age, I would think the league, knowing why he was booted out, would do more for support for him.

The book follows the football season, but we don't get much action until closer to the end.

I love the book for the setting. I liked seeing the previous couples but what the heck is up with Matt? I will read more of this team, for sure!

I have liked the other two books in this series so much so I expected to like this one the same but was disappointed with the execution. I didn't understand the heroine's motivations at all and felt that she did not come off well. I'm always pre-disposed to be on her side but here I was so disappointed and felt that she kept him in the dark for so long. I really disliked it, especially after the other two.

The first couple of pages of this book were incredibly annoying. Natalie sounded like an airhead! However, I am glad I gave it a chance. I am not a football fan, but I was able to follow the story and enjoy it. The secondary characters pretty well constructed and I want to know more about it. A solid read!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This was an emotional book for me. It gives you a firsthand view of what it’s like to not only acknowledge your addiction, the things you have to do to fight that addiction, but to see yourself the way the world sees you.

Quinn Lowry is living that life. The life after coming clean to his family, his friends, and his teammates. He's also looking for a second chance at the football career he threw away because of his addiction.

Being clean and sober is only as good as it lasts. As much as Quinn wants back on the football field, he knows that he will sacrifice that dream if he has to choose between sobriety and football. He's hoping that the life lessons he's learned in that year will give him the confidence to make the team and to play well.

And he's handling training camp like an old pro – until he sees her. Natalie Griffith. One-time lover and the person who was responsible for airing his dirty laundry in such a way that he had to deal with it. A little resentful, yes. But not entirely because she wrote the article, but because she broke his heart, not once but twice. And the second time wasn't anything to do with him, it was because she wanted to make a name for herself as a sportswriter.

Natalie didn't realize how seeing Quinn again would affect her. She knew that he was trying to make the team, but what she didn't know was how her boss was expecting her to write an expose on Quinn, to dig up dirt on him.

Quinn and Natalie try to resolve their past differences but the more they try to put the past behind them, it’s the present that realize they want to make better.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series and whilst you could read this as a standalone, really, why would you not want to read the other two books first? Both players in those books are part of the team and the couples appear in this book too. I love sports romances, and this one does an amazing job of dealing with a difficult and danger-strewn topic in a respectful, but not preachy way. I recommend it to you.

Quinn has been out of the game for two years after battling addiction to drink and drugs. He is back and hoping to prove his worth with a new team. He could not believe it when his first love, Natalie, who also walked out on their relationship with no good explanation and then wrote a newspaper story about his fall from grace, is the reporter attached to his new team. He has coping mechanisms for many things, but Natalie? That is going to be a stretch.

As he and Natalie slowly come to terms with what happened when they were in college and acknowledge the reasons why it all went so wrong, they naturally warm to each other. The chemistry has not gone, and maybe one more time to say good-bye... yep, we all know that isn't going to work, but it is such fun watching it all come together. I really liked that even though they had a deep understanding and love of sport as a good basis for a connection, they also loved old cars and making them work again. It was a fun sideline which worked when there was a need to move away from the intensity of their working lives.

As much as Quinn has to perform on the field, Natalie was under pressure to constantly find bits of scandal or rumour to publish for her boss. I thought the demands, and the expectations of pushing ethical boundaries – especially when attached to a team – were dealt with in a way which surely made every reader think about what are the boundaries of privacy for public figures. Using Matt to be the main subject was a great way to set up Quinn's story and give Matt a voice too.

We get to see other members of the team too, with hints as to other possible contenders for future installments; we must all be rooting for Matt to get his family back together soon.

Thank you, Liz Lincoln, for a really meaningful addition to the series.

I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and while this book was a little tougher for me to get into, I ended up enjoying it. Natalie and Quinn were college sweethearts until his addictions got the best of him.

An article Natalie wrote destroyed Quinn years ago. He's sober now, and getting his second chance back in the game. They're back together in a work sense, but they now have to find it in themselves to forgive each other for what happened in the past.

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read all of the books in this series, but it certainly helps to keep everyone straight. I'm a new fan of Liz Lincoln!