Kiss and Tell Series by Christy Hayes
Publication Date: April 12, 2021 (Books 1, 2 & 3)

Stalling for Time - Book 1
Description from NetGalley...
“When Emily finds an engagement ring in her best friend Dylan’s backpack, she panics and tries to stop him from marrying a girl he barely knows. When his brother asks for help planning a surprise proposal, Dylan knows it’s time to bury his feelings and finally let Emily go. When Emily accidentally puts them in a compromising position, will Dylan reveal his long-buried feelings, or will Emily realize she’s dating the wrong brother?”
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The End Run - Book 2
Description from NetGalley...
“Tutoring college athletes at Southeastern State University is more than a job for Jenna Peterson; it’s a way to pay it forward after long-ago tragedy struck too close to home. Golden boy, Zach Chamberlain, isn’t the first jock Jenna Peterson’s tutored with cover-boy good looks, and he won’t be the last. When Zach’s storybook life begins to unravel, Jenna discovers he’s more than just a gifted athlete with a pretty face. A sprig of mistletoe and a searing kiss pits the playmaker against the rule maker. When secrets are revealed and the game is on the line, will they follow the game plan, improvise, or make an end run around their hearts?”
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Kiss & Make-up - Book 3
Description from NetGalley...
“Forgive and forget is easier said than done…Spending Easter weekend at their parents’ lake house is torture for Zach and Dylan Chamberlain. Girlfriends Jenna and Emily devise a plan to mend Zach and Dylan’s relationship once and for all. Will their risky plan backfire, driving the brothers further apart? Or will everyone finally kiss and make up?”
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Thank you to @netgalley and #cahllc for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
All three were quick reads, and were helpful when in between books. Book 1 was okay. This was a friends to lovers trope but I didn’t connect with any of the characters. And, I found Emily’s character extremely annoying, especially the whole jumping into conclusion thing - it got old. Book 2 was enemies to lovers trope, kinda. It was much better than book 1 because Zach’s character developed here from book 1 and Jenna was quite likable. And book 3 was okay. It would have been better if there were less Emily and Dylan, because I just didn’t like their drama and constant misunderstandings of each other.

This was a fantastic read. I enjoyed the slow burn feel of Zach & Jenna’s romance. I loved how their banter and friendship came first. I liked how he wasn’t your average “player.”

Have to say I’m not a fan of his brother. Hoping his book proves me wrong.

I have to be honest and say Zach isn't my favorite person in these books. He's a little full of himself.

But I still enjoyed this because of Jenna. Jenna is a no nonsense girl. She doesn't take Zach's crap. I did like the part of them pretending to date because I just like that trope... Even if the pretending was short lived.
I just love that she called him on stuff. I felt that she brought him more down to earth.

In the end, I'm glad that they got together and that they are actually a very cute couple at the end.

The End Run is the second in the Kiss and Tell series. It’s Zach Chamberlain and Jenna’s story told from their POV. This was the second in the series, but I don’t think readers would be too lost if they read this one first. First few chapters were repetitive of the first book and sort of a recap.

Zach is a successful football player in the senior year of college. Emily, his girlfriend of 5 years breaks up with him to date his younger brother. Zach is motivated to move forward with his life and leave Emily in his past. Jenna is Zach’s tutor who is smart and cute. She would prefer to keep her relationship professional with Zach. However, the two of them have an undeniable attraction.

It was obvious that Zach took Emily for granted. He expected her to be his sunshine on a bad day. It was clear they didn’t have a good relationship. Zach was a hard character to like. He and Jenna both flirted before his relationship ended with Emily. I didn’t like how they didn’t have boundaries. The same could be said about Emily and Dylan’s relationship, but Zach was planning on marrying Emily. I don’t think he should’ve been so flirtatious if he was planning a future with another girl.

The End Run is the 2nd book and follows right on the heals of the first book. Zach is heartbroken and devastated after his brother, Dylan, steals is girlfriend in the first book. The characters have more depth and growth in this book but it is still a pretty standard contemporary romance, it didn't really give me the wow factor.

The End Run is the 2nd book in the series.

It is a great continuation from the first book, Stalling for Time. I fell hard and fast for this cast of characters. The Chamberlain brothers each have their unique personalities that made this a must read series.

I can't wait to start book 3!

I considered not following through with reading this book after the first but I'm glad I did. Zach and Jenna have much more depth as characters than Emily and Dylan in book one.

At first, Zach seems like the typical football bro who cares about nothing than himself, and that was the vibe I carried from book 1. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much he broke that stereotype: he doesn't like to party, he cares for his family, isn't messing around with other girls, and gets good grades. Zach is totally the "whole package" though I could do without him calling Jenna his "little Belle". I liked the reference to Beauty In The Beast but putting the little before it is a bit demeaning.

Jenna is a great character and I like the smart and responsible portrayal of Zach's love interest which is just SO night and day from Emily. I enjoyed the banter, how hard she works, and following her relationship with football after her brother's injury. This is a character that I feel reflects modern students.

I do have to point out that the first 15% of the book felt like a really sped up summary from book 1. I expected some overlap because Zach and Jenna met while he and Emily were still together but having the EXACT dialogue from the EXACT scenes in book 1 really felt like a waste of time. I almost would prefer to start where book 1 ended and get to know Jenna from that point.

By no stretch of the imagination does this book reinvent the wheel but it is a great follow-up to Stalling For Time. This time, I'm leaving feeling satisfied

Coming off a breakup, college football star Zach engages in a flirtation with his geeky tutor, Jenna. As real feelings begin to develop between them, Jenna worries she's just a rebound. Can they let go of their insecurities and let love in?

Zach starts off seeming pretty shallow, but he reveals hidden depths as the novel progresses. In the end, this was a charming story and more complex than I first expected. It's sweet and heartwarming with touches of humor—overall, a fun read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I really really hated this book. None of the characters were well developed and I especially didn't like either of the main characters.

This book also felt like a chore to get through, the writing was poorly done and the plot dragged.

This is the second in series and so disappointingly for me the first 1/3 of the book was a repetition of the first book but from Zachs point of view and was a rush through.
There was some character development with Zach at least but again this felt like it was written as a novella with additional drawn out situations that didn’t really flow.
Apart from Zach none of the characters felt developed enough to like or dislike so just couldn’t buy into caring if it had an HEA

Thank you author Christy Hayes, NetGalley, and CAH LLC for giving me a free Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
4.5 stars
This book is about Zack Chamberlain, the golden boy of Southeastern State University. All he wants is to be the best at his chosen sport, football, and marry his long time girlfriend, Emily. But when his grades have taken a downturn, Jenna Peterson enters his life as his tutor.
Jenna Peterson has been tutoring jocks at Southeastern State University, in order to pay forward a certain debt she feels she owes at a tragedy hits too close to home. So when she is hired to tutor Zack, she sees him as just another jock. But when she finds herself getting involved in Zack's life as it unravels, she discovers more about him beyond the sport he plays. What will they discover when they throw a pass into the end zone of love?
This book gave the readers the pov of the events that took place leading up to the ending of the first book. I really felt so much for Zack! He became comfortable with the direction of his life going, but forgot to take care of the relationship with Emily, who felt neglected and had outgrown him. Zack seemed to have realistic reactions to the ending of a long time relationship. Zack went through a lot of growth throughout this book. With his friendship and protentional romantic relationship with Jenna, it caused him to self evaluate his actions throughout his time with Emily. I liked how Jenna seemed to be his equal! She did not sugar coat his actions nor the way he treated her. She called him out on what he needed to do to be better. Jenna did not seem to be jaded by life, but felt a need to help those she believed she owed a debt to. Jenna had such a strong family unit. I loved the chemistry between Jenna and Zack! They both had a lot to give to a partner, but they needed to discover the right one. I loved seeing Emily looking out for Zack even though they were no longer in the same kind of relationship as before. Their bond morphed into a more friendship/sister-brotherly bond! Overall, this was another fantastic book in this amazing series! I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting this eARC in exchange for a honest review. The End Run is a clean New Adult romance. The story itself is well done and the characters are loveable. I really enjoyed it. I was happy to see that it is part of a series and I would like to read the other books.

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am happy that I read this second novel because in the previous book football player Zach was not the most likable character. This all changes when he begins to fall for his tutor Jenna.