For a football fan, I loved this book! A little sports stuff mixed with romance, the perfect combo. Characters were easy to pull for, an easy, delightful read.

First Down, by Leslie North was a little too predictable and didn't have enough substance for me. I was 25% done and couldn't believe that I still knew nothing about the characters other than a few surface details. What happens came out immediately like it was no big deal? It was just glossed over. Unfortunately, at this point I felt no reason to continue on with the story. I am sorry to say this was just too light for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

A sports second chance love story with a secret baby, how could I not be curious? This was a very pleasant book with two nice protagonists who very easily resolve every issue that comes their way. A little too easily in my opinion. I am not someone who like excess drama in my romances but- holy cow- these two barely even discuss the face that Tessa knowingly kept Mark's child from him for years. Still reading about Mark doing everything he can to build a relationship with his son and his son's excitement about having Daddy Mark in his life was really sweet.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I read alot of Leslie North books, and this one was a bit different. This is a sport romance, 2nd chance, unknown father story. I enjoyed it but found it not at all believable. They are from a small town (grew up together) yet he hadn't heard she had a son that looked exactly like him? That wouldn't happen in my hometown! Leaving all that, it is a fast paced story. Fun, with a little bizarre social media stuff. But overall a quick, fun read. 3 stars

I loved this quick, easy read! It was sweet seeing Tessa and Mark rekindle their high school romance. Mark is achingly sweet! There are several steamy scenes that were well written. It’s a typical sports romance novel so readers of that genre will definitely enjoy this one. It’s my first read by this author but I’m excited to read the other stories in this series!

I found this book to be average...I didn't realize that this was almost a Young Adult book which is not my preference. Mark and Tessa reconnect to find out that Tessa was pregnat with Mark's son when she broke up with him "for his own good". Their son Angus is cute and the two of them work at getting back together. This plot didn't really have any major surprises so I found it a bit slow going.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ANOTHER GREAT READ FROM A LESLIE! NEVER FAILS TO DISAPPOINT, CANT WAIT TO READ THE REST IN THE SERIES!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Mark Coleridge has finally made it. After years of training and sacrifices, he is playing as running back for his favorite team, the Savannah Sharks. But his first game ends with a real blast from the past. Tessa - his high school sweetheart, the one he loved, the one who got away - is here, on the Jumbotron, with a kid on her side whose features look decidedly familiar...

I love a good second chance romance! And this book did not disappoint. The chemistry between Mark and Tessa is phenomenal, and especially the scenes where they discover how easy it is to be with each other, despite the years that have passed. I also liked that Mark was instantly ready to take on the father’s role and did not question his paternity of Angus, implying he trusts that Tessa would never do such a thing as to lie and deceive him.

The only thing that didn’t convince me was the fact that Tessa had seemingly been “waiting” for Mark while being apart, and never dated or had sex with anybody else for six years. That does not seem plausible and only diminishes her character’s strength in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I could really get lost in the story and appreciated both main characters’ growth through the book. It was refreshing to see no cheating and no involvement from other Love Interests, which often comes by in romance novels like this. Instead, the issues both Mark and Tessa struggle with are related to their careers and their plans for the future, their family. It felt much more believable and allowed me to enjoy the story more.

All in all, I really enjoyed this read - and am DEFINITELY reading James’ book now!

First Down was my first book by Leslie North. I’ve seen and heard of this author from various sources and was curious. As a huge sports romance fan, I jumped at the chance to read this book. First Down is also a second chance/surprise baby romance which is not usually my thing, but that I enjoyed here. This book was a quick, easy, sexy and satisfying read. I enjoyed it and look forward to the other two books in the series. TBR and Enjoy!

I love a good 2nd chance romance. They are usually about forgiveness and communication. First Down is a very breezy read, I love how Mark and Tessa focused more on the future than fighting about their past.

I am 50/50 on how I feel about the drama aspect, both characters were very agreeable about everything which I felt made it boring at times but I also really loved it because it showed how the 2 could politely co-parent and put their child first.

Overall, I liked it but didn't love it and would still like to read the next book in the series,

Mark and Tessa’s book was so good. I love a good second chance romance. I loved that this book didn’t focus on the last and showed how they progressed in the future together. This book has drama, steaminess and a great story line!!

OMG this was such a beautiful and so different second chance romance!

I love this trope because it’s all about forgiveness and understanding. That’s what this couple showed all the way.

Mark was the sweetest person in the world. I loved the fact that the moment he knew he had a child, he put him in the first place. He took the responsibility and took care of them as the family he always dreamt of having with Tessa. I swooned with how patient and understanding he was with her, he wanted her to be successful and wanted to protect her above all. It was so sweet seeing him trying to re kindle the flame.

Tessa was such a badass mom and a sweet teacher. I hated seeing her being attacked and ridiculed by hypocritical people who didn’t really know her. I loved how she always tried to do what was best for Angus and how ahe never gave up on her dreams even when she was alone and with no support. It was beautiful to see her leaning in Mark and learning to trust in him again.

I loved that Mark and Tessa were still in a young age and they dealt with every situation with so much maturity and focus. I loved how they communicated their needs and prioritized their child together and how they built up their family again by making choices in common agreement and respecting each other’s bounaries. The steam was off charts! I loved to see them remember how much they have always loved each other.

This was a beautiful story and I can’t wait to read more of this author. Thank you, NetGalley and the author for the kind copy if this book.

First Down is the first book I've read by Leslie North and I enjoyed it so much. All of NFL football star Mark Coleridge's dreams of making it big are coming true. So, when he finds out his high school girlfriend had his baby and didn't tell him he is shocked. When Tessa explains to Mark why she hid their son from him he can't stay mad at her. Will Tessa and Mark find their way back to each other and make a family for their adorable son Angus. I love a good sport / second chance story and I was hooked from the start. I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

Heartwarmingly Good!!

When running back Mark Coleridge began his rookie season he never thought that things were going to change drastically in his personal life. When he seen his childhood best friend and ex-girlfriend Tessa standing at a meet and greet he was to say at the very least shocked. Oh, but that wasn’t the only shocking thing he learned that day because that was when he found out he had a six year old son, Angus.

This was a feel good book with Tessa being a good mom with a job teaching in elementary and the reason she didn’t tell Mark of her high school pregnancy was for a very good reason. A reason Mark understood because of the type of person that Tessa was.

It was a great feeling because the family dynamics was positive when it came to Angus. The relationship that Mark and Tessa had was heartwarming. The problem came at the intense scrutiny that Tessa was feeling from the private parochial school she worked at especially when their private lives became so public. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more from this author.

Can their relationship be rekindled?

Football player Mark Coleridge thought that he had the world at his feet. He was playing for the Savannah Sharks when he saw his high school girlfriend on the Jumbotron with a small boy at her side and the boy by her side looked just like him. Tessa Black didn’t tell Mark she was pregnant because she wanted him to make his dream of playing professional football.

Tessa and Mark need to figure how to be parents together and just maybe their love can be rekindled because the flame is still there!

P.S. I loved the part where Tessa and Mark make planning for a future a priority in their lives.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Book One in a New sports romance series from Leslie North.
Great characters and a really good story that keep you glued to the pages.
I read this in about 3 1/2 hours , and really enjoyed it, looking forward to Red Zone Maxwells book.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Mark and Tessa had a solid 3.5⭐️ story. One sweethearts, Tessa broke Mark’s heart and disappeared for nearly six years. Now that they’ve both achieved the beginning of their career goals, she’s ready to come clean about why she left. And while she kept their son a secret, she had a decent reason for it: she didn’t want to derail Mark’s dreams of hitting the NFL. As Mark comes to terms with the deceit, gets to know his son, and tries to rekindle a relationship with the only girl (now woman) that he’s ever loved, they have a lot to work through. Reputations are on the line, judgments and nastiness abound, and Tessa’s doubts threaten to tear them apart again.

I wasn’t thrilled with the “no discussion about my escapades” that Mark got away with, but he convinced me that he was all-in with Tessa and their son from jump. He just needed to learn how to navigate among the big time players and spotlight he found himself thrust into. It didn’t help that every single step, not even misstep, was judged oh-so harshly to the point where Tessa had some very real worries about her individual future. But once they finally got on the same page, they managed to find their happy. I especially liked the honesty about NFL player finances and financial education, because so many people never think about those realities. I’ll be interested to see who gets their story next.

First Down, is a great second chance romance. The fact that it is a sports romance is icing on the cake. They both come from the same small town where everyone lives in poverty. So a successful career is important to them both. It's fun seeing how they juggle careers and the getting to know you all over again.

This is the first Leslie North book I’ve read and won’t be my last. First Down had me hooked from the beginning and was a fun, easy read. Sports romance is one of my favorite tropes and this one did not disappoint!

I received an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.