Leslie North consistently brings great characters and passionate romance to life. As a big fan North's, her name provokes an automatic one-click from me. I am always entertained.

I enjoyed reading Red Zone, way more than I did First Down, the first book in this series. I appreciated the high mile stone that Daisy achieved by being a female coach in the NFL. James is so supportive of both her and his daughter. I loved it!

Red Zone is a Sports Romance (It's actually billed as an enemies-to-lovers sports romance on GoodReads, but it definitely isn't. If anything it's more of a friends to lovers)
Red Zone is the romance between James, an NFL star and Daisy, the new team strength and conditioning coach. This story manages to pack in a whole heap of tropes, including single dad, forbidden romance and best friend's little sister. I have to say that forbidden romance is one of my least favourite tropes, so I was very grateful that the plot didn't lean to heavily on this device. In fact, (shock horror!), they were actually up front about their budding relationship, rather than trying to hide it from the team bosses! Instead, this focuses more on women working in a men's sport and the way the media treats people in the public eye.
The romance between James and Daisy felt very natural and organic. There was heaps of chemistry from the first chapter and their relationship was sweet as well as passionate. There was plenty of steam in their relationship, and the sexy scenes were well-written.
I found the final conflict between the pair a little annoying, as it really wasn't an issue with the relationship at all and it felt like Daisy was being really unreasonable blaming James for things out of his control, instead of talking to him about her concerns. Ultimately, the resolution between the couple was believable and satisfying so I forgave her in the end!

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish and loved not only the theme but the female empowerment messaging that whilst subtle, was great to read

Daisy is living (and succeeding) in a mans world. Bucking the trend, she’s appointed as a coach for an NFL team. I loved this part of the story in itself, such a key role and well versed in the story as being an unusual accolade (mentions of stories being written about her, female sports students looking up to her etc). I also loved how the flip side of this was written, not only the negative press this garnered, but also the self doubt and imposter syndrome feelings that this gave Daisy. All really well broached.

James was an ideal book boyfriend, loving and attentive and a very present father figure for his daughter, with her thoughts and feelings being front and centre of his mind. His approach with Daisy was amazing and reading their budding romance was fantastic, especially how inclusive they were with Emma, his daughter.

I did find Emma’s character slightly unbelievable at times, she seems extremely mature for a 9 year old, but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book.

I devoured this book in one sit!

Daisy and James are a dreamboat coupke and couldn’t get enough of them.

First, I loved how sexy and hot the chemistry between them was from the start. The flirty banter and the interactions were so fun the read.

I loved how determined and strong Daisy was and how powerful her role was in a world dominated mainky by men. She was a role model and a badass coach.

James was so sweet and swoony. I loved how kind he was and his protectiveness about his daughter. Emma was always his priority and that made him such a wonderful character to read.

I laughed, swooned and blushed with this beautiful story.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the 2nd in a series. It reads well as a stand alone. I thought this book was ok. It sort of made me sad. I found the premise to be rather odd. I don't want to give away the plot so that's all I will say. The characters were likeable, but not sure what was off.. Anyway, I think its a quick easy read. 3.5 stars

Red Zone is the 2nd book in Leslie North's new sports series.

I really enjoyed the first book, so I was excited to read this one. James Sullivan is the quarterback of the Sharks and he is questioning his role. He does not feel like he has the same drive and focus this season. After fifteen years, is he getting to old? The Sharks hire a new strength and conditioning coach and it is someone from James' past, Daisy Katrakis. His best friend's little sister, only she is all grown up. Daisy has always had a crush on James but her new career comes first. This is a great story with a few ups and downs.

Nachdem ich das erste Buch in der Reihe schon durchschnittlich fand, konnte auch das zweite Buch leider nicht überzeugen.

Eine Geschichte mit wenig Substanz und eher flache Charaktere haben es mir schwer gemacht, so richtig in die Geschichte zu finden und gut unterhalten zu werden. Schon die ersten Kapitel fand ich wenig packend und daher habe ich nach dem sechsten auch begonnen, hier und da Passagen zu überspringen.

Viel zu sagen habe ich zu dem Buch wirklich nicht. Man kann es lesen, wenn einem der Klappentext anspricht, man verpasst aber nicht viel, wenn man den Roman nicht liest.

Red Zone, by Leslie North, is a short, fast, and fun read that falls second in North's Sharks Football series. I have not yet read the first novel (but the teaser chapter for the third definitely got my attention.)

James is the NFL team Sharks' quarterback. He's got his hands full raising his 9-year-old daughter while dealing with a waning passion for the game. Daisy is the team's new strength and conditioning coach, and she's got a lot on her plate too; women in the NFL are few and far between. The two aren't strangers though. Daisy is James' best friend's little sister. He hasn't seen her in years though (how many is unclear as there were a few conflicting time references), and he's surprised by how well she's grown.

As the two grow closer, so does the negative attention in the media. Daisy has a lot to lose, and she's already under more scrutiny than a man in her position would be. James has his daughter to consider; Emma adores Daisy and already feels somewhat abandoned by her mother (who took a job in Singapore before this book begins). The story revolves around Daisy and James' budding relationship and whether they will withstand the negative pressure put upon then by the media and by themselves.

The story, as I mentioned, is fun and fast, and I finished the book in a few hours. I liked both the main characters, but I think the book could have benefitted by including more about Daisy's work and how it really did help the Sharks get back on track. Instead, it's glossed over to the point where we really aren't sure if she's made a difference. It also would have been more interesting (and realistic, though I don't necessarily read this genre for realism) if she'd experienced true discrimination on the job rather than just in the media.

Another part that seems to have been edited out is Daisy's family's initial reaction to the relationship. Surely her brother at least should have had a few words to say to James. It's hard to believe that James and Alex were best friends as Alex barely had a presence in the book.

All that aside, the book is fun and well written, and it offers a few uncomplicated hours of escape.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Fun series!

Daisy Katrakis has gotten her dream job of being the strength and conditioning coach for the Savannah Sharks because she wanted to work in the NFL but there is a catch. The quarterback is James Sullivan is her brother’s best friend and the guy that she had a crush on when she was younger.

There is a lot of attraction between Daisy and James, but they have to deal with the team, their families and not disappointing his daughter Emma.

P.S. There is an excerpt for the next book Touchdown, and I can’t wait to read it because I love books that have people with no kids become guardians unexpectedly.

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

Red Zone is the second book in the Sharks Football series by Leslie North. I actually enjoyed this second book much better than the first one. This story centers around James Sullivan who is nearing the end of his long football career with the Sharks and Daisy Katrikis who has just been hired as the replacement conditioning coach for the Sharks. James and Daisy's brother were best friends in high school so the two of them have a history although they haven't been in contact since he graduated. James is two years on from his divorce and has a young daughter. James and Daisy start a relationship with the coach's approval but it is not smooth sailing. Overall, this was a "good read". There isn't a lot of drama but some bumps that are dealt with.. Both James and Daisy are in their 30's and have strong feelings for each other. Her family is great as well. I would recommend.

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