ARC Review: Sacking the Quarterback by Samantha Towle

Sacking the Quarterback is a short standalone novella from Samantha Towle that is a part of James Patterson's BookShots. These are meant to be quick and easy reads that take only a few hours of time to finish. I have always struggled with novellas, because they usually leave me wanting more, and that was definitely the case here. As much as I wanted to love this one, there was just so much that it felt like this story was missing and that hurt my enjoyment a bit.

Grayson Knight has always been the golden boy of football, never getting into trouble and keeping his nose clean. So when Assistant State Attorney Melissa St. James gets sent to charge him after he is arrested for drugs, she knows that things aren't adding up. Determined to get to the truth, Melissa will stop at nothing to find answers. But while it is clear that Grayson is hiding something, the one thing that he isn't hiding is how much he wants her. 

I wanted to love Grayson and Melissa, but I found it hard to connect with them. I think part of that is the strong case of insta-feelings that was happening here. I just didn't see much of a connection between them, and it all felt a bit forced. They had chemistry and it was clear that they were attracted to one another, but I think things just happened way too fast to really find believable. 

Unfortunately, that was sort of the theme of this whole story for me. I didn't actually believe that any of what was happening was believable, and there were several times that I was shaking my head at things that would happen. I wanted to just let it go and enjoy the story, but it was hard to when things were so easily resolved and tied in such a neat bow. Sadly, this one didn't live up to the potential that it had, and I think that this could have been something I really enjoyed had I been able to actually believe what was happening could actually happen. But this one was just a little too much for that to be a possibility and I was pretty disappointed in the story overall.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Learning to Ride by Erin Knightley

Learning to Ride is exactly what James Patterson is advertising! A quick shot to get you through when you need a hit! You only need to commit to the amount of time it would take you to watch a movie. I finished this in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Erin Knightley jumps out of her comfort zone to bring us her first contemporary romance.

Madeline is a city girl who is trying to advance her career. She is sent to a small town in Texas in the hopes of acquiring a new branch for her company. The promotion is extremely important to her, so she is absolutely devoted to only her work. After a few weeks in town, She finally decides to have a little fun and goes to the local honky tonk.

Tanner is a former Rodeo rider, and he doesn't want any sort of serious relationship. When he sees Madeline at the Honky Tonk, he thinks she gorgeous and perfect because he doesn't think she is planting any roots. They share a few sexy dances and leave the bar together, wink wink!

Turns out though that Madeline is sticking around and she ends up finding a house to rent. The two agree that a relationship isn't a good idea because of reasons like Madeline's career and Tanner's knowledge of a small town rumor mill. However, they can't fight how drawn they are to each other.

This book was super cute, as all of Erin Knightley's stories are! Erin proves she has a lot of talent up her sleeves now that she is branching off into other romance sub genre's. She also gave a little more intimacy than is her norm. It was extra spicy, but still tasteful.

While my particular preference from Erin Knightley is Regency, this was still a great fast read. I have already recommended it to a couple of friends and my Mom! It's definitely worth a try and its James Patterson approved! That's gotta tell you this author has something special.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |