Hoopla (Detroit Sports Network Book 3)

LeeAnn Thompson isn’t looking for love. As Director of Production at the Detroit Sports Network television station, she is accomplished, driven and above all, very busy. Years ago, LeeAnn allowed her need for control and independence to stifle her romantic relationship with the owner of DSN. Now she is best friends with his lovely wife, as well as his ex-wife. LeeAnn just happens to be wondering where her own love life is headed, when she runs into Detroit’s latest hot sports superstar, basketball player Jax Hoople, nicknamed “Hoopla” by his teammates and fans. Their attraction is instantaneous and out of control! Losing control is what scares LeeAnn the most, and she holds herself back from the feelings of longing that Jax stirs up inside her. For his part, Jax knows that LeeAnn is the one for him, and he is determined to treat her right and win her heart.

Liz Crowe gives the reader both smouldering sexiness and cavity-inducing sweetness in this adorable age-gap romance. Both LeeAnn and the reader are teased by the courtship of a young man who, raised by grandparents who taught him to treat women with respect, decides that he must get to know her better before taking things to a higher level. The delayed gratification creates a great tension but is also quite frustrating. From her lustful curiosity to her self-doubting reservations, LeeAnn’s ambivalence about pursuing her romantic interest in the younger Jax feels real but unnecessary. LeeAnn’s best girlfriends end up voicing the reader’s thoughts as they prod, urge, and reassure her that the rewards are worth the risk. This feel-good romance features a lot of strong women!

Joan Lai