Buried by Brenda Rothert

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Title: Buried
Author: Brenda Rothert
Published by: Indie
Release Date: November 15, 2018
Format: eARC
Pages: 204
Genres: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Sports Romance
Source: InkSlinger PR
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2018 #LetsReadIndie Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 New Release Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Do you believe in fate?I didn’t. I’d worked since childhood to become an NFL starting quarterback. All the blood, sweat, and tears were about to pay off with my name in the record books. Setting an NFL record was going to be the crowning achievement of my career. Hell, of my life.But then fate, the cagey bitch, threw me a curveball I never saw coming. I ended up trapped in a doomsday bunker with four strangers, my chances at that record slipping away as days turned into months.I never would’ve given Erin a second look. She was gorgeous, sure, but not my type. I liked women who were strong. Fearless. Resilient. Not to mention that she hated me.But I was so wrong about her. And in that bunker, I fell in crazy, stupid love. I thought a record would be my greatest triumph. But now, all I want is a shot with Erin. I’ve faced down massive linebackers intent on ending me. For her, I’ll go toe-to-toe with fate.

My Review:

I received a free copy through InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4.5 stars — FUCK that was good.  I’ve only read two books by Ms. Rothert so far, and I LOVED Hooked, so I wanted to try another one.  And wow.  I started this at 11pm in bed, and I was up until 2:30, almost reading the whole thing in one sitting.  (and honestly, the only reason I didn’t is because, well…let’s just say it inspired me in other ways. *wink*)

I’m not sure what I expected from this story.  I really don’t.  I had vague ideas, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out.  I didn’t reread the blurb before diving in, so I went in with only the broad strokes in my mind.  And I kind of liked that.  I knew it was going to be different, and I LOVED the mystery aspect, and almost suspense of the beginning.  I appreciated that the story had a lot of balance in the storytelling.  There were moments that got my mind racing, and then things would settle down so I could get to know Derek and Erin and fall in love with them.

I loved that both characters started off a little flawed, but they both grew and changed as the story went on.  Erin had such a heartbreaking story, and I loved the things she learned about herself…how her perspective was changed, and she finally understood how strong she really was.  She was such a sensitive soul, and it was easy to connect with her.

Derek was just a solid, good guy.  I love good guy heroes.  He had his own issues driving him to succeed, and it was interesting to see how the time “buried” affected him and his priorities.

And I LOVED the way the relationship developed between the two of them.  I truly felt their chemistry, from the slowly developing friendship to more.  It felt authentic, and it had me invested in the two of them.  They also made me laugh so much with their easy bantering…I loved that Erin didn’t give Derek an easy pass.  I also loved the way things played out in the 2nd “half”, and how they handled the new challenges.  Their romance made me so happy, and was the highlight of the story for me (even though it truly had a lot of great things going for it).

I can’t finish this review without mentioning Matias.  What a strong secondary character.  I loved the relationship he had with both Erin and Derek.  Through their friendship with him, I learned even more about them as individuals.

So yeah.  Loved it.  Such a compelling story that had me not wanting to put it down, and definitely kept me on my toes with a few surprises.