False 9 by Megan Erickson

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Title: False 9
Author: Megan Erickson
Published by: Indie
Release Date: February 4th 2019
Format: eARC
Pages: 263
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sports Romance
Source: the author
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 New Release Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER Winter 2018
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

A mouthy soccer stud virgin meets the secretive new girl on campus…

The last time I got laid was… oh right. Never. The only game I have is on the soccer field, where I mostly exist to make my teammates look good. I don’t get the glory or the girl, and in true Lavin Saint fashion, the first impression I make to the gorgeous new girl on campus is chair-crashingly, soul-crushingly bad.

Bianca Santos seems undeterred and even intrigued by my inability to form coherent sentences around her, which is why it sucks when I find out she’s my coach’s niece. Off limits.

Except Bianca doesn’t listen to that memo, and the more she focuses on me with those beautiful brown eyes, the less I care about the real possibility of being relegated to the bench. So when I find out she’s hiding something that’s threatening her, I’m done playing passive defense. I’m on the offensive now, no matter the risk—my sport, my sanity, or my life.

This time, I’m getting the glory. And the girl.

False 9 is a standalone romantic comedy with some sports, a bit of action, and a whole lot of sarcasm. HEA and no cliffhanger.

My Review:

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

4.5 stars — This one had me laughing and swooning, and just left me really happy in the end.  And most of that is due to Lavin Saint.

Lavin was so perfectly imperfect.  I didn’t even know I needed this book boy until he showed up on my Kindle.  He had all these qualities that we so often associate with heroines, while still being unapologetically male.  He was insecure, he didn’t see his own worth, and in general he was okay being in the background…  And in reality he was respected by his peers, valued by his team, and likely lusted after as well.  It was just a refreshing role reversal you know?  And he was so dorky!  He really had fairly terrible game, which of course made me love him more.  And because he assumed he had no game, he didn’t even try…which resulted in a guy with a lack of artifice.  And he made me laugh so much!  I loved it when he tried to boast about things and made things up that were objectively ridiculous, but he just went with it.  He was…just *swoon*, but not a normal *swoon*.  I loved that the way he grew up really shaped the man he became.  He was unfailingly thoughtful and concerned and truly valued Bianca’s opinion.  Now, because of his self-deprecation and insecurity, he definitely had his flaws.  He put Bianca on a bit of a pedestal, even as he did see past her outer beauty.  But our dear Bianca sorted that shit out right away.  I LOVED how fierce she was, and how she’d shake him and his views up.  I got why she fell in love with him.

I just loved it because girls don’t have the rights to insecurity, and he was just so much more than I was hoping for.  There were bits of him that reminded me of my hubby, and so it’s not a surprise that I loved him.  Because while he might have some outward bravado, and seem unconcerned, he’s still tenderhearted…or at least not impervious to self-doubt.  I’m having a hard time articulating what I mean, but hopefully you get the gist.

Bianca wasn’t a slam dunk book girl crush, but I did really like her.  Sometimes I didn’t understand her over the top reactions, but I appreciated that she was dealing with some crazy shit and just didn’t have the tolerance for some things.  She was funny, and fierce, and loyal, and I loved that she was this mix of adventurous and insecure herself.

They matched so well, I just loved the way they bantered and had fun together.  You could feel their chemistry right off the bat, and not just the steamy chemistry, but more the friendship chemistry.

Super intrigued by the other boys on the soccer team, I sooooo hope this is the start of the series and we get to see stories for Zac, Dre, and Shane.  I loved how supportive they were with one another, and how they didn’t shy away from feelings, but were still guy-y at the same time (with ribbing, and fighting, and all that).

It was funny, and a bit crazy, but Lavin alone was worth the price of admission.