REVIEW: THE STRIKER'S CHANCE BY REBECCA CROWLEY

Landing the PR contract for North Carolina's new soccer team could take Holly Taylor's career to the next level. Her task? Make Kepler "Killer" de Klerk, an athlete with a party-hard reputation, a star. But revamping the sexy footballer's image while battling her unwanted attraction to him is easier said than done.

The car accident that derailed Kepler's European career also gave him some much-needed perspective. He's ready to give up on fame and focus on the game he loves. The last thing he needs is a headstrong brunette pushing him back into the spotlight, even if butting heads with her is the most fun he's had in ages.

The more time Holly spends with Kepler, the more she sees how different he is from his tabloid persona. But when she's offered her dream job for a price, she finds herself torn between the career she's spent years building and the man she doesn't want to give up.

Published September 2nd 2013 by Carina Press
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley for honest review

Our Review---
The slow burn of angst..that's how I would describe this. Here are my common reactions:

OHHH he sounds hot.

FACEPALM

NOOO...just tell him. 

Awww. He's so sweet. Why won't he let her know how sweet he is?

No. No. No. SMH NOOOOO. WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS? Sigh.

This is just wrong. SHE is just wrong. How COULD she?

That's painful.

OH YAY!!!!! 

Finally...this book was fast. 

Seriously, Shel. This is hilarious. And seriously what we were doing. A lot of sounds that don't form words were coming out of my mouth in major frustration to the decisions Holly was making! 

So--in a nutshell--I really liked him; Kepler was way underestimated by Holly and many others. He's not some hotshot soccer god...he's just a guy who is ready for the next phase of his life. Holly is ambitious to a fault, sometimes, and this tends to cloud her judgement. All of the miscommunications and misunderstandings create an slew of problems but somehow these two are able to work around it.

I loved Kepler. He is played up to be this tabloid frequenting playboy, and he admits in some ways maybe he was that guy. But unless you ask him, you have no idea what he does behind closed doors. I liked that he was very upfront and basically dared everyone to do just that, and didn't hide behind anything. He does what he wants. He is passionate about soccer. And really wants to dislike Holly based on principal! But he can't. 

The angsty parts come early and often and the resolution is swift. If anything, that may be my problem...the ending snuck up on me and I was left with many questions. 

I desperately need an epilogue. Desperately. It doesn't feel done. I really enjoyed the parts of the story we did get. But there are quite a few questions left unanswered that kept this from being 5 Stars amazing for me! Luckily the meat of the story holds it up pretty high, but I have to say that was a bit disappointing.

Shelley: 3 1/2 Stars
Courtney: 3 1/2 Stars

About the Author---

Rebecca Crowley inherited her love of romance from her mom, who taught her to at least partially judge a book by the steaminess of its cover. She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense with smart heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, and never tires of the happily-ever-after. Having pulled up her Kansas roots to live in New York City and London, Rebecca recently relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa.

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