5 Smooches!
Synopsis
A funny, naughty, dirty *standalone* sports romance…
At a boxing gym in Chicago, Mary Monahan accidentally knocks out the most handsome man she’s ever met. After she wakes him up with a few slaps and some smelling salts, the very first thing he does is ask her out for ribs and beer. His name is Jimmy. He looks like a Gillette model. And he’s just too hunky to resist.
Jimmy “The Falcon” Falconi is mystified that Mary has absolutely no idea who he is. Mystified and refreshed. He is, after all, not your everyday NFL quarterback. He shops at Costco, has a soft spot for Pinterest, and is in the midst of an epic losing streak.
Jimmy falls for Mary fast and hard, the way he does everything—balls out and like it’s fourth and long. And he realizes he’s finally met his match. That stamina he’s so proud of? Doesn’t stand a chance against her Kegels.
But what they don’t know is she’s also his new physical therapist, recently hired by the Bears to work on his rotator cuff…and groin injury. If she can’t help him, he’ll be traded faster than they can say “offensive penetration.”
In spite of the thousands of internet memes featuring Jimmy’s face with captions like: “HEY GIRL, WANT TO TOUCH MY BALLS?” Mary finds herself falling for him and his unrelenting desire to make her his.
Until a toddler shows up at Jimmy’s door.
And throws their lives into total chaos.
***
To the reader: Sweet. Safe. HEA. This is a comedy that gets very dirty, so be advised. Other tasters’ notes: Hints of honey and champagne. And a feisty little dog named Frankie Knuckles.
REVIEW
This book… Oh God, how I loved this book! Hail Mary was the first book of Nicola Rendell’s that I’ve read, and if this is the type of romantic comedy she turns out, I’m kicking myself for not reading her work sooner! From the very first page, Rendell came right out swinging with a perfect one-two-punch of sizzling chemistry and smart banter and, just like Jimmy, I was hooked immediately.
“This isn’t going to be ordinary, is it? You and me?”
I loved Jimmy and Mary together from the moment I met them. Their chemistry was instantaneous, sparking right off the page and practically crackling in the air around them. They were positively combustible together, and Rendell did a fabulous job of capturing that and conveying it to the reader. They were so deliciously naughty together, this is one seriously hot and sexy story! This couple was so in sync, so fantastic together, they were that couple, the one you can’t help but root for. In my mind, there just was no other way for them to end up but together. I’m stopping short of calling this an insta-love type of scenario. This relationship was definitely fast-moving, but I loved them so much that that was exactly how I wanted it to go for them. They did have a few hurdles to clear, though, and it wasn’t always smooth sailing, but when they stuck together, when they believed in their feelings, things fell into place, and I really liked that about this relationship’s build up.
“Everything shifts… I feel it. He is serious. I am serious. This is serious.”
Jimmy is the once infamous star quarterback who is now nearing the end of his career. Not only is he plagued with a losing streak, he’s also battling an injury (or two) while dealing with the seemingly never-ending drama brought into his now quiet life by his miserable and troubled twin brother as he worries about the well-being of his beloved young niece. Meeting Mary Monahan was a breath of fresh air he didn’t even realize that he needed. An avowed bachelor and <former> playboy, Jimmy recognized that Mary was different and special from the get-go and pulled out all of the stops to sweep her off her feet. He wasn’t messing around, and once she got past her own issues and gave in to what she was feeling, this relationship just blossomed. Mary was a strong heroine, she was smart, she was witty, and she definitely held her own against the larger-than-life Jimmy. She was fun, she was spontaneous and she was caring. This kind of sweet, swoony, sexy romance is exactly what I hope for in the stories I read, and Rendell really gave her readers a truly spectacular and special love story in Hail Mary.
“Love will set you free, if only you’d let it.”
“Love will transform your world if you believe that it can.”
This book was so much more than I anticipated it would be. It was so well written, so smart and just so witty. I was impressed and entertained by the writing as much as I was by the story. With as many heart-tugging moments as there were hilarious ones, I loved absolutely everything about this book. Nicola Rendell’s Hail Mary gets five smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
